The Price of Being God's Favorite

September 25, 2019

An oldie, but a goodie. I wrote this post over five years ago and it’s still one of my favorite (and most popular) posts of all time! Enjoy!

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Every now and then I read a passage in the Bible that just clicks. One sentence will speak volumes and resonate on so many levels. Today was one of those days. This morning I was reading John 12 – the story of when Jesus went to visit the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus just after raising Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11 (see John 11:38-45). The part that struck me was this:

“But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” John 12:10-11

Lazarus had a great miracle happen to him. He was raised from the dead by Jesus after being dead for 4 days in the tomb. That isn’t the kind of thing that happens every day – even Jesus was alive on the earth. And now that he was alive, he was a living testimony to the power of Jesus. The chief priests were trying to tell everyone that Jesus was a bad guy or at least a normal guy at best. Their message was “don’t follow Him. He is nothing special. Keep living your life as usual and don’t pay too much attention to what He is saying.”

But when Lazarus walked into the room, their message became much less effective. Lazarus was a walking billboard – shouting out JESUS IS THE REAL DEAL! JESUS IS ALL-POWERFUL! JESUS IS GOD! You couldn’t escape it as long as Lazarus was alive.

Christians Are Not Soft!

October 20, 2017

The following guest post is written by Nahum Mulugeta - high school junior living in Houston, TX. Despite being young in age, Nahum presents a well thought out perspective on how we should look at hardship and persecution. Great stuff for an 11th grader! If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

The Price of a Miracle

October 11, 2017

"My prayer is, when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight." harles Studd

Every now and then I read a passage in the Bible that just clicks. One sentence will speak volumes and resonate on so many levels. Yesterday was one of those days. I read John 12 – the story of when Jesus went to visit the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus just after raising Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11 (see John 11:38-45). The part that struck me was this:

“But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” John 12:10-11

Laziness, Busyness, and Rest

August 21, 2015

I'm the type of person who likes to be busy.

No. Let me say that again. I'm the type of person that NEEDS to be busy.

It's funny, actually. When I first started university, I hated how I never had time for myself. I wanted free time, and I didn't have it. This made me feel angry and stressed.

Then summer came along and I felt empty. I was restless, bored out of my mind. I had nothing productive to do. Sure, I could go out, shop, watch a movie, and more. But all these things...something was missing. I found that despite having a full day planned with outings and entertainment, I was lacking something.

And then it hit me: I wasn't being productive.

The Power of Prayer

February 7, 2014

One day I was sitting on my recliner in the living room and as I was looking outside at the backyard, I fell asleep. While sleeping, I had this vision:

I saw a lion hiding in a bush in the backyard. I was afraid of him and I instantly started praying and making the sign of the cross.

I then picked up the phone to call for help. I tried many times to call but no one answered the phone. The lion came out of the bush and came near the door of the living room where I was sitting. I was very afraid as he came closer to the door and I kept praying and making the sign of the cross.

I called again and again for help but no one responded to my call. My wife and my son came and tried to close the door of the room but they couldn’t. The lion pushed the door and came inside the room. I kept on praying and making the sign of the cross.

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