by Godloves.me | 31. December 2023
Ted Ligety ist ein ehemaliger, äusserst erfolgreicher amerikanischer Skirennfahrer. Er darf sich heute stolz als Olympiasieger, Weltmeister und mehrfacher Weltcupsieger bezeichnen. Das faszinierende an seinem Fahrstil war, dass er im Vergleich zu seinen Konkurrenten kaum ein Tor berührt hat. Die Fahrten von anderen Fahrern sahen optisch oft besser und präziser aus. Doch Ted hatte die Fähigkeit, die Ski laufen zu lassen und dadurch ein hohes Tempo zu erzeugen. Seine Gegner klammerten oft zu sehr an der Linie und vergassen dabei das Wichtigste.
Wir sind vielmals stark darauf bedacht, dass unser Leben von aussen gut aussieht. Es ist uns wichtig, was Menschen über uns denken. Wie die Fahrer an die Linie, klammern wir uns zu sehr an Äusserlichkeiten und Formalitäten und verlieren dabei das Ziel aus den Augen.
Jesus sagte: «Ich bin der Weg, die Wahrheit und das Leben.»
Johannes 14,6
Ein Leben mit Jesus sieht von aussen nicht immer sinnvoll oder attraktiv aus. Die Beziehung zu ihm ist aber der Sinn des Lebens, die perfekte Linie, die uns erfolgreich ans Ziel bringt.
Gelingt es dir, deinen Ski laufen zu lassen?
Bibeltext zum Thema: Matthäus 23,1-12
by Godloves.me | 24. December 2023
That God becomes man is actually completely absurd.
But it becomes even more absurd when we consider that in Jesus, God not only became man, but was even born as a baby. The almighty God who made heaven and earth came into the world as a completely helpless infant dependent on his parents.
For the seekers of truth from the East, gods have always been strong protectors of humanity. This radical reversal of roles must have been a shock to them. Suddenly, it is no longer God who provides for mankind, but mankind who provides for God, in the guise of a little baby. But they were not disappointed at all. The closeness with which God shows himself is so overwhelming for them that they immediately worship the little Jesus and give him a royal welcome.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
With this intimate closeness, Jesus still meets us today through his Holy Spirit. The wise men from the East cannot react to this in any other way than with adoration, gratitude and gifts.
How do you react to the closeness with which Jesus wants to meet you?
by Godloves.me | 23. December 2023
It’s not difficult to make a decision when all the facts are known. Hence, it is not difficult for us to believe something if we can verify it. But unfortunately, that’s not always possible. The truth of some statements, signs or indications remains hidden from us. In such cases, we must take a leap of faith and believe one thing or the other.
This is also experienced by the truth seekers who see the sign of Jesus’ birth in the sky. They cannot immediately check whether they have understood those signs correctly. They take a leap of faith and decide to see the star as a sign of God. Also, during their long journey to Bethlehem, they can only hope that they have made the right decision.
When they saw the star[in Bethlehem], they were overjoyed.
Matthew 2:10
In relation to God, we often have to take that leap of faith. Like the truth seekers, we cannot immediately verify whether we have correctly understood the signs of God and that it is indeed God who is showing Himself to us. But the greater will be the joy when one day our faith proves to be true.
Do you also dare to take this leap?
by Godloves.me | 22. December 2023
If God exists, why doesn’t he show himself? I believe that this well-known question already contains the answer the way it is asked.
2030 years ago, a group of highly educated truth seekers of the old Orient recognized a strange star formation: Jupiter, the “king star”, and Saturn, the “star of the Jews”, met. In this phenomenon, which in the eyes of most rational scientists, these men recognize a clear sign from God: In Israel the Messiah, the king and God of the Jews, has been born.
In fact, they are so sure of this that they immediately set out on a long journey to meet this God and King – and it pays off.
Whether we recognize God often depends on whether we perceive his indications as such. The assumption that God would not show himself to us is already preceded by the belief that it would never happen – and this assumption can block our view of God.
Could it be that God showed himself to you the other day, but you only interpreted this as a random phenomenon?
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him”
Matthew 2:2
by Godloves.me | 17. December 2023
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,
“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Luke 2:15
After the shepherds heard the good news through the angel, they decided to go to Bethlehem. They wanted to see with their own eyes what the angels had announced to them.
And indeed, arriving in Bethlehem, the shepherds found Mary, her husband Joseph and found the newborn Jesus. Like any other baby, Jesus was completely and utterly dependent on his mother. Dependent on Mary to feed him and change his diapers. God truly became man.
Not only theoretically, but practically. Jesus is still alive today and can be experienced in real terms. He is truly man and God at the same time. So let us set out like the shepherds to Bethlehem. Let us look for Jesus, who humbled himself out of love, in order to give us true in the midst of our neediness and to bring peace to our hearts.
When will you set out to seek Jesus?
Bible text: Luke 2:15-20
