“How great is Your Name on the whole earth.” — Psalm 8:2
On July 12, 2022, scientists were expecting the first images from the new James Webb Space Telescope. A state-of-the-art telescope can look further into the universe than mankind has ever seen before. Suddenly, a breathtaking image emerges: a colorful spacescape of the Carina Nebula that has never been seen before. One NASA astronomer quoted Carl Sagan, a famous atheist: “Something incredible is waiting for us somewhere.”
Sometimes people can look God in the eye and not see Him. However, the psalmist David looked at the sky and knew exactly what he saw: “Your glory is above the heavens” (Ps. 8:2). Sagan was right about something “unbelievable” that awaits us, but he did not realize what David understood: “When I see Your heavens – the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars that You have established – then what is man that You remember him?” (vv. 4-5).
When we see pictures of distant space, we are amazed not so much by technology, but by the fact that we are witnesses of God’s creation. We marvel at the fact that in the infinity of creation, God made man “master of the creation of His hands” (v. 7). Indeed, “something incredible awaits us,” and it is God who is waiting to bring believers in Jesus to Himself when He returns to earth again. This is the most exciting image of all existing!
What thoughts come to your mind when you look at images of deep space? How do you feel God in them?
Creator God, I am amazed by the glory of the heavens and the beauty of Your creation. Thank you for taking care of me in the midst of such an amazing creation!
“And I praised joy: that there is no good for man under the sun, except to eat, and drink, and be merry.” — Ecclesiastes 8:15
Every spring in Japan, the sweet-smelling cherry blossoms flood the entire country with exquisite pale and bright pink colors, delighting the senses of both residents and tourists. The ephemerality of flowering cultivates in the Japanese an acute awareness of the need to enjoy beauty and fragrance while they last. The Japanese call this conscious pleasure something that changes quickly, “mono-no aware.”
It is human nature to seek and continue the feeling of joy. However, the reality that life is riddled with difficulties means that we must develop the ability to view pain and pleasure through the lens of faith in a loving God. We should not be overly pessimistic, nor should we create an unrealistically “sunny” outlook on life.
The book of Ecclesiastes offers us a useful model. Although this book is sometimes considered a catalog of negative statements, the same King Solomon who wrote that “everything is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2), also encouraged his readers to find joy in the simple things of life, saying: “And joy I praised: that there is no good thing for a man under the sun, except to eat, and drink, and be merry” (Eccles. 8:15).
Joy comes when we ask God to help us “know wisdom” and learn to see “every act of God” (vv. 16-17), both in beautiful periods of life and in difficult ones (Eccl. 3:11-14; 7:13-14), knowing that neither is permanent on this side of heaven.
What stage of life are you in now? How to find joy in it? Dear Father, thank you for being the source of beauty and joy in my life. Author: Kirsten Holmberg
“As the Lord lives, I will only say what the Lord says!” — 2 Chronicles 18:13
After the Paris Peace Conference, which ended World War I, French Marshal Ferdinand Foch bitterly remarked, “This is not peace. It is a truce for twenty years.” Foch’s view contradicted the popular belief that this terrible conflict would be “the war to end all wars.” Twenty years and two months later, World War II broke out. Foch was right.
Many years ago, Micah, the only true prophet of God in the region at that time, consistently prophesied dire military consequences for Israel (2 Chron. 18:7). In contrast to him, four hundred false prophets of King Ahab prophesied victory. One of Ahab’s officials said to Micaiah: “These are the words of those prophets – with one voice they announce good to the king. Let your word be like that of each of them – and you will speak well” (v. 12).
Micah answered: “I will only speak what the Lord says” (v. 13). And he prophesied about “Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd” (v. 16). Micah was right. The Arameans killed Ahab, and his army scattered (vv. 33-34; 1 Kings 22:35-36).
As followers of Jesus, we share a message that goes against conventional wisdom. Jesus said: “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Many do not like this message. As people say, it is too exclusive. However, Christ brings a message of hope that is all-encompassing. He welcomes everyone who turns to Him.
If the Spirit prompts you to say or do something, how do you do it with love? When have your own assumptions needed God’s testing?
Heavenly Father, please give me the wisdom to discern Your truth.
“Let your word be: “yes-yes”, “no-no”. And anything more than this is from the evil one.” — Matthew 5:37
When Gandalf the Gray faced Saruman the White, it became clear that the latter had strayed from what he was supposed to be doing – helping to protect Middle-earth from the evil Sauron’s rule. What’s more, Saruman made an alliance with Sauron! In this scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, based on Tolkien’s classic work, two former friends engage in an epic battle of good versus evil. If only Saruman had not strayed from his course and done what was right!
King Saul also failed to stay on the right path. In one of the stories, it is said that he “drove out [from Israel] the fortune-tellers and soothsayers” (1 Sam. 28:3). It was the right move, because God declared that fascination with the occult is “an abomination” (Deut. 18:9-12). However, when God did not answer the king’s pleas (because of his own previous sins) about how to deal with the huge Philistine army, Saul commanded: “Find me a fortune-teller, and I will go to her and ask her” (1 Sam. 28:7). What a change of course! In the end, Saul was defeated because he himself had violated his previous command, which was correct.
A thousand years later, Jesus said to His disciples: “Let your word be: ‘yes-yes’, ‘no-no’. And anything more than this is from the evil one” (Mt. 5:37). In other words, if we have made a commitment to obey Christ, it is vital that we keep that promise. So, let’s stay in Christ, with God’s help!
What helps you keep your commitments? Why is it so important not to deviate from the right path?
What is missing most in our country today? What a shame – peace. Even today’s holiday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is overshadowed by the fact that many families do not celebrate it at home. And many men, sons and daughters meet this holiday in the trenches at ground zero. That is why today’s Passover in Ukraine has pixel colors. Because it is thanks to our defenders that we can be in the church and celebrate this great holiday.
What is so special about peace that when it is there, we perceive it as something familiar, and when we lose it, everything around us becomes joyless and anxious?
The war that is still going on in our country has reminded us how valuable peace is. Because when our neighbors decided to bring their “Russian peace”, for many people everything was divided into “before” and “after”. And this is how some cities looked before the arrival of the “Russian Peace” and after.
Kyiv, Kharkiv, Irpin… Many beautiful and green cities turned into ashes and ruins. Why? Because they lost the real peace, and instead came to them the diabolical, fiendish “Russian peace”.
In fact, peace is the state for which God created us. Therefore, living without peace is very difficult and I would say impossible. Today’s holiday reminds us of this, because it is for this that our Lord Jesus Christ came.
Do you know what the first words Jesus said to his disciples after the resurrection? Yes, you were not mistaken, He said, “Peace be with you.”
We can read about this in the Gospel of John in chapter 20:
“On the same day, the first day of the week, when the evening had come, and the doors where the disciples had gathered were locked because they were afraid of the Jews, Jesus appeared and stood in the middle and said to them: Peace be with you!“ (John 20:19)
But a logical question arises, what kind of peace does the Lord Jesus tell us about? He talks about the peace that every person needs and without which we cannot have real peace. This is what he went to the cross for, shed his blood for, and gave his life for. What kind of peace is this? This is peace with our Creator – Heavenly Father.
If this peace is so important that Jesus gave His life, how can we obtain it? Christ says about this a little later in this Gospel:
“This is written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that, believing, you may have life in His Name!” (John 20:31)
So how exactly can we have God’s peace? Only through faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. This peace begins with repentance and it is through it that we receive forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. Everyone needs this peace, especially in our country. And it is precisely without this peace that there will be no truly happy life, even when the war in our country ends.
That is why Jesus says today: Peace be with you! May this peace be between you and God. Between you and your relatives. Between you and your neighbors. And may the Lord help that this peace has come for our country as well.
A hundred years ago, lush forests covered about 40 percent of Ethiopia’s territory, but today it covers only 4 percent. Clearing areas for agricultural needs without proper tree protection has led to an ecological crisis. The vast majority of the remaining small areas of green space are protected by churches. For centuries, local Ethiopian Orthodox churches have nurtured these oases in the middle of the barren desert. If you look at aerial photos, you will see green islands surrounded by brown sand. Church leaders insist that caring for trees is part of their obedience to God as stewards of His creation.
The prophet Isaiah wrote to the people of Israel who lived in an arid region. He pointed to the future planned by God, in which “the wilderness and the forest will rejoice, and the steppe will rejoice and blossom” (Is. 35:1). God wants to heal not only His people, but also the whole earth. “I will create a new heaven and a new earth” (Is. 65:17). In God’s new world, “the desert… will blossom like a rose” (Is. 35:1).
God’s concern for creation, including humans, motivates us to care for him as well. We can live in harmony with His plan for the ultimate healing of the world by caring for what He has created. We can also join God’s cause to make all kinds of deserts bloom with life and beauty.
Where do you see a barren and suffering creation? How to help deserts bloom?
Lord God, please show me how to help heal and restore what is broken in the world.
“We have different gifts according to the grace given to us.” — Romans 12:6
Ten years ago I attended a college retreat where everyone was talking about a personality test. “I’m an ISTJ!” – said one. “I’m an ENFP,” said another. I didn’t understand this at all, so jokingly I said: “And I’m ABVGD.”
Since then, I have learned a lot about personality tests. The letter designations above are the results of the Myers-Briggs test. There are others, for example, DiSC. I find them interesting, because with their help you can better understand yourself, learn about your strengths and weaknesses. Provided we do not abuse them, they can be useful tools that God uses for our development.
Scripture does not offer us personality tests. However, it affirms the uniqueness of each person in God’s eyes (see Ps. 138:14-16; Jer. 1:5) and shows how God endows each of us with unique gifts to serve others in His Kingdom. In the Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul begins to reveal this idea when he says: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us” (Rom. 12:6).
Paul explains that these gifts are not intended for ourselves, but for the service of God’s people, the body of Christ (v. 5). Вони є відображенням Його благодаті та доброти, що діють у кожному з нас і через нас. They encourage every Christian to be a unique “vessel” in the service of God.
What gifts has God given you to serve others? If you are not sure what your gifts are, who can help you identify them?
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gifts you have given me. Please help me to use them in your service.
“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them loves Me.” —John 14:21
During our wedding ceremony, the pastor asked me, “Do you promise to love, honor, and obey your husband until death do you part?” Looking at my fiancé, I whispered, “Obey?” We built our relationship on love and respect, not on blind obedience, as our wedding vows implied. My husband’s father videotaped the moment when I pondered the word “obey” with wide eyes and then said, “Yes.”
Over the years, God showed me that my resistance to the word “obey” had nothing to do with the incredibly complicated relationship between husband and wife. I thought it meant “forced submission”, but the Scriptures do not support such an interpretation. Навпаки, слово “слухатися” в Біблії виражає багато способів, якими ми можемо любити Бога. My husband and I are celebrating thirty years of marriage, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are still learning to love the Lord and each other.
When Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15), He showed that fulfilling the Scriptures is a consequence of our loving and close relationship with Him (vv. 16-21).
Jesus’ love is selfless and never violent or cruel. If we follow Him and honor Him in all our relationships, the Holy Spirit will help us see obedience to Him as a wise and loving act of trust and worship.
How does seeing obedience to God as an act of love and trust change your understanding of God’s call to obedience? How has God proven that you can trust Him?
Lord Jesus, please help me to love You and others through obedience to Your Word.
“They will come weeping, but I will lead them in rejoicing.” — Jeremiah 31:9
One morning, when Dean left the house, he saw his friends waiting for him with balloons. His friend Josh stepped forward and said, handing Dean an envelope, “We sent your poems to the contest.” Inside was a card with the words “First Place” written on it, and soon everyone was crying with joy. Dean’s friends did a great job of validating his talent.
Crying for joy is a paradoxical experience. Tears are usually a response to pain, and joy is expressed through laughter rather than tears. Italian psychologists have noted that tears of joy appear in moments of deep personal meaning, such as when we feel deeply loved or when we achieve a great goal. This observation led them to the conclusion that tears of joy indicate the meaning of our lives.
I imagine tears of joy everywhere Jesus went. How could the parents of the man born blind not weep for joy when Jesus healed him (John 9:1-9), or Mary and Martha when He resurrected their brother? (John 11:38-44). God says that when His people enter the restored world, “they will come with weeping, but I will lead them in joy” (Jer. 31:9).
If tears of joy show us the meaning of our lives, imagine that future great day. When the tears roll down our faces, we will know without a doubt that the meaning of life has always been to live in a close relationship with God.
When was the last time you cried for joy? What do you think is the meaning of life?
Heavenly Father, thank you for the joy that awaits those who love you.
Today, Easter looks like this. When Jesus rose and appeared to his disciples, the first thing he said was: “Peace be with you!” This peace did not come by itself, but was bought by the sacrifice of Christ – His death and resurrection. Today, peace is also bought with the blood and sacrifice of our soldiers. And that is why Easter today has the color of pixels.
