I love the writings of Peter because he’s so outspoken and quick.
I love the writings of John because he’s so fixed on the mutual importance of truth and love.
But I have a special place in my heart for Paul because he was once a blasphemer and opponent of the gospel like me.
Every time I read Paul’s letter to Timothy, his child in the faith, I am reminded anew of God’s unique calling and purpose for me and how greatly His grace and love have overflowed in my life.
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:12-16 ESV
Does your testimony sound different from mine and Paul’s? Were you never a persecutor of Christians and an opponent of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Great news! God still has a unique purpose and calling for YOU! God still wants to use YOU as an example of His perfect patience.
Whether you grew up from infancy surrounded by Words of Truth whispered over you as you slept, or you walked in utter darkness until adulthood, the light has come for you. Now go and share the good news with others this holiday season. It’s never too late to tell someone about the saving faith available to all through trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
In China, June 1 every year is Children’s Day. Here in the U.S., it seems like every day is Children’s Day. 😆
Have you ever heard the phrase, “We’re all God’s children?” It’s a pretty popular saying and somewhat accurate in that we are all God’s creation, or that we are all created in the image of God. Every man, woman, and child, born or unborn, has been created by God, after the image of God, for the intentional purpose of God. In that way, yes, we’re all God’s children.
But, today, as I was reading Ephesians 2, verses 2 and 3 jumped out at me. They say that we were all once by nature sons of disobedience and children of wrath. Verses 4-10 go on to explain that because of God’s rich mercy and love and grace, we have been saved from His wrath by faith in His Son, Jesus.
In order to be God’s children, we must be born again and be made new by the Holy Spirit. In order to call on God as our Father, we must be adopted as His sons and daughters.
I pray that today, as Children’s Day is being celebrated on the other side of the globe, you will call out to your Creator, that you will receive Him as Your Father, confessing your sins to Him and asking Him to welcome you into His family, coming to Him by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. I’d love to call you my brother or sister and welcome you into the household of God.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:9-13 ESV
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:14-17 ESV
for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26 ESV
My newest ebook is now available on Kindle. In fact, it’s FREE from September 6-8, so get yourself a copy!
Just search for Kim Endraske on Amazon. 😀 One of the blessings of an unusual name!
I’m still working on getting it in paperback form – hopefully it will be ready soon!
God transformed me from an Evangelical Atheist to Evangelical Christian when I was 21 years old. Believing that God existed was step one … truly knowing God was step two.
Have you ever wished that someone would clearly and simply explain to you what God is like?
Do you want to know the self-existent and self-sufficient, infinite and eternal, immutable and omniscient, all-wise and all-powerful, transcendent and omnipresent, good and faithful and loving and merciful and sovereign and holy God?
As a new Christian, I needed someone to help me to know God. “A Former Atheist Looks at the Attributes of God” does just that.
I am certain that the more you know God, the more you will love and trust Him.
This book is based on the notes for an online study I led with a group of international women. It includes many scripture passages in English as well as Chinese.
Each chapter includes a variety of self-reflection and discussion questions which I hope will be used for your personal study or your own small group study!
May God be glorified as we know Him more fully and accurately.
May our passion to make Him known to the ends of the earth grow as we know God more.
May the Lord Jesus shine brightly as we better know who He is and what He has done for us.
Jesus is the true light of the world (John 8:12, John 12:46). He is the source of all that is good and light.
But the Bible also says that, as His children, we are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14-16)
It reminds me of the moon. The moon cannot make its own light. The moon reflects the light from the sun. Likewise, I shine because God lives in me and His light shines from me.
I want to be a spotlight – pointing people to Jesus, the source of the light coming from me 👉 ✝️
“Glow In The Dark” by Jason Gray
Sometimes the world feels like a mess Full of drama, full of stress And life puts a fist right in your ribs You can hide if you choose to And no one would even blame you Or you can let them see how you deal with it
That even in the darkest place His love can make you radiate
Doesn’t matter how deep, how dark the night is Keep hoping, keep on shining And they’ll see His light burning in your heart And if the road gets rough, just keep your head up Let the world see what you’re made of That His love’s alive in your deepest parts Like a flame, like a burning star you can shine right where you are He made you to glow in the dark
Don’t be ashamed of your past If you’re shattered like a piece of glass The more broke you are the more the light gets through Show your wounds and your flaws Show them why you still need the cross Let them see the work He’s doing in you
That even in the darkest place His love can make you radiate
Doesn’t matter how deep, how dark the night is Keep hoping, keep on shining And they’ll see His light burning in your heart And if the road gets rough, just keep your head up Let the world see what you’re made of That His love’s alive in your deepest parts Like a flame, like a burning star you can shine right where you are He made you to glow in the dark
Doesn’t matter how deep, how dark the night is Keep hoping, keep on shining And they’ll see His light burning in your heart And if the road gets rough, just keep your head up Let the world see what you’re made of That His love’s alive in your deepest parts Like a flame, like a burning star you can shine right where you are He made you to glow in the dark Glow in the dark
I’m midway through a study of the classic Christian book, The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer. I’m studying it online with some friends in Asia. These are my notes from week 9. I hope they will bless you. If you would like to join us, please send me a message!
In the past two months, we have already discussed that God is eternal, unchanging, all-knowing, all-wise and omnipotent.
Today we will be studying chapters 13 and 14 of “The Knowledge of the Holy,” where A.W. Tozer teaches that God is transcendent and omnipresent. How wonderful to study God’s transcendence and omnipresence on the same day!
God is transcendent. The word “transcend” reminds me of the more common words “ascend” and “descend.” Ascend (a+scend) means to climb up, while descend (de+scend) means to go down. We can ascend and descend ladders or stairs or mountains.
In Genesis 28:12, Jacob saw a vision of angels ascending and descending on a ladder, and in John 1:51, Jesus tells Nathanael that he will see heaven opened and see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
But transcend means “to rise above or go beyond, to exceed.” A man or a book or a movie might transcend other men or books or movies, yet there will always be a better man, or a better book, or a better movie.
We might think of a goldfish as transcending a single cell amoeba.
We might think of a dolphin as transcending a goldfish.
We might think of young boy transcending a dolphin.
And a grown man transcends a young boy.
Surely the glory of an angel transcends the glory of a man.
But the gap between a single cell amoeba and an angel is small compared to the gap between angels and the Almighty God. Even the most wise, powerful, glorious angel is still a created being. God created the amoeba, the goldfish, the dolphin, the man, and the angel. God designed them in His own creative mind. God created each of them for His purposes. All of these created things are “that-which-is-not-God and can never be God.”
Tozer wrote, God is “exalted far above the created universe.” To exalt means to lift high, to praise, to glorify. In our modern world, people often praise and lift high worldly things.
Who are some people or what are some things that people today wrongly exalt?
God is the only one worthy to be exalted. God is the only one who is worthy of worship and praise. Before building a temple for the Lord, King Solomon said,
“The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?” (2 Chronicles 2:5-6 ESV)
When Solomon had finished the temple, he worshipped the Lord before all the people of Israel, saying,
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27 ESV)
“神果真住在地上吗？看哪，天和天上的天尚且不足你居住的，何况我所建的这殿呢？”列王纪上 8:27
In our pride, we want God to fit into a little box. We want to live as if God is merely a man, limited in His power, limited in His knowledge, living far away and unconcerned with our lives.
Satan tempted Eve in the garden of Eden, telling her to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan told Eve that if ate the fruit, her “eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5) We, too, want to be “like God.” But none of us can truly be like God, because God is transcendent.
Only God is perfectly transcendent. God rises above everyone and everything. God transcends space and time. God transcends wisdom and knowledge. As His faithful children, we must humble ourselves and worship Him.
Think of this – this Almighty, Eternal, Unchanging, Self-existent, Self-sustaining God hears our prayers!
In Psalm 34, Solomon’s father, King David, worshipped God saying,
“My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
Psalm 34:2-3
How can you praise and exalt God today? Let’s pause right now to praise and exalt God together!
This almighty, eternal, unchanging, self-existent, self-sufficient, transcendent God is also close and personal. God is omnipresent. Omni- means “all,” and “present” means “here, close to, next to.”
No matter where you go – in the middle of the greatest desert, at the top of the most remote mountain peak, at the deepest depth of the ocean, to the farthest reach of outer space – God is there. God is with me here in my little town in America and God is also with you in your big city on the other side the globe.
As Tozer writes, “there is no place in heaven or earth or hell where men may hide from His presence.”
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10 ESV)
Let me share with you one simple way that I’ve found to really personalize and apply the scripture that I’m reading that day.
Read through the Bible, one book at a time, one chapter (or a portion of a chapter) each day. Each day, choose one specific verse that really speaks to you that day and use that verse to write out a prayer.
Today I read through John 1 and chose John 1:34 for my verse of the day.
“And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
John 1:34
I wrote this prayer based on that chapter and verse.
Father, thank You for making Yourself visible so that we can be Your witnesses. Thank you for the witnesses who came before me, for John the Baptist who told his disciple Andrew who told his brother Peter, and for Philip who told his friend Nathanael. Thank you for those who have told me their stories, testifying to the realness of God! I pray that You would make me Your faithful witness. Give me the wisdom and the words to testify to the TRUTH of what I have seen and heard. I pray that my children and my husband and those that I’m discipling would be Your faithful witnesses, too, not giving way to fear, not being ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. Amen.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about how this worked for you. How do you study the Bible every day?
The Bible says He’s the King of the Jews He’s the King of Israel He’s the King of Righteousness He’s the King of the Ages He’s the King of Heaven He’s the King of Glory He’s the King of Kings and He is the Lord of Lords
Now that’s my King!
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing No means of measure can define His limitless love No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply
He’s God’s Son He’s the sinners’ Saviour He’s the centerpiece of civilization He’s unparalleled He’s unprecedented He’s pre-eminent He’s the loftiest idea in literature He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology He’s the miracle of the age He’s the superlative of everything good He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously He supplies strength for the weak He’s available for the tempted and the tried He sympathizes and He saves He heals the sick He cleansed the lepers He forgives sinners He delivers the captives He defends the feeble He blesses the young He serves the unfortunate He regards the aged He rewards the diligent And He beautifies the meek
Do you know Him? Do you know my King?
My King is the key of knowledge He’s the wellspring of wisdom He’s the doorway of deliverance He’s the gateway of glory He’s the pathway of peace He’s the roadway of righteousness He’s the highway of holiness His promise is sure His life is matchless His goodness is limitless His mercy is everlasting His love never changes His word is enough His grace is sufficient His reign is righteous His yoke is easy and His burden is light
Do you know Him?
He’s incomprehensible He’s invincible He’s irresistible I’m trying to tell you The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him Let alone a man explain Him
You can’t get Him out of your mind You can’t outlive Him And you can’t live without Him
The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him but they found out they couldn’t stop Him Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree And Herod couldn’t kill Him Death couldn’t handle Him And the grave couldn’t hold Him
That’s my King!
He always has been And He always will be I’m talking about He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor There was nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him You can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign
That’s my King!
Do you know Him?
He’s the Master of the Mighty He’s the Captain of the Conquerors He’s the Head of the Heroes He’s the Leader of the Legislatures He’s the Overseer of the Overcomers He’s the Governor of the Governors He’s the Prince of Princes He’s the King of Kings And He’s the Lord of Lords
That’s my KING!
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13 KJV)
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 KJV)
I’m on Day 6 of a 40 Day Facebook fast. I’m using a devotional by Wendy Speake called “The 40-Day Social Media Fast.” Today’s devotional was entitled, “A Few Good Friends” and it hit me right between the eyes.
I spent most of my teenage years as an outsider. As a brainiac and an atheist, though I wanted to fit in, I didn’t.
As an adult and born again follower of Jesus, I never want others to feel left out, like I was.
I cast my net wide.
I love everyone.
I invite everyone.
Any age, any skin color, any religion, any economic level, whatever – I love you all.
I love to greet the new people who wander nervously into church. I love to seek out the person sitting in the corner at a party. I love to make the newcomer and the outsider feel appreciated and valued.
8 or 80, male or female, made up or beat up, I want to be your friend.
The struggle for me is that love isn’t always reciprocated, even in the family of Christ. Sometimes I’m too serious, too friendly, too deep, too religious, too loud, too … whatever. And it still hurts me more deeply than I wish it did. 😰
I love getting likes and shares on my FB feed (and my blog). I purposely share some fun family photos and silly memes on my Facebook feed, just so people don’t think I’m too “religious” or too “deep.”
The most personal things I write, which are usually both deep and religious, don’t garner nearly so many likes or shares, but I keep on writing them because that’s how God made me. I think these writings are some of the works that God has prepared for me to do, that God has uniquely designed me to write. (Ephesians 2:10)
Thanks to each of you for being on this journey with me. Whether you’re one of my 3 special friends or whether we’ve never even met, I love you and I want you to know Jesus.
Your love or disdain for me does not change my value in my Father’s eyes. Whether you like my post or not, Jesus likes me. In fact, Jesus died for me, and His approval is all that really matters. ❤
“We don’t need everyone to like us, love us, invite us, or include us. In God’s economy, two or three faithful friends make for great wealth.”
This is my lesson for this week. May it bless many and bear fruit to the glory of Jesus.
I am the younger of two children. I have only one sister. She is older than me. Her name is Kristan.
Growing up, I was always competing with Kristan. I never felt like I was as good as her. She was a quiet girl who didn’t cause much trouble. I always thought she was prettier than me. She was taller than me – and she still is. She was an excellent piano player while I struggled through my piano lessons.
Because I felt like she was better than me in so many ways, I tried to be better than her in other ways. I showed off by being talkative, friendly, outspoken, and loud. I earned awards in science fairs and debate competitions. I went to a special school for the top students in my city, yet I still felt like I was in her shadow.
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever compared yourself to someone else and felt like you weren’t as good, as smart, or as pretty as them?
Last week we talked about what people like to share on social media like WeChat and Facebook.
I think one reason why people like sharing on social media is because they want people to praise them. We all want people to think we’re smart, beautiful, kind, and good. We all want people’s praise.
Now that I am an adult, I still find myself comparing my strengths to others’ weaknesses. I like to share the highlights of my week when my family did something special. I don’t share the moments when I got mad at my husband. I don’t share when my house was a mess and I served frozen pizzas for dinner. I don’t share when I spent 2 hours scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. I want to show the good things my kids or my husband or I did. I still want so much for people to praise and value me. This is still a struggle for me.
How about you?
I want to show you a short video of a young man with Down Syndrome speaking at a meeting for some American government leaders. While you’re watching this video, I want you to think about how you feel watching this young man and how you would feel if he was your son.
If you were this young man’s mom, would you be proud to call him your son? Why? Why not?
Now let’s think about our own families. If you had a son, would you value him more if he was the top student in his Chinese class? What if he won a track meet or an English competition? What would he have to do to make you proud?
What about God? What does God value? What makes God proud? To find an answer, let’s consider the story of the shepherd boy David who grew up to be the King of Israel. The first king of Israel, King Saul, had disobeyed God and God was looking for a new man to be king of Israel. God sent His prophet Samuel to a man named Jesse to find a new king from one of Jesse’s sons. When Jesse’s first son arrived, Samuel thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed,” but Samuel was wrong.
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)
Let’s try reciting this verse together. First, you can listen to me say it. Then, we will say it together. Finally, I’d like a few sisters to try it by themselves.
God had chosen Jesse’s youngest son who was out in the field caring for the sheep. As we are told in Acts 13:22, God had chosen David, the son of Jesse, because he was a man after God’s own heart who would do everything God wanted him to do.
Does that mean that David never sinned? Does that mean that David never broke God’s laws? No, it doesn’t. In fact, David committed adultery with a married woman and had her husband killed. Yet, David was repentant over his sin. David grieved over his sin and turned to God for forgiveness. David held fast to God and had faith in God even when life was very hard.
So, what exactly is in a man’s heart which makes God value him?
What do you think, sisters? What makes a person worthy to be called God’s child?
God created each and every person in His very own image. Every single person ever made was created in the image of God – no matter their skin color, no matter their wealth, no matter their intelligence or ability level, no matter how much money they have. Every single person has value in the sight of God because every single person is created in the image of God.
But not everyone is God’s child.
Jesus “came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn–not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:10-13)
The only thing that can make you God’s child is faith, faith in Jesus Christ, the only Son of our Heavenly Father God. This alone is what makes you worthy. Faith is the greatest value.
And even this faith is a gift, as we read in Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
As you trust in God, then He will strengthen you and guide you to do great things for Him. He will change you, grow you and make you more like His Son as you trust in Him.
Like I once worked so hard to be better than my sister, when I became a Christian, I worked so hard to earn God’s love. But I was wrong. There was nothing I could do to deserve God’s love.
“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) 耶和华这样说：“智慧人不可夸耀自己的智慧，勇士不可夸耀自己的勇力，财主不可夸耀自己的财富。 夸口的却要因了解我，认识我而夸口；认识我是耶和华，我在地上施行慈爱、 公正、公义；因为我喜悦这些事。”这是耶和华的宣告。
Let’s try reciting this verse together. First, you can listen to me say it. Then, we will say it together. Finally, I’d like a few sisters to try it by themselves.
God delights in steadfast love, justice and righteousness. Yes, He does. And He wants us to do these things, too, but He wants us to do them by faith. He wants us to obey Him by faith.
Jesus chose the intellectual Paul, a Jewish Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians, to share the good news of salvation with the lost. But Jesus also chose four common fishermen like Peter to spread the gospel. Does Jesus love the intellectual Paul more than simple Peter? No.
As Paul wrote in the beginning of his letter to the church in Corinth,
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
Do you think if your child got better grades or your husband had a better job, then God would love you more?
Do you think that if you were prettier or smarter or richer, then God would love you?
What if you memorized more Bible verses or prayed more or went to church more often, then would you be worthy of God’s love?
What if you gave all you owned to the poor or gave up your life as a martyr for Christ, then would you finally be valuable to God? (See 1 Corinthians 13 for more on this!)
Look at these pictures of my husband and my son in our backyard. My husband is much taller than my son when you look at them up close, but when you compare either of them to the height of the trees, they are both so tiny.
We may like to compare ourselves to one other, but when we compare ourselves to God, then we see how short we truly are. None of us are perfectly good, wise or holy. Only God. God loves you because He is God. He is your Creator, and He wants to be your Father. There is nothing you can say or do or think to make yourself worthy of His love.
In your own power, you are unworthy and undeserving, but in Christ Jesus you have infinite worth.
I don’t know whether you need to hear this because you need to be reminded not to show favoritism to your children or your coworkers or your friends, or because you need the reminder that you can’t earn God’s love, but I know that you need to hear this.
When you place your trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. When God looks at you, He sees His Son, Jesus Christ, in your heart. Jesus Christ is who makes you worthy and valuable, completely worthy and infinitely valuable, and Jesus Christ is the truly the only one truly worthy of praise.
Let me encourage you to share this good news with someone else this week.
Teach What is Good 
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