Category Archives: Daily devotionals

(This call to prayer was published on March 21, 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. Three years have passed since then. The World Health Organization (WHO) hopes that the pandemic could end in 2023. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the past three years? In what way has spirituality helped you deal with the challenges brought on by the pandemic? And finally, how much damage has it brought to the sense of fellowship within Christian communities locally and globally?) Reading: I believe in […]

Reading: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of […]

Reading: Matthew 6:13 “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Reflection: Alexander the Great conquered a vast portion of the known world before his death at age 32. His brutal force, combined with incredible tactical warfare and bravery, led to him being remembered as one of the greatest conquerors of ancient times. Alexander had a massive kingdom and used force to expand it, gaining great glory as a result. Historical accounts say he died of a fever caused by a mosquito bite, while other theories suggest his soldiers poisoned […]

Reading: Matthew 6,13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil Reflection: Yesterday I wrote about how we pray that we do not fall into temptation. I invited you to pray together for God’s guidance, wisdom, open eyes and ears so that we would be alert, and not find ourselves in trouble. It is much wiser, in fact, not to get ourselves into a situation where the temptation is strong, than to resist the strength of the temptation. However, even though Jesus himself prayed that the cup of bitter experience would pass […]

Reading: Matthew 6,13 And lead us not into temptation Reflection: These days, the media is abuzz with the current pandemic of the “Corona” virus.* It seems to me that I have not read more speculation in the media in my forty years of literacy. The World Health Organization cannot keep up with all the false information that spreads rapidly on the internet. Everyone knows what to do. Everyone knows what is best, what is right. And yet, people write a bunch of nonsense. But the truth is, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and […]

Reading: Matthew 6,12 (and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors) Reflection: Every time my prayer comes to this point, I just feel like giving up. I feel so unworthy and trapped in an inner struggle, knowing that in the following verses of Matthew 6, verses 14 and 15, it says: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” And I often have a problem with forgiving. Often hurts […]

Reading: Matthew 6,12 And forgive us our debts… Reflection: A few years ago, I watched a documentary about a local actor who, in desperation to save his daughter’s life, borrowed money from a loan shark. He said that he went into a building, and met a very nice gentleman who loaned him the money without any problems. He couldn’t believe how easy it was to get the amount he needed. This encounter was the beginning of a downward spiral in his life. He took out a loan that he couldn’t repay. The interest rate was […]

Reading: Matthew 6,11 Give us this day our daily bread! Reflection: Very often, when I explain why I like someone, I say “I like that they’re normal.” Maybe for someone, that argument might sound weak, but by my standards, it’s crucial. Honestly, ever since I met God, I am constantly amazed by Him. His personality is incredibly and inexhaustibly rich. The combination of incompatible things in Him is fantastic. The supernaturality of His nature is fantastic. And yet, He is fantastically normal. I like that this “normality” makes Him close to us, humans. It’s normal […]

Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash Reading: Matthew 6,10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Reflection: There are people who choose to live in the Great Story that God has been telling since the beginning of the world. They leave this world to enter into the Great Story that continues in Heaven, which has no end. There are also those who live in their small stories. Their small story dies with them, and they die in their small stories. And that is the end. Of course, there’s a […]

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash Reading: Matthew 6,10 Your will be done Reflection: I think one of the first words my son learned was “MINE.” If you tried to do something he wanted to do by himself, you would get aggressive, angry, demanding, loud, and insistent “MINE! MIIIIINE!” (he didn’t even know how to speak properly yet). It is inherent in us to want to have our lives in our hands. If someone tries to take that away from us, we feel worthless, diminished, and robbed. “I can do it all by myself.” “I […]