It was a hot, August day in 2004. Eighty-two-year-old Edna sat in her living room sipping an iced tea. I sat facing her holding a glass of cold water. The 40-year age difference between us didn’t bother Edna or me; we’d known each other for years. She was my spiritual mother. Each week we studied …
Author Archives: Jonathan Kobayashi
37106 Abundant Life in God’s Love
In their book, The Rest of the Gospel, Dan Stone and David Gregory begin by writing: “Most people’s Christianity is like an old iron bed: firm at both ends and sagging in the middle. On the one end you trust Christ as Savior and get your sins forgiven. On the other end, one day you will …
37107 Healing the Soul
Do you sometimes have thoughts you can’t control? Do you find yourself reacting to certain situations in self-punishing or hurtful ways? Do you sometimes feel stressed, anxious or depressed? Do you ever feel like nobody cares? If your answer to any of these questions is “Yes,” you are like most Christians; you suffer from symptoms …
37108 Lies Out, Love In
Every single one of us has thoughts and feelings about God and ourselves that are not true. Perhaps you believe that because of a particular sin you have committed (or continue to commit) God couldn’t possibly love you. Maybe you feel rejected and alone—like God doesn’t care. Or you might think that you need to …
37109 Amazing God! Amazing Love!
The Bible tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). It does not just say that “God loves” or that “God is loving.” It says, “God is love.” Because God’s very essence is love, we can know God’s love for us only to the extent that we know God as he really is. …
37110 God’s Heavenly Love
As Described by those with Near Death Experiences God fills heaven with His love. People with near-death experiences who have died and gone to heaven and then returned to life on earth report that heaven is radiant with love. Their stories lend powerful and consistent support to the truth of God’s love we know from …
37111 Suffering and God’s Love
None of us like suffering. When violence or famine strikes a country, when fires, hurricanes or drought threaten our communities, when a loved one is in a serious accident, when a child is born with a disability, when we are sick, something deep within us cries, “No!” And we may wonder, “God, if you really …
37112 Sin and God’s Love
Have you ever felt trapped in sin—like there seemed to be no way out? Have you done something so terrible you think God can never forgive you or love you? Do you sometimes feel like you are irreparably bad and that change is impossible? I once felt and thought this way, but now I understand …
32920 God’s Plan for You
God created you to have an eternal relationship with Him. You are significant because the Creator of the Universe custom designed you in His image. Job explains, You guided my conception and formed me in the womb. You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together. You gave me …
32292 El
El is an ancient Semitic word for deity. In English, it will be translated as “god.” El is not a name. It refers to a divine being. So, YHWH (Yahweh/Jehovah) is the name of the Jewish el (deity) whom we call God in English. Elohim is technically the plural form of eloah, another word for …