Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

It’s amazing that something like a phone can be so simple for the user yet we know the technology is so complicated. It kind of reminds me of God. He’s not anything like an iPhone, but our God is so majestic, so beautiful, so complex, and mysterious. Sometimes He’s hard to understand. But then He comes to us and He tells us, “You can know Me.” The glorious, mighty, mysterious God allows us to know...

I spend a lot of my time talking about Jesus, telling people about what He has done for them. And I love to do that! Why? Because of who Jesus is. There has never been anyone else like Him.  For one thing, Jesus is God. He is infinite and eternal.  He is the Christ – the One who fulfills all the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.  The Bible says Jesus is the Savior, the Deliverer, the Red...

I want to tell you about my father, Robert Levy. Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica he was always getting into trouble. He never finished high school because he had dyslexia. His mother became a Christian at a Billy Graham crusade in Jamaica and as a result my father gave his life to the Lord. The first book he ever read cover to cover was the Bible. This made a massive difference in his life. He cha...

Do you feel that if you try hard enough to earn God’s approval, He will eventually be pleased with you? I have good news for you! God’s love for you is not based on the things you do to serve Him, and it’s not based on your avoidance of sinful things. God loves you totally and without cause. Nothing you do can change His love for you. When you give your life to Jesus, [His righteousness covers you...

Life can seem so uncertain, and the pressure to obtain physical and financial security can be overwhelming. The truth is, no amount of stress and worrying can add a single moment to our lives. But we can rest in the good hands of a loving and powerful God, who is actively working “all things together for the good of those who love God.” (Romans 8:28) Listen carefully to what Jesus said in Matthew...

Do you have endurance…and patience? These are qualities in life that can be very elusive at times. We find it so difficult to be patient. Endurance can be something we want to avoid simply because hard things are hard. The word endurance means to remain under. It’s the image of carrying a heavy load that takes great strength to bear. Endurance can be so difficult. One of the beautiful promises in...

Have you felt isolated lately? As the world has changed over the past couple of years, more people than ever are feeling lonely, craving connection with others and with God. You can find reassurance in the truth that, if you have received Jesus into your life, He is always with you. King David wrote songs expressing to the Lord his loneliness. In Psalm 25 he says, “Turn to me and have mercy, for I...

There are a couple of stories in the Bible that reveal Jesus’ kindness and tenderness. One of them is found in John 20. Jesus has been crucified, laid in a tomb, and on the third day Mary comes to the grave, but Jesus isn’t there. She stands by the tomb crying. You see, Mary was so confused and full of grief. Jesus who had healed her and cared for her was dead. And now she comes and can’t even fin...

Most of us, I’m sure, feel stressed out watching the news reports. There are so many problems in the world, but for the most part, they are not our burdens to carry. Besides, we have a refuge, a sanctuary from the stress and strife of the world. Psalm 91 in the Bible says, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: H...

“Home” is a powerful word. It can stir up strong emotions. God created us to long for home, for belonging, for Himself. He is our good Father. Our home on earth is temporary; someday it will be a ruin.  God gives us a permanent home: His love. The strongest storm cannot break it. It will never fail. God’s love is forever. You have a Father in heaven who made you, He loves you, and He has made a wa...

There's a religious word that you might have heard and just let it pass you by. A word maybe a pastor or a priest would use. The word “redeemed.” The word actually means to buy up, to rescue from loss. Before I walked with God and gave my life to Him, I was lost. There were dreams I had that got lost through the years. I had a constant sense of disappointment. But when I received God's grace throu...

What are you hungry for? The city where I live – Portland, Oregon – is a foodie kind of place. There are creative chefs, decadent food options, and discerning diners.  Most of us have favorite foods that we crave. We know the satisfaction we get from them and so we hunger for them again and again. Do you know that you can also hunger for God? You can be so filled and satisfied in His presence that...

Listen to these words of wisdom from the book of Proverbs: “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he defies all sound judgement.” These words were written thousands of years ago but the principle is still the same for us today. People are the same! Think about how easily we want to isolate these days. It makes us selfish people who make bad decisions. We put ourselves in situations where...

Let’s talk about the Church. The Church is how we connect with other members of God’s family. It’s not a building or a denomination. It is you and me – people who follow Jesus. It is God’s design for us to come together to worship Him, to make Him known, to serve and love each other as He loves us. It also gives us the opportunity to practice forgiving one another as He has forgiven us.  When you...

Not long ago, my wife Wendy and I were in Malawi, East Africa, for an evangelistic festival. It was a wonderful time of ministering to people, sharing the Gospel, and seeing thousands respond in faith. Many churches came together to work with us and to disciple the new believers. Perhaps you too, are a new believer.  If so, I’d like to remind you of just what that means. First, you are forgiven th...

The word “but” is a conjunction in the English language. It connects two phrases or clauses. I like it because it often means there is something else to be known. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, the writer uses the word so beautifully. He's reminding the Church of who they are in Jesus. He says, “You were separate from Christ, excluded, foreigners to the promises of God without hope and witho...

Right after I first began to follow Jesus, there were some radical changes in my life. I told my friends I was a Christian, that I wanted to follow God and go to church. But then I failed miserably. I went to a party with my old friends and I drank too much. I was so ashamed afterward. At that point I could have just given up and let shame keep me in darkness, but a Christian friend told me this w...

Do you ever wonder what the cross is really all about? Christians talk about the cross. We see it on churches, jewelry, even tattoos. Is the cross just an ancient religious symbol? No! Without the cross we are people running around trying to please God. The cross is where God did everything that was needed to deal with sin in the world. Sin - the thing that separates us from a holy God. God's Son,...

Before Jesus was crucified, He was sent to a Roman leader named Pilate. People who wanted Jesus killed were complaining that Jesus claimed to be a king.  That would have been an unacceptable threat to the Roman empire.  So Pilate was trying to figure out if Jesus truly had claimed to be a king. Jesus said to him, “You say that I am a king.  In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is...

In John chapter 9, in the Bible, we read that Jesus met a man who had been born blind. Jesus’ disciples were keen to discover whose sin had caused the blindness – the parents’ or the blind man’s. Jesus assured them it was no one’s fault, rather this man was here in this condition so that the works of God could be displayed in his life. Then he made a bit of mud, put it over the man’s eyes, and sen...

God is teaching me so much about generosity. There are many things that we hold precious: money, resources, reputation. For me, it is often time. Yet, the more I have laid my precious resource of time at Jesus’ feet – allowing Him to guide me, send me, use me, direct me – the more I have been blown away by His glorious grace and abundance. Listen to this beautiful promise: “You will be made rich i...

Shortly after I committed my life to Jesus, some friends invited me on a trip to the mountains to study the Bible and pray. Near the end of this time together, after I had been deeply changed by God, I whispered to Him, “God, I will tell everyone what You have done.” I felt Him reply immediately, and He said, “Yes, you will.” I was changed by God and my natural response was this pure desire to tel...

God has been teaching me about the importance of having a generous heart. The Apostle Paul talks a lot about generosity in the New Testament. You’ve probably heard his famous words in 2 Corinthians (9) – “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”  Why would anyone sow sparingly? The only reason is if there is a sense that there is not...

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warned us about three things we sometimes do for the wrong reason. In Matthew 6:2 Jesus said, “When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets.”  So, number one – do not give to be honored by others. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room and close the door.” So the second warning is: Do not pray to be seen by others. Then in Mat...

Are you tired today? Are you saying… I am tired of my own sin and failure. I am tired of this heavy guilt. I am tired of hiding my pain in the dark. Friend, you do not have to carry these burdens on your own. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” That’s a promise!  You do not have to do it all. It is impossible for us to be good and holy without Him—so...