Month: March 2021

Weekly words of encouragement

Receiving Joy Through Nature – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;where morning dawns, where evening fades,you call forth songs of joy.You care for the land and water it;you enrich it abundantly.The streams of God are filled with waterto provide the people with grain,for so you have ordained it. Psalms 65:8-9 (NIV) One of the biggest encouragements that we observe every day is the blessing of nature. The beauty of the trees and rivers and mountains reveals God’s beauty and reminds us that he is good and loving. From the land we grow delicious food, find animals to be our pets and enjoy recreation. Nature is a constant reminder that God wants to do good for us and that he is powerful enough to accomplish the most astounding of feats. Consider the hundreds of thousands of animal and plant species. Consider how they all form a glorious harmony that endlessly fascinates us. Continue Reading →

self-examination

The Blessings Of Self-Examination

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Self-examination and self-knowledge have been considered essential to Christformation throughout church history. In the profound first chapter of his highly influential Institutes of the Christian Religion Calvin said: “It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself.”[1] One way to make progress against sin is to practice daily self-examination, which is sometimes referred to as examen. You may not need to set aside a time at the end of the day for examen if your occupation allows you to assess your situation before God throughout the day. However, many people find this difficult and creating a set time at the end of the day works better for them. Following is a guide to daily self-examination: Guide to Daily Self-Examination At the end of the day (or during the day if Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Gift of Divine Power – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,God our Savior,the hope of all the ends of the earthand of the farthest seas, Psalms 65:5 (NIV) What are the awesome and righteous deeds that God for us under his New Covenant? How do they compare to the Old Covenant? What could be more awesome than God’s act of rebirthing a new self inside all who believe in Jesus? This is beyond even what we might hope from God. Yet, he puts inside us a new self that desires holiness and virtue and oneness with God. Add to that that God actually puts his Spirit inside us, dwelling in us as God dwelt in the holy of holies in Solomon’s temple! We actually have God’s himself living inside us, guiding and strengthening us. On top of that, we are united with Christ into his body in which he is the head. We Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Meditation Satisfies Our Soul – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,when I remember you upon my bed,and meditate on you in the watches of the night; Psalms 63:5-6 (ESV) Who does not want a satisfied soul? Do we not seek God knowing that he is the one who can satisfy our hearts? Do we not want to know of his goodness so that we naturally respond with thanksgiving? God encourages us by promising these things when we meditate on him and his words. When we read Scripture we need to give it time to sink in to the deepest part of ourselves and change us. This is why it is so important to meditate on Scripture, not just read it. In other words, take your time with God’s words. There are many different ways to meditate on Scripture. Roll the words around Continue Reading →

sadness sorrow guilt

The Blessing Of Guilt And Sorrow

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As unbelievers we may have tried to rationalize away our actions as not being wrong because if we admitted our wrongs then it would mean that our actions were not justified and so we would have to view ourselves as guilty. And in our minds guilt naturally required devaluation of someone as well as some sentence of judgment. This is why the great majority of unbelievers in the public eye present justifications for their actions. They do not want to admit that their actions are corrupt; they want to believe that they are justified and they want others to view them as justified. But we are free from all this. We are not afraid of honest guilt because guilt does not lead to devaluation, rejection or a sentence of judgment. Through faith in Christ, God justified us (accepts us) and adopted us as his children. The justification issue in our Continue Reading →