Month: May 2023

listening and understanding

Try To Understand Unbelievers

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It’s not reasonable to expect unbelievers to act like believers. Therefore, it is not appropriate to have an accusatory attitude toward them or express forms of accusation to them. We are in this world as lights, not as adversaries to the world. We love our enemies as well those who are not our enemies (which I think covers everyone.) If we should reach the point of discussing the way of salvation with them, then we need to say words to convict them of sin. Until then, we should try to understand unbelievers and convey God’s goodness and blessings for them. If we change our expectations, we won’t be so discouraged when our culture is destructive. In America, our dominant culture has become narcissistic and hedonistic. Self-rightousness abounds, reminding us of the Pharisees that Jesus faced; but American Pharisees are secular activists who condemn anyone who does not follow their preferred Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

We Will Be Rewarded For Our Godliness – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” I Tim. 4:7-8 ESV “Godliness” is another word for Christlikeness, which is God’s top priority in our lives. This passage encourages us that all the effort we put into becoming godly, or Christlike, is more than worth it. Why? Because God promises that in eternity we will be rewarded for our godliness! In the New Creation God will give us blessings for our godliness, and these will be blessings that will be valuable to us in eternity. This is why we “toil and strive” (I Tim. 4:10) now. We are not passive, we do not only receive. Rather, we make efforts, we apply our willpower which has been born again, and we always depend on the Spirit. Continue Reading →

darkness dark night

The Benefits Of Desolation

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Most of us will face seasons in our lives when we cannot sense God anymore. We’ll feel like He left us, or maybe doesn’t even exist. This often happens after we have overcome most of our major external sins. But in spite of our progress, we still can’t connect with God. We think back to times when we felt God’s presence or could clearly see His activity in our lives. We remember the pleasure we had with God, especially during worship, or reading scripture, or prayer. But suddenly our spiritual life seems dry or even dark. We don’t feel the enthusiasm for God we had before. Now we can gain the benefits of desolation. This stage of the Christian life has been experienced and written about by many of the great Christian teachers since the earliest centuries. Some have called it “desolation”; in the 16th century John of the Cross Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

We Work For Jesus – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Col. 3:23-24 (ESV) This is one of the most practical words of encouragement in scripture. Everything we do each day can be done for Jesus; we work for Jesus! This makes our everyday tasks wonderfully meaningful even when they are monotonous or distasteful. Many of us spend much of our time on tasks that are not enjoyable or in unpleasant environments. For example, think of all the time we spend on house chores, paying bills, grooming and other types of maintenance. This passage explains that whatever task we are doing we are actually serving Jesus. The Lord values the work we do. Whether we are landscaping a yard, teaching a class, answering phones, or keeping house – Jesus Continue Reading →