Month: October 2025

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Jesus Brought Blessings For The Poor

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It is encouraging to remember that when Jesus came to earth he taught blessings for the poor from the very beginning of his ministry. Even before he was born, in Mary’s song to God when she is pregnant with the Messiah, a song we call the Magnificat, she proclaims, “he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53, ESV). We also see that at the beginning of his ministry Jesus proclaimed these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:18 ESV) From these passages we know that the advent of blessings for the poor was an important part of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Jesus never promised to make the poor financially rich, but he did promise something better: to fill their hearts with spiritual wealth. Continue Reading →

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God Is Our Fortress – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Psalms 9:9 (NLT) In this world we will have troubles (John 16:33), but the promise is that God is our fortress in these times. What kind of fortress is God? He created the universe with billions of galaxies and trillions of stars. If he is our castle, our defense, when trouble or oppression comes, then who or what can break through that defense? Nothing. It is true that God allows suffering in this age of his inaugurated kingdom; he allows this for our Christformation and to shine his goodness to others. We must share in the sufferings of Christ. Yet in all these things, God is our fortress, and he still preserves our soul. “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil [one]” (2 Thess. 3:3, NIV). He Continue Reading →

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The Four Biggest Pitfalls Of Leadership (And Followship)

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Many years ago I was attending a really good church where the Holy Spirit was present and the people were genuinely seeking God. I was especially thankful because my previous church had just collapsed due to some unresolved issues between the pastor and the elders. Everything was going well at this new church, then one day I received a stunning message. The senior pastor had just left his wife and run off with the attractive worship leader, who left her husband to run off with the pastor.  The two of them had been spending a considerable amount of time together in ministry, and staff members expressed concern, but the pastor did not respond. This illustrates one of the big pitfalls of leadership. Over the years I have observed first-hand pastors and other leaders who fall into moral failure or severely restrict their effectiveness because of four different issues. Maybe there Continue Reading →