Author: Phil Rehberg

Weekly words of encouragement

God Values Your Unseen Good Deeds – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“The good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.” I Tim 5:25b (NLT) Paul makes this statement right after mentioning the coming judgment of all lives. So the encouragement in this passage is that God sees all our hidden good deeds and will reward them! This truth, along with our love for God, is why we practice always living our lives in the presence of God. Is not the true test of our godliness the way we live when no one else is around? So we can rejoice in doing unseen good because we are walking with God at that time and He values what we do. And it greatly pleases us that we can do things that make the God of love smile. Exercise: Put your name in the verse above and repeat it three times. Overcoming A Fault That’s Beyond Your CharacterJanuary 23, 2026Hope In God Continue Reading →

faith

You Can Have Faith Without Assurance

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When I was in high school I was in a great church youth group where I learned much about Jesus. Yet there was at least one curious teaching that plagued me for years. It was continuously taught that in order to know that one is a Christian they have to have feelings of assurance. In practice this conflicted with idea of justification by faith and it was very damaging to me because I spent too much time trying to feel assurance and not enough time just trusting God. The quest for assurance has been a prominent theme in church history. Of course it is good to have assurance of salvation and assurance of God’s scripture in our lives. But it is more important to have faith. And it is important to realize that it is okay to have faith without assurance. This should be an encouraging word for many. Faith Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Training Is Worth It – 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. 4:7b-8. “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 of God’s promise 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. That 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, but always dependent on the Spirit. Some Continue Reading →

chasm

Freedom In Relationships Through the Chasm

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The purpose and destiny of all we do is the community of love with God and His followers. This community is supposed to begin now, on earth, in our Christian fellowship. And one of the fundamental principles of Christian fellowship is the division we make between guilt and condemnation. This division gives us great freedom, even outside the body of Christ. As Christians we make a big distinction between guilt and condemnation. We know that we are guilty of sin  but we also know that God does not condemn us. Romans 8:1 states “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is no punishment for us except the natural consequences (e. g. jail for crimes). So because of Jesus’ death there is a huge chasm between our guilt and our condemnation. Normally, when someone is judged guilty of a crime then we say they Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Sinner? – You Are Qualified To Be Saved – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” I Tim 1:15b (ESV) Paul called this a “saying”, apparently used in the early church. Whenever we are struck by our sins and sinfulness we can recall this saying from the early church. Of course, we should allow remorse and repentance to come over us when we sin. But afterwards you can remind yourself that Jesus came to save sinners including the foremost sinners. So if you are a sinner then you are qualified to be saved! Application: Put your name in the verse and repeat 3 times. Overcoming A Fault That’s Beyond Your CharacterJanuary 23, 2026Hope In God – Weekly Words Of EncouragementJanuary 20, 2026The Value Of Holy Viewing – Weekly Words Of EncouragementJanuary 12, 2026