Author: Phil Rehberg

rewards

Should We Be Motivated By Heavenly Rewards?

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When we think about our blessings in heaven we usually think about the immense pleasure of just being in God’s presence and enjoying his love. We may not think so much about the rewards God will give because that seems too self-focused. Moreover, how much good is a reward compared to being directly in God’s presence with Jesus? In Bernard of Clairvaux’s (b. 1090 – d. 1153) famous work On Loving God he says that “God is not loved without reward, although he should be loved without regard for one” (Sec. 6.17). Bernard rates loving God for the rewards as only the second of four levels of loving God. And yet scripture repeatedly uses rewards to motivate us to be Christlike. God assures us in Ephesians 6:7-8 that we should do “service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, Continue Reading →

Weekly Word Of Encouragement: God Walks With Us Now

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“For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,”” (II Cor. 6:16) In this passage Paul is explaining to the Corinthians that God has fulfilled his promise from Leviticus 26:12 “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” This promise is fulfilled by the fact that the church is the temple of God. Since we are the temple of God, He walks among us now! This is a return to the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:8 when God actually walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve. Likewise, God walks with us now, even if it is not completely obvious yet (“we see in a mirror dimly” (I Cor. 13:12).) Keeping this truth in our heart helps us stay connected to His presence. Application: pick some words from the Continue Reading →

Weekly Word of Encouragement – Our New Self Is Our True Self

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” I Cor. 5:17 (ESV) In I Corinthians 5 Paul has been explaining how our inner self has been transformed even though our outer self, our body, has not. In verse 2  he says that “in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.” (ESV) We groan because our body drags us down, not only with physical weakness and disease but also with it fleshly lusts. We don’t want to be influenced by our old corruption but we are. All who long for holiness and love and communion with God wish that they did not have to contend with their weak body. But scripture comforts us by teaching that this is normal. We do not have to be discouraged about our weaknesses; it is just part of Continue Reading →

christlike creed

The Christlike Creed

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When the church wanted to clarify its doctrines in the early centuries it developed the Apostle’s Creed. It would also be helpful to have a creed that summarizes the practice of the faith. That is why I wrote the Christlike Creed. It contains 9 stanzas of 3 lines each and summarizes the important attitudes and practices of the Christian life, including identity and destiny. It describes what a Christlike person looks like. In other words, it describes spiritual growth and discipleship. Consider how important it is to have a description of what a disciple of Jesus looks like. How can a church or ministry make disciples if the leaders or the people don’t know what a disciple looks like? Don’t we need to know what we are aiming for? This creed describes what a disciple of Christ looks like so we know what is important and what is less important. Continue Reading →

Weekly Word Of Encouragement – Our Weight Of Glory

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“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” II Cor. 4:17 (ESV) Sometimes it is hard to think of our suffering as “light momentary affliction” but the point is that our suffering is light compared to the blessings and glory God has for us. Paul, who wrote this, wasn’t try to minimize the pain of suffering, for he experienced more than his share of suffering. Suffering hurts and makes us miserable. But the worse your suffering is the more you understand the magnitude of your glory. If your suffering that hurts terribly now is nothing compared to your future blessing and glory then your future blessing and glory must be amazing. God Guides The Humble – Weekly Words Of EncouragementFebruary 2, 2026Overcoming A Fault That’s Beyond Your CharacterJanuary 23, 2026Hope In God – Weekly Words Of EncouragementJanuary 20, 2026