Author: Phil Rehberg

battle warrior

Overcoming Destructive Desires – Imitation Of Christ Chapter 11

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How did the great Christians of the past become so godly? They committed themselves to “putting off the old self” (Eph. 4:22) and crucifying destructive desires. This enabled them to completely dwell on God. We naturally pursue our own desires and worldly things that will soon pass away. We struggle to completely defeat even one fault. It is a battle for us to pursue God’s grace every day. This is why many Christians never mature. Our own desires keep us from becoming complete Christians. Our ungodly affections keep us from loving God with our whole self. When troubles surround us we naturally look for worldly pleasures to comfort us. Therefore, we need to be very intentional about conquering our old self. If we think of ourselves as warriors or athletes (I Cor. 9:24-27) and train ourselves to “lay aside every encumbrance that entangles us” (Heb 12:1) then we would make Continue Reading →

Weekly Word Of Encouragement – Presented To God One Day

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“we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit…” II Cor. 4:14-15a (NIV) This passage repeats two important promises the Paul mentioned earlier. In I Cor. 13:12 Paul promises that we will see Jesus “face to face” and in I Cor. 15:49 Paul explains that we will have a new body in the image of “the heavenly man.” Now Paul repeats this by saying that God will raise us and bring us into His presence. Paul repeats these promises because it is essential to our happiness that we believe and dwell on them. God will present us to Himself – like a bride presented to the wedding guests on her wedding day (Eph 5:22-32). We can’t let our daily tasks cloud our vision of our future with Him. God Continue Reading →

Rejected By The In-Group

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When I was in high school the “straight” kids could not be part of the “in-group.” The kids who drank, or partied or did drugs were popular. Off-color jokes and cutting others down also helped. But obviously this was just kids trying to be cool and popular and willing to compromise their conscience. The good kids just had to accept being outsiders. But when the “in-group” kids became adults it seemed that many of them matured and recognized what it meant to live a healthy life. They married and had kids and changed their ways. They became more responsible and less dependent on approval won through foolish immorality. But now it seems the whole country is like a high school. Few actually grow up anymore. Hedonism and boastfulness are the popular virtues. When the “good kids” speak up they just get shoved to the side. They seem so uptight and Continue Reading →

Weekly Word Of Encouragement – We Are Becoming Like Christ

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“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” II Cor. 3:18. We do not have a veil over our face that keeps us from seeing the Lord’s glory. Rather, we behold his glory even now (though dimly, I Cor. 13:12) and this contemplation of the Lord (which refers to Christ, see I Cor. 4:4-6) continually transforms us so that we look like him. Thus, we are encouraged that we are actually becoming more and more like Jesus as we keep our eyes on him. The transformation and unity with him that we so deeply desire is actually coming to pass. Application: pick one or two words from the verse that help you and repeat it to yourself throughout the day or week. God Guides The Humble – Weekly Words Of Continue Reading →

holding hands

Our Future Unity With God

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Last week we looked at the scriptural progression of: vision, Christformation and oneness or “spiritual marriage” with God. This week we look at the kind of oneness we will have with God. We know that we will not be one essence with God – we are always created beings. We also know that we don’t know a lot about the details of our final destiny. I John 3:2 explains that what we will be has not yet been revealed. With these thoughts in mind we can reflect on some of what we do know. Reflecting on the marriage analogy used in Ephesians 5 and Revelation 19 and 21 we understand that whatever our relationship to God will be, it will be an intimate one, for this is one of the essential features of marriage. We also understand that we will enjoy affectionate feelings for one another, analogous to the romantic Continue Reading →