Author: Phil Rehberg

weekly words of encouragement

God Is Working In Us Until Our Completion – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Phil 1:6 (NLT) In this passage the Apostle Paul expresses his confidence that God will continue to transform the Philippian believers because Paul has seen that they have been faithful in following Jesus. They have spread the gospel (1:5) and defended and confirmed the truth of Jesus (1:7). This encourages us who are following Jesus. Whether we feel it or not God will continue to work in us. Even when our circumstances are bad, God is working in us. And if they are bad, he is working in us in order to make us completely Christlike, full of peace, joy and fulfillment. But the best news is that when Jesus returns and we see him then God will finish his work Continue Reading →

temptation

How To Resist Temptation – Part 1

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We will always have troubles and temptations in this world. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” John 16:33 (NIV) Moreover, it will be a struggle to resist temptation because the root of temptation is within us, for “each person is tempted when he is lured and tempted by his own desire.” James 1:14 (ESV) Trials and suffering naturally become temptations because they tempt us to doubt and turn from following Jesus. Therefore, if we are having troubles then we know that a temptation is lurking. So, in order to resist temptation we need to be on constant alert to know when a temptation has begun.  We don’t need to be anxiously consumed with fear of temptations, but neither can we afford to neglect awareness. The enemy is always prowling around like a lion hoping to sink his teeth into us. “if we are having troubles then we Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Christ Is Inside You – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Col. 1:27 (NIV)  The mystery is that Christ is inside you. Maybe you are used to hearing that Christ is inside you, but if you think about it, you should realize it is a fantastic mystery. How can another person be inside you? If you had no knowledge of Christianity and someone told you that the Son of the infinite God can live inside you, you might think they were crazy. Yet it is true, and it is a “glorious” treasure! Christ is inside you; he lives in you, with his Holy Spirit. It is impossible to be closer to a person than to have them live inside you, and if you were to choose among all the people who ever lived, you would want Jesus Continue Reading →

Jesus the shepherd

Constantly Abiding In Jesus – Words From A Master

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Today we have some profound words about abiding in Jesus from Francis De Sales (b. 1567 – d. 1622), from Chapter 13 of his book Introduction to the Devout Life. His words complement a post that appeared here a couple of weeks ago about abiding in Jesus . De Sales inspires us to keep in constant contact with God throughout the day. “You can express spiritual desires to God by short, ardent movements of your heart. Marvel at his beauty, implore his help, cast yourself in spirit at the foot of the cross, adore his goodness, converse often with him about your salvation, present your soul to him a thousand times during the day, fix your interior eyes upon his sweet countenance, stretch out your hand to him like a little child to his father so that he may lead you on, place him in your bosom like a fragrant bouquet, plant him Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

Our Future Blessings In Christ – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“God raised us up with Christ…in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:6-7 (NIV) It is hard to think of greater words of encouragement than these. God has already raised us up spiritually with Christ and the reason he did this is so that in the next age (after Jesus returns) he could give us incredible blessings. Our future blessings are “incomparable”; in other words, they surpass, exceed, transcend other riches. Nothing on earth can compare to our future blessings. They are beyond any other blessings we can imagine. This verse reminds us of 1 Peter 1:13, “Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (ESV). This grace, and all our future blessings that go with it, is God’s intention Continue Reading →