Category: Level: Intermediate

Weekly words of encouragement

God Will Honor Us! – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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‘My Father will honor the one who serves me.” John 12:26, ESV. Jesus promises that when we become the servant of Jesus then the Father will honor us one day. God originally made humans with honor and he wanted this honor to grow. He made us in his image and though it is broken he gave us a new self with a restored image of God. This is our true self and one day it will be fully developed. Scripture states in many places that God will honor us, usually by saying he will glorify us! (For example, Matt. 13:43; Rom. 8:17, 21; 2 Cor. 4:17; Col. 3:4; Phil. 3:21; 1 Pet. 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:3.) Originally, as image-bearers of God we were supposed to be fruitful and fill the earth. We would have been highly honored in this work. In the next age we will have responsibilities such as Continue Reading →

generosity

The Godly Use Of Wealth

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Here are some thoughts for believers with some wealth who want to fully surrender to Jesus or for ministers who want to challenge the wealthy believers whom they serve. Scripture instructs the wealthy to “do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:18-19, NIV). The Apostle Paul emphasizes this by stating it three times in one sentence: do good deeds, be generous and share! Jesus said something similar to a rich man who was seeking eternal life: “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt. Continue Reading →

caring for others

Treating People In Our Care

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When it comes to the 2nd great commandment to love others (Matt. 22:39) we have a much greater responsibility to show active love when someone is in our care. Below are three examples of this. We are under a higher obligation with respect to our family and housemates. If you have a problem with angry outbursts or other habits harmful to the wellbeing of your family or housemates (for example, substance abuse, gambling, infidelity, insensitivity, wide mood swings, etcetera) then you are under great obligation to break that habit. Unfortunately, many neglect this obligation but God will not. Such people will suffer loss on judgment day (Col. 3:25; 2 John 1:8). One’s obligation in this situation includes finding someone to help them if they cannot break the habit themselves within a few months. Many think they are fulfilling their responsibility just because they want to break a habit and sometimes Continue Reading →

dark night

Dark Nights Are Opportunities For Deep Purification

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In dry times and dark nights when God seems distant, God wants to go progressively deeper in order to purge the corruption we can’t see. In a dark night God shines his light on our impurities so we can see them and let go of them. John of the Cross (b. 1542 – d. 1591) illustrates this with the image of sunlight on a window. If the window is clean then the sun can illuminate the glass and the window shines like the sunlight. If the window is dirty then the window can not shine. The sunlight is the same in both cases; the issue is the cleanliness of the window.[1] Likewise, God’s light can permeate and illuminate us only to the extent that we are “clean”. This echoes Jesus’ teaching: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8, NIV). Throughout our life, God continually Continue Reading →

suffering

How To Suffer – Part 3

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This week is the third in a series on how to suffer. The first post presented ten suggestions as well as the second post. This week we present the last twelve suggestions. Accept your unwanted feelings and attitudes. After you have done what you can about your inner life you may still have anger, fear, sadness, impatience, and many other undesirable traits that you did not have much of before the suffering. This can be devastating to those who truly want to mature in Christ. But do not give in to the temptation of beating yourself up about it. You need to accept your lack of maturity and treat God and others the best you can. In other words, learn to “sit with your weeds.” Meditate on Jesus’ sufferings especially his last days up to the Cross. Troubles are temptations to doubt God but “he will not let you be Continue Reading →