Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6 (ESV) What a huge encouragement to know that humility brings God’s favor to our lives! This is one of God’s most prominent promises in the Bible; this verse is a quote from the Old Testament in Proverbs 3:34. The worldly approach to success is to promote oneself, defeat others, exalt our abilities, etc. But God wants us to humble us so that it is God who is the supreme worker in our lives. If we cling to pride or boastfulness God actually opposes us. Instead, we should adopt an attitude of the heart that reflects who we are before God, which is the definition of humility. If we have a good grip on the immensity and perfection of God, and if we have an understanding of the corruption mixed up inside us, we should be able to abide Continue Reading →

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Heb. 6:11 (ESV). God sees your work. It is easy to think that no one appreciates the things we do to help others. In their hurry they may forget to thank us and encourage us for helping them. We can tell ourselves that we don’t really need the encouragement, but it really does make a difference when we are thanked and encouraged. But if no one else than us, we have the encouragement from this passage that God does not forget what we do. He sees our work, especially when we help His people. And even more, according to this verse from Hebrews, God actually deems our help as loving Him! This is the highest service we can do, and God will Continue Reading →

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15, ESV). Jesus sympathizes with you. The Son of God did not just hold on to all his divine powers when he became a human. He emptied himself so that he could experience the weakness (compared to God) of being human. He did this so that he could sympathize with you! Isn’t it amazing that the Son of God wanted to identify with you so much that he became like you and suffered? So now, in our union with Christ, we are connected to Jesus who knows what it is like to be tempted as we are. This includes the temptation to fear, unbelief or despair when our life is filled with pain. Jesus knows the temptations of Continue Reading →

“For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Heb 2:18 (ESV) Since Jesus felt the suffering that comes with resisting temptation he is able to help us too. How does he help us? Through the reality that all believers are connected to him like a body to a head. Thus, the same power to resist temptation that Jesus had, he gives to us when we abide in him. Sensual temptations are most common, but we also have temptations to pride instead of humility, or the temptation to neglect devotional time, or giving in to any of the deeper weaknesses inside us. When we feel the trouble that comes with temptation, when we feel the pull of our destructive desires, when we want to follow God but feel weak, then we can stop ourselves and put our hearts in front of Continue Reading →

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true,” 1 Jn 5:20 (ESV). Not only do you know the truth, but you know the one who is the truth (John 14:6). You know God, who is the source of truth and his nature is truth. You know the truths that restore God’s image in you and make you like Jesus. You know the falsehoods that tear people down. Today there is an explosion of different ideas and philosophies that claim to tell us what is true. Many are versions of the idea that the only truth is what you choose, or what is inside you. This idea just leads to narcissism which is why we see so much self-centeredness and destructiveness in the world. But Jesus gave us understanding. He showed us God’s truth so Continue Reading →