Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

The reward for humility and fear of the Lordis riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4 (ESV) Your culture may not value humility much. In America, much of popular culture has embraced self-promotion, boasting, being one’s own God. Many of those who teach these lifestyles become popular, wealthy and honored. They think they have the good life. It takes courage to live in the opposite way, knowing that we may lose out on financial opportunities or lose out on honor in our community. But the paradox is that humility and proper respect for Yahweh are the true paths to riches, honor and life. God will reward all your sacrifices and decisions to embrace humility. When you are honest about your faults, God sees you and is pleased. When you are willing to express your needs, and your need for help from others, God sees you and smiles. But when do Continue Reading →

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindnesswill find life, righteousness, and honor. Proverbs 21:21 (ESV) We have many options to pursue. We can pursue success, knowledge, popularity, money, hobbies, family and more. Some of these are legitimate pursuits, but they are all illegitimate if we do not pursue righteousness and kindness first. When we pursue these traits we pursue God because righteousness is a relationship with God and all kindness ultimately comes from God. When we put our priorities in proper order then we find life, more righteousness and honor from God. If our priorities are out of order then even though we may think we will find the good life in them, we will not. We can not find life and honor by making popularity with our family or knowledge of the bible more important than pursuing a righteous life or showing kindness even to offenders. So be encouraged by all Continue Reading →

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17 (NIV) Followers of Jesus are naturally compassionate to the needy, which includes members of our own congregation. Yet, we can neglect this practice, so this verse reminds us that God is especially concerned about the poor. Helping the needy is helping the Lord; when you help the needy you are actually giving something to the Lord! Consider how excited you would be if Jesus were with you and asked for a meal. You would be thrilled to provide it for him because you honor him above all people. Supplying his needs would be a tremendous joy and privilege. Likewise, when you help a needy person, you can be excited about the fact that you are “lending” to the Lord! This passage reminds us of the parable of the sheep Continue Reading →

Before a downfall the heart is haughty,but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12 (NIV) God’s arrangement for humans sets us free from self-exaltation; we do not need to pursue it. As a society declines, citizens embrace more and more self-promotion. In American culture, it has become more and more common for people to promote themselves in many boastful ways. Athletes, musicians, social media influencers, politicians, self-help authors and many others exalt themselves and their self-fulfillment without any consideration for God or anyone who does not agree with them. Even some popular ministers expand their ministry by telling their people everything they want to hear about God making them successful and prosperous. But this verse, and many others, make it clear that God values humility more than arrogance. God is one who lifts us up, ” Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10, NIV). God Continue Reading →

Those who trust the Lord will be joyful. Proverbs 16:20 (NLT) We all want joy, in other words, happiness. The American Declaration of Independence asserts that all people have a right to pursue happiness. We make our decisions based on expected happiness outcomes. Most of the bad decisions people make are based on the hope that it will bring them some kind of happiness or at least help them avoid unhappiness. They make short-term decisions, like taking Methamphetamine, because they want some happiness, and they discount the long-term harm. But where can we find deep, lasting joy? It can only be experienced if the deepest part of ourselves connects to something big enough and good enough that it satisfies our deepest self. And happiness can only be found in relationships; humans have never been fully satisfied without close friendships. So, the only way we can find and grow in joy Continue Reading →