Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 8:1 (ESV) Before Jesus we were judged according to the law of sin. This law declared that because we sinned we had to be declared guilty of sinning – no lawyer could win an argument against that. And God held us responsible for our sins. Since we were guilty there had to be a sentence, a punishment of condemnation. The punishment was spiritual death and separation from God; this was our sentence, our condemnation. We were condemned to death because of our sins. But when we accepted Jesus and his death for our sins then the law of sin was defeated. This was because Jesus took the punishment for our sins. So now there is no punishment of death for our sins. Now there is a great divide between guilt and condemnation. We may be “guilty” Continue Reading →

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28 (ESV) This is one of the most popular encouragement verses in the Bible, and rightly so. This is such a great all-encompassing encouragement for our lives, that no matter what happens God will bring good out of it as we follow him. But it doesn’t mean we will only have good things in our life. A few sentences later Paul comforts believers by saying that things like persecution, famine and sword can not separate us from the love of Jesus. Paul himself experienced many sufferings. So we know that Rom. 8:28 is not saying that believers will only experience good things – famine and death are not good. (Besides, if “all things” mean good things then the verse is saying that good things work Continue Reading →

Many seek an audience with a ruler,but it is from the Lord that one gets justice. Proverbs 29:26 (NIV) It is okay to try to obtain justice through other people, such as officials, ministers, friends or managers; hopefully they will be fair. But, much of life is not fair and complete justice for us will not arrive until Jesus returns. Then he will judge all people and their actions and repay everyone according to their deeds (2 Cor. 5:10). Thus, God will give you justice in the end. It is easy to be distressed or even angry about all the injustices in the world or in our lives, but do we really need to embrace such reactions? We see people hurting others or hurting us simply out of selfishness or foolish thinking, and we are tempted to react with retribution. But, God has already promised many times in Scripture to Continue Reading →

Fear of man will prove to be a snare,but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NIV) The desire to be safe and secure is a very fundamental and powerful human drive. We make many of our decisions based on what we think will give us true safety. This can lead to many faults. We depend on ourselves and we “fear” others and depend on them for our ultimate safety. But humans do not have the power to keep themselves safe. We cannot control what others do, we cannot control circumstances and we cannot control the evil one. Only the one who trusts in the Lord is safe. He may be invisible, and more difficult to trust, but his infinite power and invisible presence are the traits that make him the one to depend on. We want good health, and God is the ultimate healer. We want Continue Reading →

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 →