Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. Psalms 92:12 (NIV) Whether or not you feel like you are flourishing now, God promises that you will. We all want to flourish, to grow in abundance and be fruitful. God made us to flourish (“be fruitful and multiply” Gen. 1:18) and so he made us with the desire to flourish. We have barriers to flourishing now – our weaknesses and the corruption all around us – but God will make you flourish in part now and fully in the next age. Our hearts flourish now as we abide in Christ and partake of his virtues. The Bible likes to compare God’s followers to trees in order to illustrate how we will flourish. Psalm 1:3 says we are like a tree planted by a stream; in other words, we have plenty of sustenance for growth. Continue Reading →

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Psalms 91:14 (NIV) This verse reminds us of Romans 8:28 where God promises: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV) In this age, God does protect us and does good for his faithful followers, but not fully. We know that he did not protect Jesus and his Apostles from harm. And we know that Scripture teaches us that we must follow in their footsteps to some degree. We know that we still suffer. So are we really protected? Yes, we are protected in our interior self. Our heart and mind cannot be defeated by destructive forces. We are one spirit with God (1 Cor. 6:17). Nothing can separate us from Continue Reading →

[David’s] offspring shall endure forever,his throne as long as the sun before me. Psalms 89:36 (ESV) After the Psalmist recounts God’s covenant with David and how God promised to make him strong and blessed, he adds that God promised that his offspring and throne will endure forever. How did God fulfill this? Is this fulfilled by the fact that the Jewish people survived all the various military invasions by world powers and is still a nation today? We find the answer in Acts 2:30-31 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ Acts 2:30-31 Acts 2:30-31 (ESV) Thus, since he ascended to heaven and God enthroned him, Jesus is the one is on the throne of David now. He is divine-human king Continue Reading →

You, Lord, are forgiving and good,abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalms 86:5 (NIV) We do not have to sin-free to call upon God and receive his love. He knows we sin and he wants to forgive. He is thoroughly good and his forgiveness is part of this goodness. He will not respond to our prayers with condemnation for our faults. Instead, he encourages us by only requesting that we have a repentant heart that seeks forgiveness. And he asks that we admit our weakness and needs by calling on him, trusting that he is the Supreme Helper. If we come to him this way then we can expect him to apply his love to us. If we are suffering, then he will be near us and help us to bear up under it and perhaps deliver us. He will provide peace and hope regardless of our Continue Reading →

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;the LORD bestows favor and honor.No good thing does he withholdfrom those who walk uprightly. Psalms 84:11 (NIV) This Psalm encourages us by reminding us that God enlightens the world of those who walk with him. He is a blanket of light like the sun, making all good things visible so that we know God’s reality. And he is a shield of protection for his followers, protecting our hearts from the Enemy and from the destruction of sin. He gives us favor by dwelling in us by his Spirit and giving us an eternal destiny in his utopia. In the next age he will honor us, glorify us and give us grace (1 Pet. 1:13). In that day he will not withhold anything good from us but shower us with all of his blessings. We will live in a New Eden, where Continue Reading →