Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalms 18:28, NIV) When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they lost their knowledge of God and thus their knowledge of truth and meaning and the road of wisdom. They were enveloped in a cloud of darkness that all the poets and philosophers and religious leaders could never break through. No one could find the light of life. Yet for those who humble themselves and turn to God he gives them a spiritual lamp that burns forever. We break through the darkness of the world and begin to live in the light of the knowledge of God. Jesus is the lamp and light of God who reveals true life to us. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5, Continue Reading →

“To the pure you show yourself pure” (Psalms 18:26, NIV). For those who pursue holiness and purge corruption from their lives God will reveal himself as a holy God and Lord. It is the pure who enjoy a relationship with the purity of God. Those who embrace the immorality and destructiveness of the world do not get to enjoy the pure goodness of God. He is hidden to them and instead of his purity they may experience the conviction and correction of God. But to the pure God “shows himself” for when we are pure our faces are then unveiled and we “behold the glory of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). This Psalm also reminds us of Matthew 5:8 where Jesus promises “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”. Our highest happiness consists of beholding the love, power, beauty and wisdom of God. Thus, we are Continue Reading →

“With the merciful you show yourself merciful,” Psalms 18:25, ESV). God promises to show us mercy if we will be merciful to others. This reminds us of Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (ESV) and Luke 6:36: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (ESV). We know we are full of faults and weaknesses and so we depend on God’s mercy to forgive them all and bless us anyway. If we make a habit of letting others have their faults and weaknesses and still blessing them, then God promises to do the same for us. We also remember the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:23-35. A king forgave his servant a gigantic debt but wouldn’t forgive a small debt owed to him by a fellow servant. So the king imprisoned the first servant until he paid his debt. Then Jesus says our Continue Reading →

“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalms 16:11, ESV). Ancient Hebrews enjoyed restating an idea in different words in order to emphasize and clarify ideas. In this verse David is thanking Yahweh that happiness is found by nearness to Yahweh. He declares three ideas in the first phrase then repeats them in other words in the second phrase. He states this idea twice; the first time he uses the words “joy” and “presence”. The second time he uses the word “pleasures” and “right hand”. He adds the words “fullness” and “forevermore” to the phrases to make sure that we understand that our happiness in Yahweh is unbounded. Thus, through repetition David is declaring one of the supreme principles for life, a principle that provides comprehensive encouragement. All the things that people pursue to find deep happiness will not satisfy them. We Continue Reading →

“Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart” Psalms 15:1-2 (ESV). What is the “holy hill”? The Psalmist, David, is referring to Mt. Zion where the tabernacle (forerunner of the temple) was situated. Inside the tabernacle was the holy of holies where God’s presence was more powerful than anywhere else on earth. So to dwell on the “holy hill” meant to dwell close to the presence of God. This was the most blessed state a person could hope for. So who had the privilege of dwelling close to God? Those who live without patterns of damaging others, who do the right thing and embrace honesty in their heart. Isn’t this what God wants from us? In this way we are lights of the world, for the majority do not live this way. But isn’t this some Continue Reading →