Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9 (NIV) Jesus is trying to tell us that the Father wants to give us good things. But he also wants us to ask, seek and knock. Why does he want us to pursue our requests like this if he already knows what we need? One reason is that he is waiting for us to acknowledge our need and our dependence on him. If he just gave us our desires without us asking we would not learn this dependence. Also, there are spiritual barriers in the spiritual realm that we do not understand and our prayers have the power to break through barriers. It is part of the dignity and authority that God has given to humans. Therefore, we are to diligently Continue Reading →

“At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. ” Luke 10:21 (NIV). This is one of my favorite verses. First, notice that Jesus was full of joy. During Easter week we think a lot about Jesus’ suffering. But we need to remember that Jesus also experienced great joy and this joy was due first to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And in this particular passage the 72 ministers Jesus had sent out had returned with news about the miracles and exorcisms God had done through them. And so Jesus rejoices because all these people got to see the kingdom of God! The Jews had waited for centuries for Continue Reading →

“For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:48, NIV. Once again Jesus declares that his kingdom is an upside-down kingdom. Humans strive to be great in this life but our status in the kingdom of God is not dependent on our status in this world. God is not interested. Instead, it is the one who is least among us who is the most important. In this passage Jesus was referring to children as being great. But based on his other teachings it appears that anyone who is willing to humble themselves like a child is great in the kingdom of God (Matt. 18:4). This is so encouraging to those who have no status in this world, who do not receive much honor from others, and who realize that we really are only children before God. You can take heart that God Continue Reading →

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15 (NIV) This is Jesus’ promise at the end of the parable of the sower. The seeds that fell on good soil produced a huge harvest “a hundred times more than was sown.” We all want to live fruitful lives for God and produce as much as God allows us to produce. So how do we bear a bumper crop for God? This verse mentions five responsibilities. First, have a noble heart. That is, we desire what is excellent and honorable. Second, we have a good heart. That is, our heart actually embraces and abides in good. Third, we hear the word. So we need to expose ourselves to God’s word. Fourth, we retain God’s words. Thus, we need to believe God’s Continue Reading →

“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.  Luke 6:47-48 (NIV) Jesus didn’t say we could avoid floods. We will all have “floods” in our lives, some worse than others. Maybe you are in the middle of a flood right now. That is the time to hold Jesus’ words even more closely to your heart. His words really are the foundation for your soul. So it will be helpful to read through the Gospels and find the words of Jesus and practice them. Remember faith, hope and love. As you focus on the teachings of Jesus the flood loses Continue Reading →