Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” Matt. 5:4 (ESV). This is the second beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus continues his technique of reversing the natural order. He promises his followers that the ones who mourn will not be remain empty from their loss. Instead, the ones who mourn will be blessed by God because He will comfort them. We all have times of mourning, whether it is a loss of a friend, a loss of opportunity, a loss of health, or a loss of something else important to us. In such times it is healthy to mourn. Remember that Jesus did not say his disciples shouldn’t mourn. Sometimes teachers give the impression that we should always be joyful and thanking God without times of mourning. But this is not biblical. Romans 12:15 teaches us to “mourn with those who mourn” (NIV). So not Continue Reading →

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 5:3 (ESV) This is the first of the famous beatitudes which is the beginning of the famous Sermon on the Mount which is considered the core of Christian living taught by Jesus. The poor in spirit are those who recognize that they are spiritually destitute on their own. Since this sermon is spoken to Jesus’ disciples (Mt. 5:1) Jesus is implying that when we recognize that we are not self-sufficient and come to Jesus and follow him then the kingdom of heaven belongs to us! This is a matter of our interior life not our external actions, although later in the Sermon Jesus makes is clear that without external actions we are not his disciples. But the encouragement is that it is good to find ourselves in spiritual poverty and then come to Jesus that way, Continue Reading →

“I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” Acts 20:32 (ESV). This quote is from Paul’s speech to the elders of the Ephesian church and he emphasizes how important the “word of his grace” is for our spiritual growth. If we devote ourselves honestly and wholly to God’s words which we have in Scripture then his words will definitely build us up. Even more we will gain an inheritance with the rest of the saints of God, which reminds us of Jesus words to ““Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Mt. 6:20).  Below is an effective pattern for absorbing God’s words: Activational Scripture Reading. Read a passage of scripture, for example the verse in this post. What is this passage saying? Take at least 2 minutes Continue Reading →

“”And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Acts 5:40-41 ESV. We may not experience physical persecution but we may experience social persecution or discrimination in the workplace. Even high school students are unpopular if they are holy. Thus, we can follow the example of the apostles and rejoice when we lose out for Jesus, what greater honor is there? Jesus encourages us with this promise: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” Matt. 5: 11-12 ESV. Overcoming A Fault That’s Beyond Your CharacterJanuary 23, 2026Hope In God Continue Reading →

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 (ESV) The promise of God’s Spirit actually dwelling inside His people was one of the most important promises of the Old Testament. This indwelling would mean that God’s people would have the power to actually follow God’s directives for living. They would also have power to be channels of God’s kingdom power on earth in order to fulfill God’s desire for people to hear from God and for healing hearts as well as bodies. Now we have this power available to us and we can “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) and “by the Spirit [we] Continue Reading →