Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

“We have come to share in Christ” Heb. 3:14a (ESV) The Greek word for “share” in this verse means participate, or be a partner. We actually participate in Jesus. Think how incredible this is! We love Jesus for his unsurpassed life on earth. We love his wisdom and love and compassion. He is the one we worship. And in spite or our faults, we are privileged to share in Jesus. This is yet another biblical mystery that even though we can’t fully understand we continually grow in the reality of it. We participate in Christ’s righteousness, in his power, in his love and in his light. We see the same idea in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (ESV) Reflection: Put your name Continue Reading →

 “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Heb 2:18 (ESV) Since Jesus felt the suffering that comes with resisting temptation he is able to help us too. How does he help us? Through the reality that all believers are connected to him like a body to a head. Thus, the same power to resist temptation that Jesus had, he gives to us when we abide in him. Temptation can include temptation to pride instead of humility, or temptation to neglect devotional time, or giving in to any of the deeper weaknesses inside us. When we feel the trouble that comes with temptation, when we feel the pull of our destructive desires, when we want to follow God but feel weak, then we can stop ourselves and put our hearts in front of Jesus. He knows what it is like Continue Reading →

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6 (ESV) What a huge encouragement to know that we actually receive the favor of God when we are humble! This is one of God’s most prominent traits in the Bible and this verse is actually a quote from the Old Testament in Proverbs 3:34. The worldly approach to success is to promote oneself, defeat others, exalt our abilities, etc. But God wants us to humble ourselves so that it is God who is the supreme worker in our lives. If we cling to pride or boastfulness God actually opposes us. Instead, we should adopt an attitude of the heart that reflects who we are before God, which is the definition of humility. It is okay to describe our abilities but God wants us to do this with humility and only when necessary. And we shouldn’t confuse humility with Continue Reading →

“Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?” James 2:5 (NLT) James 2 warns churches against favoritism, especially against favoring the rich who often oppressed the poor. Then God gives this tremendous encouragement to believers who are poor. God chooses the poor to be rich in faith and though they are poor now, in eternity they will gain far more than anyone on earth ever had. They will inherit the Kingdom of God! Thus, there is no shame in being poor. Those who are poor are often more willing to admit their neediness which is the kind of humility that God likes to reward. And the reward is a treasure of faith in God, which is a possession more valuable than all the assets of the rich. Thus, like Continue Reading →

“But if you look carefully into the perfect law [word of God] that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:25 (NLT) Here God encourages us that when we obey God’s word we will be blessed. This is a simple but big promise. The verse reminds us that God set us free by His word, and by this I believe he means God set us free from sin and bondage to worldliness. He brought us to the free realm of the kingdom of God. Thus, we don’t need to fear any sacrifices we make to obey God’s word, because we are always free and always share in His goodness. Application: put you name into the verse and repeat it three times. Overcoming A Fault That’s Beyond Your CharacterJanuary 23, 2026Hope In God Continue Reading →