humility, shame

Love Humility – The Imitation of Christ: Chapter Two

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Imitation of Christ – Chapter Two It is natural to want knowledge but what good is knowledge if we aren’t surrendered to God? Someone who humbly serves God but lacks any education is higher in God’s eyes than a world-renowned scientist who doesn’t know that their own heart needs God. When we know our own heart we know how lowly we are. We don’t let complements puff us up. If we have all the knowledge in the world but don’t truly love others then is God impressed by our knowledge? He will judge our lives by our deeds not by our knowledge. Restrain your hunger for excessive knowledge because that only distracts and misleads us. Learned people are tempted to keep up an appearance of wisdom and hope they are recognized for it. Yet great knowledge is actually not much help to the soul. Dedicating our mind to knowledge outside Continue Reading →

Weekly Word of Encouragement – Jesus Is Coming To Make Things Right

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“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.” I Thessalonians 4:16 (NLT) Jesus is coming to make things right and to transform us completely into his image. This is a cornerstone of the New Testament worldview; that we look forward to the restoration of all things, especially his people. This is why our sacrifice and sufferings feel lighter than they would without him. Application: pick one or two words from the verse that help you and repeat it to yourself throughout the day or week. God’s Song Of Love Is With Us – Weekly Words Of EncouragementSeptember 8, 2026Jesus Is Our Big BrotherSeptember 4, 2026I Will Yet Praise Him – Weekly Words Of EncouragementAugust 31, 2026

follow Jesus

Commitment To Follow – The Imitation of Christ: Chapter One

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Today’s post is an interpretation of the first chapter of the most popular devotional book in the history of Christianity, The Imitation of Christ. It was written by a monk (or possibly several monks) in the 15th century named Thomas a Kempis. The chapter has been clarified, condensed and changed in a few places, all with the hope that it will be easier to read without losing any of the power of the original. Notice how direct and challenging the author is; this style is not as popular today but does reflect the urgency found in scripture.   Imitation of Christ, Chapter One. Jesus said “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” (John 8:12) He teaches us to follow his example if we want to see true light. Let us make it our highest priority to meditate on his life so we know how to follow his example. Those Continue Reading →

Weekly Word of Encouragement – We Have Every Spiritual Blessing

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“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 (NLT) This is the ultimate encouragement! We have every spiritual blessing; they are stated all over the New Testament. The more we believe this the more we can let go of worldliness and experience the new life God gave us. Application: pick one or two words from the verse that help you and repeat it to yourself throughout the day or week. God’s Song Of Love Is With Us – Weekly Words Of EncouragementSeptember 8, 2026Jesus Is Our Big BrotherSeptember 4, 2026I Will Yet Praise Him – Weekly Words Of EncouragementAugust 31, 2026

Heart in prayer

Poem On Delight In Prayer – 5th Century

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Lately I’ve been reading from a 5th century author named Macarius. However, Macarius was only his pen name; his true identity is unknown so he is referred to as Pseudo-Macarius. He lived somewhere in modern day Syria. In his diary John Wesley wrote: “I read Macarius and sang.” His  Fifty Spiritual Homilies are warm, positive and without the intellectual analysis found in many Church Fathers. He talks about the light of God in our souls, the felt love of the Spirit, the transforming power of the incarnation, purification and spiritual sweetness. Following is a selection from Homily 8 of The Fifty Spiritual Homilies. It was not originally written as a poem and has no title. I just arranged it into stanzas myself. Between translation and arrangement it doesn’t have ideal poetic structure, but I still think it is beautiful. It is about the delight that the Spirit sometimes brings in prayer. Even though I can’t experience this right Continue Reading →