weekly words of encouragement

Wrapped Up In The Favor Of God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield” (Psalms 5:12, ESV). In the same way that a shield covers our body God’s blessings blanket our soul. The favor of God wraps the righteous. Consider the immense favor of God in all he does for us. Even if our “outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16, ESV). We have friendship with God, he Fathers us and guides us, he guarantees a new destiny for us, his Spirit lives in us, he gives us the inner peace that the rest of the world seeks, he gives us a place in his family with gifts to bless others, he gives us joy because we live in his kingdom. In all these ways we are covered, wrapped and engulfed in the favor of God. How often Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

We Belong To God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him” (Psalms 4:3, ESV). We who have chosen godliness and holiness have been set apart by God as his personal friends; we belong to God. We are the ones whom he loves and cherishes and we belong to him. It is amazing that the infinitely good and powerful God would choose weak humans to belong to him. Doesn’t this tell us how much he values these majestic human creatures he made? And even though we are corrupted with sin, all who choose to follow him are in his family. This is our identity and destiny – being united with God. And so when we call to him he hears because he treasures his own. He makes us “more than conquerors” in a destructive world and beautifies our souls. How often do Continue Reading →

disciple saint francis

What Does a Maturing Disciple of Jesus Look Like?

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We agree that the mission of the church, and the mission of God in our lives, is to make (beautiful) disciples of Jesus. We also agree that discipling is a maturation process; believers are supposed to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).[2] Another way of saying this is that we are partnering with God to help people follow Jesus and join his mission. All our doctrines, practices, and congregational lives are anchored in these ideas. Renew.org recently published my article on this topic. You can read the full article here. Below is part of the article. But in order to pursue this discipling process, do we not need to know what a maturing disciple of Jesus looks like? How do we know if we are traveling on the road of maturity unless we know what the road looks like? In other words, Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

God Is Our Shield – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” Psalms 3:3 (ESV). David declared this in the middle of a rebellion against his government. Under the New Covenant there are no official governments of God, but God is our shield today too. He is still the shield of our souls. Our soul will prosper if we abide in him. David wanted political and physical protection, which was part of the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant political and physical protection are not promised until the second phase of the kingdom of God, after Jesus returns. Until then we may be persecuted and harmed, but the New Testament still teaches that God is our shield. He will strengthen and protect us against the evil one (2 Thess. 3:3) and our faith is a shield against the Enemy (Eph. 6:16). God is our glory; he Continue Reading →

cross forgiveness

Christformation And Embracing Forgiveness

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(This is the first part of an article I wrote titled “Christformation And Embracing Forgiveness” that appeared on the Renew.org website. You may click on the link to access the whole article.) What is God up to in our lives? When we look throughout Scripture, we see that, above all, God is restoring his image in us so we can be fruitful members of his eternal community of love. Restoring God’s image is another way of saying “becoming like Christ,” or as I like to put it, “Christformation.” I would like to explore the importance of embracing forgiveness in order to progress in Christformation. Throughout Scripture, we learn that God has forgiven our sins through the cross of Christ: “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3, NIV). I want to persuade you to fully believe in this forgiveness from God. In fact, I want us to believe in this Continue Reading →