Weekly words of encouragement

God Blesses Your Meekness – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5 ESV). God blesses your meekness. A meek person is someone who is gentle and not argumentative or aggressive. They do not respond to aggressive people with aggression. Jesus is our model of meekness. When Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey he described his coming by saying “Your king is coming to you, humble [meek] and mounted on a donkey” (Mt. 21:5 ESV). Paul also ascribed to Jesus “meekness and gentleness” (2 Cor. 10:1, ESV). The irony is that the one is not warlike is the one who will inherit leadership over the earth. In other words, ultimate political victory will not come by the strategies that humans usually use. By nature, human political leaders prefer to use force to accomplish their goals. But God will usher in a new age when his followers, the ones who do not Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Will Bless Your Mourning – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“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 where Jesus continues his technique of reversing the natural order. He promises his followers that the ones who mourn will not remain empty of their loss. Instead, to the ones who mourn God says “I will bless your mourning and comfort you.” We all have times of mourning, whether it is the 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 thank 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 →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Blessings Of Suffering – Weekly Word Of Encouragement

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“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. They believed in the blessings of suffering. 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. When this happens we can follow the example of the apostles and rejoice when we lose out for Jesus, what greater honor is there? Remember the words of the Apostle Paul: Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17 (NIV) Jesus Continue Reading →

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You Can Make Progress Overcoming Your Key Fault

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Our lack of holiness can be very frustrating. We have the desire to be holy and to be Christlike but we struggle with our disordered desires for pleasure. Our culture provides many opportunities to satisfy our sensuality. As the passage below from Titus teaches, we have grace from God to reject worldliness and to be self-controlled. How do you make progress overcoming your key fault? Below is an exercise to help us receive God’s grace and to activate our will. It follows the general format of lectio divina. Do part or all of it and change it as you desire. For the complete guide go here. Purification Exercise: Read twice: Titus 2:11-14 (ESV): “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

You Have God’s Spirit

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You have the tremendous privilege of hosting God’s Spirit. If no one had God’s Spirit then it would be the dream of godly people to have God’s Spirit. But it is not a dream. “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 the 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 Continue Reading →