Weekly words of encouragement

The Righteous Way Will Become Brighter – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18 (NLT) This proverb encourages us to walk in the way of righteousness because the path gets brighter and better the longer we travel it. If we are trying to break a bad habit, such as changing our viewing habits, it might feel like we have only a glimmer of the blessing when we first make the change. It may be distasteful at first (darkness), but we can taste a little of the benefit (the first gleam of dawn). If we continue to walk in the new way, the way becomes broader and brighter. The darkness fades and we become more attached to the goodness we have found in this new righteous way. Therefore, do not become weary of purifying your life from corruption. It may feel unpleasant Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Favors The Humble – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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He mocks proud mockersbut shows favor to the humble and oppressed. Proverbs 3:34 (NIV) This verse reminds us of 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (NIV). God will not favor those who are proud and mock God or his goodness. They may have some prosperity in this age, but they will not have joy and peace, and they will suffer punishment in the next age. It is not our responsibility to lift ourselves up, promote ourselves, or in any way grasp for honor or success in order to boost ourselves. Our Father will give us favor and promote us according to his love and wisdom. He asks that we maintain a humble attitude. Whether we are at work, at home or at church our role is to remain humble. We maintain an attitude of the heart that Continue Reading →

struggling with his energy

Struggling With All God’s Energy

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Though you may not get involved in debates about free will versus God’s sovereignty, you probably still think about how much to rely on your efforts and how much to rely on the Holy Spirit’s efforts. If you want to learn patience, do you exert as much fortitude as possible or do you wait for strength from the Spirit? For help with this, consider Paul’s description of his ministry in Colossians 1:28-29: “That we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (ESV). This is a strange statement. How can someone struggle but use someone else’s energy to do so? I can work with my own energy and you can work with your energy, but you cannot work with my energy. Even if I somehow inspire you with my energy, you still can’t use my energy to Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Yahweh Corrects Those He Loves – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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My son, do not despise the LORD’S disciplineor be weary of his reproof,for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:11-12 (ESV) When God sees something harmful in your life, what should he do? Should he just let it slide? Should he protect your feelings and happiness? Or should he do what is necessary to purge it from you? What kind of father would he be if he just let us harbor sin, unbelief, pride and unkindness? It may be painful when God cuts us open and does his spiritual surgery on us, but part of us knows it is best for us. He corrects us because he loves us. This is our encouragement; that we have a loving infinite Father who loves us too much to let us wallow in our immaturity. In fact, he delights in us. When God Continue Reading →

bear one another's burdens

Learning To Bear One Another’s Burdens

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Most of us say that we want authentic fellowship, but are we practicing this when we have the opportunity? Specifically, are we bearing one another’s burdens as Scripture teaches? Do we pay attention to the burdens of our brothers and sisters in the Lord, whether we are at our church building or not, and look for ways to support them, emotionally or materially? This is essential for authentic community. Today we will meditate briefly on Galatians 6:2: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (NLT). Absorb. What is the ‘law of Christ’ that this passage refers to? (See Mt. 22:39; Gal. 5:14; Rom. 13:9; 1 Jn. 3:23; James 2:8.) Imagine Jesus standing in front of you speaking these words to you; how does this affect you? Ruminate on it, understand it and let it sink in. Feelings. How did you feel as you absorbed Continue Reading →