sadness sorrow guilt

The Blessing Of Guilt And Sorrow

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As unbelievers we may have tried to rationalize away our actions as not being wrong because if we admitted our wrongs then it would mean that our actions were not justified and so we would have to view ourselves as guilty. And in our minds guilt naturally required devaluation of someone as well as some sentence of judgment. This is why the great majority of unbelievers in the public eye present justifications for their actions. They do not want to admit that their actions are corrupt; they want to believe that they are justified and they want others to view them as justified. But we are free from all this. We are not afraid of honest guilt because guilt does not lead to devaluation, rejection or a sentence of judgment. Through faith in Christ, God justified us (accepts us) and adopted us as his children. The justification issue in our Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Your Reward Is Coming – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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To you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.For you will render to a manaccording to his work. Psalms 62:12 (ESV) The idea that God will render to each one according to their works should not induce fear but rather gratefulness for those who follow Jesus. In this world, the principle that one receives what is just for their actions does not apply so well. Instead, the wicked and the negligent often prosper and get to enjoy the “good” things of life; even in ministry those who compromise often rise to popularity. And the virtuous are often marginalized, scorned and rejected. They may struggle financially all their lives and even find themselves unwanted in vocational ministry. God encourages us by promising to honor us according to our work. He will reward virtue and he will not honor vice. “Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, Continue Reading →

love others

What Is The Chief Sign Of Maturity?

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Echoing Jesus, Paul stated that the commandments “are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself”” (Rom. 13:9, NLT). John stated: “And this is His commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” (1 John 3:23, NLT). James instructs us to “obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” (James 2:8, NLT). Is God pleased if we have warm affection for him but do not know how to communicate love to others? What are we accomplishing? Remember that God’s grand mission is to bring his community of love to maturity and eventual perfection. This means that we never stop pursuing better ways to love others. And we never stop pursuing purification, knowing that our corruption obscures God’s love and glory from clearly shining through us to others. In Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Blesses Us When We Wait In Silence – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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For God alone my soul waits in silence; From him comes my salvation . . . For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, For my hope is from him. Psalm 62: 1, 5 (ESV) In these verses from Psalm 62 the psalmist recognizes that he needs to wait in silence for his deliverance (vv. 3-4). He recognizes that his future, his hope, comes from God and that this is not the time to be inwardly frantic or devising plans for overcoming his trials. God will act because the psalmist has chosen to rest his soul from his own efforts and depend on God. This practice of calming and silencing one’s soul while one remains in a receptive stance before God has traditionally been referred to as contemplation. This is in contrast to meditation in which one uses reasoning and imagination to actively gain a greater understanding of God Continue Reading →

seeing the unseen

Learning To See The Unseen

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An important element of our faith is learning to “see” God’s unseen realities. These realities shape our lives as we internalize them. As believers God enables us to “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18 ESV). “Look” is a present verb; it is continuous. It is a stance that our heart adopts.   What are some of the other unseen things around us, in addition to our destiny? The most obvious one is the exaltation of Christ. We see Christ enthroned as king over all kings and authorities of this age and as king over his church (Eph. 1:20-22). Moreover, with faith we can see that we sit with Christ, for God “seated us with him in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6, ESV). Continue Reading →