Weekly words of encouragement

Our Father Fulfills Our Desires – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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Delight yourself in the Lord,and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 (ESV) This promise may seem like an overstatement but I think that it is eventually true for those who delight themselves in the Lord. If we keep our hearts rejoicing in God in Christ, and what he has done for us and the blessing of following him, then he will give us the desires of our hearts sooner or later. Remember that the kingdom of God is already here but not yet complete. This means that most of God’s blessings are here in part but not yet completely fulfilled. Therefore, my desire for complete inner peace and joy is only partly fulfilled now, but will be completely fufilled on the New Earth. My prayers for financial stability is only partly fulfilled now but I will completely secure and prosperous in the next age. When Continue Reading →

maturity

Do You Passionately Pursue Maturity?

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Jesus and his Apostles clearly taught us that we should pursue maturity. But why? In an earlier post we listed five reasons for pursuing holiness, which is essentially the same as maturity. In this post, we want to focus mostly on the motivation of becoming what God made us to be. If your teenage child stopped growing intellectually and emotionally would you not consider this a cause for great concern and make an exhaustive search for an answer to the problem? Wouldn’t you realize that unless your child resumes their development that they will not become what they should become? Wouldn’t you make every effort to help them achieve adulthood along with its benefits? Likewise, if we allow ourselves to become complacent about our growth just because we have reached “teenage” maturity then are we not choosing to fall far short of what we are meant to be? Are we Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Gives Us The Gift Of Light – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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In your light we see light. Psalms 36:9 (NIV) One of the great privileges of being a child of God is that he opens up our eyes to more and more truth and wisdom. God is the source of light. He gives us spiritual light as well as physical light. Our old self, who still lingers inside us, can not see invisible reality. It can not see what forces are at work in the world, what God is doing, why he does what he does and what his goals are. Our old self can not see the glory and satisfaction of following Jesus, including the sacrifices we make. But as a child of God we escape the darkness in the world and in our old self and we live in God’s light. We actually get to see what countless philosophers and psychologists and activists and most of our neighbors never Continue Reading →

heart love

An Exercise For Believing God’s Love For Us

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The foundation idea of our faith is that God loves us and wants to bless us. This conviction is something that expands throughout our lifetime, but it can also fade. This exercise helps us to keep ourselves abiding in God’s love and to highlight any areas where we might doubt his love. Read through this once as a prayer by replacing references to God with “You”. Then start over and read one line at a time without replacing references to God, as a declaration and acceptance of God’s love. After each line take at least 20 seconds for agreeing with and absorbing it. Choose to believe and be guided by it. This exercise should help you determine how much your heart truly believes in God’s love for you. If you notice resistance or lack of agreement as you read through this, then take some time to reflect on why that Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

Feasting And Drinking With God – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.They feast on the abundance of your house;you give them drink from your river of delights.” Psalms 36:7-8 (NIV) The ones who trust and love God are the ones who take refuge under his wings. We have placed ourselves inside him, relying on him for our life and for the protection and blessing of our souls. And since God is a loving father who wants to give joy and satisfaction to his children he rewards our faith and love with gifts from his personal possessions. He presents us with a feast of truth, and peace, and friendship. His Scripture is like honey on our tongues. His Son is the bread of life, who nourishes us with his goodness and restores the image of God in us. We partake of his nature. We eat his body in remembrance of him and abide in Continue Reading →