Encouragement (Page 2)
Who Threw Jonah Into the Sea?
The answer to the question: who threw Jonah into the sea is simple. Jonah 1:15 says, “So they [the sailors] picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, . . .” However, upon closer reading of the text, someone else threw Jonah into the sea. To see this, we need to review the story. In chapter one of the book of Jonah, Jonah is absolutely set on running from God (1:3). He despises God’s call to preach…
What I Should Not Do If I Am Offended at Church?
The local church is composed of sinner-saints. We are sinners, and we are saints. Sinners will offend you. And you, as a sinner, will offend others. So, what should you do if you are offended by someone in your church? There is a lot you should do, but here is what you should not do: do not forsake assembling together. I know the natural inclination is to let an offense keep you from coming to church (or sometimes you want…
A Listening God
Sometimes, in the course of life, you only want someone to listen to you. You don’t want them to fix you or fix your problems. You want them to listen. When you find a person who listens to you, maybe a spouse or a friend, you know that person is expressing love. One day I was reading the Bible and came across a verse that teaches us that God is a listening God. He has a listening ear. And this…
Sin Is In Prison
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and union by faith into that death and resurrection, you have been justified and definitively sanctified. The condemnation due to sin has been removed. You are a saint. And this means that your relationship to sin has changed. When once sin held sway over you, you now have the power, through the Holy Spirit, “to not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Rom 6:12). Sin no longer reigns; righteousness reigns. Unfortunately,…
Books Change Lives
The same book, much like the same sermon, can have different affects on different people. God, through his Spirit, uses the written word (or spoken word) as he pleases. In light of this, as I look back on my Christian pilgrimage, a few books, rooted in the Scriptures, stand out that God has been pleased to substantially influence my spiritual life. These three books impacted my life the most in the first ten years of my Christian pilgrimage (in no…
Comfort for an Uncertain Future
We often worry about and fear the future. What will be the results of my upcoming medical tests? How will I provide for my family if I lose my job? What will happen to my country if the nominee is elected? Will I remain safe during my upcoming travels? What will become of my family member if they continue their current path? English Puritan, William Gurnall, likewise experienced fears of the future. He lived during a time, much like ours,…
God’s Love Creates
Exactly five hundred years ago today (April 26), a group of theologians met in the quaint medieval town of Heidelberg to dispute 28 theses penned by Martin Luther. In the final thesis, Luther wrote a beautiful statement about love. Please read his words slowly: “The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it. The love of man comes into being through that which is pleasing to it.” What Luther is saying is that human…
Five Reasons God May Delay in Answering Your Prayer
God always answers prayer. Period. Yet, he does not always answer in the way we would like. Sometimes he answers with a “yes” or “yes and even better.” Sometimes, however, he answers with a “no,” or “not yet.” Why does God answer with a “not yet?” Why does he delay in answering prayer? Puritan Richard Sibbes helped me to see four reasons God may delay in answering prayer. I’ve added a fifth. To try your faith. Like the Canaanite woman…
What Is Forgiveness?
Because we live in a fallen world, sinning against others and being sinned against, we are in constant need of forgiveness. Yet, we often misunderstand what forgiveness truly is. We think that forgiveness is a feeling, so we don’t forgive because we don’t “feel” very forgiving. We think that forgiveness involves excusing someone’s sin, so we say things like, “What you did wasn’t that bad; I’ve done it before, too”. We think that forgiveness means forgetting, so we don’t forgive…
Three Common Misconceptions about Forgiveness
Because we are sinners, both sinning and being sinned against, we cannot live life without forgiveness. Forgiveness is part and parcel of life. Yet as much as forgiveness should be a part of everyday life, forgiveness often seems nebulous. We often misunderstand what forgiveness truly is. We have three common misconceptions about forgiveness. 1. Forgiveness is a feeling We often confuse forgiveness with feelings. “I don’t feel very forgiving.” Have you ever felt like you didn’t want to forgive someone…
Grace Group Is Dynamic, Not Static
Several years ago I learned a valuable lesson about small group ministry (Grace Groups). I learned that Grace Groups are dynamic not static. Here is what I mean. Every small group meeting I attended, I learned that at least one person present was hurting. Always, at least one person in the group shared in some way how they were in a difficult marriage, experiencing a physical set back, or battling a besetting sin to name a few struggles. And so…
The Anti-Prayer of Grumbling
Paul commands the Philippian church in chapter 2:14, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Stated positively this is doing all things with an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude. Paul lived this out. In fact, the first thing out of Paul’s mouth beginning his Philippian letter is a prayer of thanksgiving. The Holy Spirit prompts Paul to gush with gratitude and gratefulness to God even while he is put away in prison! He writes in 1:3, “I thank my God…
How Do You Handle Your Past?
Everyone has regrets. You regret sinful choices and stupid choices. Choices as small as hitting the snooze, and choices as large as the person you married, the career you chose, and the house you purchased. How are you to handle and think about those past decisions? You are to forget the past and remember the past. Paul tells us in Phil 3:13 that we are to “forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead.” The word “forgetting,”…
Living by Grace in the Here and Now
Many parents often talk about the challenges of the “terrible 2’s.” Angry and inconsolable children who can only be left to cry in their cribs are definite examples of why it seems at times that you may be going crazy! For parents in that time of life, it may seem that these behaviors of their child aren’t normal or perhaps think that they are doing something wrong because otherwise this behavior wouldn’t be happening. Why do we tend to think…
Fighting Bitterness
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble…” Chris Brauns has written a helpful book on forgiveness: Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds. In the book, he deals with bitterness and how it can consume you when you’ve been hurt deeply. Hear his wise counsel on fighting bitterness: “If you feel yourself wrestling with bitterness, then focus more intently on…
Powerful Proclamations on Pride
In light of a CE Hour lesson given on pride, we think it would be beneficial to reflect on these quotes from (mostly) people of the past. “I am more afraid of pope ‘self’ than of the pope in Rome and all his cardinals.” – Martin Luther “Pride seeks to un-god God.” – Thomas Watson “[Pride is] so undiscerned by the most, that it is commonly cherished while it is commonly spoke against.” – Richard Baxter “Pride takes many forms…
Is Prayer Caught or Taught?
The answer is, “Yes!” However, I think prayer is more caught than taught. Here’s why. When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray, do you remember what Jesus does? He doesn’t lecture for forty five minutes. He doesn’t require them to read a book and write a book report. Jesus teaches them how to pray by giving them a model prayer (Luke 11:1-4). Granted, Jesus did not pray the “Lord’s Prayer,” because Jesus could not have prayed “forgive…
Is Philippians 4:8 Half Full or Half Empty?
In some things in life I am an optimist and in some things I am a pessimist. When it comes to Chicago Cubs baseball, I am an optimist—always hoping and praying for the World Series win. When it comes to politics, I tend to be a pessimist—seeing more to condemn than to commend. What about when it comes to the Bible? How much of my pessimism do I bring to the table when I read the Scriptures? Recently, a verse…
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