Tag: Encouragement

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! ~ Psalms 107:1

God is good even when things are happening in your life that are out of your control. Even when you are suffering terribly and God seems to be far away. Understand this, His love is never far away, even in those instances, for His love is a steadfast love that is forever. There is nothing that can come between or separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

Paul said in Romans 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” Well, the short answer to these questions are a resounding NO. Nothing can or will separate us from the love of God because God is good, and He wants good for us, even when it does not seem like it. But even in trials and the tribulations, which are hard for us Christians who live in the West with all our freedoms that we enjoy to imagine, God is still good.

But there are those living in our world who are not so fortunate. They suffer all of those things for God: persecution, tribulation, and even death, yet they believe in His goodness, and they trust in His steadfast love. Just yesterday, I read about an Egyptian Christian who was kidnapped, tortured, killed, and then mutilated until unrecognizable and then fed to the dogs. Even in horrific events like that, God is still good. His love is still a steadfast love.

We look at the temporal, but God considers the eternal, which is by far the best. Suffering in this world is not even a second in eternity. Paul said, for him to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Because no one can even imagine the good things that God has in store for everyone who loves Him and is obedient to His commands.

The very last verse (Psalms 107:43) says, “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.” So, let us consider, think, ponder, meditate on, and celebrate the goodness of God, for He alone is good.

Father, thank You that You are good, and Your steadfast love is forever. Help me to consider and understand Your goodness, even in times when it does not seem like You are around or that You even care. Help me to hold on and to never doubt Your goodness to me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

⁴ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶ Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷ But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. ~ Jeremiah 29:4-7.

This is the beginning of a letter that God had Jeremiah send to the Israelites in captivity to encourage them. Think about this. They were in punishment for abandoning their God. But listen to the letter. Build houses and enjoy your house. Plant gardens and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Go on and get married and have a family, and then let your children also get married and have families of their own. I don’t just want you to increase and not decrease, but I want you to multiply.

Understand that multiplication is way much more than addition. God’s mercy is so great that even when He punishes His people for wrongdoing, He can’t help Himself by blessing them because of His steadfast love. Please realize that God was very angry with them, yet in His anger, He remembered mercy, and in His wrath, He remembered to bless. That is mind-blowing. That would be like us putting our children in timeout because of their disobedience and bad behavior, then turning the TV set toward them so that while they are in timeout, they can watch a little TV while munching on their favorite snack on a nice soft cushion.

The letter goes on to say that after seventy years, I myself (the LORD God) will come and visit them and bring them back to the place He had promised them. Their own homeland of Jerusalem in Judah. He will give them back their land. It is amazing that even in punishment, God’s mercy is very, very great. You can never outlive or run away from God’s mercy. He doesn’t want them miserable in their punishment, He want them to have hope and be comforted in their hope. It’s just amazing.

Thank You, Father, for Your great mercy that does not end and for Your steadfast love that endures forever. Help me never to take advantage of Your great mercy and Your steadfast love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹¹ But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. ~ Isaiah 47:11

The Scriptures say, ‘But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away.’ What does that mean? There is coming a day of reckoning. A day of dread for those who oppose the LORD. Those who live in open rebellion against Him and His laws.

Only those who have submitted to authority and to His rule will be acquitted. In other words, have their sins forgiven for all time. If you have submitted your life to Jesus by repenting of your sins and by following His commands, you are assured eternal life.

Therefore, don’t be discouraged or envious of the prospering of the wicked. One day, they will stand before the Judgment Seat of God and have to give an account of their lives to the LORD. They will then be separated from God for all eternity, while we who have followed Christ will spend eternity in peace with Him. Therefore, focus on Christ and seek Him. Don’t look at the world and all that it promises you because those promises won’t last. They will be but for a moment compared to eternity.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Focus On Them.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

Paul is encouraging the Corinthian church to be steadfast, which means to be unchanging, as in a firm and fixed foundation. Then he reiterates with another adjective, immovable, which means basically the same thing: firm, unshaken, and steady. So, here we get the idea that Paul is really trying to emphasize something to them. He is trying to encourage the Corinthian Christians not to be weaving and swerving in their faith but to be steadfast as a sure foundation and as immovable as a Royal Palm that grows in the Cayman Islands.

Many years ago, there was an accident in the Cayman Islands where a car traveling at a very high rate of speed with four men in it hit a Royal Palm Tree. The car was actually broken in two, and three out of the four men were killed on impact. The tree, however, was not noticeably damaged. The next day, after all the wreckage was cleared, no one could even tell that there was a triple fatality there. Only a small brown spot, which could have been caused by anything, served to mark the spot, and you had to look closely to even notice that.

This is the steadfast, immovable faith Paul is encouraging the Corinthian Church to have. He is encouraging them to never let anything disrupt their faith. Just like that palm tree withstood the impact of an event that should have caused more damage than it did, they, too, must stand firm when all sorts of trials and temptations come against them.

Those words were not written to them alone, but, by extension, they were written for our benefit as well. We are to be steadfast, immovable, without swaying to the left or to the right, but with our eyes steadfast on Jesus, we are to run our course; we are to finish the race with all perseverance. It is not easy, or even possible, for us to do if not for Jesus, but through Jesus, all things are possible for us. Therefore, we can and will finish the race and win the prize as long as we stand steadfast and immovable in Jesus’ mighty Name.

When we are steadfast and immovable, things that would knock a regular person off their feet will only bounce off of the Christian whose hope and faith is in the LORD Jesus. He is our firm foundation and with Him and through Him all things are possible for us, and all adversities are overcomeable for us.

Thank you, LORD Jesus, that You are our firm foundation, and through You, we are overcomers. We are steadfast and immovable, just like Your great faithfulness and love, and the race is winnable. I give You praise, Almighty God, because there is none like You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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¹⁴ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. ~ Habakkuk 2:14

Can you imagine a time when peace will reign, and the glory of the LORD will Cover the whole earth, and Jesus Himself will be in charge to extend true equity to everyone? What a glorious day that will be.

God has not forsaken us, nor has He left us defenseless. He will come in our time of trouble, for He has promised that the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

There is coming a time when the LORD will say enough is enough, and He will return for His people. Every tear will be wiped away, and every heartache healed in the presence of the LORD. Peace will reign, and Jesus will sit as king.

Here’s the thing, though, only those who choose to follow Him now during a time of chaos and tribulation will enter into this rest. This time of peace that is promised. So, don’t be discouraged by the times; they won’t last. They won’t be forever. Paul said that these are just light afflictions compared to all that God has in store for those who love Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look For His Glory.

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²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:23

Listen, the Gospel is not a selfish ambition or a one-sided effect where only one person benefits. Paul said that in a secular race, everyone runs the race, but only one person receives the prize. But it is not so in Christianity. Everyone shares in the blessings. Jesus said in Matthew 10:41 that if anyone receives a prophet because he is a prophet, that person will receive a prophet’s reward. To share in the prophet’s reward, all we have to do is to receive them. That is what Jesus said.

He even went on to say that if anyone gives a cup of water to a little child, they will receive a reward. So, the kingdom of God is about rewards and consequences. People only focus on the consequences. Oh, if God was so good, why would He send people to hell? Well, first of all, He doesn’t, it’s all your choice. You must choose to go there or not; it’s all up to you. Second, why not focus on the rewards and strive for those instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater? I can’t serve a God who would do that. Well, how about serving a God who blesses and rewards everyone who participates? One who gave His very life so that you do not have to go to that awful place. Serve Him.

Far too often, even Christians will focus on the consequences instead of the unsearchable, unknowable, and surpassing good things that God has in store for those who love Him. God is not out to get you; if He wanted to get you, He would get you. Because who can deliver out of His hand? Or who can intercede for you against God? Therefore, let us focus on the good rewards, encourage others in the race, and share the Gospel with others, for there will be a great reward to share for those who win souls.

God is not a bad paymaster; He will give to each what they have earned because God is no man’s debtor. So, share the Gospel and so share in the blessings.

Thank You, Father, that You are not mean and stingy, but in fact, You are a generous God who loves to give good gifts that are pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Your blessings are exceedingly and abundantly more than we can even imagine. Thank You Father that You are kind and generous, and help me to always remember that so that I may grow to be like You, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20

Paul said he had been crucified with Christ, not at all meaning literally crucified, but spiritually crucified. His life now belongs to Christ, that is, all of his desires, his wants, and his ambitions. It is no longer his life because his old life had been crucified with Christ. He goes on to say that the life that he now lives is by faith in Jesus, the Son of God. And why? Because Paul is convinced that Jesus loves him and died for him, now he has no other choice but to faithfully serve Him.

Over this past weekend, I went to the grocery store with my wife to pick up a few items. I placed my phone and my glasses on the little stand next to the credit card machine. I thought to myself, I better not forget these here, and so said, so done. I walked right out of that grocery store, leaving my phone and my glasses sitting right there on the little stand.

When I went to drive out of the parking lot, the radio came on because it could not connect to my phone, which alerted me that I had left my phone in the store. I quickly parked again and ran inside. The nice lady who had checked me out had my phone and glasses, and when she saw me looking for them, she came over and said, “Are you looking for these?” I felt a real relief that she had found my phone and glasses and held them for me. I felt much appreciation for her kindness of holding them for me.

Have you felt indebted to someone? Paul is feeling that way. He said, I have chosen to be crucified with Christ by my own free will, and now He lives in me. Therefore, I no longer live for myself; I live to please Christ because He loves me so much that He freely chose to suffer and die for me, and because of that, He has given me eternal life.

Jesus did not just do that for Paul alone, but He did it for all of us as well. Each and every one of us. In turn, we must now live for Him.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die for me. Help me to live as if I have been Crucified with Christ so that He can live in me. Thank You for loving me and caring for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁴⁵ Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶ And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and He was alone on the land. ⁴⁸ And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, ⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” ~ Mark 6:45-50

Have you ever been in a storm and have been praying and seeking God, but He just can’t seem to be found? Have you ever cried out to Him all night but just didn’t feel His presence? Like He was nowhere around? Well this was the place the disciples found themselves in. But I’m here to tell you, when you feel all alone and feel abandoned when there is nowhere to run or no one to run to, when there is nowhere to hide, and Jesus doesn’t seem to be anywhere around, do not be dismayed, neither be discouraged but rather, be encouraged because the Scripture says He ever lives to intercede for us. Therefore, rest assured, Jesus knows where you are in your storm.

In your midnight hour, when you feel all alone, and no one is there. Family is not there; they don’t understand what you’re going through. Pastor is not there; he is not able to be in all places at once. Friends just don’t understand. They have their own problems. Co-workers, well … they don’t even believe in God or even care, some of them. Your Mama’s prayers just don’t seem to be working in this storm. Children aren’t much comfort either; the storm is too great, and maybe they themselves are the cause of your storm.

Let me encourage you today; Jesus sees you. He knows where you are in your storm. He sees you straining at the oars when the wind of this life is against you. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore He, [referring to Jesus], is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” Jesus sees you in your storm and He is interceding for you, just like He was interceding for His disciples.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold Your Peace In The Storm.

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¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. ~ Hebrews 1:1-2

The author of the book of Hebrews starts the book by explaining that God didn’t speak to everyone. In fact, God didn’t speak all the time. There were times when the Word of the LORD was rare, such as during the time of Eli, recorded in 1 Samuel 3:1. There was even 400 years of silence, but when the day of Pentecost came, recorded in Acts 2, God poured out His Spirit on all flesh, fulfilling Joel’s prophecy recorded in Joel 2.

No longer does God only speak to His people through the prophets, but now He speaks to all of His people through His Son Jesus because Jesus is the one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Does that mean we no longer have prophecies? Of course not! We still have prophecies today. Otherwise, we would have to get rid of any prophecy written after the day of Pentecost, which is every prophecy recorded in the New Testament after the ascension of Jesus. So, with that said, prophecy hasn’t disappeared. Prophecy is still here today. The only difference is that the prophets are not the only ones who can hear from God and commune with Him.

How encouraging is that? No longer do we have to go through man to hear from God. God speaks through anyone willing to be a vessel for Him because now His Spirit dwells in us. We are His temple. Yes, prophets are still important today, but no longer are they the only ones who hear from God. No longer is there a barricade between God and mankind. Now, there is only one step between God and mankind: repentance. All we have to do is repent, and the LORD will begin to change our lives. When we seek Him, we find Him. When we knock, the door is opened to us. The Spirit Himself dwells inside of us. We are no longer alone.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Enjoy The Spirit.

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