Encouragement (Page 2)

Encouragement (Page 2)

‘Being’ the Lights

“God is light” (1 John 1:5). “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:4-9). Think about light again. God is light and, in Jesus, the true light, which gives light to everyone, came into the world. “And,” John wrote, “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus made it clear: “I…

‘Seeing’ the Light

“God is light” (1 John 1:5). “In Him [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John [the Baptist]. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about…

Wise Words to a Stubborn Ox

Do you know the old hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story”? It’s just great. I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love; I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true, It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.  Refrain: I love to tell the story, ’Twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story Of Jesus and…

‘Father, How Do You Want to Use Me?’

God not only has a general will for our lives, but He has a specific will for us too. God’s general will is found in Scripture: don’t steal, don’t lie or be dishonest, speak gracious words, be filled with the Spirit and walk in His light, bear witness to all of God’s goodness, put on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh, let your reasonableness, your…

Are We Too Easy on Our Flesh?

It’s not a message we hear too often from Christian pulpits today: You have to be harder on yourself! But, here’s what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27: “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” Now, I’m not loving this translation! It’s TOO soft! I think the problem is that the translators aren’t sure…

You Gotta Serve Somebody, Yes Indeedy Doo

Bob Dylan wrote some really great songs during his so-called ‘born-again’ period. Perhaps the most famous was, You Gotta Serve Somebody. The lyrics are pure gold: You may be an ambassador to England or France You may like to gamble, you might like to dance You may be the heavyweight champion of the world You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls. But…

Hope is Waiting, Confidently

The Hebrew and Greek words that underlie the English word hope in our Bibles combine two important ideas: waiting and confidence. Biblical hope, as has been said many times, is more than a wish for how things could be. Biblical hope is an absolute confidence that things really are the way God says they are. Hope is confidence that nothing that happens on the world stage…

When God Makes Everything Right

Dream with me. Dream of the day when God will make everything right. Isaiah 9 looks forward to the true Christmas day, the day the Savior of the world would be born in Bethlehem. He would come to remove gloom from those who were in anguish. “The people who walked in darkness,” he said, “have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light…

A Lamp Lit

Tertullian was an early Christian apologist who lived in ancient Carthage, what is now Tunisia. Mary and I spent a few weeks in Tunisia a while back taking in the history and beauty of this important center of early Christianity. Tertullian lived from about A.D. 155 to A.D 240, but his influence continues to reverberate among believers some 2000 years later. Tertullian…

Sisyphus and the One Name

I can think of no darker words than these two: no hope. Craig Biehl called them the two unbearable words. He writes: “Two small words. When heard on the battlefield, in the hospital waiting room, or in our darkest thoughts, they bring despair. Two words that carry such anguish that no one can withstand their power … where no hope exists—we are undone.” Have you ever…

Peace & Violence

True peace can never exist where violence is present.  Like the word ‘peace’ itself, the word ‘violence’ is also multidimensional. When a nation’s safety is threatened by some rogue regime, it’s often left with no option but to fight. And so, we have war. Eventually, one nation’s force overwhelms the force of the other nation and the war ends. But the peace that results…

Peace Work

Biblical peace is not only the absence of bad; it’s also the presence of good. It means more than just ‘not’ fighting with my neighbor, but its actively working for his good. John the Baptist came with a powerful message of warning. Watch it carefully: “He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from…

Approaching Bethlehem, Yawning

In the introduction to his Advent devotional, Come, Let Us Adore Him, Paul David Tripp illustrates how familiarity leaves us underwhelmed by the Christmas story. He asks us to imagine that we’ve moved into a new area and decide to take our dog for a walk. On the way, we encounter a beautiful community garden filled with roses. We’re blown away, exhilarated by its beauty.…