Our Rebirth Christforms Us – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6, NIV). The gift of rebirth puts all the riches of the world to shame. How incredible is it that God actually gives us a new self? And this new self is created in the image of Jesus! Since we have a new self our corruption has been washed away, leaving only the corruption of the old self which we are putting to death daily. This new self is a constant source of power for Christformation. Even more, God has generously poured out his Holy Spirit on us so that we have the power and presence of God living inside us. If we learn to live from our new self and walk in the Spirit we will never stop growing in Christ. Sometimes Continue Reading →

The Power Of Our Words

Who can doubt that our words are powerful yet excruciatingly difficult to control? Speaking to believers, James provides several graphic illustrations to make this clear. ​“If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (James 3:2-5, NIV). Consider how much words from our parents shape our lives. Consider how much the right words from a friend have Continue Reading →

Living Out Of God’s Lovingkindness – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved [your name here], not because of works done by [your name here] in righteousness but according to his own mercy” (Titus 3:4-5, ESV). This is a reminder that God’s attitude towards us is one of goodness, loving-kindness and mercy. In fact, these are so strong in him that he didn’t even bother to take our good works into account when he wanted to save us. There was no need. His goodness, loving-kindness and mercy were more than enough, not to mention the infinite inferiority of our good works. Let us constantly remind ourselves of these. It would be a wonderful practice to constantly repeat these three divine traits to ourselves for a week. We need this continuous encouragement. We need the Spirit to embed in our hearts the reality of God’s attitudes towards us because these are Continue Reading →

Kingdom Evangelism – What Your Unbelieving Friends Need To Know About Themselves

It is important to be realistic about what is in the heart of unbelievers. Some Christians give the impression that the biggest reason people don’t follow Jesus is the bad example of Christians or other faults in the church. But this does not fit with Scripture. The reality is that the lost are corrupt. By the time people reach early teens they have adopted sinful ways. Most people want to be god of their own lives; they want to cling to destructive ways. Even if they are “nice” people and have been hurt by those who call themselves Christians, the truth is that they are just making excuses. (There are cases of real abuse that do create a huge barrier and we should recognize their pain) “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, ESV). In other words, the lost are just like all of Continue Reading →

The Encouragement Of Waiting – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

“Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, ESV). Our present mode of existence is the mode of waiting. When we look forward to something really good that we know is coming it fills us with energy to get through our days. It lifts our hearts to know that soon we are going to experience something very exciting. So waiting for something wonderful is not a bad thing, rather, it encourages us and keeps us focused on something good. Likewise, waiting for Jesus to appear with all his majesty and goodness on display strengthens us, knowing that our destiny is to live with him in his utopia forever. As we keep our gaze on Jesus and our future hope he empowers us to overcome all obstacles. The Wonder Of Our Future Oneness With GodApril 26, 2024You Can Be Continue Reading →