Month: November 2020

Weekly words of encouragement

Ungodly Gains Will Disappear – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow richand their homes become ever more splendid.For when they die, they take nothing with them.Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. Psalms 49:16-17 (NLT) This passage may not seem encouraging at first since it is about judgment on the wicked, but I think it is one of the most encouraging truths in Scripture. We often observe that compromising or unscrupulous or faithless people become successful in this life. And godly people often do not become prosperous. But God assures us that this is not the end of the story. Everyone will be judged one day (2 Cor. 5:10) and everyone “will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Cor. 5:10, NLT). Moreover, God has promised a new and better Garden of Eden for our eternal dwelling. As we absorb Continue Reading →

conspiracy theory

16 Reasons Why Conspiracy Theories Are Popular

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A public conspiracy theory is the idea that there is a group of people acting clandestinely to deceive the public and inflict harm on the general public. (We are not addressing conspiracy theories where there is not an attempt to persuade the public of a false affirmation. For example, most criminal conspiracies are not public.)  Usually, the conspirators have acquired substantial influence so that they are able to influence or harm large numbers of people, often in the millions. Examples of popular public conspiracy theories include: claims of widespread election fraud; the idea that masks don’t protect from COVID 19 or even that COVID-19 is way overblown or planned; QAnon and the idea that the Democratic Party operates a human trafficking and child porn ring; the idea that the Holocaust never happened; or the idea that Bill Gates is using 5G to harm the population. But conspiracy theories can be Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

He Will Guide Us – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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He will guide us forever Psalms 48:14 God wants to guide our lives like a good Father. And like a good father he does not want to make us into puppets and predetermine everything we do. He wants to give his children room to grow in their wisdom and exercise their will in submission to Christ. At the same time, if we abide in Christ’s commandments, pray, and seek counsel then we can expect God’s direction. He promises in James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (ESV). This doesn’t mean that we will usually receive a clear strong impression from God on all our important decisions. Once we have fulfilled our responsibility to seek his guidance then we make a decision according to the best wisdom we know. After that, Continue Reading →

honest talk with friend

Being A Friend By Being Honest With Others

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With respect to honesty with others, Scripture teaches that we are to “put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor” (Eph. 4:25, NIV). At deacon-level maturity (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1) we should be able to avoid speaking anything that is plainly false. But we should also avoid all forms of deception, including misleading people by omitting information, and misleading people through silence. Honesty is a greater challenge when it comes to pointing out an uncomfortable truth that others are ignoring, which is important for moving towards elder-level maturity. For example, if someone we are close to or have responsibility for is harming others or themselves with attitudes, words or actions then do we not have a duty before God to say something? “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6, ESV). If someone is turning away from God then we follow the wisdom in James 5:19-20: “If Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Rules All Governments – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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God reigns over the nations;God sits on his holy throne. Psalms 47:8 (ESV) It is easy to forget that God really does reign over the earth. We are heavily influenced by our natural eyes which see all the actions of humans, all the power of governments, and all the might of armies. We elect Presidents and Prime Ministers and we pray they will wisely rule us; and this is good. But “the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). God is unseen but he rules over the nations. He allows people to harm and destroy one another and so it seems that God is inactive. But in this age he is only letting us choose to love him or reject him. Yet he still has ultimate control and so we do not need to fear. If politicians let us down, Continue Reading →