Tag: encouragement
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On today (of all days…)
Words: 428 Time to read: 2 minutes Daniel lived in Babylon as a slave—albeit a privileged one—in Babylon for over 80 years. He served under kings who were wicked and did not regard Jehovah God. Circumstances changed adversely in his life many times. Political winds shifted. Allegiances and alliances were formed and then destroyed. Religious liberty—and… Read more
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The fishbowl
Discouragement is a natural part of the ministry. You have ups and downs. You have good days and bad days. That is true about any profession. The ministry perhaps is unique in the fact that not only is it a job, it ought to be far more than that. It’s easy to wear your emotions… Read more
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The assembling
Words: 869 Time to read: 5 minutes The idea of Christian faith in a vacuum, independent of the local church and pastoral accountability, is altogether foreign to God’s designs for His church. The idea that we can accomplish the mandate that we have as a child of God apart from the fellowship of the local assembly… Read more
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If a tree falls…
Words: 735 Time to read: 4 minutes The easiest person to deceive is yourself. The lies that we tell ourselves are manifold and quite often lead to difficult choices. No one makes us believe the lies, we just choose to buy into them. Often they’re convoluted to disguise personal failure, save face, and maintain the charade… Read more
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A priorities problem
Words: 1167 Time to read: 6 minutes What are your priorities? We all have them and far too often we confuse them. It’s easy to conflate what we need and what we want. We want to sit on the couch all day and do nothing but we need to contribute to society, even if for purely… Read more
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What’s holding you back?
Words: 218 Time to read: 1 minute I’m just writing from the heart. I have topics that I believe to be of the utmost importance but I aim more to write about what’s moving me more than anything else. I have a project that I’m working on now regarding joy. I am excited about it and… Read more
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Life’s biggest questions for little minds
Words: 361 Time to read: 2 minutes The big questions are important and perhaps never more so than to young hearts and minds. Impressionable and open to tender and loving care, our children are a gift from God and we should not be afraid to engage in the big questions. Sometimes, the questions seem to be… Read more
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What do to when the cat dies
Words: 696 Time to read: 4 minutes If evangelism is the heartbeat of Jesus, then discipleship ought to be the breath that sustains the local church. This is exhausting, demanding work but is an absolute necessity to bring believers to maturity in Christ. Discipleship is often a seemingly trivial conversation (to you, dear mature believer) or… Read more
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The measure of faithfulness
Words: 1434 Time to read: 8 minutes I recently had a conversation that was thought provoking well beyond the scope of what we were actually discussing. That you can have that type of conversation and stimulate further thought is challenging and engaging. This was a veritable trip down memory lane, recounting colleagues and fellow students from… Read more
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Be an example
Words: 364 Time to read: 2 minutes Paul exhorted Timothy to be an example. Timothy was younger than perhaps the majority of the church. Yet, God had given him the solemn task of leading others to Christ and spiritual maturity. This is not always an easy task, especially for someone young in age. Perhaps Timothy had… Read more
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Faithful to the faith
Words: 351 Time to read: 2 minutes One day we are going to pass off the scene. The legacy that we leave behind of faith and faithfulness will be far more enduring than the material possessions we bequeath, regardless of their value intrinsic or otherwise. Both are essential ingredients. Faith is not merely believing in vagaries… Read more
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The benefit of writing
Words: 352 Time to read: 2 minutes Any style of writing, but especially persuasive writing, is truly conveying your innermost thought and putting yourself out there. There’s a great chance that what you wrote will be critiqued, misunderstood, or misapplied. That fear however cannot be the reason not to write. It’s that way in any domain… Read more
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Successful ministry
Words: 249 Time to read: 1 minute Successful ministry is not always measured in the visible result of the work. Many times it’s the invisible growth and personal faithfulness that counts. I can’t help but think of the Old Testament prophets. These men were social pariahs proclaiming God’s infallible word to a rebellious people who were… Read more
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Ready to receive
Words: 373 Time to read: 2 minutes I remember hearing that I’d be the same person in 10 years except for the books I’d read and the people I’d met. I can’t say that I am an interesting person but I suppose I’ve met some interesting people (some more than others). I can’t say that I’ve… Read more
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Joy unspeakable
Words: 1207 Time to read: 6 minutes If we will indeed be known by our fruits, then we should carefully observe the fruit which we should be producing. The Apostle Paul gives us a list of 9 fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. I understand that this is more of a cluster rather than individual… Read more
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Right in front of us
The past is the past. We cannot change it–for the better or the worse. Satan’s greatest ploy is to deceive us into regretting our past mistakes and anticipating our future opportunities. Live each and every moment for the honor and glory of Christ. There is no greater opportunity than the one that is right before… Read more
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The overflow
It’s rare to find someone who truly cares and flips the switch on or off. It’s rare to find someone who makes a profound difference in the life of another who is doing it just 9 to 5. It’s rare to encounter someone who is impacting others who is doing it simply for the paycheck.… Read more
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All you need is a spark…
Waiting on the spark of inspiration every time you go to accomplish something is a surefire way to end up with little to no progress in the overall scheme of life. You will not feel inspired every moment of every day to do what needs to be done. You may perhaps feel a tinge of… Read more
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The great work of prayer
“[Satan] is much more afraid of our prayer than of our work.” So Elizabeth Elliot summarizes the whole thrust of the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. It is far easier to engage in work because there can usually be immediate tangible results as opposed to the often soul-searching labor that is prayer. We… Read more
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Here and now
It appears that the parent of a young child is always tired and exhausted. It’s difficult and at times exasperating work being a parent. You do your dead-level best to train and discipline and at the most inconvenient of times your children decide this would be the best time to test your patience and perhaps… Read more
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Hanging on to hurt
Do you want to hang on to this hurt? I’d asked that question many times before. The response I received this time startled me somewhat, “I’ll have to think about it.” I may have graciously (or not so) recovered from that response. I didn’t even know people were so willing to hang on to something… Read more
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Alone
One of the greatest lies that Satan can sell you is that you are alone. That no one cares. That no one experiences the crippling doubts, fears, and discouragement that you’re bearing right now. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Not only are you carrying that load, but so has many a faithful Christian down through… Read more