Living in light of eternity

How do you encourage a brother in Christ who is already excelling in his walk with God? This is the challenge the Apostle Paul faced with the Thessalonian Church . After leaving Philippi , where he was severely mistreated ( Acts 16:22-24 ), Paul and his team traveled on to Thessalonica to share Christ. They received the gospel as the Word of God, not merely a message from men (1 Th 2:13). As a result, they demonstrated admirable qualities as the fruit of salvation. In 1st Thessalonians we see… They became imitators of Paul and his team, (1:6) They became examples to all those in Macedonia and Achaia. (1:7) They turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God (1:9) They were waiting patiently for the return of Christ. (1:10) So, how do you encourage someone that is doing so well in the Lord? Let us look at how Paul did it… Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ou...

In this fallen world, fear and doubt can easily overwhelm us. As Christians, however, we have a powerful resource: confidence in Christ. Sadly, many do not draw on this resource and instead depend on self-confidence .  Self-confidence looks for the strength to face the challenges of life from within. We rely on our own wisdom, experiences, or methods of handling things.  And sometimes this strategy works. But often, it does not. The self-confident person often thinks they are better than others. They may be full of pride. And this very pride can be their undoing.    Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. (Prov 16:18)  But most self-confident people are secretly very insecure.  They know that their strategies are not sufficient for the " slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ", as Shakespeare famously said.  Simply put, the challenges they face often overwhelm them, and may even crush them.  The bel...

  So, where do we get the common phrase, "blessed to be a blessing"?   The idea comes originally from the book of Genesis where God appears to Abraham .  “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing . I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed .” (Genesis 12:1-3, ESV) If you think about it, this is a pretty radical idea. Not only does almighty God want to bless those who respond in faith, but also that He wants to work through us to bless others! 1.       God wants to bless us. Our heavenly Father loves us dearly as any father would love their very own children. “For God so loved the world , that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal li...

  When you think about it, sleep is a very strange thing.   We’ve been doing it since we were born, and studies show infants sleep even in the womb.    They say you will spend a third of your life in this state.   As I get older, I find myself sleeping more.   When possible, I like a short nap after lunch, although these short naps seem to be getting longer all the time.   But consider for a minute the state of sleep: We are removed from the day-to-day realities. We may have dreams that take us on exciting or scary adventures. We are in a state of vulnerability. (A thief could break in and steal). We do not have full control of our faculties. (People sometimes hurt themselves while sleepwalking ). The Bible often uses sleeping as a metaphor for spiritual sluggishness.   We are admonished to "wake up".   Here are few of the most notable examples: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who...

  We live in a world where we often feel vulnerable. There are earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, etc. As children were often scared of spiders, snakes, and large dogs.   There is much in our physical world to be afraid of.   But beyond the physical world, there is also the world of men.   We may experience the fear of rejection or the fear of failure . If we’ve lost a loved one, we may develop the fear of abandonment . In other words, we often feel powerless and vulnerable in this world. Fortunately, we don’t feel this way all the time. Unfortunately, we do feel fear more often than we would like. You may be interested to know that this was not the original design. God intended for humans to live in close fellowship with him, always feeling his protection and his love. We were to live in a world that was safe- in a world where we had control over the forces around us. But unfortunately, man decided to go his own way, and when he rebelled agains...

  For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace . (Ro 6:14) The book of Romans is deeply profound, and often hard to understand.   One of the more puzzling sections are chapters 6-8.   Paul seems to be saying two things at the same time.   On the one hand, in chapter 6, he tells us we have a new capacity to resist sin.   On the other hand, in chapter 7 he paints a vivid picture of enslavement to sin.     For we know that the law is spiritual—but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate. (Ro 7:14-15) The casual reader may wonder, "Which is it?”   Let’s look at it carefully…  Leading up to chapter 6 he clearly shows that all have sinned, and we are saved through the redemption in Christ.   for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace throug...