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“How do we stay encouraged in a world full of struggles and letdowns?” It is easy to become discouraged, if we allow the trials and circumstances of life to determine our outlook and our level of joy and peace in life. The devil would enjoy nothing less than to watch us wallow in the cares and troubles of life and avoid all the contentment and encouragement that the faithful Christian can enjoy. So, how can the Christian stay encouraged in…

Some Christians have a hard time believing and hard time explaining the statement in Romans 8:28 that says “all things work together for good to those who love God.” Why do they find it hard to believe or explain? Perhaps because the negative things in our lives are easier to focus on than the positive things. Perhaps because we become so accustomed to and expectant of the blessings that come our way that we overlook them when troubles come into…

Jesus, the Son of God, came to John the Baptist to be baptized. Does that seem strange to you? It certainly seemed strange to John, who tried to prevent Him from doing it, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” (Matt. 3:13-14). You know how Jesus responded. This desire of Jesus did not make sense to John, but it certainly did to Jesus. Our Lord said, “Permit it to be so now, for…

Even after being baptized for the forgiveness of sins, a child of God still finds that sin can creep back into his life. Sometimes it’s the same sin, over and over. We try to avoid it, but we are not always as successful as we’d like. We feel sorrow, shame, guilt. We pray, confess and beg and beg for forgiveness. But, sometimes we wonder how God could keep forgiving us. And, we might even wonder if He does. Sin is…

It begins this way, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come” (Psa. 121:1)? This psalm of ascents, as it was later dubbed, points to Jehovah God as the central agent of help for the believer. It is believed to be called a psalm of ascents because of its use by Jews during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, much like that we see of Jesus and His family making in His youth (Luke 2:41).…

There are some people who are very good at giving directions—they can tell you where something is and how to get there. Thankfully, we have a God who is “perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16), for “His way is perfect” (Psa. 18:30). When He tells us where something is and how to get there (especially the most important directions of all, which concern the salvation of our souls), we can be confident that His Word will be precise and understandable. Let…

The Christian life can certainly be difficult, and maintaining a strong faith in our service to the Lord is often challenging. For some children of God, it is more challenging than for others. This is not intended as a derogatory characterization, but the reality is that there are many Christians around us who are “weak”—not physically, but spiritually. The Greek word that is used in the New Testament for “weak” is used for both a physical condition (i.e., sickness, as…

On two occasions, Jesus used little children to deliver some of the clearest truths about the kind of heart we must have to enter heaven. These occasions are found in Matthew 18 and Matthew 19 and also in other gospel accounts. Look at what He so vividly taught us about what God wants us to become. Jesus loves the little children of the world. We may have sung these words, but Jesus lived them. As He was busy teaching adults,…

What kind of attitude do you put on toward others each day? There are several that could be easy to put on, such as angry outbursts in traffic when on the way to work or an impatient attitude in the grocery store. There are so many ways we can feel within our hearts, and even outwardly treat others, if we are not careful. What attitudes does the Bible say we need to create within ourselves and show towards others? A…

Sometimes when you meet a person there is just something about them that sets them apart from others. There are those negative people who impact us in such a way that we find it difficult to see their souls and the potential they may have in Christ. On the other hand, there are those to whom we are immediately attracted, and we want to get to know them better. When God became man, He was like us in so many…

It is easy to get caught up in completing what is required of us. We have many different roles and each demand certain basic requirements in order to maintain good standing. When it comes to our service to God, there is more to it than that. On several occasions Jesus scorned the Pharisees for their legalistic focus and neglecting the weightier matters of the law (Matt. 23:23; 9:13; 12:6-7). Let us consider some weightier matters connected to our obedience. The…

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11) “You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others…” (Matthew 5:14-16) Through scripture God tells us that we should let the light of the truth of the Gospel shine through us to the sinner, to light a path for him, to be able to come out of the darkness that he is in. When someone sins, and we don’t try to…