encouragement

In Isaiah 41 is found a promise to God’s chosen people, Israel, which is now the church, the temple of God; Christ’s holy bride. God is promising those who are his that he has chosen us, and he has not rejected us, so we don’t need to be afraid or alarmed when things begin to go crazy in this...

This past week I have been working on compiling and updating all the songs and song introductions that the Lord has given me to write beginning in 2011 and ending in 2020. There are 185 songs total, so that is at least six months of daily devotionals total. All of these songs either come...

“You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may...

Have you received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life? What took place when this happened? Did your life change? Did it change radically or just a little bit? Did you leave your old life of sin behind you, and now, by God’s grace, you are living by and walking by the Spirit of God? Or...

While we live on the face of this earth, we will have troubles, hardships and trials. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have an arch enemy in Satan, who is out to destroy the church. So, we should expect that we will be hated, persecuted, despised and rejected of humankind. Although Satan is our...

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God...

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the...

The Date was November 1, 2018, and I was invited by a fellow blogger to participate in one of those “tags” where you were asked questions to answer and then you were to tag other people to do the same. I did not normally participate in “tags,” but I believed that the Lord wanted me to...

“Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and...

One of the saddest days of my childhood is when our family moved from a wonderful neighborhood in Ellet (a subdivision of the City of Akron in Ohio, USA) to South Arlington Street in Akron. In Ellet we had good neighbors and many friends to play with and to do things with. We played all sorts of...

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery...

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully...

“Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great...

Paul had just finished talking about his ministry, including the ministry of Timothy. He spoke of how they had renounced disgraceful and underhanded ways, and how they refused to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but they spoke the truth of God’s word to the people. But he also...

Philippians 2:1-8 ESV “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or...

Romans 12:4-8 ESV “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in...

2 Corinthians 12:19-21 ESV “Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved. For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may...

Video Talk Philippians 2:1-4 ESV “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish...

Video Talk Isaiah 49:5-6 ESV “And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says: ‘It is too light a...