The Encouragement Blog

We are going through the virtues listed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, as explained in the essay by the late Henry Drummond in his classic essay entitled, The Greatest Thing in the World. Every month we are looking into a virtue of Love. Previous posts delved into Patience and Kindness. Today we look at the virtue written on the

The apostle Paul, before his conversion and name change was known as Saul. Saul was a very well educated man on the fast tract to the High Priesthood. Sort of like going to Harvard undergrad with a Stanford MBA. But Saul, as he persecuted the early Christian church squandered his talent and intellectual prowess for a reputation of violence and

When our identity/serenity and self-worth are based on the approval of someone else or on our performance, we have abandoned the acceptance of Jesus and the peace and serenity that that acceptance offers. When we are anxious about not doing the right thing for fear of loss of love, reprisal or dismissal, we have traded the true gold of God

Last month our virtue was Patience. Love – Passive… We labeled it the least favorite of all virtues since patience requires discipline, silence and is usually lacking of any recognition whatsoever. Being patient is tough and mastered only by the spiritually mature. This month our virtue is Kindness. Love – Active. Love and Patience are really two different sides of the same

The fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White all revolve around a damsel in distress being rescued by a handsome prince. These stories are timeless and were our favorites and now are the favorites of our children. Evil surrounds our heroine and she faces death and poverty unless someone comes to her rescue. Events always look dire and awful with

As we unpack what Henry Drummond wrote in his essay on Love entitled; The Greatest Thing in the World, we begin with Patience. Other words that describe Patience are: long-suffering, perseverance, tolerance and persistence. It is probably fair to assume that Patience is the least popular of all the virtues Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 13, the treatise on Love.

Comic actor Dennis Miller said in one famous rant, “Guilt is simply God’s way of letting you know that you are having too good a time.” There is truth in that statement, but God has higher uses for guilt in our lives. God places the feelings of guilt in our moral consciousness for good purposes. All of us have done

Henry Drummond, 1851-1897, lived in Scotland and was known for his clear thinking theology and concise arguments in favor of the Gospel. His best-known essay is called The Greatest Thing in the World. This classic, short essay unpacks 1 Corinthians 13, perhaps the most famous chapter in the entire Bible. This chapter explores and dissects love. Love, is first contrasted

Yes, Jesus did very carefully and gently tell the women caught in adultery to simply “Go, and sin no more.” He did not want her to feel like scum as the crowd wanted but loved her at the same time of telling her to stop sinning. Confessing our shortcomings to an AA or Al-Anon sponsor should not be a humiliating

Sinful behavior is frequently the result of many thoughts and actions. Sin isn’t a one-shot deal! Life-destroying sin is the result of many little sins feeding on one another until Satan has messed us up. Satan messed up some of our marriages with adultery. Maybe our spouses were overweight or no longer as romantic as they once were. Our lustful