The Encouragement Blog

One of the most bandied about accusations against belief in the Living God goes something like this… “Why is there so much misery in the world? I cannot believe in a God who allows such suffering in the world.” Well, there is no doubt that the misery and suffering around the world is acute and growing. The number of poor,

Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?” Jesus, overhearing, shot back,

When we discover and accept God’s love for us in Jesus, our fears are banished, allowing us to live with more freedom. Our existence takes on a new excitement and purpose as we understand what God has done for us. Our outlook on our life’s purpose changes like a compass whose needle was facing south but now points north. We

Let’s read this passage of Scripture and compare David’s response to God with the one Moses gave, as discussed in our last BLOG post (Blog: Who Me?) “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, . . . that you have brought me this far? . . . For the sake of your promise and according to your will, you have done

When Moses learned that God was going to send him to King Pharaoh in Egypt, Moses had some real reservations, to say the least (See Exodus 3: 11-12). He made excuses and tried to wiggle out of what God wanted him to do. Has God ever asked you to do something that made you want to wiggle? Maybe He’s asked

1 Kings 19:10 tells the tale of Elijah having a bad day and throwing a massive pity party.  He thought he was the only follower of God left in Israel. How could Israel be reclaimed for God if he was the only good guy left? We look around our neighborhoods and maybe our offices  and wonder the same thing. We

Some people loved God so much that they were killed for their beliefs. The first martyr, Stephen, spoke out against the Jewish leadership and was stoned to death. Ironically, the future apostle Paul was a member of the killing party (see Acts 7:54-60).  Jim Elliot, a missionary, gave his life in Christ’s service. Jim, along with four other missionaries, was

When we run against the wind on a jog around the neighborhood, we feel the wind’s resistance. In the gym, we lift weights to gain strength. When we lift more than the day before, it is the resistance of the weight that builds the muscles in us up. So, too, it is in our daily Christian lives. If we take

Sometimes the agony of loneliness feels like a switchblade penetrating our souls as it slices up the last bit of hope in the secret places of our hearts. Sometimes the craving for the taste of our mamma’s burritos makes us cry. We wonder if God has forgotten us. We cry out to God like the psalmist who wrote, “Has God

To many people, the suggestion that worship and religion unite us is absurd. They point out that millions have been killed in the name of God through religious wars, the Crusades, and the Inquisition. They argue that religion has been a great source of division and suffering in the world—and in some ways they are correct. Religion focusing on “do’s