Clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with cries of joy. For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loved. (Psalm 47:1-4) Tozer on God’s Sovereignty In his book Knowledge of …
Think and Practice Whatever is Excellent (Don’t Envy or Boast)
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth….The Lord God says, I will show you the most excellent way….Think about and practice whatever is excellent. (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 12:31; …
Think and Practice Whatever is Excellent (Patient and Kind)
Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!…Jesus Christ is the most excellent of men and His lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed Him forever….I will show you the most excellent way….Think about and practice whatever is excellent. (Psalm 8:1, 45:2; 1 Corinthians 12:31; Philippians 4:8-9) Excellence in Blessing Others Researchers from …
Joyful Life in Christ: Overview of Philippians
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in …
Stumbling, Falling and Returning to God
We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check….Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy….Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (James 3:2; …
Jesus: The Triple Cure For Our Knowing, Being, and Doing
The God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He does not live in temples built by human hands. The Lord does not need anything. Rather, He gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man (Adam), God made all the nations and He marked …
Think and Practice Whatever is Admirable
A good name is more desirable than great riches. To be esteemed is better than silver or gold….Let your gentleness be evident to all. [This means our graciousness, considerateness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience.] The Lord is near and coming soon…..An elder and all Christians must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that we will not fall into …
Christ-likeness in Action
Thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Jesus everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. (2 Cor 2:14-15 NLT) Last time, we looked at who Jesus is …
Think and Practice Whatever is Lovely and Loving
Jesus said: The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God….Think about and practice whatever is lovely, loving, amiable, attractive, beautiful, gracious, kind, peaceable, and winsome. (John 16:27; Philippians 4:8-9, my expanded paraphrase) An Example of Jesus-like Love Peter Miller (1710-1796) was a Baptist pastor in Ephrata, Pennsylvania during the American …
Think and Practice Whatever is Pure
May your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11) This post builds on The Faulty …