Sorted by date Results 51 - 69 of 69
Faith and words go together like bannock and moose meat. You can’t have one without the other. Many times we treat people that are rich better than the poor because we are trying to get in their good books or we are hoping, we can at some time get a favor from them. Many times, as followers of Jesus, we like to give encouraging words but we don’t always have some sort of action or solution to go with those words and this is a not a good thing. We might feel good about our...
How can we find healing for our broken hearts? I want to tell my life story briefly, and reflect on all that God has done for me and my family. By doing this I want to continue to heal my heart that is still healing from the past. I also want to encourage you to reflect on all that God has done for you and let those thoughts push out any struggles you are going through. November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada; Veterans Day in the United States and then in December we have Chr...
As Aboriginal People and as Peoples of the Earth, we are so different from each other, in many areas of our lives. Yet, at the same time, we have a few things in common. We all have families, we all need water and food to live, we all have a sense of community, and we all like to sing. Although there are more aspects of life that we have in common, than I haven’t listed, I would like to focus on the last item I mentioned, which is singing. When I look at Psalm 40:1–3 it say...
Proverbs, often called “The Book of Wisdom” says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Many of us, in our own personal lives, have made our paths in life crooked. Many of us have led lives that have created journeys that have taken us to places that we didn’t want to go. We have all been placed on this earth to go on a journey. Yet, many of us hav...
Many of us who are followers of Jesus know what it is like to serve Him. We can sometimes do so much that we forget that part of serving Jesus is to get four proper forms of rest. These are physical rest, spiritual rest, mental rest and emotional rest. Let’s find out more about this very important topic. When we look at this topic from the perspective of the Old and New Testament together, we see that this ultimate form of rest comes from Jesus Christ. First of all the Bible s...
There’s a great verse in the Bible that reminds us that we are children of God (First John 1:9). We also see that as a result of being a child of God, this same God wants to lavish His love on us. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” If you come to truly understand what this means it will heal your broken heart. If this doesn...
When I read the story of the woman at the well in John 4: 1-42. There are many issues that arise within this wonderful story. Here is a quick glimpse of some of those issues based on my research in the NIV Application Commentary and The New American Commentary. The reason I tell you this is so that you know I didn’t come up with these ideas myself and that as a Bible Teacher I always refer to the work of experts in their fields. I can’t just rely on my own opinion. I need hel...
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV). This is the perfect passage to look at when wanting to be encouraged and bring healing to your broken...
After graduating from Taylor Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta, with a Master of Divinity Degree, I wasn't sure I was a master of anything. I had no definite prospects for working in ministry. Yes, I had completed tons of volunteer work, but who was going to pay me (even a small amount) to do ministry? Yes, God had looked after me all the years before this and so why was I worried or fearful? The reason why I was worried and fearful was because my heart was failing me and it...
There are many different styles of worship in Christian circles. We should never isolate it to just one style of music. Some of the (recent) traditional styles of worship were only created within the last 20 years or so; and so does that mean that all the people who lived on this earth-before these popular artists existed, didn't know how to worship God? Worship is so vital to the healing that needs to take place in our lives that we should spend less time determining what is...
When you read the words of encouragement that Jesus gave His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, you will see a solution to the problems of our nation. Our world is filled with people with broken hearts. The reason they have broken hearts lies in the fact that we have all been born with a sinful nature, and our natural reaction to life is to be sinful, rebellious and hurtful. When Jesus gave what is known as The Sermon on the Mount, which starts in Matthew chapter five, we...
As we start this New Year, let's focus on the beginning. You might say, "The beginning of what?" Well, the beginning of creation. You might think, "Why should we do that?" Well, the reason why we can choose to do that is because that is where we find hope for the future. That's where we find the Word of God. That's where we will find healing for our broken hearts. John 1:1–5 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the be...
There's a wonderful song by the Christian music group Mercy Me entitled "The Hurt and the Healer." This song is very powerful and I want to translate this song from my own experience, Scripture and the life of Jesus and let it help heal your broken heart. Here we go with the lyrics. "Why? The question that is never far away. The healing doesn't come from being explained. Jesus, please don't let this go in vain. You're all I have. All that remains." Many times when we...
Do you remember the well-known song He Touched Me written by Bill Gaither? I will quote the words to the chorus and explain how these words, when combined with the Word of God, will help you as you go on a journey of healing your heart and soul. He touched me, Oh He touched me, And oh the joy that floods my soul! Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. We all have had painful experiences in our lives, no matter who we are or where we are from, or...
As I’ve been finishing one of the last classes for my seminary degree, I had the privilege of taking a course called “The Wisdom Literature.” During this course, I wrote a paper on Ecclesiastes 12:1-8. As I investigated this unique passage, I realized that although the message of pessimism came seeping through the pages, I also realized that it takes Jesus Christ to make it all make sense. The first conclusion I came to was that Ecclesiastes was written by an author who had “L...
There is so much heartache around us and sometimes it feels like there is no end. But according to the words of Proverbs healing is available. “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken”(Proverbs 15:13). “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). When we look at the heartache either in the lives of the people around us or in our own lives, we can feel the words of Proverbs. It’s li...
“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). These words of wisdom from Proverbs are exactly what we need in our Indigenous communities. Many of us have been wounded from the harsh words and actions of others in society, and also from those within our immediate families, tribes or clans. When we experience harsh words from others, it hurts and often leads to other sins such as hatred or revenge. Following these natural ins...
“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53: 4-6, NIV). In order for us to be healed from any...
“Healing rain is falling down. I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid” are some of the lyrics to a song sung by Michael W. Smith. When we listen to these types of songs we are encouraged and uplifted. We feel closer to God. We feel like we can go on. This made me think about the question: What makes us hunger for healing? What makes us hunger for the deep things of God that will take away the deep hurt in our lives? Unfortunately, it’s not until the rug is pulled out from under us...
