Encouragements

Posts in Kris Shustella
Knit Together

How can this be? How can two groups of people with very different ancestral backgrounds have a love for one another? The answer is simple yet heartfelt. The love and peace of their community were only possible because of the unifying work of Christ in His life, death, and resurrection. When we are born again (regenerated), we become a new creation in Christ (1 Cor. 5:17). This new work doesn’t just describe a transformation on an individual basis. It describes a renewed community in one body, the Church (Eph. 3:6). In Christ, both Jew and Gentile, become one in Christ. We are knit together in the love of Christ. We are united!

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Set Apart

The answer to these questions is simple, yet challenging. The reason the ways of the world enamor us is because of the ease of the path. We have been deceived into believing that we know what is best for our lives. In this deception, the world consumes us. John Piper writes, “If you love the world, it will pass away and take you with it.” This consumption is one of a slow fade from truth. Slowly we buy into the lies of the enemy. Gradually we compromise truth to pursue our best life. Leisurely we justify our lives in the fractured shadow of our pursuit of happiness.

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This is the Way

This path of righteousness is a worthy journey. It will require the Lord’s providential hand to go before us and guide us on the path, but, it also requires our discipline and delight in the Word of God. The Word of God is the foundational source in which we learn to walk, live, and love as Jesus. It is how we know our Lord. It is how we recognize the attacks from the enemy. It is the way we yield fruit. It is the truth in which we are sanctified. Delight in it!

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Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

“This Advent masterpiece was written from the beautiful scripture of Haggai, chapter 2. It is a proclamation from the Prophet Haggai of a future treasure and blessings that would fulfill the covenant of the Lord. The longing anticipation of the prophet and the people is palpable. Their hope, their longing, was in the coming King, Christ Jesus. Today, we walk in the joy and overflow of that anticipation. The longing of Jesus to bring mercy, peace and restoration has come. “

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Better Things!

Church, we have been set free from the bondage of these insignificant things. We are in fact, the righteousness of Christ. New name! New Identity! New pursuit!  We are his sons and daughters. We are His ambassadors. We are His disciples. So, go and “seek things that are above, where Christ is seated…set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

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