Weekly Encouragement 09.27.25

September 27, 2025


Dear Beloved in Christ,


Reviewing what we have learned through the week enables us to be active listeners that meditate on God’s Word so that we might be doers of His Word, not just hearers only, deceiving ourselves. James 1:22


There is so much reward in receiving God’s Word with an open heart!


Hebrews 11:6 KJV
[6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.


https://bible.com/bible/1/heb.11.6.KJV


So God rewards those who diligently seek Him! There is no millionaire or king that can give rewards that even minutely come close to what God gives!


So as we hear God’s Word each Sunday from the pastor, we should be grateful and excited to receive it and by God’s Spirit, live it! We can be excited each week to see where God will lead us.💞


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Thinking Through the Sermon


This past Sunday, 09.14.25, Pastor Joe Watson taught on “The Shrewd Manager” from Luke 16:1-15


If you missed the sermon, fell asleep😳😉 or need to review it, you can find it here:


https://youtu.be/goy7SVPmbu4?si=6Hp-T5mkNWXZ9m3m


Like being invited to a fine dinner, when we are invited to church where the pastors have provided a sermon and spend hours of their time researching and seeking God for what he wants to speak to His children, it is good for us to be thankful to God that we have the freedom in this country, and to prioritize our time to put God first in all we do. This sermon was really good. If you have not gotten a chance to watch it, I would urge that we prioritize catching up on it in the next 7 days. And I apologize because my email was late again! I am really working hard to do a better job at getting this between Monday and Wednesday to you!


Pastor Watson’s sermon I found especially exciting because this particular Parable is very confusing if you do not have historical and cultural background. I had actually complained to God quite a number of times in frustration because when I read the parable it made no sense. And over the years this parable has have me completely baffled, so I found this a special Grace from God and blessing to finally after many years have proper understanding of this parable. So do be sure just to listen to the sermon.😊


We read from Luke 16:1-15,


Luke 16:1-15 ESV
[1] He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.


[2] And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’


[3] And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.


[4] I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’


[5] So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’


[6] He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’


[7] Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’


[8] The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.


[9] And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.


[10]  “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.


[11] If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?


[12] And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?


[13] No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”


[14]  The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.


[15] And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.


https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.16.1-15.ESV


Pastor Watson did a beautiful job of helping us understand these passages in light of the mercy and Grace and Truth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


We, often like the manager in the parable, misuse the resources, the time and the energy that the Living God has given us, even our living space. We often are guilty of wasting our Lord’s possessions that He is entrusted to us.


With many in the world in need of daily bread, with those around us, even within our own Circles of influence, suffering from poverty of spirit not understanding the goodness of God, we are called as children of the Living God to enter into the kingdom of heaven and in this life, not just to pray with our mouths, “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven,” but to seek to live active lives to be His hands and feet in this earth. To prioritize the things that God prioritizes.


I do not think I can do justice to reiterating here how the pastor explained the historical and cultural context of the parable.


If for some reason you do not have access to the Internet and cannot watch the sermon, let me know and I will see if I can put it into writing somehow, or perhaps I can bring my phone down to you and watch it with you on my phone.


If we were told there was a $2,000 gold bar sitting out waiting for us to pick it up, would we make effort to go get it? Of how much more value is the word of God for our souls!💞🙏😊


In the parable the master at the end commended the shrewd manager, not for stealing as it appears to us from our perspective! And how I read that Parable for years, so thank you Pastor Watson! but from a proper cultural and historical perspective of the time, the manager gave of his own resources to help those who owed the master money, realizing he was in trouble for misusing the manager’s money and he better do something about it or he would be in Dire Straits. Hoping by giving of his resources in his time of supply, to receive from those who he had given to when he was in need.


The word of God teaches us that Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness, or as it is translated in the ESV to “renounce ungodliness.” the grace of God is never a license to sin ever.


The grace of God was given to us through suffering and torture and death, even separation from his father and the sending into hell of Jesus Christ Our Lord, it is not something that we are to count as a small thing and not be concerned about.


We aren’t to be complacent with the gift given us.


You could imagine, perhaps in the military, if one man gave his life for another, and the man who had lived treated it as it was nothing or with contempt. God forbid we act this way with the gifts God has given! We are to treasure them. We are to treasure our relationship With the Living God Above everything else in our lives.


Titus 2:11-14 ESV
[11] For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,


[12] training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,


[13] waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,


[14] who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.


https://bible.com/bible/59/tit.2.11-14.ESV




It is a very dangerous thinking to think that we can do whatever we want now that we have been saved through the blood of the lamb shed for our sins.


That somehow now that we are forgiven of our sins there is no accountability before God for how we live. The Bible does not teach this. The Apostle Paul did not say oh well bless God I’m forgiven and now I can live a comfortable easy life. Because my sins are forgiven and it doesn’t matter what I do. No!


Rather the Apostle Paul says,

1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV
[16] For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!


https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.9.16.ESV


Now we may not be called to be Apostles and go around the world starting churches, we may be called to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our children and family. There are different motivational gifts and spiritual gifts within the body of Christ, some people are gifted at serving with physical Gifts of providing food and practical things and that is a spiritual gift.


Others are gifted with business, even as Daniel in the Bible served King Nebuchadnezzar the worldly King Faithfully, but when called upon he spoke as God commanded him to speak and did not deny his God regardless of the price. He wasn’t worried about losing his job, or when it came down to it his life, being thrown into a Den of Lions.


I find it interesting that in the Bible we hear of Queen Esther whose Beauty was one of the gifts given to her, and she lived a faithful life in that gift before God. Part of her call was to take care of her appearance. I don’t think any of us women would deny 6 months of baths and beauty treatments LOL, but every call has its challenges.


Other people are called to live simple lives, not to drink alcohol, not to wear makeup, but to be more fervent in care for the poor, in prayer, in helping the oppressed but wherever God has called us, may we live faithful lives for Jesus Christ, and may we each live to see God daily and ask God what do you want from my life? How today can I worship you, not just with words and Sunday church, but with every ounce of my time, energy, money, resources, even living space? How can we live fervently for you, most high God?


Throughout the New Testament Paul speaks of the judgment, as does Christ. While we have the Assurance of salvation, the Forgiveness of sins, yet we are called to grow and to mature, all while resting in the Salvation that Christ has given us. We are to surrender to God and allow his holy spirit to work in us little by little those things that he desires.


Romans 2:15-16 ESV
[15] They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them [16] on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.


https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.2.14-16.ESV


Matthew 12:34b-37 ESV
[34] … For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. [35] The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. [36] I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, [37] for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”


https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.12.34-37.ESV


Jesus himself said that we would be judged for every careless word that we spoke. Each one of us will give an account at the end of our lives for how we have lived down here.


We pair that with blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, so we are to walk with God. We are to stay in relationship with him continually confessing our sins, yes we are saved by grace alone. But we are not to be careless with that Grace.


It is serious because the condition of humanity without Christ is serious and God desires that we as we mature in Christ, we enter into suffering, picking up our crosses to follow him.


To everything there is a time and a season: some people are in a spiritual Hospital and some are infants or very young in the Lord just needing milk and to understand his love until they are strong enough to be able to walk in the beautiful works that he has given us to walk in.


Those that are young and those that are in need of healing are certainly not less in God’s eyes, so if we are in that position, then we rest and we meditate on his love for us, and ask him to help us to heal and to grow.


But maturity in Christ is a beautiful thing.


Our goal is to look like Christ: his humility, his gentleness, his compassion for the world around him, his willingness to suffer to be mocked, tortured and killed and yet love and through that Powerful Love bring salvation to all mankind.


A full grown Christian looks like Christ.


And we most certainly will answer for how we have chosen to use our time and our energy, our resources and our money.


Have we been doers of the word of God?


Or do we just listen to it, but not think that the knowledge of God is worth retaining?


That is a dangerous place to be and throughout scripture it warns us not to live like that.


A warning to pastors and teachers regarding being careless is given thus, but I believe there are elements here that apply to all believers:


1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ESV
[10]  According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.


[11] For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.


[12] Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—


[13] each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.


[14] If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.


[15] If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.


https://bible.com/bible/59/1co.3.10-15.ESV


So as we have heard such beautiful words today, let us pray and ask God to show us how we can transition our time and our energy, our resources and our money, even our living space – because from God and to him and through him are all things – to worship Him fully.


🙏Father, thank you so much for the treasured gift of godly pastors.


We do not take lightly the fact that we can freely go to church when so many are in this generation being killed and churches being burned because they are Christian.


Lord help us to live fervent lives in love for you.


And help us father God where we fall short of your glory to know that we are Justified freely through your grace.


To rest in that we are saved by grace alone through faith, not by works so no one can boast, but Lord help us to remember that Faith Works by love.


That faith without works is dead and that would be a scary thing.


Lord, we might find that balance of resting in you, while prioritizing our relationship with You and pleasing You above all Things by Your Spirit, knowing that where we fail, you lift us up because you look at our hearts.


You alone know what we can and cannot do.


You know exactly where we are at in our thinking, in our experiences and you love us, you Delight in us and desire us to grow.


Lord you meet each of us where we are at, you draw us deeper into your grace, your truth and your love.


Help us not to resist you, Living One, but to fervently to the best of our ability, centered in the rest that you give us, in the freedom from fear that you have provided through the cross, enter into the power of Your Love, transforming not only our lives but those within our circles.


May we be faithful to grow and to learn how to meditate on you Lord day and night.


Lord, we praise you for your kindness and your goodness! Thank you so much Father for loving us so very much. We Worship You Lord.


In Jesus name, amen.


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Next week, Sept. 28th, we look forward to hearing Pastor Mike Hiller preach from Psalm 102:18-28 on “Our Unchanging God.”


When we have so many things around us, shootings even now, that shake us, how do we withstand these storms? How do we know that our children in our lives are protected eternally and God’s hands as we simply Look to Him in faith?


And how is it that something written thousands of years ago can have so much power in our lives today?🤔🤔


Come on down Sunday to find out!😊


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Have a blessed rest of your week and we hope to see you on Sunday!


And always remember, you are so treasured and dearly loved.💞✝️🥰


God’s Peace.




Christ crucified. Hope for this life – and eternity.


“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” ‭1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV


In Christ’s Love, Christa for New Hope