Tag: hardship
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Growing Deeper with the Twenty-Third Psalm
It is said at funerals, tattooed on arms, and underlined. Psalm 23 is the most famous of all the psalms. It is eternally comforting — but this is no naive optimism. It is about the shepherding God in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. This episode is a Bible study on…
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![Is it all chance or providence? [Sermon]](https://matthewruttan.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/providence-cr-cr2.png?w=1024)
Is it all chance or providence? [Sermon]
Is your life unfolding according to chance, or a bigger plan? Jesus teaches about providence: the invisible hand of God guiding and upholding your specific life. This sermon explores John 16:25-33 (and some of Psalm 22) to see this providence not only in the good, but in the difficult.
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Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world if there is a benevolent being?
In this episode I answer a question in the Q & A Forum: “Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world if there is a benevolent being?”
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![Crying like Jesus [Sermon]](https://matthewruttan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/sermon-graphics-gen-15.png?w=1024)
Crying like Jesus [Sermon]
What does it mean to be “like Jesus”? Should we be loving, humble and sacrificial? Yes. What about crying like Jesus? This sermon on John 11:28-57 explores this idea and suggests three takeaways outside Lazarus’ empty tomb.
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![What God can do through you is greater [Sermon]](https://matthewruttan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/sermon-graphics-gen-26.png?w=1024)
What God can do through you is greater [Sermon]
A national poll asked: “If you could ask God only one question and you knew he would give you an answer, what would you ask?” The most popular response was this: “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” Some people think it’s punishment for sin. They wonder if they’ve done something to deserve…
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The difference between self-comfort and self-care and why it matters
If you think you’re caring for yourself when you’re really just comforting yourself, you may be creating more grief than gain. This episode is the audio version of an article I wrote with therapist Sarah Joy Covey for The Toronto Star.
