spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

Apr 27

“A Life Yielded To A Greater Calling”

by Brenda Poulos

Romans 12:1- (From The Message) So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. 

This weekend, in Tempe Arizona, The 11th Annual Pat’s Run was attended and supported by thousands of people from the United States. The 4.2 Mile Run/Walk, sponsored by the Tillman Foundation, was established in 2004 after Pat Tillman was killed serving in the US Army in Afghanistan. The foundation now raises money for educational scholarships for military veterans and their families.

What has caught the attention of so many, is that Pat put his career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Dave McGinnis, former Arizona Cardinals head coach is quoted on the foundation’s website as saying about Pat’s sacrifice, “He proudly walked away from a career in football to a greater calling.”

As Christians, Jesus calls us to sacrifice our time, talents, skills, money—and yes, sometimes even our lives—for the sake of the gospel. In all reality, there may be another way you’d like to spend your money, rather than tithe it to your church or donate it to a charity. You may have a cruise planned, but God may prompt you to spend your two-week vacation building homes for the disadvantaged or volunteering at a local shelter. You may have been saving for a destination wedding or a family reunion, but the Holy Spirit may lead you to leave your personal dream behind and follow His call to a small village in Africa and adopt a homeless child.

Living sacrifices are those we make when we take our focus off of ourselves and what we want, placing our desires in the hands of Jesus who is able to use our gifts for His eternal purposes. We find that when we say yes to His call on our lives will will reap blessings beyond measure. As we act in obedience to His Word, we will grow in our relationship with Him. We will begin to see the world as He sees it. We will begin to live a life that is beyond ourselves—a life that truly can reach around the world and touch lives we would never have dreamed possible.

A life yielded to a greater calling.

Brenda

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Apr 19

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

by Brenda Poulos

Mark 16:15- He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Our dear Pastor Bob went to heaven Friday afternoon. This is a trip he was planning for quite some time. In fact, ever since he came to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, he had the assurance he would someday see Him face to face.

Pastor Bob took seriously the Great Commission. Everywhere he went—including the hospital where he had testing and Chemo—he never missed an opportunity to share the gospel with others. Pastor Bob was all about sharing the love of Christ with a hurting world. In everything he did, he pointed the way to Jesus.

He was all about relationships and building strong ties with everyone he could. He knew that if others could sense his real concern for them, they would listen to the message he shared with so many.

In a sermon a couple of weeks ago, Pastor Ben (another of our pastors at Grace Church in Mesa, Arizona) told us that only 5% of Arizonian’s attend church. That leaves 95% who potentially have never heard the gospel.That’s a staggering statistic!

Now just to be clear, I am not saying that going to church will assure a person of a home in heaven once they pass from this life into the next. In fact, the Bible declares that only those who put their faith in Jesus as Savior will enjoy eternal life with Him. That’s the message Jesus asks every believer to share. That’s the message that Pastor Bob passed along and that is the reason that he will hear these words when he stands before the heavenly throne, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

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Apr 13

Is God Still God?

by Brenda Poulos

Mark 8:27-29 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?”he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Last week, a national television morning show posed this question to viewers: Who Do You Say Jesus is Today? All week long, correspondents polled various groups of people, sharing their thoughts with the viewing public.

Responses were varied and included: a great humanitarian, the only person to live a perfect life, a famous charismatic figure, a historical guru, the Son of God, and so on. People who lived when Jesus was on earth showed similar responses. But, Peter got it right. Jesus was the Messiah the world had been waiting for.

First of all, we need to remember that Jesus IS God. He came to earth in human form, lived a sinless life, and died for the sins of mankind. Secondly, God declares in the Bible that He is unchangeable, the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) So, no matter what man might think, what opinions man might have centuries later, the fact remains that He hasn’t changed. He is still God—and He always will be God.

What does this mean for us? It means that we can always count on his Word being true because it, also, is unchangeable. What it declares as good and pleasing to God will remain so. What it declares as sin will not change with the whims of society. The sins committed today remain sins in God’s eyes, even though our culture may declare them to be otherwise.

It is disheartening for Christians around the world to see how our world is changing. Many of the norms and values that we used to hold as a society, are nothing but vague memories.

We must let our voices be heard in social media, in the voting booth, in town hall meetings. And, while the results of elections and the enactment of laws may not be what we would want, we can take great comfort in knowing that our future is in the hands of our changeless God—our God who has the power to use the unpleasant things in this life to bring about His ultimate purpose and glory.

Brenda

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Apr 5

Believe!

by Brenda Poulos

John 20:31- “These words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

One minute I was baking cookies for my grandsons’ school, and the next I was transfixed in front of the television watching the local breaking news. A horrific roll-over accident had taken place only a few miles from my house. Twisted metal and shattered glass littered the highway. Two ambulances, a firetruck, and five police cars were on the scene. Traffic was stopped in all directions. Fatalities were a certainty as onlookers stared with tear-stained faces.

A sudden acrid smell brought me back to the reality of my kitchen. I turned away from the television and rushed to pull charbroiled cookies from the oven.

An hour later, I decided to look for an update on the crash on the midday news. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw an injured man on a stretcher give a thumbs-up to the camera. No. It couldn’t be! Had someone actually lived through that dreadful accident? I just couldn’t believe it!

I could identify with how the disciples must have felt when the women rushed in with the news that Jesus was alive. He had told them what would happen, but they stared in disbelief. Even after they saw Him face to face, they had a hard time, at first, comprehending the miracle that had taken place. Jesus was alive!

If you are already a believer, today is a day for celebration because through His resurrection He bought for us eternal life. If you have not yet found faith in Christ, please take time today to read the accounts of His death and resurrection found in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Ask God to reveal the truth of the scriptures to you and join us in celebrating our risen Lord!

Brenda

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