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

Jun 29

Perfect Timing

by Brenda Poulos

Exodus 14:29-31 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

Have you ever approached an intersection just as the yellow light turns red and thought “If I had arrived just a moment sooner, I would have made the light”?

Or, maybe you see a newspaper ad for an unbelievably good buy on something you have been wanting. The item is available “While Quantities Last.” So, you rush to the store only to see another customer purchase the last one!

Poor timing, I suppose.

In the book of Exodus, we read that Moses and the Children of Israel were being pursued by Pharoah’s army. They come upon the shoreline of the Red Sea with no way out—or so it seemed.

But, at just the right time,  the Lord told Moses to raise his staff. When he obeyed, a mighty wind caused the sea to part and the Israelites crossed to the opposite shore. The Egyptian army, chariots, and horsemen drowned when they attempted to follow them.

God’s timing was right.

God teaches us patience and dependence on Him as we wait for him to fulfill his promises to us, just as He did when He saved the Israelites. Remember, He sees the big picture.

His timing will always be perfect.

One day God will reveal the answers to the “whys” that plague so many of us. For now, our part is to exercise our faith and let God be God.

Trust that He knows best, that He will fulfill His promises, that we are in His very capable hands.

Brenda

Biblical lessons

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Jun 22

“What Exactly Does ‘Eternal’ Mean?”

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 1:8– “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

“Grandma, I know who lived longest in the Bible,” my youngest grandson stated as we drove in rush hour traffic last week.

“Who was that, Owen?” I questioned, prepared to hear him say Methuselah (he’s pretty smart and does attend a Christian grade school.)

“God,” he replied with a big smile on his face.

Those kids trip me up all the time. I had to chuckle. “You’re right. He is eternal, isn’t He?”

“Yep.” He paused a moment. “What exactly does ‘eternal’ mean, Grandma?”

Now it was my turn. A teachable moment. I could answer my beautiful grandchild without interruption in the confines of my vehicle, creeping along in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“The Bible tells us that God always existed. That’s hard to comprehend because everything else we can think of was made—had a beginning—but not God. He always was. Everyone else—was made by Him.”

He joyfully joined in the discussion. “He created the world and everyone in it. He made it all.”

“True. But, there’s more to that word ‘eternal’. There’s the part that explains that He will have no end, either. He had no beginning and He will have no end.”

Owen’s eyes opened wide. “He’ll never die?”

“Nope. He won’t. But here’s a wonderful thing for us to realize. We don’t die, either!” I flashed him my biggest smile.

Owen’s eyes widened. “We won’t?”

I paused a moment before continuing. “Well, our bodies will die. That happens to everyone doesn’t it?”

He bit his lip. “Like Great Grandpa.”

“Yes. Like Great Grandpa.” I reached over to playfully tug on the bill of his ball cap.

“But our souls will live on in Heaven after our bodies die. If we accept Jesus as our Savior while we are still alive on this earth, we can be absolutely certain that we’ll spend the rest of eternity—forever and ever—in Heaven. God had no beginning and will have no end. Even though we did have a beginning, specially designed by God, we will have no end, just like Him!”

So, there you have it. You’ve been privy to a private conversation with my grandson.

God created you, just like Owen and me. You had a beginning. You can know everlasting life, too.

You can know and abide with your creator, the ETERNAL KING and LORD OF LORDS…forever! His gift of eternal life is free to “all who will believe.”

This is the GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL!

Brenda

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Jun 15

Spilling Over Into Joy!

by Brenda Poulos

Colossians 1:11,12- We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. (From “The Message” translation.)

“Mama, are we there yet?”

Those are words every parent has heard!

We humans are an impatient sort, aren’t we? We want to do it NOW, have it NOW, see it NOW, read it NOW, go there NOW…

NOW, NOW, NOW!

We could all use a heavy dose of patience, couldn’t we?

My long-time prayer partners could tell you that I have been asking them to pray for me in this area for years. I’m not there, yet, but I’m getting closer…

In these two verses from Colossians, we are reminded that patience is not just gritting our teeth and bearing the “waiting” for the answer to a prayer, for something to take place, or the end of suffering to come at last. That’s not the kind of patience God wants for us. “Grinning and bearing it” isn’t the way to live the victorious life in Christ.

No, our Heavenly Father wants us to experience the glorious strength that He offers because we will then be able to endure what often is (or seems to be) the unendurable.

But, it doesn’t end there because He offers more than just the ability to wait. He promises the kind of patience that spills over into joy.

That’s amazing. That takes us beyond the enduring and straight to the abundant life He has for us—that bright and beautiful life that begins when you come to know Him as Savior and continues on into eternity!

So, how do we get to that place of joy? Ah, let’s look at that verse again…it says that He will bring us to that place by HIS STRENGTH—not ours.

It’s not about us and what we do.

It’s all about trusting HIM—tapping into His “glory-strength.”

Is there something in your life that seems unendurable? My prayer for you, today, is that you will trust Him to strengthen you and bring you to that place of patience that “spills over into joy.”

Brenda

Biblical lessons

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Jun 8

Are You Sure You Want Biscuits?

by Brenda Poulos

Job 23:12-  I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Have you ever gone to the store to get something specific, got distracted looking at or purchasing other items, and then left without the item you went there to get in the first place? I have. More than once. I often tell myself I must have not needed it, anyway.

How about taking out your Bible to look up a specific passage and getting side-tracked by a different verse or verses and ending up reading those instead of pursuing the one that you were originally looking for? I’ve done that, too.

So, what’s wrong with us? Easily distracted? Maybe. At least that’s what I used to think. But, now I’m not so sure…

Could it be that God simply had a different message in mind for us? I say this because, more often than not, what I ended up reading was something I definitely needed to hear. It was the perfect reminder, word of caution or encouragement at just the right time.

Instead of being frustrated, I’m learning to let God take the lead. After all, in the Lord’s Prayer we ask Him to give us our Daily Bread, don’t we? We have much more freedom to learn what He has for us when we don’t put in an “order” for rye, whole wheat, or sourdough, but instead let Him surprise us with a deliciously braided bread filled with a divine flavor that only He can bake.

I can just smell it, now, can’t you? And the taste is like…honey. So sweet, so delicate, that I have to close my eyes and savor it. And while my eyes are closed, I open my spiritual eyes and see why He has chosen that specific passage for me…on this particular day… and I thank Him for providing my spiritual food, my daily bread.

This was the message He had for me today. How do I know? Because I had an entirely different verse I was looking for and He led me to Job 23:12, instead.

Like me, you may have been planning on biscuits for breakfast, but why not feast on HIS DAILY BREAD instead?

Biblical lessons

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Jun 6

Small Beginnings

by Brenda Poulos

Zechariah 4:10– “Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin.”

 

I’ve been trying to learn how to navigate through Facebook. I even read the book, The Idiots Guide to Facebook. That should tell you just what I think of my technological abilities!

The day I actually started posting on my page, I received an outpouring of encouraging messages advising me to try not to get overwhelmed. “Just take it one step at a time and you’ll be able to do it.”

How nice it was to know friends were cheering me on!

 

Start small.

Take your time.

Just keep at it.

Take it one day at a time.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

 

As a baby learning to walk toward his parents’ outstretched arms, we are reminded in the Bible that our Lord wants to encourage us, too.

Let’s say you are wanting to lead someone to Christ. God knows your heart. He is pleased just to have you start by asking a new friend to coffee. A small beginning. Maybe in your next conversation, you will have an opportunity to share your testimony.

Baby steps.

Steps of obedience.

It doesn’t all have to happen today. God is pleased just to have you begin.

As time goes by, ask Him for additional opportunities.

In the end, you may not be the one who is there when your friend comes to faith in Jesus. That’s okay. Maybe your part is to plant the seed.

Whether it is organizing a Bible drive, teaching a Sunday School class or building a bookshelf, the important thing is to take that first step.

The verse from Zechariah, though written about Zerubbabel and the laying of the foundation of the temple, reminds me that God rejoices over our small efforts, too.

I came across this verse  when I was struggling to begin writing my first book. I read it often, especially on days when it doesn’t seem I’ve made much progress. I know that each day He’s rejoicing to see my small beginning evolve into a book that will honor Him.

Have you recently started taking some first steps? Would you like to share the story of your small beginning?

Brenda

 

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Jun 1

You Can Count On It!

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 5:18- For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

It was announced this week, that Merriam Webster has just added 1700 new words to the dictionary. This amazes me—and will no doubt confuse me–for a long time to come.

I am sure that teenage slang, changes in technology, and social networking account for a large percentage of the new listings. And one thing is for certain: my aging brain will not be able to remember a fraction of them—nor does it want to!

Well, my friend, the dictionary may change, but the Bible never will. In fact, God warns us not to add or subtract even the smallest stroke to His infallible Word.

His Word is truth. It is perfect. It never needs to be revised, updated, or corrected.

His Word stands the test of time. It is as true today as it was when it was first written. It will not change with the whims of society, revised political policies, or rulings by the Supreme Court.

Isn’t there comfort in knowing that God doesn’t change the rules in the middle of the game? Aren’t you glad that the guidance He gives in His Word will still be good next week, next month, and for years to come?

His Word never fails, gets obsolete, or expires. His Word stands.

You can count on it.

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