spiritualsnippets.com

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

Apr 30

Don’t Regret; Reconcile

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 73: 25, 26- “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Paula experienced a disagreement with her siblings. After the big “blow up” (her words), she hadn’t heard from them for weeks.

She felt alone, disappointed, misunderstood, and abandoned.

A friend reminded her about a sermon they’d heard on Psalm 73. These were the words which brought Paula comfort. If you’re feeling like she did, I pray that they will offer you encouragement and peace, too.

Remember, God says his strength is made perfect in our weakness.

I’d like to say Paula and her brothers have reconciled, but that is not yet the case. However, I can say that she is putting her trust in the Lord for that to happen in his timing.

Trust God to work in the hearts of those with which you long to reconcile. He will bring it to pass, because he is the God of reconciliation and restoration.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Apr 23

Get Ready!

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 25:10 – 12 “… while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

As I was going through some old photos recently, I found a picture of my best friend in high school. I thought about some of the fun times we had, running here and there in our little VW bugs.

The thing about Shirley (not her real name, of course), is that she was always late. I was constantly waiting on her to finish her hair and makeup.

I was usually pretty good-natured about her lateness, but one time in particular we missed the first half of our school play. The third member of our little trio had a lead role in it and we had promised her we would be there to see her perform. I felt terrible to have missed it.

We had a serious talk after that about her seeming inability to be ready on time and how we had missed something important because of it. (Years later, she was on time for her own wedding).

The story of the ten virgins in Matthew, among others found in the Bible. tells us how important being ready will be when Jesus comes for us. And staying ready will be even more important because in the book of Revelation He says we won’t know when He will arrive. In fact, only God the Father knows when that will be. 

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Apr 16

He Never Changes

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 100:5- “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

I read an article this week about Old Faithful, the powerful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. It was named as such because it erupted with reliable regularity (every 91 minutes).

Scripture tells us that God is faithful. We can count on Him. Rely on Him to do what He says He will.

We don’t have to guess about what He considers important, just, right, or true.

Since He cannot lie, break His promises, or change His mind we can be assured He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Apr 9

The Greatest Love of All

by Brenda Poulos

John 15:13- “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Have you ever read the lyrics of Whitney Huston’s 1985 hit song, “Greatest Love of All” composed by Michael Masser and Linda Creed?

All these years later, it is still popular. Often sung in competitions, the overall effect is meant to be uplifting. 

However, if you read carefully, the song is actually tragic. Here are a few lines:

I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs                                      

A lonely place to be

And so I learned to depend on me

I am sure many Christians would have liked the opportunity to talk to the composers about the love of Christ and His invitation to draw strength for our daily lives from HIM.

Later in the song:

The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself      

Is the greatest love of all

Jesus taught us to love one another—not ourselves. To love as He loved.

A love that would even sacrifice ourselves for others.

As I read the words of Jesus and then the words of the songwriters, my heart breaks for those who do not know the love of Jesus.

A love that took Him to the cross.

High and lifted up—for you and I.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Apr 2

Ways To Help Ourselves Remember

by Brenda Poulos

Deuteronomy 6:12- “…be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Something happened in my life today—something I had been praying for more than thirty years! So that I wouldn’t forget this special answer to prayer, I wrote about it in my Bible and put the date beside my words.

Just as in our world today, many people in “Bible times” often forgot what God had done for them. In Deuteronomy, Moses warned the Israelites of doing just that and there are other stories in the Bible on the same theme.

Oftentimes, as in this story, God told the people to place a stone(s) in certain places as a memorial of a specific event or person.  You can see examples of memorials in many state parks and cemeteries around the world.

Memorials serve three purposes:

  1. Cause use to remember what a person has done. For Christians, it might mean remembering God’s answer to prayer and of His provision. God instructed Joshua to build a memorial so each time the Israelites saw it, they would be reminded.
  2. Memorials are a form of communicating past occurrences with next generations. Memorial stones in Bible times were a basis of sharing faith with their children.
  3. Memorials spur us to renew our personal commitments, whether it be to a cause, to our family, or to our God. They give us a new sense of purpose.

Has God led you through a rough time in your life?

Has He blessed your family with a newborn or a new job?

Whatever it is, finding a way to remember God’s blessing will help you focus on His goodness and faithfulness.

It could be the planting of a tree or unveiling a statue or hanging of a commemorative plaque. 

Or it could be something as simple as writing a few words of praise in the Bible next to the date when a specific prayer was answered.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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