spiritualsnippets.com

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

Oct 29

Doing Our Part

by Brenda Poulos

Hebrews 10:16b- “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

Our little grandson runs to us each Sunday morning after church, proudly showing us his Sunday School papers. At mealtime, he folds his hands, mimics his father’s words, and says “Amen” at the end of the prayer.

He’s learning.

We see God at work in his life as he is being taught Christian principles of how to interact with others.

How are these things possible? The answer is easily found in scriptures, like the one above.

As parents do their part, God promises to do His part in the lives of these little ones that He loves so very much.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Oct 22

The New ABC’s?

by Brenda Poulos

Proverbs 1:4,5- “For giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young, let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”

In elementary school, ABC referred to the alphabet.

Later on, kids used it to describe gum (Already Been Chewed).

But not too long ago, I heard a commentator talking about a new meaning for ABC: Anything But Christ.

She explained about the mentality of young people today. They will listen to others their age or those who speak out on social media or even some authors of contemporary literature. But the one thing they do NOT want to hear is anything about Christ.

The speaker says she’s done her research on this topic, but I find it hard to believe that young people wouldn’t want to hear about the unconditional love and acceptance of Jesus.

They think, she said, that He is just a bunch of rules, that he isn’t “fun” and wants to dictate their behavior, rather than let them choose to be what they want to be and how they want to live.

They don’t realize they have always had the freedom of choice or have been told otherwise. However, they must understand there are consequences of each one. 

I pray that young people today will come to know the Jesus of the Bible who never changes. Who can always be relied on to be there for them, if they will only call on Him. 

Let’s turn the ABC (Anything But Jesus)  into the ABC (Always Believe Christ) as the one to turn to for TRUTH in these uncertain times.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Oct 15

Righteous Anger

by Brenda Poulos

James 1:20- “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

For over a week, all of our news channels have shown videos of destruction and carnage. Friday morning’s news show displayed a headline from the Middle East, calling for a “Global Day of Anger.” 

To put out a call for people to feel—and act on—anger is unbelievable.

What does Christ have to say about anger and its effects on us and our world?

James tells us that being angry is not the life God wants for us. Anger leads to guilt and shame.

But, is there a place in our world for what is called “Righteous Anger”? Righteous anger arises when we witness “an offense against God or His Word.”

It is different than what we commonly think of as anger in that it comes from a heart that cares for others.

Righteous anger hopes to make the world a better place … and to bring people to salvation in Christ. It is not destructive,  downgrading, or hurtful.

It speaks of the Truth of God’s Word.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Oct 8

Rejoice in Him

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 5:11- “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

We get a free “area” magazine in our mailbox once a month. October’s issue has an endearing picture of a grandfather and his grandchild. It made us feel all “warm and fuzzy,” until we read the headline:

THE JOY OF HALLOWEEN.

I’m sorry if I offend you, but glorifying Halloween in our stores and neighborhoods is sometimes more than I can take. When it is called JOYFUL, I draw the line.

Evil spirits, skeletons, witches, zombies and goblins cannot produce JOY.

I like Carmel apples, popcorn balls, and hot apple cider the same as the next person. And I know, little children have fun “dressing up” and getting candy. They have no idea what is behind it. I don’t begrudge them having fun.

But, JOY in headlines has always been used in conjunction with Christmas, the birth of our Savior, helping others…

Joy is that deep-down happiness—that inward contentment—we Christians experience as a result of grace, salvation, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and so on. 

In the future, I hope we can reserve the words HALLELUJAH, JOY, ANGELS, JESUS and dozens more for use in descriptions which reflect Christian values.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Oct 1

How Are People and Plants Alike?

by Brenda Poulos

John 15: 1,2- “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

It was such a gorgeous fall morning, my husband and I decided to do some trimming in our yard. Slightly overcast, with a gentle breeze blowing, we worked and occasionally waved at neighbors walking by.

Quite a few tender shoots on our bushes had not grown in unison with the others, so (as much I regretted doing it) I cut them off. Doing so returned the bushes to the nice, rounded shape we desired.

As I trimmed each one, I thought of the Bible verse above. We are so much like plants, going astray from what God intended. We sometimes need pruning, too, in order to become more fruitful.

In this way, God returns us to our intended paths, removes bad habits, and establishes in us the joy of being in close relationship with Him once more.

The pruning is not always pleasant, but I have learned over the years that it is not as painful or as often, if I remain in the Word and make sure not to neglect praying for others, as well as for myself.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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