spiritualsnippets.com

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

Dec 17

Just What Did Mary Know?

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 1:28-35 “The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

In 1984, Mark Lowry wrote the lyrics of one of my all-time favorite Christmas Songs, Mary Did You Know? In 1991, Buddy Greene put it to music. In the song, the writers asks Mary if she knew that her firstborn son, Jesus, would one day do such things as walking on water, give sight to the blind man, calm storms and die for the sins of all mankind (just to mention a few).

As I listened to the song last night, I wondered what the Bible has to say about “what Mary knew.” As I looked through God’s Word, I found this verse giving some insight about what this young teenage girl was told ahead of Jesus’s miraculous birth.

I went to Luke’s account, finding that although Mary was troubled at first, she believed what the angel told her, which was that 1) she was highly favored of the Lord; 2) she would become pregnant by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit; 3) she would give birth to a son, who would be named Jesus; 4) He would be known as the son of the Most High God; 5) He would be given the throne and reign over a kingdom that would never end.

This remarkable girl who believed God’s message and not only followed his instructions, she believed this was a blessing on her life.

The next portion of scripture is called, Mary’s Song. These are just the first several lines:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.”

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Dec 10

So Many Choices

by Brenda Poulos

John 1:14- “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

I know of someone who is a new Christian. Although she has been reading a Bible from a used bookstore that has all of the pages intact, I thought it would be nice to give her a new Bible with her name embossed on it for Christmas.

Shopping online, I found there are approximately 900 translations and a multitude of fabric covers. Additionally, the Bible is offered in DVD, CD, and Audible. You can even get an app so you can read it on your phone.                   

Covers come in leather, goatskin, buffalo leather, faux leather, cloth over board, bonded leather, genuine leather, top grain leather, and so on.

Color choices range from white, red, brown, black, forrest green, and blue. But, children’s Bibles also come in pastel colors and in camouflage. I saw one called the “Wooly Lamb Bible” and others named The Comic Book Bible, The Action Bible, The Ultimate Bible for Girls, The Adventure Bible, and many more.

There have never before been more choices for gift-giving. You can find almost anything if you just take the time to look for it.

Colors and popular features may entice recipients as they choose what they’d like. However, it is the unchanging word of God on the inside that is able to draw someone close to Him and change their lives forever.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Dec 3

A Blessed Event

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 4: 13,14- “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Instead of writing a “Christmas-themed” post for the week of Christmas, I am going to celebrate all month long!

Praising God and thanking Him on a daily basis actually means continually celebrating His goodness to us. (And He is greatly to be praised, isn’t He?)

Luke says the angels praised God at the birth of Jesus. They knew what a special event it was. They understood what His presence would mean for all mankind. 

I can only imagine what it was like to look into the sky that night and see it filled with angels… hear their trumpets and their hear their beautiful voices.

Emanuel. God with us.

God come to earth in bodily form.

A gift to sinners. 

Wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Truly, a blessed event!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Nov 26

The Five P’s

by Brenda Poulos

John 6:63- “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Thanksgiving is a time when I look to the past and thank God for the many blessings he has given me.

This year, as I thanked Him for His Word, I thought back to one way I was taught to appreciate its truths.

PRAY over the Word of God. Ask God to teach you… to open your eyes to the truth of the Word. 

PONDER the Word of God. Study. Expect insights. Learn.

PRESERVE the Word of God. Memorize verses. Hide them in your heart.

PRACTICE the Word of God. Put what you’ve learned into action. Show it in your life.

PROCLAIM the Word of God. Tell others. Uplift and Uphold.

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Nov 19

My Refuge

by Brenda Poulos

Deuteronomy 33:27- “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Walking past a playground the other day, I saw a crying child run toward a man, calling “DaDa. DaDa. Me is hurt!” His father scooped him up in his arms, cradling him and speaking words of comfort.

I thought of my father who went to be with the Lord last year. I long to hear his voice and feel the safety of his arms as he used to hold me as a child.

Of course, that won’t be possible until I see him again in Heaven. However, as I wait for that day here on earth, the Bible reminds me that my heavenly father upholds me with his everlasting arms!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Nov 12

Five Minutes That Will Change Your Life

by Brenda Poulos

Ephesians 6:18- “… pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

I saw a television ad for a popular DIY show about people who shop for a new home after winning the lottery. The ad said something to the effect that if you buy a ticket, it may be the five minutes that changes your life. (The time it takes to buy and scratch).

The internet says stretching, drinking a glass of water, taking a short walk, de-cluttering your home office, and writing in a journal are good five-minute ideas.

I know of another five minutes that can change your life. How about allotting that short amount of time to reading scripture or a devotional, and prayer?

Once you’ve attained consistency in your time with the Lord each day, increase it in increments of five until you reach the point where you feel satisfied with the time you have spent with God.

I promise you, spending time with Him will change your life!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Nov 5

Strength and Joy

by Brenda Poulos

1 Chronicles 16:27- “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.”

The death of another beloved actor has saddened many people this week. He, like many of the rich and famous, pursue happiness.

Few of them find it.

Why?

Because unless we come to the point where we believe that God himself—and a relationship with HIM—is most desirable, we can never find true joy.

Only God’s power can break the power of sin’s promise of happiness in all that glitters and is tantalizing to the eye.

Pastor John Piper said that gratitude for what God has done for us in the past and what He has promised yet to do for us in the future should be “…the driving force in authentic Christian Living.” 

And only then will we experience true joy in Christ.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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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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