spiritualsnippets.com

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

Apr 22

Perfect Peace

by Brenda Poulos

 

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Ezra 8:23- “So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”

 

My friend was recently hospitalized. It became apparent at one point, that we might lose her. However, many days (and prayers) later, she rallied. 

She is now on the road to recovery.

But, what if God had not chosen to heal her? Would that have still been an answer to those hundreds, if not thousands, of prayers?

It would not have been the answer we wanted but, yes. It still would have meant that God answered according to His will. Which, as a matter of fact, is how we all prayed. 

We asked for healing, while at the same time, asking for God’s will to be done in her life.

It’s not easy when we pray for God’s will to be done because we are not always going to get the answer that we want. 

Believers in the verse in Ezra were praying for a safe journey for themselves and their children. You may be praying that a loved one would come to know the Lord or that a job offer might be received.

Whether with a “yes,” “no,” or “wait,” we can be assured that God will answer according to His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

And, because of that, we can experience His perfect peace. 

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Apr 15

Light in the Darkness

by Brenda Poulos

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2 Samuel 22:29– “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.”

 

A couple of weeks ago, 13-yr-old Jesse Hernandez fell into a drainage pipe in L.A.’s Griffith Park.

Eleven feet down, in a six thousand foot search area, Jesse was in total darkness.

He may have not been able to see, but Jesse knew what to do. He prayed.

“I was praying for God to help me and not to die,” he said. “It was all quiet. You could just hear the water running through and you couldn’t see anything.”

Jesse kept praying and twelve hours later, he was rescued. 

The Bible says that Jesus is light and that in him there is no darkness at all.

He lights our path. He guides our way. 

Jesse’s physical eyes may have seen darkness, but his spiritual eyes gave him the confidence that his Savior was with him.

And Jesse gave God the glory.

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Apr 8

Treasure Hunt

by Brenda Poulos

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Proverbs 2:3-5  “…indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

 

My husband did a lot of driving this past week. While he’s behind the wheel, I enjoy reading vanity license plates, signs, billboards, and the names of various businesses as we travel from state to state.

This trip, I noticed a commonality among many different businesses. Some of their names were: JUNKYARD TREASURES, GARDEN TREASURES, ANTIQUE TREASURES, and JEWELS AND OTHER TREASURES.

Why have so many used the word Treasures?

Treasures is one of those words, much like secrets. It taps into a human emotion which focuses on the promise of getting privileged information—tapping into what was previously unknown—what was once hidden.

As an author, I recognize the power in those words.  After all, who doesn’t like a good mystery?

But, a mystery is only as good as its promise that, in the end, the mystery will be revealed.

There are more than 80 verses in the Bible referring to treasure, mystery, hidden treasure, and hidden understanding. As I read through them, I realized just how much more I need to learn…just how much more I want to know.

Silver and gold? 

Look again.

The hidden treasure is insight…the understanding… and knowledge of God.

We are to LOOK for it. CALL ALOUD FOR IT.

As fervently as we would for silver or gold. 

 

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Apr 1

It’s Not About the Bunny

by Brenda Poulos

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Isaiah 53: 3-6~ “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet, it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And, we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But, he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

 

I heard a story this week of a man who was recently exonerated of three murders after spending 27 years on death row.

On a talk show, he said there was nothing more horrible about the whole ordeal than hearing the word, “guilty” when he knew he hadn’t committed those crimes.

Jesus heard those words and He, too, was innocent. He was also called names, treated cruelly, and even put to death for the sins of mankind.

Following His resurrection, he was called pure and blameless by Almighty God; then exalted to sit at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

As a Christian society, we have set aside Easter as a time to remember what Jesus did for us.

Let’s not make today about “The Bunny” or the eggs…not about a fancy ham dinner or sack races in the park.

Just as at Christmas we celebrate His birth, today let’s celebrate His death and resurrection.

Once again, let’s remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

 

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Mar 25

True Potential

by Brenda Poulos

 

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Romans 8:34b- “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

 

After Christmas, I had a hard time finding enough good places to store all of my decorations. That’s how my Nutcracker ended up in the hall coat closet…got caught on my sweater as I was taking it off the hanger…toppled onto the vacuum…landed on the floor…was decapitated…and suffered a broken arm.

It will never again be a useful nutcracker.

Oh, I can glue it back together. It might even look like a nutcracker. But because of the way it was broken, its mouth will never be able to move.

It will never again fulfill its true potential…as a nutcracker.

You know, God had a purpose in sending Jesus to earth. It was necessary for His perfect son to die in order that we might live.

Our Savior was broken— for us.

He paid the price for our sin.

On the cross, Jesus willingly fulfilled his potential. He conquered death and the grave.

Once resurrected, he took on a glorious, new and perfect body; and later was reunited with The Father in Heaven.

His power was not diminished.

His purpose was fulfilled.

He became MORE, not less.

He had done the will of the Father.

He was glorified by God and now sits at his right hand. He is active. Alive. He listens to our prayers. forgives our sins, heals, sustains our universe…

And continues to love us with an everlasting love.

 

 

 

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Mar 18

Priceless

by Brenda Poulos

 

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Matthew 27:35– “When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

 

Have you noticed that there have been some previously useless items—even junk—auctioned off for large amounts of money in the past decade?

Used napkins, chewing gum, stray hairs from hair brushes, worn out tennis shoes…

Some of these brought hundreds—even thousands, and in some cases millions—of dollars.

Why would people be willing to pay so much for things we, in the general public, throw away every day?

What makes a wad of gum so valuable, anyway?

Turns out that it is not the “item” that is worth so much. It is the people these items belonged to—it’s the personal connection to the singers, celebrities, sports stars.

So, what about Jesus’s robe?

Some sources say that our Lord’s robe was specially made of one piece of fabric, with no seams. That would make it special. But, I suggest to you that the centurions who cast lots for His robe just may have recognized in those last moments, that He, indeed, was the long-awaited Messiah.

He was who he claimed to be. God’s Son, come in the flesh, with the express purpose of dying for the sins of a world which rejected Him.

His garment was valuable because of the personal connection. It belonged to the Savior.

And, that made it priceless.

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Mar 12

It Will Be All About Him

by Brenda Poulos

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Mark 13:26- “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not too long ago, several Hollywood movie stars were asked what it was about them that they thought caught the attention of audiences.

One said it was her outrageous costumes.

Another said it was her outspokenness.

A third said it was all about her entrances, referring to her most recent one—a drop from a helicopter onto a glittering stage. “Millions of fans watched it,” she gushed.

Jesus had a remarkable, but humble, entrance onto the earth—a baby born in a stable in Bethlehem.

He rode a lowly donkey into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion.

No, our King didn’t choose accolades, glitter, or glitz.

But, He will come again…with the great Trumpet sound…with voices of a myriad angelic hosts…

It will be all about Him. All eyes will see. Every knee shall bow.

The King of King and Lord of Lords will have our attention—not because of his attire or public relations ploys, but because of who He is—our Savior.

He will abolish evil for all time and eternity and establish His reign of peace and righteousness.

As we celebrate His resurrection,  we also look forward to His coming, again.

Hallelujah!

 

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Mar 4

No Language Barrier

by Brenda Poulos

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Acts 2:5-8 “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?”

 

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went to a Valentine celebration—complete with wonderful Mexican food and Mariachis.

We had a great time visiting with English-speaking friends, but it was difficult to talk with the other guests that did not speak “our” language.

There was only a certain amount of smiling and gesturing we could do to communicate with our gracious hosts. The language barrier prevented us from letting them know just how much we appreciated the invitation and enjoyed the evening.

Driving home, I thought of the scripture above and how nice it would have been for us to have heard each other in our own language.

You know, God hears our prayers—and our praises—no matter what language we speak…and through His Word and His Holy Spirit, He communicates with us.

With God, there is no language barrier.

No matter what our nationality, each of us hears Him in our own language.

Utterly amazing.

 

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Feb 25

An Uncooperative Computer

by Brenda Poulos

 

4478655355_aec3bae1cbIsaiah 14:24- “The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.”

I really needed to hear these words from Isaiah yesterday morning.

Nothing had gone right.

It started innocently enough. My keyboard Trackpad needed new batteries.

After inserting them, I started back to work.

The WORD program I was writing in unexpectedly quit. Although my document was finally recovered—hours later—the changes that I had made were lost, forcing me to begin editing my book over again. Days of work down the drain. (Oh, yes, I have a backup system…but that’s another story).

I scrolled back to page one.

I took a break to check my email. Mail didn’t respond. Another irritation.

Back to my document. Completing two pages, I went to File>Save.

Major problem. The beach ball kept going around (you’ll understand if you have a MAC) for more than two hours.

I’d had it. Nothing to do but use FORCE/QUIT.

I took a break to eat dinner and then attend my Bible Study group with my husband. I dreaded going home to see if my work would be recovered once I restarted the computer.

I know the Lord has plans for me as a Christian author, so I prayed on the way home that He would take control of the situation. As I went back to the computer and put in my password, I experienced peace. All was well.

Maybe you have experienced times like these. Times when everything suddenly appears to threaten God’s very will for our lives.

We wonder what we can do.

Oftentimes, WE can’t do anything. But if we remember God’s promise and leave it in His hands to fulfill, He says It Will Happen.

God’s power can work in awesome ways when we leave it up to Him to bring about success.

No plans of His can be thwarted—even by uncooperative computers.

 

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Feb 18

DON’T BLINK!

by Brenda Poulos

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I Corinthians 15:51, 52- “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

We have been watching the Olympics. It is full of triumphs and heartaches.

Often times, the difference between winning a medal and losing it comes down to a hundredth of a second—less time than it takes to blink an eye!

The scripture in I Corinthians describes the Rapture of the Church.

Believers who have died before this event will be raised from their graves and will be forevermore with the Lord.

Their new bodies will be imperishable. They will never again know pain, sickness, or disease.

And it will all happen in the twinkling of an eye!

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