spiritualsnippets.com

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

Apr 16

Be That One out of Ten

by Brenda Poulos

 

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Luke 17:17- Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”

 

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus healed ten men who had leprosy. Only one of them came back and thanked Him.

We often forget to thank God, too, even though we have so much to praise Him for—the healing of a physical ailment, provision of a necessity, an unexpected blessing.

The Easter season is often one in which we overlook the purpose, and get caught up in the secular aspects of the day—coloring eggs, putting together the family dinner, buying a new dress…

Let’s not take for granted His Mercy and Grace, His forgiveness of sins and His gift of salvation.

Praise to our Most High God. The author and finisher of our faith.

Thank you, Jesus, for your work on the Cross.

Thank you for the Resurrection and the empty tomb.

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Apr 9

Just A Little Talk

by Brenda Poulos

 

25045780746_e412de3f10Psalm 142: 2,3– “I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.”

King David, who wrote most of the Psalms, was bold—even sometimes confrontational—as he prayed. He didn’t hold back. He laid it all on the line. As a result, he experienced forgiveness and direction.

When I was a kid, I liked a popular spiritual song on the radio, called, “Just a Little Talk With Jesus.” The last four lines are:

I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears,                                                        But Jesus is a friend who watches day day and night.                                                                     I go to him in prayer, he knows my every care,                                                                           And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

I often find myself talking to God while I am driving or doing mundane tasks like folding laundry. Talking it out, leaning on Him, sharing my concerns—these are all aspects of prayer.

Just like David, I find that just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

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Apr 3

Paying It Forward

by Brenda Poulos

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2 Samuel 10:2- “David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.”

 

I placed my order and pulled forward to pay for my meal at the fast food drive thru. Imagine my surprise when the teenager at the window said, “No charge. The lady in the car in front of you paid your bill.”

I honked, waived, and told the kind stranger thank you as I stuck my head out of the car window. “Have a good day,” she said as she drove down the busy street and out of sight.

What a nice—and totally unexpected blessing. It made my day. There was still some goodness left in our world, after all.

The idea called, “pay it forward,” leaves it up to me to perform a nice gesture for someone else.

Repaying kindness with kindness.

The phrase “paying it forward” may have originated after a movie featured it some years ago, but the Bible records many instances of similar acts done in Biblical times—David paying respects to Hanun at the death of his father, King of the Ammonites; Rahab’s life being spared because she hid Israelite spies on her rooftop to protect them from attacking soldiers, and so on.

When someone repays kindness with kindness, we all remark about how nice it was…how thoughtful…even unusual in our world today. It is almost unheard of, however, for someone to repay with kindness those who hurt them.

Repaying unkindness with kindness?

Jesus was flogged, beaten, spit upon, denied, ridiculed. Yet, he repaid those unkindnesses by dying on the cross for the sins of those people, as well as our own.

Only unconditional love would do that.

Only by the grace of God.

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Mar 26

The Secret of Contentment

by Brenda Poulos

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Philippians 4:12,13-  “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

 

As a child, he wanted each new toy.

As a teenager, she bought a new outfit for every occasion.

As a young adult, she constantly redecorated her first home.

As an executive, he purchased a luxury car every year.

Boats, vacations, jewelry.

Would they ever be satisfied? Would happiness always elude them?

Would they someday learn the secret to being content with what they had in the “here and now?”

The apostle Paul knew the secret.

True joy—real contentment—wasn’t based on things.

Paul was content because of his faith in God. That one relationship was what gave him the strength to persevere no matter what his life circumstances.

The truth is, contentment is a state of being. It is a way of life that is not acquired and lost, based on life’s circumstances.

It can be who you are because you know whose you are.

You can be content if, above all else, you first seek a relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Then, as the Bible says in Matthew 6:33, “all these things will be given to you as well.”

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Mar 19

The New Normal

by Brenda Poulos

8479540406_1a89fe4025Acts 22:14,15- “Then he (Ananias) said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.”

Things are forever changing in our world.

Foods we were told that were good for us in the past, are now reported to actually harm us. So, we change our diet.

A friend or relative requires our care. We rearrange our daily schedule to accommodate the added responsibilities.

Retirement, divorce, catastrophic illness.

All of these changes create what we now call the “new normal.”

A wedding, a new job, the birth of a baby, the purchase of our dream home—even these bring changes in routines—and we adapt to them by assimilating the “new normal” into our lives.

Paul had a life-changing experience on the road to Damascus. As a result of meeting God, his life of persecuting Christians was transformed to one of preaching and defending other Christians. As a result, he often lived for months and years in prison—the Apostle Paul’s “new normal.”

When we meet Christ, our lives…relationships…desires…past habits—our very focus changes as he calls us to live a new life in Christ—our “new normal.”

But, we are not alone. The The Holy Spirit guides us through each adjustment on our way to our eternal home and the

ULTIMATE NEW NORMAL.

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Mar 12

THE WARNING SIGNS

by Brenda Poulos

 

3715551997_0da0e44447Proverbs 16:25  “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

In many states, over the past couple of years, there has been an overwhelming number of wrong way drivers.

Serious accidents and many deaths have been attributed to failure to heed the warning signs.

Some of these drivers were impaired by drugs, alcohol, or lack of adequate sleep, but many say they really thought that they were entering the freeway, correctly.

Signs were posted. They just didn’t read them.

As a result, some died.

There are many books about what the authors believe is TRUTH about the future and eternity. Most of them aren’t trying to lead others astray. The vast majority feel what they are writing is true. In fact, they are zealous in their efforts to impart their knowledge to others.

However, only the Bible is the authentic Word of God. If you want direction, you need look no further.

Heed the signs…the warnings within its pages.

Nothing can be more important than the future of your eternal soul.

I’ve heard people say they wish life came with a set of instructions.

It does.

It’s called THE BIBLE.

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Mar 5

Escape Rooms

by Brenda Poulos

 

30543604984_a2c9e7138dDaniel 6:19-23   “At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

 

 

Escape Rooms have become popular here in the southwest. In some areas, they are becoming a social phenomenon. I’ve heard some people have used them as the “new thing to do” for birthday parties!

These rooms are part of a physical adventure game in which the players are locked in a room (usually a prison cell, dungeon) and must use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles and escape within a certain time limit.

Some people have had panic attacks in these situations, but for the most part they are viewed as exciting and fun, since participants realize they are a “set-up” and they are not in any real danger.

But, Daniel’s incarceration in the lions’ den was not a social game.

Because he continued to worship God, even though King Darius had commanded no one to do so, Daniel was thrown into the Den of Lions.

He didn’t have to solve a puzzle. He wasn’t part of a social experiment.

But, he did have faith. He believed God would protect him. He was an obedient follower of Christ who wasn’t going to stop worshipping God for any reason.

Thrown into the den of ferocious lions, he was freed the following morning by the king after witnessing the power of God to save his faithful servant by shutting the mouths of the hungry animals.

Daniel experienced God’s favor and protection. He honored God, knowing that he might very well lose his life.

As Christians, let’s exercise our faith by likewise standing up for what is good and right and honors God.

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Feb 26

An Unusual Choir

by Brenda Poulos

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Acts 16:25- “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

 

Recently, I heard about a group of prisoners in a maximum security prison that had formed a choir. The camaraderie among those inmates and the discovery of their hidden talents was something to behold as the story unfolded. I felt so blessed as I heard them perform.

They are hardened criminals. Many of them have tried to kill each other while in prison.

Now, they are singing together! What a transformation.

There was an earthquake as the singing was going on in the prison in Phillippi. The Bible tells us in verses 27 and 28 that even though all of the previously locked doors were suddenly opened, not one prisoner even tried to escape!

So, is it the power of music that changed both groups of criminals?

I don’t think so. I think we can accord the changes to the fact that God used both of those circumstances to bring the prisoners into better relationship with HIM and, then, with each other.

King David wrote hundreds of songs of praise to God. Christian hymnals are full of beautiful ones written by many gifted individuals throughout the ages.

Whether in the present or the future, God may use singing to lift, inspire, and change, just like He has throughout the ages.

And, we may use it as an offering of praise to HIM.

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Feb 19

The Ultimate “Like”

by Brenda Poulos

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John 5:44- “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

I get several emails per day, saying that a Facebook Friend is requesting that I “LIKE” their Facebook Page.

As an author, I sometimes send out these requests, too. It promotes activity, boosts awareness, and all kinds of things related to the internet that I don’t even begin to understand.

These “Likes” remind me of my days teaching school. A simple sticker on a paper would make a child smile, a positive comment written in a yearbook would be cherished.

As an author or entertainer, we are happy to receive rave reviews.

As a sportsman, we are thrilled when we sell tickets…when we are recognized on the street or in a restaurant.

It’s not a new idea. We want to be liked.

But, have you ever been faced with the dilemma of whether to say or do something to receive accolades from your peers rather than act in a way that pleases God?

When that happens, I remind myself that how others feel about me may change due to circumstances, but that I am God’s child and what I do for Him has lasting effects.

It is then that I realize that I don’t want to trade what is temporary for what is permanent.

I know that I cannot be truly happy unless what I do and say brings glory my Heavenly Father.

Someday, I hope to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

That will be the ultimate “Like.”

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Feb 12

How Deep? How High?

by Brenda Poulos

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Romans 3:39- “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Wow! There’s nothing so high or so deep that it could keep God’s love from reaching us.

If we would try to contain God’s love, we’d need quite a container.

How tall would it be?

The heavens are calculated to be 46 billion light years higher than earth.

How deep?

The average depth of the ocean is about 12,100 feet, or 2.3 miles. The deepest part of the ocean, called the Challenger Deep, is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean. It is approximately 36,200 feet deep.

It’s impossible for us to even begin to understand just how vast an area that is!

But, we can be assured that

God loves us.

He’s got more than enough love to go around.

He’ll never run out of love.

Even if we wanted to avoid His love, we couldn’t.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love.

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