spiritualsnippets.com

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

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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Sep 24

Too Many Distractions

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 6: 6,7- “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” 

I remember a sermon in which the pastor went into depth in explaining that the Pharisees were admonished for their elaborate and prideful prayers (seeking attention from others on street corners, etc.)

God told the early Christians to pray in their closets!

This didn’t mean closets, literally, but that prayer was between them and God and not done so they could boast in their own eloquence.

This morning, a friend called me to ask for prayer. I realized that in order to focus on prayer, I needed to first turn off my television and computer. Then, in the quiet of my home office, I could pray effectively.

There are so many distractions nowadays, God’s Word gives us a gentle reminder of what we need to do in order to communicate with Him in our “quiet time.”

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 17

Planning a Trip???

by Brenda Poulos

Joshua 5:6- “…The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died…”

Two of our friends are leaving today one a 100-Day Trip. Our reaction, when my husband and I heard of their plan last summer, was to shake our heads with amazement. We couldn’t imagine being away from home for that long.

In the Bible, we read about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years; Rehoboam travels from Jerusalem to Shechem to accept his mantle as king; Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, traveled from Syria to Samaria to be healed by the God of Israel; foreign kings are led by a star to journey to see the newborn Jesus; Barnabas leaves Jerusalem to plant a church in Antioch; After God rejects Saul as king, Samuel is told to go to Bethlehem to anoint David; God puts Joseph in a position to aid his family when they flee the drought in Canaan to live in Egypt; and on and on.

All of these stories, and more, make for interesting and encouraging reads. All share an overarching theme of God’s goodness as He guides and protects.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 10

“Watch Your Mouth!”

by Brenda Poulos

James 3:10- “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

As a child, my Dad told me to guard my tongue more than once. And I got my mouth washed out with soap more times than I’d like to admit.

The Bible warns us that what we say is a reflection of what is in our hearts and it can hurt others.

If we belong to Christ, our speech should not only honor Him, but it should spread peace, love, and fruits of the spirit to everyone we come in contact with—starting with family and rippling outward.

How can we guard against the occasional slip of the tongue?

Start the day off right by reading scripture and meditating on it throughout the day.

Pray for God’s guidance in our interactions all day long.

Sound simple? It is—and it isn’t.

God reminds us that we must continually guard our hearts against the influences of the world around us because our hearts are easily swayed by worldly temptations.

And, if we let that happen, others will become the recipients of the hurtful things we say.

We can’t plant seeds of the gospel if our words don’t honor our Savior.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Sep 3

Exploring the Question of “Works”

by Brenda Poulos

James 2:26- “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

In my mid-thirties, my local church began a series of sermons on different religions of the world. I learned what their teachings were, countries where each religion was most prevalent, and so on.

I was astounded by the number of religions who taught that “works” (doing good things) was the way to heaven. Yet, I’d always been taught that it was faith in Jesus Christ—and him alone—that was required for salvation.

I was confused and went to the Bible for answers. The book of James offered a clear explanation.  Faith in Jesus must come first; then works are done as a result of the working of our faith within us.

A living, active faith is shown outwardly in works. So, there was the truth: We are not saved by works. We are saved for works.

James is a short book packed full of practical applications for living the victorious Christian life.

If you are struggling with the questions of salvation in your own life, may I recommend that you open your Bible to the book of James and let God lead you to His answer for you?

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Aug 27

Popular Choices

by Brenda Poulos

Two songs, Amazing Grace and I’ll Fly Away are said to be the most chosen music for memorial services (and many other public events) for decades.

Besides the wonderful music, what is it about these two songs that make them so popular among Christians and non-christians, alike?

I believe both songs show the composers’ great faith in God and their belief in heaven as the final abode for believers. In fact, 80-90% of their lyrics speak directly to that point. 

It may be the remaining percentage, 10-20%, coupled with the uplifting music, that makes them popular to thousands.

Consider this portion of the lyrics from Amazing Grace, written by Englishman, John Newton:

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

And this, from I’ll Fly Away by Hezekiah Walker:

One glad morning
When this life is over
I’ll fly away

I surmise from these, that the heart yearns for peace and joy at life’s end—the hearts of all human beings, even those who have not professed faith in Jesus Christ.

Today, let our prayer be for salvation for everyone who will believe. May they indeed experience an eternal life of joy and peace.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Aug 20

Keep the Faith

by Brenda Poulos

2 Timothy 3:13-15~ “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

“What a week,” my friend said. “I knew things were getting bad, but I didn’t realize they’d get this bad.”

Sharon was referring to something she read this morning on the internet and later was reported on the midday news report.

Christians, especially, shouldn’t be surprised to hear such comments because we have been warned in the Bible that the “last days” will be filled with all kinds of things that we have never heard of before– language and behaviors opposite of the way we were taught.

The encouragement in 2 Timothy is a reminder for us to keep following the words recorded in scripture—to remember what we learned as children and stay true to the Biblical Truths.

While we may be appalled by things we see and hear, now more than ever we need to pray for those who might be influenced by social media and those around them.

Prayers of righteous men “availeth much.”

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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