spiritualsnippets.com

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

Jun 25

Welcome Home

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 91:1- “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

My husband and I are in the process of pre-planning at our local mortuary. Recently experiencing the deaths of my parents, whose foresight in this area made it easier on our family, we want to do the same for our children when our time comes.

Decades ago, professing faith in Christ gave us the assurance of our eternal home in heaven. Living in His shelter and experiencing his peace and strength daily is just a “preview” of things to come.

I love the wording of Psalm 91:1. It depicts a caring and loving God who not only watches over us now, but one who is preparing a place for His children. He has planned our lives from the beginning to the end. 

And He will welcome us home in the fullness of time. 

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
Jun 18

Our Heavenly Father

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 21:6,7,8- “He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

When I taught third grade, I had my students make Father’s Day cards for their dads.

One year, when astronauts, rockets, and space were dominating the news, I gave them this writing prompt for their message:     “My dad is the best dad in the world because…”

You can imagine some of the things these youngsters came up with, praising their fathers for many different reasons.

Today as we think about our heavenly father, there are many reasons to thank Him for being our Creator, Savior, Provider, Protector, and Sustainer.

But the verse in Revelation, tells us that He will also be our Avenger. He will right every wrong and rid the world of sin and death once and for all!

Today—and everyday—He is worthy of our praise… worship… and adoration.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
Jun 11

This Could Happen Because of You

by Brenda Poulos

Romans 10:14- “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? “

Our pastor asked this question in church this morning: “Is there someone who will go to heaven because of you?”

I immediately thought of the verse above. A person must hear the message of the gospel in order to be saved.

And they cannot hear it unless someone tells them.

Are you that someone? 

Am I?

Are we going to follow Jesus’ commandment or are we going to rely on our pastors and preachers?

Later, our pastor asked: Is there someone who is going to go to hell because of you…because you and I didn’t tell them?

Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to convict us. And the love of Christ to embolden us.

And, then let our feet take us—next door, down the street, across town—with the message of eternal life through faith in Jesus.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
May 28

Focus on the Eternal

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 6: 20, 21.  “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Two icons in the world of music died this week. Their passing puts life and death in perspective, doesn’t it?

You can literally “have it all” on earth, but still one day that is taken from you.

I don’t know anything about these ladies’ spiritual lives. And my purpose is not to comment on that.

My point is that one day we will all be faced with eternity and those things which we once thought were so important will be left behind. 

God wants us to be happy in this life, but he reminds us to focus our time and attention on what is of eternal importance.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
May 21

Even in the Little Things

by Brenda Poulos

Romans 12:12- “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Here we sit. Our kitchen remodel still not completed.

We have been waiting since January for cabinets, countertops, and appliances. We make our calls to vendors every week, hear many creative excuses, but still nothing gets done.

We either go out for dinner, eat frozen dinners (we do have a microwave), or eat with our son and his family (which we actually love doing).

I have heard, “Just be patient a little while longer” a thousand too many times.

Maybe God is trying to teach us something.

Over the years, one of the most common prayer requests I’ve received has been for patience. It really is a virtue, I think. And, it is a common problem for many people, including Christians.

I decided to see what the Bible has to say on the subject.

I quickly turned to Romans and found the verse above to offer us encouragement.

The Lord says to be joyful as we hope, patient when hard times come, and faithful to pray. 

We have found all three of these references to be key in helping us “endure” our situation.

Many times we have heard that God cares—even about the little things?

If we believe that, why do we hesitate to pray for them boldly? And without ceasing?

No matter how small a matter may seem to be, take it to the Lord’s throne in prayer.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
May 14

Mom’s Creativity

by Brenda Poulos

Deuteronomy 5:16a– “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you…”

This is the second year without my mother to celebrate with on Mother’s Day. Even though I still think about her every day, this special day to honor mothers seems to be especially hard for me.

When I was teaching, I used to ask my students to tell me what they loved most about their mothers or to tell about something their mothers had done for them.

I can honestly say that my mother went “all out” to do anything to help me succeed in school. And there was no end to her creativity.

For example, when she realized I was struggling to do a forward roll to pass our P.E. unit on gymnastics, I came home from school one afternoon to find my mattress in the middle of the living room floor. With her mantra being practice makes perfect, Mom spent hours with me the entire weekend to make sure I’d pass gymnastics.

I am most thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and came to know the Lord at an early age. Now that Mom is in Heaven, it gives me the assurance I will see her again and have the opportunity to thank her (again) in person.

Do you have a special memory of your mother you’d like to share? Please write in and tell us your story.

And, by the way, if you’re a mom yourself, Happy Mother’s Day!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
May 7

Reigning Forever

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 19:6- “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.”

I didn’t watch the coronation in England, yesterday, but I saw pictures of the royal festivities. 

Prince Charles—now King Charles. Historic.

It is likely he will reign for the next twenty years or so and, then—because human beings don’t live forever—Prince William will take the throne.

But as Christians we know that Jesus will reign forever. No one will—or could ever—take his place.

King of Kings. Lord of Lords. 

He is to be worshipped eternally by all who profess faith in him. What a joy it will be to join throngs of angels and saints of old to rejoice in him as Creator, Savior, and King!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
Apr 30

Don’t Regret; Reconcile

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 73: 25, 26- “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Paula experienced a disagreement with her siblings. After the big “blow up” (her words), she hadn’t heard from them for weeks.

She felt alone, disappointed, misunderstood, and abandoned.

A friend reminded her about a sermon they’d heard on Psalm 73. These were the words which brought Paula comfort. If you’re feeling like she did, I pray that they will offer you encouragement and peace, too.

Remember, God says his strength is made perfect in our weakness.

I’d like to say Paula and her brothers have reconciled, but that is not yet the case. However, I can say that she is putting her trust in the Lord for that to happen in his timing.

Trust God to work in the hearts of those with which you long to reconcile. He will bring it to pass, because he is the God of reconciliation and restoration.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
Apr 23

Get Ready!

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 25:10 – 12 “… while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

As I was going through some old photos recently, I found a picture of my best friend in high school. I thought about some of the fun times we had, running here and there in our little VW bugs.

The thing about Shirley (not her real name, of course), is that she was always late. I was constantly waiting on her to finish her hair and makeup.

I was usually pretty good-natured about her lateness, but one time in particular we missed the first half of our school play. The third member of our little trio had a lead role in it and we had promised her we would be there to see her perform. I felt terrible to have missed it.

We had a serious talk after that about her seeming inability to be ready on time and how we had missed something important because of it. (Years later, she was on time for her own wedding).

The story of the ten virgins in Matthew, among others found in the Bible. tells us how important being ready will be when Jesus comes for us. And staying ready will be even more important because in the book of Revelation He says we won’t know when He will arrive. In fact, only God the Father knows when that will be. 

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
Apr 16

He Never Changes

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 100:5- “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

I read an article this week about Old Faithful, the powerful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. It was named as such because it erupted with reliable regularity (every 91 minutes).

Scripture tells us that God is faithful. We can count on Him. Rely on Him to do what He says He will.

We don’t have to guess about what He considers important, just, right, or true.

Since He cannot lie, break His promises, or change His mind we can be assured He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

Leave a comment »
«Older Entries
Newer Entries »
Blog at WordPress.com.