spiritualsnippets.com

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

Apr 9

The Greatest Love of All

by Brenda Poulos

John 15:13- “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Have you ever read the lyrics of Whitney Huston’s 1985 hit song, “Greatest Love of All” composed by Michael Masser and Linda Creed?

All these years later, it is still popular. Often sung in competitions, the overall effect is meant to be uplifting. 

However, if you read carefully, the song is actually tragic. Here are a few lines:

I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs                                      

A lonely place to be

And so I learned to depend on me

I am sure many Christians would have liked the opportunity to talk to the composers about the love of Christ and His invitation to draw strength for our daily lives from HIM.

Later in the song:

The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself      

Is the greatest love of all

Jesus taught us to love one another—not ourselves. To love as He loved.

A love that would even sacrifice ourselves for others.

As I read the words of Jesus and then the words of the songwriters, my heart breaks for those who do not know the love of Jesus.

A love that took Him to the cross.

High and lifted up—for you and I.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Apr 2

Ways To Help Ourselves Remember

by Brenda Poulos

Deuteronomy 6:12- “…be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Something happened in my life today—something I had been praying for more than thirty years! So that I wouldn’t forget this special answer to prayer, I wrote about it in my Bible and put the date beside my words.

Just as in our world today, many people in “Bible times” often forgot what God had done for them. In Deuteronomy, Moses warned the Israelites of doing just that and there are other stories in the Bible on the same theme.

Oftentimes, as in this story, God told the people to place a stone(s) in certain places as a memorial of a specific event or person.  You can see examples of memorials in many state parks and cemeteries around the world.

Memorials serve three purposes:

  1. Cause use to remember what a person has done. For Christians, it might mean remembering God’s answer to prayer and of His provision. God instructed Joshua to build a memorial so each time the Israelites saw it, they would be reminded.
  2. Memorials are a form of communicating past occurrences with next generations. Memorial stones in Bible times were a basis of sharing faith with their children.
  3. Memorials spur us to renew our personal commitments, whether it be to a cause, to our family, or to our God. They give us a new sense of purpose.

Has God led you through a rough time in your life?

Has He blessed your family with a newborn or a new job?

Whatever it is, finding a way to remember God’s blessing will help you focus on His goodness and faithfulness.

It could be the planting of a tree or unveiling a statue or hanging of a commemorative plaque. 

Or it could be something as simple as writing a few words of praise in the Bible next to the date when a specific prayer was answered.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Mar 26

Enjoy the Gift!

by Brenda Poulos

Ephesians 2:8,9- “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Last week, I was surprised to hear a friend say that he’d done all he could do to assure himself a place in heaven. He elaborated to tell of his acts of kindness to others as his main focus in life. He also mentioned that he didn’t use profanity and was a good father who spent a good deal of time with his children.

If anyone was going to heaven, he was certain it would be him.

Knowing he’d been brought up in the same church I had, I reminded him that Jesus had paid the price for our sins and we are saved by his grace—not works.

If you have been held captive by a works-based system, like my friend, please hear the Good News of scripture. Salvation is the gift of God through his Son, Jesus. Faith in that very fact is what will assure you of a home in heaven once this life on earth ends.

No reason to worry. No reason to work. Just enjoy God’s gift of eternal life!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Mar 19

Me, a Saint??

by Brenda Poulos

Hebrews 10:10– “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

When his neighbor thanked him for helping with his yard work while he was ill, he told Bill “You’re a saint!”

As Bill walked across the street to his own home, he thought about what Ben had called him.

Am I really a saint? Gwen and I have been arguing a lot lately and I’ve been slacking off at work, blaming a huge mistake on my partner instead of admitting it was my own fault.

He settled in a comfortable chair in the den and reached for his Bible. He needed to hear what God said about sainthood. After all, hadn’t the pastor preached on that very subject sometime last year?

He rifled through his notes from previous sermons and finally found the scripture the pastor had used. In the margin of the paper, Bill had scrawled, a saint is a person who is innocent in the eyes of God.

That’s right, a believer is forgiven of his sins. When God looks at him, he sees Jesus—his pure innocent son who died for his sins. He is declared righteous in God’s sight.

Bill confessed his sinful behavior to God, thanking Him for forgiveness through Jesus Christ, his Lord.

He was a saint after all—a sinner, saved by grace!

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Mar 12

Butterflies and Believers

by Brenda Poulos

2 Corinthians 5:17– “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; Behold, the new has come.” 

In elementary school, children learn about the metamorphosis of caterpillars into butterflies. In high school, I did a year-long science project of collecting different kinds of butterflies, mounting and labeling them on a display board. However, it wasn’t until recently that I became aware of the intricacies of this amazing process.

The caterpillar actually liquefies when it forms its chrysalis. It redistributes itself into a different pattern to form a new creation. Likewise, when we are born again, the old is melted away and we are reborn (transformed).

A transformation is actually a change in appearance, nature, character, or form. This process IN US is only possible by the work of the Holy Spirit as explained in 2 Corinthians. 

A metamorphosis takes place.

By the grace of God, we are transformed! 

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Feb 27

Jessie’s Question

by Brenda Poulos

Jeremiah 29:13- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jessie, seven-year-old daughter of a neighbor, has recently been curious about heaven—and hell.

“But everyone will get to go to Heaven, won’t they? Jessie asked.

“Only those who put their faith in Jesus,” Dorothy told her. “The Bible says that wide is the path that leads to destruction and narrow is the road that leads to life—and not everyone finds it.”

“Why can’t they find it?” Jessie asked.

Dorothy patted Jessie’s hand, looking into her crystal blue eyes. “Jesus says that He is The Way and that everyone that seeks Him, will find Him.”

Long after Jessie had gone to bed, Dorothy thought about their little talk and what might be the next steps in helping her daughter find salvation in Jesus. She felt peace when she remembered the verse from Jeremiah.              

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Feb 19

Who Is Watching?

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 14:27- “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

It seems that at every turn lately, I hear of a friend or family member who is facing health, financial, or relationship difficulties. The death of a spouse, disrespectful children, disappointments at work.

Each one of us has a cross to bear. And Christians and non-Christians alike are watching to see how we are going to handle our problems.

When we find our strength in the Lord, we are an encouragement to others.

And, we discover our joy in following Christ.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Feb 12

Everyone. Everywhere.

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 5:13- “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’”

You have seen huge crowds on television—or even been a part of one at an inauguration, a sporting event, or funeral of a well-known person. I recently watched part of a Billy Graham crusade, marveling as the camera panned over a throng of thousands. 

Yesterday, as I drove in rush hour traffic and sat through more than a few traffic light changes, I praised the Lord to worship songs on Christian radio. In my mind’s eye, I saw people bowing before Him. Then, the scene widened to include the whole earth. And, I could see people all around the globe each with bended knees.

We know the Bible says in the future that all will bow before the Lord, but what if the humbling before our God isn’t just one at a time as we come before Him? What if it will take place just as I imagined—all worshiping Him in unison?

And what if the crowd is made up of everyone who has ever lived? Past and present. All at the same time. All generations. All cultures and countries represented.

Can you even envision that? Mind boggling, isn’t it?

I’m not a pastor or even a seminary graduate. I’m just a layman who loves the Lord. I’m not saying that this is exactly “Biblical.” But I believe it is very close to how it will happen.

All those on earth, in heaven—and even all those “under the earth” will bow to Jesus.

To the Glory of the Father. 

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Feb 5

Look Inside

by Brenda Poulos

1 Samuel 16:7b- “…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

People stared at me in the grocery store, but I couldn’t figure out why. It couldn’t be because my face was so attractive or recognizable.

What gives?, I asked myself.

When I returned home, I took a good look in the mirror. Disheveled hair, dusty and stained clothing, holes in my grubby tennis shoes. 

My husband and I had been working all day on a home renovation project when I rushed out to get what we needed for dinner. I hadn’t given a thought to my appearance when I grabbed the keys and drove to the nearby supermarket.

In our new neighborhood, no one knew me or my background, intentions, or anything about me. They only had my appearance to base their opinions on.

However, it’s not that way with God. Outside appearances don’t concern Him. He knows us on the inside. 

And He still loves us.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Jan 22

A Neon Sign

by Brenda Poulos

Isaiah 7:10, 11- “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

A few days ago, my husband asked me to pick him up at the airport. Although he gave me good directions, I still managed to get in the wrong lane which took me out of the airport and back onto an unfamiliar freeway.

I kept driving for awhile, but when I didn’t recognize any of the exits as being near to our home (or the airport) I finally took an exit and ended up at a traffic light. Once I stopped, I prayed (yes, with tears in my eyes) for the Lord to give me a sign like He gave to Ahaz in Isaiah 7. 

It was then that I looked up and off to the right a short distance. The sign He gave me was neon in the late night sky. It said, OASIS HOSPITAL—a name I knew because my husband had a knee replacement there two years ago. 

I pulled into the parking lot and phoned my husband to let him know of my mistake and he took a taxi to where I was parked.

Hallelujah! God had answered my prayer in a BIG way. I could still see the hospital’s gigantic sign in my rear-view mirror for miles.

I often talk to people who have told me they feel like their life has taken a wrong turn. Even though they had once felt close to God, lately they felt lost and alone. I remind them that God is still there—always has been and always will be. However, we often let the things of this life interfere with our relationships with Him. It could be a bad decision or perhaps a wandering away and forsaking our quiet time with Him. It might be the influences of the world.

But, whatever it is, I promise you God is waiting to take you back into a deep and meaningful relationship with Him. If you’ve been a wandering child, tell your Heavenly Father TODAY that you desire to resume fellowship with Him.

When problems come, He will be right there with you. Ready to guide in the right direction.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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