spiritualsnippets.com

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

Jan 10

The Book is Always Better

by Brenda Poulos

2 Timothy 3:16- All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

 

You may have watched the television movie event, THE BIBLE.

Every year, near Easter, my husband settles down to watch the classic movie, The Ten Commandments.

Recently, we saw the movie version of a best-seller novel.

No matter what the subject matter, I always hear people say, “The movie wasn’t nearly as good as the book.”

Of course, there are many reasons for this. The story must be shortened because it would take too many hours for the movie version to tell the entire story in detail; some scenes are made more exciting, some more visually appealing; endings may be changed to allow for the possibility of a sequel, some are just better played out in a slightly different way, or perhaps the director simply didn’t like the original writer’s ending…

The story gets muddied a little, the ending is tweaked just so.

And then there are movies that are “Based on True Life Events”, which differ from those claiming to be “Inspired by True Events”.

In the first instance, some names may be changed, but the story should stick close to the way things happened. The second, however, uses real events to create a fictional story and so are not held accountable for an accurate portrayal of characters and events.

We don’t have to worry about any of these things when we read God’s Word, the Bible, however. It is most certainly accurate. It is what it claims to be: the infallible, inerrant, Word of God. We can trust it. Learn from it. Be comforted and strengthened by it.

Yes. The Book is always better.

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Dec 13

Join The Army

by Brenda Poulos

Genesis 21:22– And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.”

 

Bells ringing. Red kettles.

It’s that time of year, isn’t it?

Salvation Army volunteers—outside stores and malls. Rain or shine. Warm or cold.

Whether ignored or embraced, there they are. Faithful to their cause.

I knew little more than the fact that they are a Christian-based organization.

This year, I was determined to find out more.

Here is just a fraction of what I discovered:

  • Founded by William Booth in 1852 in England.
  • Began as a ministry to win the lost multitudes to Christ.
  • Booth started by preaching in the streets of London to the poor, homeless, and hungry.
  • In 1865, he began tent meetings to preach the message of hope and salvation.
  • In 1879, Lt. Eliza Shirley held the first meeting of the Salvation Army in America.
  • Today, the Salvation Army is active in virtually every corner of the world.
  • Most centers hold weekly worship services.
  • Areas of ministry include: prison ministries, adult rehab, veterans services, elderly, combatting human trafficking, and missing persons via international social service.

I had no idea they did all of this, as well as offering residential housing and work opportunities to various individuals and groups.

They are literally an army of individuals whose main goal is GIVING SPIRITUAL DIRECTION TOWARD A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AS PROVIDED BY JESUS CHRIST.

I remember, as a child, singing a song in Sunday School about being in the “Lord’s Army”. (I may never ride in the infantry, shoot in the cavalry, shoot the artillery,  but I’m in the Lord’s Army.) These words were followed with a salute.

It wasn’t until years later, when guys I knew were drafted into the U.S. Army, that the concept of God’s Army started coming into focus for me.

Now, more than ever, a vast army of God’s people needs to rise up in prayer and step out in faith. We need to join with other Christians around the world in serving those less fortunate and in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel to a hurting world.

Fear and unrest dominate newscasts. Violence abounds.

Time is short.

We may not ring a bell.

We may not stand outside the mall beside a donation kettle.

But, we can pray, donate, serve, share the message of hope.

Because, when we do, like Abraham,

God will be with us.

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Nov 15

Things They Are A Changin’

by Brenda Poulos

Numbers 23:19a- “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.”

I noticed a website selling white heels and matching purses last week. Don’t they know you’re not supposed to wear white after Labor Day?

I saw a commercial for mascara that “clumps”—on purpose! It seems my search for the perfect mascara is over!!!

Profanity is not always bleeped out, nowadays!

Girls with blond hair are dying their roots black!

Teenagers—even adults—frequently wear their underwear on the outside.

People are often seen wearing their pajamas in grocery stores and shopping malls…

Things are changing. Unwritten societal “rules” are being replaced at a rapid pace.

Is there no end to the changes possible in the future?

I can say without apology, that I liked things the way they used to be. Predictable. I could count on the fact that if I knew the rule, I’d be doing the correct thing.

We can be sure of some things, though. Like the fact that God never changes.

We can count on His Word, His truths, remaining the same throughout all eternity.

In this world of uncertainty, we can have the assurance that

He will not change course…

He will not change His mind…

He will not check out…

He will not abandon us…

He will not stop loving us…

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Nov 8

Flourish!

by Brenda Poulos

John 10:10b-“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Last month, I attended a Ladies Retreat. It was a wonderful time of fellowship with other women from my church.

Just like all other retreats I have been to, we had a theme that gave direction to each “session” and guided our worship time together.

Our theme:  FLOURISH: Grow! Thrive! Multiply!

The following thoughts are my interpretation of our speaker, Annie Kingrey’s, message to those who attended the retreat-

If we spend time in God’s Word, it will be of great comfort to us when trials come in our lives. We won’t be uprooted. In fact, we can thrive!

Said another way:  If we will stay in The Word during the in-between times (the lulls) we will put down deep roots. Then, when the storms of life come along, we won’t be uprooted. 

When we hear of the death of a loved one, when we receive an unfavorable diagnosis, when our job is in jeopardy, God’s Word will take us far beyond merely “coping” or “making it through.”

He says we can FLOURISH—amid the storm-tossed seas of life.

God isn’t just in the business of helping us get by. He wants to do far more than that.

This may be a radically new perspective for many of us, but God wants us to live a VICTORIOUS life…here…and NOW.

When the seas are calm.

When the tempest is churning all about us.

On the good days.

On the bad days.

EVERY day.

“It’s time for us to more than just survive. We were made to thrive!”

(Words from our theme song, Thrive, Mark Hall and Matthew West, 2014). 

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Sep 21

24 Hours

by Brenda Poulos

Matthew 6:27- Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 

I was frazzled. I had just unloaded the groceries from the car, realizing that I only had an hour to finish straightening up the house and make dinner.

Do you ever feel like if you had just one more hour in the day that you could accomplish everything you had set out to do?

That if you could squeeze another day into the week, or another month into the year, you wouldn’t feel the anxiety of not completing all “there is to do”?

Do you feel constantly “behind” schedule?

When I feel like this (and I confess I often do) I take a deep breath and calm myself down.

I think about this verse and just why I think God included it in His Word.

He gave us twenty-four hours in a day to get things done. Twenty-four hours to eat, sleep, visit with others, read—and hundreds of other things that “take up our day.”

Since I know he wants the best for me, I have to believe He knows that, in a given day, this is all the time I really need.

But, perhaps He is saying something so simple that we often miss it. Maybe, He is saying that He wants us to lead the kind of lives that fit nicely into the realm of His 24/7 established time frame.

Maybe He’s saying that filling up our day to overflowing isn’t part of His plan for us at all.

Maybe He wants us to enjoy life more and not try to pack it so full of endless activities that have no lasting value in the “big scheme of things.”

Maybe He’s telling us to take more walks and watch more sunsets.

Maybe He’s telling us that He’ll take care of the rest.

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Aug 3

Is God On The Throne?

by Brenda Poulos

Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7- “You shall have no other gods before me.”

You may say, with a sigh of relief, “That’s an easy command to keep. I worship God and Him, only. The Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

On the surface, this may seem to be true. However, let’s dig a little deeper into the true meaning of this otherwise “simple” command. Some of us, would have to admit that at some point in our lifetime, something or someone else has become a “god” to us.

Let’s look at the definition of “god”: an adored, admired, or influential person. For example, a renowned designer may be regarded as a “god” in the fashion industry.

  • a thing accorded the supreme importance appropriate to a god: For example, don’t make money your god.

This word “god” is often used interchangeably with the word “idol”, an object that is worshipped.

Anything can become a god in our lives if we let it take control of our thoughts and actions…if we put it on the throne of our lives in place of our Lord and Savior who rightfully belongs there.

Here are a few such idols I thought of. (There are, undoubtedly hundred more.) Fame, family, fitness, food, football, golf, fortune, free time, fun, television…

To alcoholics, alcohol may have become their god, taking control of their thoughts, actions, and desires. To addicts, it is the drugs their bodies crave.

The list goes on to include gambling addicts, shopaholics, those trapped in a lifestyle of pornography, and on and on.

Some of these things are good, such as food. But when eating gets out of control and we begin the worship food…let it control us, we have crossed the line into dangerous territory.

So, how do we keep that from happening? We ask God for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in turning away from these “false gods” and back to Him. We pray for the strength necessary to repent from this kind of sin in our lives and toward the One True God. We ask others to pray for us, too.

We “keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus” as we are reminded to do in the scriptures. Daily Bible reading and memorization is key to renewing our minds.

If we need to, we seek Christian Counseling from our pastors and/or mental health professionals.

Jesus asks us to worship Him with all our hearts, our souls, and our minds.

Anything else we allow on the throne of our lives will steal our joy and erode our relationship with Him.

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Jun 29

Perfect Timing

by Brenda Poulos

Exodus 14:29-31 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

Have you ever approached an intersection just as the yellow light turns red and thought “If I had arrived just a moment sooner, I would have made the light”?

Or, maybe you see a newspaper ad for an unbelievably good buy on something you have been wanting. The item is available “While Quantities Last.” So, you rush to the store only to see another customer purchase the last one!

Poor timing, I suppose.

In the book of Exodus, we read that Moses and the Children of Israel were being pursued by Pharoah’s army. They come upon the shoreline of the Red Sea with no way out—or so it seemed.

But, at just the right time,  the Lord told Moses to raise his staff. When he obeyed, a mighty wind caused the sea to part and the Israelites crossed to the opposite shore. The Egyptian army, chariots, and horsemen drowned when they attempted to follow them.

God’s timing was right.

God teaches us patience and dependence on Him as we wait for him to fulfill his promises to us, just as He did when He saved the Israelites. Remember, He sees the big picture.

His timing will always be perfect.

One day God will reveal the answers to the “whys” that plague so many of us. For now, our part is to exercise our faith and let God be God.

Trust that He knows best, that He will fulfill His promises, that we are in His very capable hands.

Brenda

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Jun 15

Spilling Over Into Joy!

by Brenda Poulos

Colossians 1:11,12- We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. (From “The Message” translation.)

“Mama, are we there yet?”

Those are words every parent has heard!

We humans are an impatient sort, aren’t we? We want to do it NOW, have it NOW, see it NOW, read it NOW, go there NOW…

NOW, NOW, NOW!

We could all use a heavy dose of patience, couldn’t we?

My long-time prayer partners could tell you that I have been asking them to pray for me in this area for years. I’m not there, yet, but I’m getting closer…

In these two verses from Colossians, we are reminded that patience is not just gritting our teeth and bearing the “waiting” for the answer to a prayer, for something to take place, or the end of suffering to come at last. That’s not the kind of patience God wants for us. “Grinning and bearing it” isn’t the way to live the victorious life in Christ.

No, our Heavenly Father wants us to experience the glorious strength that He offers because we will then be able to endure what often is (or seems to be) the unendurable.

But, it doesn’t end there because He offers more than just the ability to wait. He promises the kind of patience that spills over into joy.

That’s amazing. That takes us beyond the enduring and straight to the abundant life He has for us—that bright and beautiful life that begins when you come to know Him as Savior and continues on into eternity!

So, how do we get to that place of joy? Ah, let’s look at that verse again…it says that He will bring us to that place by HIS STRENGTH—not ours.

It’s not about us and what we do.

It’s all about trusting HIM—tapping into His “glory-strength.”

Is there something in your life that seems unendurable? My prayer for you, today, is that you will trust Him to strengthen you and bring you to that place of patience that “spills over into joy.”

Brenda

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May 25

America’s Favorites

by Brenda Poulos

I Peter 3:15– “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…”

America is a country that loves to do surveys. I looked up the survey results for “America’s Favorites”. You may be surprised at some of them:

America’s Favorite Game Show- Jeopardy

America’s Favorite Cookie- Oreo

America’s Favorite Cowboy- Gene Autry

America’s Favorite Foods- Steak and Chicken

America’s Favorite Sport- A toss up between baseball and football

America’s Favorite Preacher- Billy Graham

What about religions? It turns out that 71% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. However, the majority are reluctant to claim membership in any particular denomination.

Still, if we were to survey Americans, I am fairly certain the God of the Bible would win as America’s favorite. But, do the majority of Americans really know who God is? Do they know what He teaches? His laws? What about his character? His attributes? Do they believe in the existence of Heaven? Hell? Do they know what He says about the future of mankind? Do they believe He cares about them? That he answers prayer?

Where will they go to get the answers? The Bible? The internet? Their friends and neighbors?

As Christians, the Bible says that we are to be ready to answer those who ask us about our faith. There is a world filled with people who need to know that God loves them and has prepared a way to heaven for them.

God holds us responsible—and accountable— for sharing the good news of the gospel. We need to ask God to put the desire in our hearts to share His love with others…to boldly proclaim His message of forgiveness and mercy to a lost and dying world.

By the way, both believers and nonbelievers have voted “Amazing Grace” to be America’s favorite song.

Brenda

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May 18

24/7

by Brenda Poulos

Psalm 139:8- (David says of God) “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

My husband and I enjoy doing things with friends and family. Since our weekday evenings are generally filled with meetings and other obligations, we try to use our weekends to schedule time for eating out, movies, and having friends over.

Whether we use a scheduling system on our cell phones or an “old-fashioned” calendar, it is just a sign of the times that we are all very busy and need to keep track of our activities.

You wouldn’t think it would be so difficult to come up with workable dates for everyone in a group, but even when we plan things a month or two in advance, somehow we still run into scheduling problems or something comes up at the last minute which necessitates changing the date or time.

Even though we think we are busy, God must be even busier. Think about all of the prayers He must listen to—and act on—in just one given day! How about all of the world events, weather, planets, etcetera that are in His control?

And, yet, the Bible tells us that He wants to spend time with us each day! But, there are millions of us. How can He possibly do this when I have difficulty even getting the schedules of four friends to mesh?

His Word tells us that He is omnipresent (present in all places at all times) and omniscient (knows everything and his knowledge is complete). This makes it possible for Him to listen to my prayer at the same time He offers peace to earthquake victims and comforts the parents of a lost child. He doesn’t have to consult His calendar if you and I decide to pray at the same time or if catastrophes happen, simultaneously, around the globe.

He wants us to spend time with us and He’s available 24/7. Whenever we call on Him, He’ll be with us—on any given day, at any hour of the day or night.

He is able to meet with us at a moment’s notice. NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY.

Brenda

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