spiritualsnippets.com

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

Jun 20

Where Are They Now?

by Brenda Poulos

2 Corinthians 5:5b- “…to be absent from the body (is to) be present with the Lord.”

A television show that I often watch is called “Where Are They Now? “People write in, asking Oprah Winfrey to update them on what some of her past guests—childhood actors, or otherwise newsworthy people—are doing, now.

It is interesting to see what they look like, currently, and what they are doing with their lives. Some, sadly, have passed away. 

Watching recently, I felt God’s leading to remind readers that we can be assured of the eternal abode of our fellow Christians. 

We don’t have to ask, “Where Are They Now?” We know that believers will immediately be present with our Lord in Heaven when they leave this earth.

As a small child, I was extremely frightened of dying. I remember having terrible nightmares. My mother would respond to my outcries with patience and understanding. It wasn’t until I came to faith in Jesus in the 6th grade, that she and I got a good night’s sleep!

 I never again had a nightmare about dying!

Scripture comforts those of us faced with our own death or that of our loved ones who know Christ. But, for those who don’t, may this encourage us to go to them in love and share the gospel—today! 

Let’s not be left asking, “Where Are They Now?” 

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Jul 5

Can the Coronavirus Be a Blessing?

by Brenda Poulos

 

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Colossians 4:3- “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”

 

Can the coronavirus be a blessing?

Stop and think about it. Is this such an outrageous idea?

It came from two sources, just yesterday.

First, my grandson had hernia surgery. Then, a dear friend had surgery for a broken elbow.

Due to the coronavirus, only one family member (or none, in some cases) is allowed in the hospital waiting room when another family member is having surgery. This makes for a lonely, stressful experience for everyone involved.

My daughter sat in the waiting room nearby a woman whose infant daughter was also in surgery. The child, unfortunately, didn’t make it. But, what a wonderful opportunity for my daughter to offer genuine caring and support…to pray…to talk about the Lord.

My friend with the broken elbow was able to talk to several people, patients and hospital personnel alike, during her three-day hospital stay. She provided Christian tracts from the always well-stocked supply in her purse. These people were eager for the support and caring of a fellow patient. 

Even in these times of chaos and uncertainty, God opens many doors for the gospel to be shared with others. All we need to do is proclaim it to a world that is open to receiving The Word as never before.

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Nov 25

Are Your Feet Beautiful?

by Brenda Poulos

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Romans 10:15b- “As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

 

I am sure you have heard in the last few weeks about missionaries who have been captured and/or killed by the very people that they wanted to reach with the message of Jesus.

They didn’t stay in the comfort of their own homes. They didn’t enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with their friends and loved ones.

They went to a myriad countries around the world to preach the gospel—the Good News—to those who haven’t heard.

They were selfless…obedient…servants of The Most High God.

Some were tortured. Many lost their lives.

The Holy Spirit led. They followed—without regard for their own safety or well-being.

Most of us cannot imagine giving up what they have for the cause of Christ.

Hands serving…feet going…

God calls all Christians to a life of service to others. 

I see it everywhere I look: on street corners and in front of stores, Salvation Army volunteers ring their bells; church members add their gifts to the benevolent fund at church; people donate meals; others mow lawns; still others make blankets for those who are ill or those in need of winter warmth.

We aren’t all called to serve in far off countries. We only need to look around us to find ways of serving in our own communities.

Whether you choose to work in a soup kitchen or a non-profit thrift store; whether you can devote an hour or an entire day; if you are serving others in Jesus’s name, you are acting as His hands and feet here on earth.

 

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Oct 25

Is October A Good Month for Planting?

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 8:11- “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.”

Growing up, I remember my parents always had a small backyard garden. I also recall that they consulted an almanac, assuring them that they would be planting at the “right time.” Back then, the advice was pretty much straight forward.

Currently, if you want to get information on planting, you can consult one of the online almanacs and get information for your specific soil, temperature, altitude, slope of land, nearby water sources, length of day, etc.

It gets even more specific, based upon what it is that you want to plant. For example, plants vary by length of their growing season. Then, they take into account the weather predictions for those seasons (by year), type of crop, and on and on.

These websites are so all inclusive, that now they have calculators built into them for your convenience, baking tips, recipes, astronomy sections, poetry, newsletters, blogs, and web cams set up in various states.

So, as you can see, this question of “when to sow the seed” can be as complicated—or as simple—as you want to make it.

Jesus often used parables about the sowing of the seed to refer to spreading of the gospel. He talked about the ideal conditions under which the seed sown in the hearts of men would flourish (deep rich soil vs. rocky ground).

One thing he didn’t do was restrict the spreading of The Good News to a particular month, day, or season of the year. The important point being that, as Christians, we need only to be obedient to His calling and share with others as we are led.

Hearts which are fertile are everywhere, just waiting for someone to sow the seed.

Is October a good month for planting?

What do you think?

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Oct 5

A Good Name

by Brenda Poulos

Proverbs 22:1–  “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.”

As a child, I remember wishing my name were Debbie, Linda, or Karen.

Now that I’m nearing the publication of my first book, I find myself wishing for a name that would be more memorable. One that would sound “author-ish”.

I’ve thought of changes I could make to my name to make it more visually appealing….for example, not capitalizing it, like the famous poet, e.e.cummings.

brenda poulos

Or, dropping my last name and using my middle name as the last:

Brenda Carol

No? How about changing the spelling of my middle name?

Brenda Carolle

Perhaps using just my initials:

B. C. Poulos

I asked God to help me be content with my name just the way it is:

Brenda C. Poulos

He reminded me today that the name, Jesus—the sweetest, most wonderful name to Christians—was a very ordinary name in those days. Nothing particularly special about it…but it was the name God told Joseph and Mary to give the baby.

Matthew 1:21 says, “You shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” And it is the name praised by millions every day.

Of course, there are many other names that Jesus has in the Bible—names that reflect who He is, His role, His personality: Savior, Messiah, Adonai, The Good Shepherd, The Bright and Morning Star, The Rose of Sharon, The Lord, The Lamb of God, Light of the World, and on and on. Two hundred of them in all.

I told myself that maybe I would be more content with my own name if I knew what it meant. Somewhere, I had a bookmark with its meaning. I searched in a couple of drawers before I came up with it:

“BRENDA: Enthusiastic…fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.”

Maybe it doesn’t sound like a name that will draw people to pick up a book, but maybe it is a good name, after all.

Maybe those reading the gospel message woven into the pages of Runaways: The Long Journey Home will be led to it by Jesus…our God with an ordinary name who would allow someone with a name like mine to be an instrument to point the way

HOME.

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Jun 22

“What Exactly Does ‘Eternal’ Mean?”

by Brenda Poulos

Revelation 1:8– “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

“Grandma, I know who lived longest in the Bible,” my youngest grandson stated as we drove in rush hour traffic last week.

“Who was that, Owen?” I questioned, prepared to hear him say Methuselah (he’s pretty smart and does attend a Christian grade school.)

“God,” he replied with a big smile on his face.

Those kids trip me up all the time. I had to chuckle. “You’re right. He is eternal, isn’t He?”

“Yep.” He paused a moment. “What exactly does ‘eternal’ mean, Grandma?”

Now it was my turn. A teachable moment. I could answer my beautiful grandchild without interruption in the confines of my vehicle, creeping along in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“The Bible tells us that God always existed. That’s hard to comprehend because everything else we can think of was made—had a beginning—but not God. He always was. Everyone else—was made by Him.”

He joyfully joined in the discussion. “He created the world and everyone in it. He made it all.”

“True. But, there’s more to that word ‘eternal’. There’s the part that explains that He will have no end, either. He had no beginning and He will have no end.”

Owen’s eyes opened wide. “He’ll never die?”

“Nope. He won’t. But here’s a wonderful thing for us to realize. We don’t die, either!” I flashed him my biggest smile.

Owen’s eyes widened. “We won’t?”

I paused a moment before continuing. “Well, our bodies will die. That happens to everyone doesn’t it?”

He bit his lip. “Like Great Grandpa.”

“Yes. Like Great Grandpa.” I reached over to playfully tug on the bill of his ball cap.

“But our souls will live on in Heaven after our bodies die. If we accept Jesus as our Savior while we are still alive on this earth, we can be absolutely certain that we’ll spend the rest of eternity—forever and ever—in Heaven. God had no beginning and will have no end. Even though we did have a beginning, specially designed by God, we will have no end, just like Him!”

So, there you have it. You’ve been privy to a private conversation with my grandson.

God created you, just like Owen and me. You had a beginning. You can know everlasting life, too.

You can know and abide with your creator, the ETERNAL KING and LORD OF LORDS…forever! His gift of eternal life is free to “all who will believe.”

This is the GOOD NEWS of the GOSPEL!

Brenda

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Apr 19

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

by Brenda Poulos

Mark 16:15- He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Our dear Pastor Bob went to heaven Friday afternoon. This is a trip he was planning for quite some time. In fact, ever since he came to know Jesus as Savior and Lord, he had the assurance he would someday see Him face to face.

Pastor Bob took seriously the Great Commission. Everywhere he went—including the hospital where he had testing and Chemo—he never missed an opportunity to share the gospel with others. Pastor Bob was all about sharing the love of Christ with a hurting world. In everything he did, he pointed the way to Jesus.

He was all about relationships and building strong ties with everyone he could. He knew that if others could sense his real concern for them, they would listen to the message he shared with so many.

In a sermon a couple of weeks ago, Pastor Ben (another of our pastors at Grace Church in Mesa, Arizona) told us that only 5% of Arizonian’s attend church. That leaves 95% who potentially have never heard the gospel.That’s a staggering statistic!

Now just to be clear, I am not saying that going to church will assure a person of a home in heaven once they pass from this life into the next. In fact, the Bible declares that only those who put their faith in Jesus as Savior will enjoy eternal life with Him. That’s the message Jesus asks every believer to share. That’s the message that Pastor Bob passed along and that is the reason that he will hear these words when he stands before the heavenly throne, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

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