spiritualsnippets.com

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

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!

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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!

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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! 

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Jul 3

Pray Away the Darkness

by Brenda Poulos

1 John 1:9- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

I met with a group of other writers at a church coffee shop this past week. And as we sat discussing our current work, we were jarred by the sound of the door opening and banging against the wall.

A young woman stumbled in, wailing one of the most awful sounds I have ever heard, and threw herself onto the concrete floor about six feet from our table. Her shirt wet with tears, she lay prostrate on the floor and yelled, “No one can help me.”

Our small group went over and began to pray. The woman continued to cry out that she’d done something so bad that she felt even God would not choose to help her.

The coffee shop manager called the pastor of the church, asking him to come and talk with the young woman. When he arrived and introduced himself, she willingly went with him to his office.

Praise God that this  woman—even though she thought herself unworthy of forgiveness—came the the “right place” where she would hear of God’s love and mercy.

When our meeting ended, the door to the pastor’s office still remained closed. We prayed again for this person to accept God’s forgiveness and begin a victorious life in Christ.

The verse I chose to highlight today is likely one that the pastor quoted to her. 

Pray for someone you may know who needs to hear they can experience forgiveness, too.

May the love of God shine into the dark places of their souls.

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Dec 6

Grandmother’s Example

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 6:38- “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Her gnarled fingers slipped into her coat pocket and retrieved a dollar bill. She put it into the pot beside the bell ringer. As her eyes met mine, she whispered these words, “There—but for the grace of God—go I.”

My grandmother taught me many Christian principles by example. And, as far as I know, she never lacked for anything she really needed.

She wasn’t rich, monetarily. That wasn’t her motivation for giving (as some nowadays interpret the verse in Luke). No, she gave because Christ asked her to—and in doing so, He reminded her that He was supplying her needs. In turn, He used her—and others like her—to meet the needs of the poor. 

Because of her giving, she was blessed in other ways. A happy, healthy family. A faithful, God-fearing husband. Fellowship with a community of believers.

Especially in this Christmas season, I am reminded both of her words—and His. For it is by His grace that God blesses us with the same measure we use to help meet the needs of others.

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Mar 3

A Benediction for You

by Brenda Poulos

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Numbers 6:24-26  “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.”

 

The pastor in the church I attended as a child always ended the Sunday service by proclaiming a benediction.

It was my favorite part of the worship hour. I would close my eyes and let the scripture wash over my soul. I felt so close to God!

There are many benedictions in the Bible. I’ve included two, here, that are especially meaningful to me.

If you have had a hard week…if you are facing difficulties…if you need encouragement, meditate on these words and let the peace of God flood into every corner of your life, bringing you the full knowledge of His love and grace.

Ephesians 3:20,21– “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

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Jan 27

Read the Prologue

by Brenda Poulos

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Romans 15:4– “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

 

If you are a lover of books and reading, then you know that reading the prologue is essential to the understanding of the overall story.

The prologue is a few pages at the front of the book (labeled as such) that tells what happened prior to the beginning of the book and sets up the rest of the story. 

It dawned on me that the OLD TESTAMENT is a prologue of sorts.

The books of the Old Testament follow the story of creation all the way up to the beginning of the New Testament which begins with the genealogy of Jesus. It’s the account of men such as Moses and Abraham. It recounts the struggles of the apostles and prophets. 

All of that background, including the giving of The Law and the sinful nature of man, are essential information to have in order to understand just what an amazing gift eternal life is—to help us picture what God actually did for us when He sent Jesus—and what it means when He offers His grace to us today.

While parts of the Old Testament may be more difficult to read and understand, don’t be tempted to skip this crucial step in understanding our Christian faith and realizing just how precious the Word of God—THE STORY—truly is!

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Dec 9

Meeting Your Zacchaeus

by Brenda Poulos

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Luke 19: 1-4 “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him …”

 

Each time the lady in front of Billie leaned over to make a comment to her husband, Billie had to reposition herself so that she could see the speaker.

Dan was shorter than the other guys around him, so he wasn’t able to see all of the members in the band as they performed.

Billie and Dan had a similar experience to that of Zacchaeus. They couldn’t see who they wanted to see. 

In the Bible story, Zacchaeus and Jesus (whom he climbed a tree to see) end up spending time together. Zacchaeus repents of his sins and experiences forgiveness.

I don’t know what Zacchaeus expected to happen that day (scripture only says that he wanted to see who Jesus was), but our Lord knew he’d be up in that tree. He had a message for him and Zacchaeus responded.

Sometimes, the days just don’t unfold according to our plans. Sometimes God has something different in mind for us. Perhaps he wants us to listen to someone’s troubles, deliver a meal we hadn’t planned on making, give a blanket to a needy person. 

Whatever the case … whatever the circumstance … wherever He leads …

There just may be a Zacchaeus in our lives waiting for us to share the message of forgiveness and grace.

 

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Jun 4

What’s Happening Backstage?

by Brenda Poulos

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Act 14:17- “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

 

Have you ever attended a live play or a musical and wondered, as I have, just how everything gets coordinated “back stage”?

I mean, costumes, make-up, hairstyles, props, background scenery, lighting, musical scores, and so much more.

How do they do it?

There are hundreds of people—paid and volunteers—that work weeks ahead of time on scenery, costumes, and schedules.

Things like scene and costume changes are gone over and over just as vigorously as the actors rehearse their lines.

Each performance has a scene and prop crew, light board operator, electric run crew, sound board operator, wardrobe crews, design assistant and stage manager (just to name a few).

All of these people must do their jobs, perfectly, so that performances go forward without a hitch.

Ever wonder who keeps our world going?

The Bible tells us God is capable of simultaneously listening to and answering prayer, controlling the seasons and the weather, dispensing things like discipline, grace, and mercy.

He controls gravity and the tides. He keeps our planet and our solar system in perfect balance. He creates new life.

Gives the term “backstage crew” new meaning, doesn’t it?

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May 21

Think About These Things

by Brenda Poulos

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Philippians 4:8- “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Counseling his son as what to do about a recent break-up with a girlfriend, a father tells his son to “just forget about her.”

A concerned mother’s answer to her daughter’s sad demeanor is to tell her to “just think happy thoughts.”

 

When things aren’t going as planned or when someone disappoints us, we can turn to God’s Word, go to our Heavenly Father in prayer and seek the counsel of Christian friends because harboring ill feelings, taking revenge, or wallowing in self-pity steals our joy.

Forgiving others, extending grace and mercy to those we feel have wronged us, will keep our thoughts from wandering back to the negative and dwelling on what happened, rather than looking forward and restoring our relationships.

We need to keep our hearts—and minds—on Christ Jesus and those things that are pleasing to Him.

When we do, our burdens are lifted and the future looks brighter—

A future filled with hope and restoration.

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