spiritualsnippets.com

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

Jan 8

A Beautiful Year Ahead

by Brenda Poulos

2 Corinthians 13:11b- “…Encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Since my mother’s passing, I have spent quite a bit of time going through hundreds of newspaper clippings she saved over the years. If she kept them, they must have impacted her in one way or another—and reading them gives me more insight into the unique woman that she was.

One of the ones I was reading today was a poem about what would be a beautiful year ahead. As I read through it, here are a few phrases that stood out:

The breeze in my hair.

Nights filled with stars.

Running barefoot in the grass.

Clouds of yellow butterflies.

A talk with a friend.

The touch of a hand.

A robin’s sweet song.

A year of peace and love.

I can’t help but think that a year—and a world—of peace and love, is just what Jesus would like for each of us to have, too. So, I join with my sweet mother, in prayer for a world which, in 2023, will experience unprecedented love and peace.

Biblical lessons Encouraging words

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Nov 27

Thanks for Everything

by Brenda Poulos

I Thessalonians 5:18- “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Both Cheryl and her husband Marty had health challenges all year long. Added to that, their daughter unexpectedly announced that she and her husband of five years had decided to divorce.

On the way to the supermarket to get the last minute fixings for New Year’s Day Dinner, their car was hit by a red light runner. Cheryl and Marty were not injured, but their car was totaled.

And it was New Year’s Eve!

Joey, the tow truck driver, gave them a lift home and a reminder from I Thessalonians. He told them to rejoice in Christ. No, not rejoice that they’d been in a car wreck. He pointed out that the verse says in; not for. 

“In means in the midst of or amid. So, the verse means that even while we may have problems or difficulties, we still can rejoice that we have Jesus. We have His love. We have His care. We have salvation because of His sacrifice. We have His promise.” 

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Oct 24

He Loved You FIRST

by Brenda Poulos

1 John 4:19- “We love because he first loved us.”

My niece recently found one of her animals dead on their property. She mourned its passing as one might a human being. (All of you animal lovers know what I’m talking about.)

My sister told me that my niece’s animals love her. They all come to the fence when they hear her voice. Not just for food, as you might imagine, but for attention—a scratch behind the ears, a gentle hug, encouraging words.

She showed love to them, first. Then, they responded to her in kind.

The Bible tells us that Christians respond to the selfless love of Jesus. He loved us, first, as we are told in Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”                                  

We are his people, the sheep of HIS pasture.

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Dec 20

True Adoration

by Brenda Poulos

Luke 2:20- The shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.”

*Part 2, from last week’s “Behold!”

Come, let us adore our Christ.

What is meant by the term adore?

Worshipping Him (and the truth of who He is) and rejoicing in Him with great joy.

Exceeding great joy is at the heart of true adoration.

LOVE, HONOR, ESTEEM, WORSHIP, ADMIRE, GLORIFY, PRAISE, REVERE, RESPECT DEEPLY.

With Genuine Faith in Who Jesus Really Is: 

The Child born king of the Jews.

God’s Son, our Savior, who reigns on His throne at the right hand of The Father.

Let’s adore Him with every thought we have, every goal we set, each decision we make, the words we speak and the actions we take.

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Jun 16

The Father of Compassion

by Brenda Poulos

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2 Corinthians 1:3-4  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

 

The word father refers to the male person who is the source of life for his offspring. But, the term father is so much more than simply referring to procreation, the physical act.

It is a man who gives care and protection to his offspring.

Someone who begins or originates an idea or work is also referred to as a father. For, instance, we say that George Washington is the Father of our country… that James Madison is the Father of the constitution… the term founding fathers credits certain men for their work in establishing our government…

Christians pray to God, our Heavenly Father.

The verse in second Corinthians tells us that God is the Father of Compassion. 

Because God IS love, compassion for us and our sufferings naturally flows from Him.

Through prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can tap into that source of love and compassion and use it to comfort others.

God is the originator. 

The source.

Our compassionate Heavenly Father.

 

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Mar 10

The Top Twenty

by Brenda Poulos

 

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1 John 3:16- “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

 

Recently, I was asked to list my TOP TWENTY—verses, that is. 

I am sure you have had a similar request in a Bible Study Group, Sunday School class, or even from a curious friend.

Before printing my list, I scrolled through it briefly, looking for typos.

I found one—sort of.

Instead of typing John 3:16, I had written 1 John 3:16, instead.

I started to make the correction, but I was curious. (I’m always looking for special messages from God. Was this one?) What did the verse in 1 John say? Was there a similarity in meaning to the often-quoted verse, John 3:16?

I turned to the reference and read the beautiful words about love. (Also, in John 3:16, so there was a connection, but there was more). 

The verse was an answer to prayer because I had been searching for the perfect verse to put in my almost-finished Christian Suspense Novel, Truth or Dare—a story about a wayward father called upon to donate a kidney to his child.

God heard my prayer for guidance and led me to the exact verse to use in my book. 

And, yes, 1 John 3:16 will forevermore be included in my Top Twenty.

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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 20

Now Is The Time for Praise

by Brenda Poulos

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2 Samuel 22:1-3 “David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” 

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

    my shield and the horn of my salvation.

He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—

    from violent people you save me.”

 

Did you ever wake up praising God?

Wow. What a feeling!!!

You’re on top of the world.

Maybe you’ve just received good news. Perhaps an answer to prayer. Or, you’ve been blessed in an unexplainable way and you look at a friend and say, “It has to be a God thing.”

I usually begin by shouting to the heavens, “Thank you, Lord.” This is followed by a more serious prayer and a chorus or two.

Praise isn’t just for today—or for us. A lot of people in the Bible had reason to give God a “shout-out,” too. 

Many Christians love to read the Psalms because of King David’s beautiful words. He sang 2 Samuel, as he did a great many of his Psalms. He also played stringed instruments. David knew how to express his love and gratitude.

Some of David’s psalms were written in the midst of battles—or as a result of deliverance from the hands of his enemies. He knew when—and how—to praise God. 

I recall, as a child, singing this chorus: “Do you know what time it is? Time to praise the Lord … anytime’s the right time to praise the Lord.”

Whether in the midst of disappointment or a spiritual battle, after you receive a blessing or an answer to a prayer, NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO PRAISE THE LORD.

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Jan 6

“I Can Read Him Like a Book”

by Brenda Poulos

25938206930_c02b565a292 Corinthians 3:2- “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.”

“Don’t let him fool you. I can read him like a book,” my husband said of our son when he was only ten years old. He was sure that he could tell what our son was thinking—what he was up to—by the look in his eyes and the evasive way he answered him. 

Wouldn’t it be a compliment to a Christian to be leading a life so “Christ-like” that others would immediately conclude that he/she was a believer? To be leading a life of truthfulness? Full of forgiveness? Wrapped in love for others? A life of service?

I’ve met Christians like that. In word and action, so open and gentle in their manner that there is no doubt as to the authenticity of their faith.

It is my hope, in 2019, that I would become more and more like Christ. That others would see Christ living in me.

That I might be an open book, easily “read” and recognized by everyone as a child of the Most High God.

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Feb 11

A Little Lesson on LOVE

by Brenda Poulos

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Matthew 5:44- “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

 

I have a new logo—a heart, with the words, “Stories of Forgiveness” inside.

Each of my three Christian Suspense Fiction books has been about something different: abuse, unbelief/pride of self, and bullying. However, the central characters all experience healing because they learn to FORGIVE.

Forgiveness has the power to transform lives. No matter who we are or what our background may be, we can each find joy, power, and freedom in forgiveness.

But what about love (you know, the heart in the logo) how does that tie in?

Some people are not so lovable. People who hate, curse, and persecute you are especially hard to be nice to. However, God says we are to do more than that—we are told to love them.

Many years ago, my pastor told me that praying for someone that had “rubbed me the wrong way” would allow The Holy Spirit to work in my heart and make it possible for me to actually come to love that person.

So, I put Matthew 5:44 to the test. Over the period of a year (it is not a one-prayer process) I found that I actually came to understand and care for the other person.

And, yes, forgiveness followed.

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