spiritualsnippets.com

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

Sep 5

Mount Up!

by Brenda Poulos

Isaiah 40:31– “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Admit it.

You find it difficult to wait patiently for answers to your prayers.

Me, too.

When I questioned why God often made me wait for so long, my pastor said it was so I would learn patience.

I accepted that, knowing I certainly did need to work on patience in many areas of my life.

However, I recently discovered another purpose to waiting.

The verse in Isaiah reveals that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

We are all aware of the mighty eagle…its powerful wings.

So, next time you are waiting, draw on the strength of God’s Word. You’ll not only receive your answer, but the strength to deal with anything that comes your way.

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May 5

On Purpose, With a Purpose

by Brenda Poulos

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Psalm 57:2- “I cry out to God most high, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.”

 

A magazine article reported that depression is on the rise worldwide. One of the main causes is that people don’t see that they have any real purpose.

They feel that they should have a purpose. They just haven’t discovered what it is.

They fail to adequately answer the age-old question, “Why did God put me on this earth?” And, that often results in them living lives in which they don’t believe that they matter…that if they were not here, it really wouldn’t make a difference to anyone…

The psalmist relates to those feelings, and in desperation, he cries out to God for the answer, for it is He that created each of us on purpose, with a purpose.

Don’t doubt that you matter to God. Don’t doubt that He created you to make a difference in this world. Don’t ignore His direction… his leading.

It may not take you down the path you expected.

It may not nudge you in a way that is the most comfortable.

But, He will lead you, if you are sincere in your request… if you are patient… if you trust in His Word.

 

 

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Aug 20

A Commandment With A Huge Blessing

by Brenda Poulos

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Deuteronomy 5:16– “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

 

I sighed as I waited for Dad to put in his hearing aids and Mom to retrieve her purse. Looking up at the clock, I realized we would likely be late for their doctor’s appointments. I asked my sister get our parents up to the front of their care center while I pulled the car around the building so we could load them—and Mom’s wheelchair— inside with easy access.

If you assist with the care of aging parents, you know very well the time and patience—not to mention commitment—it takes to keep going back day after day.  

It also takes a lot of love. And, for most of us, it is because of love that we persevere.

The Bible tells us to honor our father and mother. Growing up, honoring may have meant showing respect and obedience. Later on, it might have meant remembering to visit, observing holidays, birthdays, etc.

But as they have grown older, our parents may need “honoring” of a different sort. It may require running errands, assistance with household chores, helping with bills, and even physical care.  

I am fortunate to have a brother and two sisters to help do all that is necessary for our aging parents. In their nineties, this requires a lot of time—even if it only means sitting down with them to look—over and over again—at old family photos or listen to stories of times-gone-by.

If you are in similar circumstances, I want to encourage you from God’s Word, today. 

Even though you may grow weary, you will be blessed beyond measure. You still have your loved one(s) with you. You can still do things together that create beautiful memories you will treasure when they are no longer physically here.

As you follow God’s commandment to honor your parents, you will be a blessing to them, and you will be blessed by God for your obedience, in return. 

As your own children observe your actions toward your mother and father, they learn a powerful lesson from God’s Word. They will be there for you, when the time comes.

I pray that The Holy Spirit will guide you, give you patience, and bless you with peace and wonderful memories.

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Nov 29

What To Do In That Little Slice of Time Between the “Question” and the “Answer”

by Brenda Poulos

Romans 15:4- For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

 

We were among the thousands of people in airports this past week.

One of my favorite things about traveling is people watching. There are a lot of little jewels to be observed…and beyond the observations are often things to be learned.

In line at the ladies restroom, I overheard a grandmother as she prodded a toddler to hurry up and get in line; then, she encouraged him to be patient as he waited.

Isn’t that the way life seems to be sometimes?  Hurry up. Wait. Hurry up. Wait.

There are plenty of situations in which we must practice the art of patience. The dictionary definition of patience is:  “The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting upset or angry.” My definition is: being content while waiting. A Bible Study leader once linked patience to the Biblical concept of “resting.”

Resting…hum…not struggling against…but, instead, taking a deep breath and just allowing oneself to be in perfect harmony with the “in between.” That often annoying and sometimes unbearable slice of time between the question and the answer.

I think of laying my head back in a swimming pool and relaxing—simply floating. Not treading water—no, that requires expending effort to just stay afloat in the same spot…But, floating, with my eyes closed…letting the water support me…Can you just see it? Feel it? The sheer peacefulness of it?

After all these years of me asking my prayer partners to pray that I would learn patience, could it possibly be that God didn’t want for me to just “tread water”—He might have wanted to teach me to float?

To be supported by Him, His love, His Word, His promises?

Not struggling.

No expending energy.

Just simply resting

In 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

Biblical lessons

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