All in Spiritual Growth
Do you find as women we take on the sins of the world? We tend to play the game of “What Ifs?” What if I had done this differently? What if I had said that correctly? What if I had been a better person, would someone still have rejected or abused me?
Wow! Gideon’s 300 men soundly routed the Midianites. Amazing what God can do with the man He calls in the strength He gives him. To God be the glory! And the enemy stayed far away from the people of God for as long as Gideon lived: During Gideon’s lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years (8:28).
Do you want some encouragement today?
Hang in there… through any testing or temptation happening.
Look at this promise…
The young man sitting across the table confided, “When I was twenty-five, I thought I knew everything and was bullet proof. Nothing could hurt me, and no one could teach me anything. In the past few years I’ve discovered neither of those was true.”
Do you seek joy? I do.
I mean the joy that is blessing and happiness in life.
Then don’t miss this truth…
One of my favorite movies is “Wonder” based on the book by R. J. Palacio. The story is about a fifth-grade boy born with extreme facial differences. He is ashamed of his appearance and shunned by peers. He hides his face under an astronaut’s helmet with a tinted shield. Cruelty erupts. Lessons in kindness and healthy ways of relating to diversity emerge throughout the story.
We used to think we could get more done by multitasking, but the latest research shows this to be false. According to numerous studies, multitasking causes more errors than focusing on a single task.
Joshua and the Israelites were marching into the Promised Land and were, therefore, engaged in battle against the Canaanites. Repeatedly, they witnessed God’s power working on their behalf as they defeated their enemies in the south. Their enemies in the north were yet to be defeated. But instead of marching northward, Joshua led the Israelites back to Gilgal.
As my friend got ready for her garage sale, she found one lonely ski glove.
Who needs one ski glove? She thought and almost threw it away. After all, it’s highly unlikely that someone with one arm would ski.
Paying careful attention to what we have heard is critical ladies—what we have heard being the Gospel truth, not the word on the street. Truth is: Jesus is the author (2:10), of such a great salvation (2:3) as these Judean believers had, and as we have.
Social media. We have a love-hate relationship. While I do see it’s merit for connecting with friends and sharing God’s Truth, there are other aspects that irritate me. This is probably how most people feel – happy to stay current with friendships, tired of what they consider bragging.
We all wrestle with tough questions at times.
I’ve had this one surface lately: Does prayer change God’s mind?
(The short answer is no. But then, we’re left wondering why should we pray?)
Spring cleaning has taken on a new meaning these days. Closets, drawers and attics have been reorganized. Our yards and gardens may be looking better than years before. Surely there is some comfort gained while our to-do lists dwindle. But some people are entering into a restless phase while this virus continues to take center stage in our lives. I have begun to sigh when I hear the morose acronym...COVID-19.
Spring! After months of gray skies, bare, spindly trees, and brown grass, green emerges. Flowers bloom, showing their beauty. Sap makes its way to the tops of trees, filling them with life-giving nutrients to come alive with fresh foliage.
I live in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Yep, you guessed it, surrounded by pine trees. The school district I attended from Kindergarten through graduation is even named Pine Tree Independent School District. I have to admit, I love the pine trees. I love walking in the woods, and I love the smell of these evergreens.
I watched my husband and our daughter paddle out into the surf in a kayak. They moved through the water to look at the array of fish under them. At times they stopped paddling, but they did not stop moving. Sometimes they drifted further away from where they wanted to go. It required intentional effort to move in the right direction. To go where they wanted to go, they had to pursue it. Just drifting was not going to be enough.
While snow may be a dirty word in Texas this year, it’s not really the snow per se. Think how beautiful your backyard looked blanketed in white as the snowflakes drifted down. If only the freezing rain and sleet and hail and temperatures that dove to minus six had not lingered for all those days.
My sister’s husband is a pilot. Years ago I went flying with him in a small plane. I remember flying over my house thinking how beautiful everything looked. The house sat on a well-manicured lawn, the trees looked perfectly shaped and small bursts of color came from the flowerbeds. It was a beautiful sight from on high. However, the reality was the lawn needed mowing, the trees had several dead limbs, and the flowerbeds were full of weeds. What appeared perfect from a distance was far from perfect up close.
Are you hindered? I am…or at least I feel like it. A lot! Webster defines hindrances as things that impede, stop or prevent…to hold back, to delay action…to interfere with activity or progress. Yep. Seems like I live there!
Words are powerful. Words can ignite or extinguish a relationship. Words can generate war or inspire peace. Words bring tears of emotion. But words can also make us laugh until our sides ache. A teacher’s words can establish everlasting motivation in the life and soul of a student. Mighty prayers uttered in every language on earth can bring revival. The lyrics of beautiful songs bring healing and joy. The precious gift of salvation resonates through the sweet and simple words of Jesus Christ’s birth, death and resurrection. (John 3:16, John 14:6, Romans 10:9)
