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“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 (NIV)

Don’t you just love being on the receiving end? You know unwrapping presents or having someone treat you to lunch. Gotta just love it when we’re the one who gets the surprise delivery at work or a freebie when we walk into the store. Maybe just once in a while, we find ourselves with a hand full of treats simply because someone thought we were special. And that smile on our face tells it all – we absolutely love it.

Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of a gift you didn’t like? Perhaps it was Mary who knitted you a purple scarf to match the red mittens she gave you last year. Even better, how about the blender you got from your husband on your birthday? Dare we mention the casserole that showed up at our doorstep from the friendly neighbor who definitely can’t cook. Regardless, we grinned and said thank you even though our hearts longed for something else.

Found myself there the other day – God handed me a gift, and it was one I really didn’t want. He had especially picked this out for me. He allowed it to happen, and believe it or not, He wouldn’t take any returns. God’s outstretched hand ensured me this one was handpicked.

Now we’d all rather have that sparkling diamond than a bottle of cleaner to make our windows sparkle. Yet God in His sovereignty often extends gifts to us that buff out the rough spots and enable us to shine as women of God who glorify His name. His gifts are intentional. His gifts stretch our faith and promote deep growth. And yes, His gifts promise the beauty of producing great fruit in our lives.

What gift are you unwrapping this week? Is it the gift of discouragement that will teach you how to lift your eyes above your circumstances? Is it the gift of suffering that will teach you the value of life and seizing every moment? Is it the gift of struggle and wrestling with doubts? Regardless, God has entrusted that gift into your hands – now what will you do with it? Make Him proud sweet friend – dazzle Him with your steadfast faith. Whisper thank you in the dark even though you long for something else.

“Father, thank You for the gifts that transform our lives to shine for You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the HOPE to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,”      (Ephesians 1:18, NIV)

“He’s a loving Father.  Just as an earthly father cares for his children, how much more will your Heavenly Father do for you.”

It’s a common analogy that preachers use when explaining the attributes of God, comparing Him to a loving Father.

But what about the children whose father passed away when they were little?  Or the ones whose father walked out on them?  Consider the ones who had a father in their life, but he was emotionally distant or abusive.  It’s hard to imagine something you’ve never had.

When I was little, my Grandma Edith was a special person in my life. She was always talking about this man named Jesus.  Telling me how I could be anything in Him.

When she died a lot of things in my life changed.  I remember walking by myself to church after her death.  I heard the preacher say – –

“Do you need a friend, let Jesus be the friend who will never leave you?”

 “Do you need hope that life can be different?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – Jesus as a friend?  Jesus offers Hope?

I’d heard him talked about before as a loving father, but I had a hard time relating to that. Growing up my Dad was an angry person.  It was best to stay out of his way when he was home.  I never knew what to expect when he walked through the door.

After Grandma died, I desperately needed a friend and hope that life could be different from what I knew.

After hearing that hope had a name – it was the name of Jesus; I went forward that day at the altar call.  I accepted Jesus as my Savior and my friend. Jesus was the Hope I had been looking for.

When a father dies, there’s usually an inheritance left behind.  When Jesus died on the cross for us, He left us the best inheritance of all.  We’re quick to think about the glorious future of resurrection, and eternal life with him.  Yet, we often overlook the fact that He gives us hope for this life.

Sometimes it seems that life is stacked against us. Focusing on what you don’t have can leave you feeling very hopeless.

Be assured that what you have in Jesus, our Hope is greater than the things you don’t have. He’s able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever ask for.  (Ephesians 3:20)

That little girl could have never imagined the life I have now.

“Dear Jesus, we thank you today that we have an inheritance through you.  We are your daughters’. Because of you we have victory in this life.  You are our Waymaker!”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes www.ephraimministries.org
TRBC Women’s Life

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6

Our house has a small front porch with an overhanging roof.  A white column supports one end of the overhang, and several bird families have declared the top of the column to be the best place to build a nest.  Over the years, we’ve had a front row seat for watching our feathered friends build their nests, raise their young, and encourage their fledglings to take their first flight.

A few days ago, we noticed that an old nest built by barn swallows was taken over by a familiar pair of house finch.  The birds spent the day adding twigs and feathers to the muddy nest, and soon the mother bird filled the nest with eggs.  For the next few weeks, the mother bird’s only task is to sit on the eggs and wait for them to hatch.

Not too long after the eggs had been laid, I caught glimpse of a tender act of love: the father bird had brought a worm to the mother bird, and she was delighted!  The father bird knew that the mother bird needed nourishment while she waited.  He provided for her when she needed it the most!

Isn’t that a wonderful picture of God’s love for us?  In our own seasons of waiting, God knows our needs.  He knows that waiting can be long, lonely, and discouraging.  The good news is that if we put our hope in God, He will give us refreshment while we wait.

In Psalm 130:5, the author states that while he waits on the Lord, he puts his hope in God’s word.  The Bible tells us that God gives us strength when we are weak (Isaiah 40:31), He gives us rest when we are weary (Matthew 11:28-30), He turns our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11), and He gives us a citizenship in Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21).  All of these promises provide such sweet nourishment during our seasons of waiting!

Not only does the psalmist put his hope in God’s word, he compares waiting to a watchman who waits for the morning.  During biblical times, watchmen guarded a city at night for potential threats.  They stayed up all night long waiting for the dawn, for they knew that the sun was guaranteed to rise.  In Psalm 130:6, the psalmist stated that he waited on God more than watchmen waited for the morning.  In other words, he really believed that God would do what he said he would do!  May we learn to wait on God as if we are watchmen expecting the dawn, knowing that God’s word is true.

“Lord, help us turn to You and Your word during times of waiting.  Teach us to wait with expectant hope, so that we can receive Your refreshment.”
For His Glory

Aubrey Carrales
TRBC Women’s Life