trbccoffeebreak

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!  The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war, and the armies of heaven were following him on white horses.” Revelation 19:11,14 (ESV)

“Oh, I’m so excited.  What an incredible blessing it worked out this way.  I’m in town to visit family, and I find out He’s coming.  I can’t believe it.  He has no idea how much He’s changed my life. I just touched the hem of His garment the last time and everything changed. I must tell Him. Rebecca, we need to go.  Do you have your palm branches?”

Imagine the excitement among the people when he rode into town that day on a donkey. People shouting “Hosanna” and waving palm branches (symbol of triumph).  For three years, He had been restoring sight to blind people, healing the lame, raising people from the dead, and speaking messages of hope and encouragement to people.  He was the rescuer everyone dreamed of.

No one could have imagined how drastically things would change in one week.  Jesus was betrayed, crucified, buried, and then resurrected.  He appeared to his disciples and over 500 people before ascending to Heaven.

For over 2000 years, Jesus’ followers have been waiting for His return.  Waiting to be “rescued” from the pain of this earth.  Perhaps that’s why so many of us love the romantic movies with a hero (a Prince Charming) riding in on a white horse to whisk us off to a perfect life. Or we try to fill that ache in our soul for something more with things/substances that only end up leaving us feeling emptier.

There’s only one person who can truly fill the longing of our heart.  That is Jesus.  His physical body is in heaven preparing a place for us to live when we die.  He left us the gift of the Comforter until He returns. Have you read the blueprints of the design of the city He’s building for us? One day we will walk on streets paved with gold, perhaps that’s why the Bible tells us to not seek money but Him. Our Prince owns it all.

One day Jesus will return. He will be riding a white horse this time – with His triumphal entry.  The Prince of Peace will establish His Kingdom on earth.  Those of us who died having accepted Him will return to earth with Him (the New Earth) that is – in our resurrected/perfect bodies.  There will be no more pain, no more abuse, no more cancer, no dying and we will live happily ever after.

No fairy tale ending here – a real life – God’s Word promises us.

“Lord help us to not dream about false rescuers. Teach us to call on the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) to ease our hurts until we see You face to face.”

For His Glory

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

“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13

The confusion and chaos in our country and world are undeniable—and overwhelming. A football coach is fired for praying with his team. College students are being kicked out of clubs and sororities for having conservative views. A member of a popular band tweets a simple compliment to an anti-Antifa author, and he’s kicked out of the group. Perspectives differing from the Pravda—I mean, mainstream media—narrative are, well, simply canceled. Children in my city are being pressured in school to “choose where are they are the gender spectrum.” Churches around the nation have remained closed through a year of crises, during which time another million babies have been exterminated through readily available “healthcare.” I could go on and on. Right is wrong, and wrong is right. Like me, you may be looking around in astonishment thinking, “Things are falling apart.”

But, sisters, none of this should come as a surprise to us. The Bible is very clear that everything in this world will get worse and worse before Jesus returns for His bride. In fact, since the Fall, the perfection of Creation has been collapsing, decaying, dying. Even during the Apostle Paul’s time, Nero (the most powerful leader in the world) married several people, one of whom was a man. Unwanted babies were left outside to be eaten by wild animals or to be stolen for temple prostitution. And there were more slaves in ancient Rome than citizens. We can follow the horrors and madness through the years to today. The enemy, Satan, has one goal: destruction (John 10:10). He is defeated, but he will continue to prowl around with his cronies looking to devour us until his time is up (1 Peter 5:8).

As Americans, we are truly blessed. Our nation was founded on religious liberty—to keep the government from controlling the Church. And for hundreds of years, we have enjoyed the freedom to worship when and how we want, without government intrusion. Our cultural underpinning has always been freedom and equal opportunity—that’s why, since its inception, people around the world have been risking everything to live here. American Christians are feeling a shift in our historical liberty, but let’s not forget that, since the first century, most of the world’s believers have been at risk of being beaten, jailed, and executed for professing their faith in Jesus. Christian persecution and martyrdom are happening today in record numbers globally, so is a ramp-up of American persecution really that shocking?

Well, it’s all quite alarming when our focus is purely political and cultural—as are many of the insane things happening in our nation today when viewed through the lens of our unique Constitution and history. But we are not citizens of the U.S or even this world. We are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20). We are in the world, but we’re not to be of it (John 15:19). We are to keep an eternal perspective. And based on the Bible and God’s promises, we can know what’s really happening: Nothing is falling apart at all. It’s all falling together. 

“Lord, when I look around at the mess of the world, our nation, or even my own life, help me to shift my focus to You and Your promises. Keep me rooted in Your Word and standing firm on my faith.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Ministry

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

When I was a kid, there were no programs in schools aimed at helping people with disabilities to fit in. I didn’t, however, see my friends through the lens of handicap or disability. To me, they were friends and, in my mind, they could achieve anything they wanted.

I remember the first day a beautiful brunette walked through the doors of my 6^th grade class. She was a little older than the kids in her class and was returning to school after a long hiatus, explained her mother to the teacher, as all of us curious cats listened in. She walked very slowly, and no one really noticed she walked with a limp.

All was going really well in class and Marina – that was her name – was catching up with the rest of the class without much toil. Because she was fully developed physically, some of the girls in our class would turn their eyes when she walked in and said she probably belonged in high school instead. As for me, I was interested in knowing why my new friend had requested to not participate in Physical Education (PE) class.

The girl had a case of polio when she was a baby and one of her legs did not fully develop – thus the limp – as she literally had to drag the smaller limb as she walked. But she was not only beautiful; she was also determined. So, the first chance I got, I talked her into going to PE with me one day.

On that particular day, our teacher gave us mild activities so that Marina could fit in with the rest of the class. And to my heart’s delight, and our teacher’s pride, a large group of us stood clapping when it was Marina’s turn to do the activity. We chanted happily, “You can do this! You can do this!” as our classmate made her way through the crossing line. She finished her race with a huge smile on her face.

I don’t know what you’re dealing with today, but whatever it is, I want to tell you that through Christ, you can do it; through Christ, you can overcome. Through Christ, you are victorious!

“Father, we are victorious through You and through You we can do all things. Amen.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life