Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 3, 2020

Stepping In With Mercy

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (NLT)
 

Moms wear lots of hats: chef, chauffeur, housekeeper, personal assistant, cheerleader, tutor, office manager, etc. Of all the hats I wear as a mom, my least favorite is my nurse’s hat. I would like to ditch this hat altogether since it requires mercy. (I am sorely lacking in mercy.)

I prefer natural remedies over doctor visits so the vitamins, juices, and other natural treatments taste nothing like the cotton candy medicine a pharmacy might prepare. I give my children what they need to fight viruses and stomach aches, but stroking a feverish forehead with a cool cloth or rubbing the back of a retching boy is not in my wheelhouse. My philosophy: rest so your body can fight the invader and let me get my work done. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but there it is.

Our key verse presents a big challenge for me. To be merciful is to care for those who are in agony, distress, or sorrow. Mercy moves beyond compassion, sympathy for another’s unfortunate situation along with a desire to help, to action. Mercy acts on compassion. Mercy steps in and gets her hands dirty. Mercy listens to the grief and makes it her own. Mercy hears the heartache and accepts the sorrow as her own.  Often a virus that latches on to one child eventually makes its way through all the members of our household. When the virus strikes me, mercy floods my heart for those who have been struck before me. “So this is what you were feeling?” I think. I swim in a sea of remorse as I brave the fight my body is waging. If only I had known.

Mercy doesn’t wait to find out what devastation feels like until it strikes her personally. It dives into the devastation along with the wounded, serving in whatever way God directs.

I will dig my nurse’s hat out of the trash bin. I will enter into the suffering of others, ready to offer a cup of cool water.

“Lord, I commit to not only sympathize and desire to help those in misery, but to enter into the suffering. Show me how I can be merciful to those in need of mercy.”

 

For His Glory

Tammy Randlett (http://staletoast.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Mercy, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 1, 2020

When Hypocrite Defines Us

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation.”  Matthew 23:13-14

I know you’ve heard it. “Christians are such hypocrites.” In fact, I know you know people who do not go to church, don’t trust the Church, or even refute the existence of God because this statement is true.

And we’ve all heard of or experienced firsthand the tragic fall of believers within the body of Christ. These situations are always sad and disappointing. But when these fallen believers happen to be in the spotlight, the media, along with unbelievers everywhere, are almost giddy as they report (um, attack) the tragedy as it unfolds. But, fellow Christians, I have one request of us before we—with the masses—join in to point and shout, “You hypocrite!”

 

First, go to a mirror, face your own image, point, and shout, “You hypocrite!”

Yes, the Church is hypocritical—it’s full of hypocrites! Its chairs are filled (well, 50% or so filled at present) with people like you and me. Fallen human beings who, although saved by grace, still live in the world. We have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ, so that when we stand before a perfect and holy God, we will be seen as worthy of His presence…but we’re not there yet. We’re here. In this world, in this broken body and depraved mind. Right now, we are not perfect—no one standing on this earth can proclaim otherwise.

That being said, as Christians, we—through the power of the Holy Spirit—still must strive to live an authentic life. We must read the Word and walk in the Word, doing our best not to “turn to the left or to the right” (Proverbs 4:27). And we recognize that we will fail. Like the great Apostle Paul bemoaned, we do the things we don’t want to do, and we don’t do the things we want to do (Romans 7:15-20). But, as we stand firm on God’s Truth, we ask—and receive—forgiveness (from others and from God), and we keep moving ahead.

So, whenever we see or hear of “hypocritical” Christians, stop, turn to the nearest mirror, and pray.

“Lord, thank You for making me a new, perfected creation in Christ. As I await living out that perfection with You in heaven, help me to live authentically, let me seek Your forgiveness when I fail, and help me extend grace to others.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Success, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 31, 2020

Best Teacher Ever

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”  Luke 6:40 (ESV)

Backpacks are ready.  Lunches fixed and another school year is underway.  While it looks a lot different in 2020, school is either back in session or getting ready to start.  Quite the nerd, I truly loved school.  The art of learning new things, hanging out with friends and football season lured me back into the classroom with excitement.

Interesting how we think graduation ends the learning cycle.  Whether its high school or college, we leave the classroom setting convinced we have attained all necessary learning for life. Wow if only that were true!  Quite the opposite is reality – learning is a lifetime journey.

Don’t know how you feel about learning, but that eagerness to gain new insight has really never left me.  My shelves are covered with books ranging from every topic you can imagine.  My studious mind definitely enjoys a wisdom packed read.

Regardless of my niche for education, I am at the mercy of the one teaching me.  Great reason why we need to carefully select the right teacher.  And the best compliment and guarantee that we have attained their knowledge is when we reflect our teacher.

Love these sweet words from Jesus in Luke 6 reminding us that when we have been fully trained, learned and get it we will reflect the one teaching us.  Best teaching ever is the one we get from God’s Word.  Gaining spiritual discernment and maturity is cultivated when we dig deep and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to truth.  Now don’t get me wrong, I have gained great insight and understanding from solid Biblical teachers and pastors.  Commentaries are incredible references to assist in clarifying passages.  But as followers of Christ, we need to make a personal investment in our spiritual growth journey.  Studying the scriptures for ourselves may feel awkward at first, but the benefits far outweigh our uncomfortableness.

Knowing God’s word is critical and putting what we have learned into action culminates in true wisdom. Confidently approaching the Bible and relying on the Holy Spirit will equip us to reflect the very image of our God. Seeking His help thru prayer will release any apprehension and enlighten our eyes to truth. While perfection won’t be our label, blamelessness will be our tagline as we seek to glorify Him. So when the enemy discourages us and seeks to confuse us, we can rest secured knowing we know the best Teacher ever.

 

“Father, the beauty of Your words draw us and compel us to be more like You.  Remove any obstacles or distractions seeking to keep us from Your word. Help us to grow daily and walk confidently in Your truths.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 28, 2020

Scattered Thoughts

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)

All things Fall will soon be decorating our homes.  Three white pumpkins are flourishing in my back yard surprising even me.  Where did they come from?  Late November, I discarded a deteriorating white pumpkin at the end of our yard and never thought anymore about it.   Fast forward to mid-Summer and I noticed a green plant with yellow blooms growing near our fence.  A few weeks later it had birthed a tiny white pumpkin and now triplets. You never know what will grow from what you thought had been discarded.

Perhaps we’ve found ourselves greeting the inevitable return of some thoughts we threw away and never imagined would resurface.  Triggers have a way of digging up what we thought we had conquered and dismissed.  Like flashbacks from the past these seemingly quiet reminders rise up and catch us by surprise.  When we least expect it, when we leave our minds unguarded and when we don’t recall  even the scattering of a seed, we find the blossoming of thinking which never served us well.

“I’m not good enough,” loves to rise to the surface.  “My past is too complicated,” loves to slay our hope of a future.  “We just don’t have what it takes,” loves to sideline us.  “If I only hadn’t,” loves to leave us with regret.   “I should have,” loves to paralyze us with longing. Careless seeds of thought scattering where we thought they’d been discarded long ago.

Don’t know about you, but I don’t want to entertain the sabotaging of God’s best with my endless mind chatter.  Perhaps this is why God warns us to guard our minds, to capture our thoughts and not allow them to run wild entangling us in a web of deceit.  When triggers resurface, we must strategically attack them with the truths of God’s word.  By stopping them in their tracks, we extinguish mindless chatter before it has a chance to take root, bloom and multiply.

So sweet friends, “we are wonderfully made” (Psalm 139).  Let’s not doubt for a moment God’s healing redemption of our past (Psalm 103:4).  Our Creator has given us everything we need to fulfill His purposes – no deficits found in those who put their faith and hope in Him.  Regrets and shame are washed away when we trust in Him to restore our future.  Right thinking based on the truths of His word seal our minds and position us for His best.  Can’t think of a better way to handle the seeds of thoughts running through our mind.  Strategic, consistent and without doubt – now that’s a planting we want to run deep.

“Father, wrong thinking impacts our lives more than we could ever imagine – help us to seize and destroy those thoughts which don’t align with Your words.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 27, 2020

Yes, There’s Joy After Pain

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Being afflicted by pain and sadness is not something we seek. As I went through some trials over the past few years, I cried a lot before the Lord. I stayed up late praying and reading the Bible. I cried out to Him and yelled in my anguish, because I neglected the fact that He heard me. I was in pain and wanted relief!

Humiliated by those whom He loved so unconditionally, Jesus was hurt and grieved. Later, He endured even greater physical pain and a death reserved for thieves and murderers. Jesus was anguished by the pain afflicted upon Him, and yet He didn’t flee. He knew God’s plan for Him and humanity, so He followed through with the plan.

Knowing what awaited Him, Jesus comforted His disciples with an analogy. Like a woman birthing a child, pain and anguish do not last forever. Jesus reassured them that their grief would turn into joy.

My tears and grief have given way to joy and peace. I delight myself in the Lord, and I am grateful for all that He has done through my time of grief. I kept my focus on Him and learned to persevere. Jesus has promised us that, just as He overcame this world, we, too, will see better days if we remain in Him. If you are experiencing pain and sorrow, I encourage you to trust Him. He will see you through this time and take you into the next, a time of rejoicing.

“Dear Jesus, thank You for being the best example of what perseverance and trust can do in our lives. You walked Your talk on this earth. You are our role model and encourager. Teach us to be more like You.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 26, 2020

Hope of Creation (Part 2)

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.” Ephesians 1:18

(If you missed part 1 of this yesterday, please check it out https://wp.me/p1jp5a-2FH.

Those who don’t believe that God created, well, everything, won’t worship the Creator—they’ll worship the creation (earth, stuff, people). And because all of creation is on a trajectory of death, hope in creation will always fail and disappoint the worshipper.

For those who reject Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to pay our debt and set us free (making us a new creation), what hope do they have for their future? They hope in self. They may try to be “a good person” and satisfy some nebulous universal accountant. But how can they ever be sure they’ve done “enough”? The result can only be despair.

Finally, our world (nation, culture) is in a constant state of decay, any way you slice it. Whether you believe God’s clock has run out, or if you anticipate generations of continued patience on God’s part, the fact remains: Jesus is coming back. Without going into eschatological discussion or hitting on the non-essentials of pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib theology, etc., suffice it to say that a New Heaven and New Earth will be created. And our respective new bodies will live forever there.

So, I am not hoping science to “prove” our world is billions of years old. (In fact, the more science learns, the more it aligns with the Bible—but that’s another blog altogether.) I will not put my hope in “saving” the earth through some New Green Deal. And I do not put my hope in governments or civic leaders who themselves are fallen and rotting.

My hope—and I pray yours—is in the One True and Living God, who made it all, sustains it all, and rules it all. His love never fails, so neither will my hope.

“Lord, all my hope is in You, even as these times seem hopeless. Help me have ready a reason for my hope, so I can share it with others.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Ministry

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Posted in Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 25, 2020

Hope of Creation (Part 1)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

I heard a pastor mention how Christians believe in three creations—which I thought was a pretty cool concept. Simply put, we believe that (1) in the beginning, God created everything. (Gen 1:1). We believe that (2) when we surrendered our life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we became a new creation (2 Cor 5:15). And we believe that (3) ultimately God will recreate the heavens and earth to be our eternal home—and we will be given newly created bodies to live there, bodies that, like that earth, will not decay (Rev 21:1-5; 2 Cor 5:1-3).

But what struck me after I was ruminating on this comment is that our hope as Believers is also founded upon these three aspects of creation. Let me explain.

Regarding God’s creation of the heavens and the earth, we—as believers in a Creator God—hope in His omnipotence. He made it all and He is in control of it all, no matter how out of control the world seems to be. I hope in Him, because He is all-powerful, all-knowing, good, patient, and gracious. He knitted together each of us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), miraculously creating unique, ordered strands of DNA that makes each of us, well, us. Universally and cellularly, He is the Creator of it all (Col 1:16).

Next, as partakers in the soul-level regeneration of salvation, we have experienced the creation of newness within—the miracle of transformation from unrighteous to blameless, stained to white, dead to alive (2 Cor 5:15; Isaiah 1:18; Eph 2:1-5). Yes, brothers and sisters, we have been made new, forever changing our future. We have hope in our eternal destination: in the heavenly presence of Jesus, the One who transformed us. Our circumstances here may be challenging—but they are temporary. Pain may wrack our body (I know mine has been quite wracked lately), but we can anticipate a new, perfected body that will never deteriorate, hurt, or grow weary (Rev 21:4).

And the third creation: the new earth—heaven on earth, really. This is where our hope as believers gets really exciting. When we study Revelation, we learn that after the Millennial reign of Jesus (which will itself be 1000 years of awesomeness for Christians), God will melt away everything as we knew it to create our forever home. This is where we will eternally worship, learn, make friends, eat amazing food, and—most importantly—see clearly our Lord and Savior, daily coming to greater and greater understanding of who He is (1 Cor 13:12).

 
As amazing as all this hope is to us, it also dawned on me the contrasting hopelessness of those who have rejected creation…at any or every level described here.

Check back with us tomorrow for Part 2 of the story.

“Thank you, Lord, for the hope we have in You…let us put our confidence there!”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 24, 2020

Beneath The Surface

“Prove me O Lord and try me; test my heart and my mind.”  Psalm 26:2 (ESV)

We love the look of our homes, cars and offices when not a speck of dust or mess is greeting us, yet cleaning doesn’t usually rank high on our list of likes.  Probably the reason we tend to skim the surface in a hurry when our overloaded list demands our attention. I’m sure none of us have ever stashed all things not dishes in the dishwasher just before company walked through our doors. Or what about dusting around all those things on the table in an effort to just get it done. Oh, the things we find when we eventually go beneath the surface and clean deep.

Sound familiar?  Keeping our lives clean can easily slip to an above the surface glance.  The deceptiveness of our hearts and our inability to discern our own errors leaves us with quite a mess. We would like to think we see within ourselves with untainted glasses; however, we are often blinded to our tendencies toward sin.  Jen Wilkins  (None Like Him)  states, “So unaware am I of my own sinful tendencies that I come to the sermon to sit in judgement on others, rather than to submit myself to judgement. So ignorant am I of my own bondage to a particular sin that I completely miss the word of correction being graciously extended – to me.”

Yes, we have all probably found ourselves pointing out who needs to hear “a message” versus settling in on what God is speaking into our lives.  Finger pointing is easy until we turn that finger inward and start examining our own hearts.  Problem is we are not good at that – we desperately need God’s light shining in us to reveal what needs to be changed.  We need His help to identify attitudes which keep resurfacing or repetitive behavior which doesn’t serve us well. We need His insight on how we devalue others or promote negative talk about self – we’re really good at this one.

Yes, we can find ourselves there – key is to slow down and ask God to examine our hearts.  We can trust the loving, graciousness of our Heavenly Father to not dump all on us at one time. He will guide us to truth and will pick us up, wash us off and redeem our lives.  We can never go wrong running into the arms of our Father. And that finger which was ever so quick to point in another direction welcomes the freedom found in being personally clean.

“Father, we are so good at resisting diving deep to acknowledge sin in our hearts.  Help us to work in conjunction with your Spirit to admit, confess and turn from anything which displeases You.”

 

For His Glory

 

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Mercy, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 21, 2020

When Today Overwhelms…

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:19 (ESV)

Overwhelmed is never our desired place to reside.  I love a challenge…a push me to the edge kinda moment as long as its manageable, doable.  But in those moments when life is raging out of control and chaos is our mainstay, we feel as though we are drowning in a sea of responsibility and unpredictability.

Isn’t that where we’ve all been living in 2020?  Lots of choices, decisions and concerns complicate our lives from the time we lift our head off the bed until we collapse to sleep at night. And the sound of a morning alarm going off fills us with dread – just another day to tackle social distancing, working remotely, hot humid temps and forgotten norms for the upcoming Fall.

Lots swirling through our heads these days.  Gotta love the promises of God reassuring us of His willingness to meet us right in the midst of all our overwhelmedness.  Whenever our thoughts get out of control, and they will,  the sweet comfort of His presence calms us.  God takes great delight in soothing us with reminders of His sovereignty to rule over our days and the challenges we face.  Psalm 94 declares the transitioning of our load (all our cares and worries) to renewal and joy.  Our Spirit is revived within us when we recognize God’s power to handle all everything on our plates.

Morning comes quickly  – tomorrow will do the same.  So how will we enlist the peace of God to infuse our day?  Prior to COVID, I prayed on my commute to work.  Laying down “my list”, confiding my struggles and admitting my tendency to try to be all things to all people.  However, since my commute is simply from my bedroom to my home office, I have often failed to start my day releasing all to Him.  I just simply grab a quick shower and land in front of my computer depending on “me.”  Not a good way to start the day.

Don’t know about you, but it’s time for me to start retracing my steps….spending time laying down the cares and challenges of another day before attempting to tackle anything on my list.  Resisting the urge to carry it all and be weighed down by it all.  Welcoming God’s perspective and orchestration of how each moment plays out.  Trusting Him to guide me each step of the way.  Perfect way to start my day.

Won’t you join me sweet friends?  A planning session with our God is guaranteed to empower us with all we need for today.  Nothing else will birth such joy and delight within us even in the midst of overwhelmedness.

“Father, You take great delight in walking with us, running with us and carrying us through another day – teach us to release all at Your feet and walk away filled with joy.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 20, 2020

Hungering For More

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 (NLT)

“Do you want another kid’s meal?” Grandma asked Kaden, my 6-year-old.

“Yes, please!” Kaden replied between mouthfuls of silver dollar pancakes, bacon, and eggs. The boy loves pancakes and bacon. Two plates already lay clean at the side of the table, every morsel consumed by my growing boy. He had inhaled bacon offered from adult plates at the table as well. He finally sat back in the booth after cleaning another plate and declared, “I think I want more pancakes and bacon but I better not. Sadly, I don’t think I have any more room.”

In our key verse, a “hunger and thirst for righteousness” refers to a continual fulfillment with God’s righteousness. Kaden’s hunger for bacon and pancakes was eventually satisfied. The idea here is that we, as believers, hunger and thirst for more righteousness as we are filled with righteousness … causing us to hunger for more … and on and on the cycle continues. As we are satisfied with more of God, we hunger for even more.

What is this righteousness for which we hunger and thirst? It isn’t a full belly, but a heart that is right with God. Righteousness is a gift we receive through the sacrifice of Christ. “…But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ…Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” (Romans 5:17-18)

Kaden’s full belly only satisfied his physical hunger for food. Our satisfaction stems from being filled to overflowing with spiritual blessings. The well never runs dry. The plates of bacon and pancakes never stop coming. God desires to fill our plates with spiritual blessings when we continually hunger for more of Him, for more of His righteousness. Our filling will lead to more hunger. We may not be able (or even want to) eat mounds of bacon and pancakes, but do we want more of Him? Let’s hold out our plates, saying, “Yes, please!” to more of God.

“Father, I come to You, asking You to continually fill my plate with more of You. Thank You for Your promise to fill us to overflowing with Your spiritual blessings when we hunger and thirst for a right relationship with You.”

For His Glory

Tammy Randlett (http://staletoast.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Living

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