Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 5, 2018

A Crowning Legacy

“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” Matthew 16:16 (NIV)

Who forms the circle that encourages, inspires and holds you accountable? Who are you doing life with? Two have always been better than one – it’s God’s perfect design for us to be in relationship with others. Newlyweds lock arms to safeguard their marriage. Parenting arrives, and we gravitate to those who have walked a few steps ahead of us. Empty nesters grab coffee with friends and enjoy quiet mornings. All seasons of our lives that are enriched by relationships that change and evolve over the years. But we never forget their impact, their faces, their laughter and the blessings we shared along the way.

A group of twelve formed the circle around Jesus. A carefully chosen twelve who would experience life walking the streets with Jesus. Following in His footsteps. Witnessing water turning into wine. Seeing the dead raised to life. Breaking bread and feeding the multitudes. Riding out the stormy waves. Casting money changers out of the temple. Gathered close to His heart at the Last Supper. Singing hymns as they walked to Gethsemane. Witnessing one of their own defect, betray. Scattering as He hung on the cross. Running to the empty tomb. Reunited and restored on the seashore. Enriched and transformed by doing life with Jesus.

The lasting impact of Jesus legacy touches, inspires, encourages and convicts today. His ministry wasn’t bound by three short years but rather transcends through the lives of all who proclaim – Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!  Let’s follow in His footsteps.  Gather with those God brings into your life. Invest in others and hold each other accountable.  Reap the rich rewards of doing life together.

“Father, we have been entrusted with the Good News – the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Savior. Help us to leave a legacy that compels others to proclaim Your name!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 4, 2018

Keep Moving Forward

“And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” Exodus 14:15 (ESV)

In Exodus 14:13, Moses tells the children of Israel to be still and watch as the Lord gives them victory.  In verse 15 God speaks to Moses and asks, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”  I don’t know about you but I can think of many times, where instead of moving forward, I just stopped and cried out to God, when I should have just relied on His promises and kept going.  And to be honest at times I felt just like the children of Israel, wanting to go back to a “comfortable” place and time.  I even think of Lot’s wife looking back when the instructions were to clearly keep moving and under no circumstances look back. Sometimes it’s so easy to give up, cry out, or go back, instead of giving it over to God and walking into the promised victory.

You see at the beginning of this chapter (Ex. 14:1), God speaks to Moses and tells him everything that is about to take place.  (Isn’t that just like our loving Father, preparing us to be victorious?)  God goes behind us, before us, He is with us, and His Holy Spirit dwells in us.  It doesn’t get any better than that!  He wants us to depend on Him.  Yes, we can cry out to him, but we must be obedient to Him and oftentimes that means taking a step, maybe even a few steps, or a leap of faith.  And many times getting out of our comfort zone.
Where is God leading you today?  Are you going?  Let’s enter into 2018 going wherever God leads us, standing on His promise, that where He guides, He will provide.  You’ll never know, if you don’t go!

 

Heavenly Father, thank you for leading, guiding, and directing us. Help us to seek Your will and obey Your promises, so that we can walk victoriously.

For His Glory

Cynthia McCoy
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 3, 2018

Bitter Waters Made Sweet

“Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore, the name of it was called Marah.” Exodus 15:23

The children of Israel have always fascinated me because an Israelite’s typical day could be viewed no less than an emotional roller coaster. Judgingly, I’ve thought I would never react the way they did! How could they harshly attack Moses because things weren’t going ‘their’ way? After all God had done so much for them for heaven’s sake! But how are they best remembered? Always complaining – an expression of discontent from within.

Examining the end of chapter 15, we find God testing the Israelites yet again! Barely joyously recuperating from the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, they find themselves walking three days in the Wilderness of Shur without water. Imagine the exhilaration when water was finally located only to discover it was bitter – unfit for human consumption! What follows? Attacking Moses by whining and griping!

Have you ever felt this way? Experience a spiritual high only to abruptly encounter another insurmountable obstacle in life? I have. I don’t know about you but tests aren’t my favorite thing. But the reality is life is one big test! Complaining doesn’t change anything or make situations better. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord.

What is your latest test with God? Feel like complaining? How important it is that believers guard the words of their mouth! The scriptures tell us that our words are literally the basis for whether we are justified or condemned. Realizing this, we should eradicate negative words, bickering, or grumbling and fill our mouth with praise and thanksgiving! And, as with the Israelites we can praise Jehovah Jireh our provider for making bitter water sweet!

“Lord, please help me to resist complaining and praise You.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 2, 2018

Make Me An Instrument In Your Hands

“… more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:14 (NIV)

Have you ever been in a mob of people, where there is so much talking and shouting that you have trouble differentiating the voice of those familiar to you from the voices of those in the crowd?

I was reading from Acts 5 yesterday and re-read the portion where the apostles were performing miraculous signs and wonders among the people. I was trying to picture the mob standing there, anxiously awaiting a miracle before they returned home. The crowd was said to increase in numbers very quickly, as the people believed in the Lord, and as the number of believers increased, so increased the number of those being brought into the streets to receive prayer. The need was great, but the people believed that even if only Peter’s shadow would fall on them when he passed by, they would be healed. Wow!!!

Friends, I don’t know about you, but I would consider it an honor to be so full of the Holy Spirit that my prayers would be answered and if I touched someone in need, they would be healed. I cannot fathom such power as described in this passage, that someone’s shadow would fall on a person in need and that person would be healed.

Sometimes our faith seems so great that we can see miracles happen right before our eyes and at other times, we seem to struggle to just believe. Yet, the same God who uses His vessels to bless others will enable us, according to His will, to perform miracles that we would never be able to see without His intervention.

 

Life is so full of abrupt surprises at times, and the shock of some of those surprises seem to shift our focus from having a lot of faith, to succumbing to doubt. Have you gone back and forth in your belief? If so, I wish to remind you that God can use you and He will, if you believe. We are His vessels and He will use us according to His will, if we yield our own will to His.

 
“Dear God, make me an instrument in Your hands, to be used by You.”

 

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 1, 2018

Breaking Free of Old….. Embracing New

“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” Isaiah 42:9 (ESV)

Flipping the calendar to 2018 feels ever so good. It’s an adventure to discover the unfolding of 365 days we’ve never traveled. Great time to reflect on the past and redirect our steps towards what will serve us well.  Best way to welcome a new year – full of anticipation and excitement.

Routines, comfort zones and ease of doing life the same often rob us of the beauty of discovering  new paths.  But that doesn’t have to be in the case. What happened or didn’t happen in the past doesn’t dictate the future.  2018 offers us a clean slate – a new beginning.  An opportunity to carve in margin for new, a breaking free of some old that didn’t serve us well.

Whether you’re a goals girl or a resolution maker it really doesn’t matter.  We can write or promise anything; however, self awareness propelled by passion and  discipline is the winning combination.

Self awareness simply means looking into the mirror of our souls (James 2:24-25).  Being totally honest about those things we did well and those we didn’t. Evaluating where we veered off course.  Did we run ahead of God?  Did we manipulate circumstances?  Maybe God wasn’t even figured into the equation. Perhaps He shed light on our weaknesses and we chose to ignore His voice.  Let’s fill in the blanks and seek His forgiveness and grace and celebrate the victories.

Passion is the driving force that moves us from self awareness towards transformation.  What inspires us?  What motivates us to lean into what God desires?  For me it can be summed up in one word “Love.”  Throughout scripture, we are encouraged to love the Lord our God with our heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30).  Committed wholehearted love actively desires to please the One they love.  God’s extravagant love towards us should be more than enough to draw our hearts to His.

Self awareness acknowledges, passion drives us and discipline seals the deal.  It keeps us moving towards transformation even when it’s tough.  Discipline positions us to receive God’s best (Hebrews 10:35-36) and it endures hard work despite slow progress.  Never quitting or giving up – continually pressing on.

2018 begins today.  365 days to glorify God.  The choice is up to us.  Will we walk towards new or cling to old?

“Father, You offer each of us new mercies, compassion and unfailing love. May 2018 be the year when we cease serving self and totally commit to following hard after You.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 29, 2017

Abundant Mercy

“For You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you.”  Psalm 86:5 (NKJV)

With a long list of “Things To Do” and non-stop interruptions, my multi-tasking kicked in full speed. For two days, I didn’t realize a major deadline was missed.  The most important task had been shuffled from one pile on my desk to another, and when it resurfaced I felt an overwhelming sense of panic.  This deadline was established by a potential client, and now I had missed the mark.  My gut reaction was terror; I’m sure my face was ashen white.   All I could do was utter a prayer of desperation that my late proposal would be accepted.

Once I calmed down enough to speak,  I called our client and  explained my oversight.  After consulting with his boss and others involved, he called back and gave me another chance to email him the proposal.  Whew, email sent I could now breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Second chances are not common in the business world, but they are with God!  While we do reap consequences from our misplaced actions, God specializes in extending mercy.  From the moment God formed man, He has known our weaknesses and tendencies to have to learn things the hard way.  It’s the only way we grasp some life principles.  However, we won’t find God rubbing our nose in our mess or pushing us further down into the pit.  Instead He lovingly stands, reaches and bends down to lift us back up on our feet.

“Father,  I have never deserved Your mercy, yet You have restored my soul over and over again – Praise the Name of the Lord!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 28, 2017

An Open Invitation

“My heart has heard you say, “come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8 (NLT)

Ponder for a minute this verse, David must have penned this Psalm during a moment of complete despair. How many times have we been in David’s shoes at the point of desperation? Imagine, the God of the universe sitting on His heavenly throne and the earth is His foot stool. Just like with David, God being concerned about the weightiness of our hearts due to life struggles, situations and circumstances. He cares when our hearts are heavy burdened with pain, fear, sorrow and brokenness.

We, like David, plead with the Lord to hear our anguished cries for help. The expression of our prayers show the dependence upon which we seek the Lord to answer. Our hearts are crucial and vital in the sustaining of life. God was precise in the workmanship of our bodies…especially our hearts. God Almighty can speak from heaven and pierce our hearts with His voice. The Psalmist states it’s the heart that hears the Lord say, “come and talk with me.” An open invitation by God in all His glory and splendor. He desires to spend time in a loving and caring conversation with an attentive ear and heart towards His children.

As the verse says, “Lord, I am coming.” Metaphorically, during difficult seasons of my life, I have envisioned running with arms outstretched reaching out for our Father to catch me. As I sit on His lap with my head resting on His shoulder unleashing a barrage of needs and concerns no matter how big or small. Bombarding Jesus with a pleading heart. As the Lord patiently listens to a one-sided conversation of cries for help from trembling lips and tear stained eyes. As He restores peace with the reassurance that He hears our emotional appeals.

“Father tune our ears to always hear Your voice calling us to draw near to You.”

For His Glory

Kim Lacey Schock (www.kimlaceyschock.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Prayer, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 27, 2017

A Taste of His Beauty

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 (KJV)

There it was – black smoke seeping out around the stove. To my disappointment, the burnt aroma of the overflowing cake smelled more like a fireplace than a warm bakery.  Failure consumed my heart.   What went wrong, and how did this horrible mess happen?  There was no ‘fixing’ it now the damage was done.

In retrospect, the pan was too small and choosing the right one would have alleviated so much. Truthfully, it was all about making a right choice.  Isn’t life the same?   Like the cake, bad choices begin to overflow their way into our lives.   Unfortunately, no amount of fixing will undo the damage.  Disappointment and failure become our companions.

The great news  – surprisingly when the cake was turned onto a platter it was absolutely beautiful and no one would have ever known its horrific journey.  Only God can change sinful lives into beautiful masterpieces.   Change occurs from the inside out; obvious to others something supernatural happened.   Only you and God will remember the messy time!!

“Thank You Jesus.  When I make wrong choices, You are there to make beauty from ashes –  changing me from the inside out.

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 25, 2017

The Gift Given

“But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and by believing you may have life in His name.”  John 20:31 (HCSB)

Hidden beneath the pine branches in the far back of the tree was the gift.  The one missing.  Its once beautiful wrapping was torn, and the package was bent.  The bow squished by the other presents.  Overlooked in the midst of names called and gifts given.  Till one who had not received wondered if they had been forgotten. And so the reaching and searching began until the not pretty package retrieved was given.

Now let’s just admit it – no one wants to be left off the Christmas list.  We want the perfect gift.   We drop hints in anticipation of receiving amazing and not settling for less. We eagerly exchange the gift we don’t want.  It didn’t fit.  It wasn’t the right color.  We already had one.  Easily discarded because we wanted something else.

Tucked away in the little town of Bethlehem, a gift was given.  The coming of the Messiah was the long awaited Savior of our world – the very Son of God breathing life into darkness.  He was to be our King and Deliverer, yet His arrival was not the expected.  A lowly manger, where a child was born of the virgin Mary seemed uncommon, too ordinary.  No room in the inn and no nurses to care for this little One destined for greatness.  Hidden away from palaces and wealth, yet the Messiah’s entrance was full of humility, hope, peace, joy and redemption.  The perfect gift from God to man.

Wonder if we’ve overlooked His gift in the midst of seeking perceived perfect?  Wonder if we’ve given up on receiving held captive by the words forgotten?

Wonder no more sweet friend.  The babe in the manger – the Messiah –  came for you and me.  Despite His humble beginnings on that first Christmas morn, the Savior of the world is everything we need. Forgiveness, grace and healing; the perfect gift we’d never exchange.   To the seemingly forgotten, He welcomes with open arms.  And in the midst of our searching and seeking, the Messiah offers Himself.

Don’t settle for less, simply believe and unwrap the glory of the One who came.

“Father, too many times we’ve overlooked the priceless gift of Your Son – the Messiah – coming to our world.   Draw our hearts to the babe in the manger and help us to receive the most wondrous gift of all.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

Merry Christmas to you and your family from Women’s Life Devotionals.

Praising the One who gives us His words to share each week  – what a blessing it is to serve you.

 

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Love

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | December 22, 2017

Let It Be

“And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be…”  Luke 1:38a (ESV)

Let it be.  How many times do we say those words out of sheer resolve?  We’ve tried so hard to attain something.  We’ve tried so long to change someone.  We’ve tried so many times to rid ourselves of the thing that keeps tripping us up.  And then finally – we realize that all of our trying is more dependent on us than the One working within us.

Life out of control was a common occurrence in scripture. We see it woven throughout the intricate lives of God’s children as they learned to trust what they couldn’t  see, achieve or change.

We, however, tend to think those pages – those miracles don’t happen anymore.  We feel that God needs a little nudge – some help to accomplish our end result. So rather than trust we try to force, alter  or manipulate.  And when everything falls apart, we shout “Let it be.”

Faced with an unwanted pregnancy, Mary the mother of Jesus, chose to offer her “let it be” not out of resolve but out of respect.  She knew that God could be trusted with the interruptions in life.  Rather than try to alter her circumstances or manipulate Joseph, Mary chose to wait patiently upon God in quiet surrender and bold courage.  Her faith sustained her, and her worship propelled her even in the midst of difficulty and uncertainty.

Wonder what would happen if instead of trying so hard to do or resist, we simply respected what God is allowing?  Let it be doesn’t have to be our resolve or last resort – instead those three simple words can propel us to worship the One working within us for His greatest glory.

“Father, when we doubt  or question help us to lift our eyes up to Your throne and trust in You alone.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living

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