Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 10, 2017

Walking In His Steps

“Then He (Jesus) said to them all, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow.”  Luke 9:23 (NIV)

Wounded beyond recognition, broken from the weight of our sin, surrendered completely to the Father’s will – a Holy sacrifice to cover all of our past, present and future.  No greater love has ever been shown. No price has ever been higher. No sorrow has ever been deeper.  The world saw a rugged, blood stained cross  – God saw our Savior, Redeemer and the Holy Lamb of God.

Broken, crushed and wounded – we all find ourselves in desperate need of a Savior.  We embrace His gift of salvation.  We enjoy the peace of eternity; but do we emulate His life, His choices or His sacrifice?  Do we seek to be changed so that we are more like Him?  We can cherish the cross, we can admire the cross; but we will miss the mark if we don’t allow the cross to transform who we are.

Change for someone else is great, but changing ourselves that’s another story.  We get comfortable with who we are – our attitudes, actions, decisions and thoughts. Changing ourselves means allowing God’s will to dictate our lives, even to the point of drinking a bitter cup of suffering.  Changing ourselves requires desiring Jesus more than anything else the world has to offer.

If the cruelest of deaths on the cross could bring the greatest of joy, then how amazed we will truly be as the cross changes us.  It won’t be easy or painless – but it will make us more like Jesus – true followers walking in His steps.

“Father, we are so unworthy of Your incredible sacrifice.  The depths of Your love far surpasses our understanding, the greatness of Your mercy far exceeds anything we’ve ever known and the riches of your grace frees us!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 9, 2017

Diffuse, Don’t Ignite

“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”  Proverbs 15:1 (NLT)

Like many couples, a division of labor at our house creates a sense of harmony. Some couples decide ahead of time who will be cooking the meals for the week. Others may plan who is saddled with the icky jobs like cleaning toilets or taking the trash out. While I would prefer never taking the trash out or going to the grocery store, there is one job I dread above all others which my husband has so graciously taken responsibility for. My love for my husband increases exponentially when he performs this task, allowing me to avoid it entirely.

I despise making phone calls. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy catching up with family and friends on the phone on occasion. However, I would rather clean a toilet than call Direct TV to try to get a better deal. I prefer doing dishes (every single dish in the house) over calling the insurance company to clear up a procedure they failed to cover. Presented with the choice of dusting or calling a credit card company to cancel our account, I will choose dusting every time.

My husband has a way with customer service representatives that eludes me. I get frustrated too easily with what feels like their unwillingness to help me. My conversations with customer service representatives end in a stalemate, leaving me fuming in anger. My husband, on the other hand, speaks with kindness and clarity. He asks the representative’s name and how his/her day is going. He is so kind that generally he ends the call with more than we were asking for.

As followers of Christ, we do not have the option to avoid distasteful activities. We may be confronted with angry people. Angry, hurt, disgruntled people may present logical or illogical claims against us. Anger or hostility may be directed at our friends, our church, and/or our families.

Our key verse calls us to calm the situation, as much as it depends on us. We can choose to speak with words that honor and bring glory to God. These may not be the first words that pop into our minds. Those negative words would probably be better off swallowed and consumed in the acid of our stomachs. Our key verse directs us to take a deep breath, exhaling words that bring life and not death, words that restore and not destroy, words that extend grace and not condemnation.

“Lord, may we seek to speak Your words of love and grace in every situation. May we lead others to the cross for restoration and healing. Thank You for Your grace in our own lives.”

 

For His Glory

 

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

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Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 8, 2017

Bittersweet Journey

“For you (Moses) shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32:52 (ESV)

 

We pulled out the driveway and she waved as far as we could see, I found myself too facing the bittersweet of a new chapter in her life. Hard to believe it’s been one year to the exact date that the two  of us made that grand exit out of her Egypt.  Many struggles, frustrations, challenges , joys, excitements, changes, tears, laughter  along the way.  I think you get the picture.

My heart instantly remembered Moses when his chapter ended and Joshua went on to claim the Promise Land without him by his side.  I’m sure those last days of Moses’ life were bittersweet that his feet would not cross over with the ones he had loved and had been challenged by. The ones he had made such an investment in were going in a different direction than him.  I think you get the picture.

Bittersweet are the journeys we make in this life.  I’m heading home to continue the journey God has given me;  and this newly freed one is beginning the journey God has given her.  Tears flow as the memories of a year spent growing, learning and encouraging end as a new season begins.  But I wouldn’t have missed it for a second.  I would do it all over again because investing in a life is the greatest privilege we get to make on this earth.  It’s the thing that keeps living beyond us; our souls forever intertwined.

Where does that leave us in the midst of the sadness of releasing and letting go? We must keep reaching out, investing in, and encouraging others to fulfill their journey.  The joy of watching one released from chains walk in freedom is a treasured gift and a sweet blessing from God.   Miles can never separate what God has done in either of our lives – and for that I am truly grateful.  Note to self:  God loves repeat performances.

 

“Father thank You for bringing this dear one into my life.  Thank You for the work You did in restoring and redeeming her soul. Praising You for completing Your work in both of us.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
Women’s Life Devotional

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 5, 2017

Guarding Our Gaze

“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister.  So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die.”  Genesis 30:1 (NIV)


Quite the ultimatum, Rachel lost sight of her desire for motherhood and exchanged it for a competitive race with her sister Leah.   The two were married to one man, Jacob – how’s that for marital bliss. Jacob loved Rachel; however, Leah was the mega baby producing wife.  She had no problem getting pregnant, so Leah attempted to use her fertility to gain the love of Jacob.  Rachel was barren, and her fixed gaze on Leah led her into a pit of discontentment.

Manipulating handmaids as surrogate mothers, these two sisters desperately tried to out do the other as the seeds of jealousy grew in abundance.  And when God opened Rachel’s womb, her words reflected the discontent in her heart:  “God has taken away my disgrace. May the Lord add to me another son.”  The infant nestled in her arms wasn’t enough to satisfy the raging battle within her soul.

How many times have we fixed our gaze on God’s blessings in someone’s life and nursed discontent in our own?  Like Rachel, we can become obsessed with our own idea of fulfillment and miss the hand of God’s blessing upon our lives.  That constant looking and reframing of one’s life to another’s never serves us well.  Discontent will overflow.  Bitterness will settle in.  Coveting – wanting what someone else has – will consume us.  And its all because our eyes are looking in the wrong place.

By fixing our gaze on God, and not people, we can avoid the drama of a soul eaten up with jealousy. A grateful heart will see the blessings designed uniquely for us.  A loving heart will rejoice and celebrate with others.  A surrendered heart will accept God’s plan, trust in His timing and continuously praise His name.  And that my friend is how we turn our eyes away from us and onto God – the sweetest spot of contentment ever.

 

“Father, Help our words to reflect a heart that is truly satisfied in You and Your unfailing love.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 4, 2017

Daddy’s Tab

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.” Psalm 116:1 (NIV)

When I was 10 years old, my parents headed out of state for a Rotary International conference.  Somehow, I managed to bargain my way into that week-long trip by offering to babysit my 6-month-old sister, Kantia. Mom and Dad were busy with the conference sessions, special meals and spas.  I was delighting myself with the special services provided by the fancy hotel for my baby sister and me, by the mere mention of room service, aka “my daddy’s tab.”

I never did see the bill for the things I was given the liberty to charge on that tab, but after an entire week at that expensive Grand Hotel in Araxá, Minas Gerais, Brazil, I am pretty sure the price was not cheap. Yet, my daddy never did mention it to me.

The grace of God is just like that Grand Hotel tab back in my childhood; it is extended by God to us even if we do not deserve it; even if we test His patience. I undoubtedly tested the patience of a few hotel maids who consistently returned to our hotel room to bring more nicely pressed, soft white linens and towels, because this girl would leave her baby sister without a diaper, simply because it would mean less diaper changes!

As you can probably imagine, things would get pretty messy at times. Sweet friends, isn’t this the nature of humankind? I mean, so often we are given opportunities to experience something good and, either by naiveté, or stupidity, or even for lack of thinking things through, we make a big, ole mess of things, and then we need to rush and put a call in to the One who can fix it all: Our Heavenly Daddy. If you are in the midst of a messy episode, do not give up and do not give in. Jesus can redeem you from it. He fixes the mess, puts the pieces of the broken hearts together, and dries the tears. And the best part is, He will never rub the cost of it in your face.

 

“Dear Jesus: We are faulty and we are totally dependent upon Your grace. Thank you for redeeming us from our mess to Yourself.”

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Love, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 3, 2017

For His Glory

I (Jesus) do not accept glory from human beings.”  John 5:41 (NIV)

Crowds cheered.  Winners were announced.  Trophies were handed out.  CD’s topped the charts.  Fans applauded.  Who wouldn’t want to be in the spotlight?  Celebrities, athletes, politicians, evangelists, speakers, etc., taste the praise of adoring fans, constituents and followers.  And unfortunately many fall prey to the accolades of the voices singing their greatness.

Feasting on words like “you’re great” or “no one can do it like you,” leaves one hungry for more.  It’s a tantalizing temptation to bask in the limelight allowing our hearts to believe we are “great.”  Pride slips in like a tiny splinter in the top of our finger, and the longer it stays there the more infected our souls become.

So how do we graciously accept a compliment without allowing it to creep in and color our perception of who we are?  How do we keep our focus healthy and balanced – three simple words:  “For His Glory.”  When we chisel those words on our hearts, they serve to remind us that all we have and all we achieve is For His Glory.  Everything we accomplish, the gifts He entrusts to us and the successes we enjoy all come from God.  Apart from Him, we can do nothing and if we entertain the thought that “we can do it all” then pride has slipped in.  So the next time a compliment or praise comes our way let’s choose to ponder the thought, accept it with grace and give God the glory!

“Father, when the sweet sound of praise echoes in our ears remind us that You alone are worthy of our praise.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 2, 2017

When Wait Is The Answer

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

Smart phones, fax machines and email make for living in a high-speed society. Handheld gadgets and gizmos allow for no waiting; and with this technology we’ve conformed to little or no patience.

Admittedly, patience was never my virtue. Going anywhere had to be pronto. Tasks were done presto. For years my Christmas shopping was complete and wrapped by July 31st. Wait was not in my vocabulary.

However, about seven years ago, I became a reformed “fastaholic” transforming from a jackrabbit to a sloth. Seriously, I can linger for hours never in a hurry. Tasks can lie in wait. Christmas shopping usually takes place around December 23rd. My arch nemesis patience has become “well with my soul.”

So what changed? Why the drastic reformation? Literally, God taught me patience! I would pray and then wait for God to answer. We have “right now” prayers when we need God’s intervention immediately. He is well aware of the severity and time sensitiveness to our prayers, which He answers accordingly. Then there’s the prayers God may answer in a day, week, month or year(s). Those are the prayers God used to teach me patience. God has a special way of making sure there is no way of escape by human efforts. Our rescue will come by His answer and in His timing…period. It’s during these waiting periods, I realized God’s lessons were strengthening my trust, belief and stretching my faith by building “faith muscle.”

We glean encouragement and inspiration from the Bible stories of Joseph, David, Anna, Hannah and Sarah etc. They experienced having no other choice but to wait on the Lord. Also, the events of friends and family; their testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Funny, as we wait on the Lord to answer, when the response comes it’s usually quick and ironically unexpected. It catches us off guard. What took years intentionally to answer comes sudden and instant. Changing the course of our lives in ways we could only dream of.

“Father, with patient hearts, we pray to be brave and courageous as we wait for replies to prayers that seem to linger knowing there is purpose in the expectancy. You’ve heard our cries and haven’t forgotten! Your responses may not be one minute early, but You’ll never be one minute late. Thank you, Your answers are perfect and always on time.”

For His Glory,

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

 

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Posted in Faith, Prayer, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 1, 2017

Unveiling Truth

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” I John 1:8 (NIV)

Funny, how quickly we claim innocence when things go wrong.  Have you ever been there?

As a child, I remember my mother drilling us kids to determine which one of us was at fault in the latest escapade.  Often, I would attempt to cast blame on my sisters or brother; however, the truth prevailed and mom was able to uncover the guilty one.

As an adult navigating life, we too can be drawn to our own innocence even when the truth unveils another side of the story.  It’s so easy to point the finger at someone else then to re-examine our own actions and motives.  When things go wrong, we justify and excuse ourselves without a second glance.  Sometimes we will even relish in our victim role convincing others of the injustice and unfairness.

Found myself in that role a few weeks ago.  Difficult circumstances left me vulnerable to someone else’s actions.  The effects sent me to the Father proclaiming I was an innocent bystander who was reeling from consequences beyond my control.  My mind was cluttered with blame pointing rather than self examination.  The event played over and over in my mind without a thought to what I could have done.  Finally, God grew weary of my drama and gently lifted the blinders off my eyes.  While I indirectly hadn’t caused my consequences, God revealed an area of disobedience that may have impacted the results.  Seeing right through my self-proclaimed innocence, God peeled away the layers exposing the truth.  Humbled I made my confession, accepted His grace and lowered my pointing finger.

Perceived innocence ran right into unveiled truth.  Hard to swallow sometimes when we know we are not the “perfect one” who was wronged.  But accepting the truth led to repentance which resulted in a non- victim mentality.  Drama finally released.  Mind focused on restoration rather than rights.  Glory shining through – rather than darkness hovering over.  Accepting the blame that was clearly mine never felt better.

“Father, Your grace is enough  – help us to come boldly before Your throne admitting we are desperate for Your truth to saturate our lives.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 28, 2017

Filled By His Grace

“Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.” Romans 11:20 (TNIV)

 A friend recently shared that she had been feeling down and unhappy.  She was totally unaware of why she felt the way she did. Gently, God reminded her that she was allowing her family and friends to fill her instead of God. End result, she was drained from the emptiness she had allowed.

I sat back in awe as I too had felt that way many times, as I’m sure many women feel.  Why is it so hard to spend time in the Word, in prayer and let God overflow us?  Why do we tend to let our spouses, children and friends be the center of our lives?  Disobedience on our part is why.  I’m reminded daily  – God is God and I am not!  If I don’t place Him at the center of my morning, day, afternoon and evening, I slip into depression.  I get weak, lonely and feel out of sorts.

Perhaps you’ve felt that way too, but we are never alone on this journey – God is our hope. We need to stand in faith and run to Him for fulfillment.  We need not be arrogant but tremble at His feet as we realize He alone can fill us, overflow us, and give us what those around us are unable to give.  Let’s together fall back down at His feet and fill back up so that we too can overflow with His grace.

“Father, thank You for girlfriends and for life lessons.  Prune us in Your image and overflow us with Your grace and mercy.”

For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 27, 2017

Pursuing Freedom Through Christ

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

The speaker at the women’s conference I attended last weekend used “freedom” as her theme. She was a girl after my own heart, as she had analogies for mostly everything she talked about during the retreat, and I was right there with her.

One of the analogies she used really stuck with me. She was talking about how sin enslaves us, humans, and how we need Christ to free us. For that, she used the analogy of a slave who has been in slavery all his life and one day is set free, but does not know how to be free because slavery is all he has known. I sat there, analyzing my own life, and thinking of how hard it was for me to free myself from the burden of guilt I lived with during my marriage, even after my spouse had been gone for some time. I blamed myself for his actions, for deserting me. For years, I was living without his help and emotional support.  Yet, I could not see myself apart from him legally, because I had made a promise to stay married until death set us apart. After several years, however, there came a time when I could no longer live as I was living and I filed for divorce; the divorce he had been wanting for some time. Yet, I was not free. I did not know how to be free, as marriage was the identity that had been embedded in my mind and on my heart for the past 31 years. The struggle tormented me.

 

Just as a slave who must be taught, nurtured with and encouraged to pursue freedom, I, too, had to search for ways to find my own freedom. I prayed continually, and through my church, I enrolled in Freedom Ministries to attend Divorce Care, counseling, and other resources. Faith is a strong weapon. And when faith is coupled with prayer and good church friends for accountability, giving up is not an option. Through faith in Christ, I found my freedom and you can, too.

 

“Lord, thank You for giving us true freedom.”

 

For His Glory

Luska Suzano
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Freedom, Hope, Spiritual Growth

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