Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 29, 2015

Inviting Hope

cb devo jan 29 reuse“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

 

“HOPE.” As I lay on the bed, the word felt branded across my forehead. Are we steadfast in our hope? Do we really KNOW–that God has America, our town, our children, our life, under His control, or are we in despair? Hope is a beautiful word when it surrounds us, but when we lose it – our joy, our peace and perhaps even our will to live flies out the window. To have hope “in a future” is our motivation to get out of bed, go through the day, and endure for life.

 

Pilgrim, in the story by John Bunyan, lost hope and “wallowed in the Slough of Despond.” Do we do that? Our spirits droop, we know nothing except a miracle will bring about a change, and we’ve lost faith in a miracle. That, my dear friend, is where God acts! Turn your focus onto HIM, onto HIS abilities, HIS promises–get in HIS Word, and wallow there! Write down each blessing today as it happens: I just took a breath; I had food; I have a job, etc. You say, “there is nothing left in my marriage (or opportunity to change, or…)” . Always remember: God took NOTHING and made the world! Give Him your life for today and follow in His steps today, and let Him breathe new HOPE in you!

 

“Father, how we cling to Your promise that in You we have a future! We muck it up so badly, but You, O God, can take the empty hands we extend to You, filled with “Nothing” and watch You do a miracle. Increase our faith, Lord! And Lord, thank you for the cross. We love You, Lord.”
 

For His Glory

 

Sandy Day
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 28, 2015

With Open Arms

cb devo jan 28“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life…..” John 3:36a (HCSB)

 

W-2 sends me gathering…searching for receipts. It’s the end of January – hard to believe. Seems like yesterday was Christmas and today, I’m trying to remember where I put all those papers I need to file my taxes. I’ve been busy uncovering my piles and making new stacks that I dare anyone to move. Clusters of little papers occupying a corner of my desk – my hopes of breaking even.

 

Wonder if we ever gather in hopes of breaking even with God? Do we search for proof of all we’ve done? This deed supersedes that wrong attitude.   Serving others will replace my lack of tithing. Forgiving someone else exchanged for my pursuit of selfish ambition. The balancing of the scales as if I can earn, achieve or buy God’s approval.

 

Love the fact God spells it out clearly – there is none righteous no not one. He makes it plan, concrete and without excuse – we all fall short of His glory. There is no earning of heaven – the price well beyond our reach. There is no exchange of good deeds versus bad deeds or convincing God we’re worthy. Our list of achievements, sacrifices and financial gifts will never earn us God’s approval.

 

Instead, God sees our sin and failures. He watches us walk in disobedience. He witnesses the thoughts and inner workings motivated by our sinful hearts that perhaps no one ever glimpses. Hidden and tucked away concealed by pretense. And the amazing truth despite our unworthiness, God invites, compels and draws us to Himself. Willingly, He offers us forgiveness and redemption bathed in mercy and grace. Knowing it all, seeing it all – yet God welcomes us with open arms.

 

“Sweet Jesus, our future is secured with You – Heaven is our eternal home – we are so blessed.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Love

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 27, 2015

Kisses From My King

cb devo jan 27“And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.” Mark 10:16 (NAS)

My close friends know I love to rock; always have.   It is soothing, relaxing, and peaceful; which is why rocking my grandbabies happens with little effort! It’s our ‘special snuggle time!’ I rocked my children too – countless hours of singing, cuddling, and praying over them.

Recently as our 4 year-old granddaughter prepared for bed, she noticed we switched from sitting in the rocking chair to the side of the bed. My inquisitive little toddler wondered why, so I shared since she was getting so big it was a little more difficult to snuggle in the chair.  I gently asked her what was I going to do if someday I couldn’t hold and rock her anymore. Pausing as she softly stroked my face, she whispered, ‘Oh, GG that’s ok I’ll rock you!’ My heart melting – she soon fell asleep in my arms.

How often do we feel too big to climb into the lap of Jesus? We’re adults for heaven’s sake – too ‘big’ to fit, right? Never! Why? Because his Word teaches He holds us close to His heart (Isaiah 40:11), He sings over (Zeph. 3:17), and prays for us (John 17:6-26).

When my granddaughter revealed she would rock me it was if God kissed me on the cheek – the tenderness of a child reflected the lovingness of a Savior who like me is eager to quieten His child.  When we neglect climbing into His lap we are robbed of Him holding, singing over, and praying for us. Allow yourself those ‘special times’ – snuggling close to God’s heart and falling asleep in His strong arms!

“Dear Jesus, please help us come climb into Your lap to quieten us.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 26, 2015

Dreaming Big

cb devo jan 26“Now to Him (God) who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His (God’s) power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Got something on your bucket list you really want to do? Dreaming big……equals living large. Stepping out into the deep – holding back nothing. Contagious enthusiasm to achieve that long awaited goal. So what’s standing in the way?

For many it’s moving goals from the list into action. Procrastination loves to edge in when we start to move towards the ideal. Distractions, excuses and fears line up when we attempt the new uncharted path. The repeats of the past cloud the new beginnings of today.

Perhaps the derailing of our dreams is hidden beneath the surface of the three D’s: doubt, direction and disappointment. We doubt our abilities; we doubt God’s empowerment. We have no direction; we ignore God’s guidance. We allow disappointment to paralyze us; we reject God’s grace.

It all boils down to one simple truth: God wants His children to experience the abundant life. Dreaming big that seeks His guidance = empowerment. Stepping out trusting in God’s abilities = confidence. Passionately pursuing goals bathed in prayer and surrender = success. God loves our faith steps and daily dependence on Him.   He delights in watching us grow and longs to dance with us in the victory circle.

Empowerment, confidence and success – who wouldn’t want that winning combination! Awesome God moments orchestrated for each of us to shine. Glorious chances to dream big. Uncharted territory waiting for us to take leaps of faith. What’s God nudging us to do? Let’s be brave, adventurous women of God undaunted by doubt. Let’s be gutsy daughters of the King guided by perfect direction. Let’s be accepters of His
grave for all the moments in-between.

“Father, new opportunities await us in 2015 – help us to dream big, listen closely and trust You to fulfill Your purposes in our lives.”

For His Glory

 

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 23, 2015

Without Compromise

CB Devo Jan 23“The land we (Joshua and Caleb) passed through and explored is an extremely good land.” Numbers 14:7b (HCSB)

Standing strong, firm and unmovable in the face of opposition requires incredible courage. Delivering a message that contradicts with the crowd in the midst of thousands requires godly boldness. Unwavering in the promises of our God even when others doubt requires holy trust.

Joshua and Caleb meet the test without compromising, sinking back or going with the crowd. When Moses sent them with eight leaders to check out the Promised Land, these two men saw victory when the others saw defeat. The team of ten brought back the fruit of the land proclaiming God’s truth – the land was flowing in abundance. But then the report split with eight leaders filled with fear and warnings to the two who envisioned God’s deliverance. Only Joshua and Caleb were willing to look beyond what they could see. If God’s word was truthful about the good of the land then He was fully capable of handling the bad.

Easy statement to write – hard to digest. How often do we trust God for the good, visible and easy truths, yet abandon His abilities in our challenges. The enemy seemed larger than life to these leaders and often our enemies overwhelm our vision to the point that we minimize the largeness of our God. We shout His praise and faithfulness in the good, but lag and doubt when the battle gets hard.
Glorifying God, even in the face of the enemy, standing firm and strong will be the defining moment in our lives. Let’s be the one who doesn’t cave or give in – let’s prove to our world that we will not waver – God is able to do more than we ever imagined.

“Father, help us to be women who display incredible courage, godly boldness and holy trust – glorifying Your name always!”

For His Glory

 

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 22, 2015

Bubbling Over

cb devo jan22“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.” Colossians 3:16 (ASV)

When you wake up do you wake up singing God’s praise? I love those mornings when I wake up with a hymn on my heart; what a way to start the morning praising the Lord for his goodness. How refreshing to only be in praise to Him who deserves it. When we fill our souls with songs and the Word, we start to overflow. And within moments that overflow bubbles out in our dreams, when we wake up, and in our words to our friends and associates. I love to hear others quoting scriptures and singing praises to the Lord. It makes my heart sing with them. When we praise each other, we bless each other. This is how I believe God wants us to live – lifting each other up with joy, thanksgiving, and encouraging each other in His Word. If we aren’t filling up with His Word it’s hard to spill it out. So let’s challenge each other in scripture memorization and spending more time in the Word. Digging deeper, so we are full of scripture bubbles. Remember how fun it was as a child and even as an adult playing with bubbles and watching them float in the air? As adults, let’s bask in the glory of God’s bubbles of his Word.

“Father, thank You for Your Word and for hymns to sing of Your glory. Help me to bubble over and out to those around me of Your goodness.”

For His Glory,

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 21, 2015

Empowered Every Moment

cb devo jan21“God is my strength and power: and He maketh my way perfect.” 2 Samuel 22:33 (NIV)

It was an electronic nightmare that started the moment I walked into my office. Flipped on the power button and waited, stared and waited for that blank computer screen to disappear – it didn’t happen. So I did want any computer geek would do – I powered it back down and tried again. Three attempts and no success until I called our computer geek, and he discovered the culprit – a bad monitor. Despite the power turbo from my computer, the monitor’s disconnection left me powerless to start my day.

Sound familiar? Ever felt powerless to tackle your day?  It isn’t like we don’t try. We start the morning out right. We dive into His Word fueling our soul. We eat steel cut oats fueling our body. We plan out our moments – rehearse our list of must do’s fueling our mind. And then we walk out into our world and life happens. Demands fill our schedule. Meetings dominate our day. Attitudes move in and frustration elevates. And the power burst that ignited our morning gradually starts to fade.

Why? Because as the demands move in, our focus tends to shift. As the day unfolds, we depend more on us than on Him. And before we know it, we have disconnected from our true source of power – our Almighty God. Self preservation convinces us we can do it all. Pride shouts loud – we’ve got this one. But from Heaven’s view, God whispers:

Sweet girl – I’ve got you covered. Lean into Me. Let Me carry you. Trust Me with your overload, and exhaustion. Draw near to Me and I will fill you up. Cling to My words and My strength will empower your weary. Let Me do life with you today…your constant focus, your immediate thoughts….you won’t be disappointed.
 

“Father, teach us the value of being empowered in Your presence every moment of every day.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 20, 2015

Inspired To Love

cb devo jan20“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God!” 2 Timothy 3:16a (KJV)

Have you ever questioned how deep your love for God really is?  I do!  I ask myself, “Am I loving Him with my WHOLE heart, soul, mind and spirit?”  What am I, that He would want fellowship with me?  And what can I do to give Him anything except a life full of past mistakes?

In my own devotions, I was getting to the middle of the Psalms when I read my own thoughts (Psalm 116:12, 13 NKJV) “What shall I render to the LORD, for all His benefits toward me?  I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD!”  There was my question and my answer! What can I do for Him for all the things He does for me moment by moment? I can honor Him by accepting His gift of salvation and talk to Him! This is so beautifully sung in the hymn by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir: “What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring Him a lamb….If I were a wise man, I’d sure do my part; so what can I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart!” We can all do this–nothing is stopping us from interrupting our day at this moment and praying:  “Lord, here is my heart.  I offer it to You with all of its flaws, and I accept Your salvation.”

“O God, my Father, You give and give, while I seem to ask, to take, and to ask more.  Here is my heart, Lord; make it Yours, and Yours alone.  In love I pray.”

For His Glory

Sandy Day
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Faith, Prayer, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 19, 2015

Gratitude – Focusing Outward

cb devo jan 19“I (Paul) never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16 (HCSB)

Sitting in a cold, dark prison thanking Jesus characterized Paul’s life. His situation wasn’t desirable or even thinkable, but Paul kept his mind focused. And that disciplined focus turned his attention outward rather than inward. Perhaps the secret to Paul’s survival in those dark places was found in his genuine love for others. Maybe the thing that kept him filled with gratitude was simply reflecting on how God had used others to minister to his life.

There’s not a day that goes by….or a moment that slips away…….that someone, that includes you and me, someone needs hope. And in the bleakness of a hard, dreary day there’s nothing more profound than hearing those words, “I’m praying for you.”

Paul knew that giving thanks and remembering others in prayer would be the catalyst for survival in his own soul. God’s faithfulness was sprinkled throughout the memory of those men and women who fed him, housed him, greeted him, prayed for him….an endless list of goodness from God through ordinary people. So, despite confinement and isolation, Paul’s heart wasn’t filled with “woe is me,” but rather “how rich I am.”

Genuine gratitude has a way of repositioning our human nature to see God’s loving kindness even in the most difficult places. Giving thanks reminds us that our lives are blessed and enriched by the people in our circle. Lifting others up in prayer reminds us of the sweet fellowship we share in the body of Christ, and every time Paul mentioned a name his heart was filled to overflowing.

“Father, our lives are filled with gratitude for the sweet remembrance of Your people…… awesome friends who make this journey more enjoyable – we are truly blessed!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin

TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Gratitude

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | January 16, 2015

Another Great Read

cb devo jan16“Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.” II Timothy 3:7 (NIV)

Read any great books lately? Too many unreads on my bookshelf. All great options – incredible authors. But digesting truth can’t be rushed. Taking my reading slow this year. Chewing on those words. Saturating my mind with God’s truth and savoring the nuggets that too many times I let fade away.

You see, normally I’m a quick read. Flip through those pages, even highlighting what I want to remember. Taking notes. Answering all the questions. Checking it off my list. And then moving on to the next best read.

What’s missing? Taking in….soaking up is great, but learning is only one part of the equation. Applying what we know and allowing truth to propel us into action – now that’s amazing. We can read, underline and have indepth discussions. We can have great intentions, but if learning doesn’t move us, change us and transform us to be more like Jesus then it’s just another good read.

Want discernment? Looking for insight as the days of 2015 unfold? Searching for wisdom? Maybe it’s time we take what we know and what we’re learning to the next level. Perhaps we need to step out in faith and embrace the truths that God has already revealed. Wouldn’t it be incredible to look back on 2015 confident we didn’t waste a moment of truth – we chose to dig deep, read intentionally and sought God’s guidance. We boldly applied lessons learned. We read great and savored much. Taking those highlights and underlines to heart. Amazed by the difference slowing down makes.

“Father, You have given us all we need to grow, flourish and shine – empower us to courageously obey what You have taught us.”
For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Success, Wisdom

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