Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 22, 2025

Salted By Fire

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” ~Mark 9:49-50

As I was reading through Mark’s gospel, which I have done many, many times, I saw a little phrase that seemed to have been recently added to my Bible. (I know you know what I’m talking about!) In chapter 9, we read about the Transfiguration and then listen in as Jesus tells His disciples straight up about his impending death and resurrection (which they did not get in that moment). Then, after some of His closest friends were arguing about who was the greatest disciple, Jesus explains clearly that to be the greatest, one must be last and a servant of all. Skipping ahead a few verses, Jesus gets really real about removing sin from our lives, going to extremes when needed. But then, in Mark 9:49, Jesus follows that up by saying, “For everyone will be salted with fire.” Wait, what? After pausing to ponder this odd phrase through the Holy Spirit lens, a cool application struck me.

Believers are called to be salt in this world—Matthew, Mark, and Luke recount the words of Jesus as He exhorts us to be “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), to “have salt in yourselves” (Mark 9:50), and not lose our saltiness, because then it’s of no use at all (Luke 14:34-45). The analogy is pretty clear: Just as salt preserves food, we’re to preserve God’s Word amid the “rotting” elements of culture. And just as we use salt to elevate the flavor of food, Christians sprinkle the grace, mercy, and love on others to reflect Jesus and glorify His name. And just as popcorn or chips make us pine for water, our salty lives should also make those around us thirsty for the Lord. Thankfully, we don’t do this in our own effort. Upon salvation, we are given the Holy Spirit to live within us to empower us to shine the light of Christ into our dark world, to serve as ambassadors of our new homeland (the Kingdom of God), to live fruity lives (Galatians 5:22-23), and—of course—to be salty. And although we are new creations in Christ and have the Holy Spirit within us, we’re still in a constant battle with the flesh and the broken world…not to mention against our enemy who hates us and wants only to kill, steal, and destroy. So, there is that. As we live in the world, being pulled on and pummeled by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life…well, our saltiness can lose its flavor.

And this is what the point of this before-unseen-by-me sentence in Luke points to: staying salted by fire. See, sometimes our most valiant efforts are not enough. We squelch the Holy Spirit with the idea of “I know better” or “I got this.” In these cases, it’s as if the Lord shakes His head knowingly and says to Himself, “Nothin’ a little fire can’t fix.”

So, by trial, persecution, illness, financial crisis, family calamity, and even those sneaky malicious intentions of the enemy, the Lord purifies us. He burns up those attitudes, habits, and actions that have dulled our saltiness—and He refines our Christian walk for His glory, praise, and honor (1 Peter 1:6-7).

When life is hard (because, frankly, it is), do we turn to the things of the world or old patterns that pull us off the Narrow Path and into the wide road? Does our awe of God’s greatness dim, and our enthusiasm for His people and lost souls wane? Oh, friend, I’ve been there, becoming tasteless to a world that so desperately needs to know the soul-level satisfaction of Jesus. But when we take our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances, and place them back on the Lord, and to His mercy and grace—and see just how He is salting us by fire—we can re-embrace the joy of our salvation…and amplify our saltiness once again.

“Lord, forgive me for losing my saltiness in the trials of this life. Thank You for “salting me with fire,” refining my flavor to be more like You.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 21, 2025

When Normal Slips Away

“And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33 (ESV)

Stepping outside my front door, I caught a glimpse of the sun setting behind a grove of trees nothing extraordinary just the usual. The smell of freshly mowed grass and the crisp air for a moment dispelled my thoughts of a new normal. It was a usual Spring evening with birds chirping and peaceful stillness – everything was just as it should be.

Spring has always been my fave time of the year. I love watching flowers bloom and grass thicken. There’s just something about this time of year – it invigorates my soul and renews my energy. Feeling alive is a better way to describe it.

Life can become different and challenging – normal may not be what you’re experiencing. In some ways that’s a good thing because our normal has a way of being distracted, busy and noisy. Our schedules may need emptying. Excuses evaporated. Yes, it may feel uncomfortable to soak in some quiet solitude but the benefits of clarity and drawing closer to God are priceless.

Flip back through the pages of scripture and you will find a group of men whose normal kept changing. For years, they lived in obscurity – simple fishermen, tax collector – you name it their lives were usual. But then Jesus came on the scene and called each of them to follow Him. Normal was gone and the journey was just beginning; their lives would never be the same. And just when they felt comfortable walking, talking and witnessing the miracles of Jesus – normal slipped away.

A cross, death and an empty tomb unveiled the beauty of a new normal. Uncomfortable, uncertain and yes fear filled – uncharted territory stood before them. Jesus died, was buried and was now alive. Would they move forward hope-filled and passionate about the gospel or slink back? These Jesus followers embraced the glory unfolding right before their eyes.

Perhaps we all find ourselves at pivotal places when life gets challenging. We’d much rather go back to the way things were, but God desires to move us to a new place – a deeper revelation of who He is and His desire to be all we need. Resurrection isn’t regulated to empty tombs – it’s the rebirth of a soul who despite a lack of normal chooses to move forward trusting God faithfully.

“Father, the empty tomb assures us of the living hope that conquers all our unknowns. We can rest confidently in You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 18, 2025

Victorious Morning

cb devo apr6“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Corinthians15:55 (KJV)

Imagine 2000 years ago, thousands of enthusiastic people standing along the side of a road in Jerusalem with palm branches in every hand watching and waiting with anticipation. Then they see Him…Jesus whom all the excitement is about! Mobs of people lining the street waving palm branches as Jesus passes by on a donkey. There is a thunderous roar in unison, “Hosanna, Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hail the King of Israel” (John 12:13).

Amazing how in one week’s time jubilation can turn sorrowful. The week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is the ultimate example. Jesus went from experiencing adoration, waving palm branches, shouts of praises and hallelujahs to the total opposite of betrayal, false judgment, screams of crucify, humiliation, torture and mocking. Then a crown of thrones wedged in His brow as He carried an old rugged cross up Golgotha to be nailed to it…despised and rejected. Hope for the world seemed lost.

Darkness fell across the land. Jesus cried out to His Father and took His last breath. The temple veil tore in half, the earth shook, rocks split and tombs opened. Sadly, Jesus had died and then was buried in a borrowed tomb. Had Satan accomplished his evil deed?

Absolutely not! Jesus arose from death and the grave three days later by His own power. The tomb is empty and Jesus is alive…hallelujah ! He nailed my sins, your sins and the sins of the whole world to the cross defeating sin, darkness and breaking every chain that binds. Death has no victory because the grave could not hold OUR King.

Easter…Jesus’ finished work on the cross was His finest hour because death lost its sting and His love won.

“Today, Jesus, You are seated at the right hand of the Father preparing a home for all Your children and we will one day sing Your praises evermore.”

For His Glory

Kim Lacey Schock
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Gratitude, Hope, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 17, 2025

A Crown of Betrayal

“When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Matthew 27:29 (NKJV)

The scene is hard to imagine. Jesus, the Son of God, the One who had lived amongst His people teaching them, healing them, and delivering them from spiritual bondage has just been betrayed by one of His trusted ministry partners. What a disappointment! What great pain from such betrayal!

Jesus, being who He was – and is – could have chosen to not go through physical torture and death on the cross. It was the most humiliating and painful type of death an innocent man could endure, but He did not defend Himself to anyone. He didn’t point fingers at anyone. And He didn’t curse anyone. He remained silent, instead. I can only imagine the turmoil in His head, knowing what was coming to Him and not getting out of it even though He had the power to do so.

The Son of God was mocked by the very people He defended. And what did He do when He was betrayed and mocked by those people? He endured. He allowed His Father’s plan to unveil.

And thank God that He did! Because Jesus willingly took upon Himself our sins on that cross, we can have hope of eternity in heaven with Him.

“Lord, so much pain and sorrow came to You before the world saw You fulfill Your Father’s plan for You and mankind. Still to this day, we suffer from betrayal and mockery, but through You we overcome the pain they cause us. Thank You for the cross. Thank you for the blood that was shed for us.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Faith, Gratitude

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 16, 2025

Easter To Eden

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me…..I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:1,6 (NIV)

I would like to take a few minutes and imagine we are seated at the feet of Jesus. We are in a friend’s home, the smell of freshly cooked bread is in the air, fresh fruits line the table, everyone is quietly listening with occasional laughter as shared stories are remembered. We are in our comfy clothes, hair in ponytails, and perfectly at rest. We know we are loved.

Jesus is talking and telling us silly stories about the disciples and how they tease one another and Him. He smiles as He shares the little anecdotes and includes each one of us in the conversation. He asks about our lives and listens with his eyes. He is so genuine and caring, and we want to stay forever.

Then His voice takes a more serious tone, and Jesus begins to share about heavy things, concerning situations to come. We are puzzled. We ask Jesus to explain a little further, and He replies with, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in Me, also. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.”  We sit and wonder if we should know what He is saying.

Jesus continues teaching and tells us things like, “He is the vine and we are the branches,”

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you, “ “If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first,” and “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”  Jesus looks into each of our eyes, lovingly knowing we do not understand all that He is teaching us yet lovingly knowing that He must follow through on the next step, the beatings and the crucifixion so that we may sit like this with Him again.

And that is what He longs for.

Before the soldiers came to arrest Him, Jesus prayed for us. He spent His last minutes before enduring shame and pain and torment talking to His Father about you and me. As Jesus prayed,

John 17:9 states, “My prayer is not for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You.”  Further on in chapter 17 Jesus begs God “I have given them the glory You gave me, so they may be as one as We are One. I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me. Then they can see all the glory You gave Me because You loved Me even before the world began.”(vs. 22-24)

Jesus was longing for the unity He and the Father experienced before Creation and continued into Eden until that tragic first sin. He wants us to know that the Father loves each of us as much as He loved Him (Jesus). That is what Jesus wanted to be sure we knew before His death.

He longed for each of us to experience Eden with Him forever.

This week before Easter, sit at His feet. Read and meditate on His Word. Focus on the overwhelming love He has for you. No matter what this world may bring you, we can look forward to a forever wrapped in His love because of His sacrifice. That is what He wants. That everyone of us sees and believes in His love for each of us.

“Father, thank you for being willing to send Your only Son to this nasty earth because of Your love for us. Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to obey. We love You.”

For His Glory

 

Terrie Tollerson
TRBC Women’s Ministry

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Love

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 15, 2025

Just Move

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James 1:22-25

My pastor often says that you can’t follow someone without taking steps to go after them—moving in the direction they’re moving. This is especially true regarding Jesus. As followers of Christ, we must be walking after Him. Reading His Word—and acting on it. Doing whatever He says to do (John 2:5). Walking and working out our salvation (Philippians 2:12-13) through action…action that is in response to our salvation, not to earn it (Ephesians 2:8-10).

When it comes to doing for the Lord (serving), whether within the church itself or for a local church ministry, I’ve heard from so many Christians something to the effect of, “Oh, I’m praying about where to serve.” Then (in a French accent, per SpongeBob SquarePants), “three years later.” OK, so maybe not three years, but three months or even a year later, the response from this same person is, “Well, I’m just not sure where the Lord wants me.”

Sound vaguely familiar? Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good thing to wait on the Lord for things and pray fervently for guidance, wisdom, discernment…but nine times out of ten, the bush outside our window won’t be on fire (no matter how long you stare at it). And your dry fleece won’t be wet or your wet one dry.

Oh beloved when it comes to taking godly action, especially in serving the Lord, just move! If it is aligned with God’s Word—and serving His family or a Christ-following ministry usually is—then start doing something! You can base it on your specific God-given gifts (see one of the many spiritual gift surveys), what seems like it would be a “good fit” for you, or just on what needs to be done. The Holy Spirit will steer you once you start moving. In fact, when we’re serving according to our gift(s) and where the Lord truly wants us, we’ll experience incredible joy and energy in the action. (Can I get a witness?) This reminds me of another thing my pastor is fond of repeating: When it comes to following the Lord, we “pray, guess, and go.” Does it align with God’s Word—i.e., is not sinful? Then go for it! When you stand before the Lord someday, He’s not going to look at you disdainfully, shaking His head, and say, “You know, you really shouldn’t have served in Kids Ministry that year at your church—it’s not what I had for you.”

When I brought up this “just do something” idea at Bible study recently, my sweet mat-carrying sister tied up this concept with a mic-drop comment: “A ship can’t be steered unless it’s moving.” (This got me burrowing down a rabbit hole of marine engineering, into “sway velocity” and “surge velocity” and “rudder force”—but I’ll spare you all this.) But, yes, like a large boat, we’ve got to start going in a godly direction. Then our sweet Navigator will guide us where He wants us—for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28-30).

“Lord, You give us wisdom when we ask (James 1:5-6). But also, please give me the courage to move—to do, to say, to go—in faith and in alignment with Your Word.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 14, 2025

Praising The One Who Gave His Life

cb devo apr9“My mouth is filled with Your praise, and with Your glory all the day.” Psalm 71:8 (ESV)

Wonder how many different emotions we experience in a day? Grumpy or happy might start our day depending on whether we stopped at Starbucks on our morning commute or broke up a fight in the car as we pulled into the school parking lot. Overwhelmed might greet us as we walk into our office and see that same pile of papers didn’t disappear overnight. Joyful could have us dancing through the streets if we’ve reached a goal or overcome a difficulty. Anger might consume us if harbor resentment. Fear could be our best friend if we zero in on the negatives and overlook the positives.

Sound familiar? As women we experience a wide range of emotions in just one given day. So it’s easy to see how our roller coaster ride can impact our worship. Praising God on Sunday hands lifted high and allowing chaos on Monday to diminish who He is shaking fists at the sky. Wavering in a sea of doubt tossed about – a double minded person half believing, half doubting. The words we so easily sang with fellow believers now distant in our silence of one. The quietness of our hearts torn between the One we praise and the way we feel.

The magnitude of our worship should never match our emotions, but rather reflect the magnificence of our God. Even in the midst of swirling feelings, God is still faithful, loving, kind and true. He is never changing, always steady, forever stable and our everlasting peace. And when our day attempts to steal away our praise, let’s worship Him with hands lifted high, knees bowed low and hearts captivated with our awesome God.

“Father, elevate our praise away from how we feel to who You truly are – our awesome God!”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Spiritual Living, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 11, 2025

Essential Light

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

One of the many (many) things I love about living in Florida is the presence of all the fruit trees randomly growing in people’s yards—oranges, lemons, limes, and other interesting citrus types I’ve never seen before. (As I write this, my mouth is watering in anticipation of the oranges ripening on our neighbor’s tree, which hangs over our fence…so those oranges are technically ours, am I right? Actually, these particular neighbors don’t like citrus, so all the fruit from their three citrus trees will be ours, but I digress.)

Why are these fruit trees so prevalent in sunny Florida? Well, they require full sun (6-8 hours/day) to flourish. Even a few too many hours of shade can negatively impact the rate of growth, fruiting potential, and cold resilience of the trees. Light is essential.

This is a beautiful analogy for believers. All people are born into darkness—all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Not only are we in darkness and of the darkness, we are darkness (Ephesians 5:8). But, by accepting the amazing gift of grace provided by Jesus—the Light of the world— He rescues us from the darkness (Colossians 1:13; John 8:12; 1 Peter 2:9). We move into in the Light, become of the Light…we are Light (Ephesians 5:8).

And, as a result of this surrender to salvation, we are given the Holy Spirit to live in us, so that we have the power to live out our new reality…we produce fruit (Ephesians 5:9). Not lemons and limes, but love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We live fruity lives—not to earn God’s grace and love, but in response to it.

But friend, like those luscious trees, we cannot produce this fruit without exposure to Light! Those trees need to be in the sun, and we need to be in the Son. And although we are in the Light and of the Light once saved, fruit is not automatically produced! We have to maintain daily “Son exposure”—we have to spend time with Him (He is the Light) and in His Word—it is light to us (Psalm 119:105). Moreover, also analogous to fruit trees, we cannot risk exposure to the darkness. Participating in the darkness (sin) of our old life, will—like with the tree—negatively impact our growth in the Lord, our fruiting potential, and our resilience to the attacks of the world and Satan (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 22:24-25; Ephesians 5:11). Light is essential.

One more fact about those delicious fruit trees: if they don’t have any sun, they will die. Friend, the same is true of us. If we don’t have the Son—Jesus Christ—we will surely die (Romans 6:23). What about you? Are you living in the darkness right now? Won’t you step into the Light of Jesus, repenting and accepting the free gift of salvation and reconciliation with God? I promise, your soul will flourish. If you are already a believer, how fruity is your life? If you’re not producing the kind of fruit you want, be intentional about spending sweet time basking in the Son and nourishing your soul with the light of God’s Word.

“Lord, You are the Light of the world. If anyone reading this has the weight of darkness upon them, turn their heart toward You and transform them from darkness to light, giving them everlasting life in You.”

 

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 10, 2025

The Difference Starts With You & Me

feb-9“I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.” Jeremiah 15:21 (NIV)

When I visited Israel several years ago, I spent a few minutes in the garden outside the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem looking at the different plaques and monuments. One, in particular, caught my eye, because I was familiar with the name on the plaque: Oskar Schindler.

Back in 1993, Steven Spielberg directed the movie Schindler’s List, which told the story of a man named Oskar Schindler. In the peak of World War II, when Nazi Germans were trying to annihilate the Jewish race, Oskar miraculously managed to save thousands of Jews from being slaughtered by the callous, selfish, and horrendous nature of the Adolf Hitler philosophy of creating a “pure race.”  Schindler placed his own life at risk as he used his place of business, an armament factory, to hire and shelter Jewish men and women who would, otherwise, be sent to concentration camps to die.

The monument of which I speak was a tree. Yes, a tree. Planted right alongside the walkway, amidst other trees like itself.   It stood, tall and green, paying tribute to the memory of a man whose brave, caring, generous and selfless acts helped to ensure other generations of Jewish families would be given a chance of sharing space in this world, a man who had helped to make a difference for a race.

And if one man could do so much, how much more, then, could millions of people do, if they united and acted towards promoting the good – and the betterment – of mankind? The world needs more people like Oskar Schindler, to improve the livelihood of those who are in distress and unable to help themselves. The world needs more people who, instead of focusing on the things that are not right in this world, choose to work together to improve them and ensure the common good. If we acted selflessly to promote peace, kindness, and unity among mankind, war would be just another word in the dictionary. And it starts with you and me.

“Lord, thank you for Your saving grace.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 9, 2025

Be A Sunflower

“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You.” Psalm 63:1

I love sunflowers. They’re definitely my favorite flower. Thankfully, my husband knows this—as well he should, after 25 years. So, like with every birthday and other special occasion, when Valentine’s Day arrived this year, so did a gorgeous bouquet of these bright, festive blossoms.

It’s fairly common knowledge that sunflowers have a unique characteristic when they are young: They are heliotropic. This not-so-common term simply means that the head of the sunflower follows the arc of the sun as the sun moves across the sky throughout the day. The science behind this phenomenon is pretty cool. Basically, cells on the east side of the stem elongate during the day, turning the head gradually to the west to follow the sun. During the night, the cells on the west elongate, so the flower is facing the east in time for the sunrise.

The how is definitely interesting…but what about the why? Well, scientists identify two main reasons. First, they grow more by following the sun. The second reason is that by facing the sun more, the flowers heat up faster—and the warmth attracts pollinating bees.

Sisters, because our creative God does nothing out of chance or without purpose, we can learn a simple, yet profound, spiritual lesson from these beautiful blooms: Face the Son.

So, what does this lesson look like as we live it out? Let me break it down as a set of questions we can each ask ourselves.

• When I wake up, am I facing the new mercies of a new morning?
• Do I daily soak up life-giving rays of the Light of the world through meditating on His Word?
• Throughout the day—every day—am I keeping my eyes heavenward, knowing that this world is not my home?
• Do I make the most of the nourishment provided to me by constantly seeking its Source?
• Am I growing as much as possible through spiritual disciplines (Bible intake, prayer, worship and serving)?

Like the majestic sunflower, our purpose—the why—for this “holy heliotropism” will be evidenced by the result. When we face the Son, my beloved sisters, we will exude a warmth that attracts others. And when our spiritual demeanor is inviting to those walking through this dark world with their heads bowed to the ground, we have the opportunity to turn their eyes to the only true Source of life.

“Lord, may I keep my face toward You, so that I grow closer to You and exude an inviting warmth that impacts the lost and broken people around me.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRCB Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

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