Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 30, 2013

Serving Him

Cb devo aug30“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)

 

Ever get in a rut with your job, ministry, or daily routine?  Seems like we are doing the same thing over and over again without making much of a difference. Or we want to do more for God but think it’s not possible because we can’t afford to go on a mission’s trip or take time off to pursue ministry opportunities.  The second the devil puts the “woe is me” thoughts in my head, God reminds me of how I am serving right where I am. I am blessed to work at a church; however, I have probably the most indirect contact with people. I run the Print Shop and see people occasionally. I don’t really serve the community in person, but God reminded me that through my printing I have helped lead music for VBS in Alaska, encouraged our mission’s team in Guatemala, and blessed a widow with a remembrance to one of our dear Senior Saints that worked with our children’s ministry.

 

It’s not about title, training, money, or even location. God can use us where we are if we are willing to be obedient to His nudging. A smile at the grocery store clerk, paying for the person’s meal behind you at the drive thru, a card to a coworker, and SO many other little opportunities add up to big blessings. When we are purposeful in our walk with Christ, the chances to serve others will be obvious and plentiful.


“Dear God, Thank You for the opportunities to serve You. Help us to be sensitive to Your leading and be willing to show Your love in all we do.”

 

For His Glory

 Katrina Redman
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Success, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 29, 2013

Enthusiastic Worship

Rear view of a teenager girl standing in a field of tall grass“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!”  Psalm 122:1-2 (ESV)

My daughter and daughter-in-law love to shop Black Friday sales; however, I am not shy to express my opinion of NOT standing in line for hours for a bargain. When was the last time you waited patiently for the opening of a sale, a movie, or something else? Black Friday? Man of Steel? Better yet, when was the last time you, like David, demonstrated enthusiastic worship?  There were obviously many who were so excited to enter the temple for worship that they stood outside until allowed to enter. What a glorious thought! Sometimes I hear people say, “Do you think we should go to church tomorrow?”  Their answer usually depends on the lateness of the movie the night before, the rainy weather, the chilly air, the hot sun, the beach that calls, etc.  Instead, we should be laying out clothes the evening before, everyone bathed and ready to enjoy the fellowship of other believers.  Our hearts should desire to draw encouragement and help from each other and from the Holy Spirit as we prepare for another week.  Let’s be much more intentional about giving back to God the one day of the week which He has asked of us—the Day of Rest. Our souls need it, our spirits need it, our bodies need it, and our family needs it. There may be a job that gets left undone, but it will still be there Monday.

“Father, forgive us for letting the cares of the world interfere with our passion for worshiping You. Give us the enthusiasm David had as he prepared to celebrate a time in Your presence! Thank You for Your love.”

 

For His Glory

Sandy Day
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Success, Wisdom, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 28, 2013

Energizing Others

cb aug 28“Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?”  James 3:11 (KJV)


Attitudes that glorify God even in the midst of trials and testing  – now that’s sweet.  Murmuring and complaining defeats His purpose, because God wants to work in us so that we can glorify Him. Why would we want to waste our time being negative and faithless, when instead we can choose to praise Him. If we complain we will be drained of energy; however, praising Him energizes us and those around us.  We can choose to be one that energizes others through our zeal and faith. Attitudes are contagious. What are you spreading enthusiasm, or negativism? 

 Here are some scriptures to meditate upon:
1. Proverbs 11:11 Don’t destroy your neighbor by what you say.
2. Proverbs 10:20 Don’t speak if you don’t know how
3. Proverbs 10:21 Speak to meet the needs of others

With our tongue, we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  The more God conscience we are, the more we will glorify Him in our conversations with others.  Are we pointing others to Christ?  What about our attitudes?  How are they affecting those around us?  What about our faith?  What are we speaking?  Is our faith standing on the Word of God or is it based on our emotions? 

 

“Father help me to be refreshing to others like a fountain that sends forth sweet water.  Help me not to become negative, critical or complaining, but rather praise You and energize those around me.”

 

For His Glory

 

Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 27, 2013

Getting Back on Track

cb devo aug27“This was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the Lord according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.”  1 Chronicles 24:19 (NKJ)

 

School starts this week at our house, which means school supplies, backpacks, school uniforms, packing lunches, and early morning for all of us.  We love the summer –  sleeping in, no real schedule, afternoons at the pool, and family days of fun.  But now it’s time to buckle down and find the normalcy in routines and schedules.  Maybe your house is similar, and you too are ready or not for a schedule.  How did the carefree days of summer affect you?  Did it cause you to become relaxed in spending time in God’s Word? 

 

In the Old Testament tribes were scheduled to serve; however, we have the privilege of being able to serve and read God’s Word at any time.  We don’t have to have a priest unroll the scribe and read it to us.  So let’s get back on track, and invest in our relationship with the Lord.  As routines and schedules are planned, let’s make sure time with the Lord is placed on it as well.  Every day is better when it starts with prayer and time in the Word.  Even if there is only time for one verse, write it on a 3 x 5 card or pretty note paper and carry it all day.  Memorize it.  Reflect on it.  Let God speak to you through it.  Make the devil shake in his boots because you made time to grow in your walk with the Lord and put on His armor.

 


“Father thank you for allowing me to read and study your Word at anytime.  Give me the desire to grow closer to you.”

 

For His Glory,

 

Debbie Struble
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 26, 2013

An Endless Circle of Love

cb aug 26 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)

Recently, I watched some birds building a nest. The female bird flew up to the nest with the twigs, while the male bird stood on the railing.  Sometimes he was watching, and sometimes he held additional twigs.  Then they flew off together to gather more twigs. They spent an entire day doing this, never changing their positions.  My husband made a joke about it saying, “He’s just standing there while the woman is doing all the work.” I laughed at first, and then I considered something. These birds knew what they are supposed to do – they knew their role.

Do you know your role in life? I’m not talking about who you are or your chosen profession. I mean do you know your real purpose? According to God, not the world?  God’s greatest command to us was to love Him with everything that we have and to love others. Jesus said these are the greatest commandments. Why? Because when we live this commandment out in everyday life it covers all things. God loves us with His protection, provision, forgiveness, and relationship. We love ourselves with acceptance of that love, then we pass onto others the love we have been given with kindness, compassion, support, prayer, etc…. which in turn points them to the One who loves them the most.  Round and round it rolls in an endless circle of love, giving us what we need.  

“Thank you God for knowing what we all need and giving us this command to follow. Forgive us for not fulfilling our roles by following this command daily. Help us to take the love You give us and pass it on to others.”

 

For His Glory

 

Josey Bozzo
TRBC Coffee Break

 

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 23, 2013

The Right Choice

cb devo aug 23“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”  Colossians 1:11 (KJV)

 

It is so wonderful to be empowered by God, however, the choice to receive strength is ours. His Word strengthens us. Prayer strengthens us. Releasing praises strengthens us. Rejoicing in God with patience and longsuffering strengthens us. If we try to go through life without prayer, His Word, or praise we will get drained and weary. God’s strength sustains us. We cannot rely on our own strength.  There have been times when I have gotten burned out because I was trying to do life in my own strength. Now I study, meditate on God’s Word and have a helpless dependence on God. When I am doing ministry work or am ministering to people, I ask for God’s strength. I keep God’s Word hidden in my heart.

 

The more we receive from God, the more we can give out.  The more we give out, the more we need to be receiving from God. When we stop receiving from God, we will give out and our strength will be depleted. God wants to empower us. The more of His Word we have in us, the more empowered we will be. We can face life with patience, longsuffering and joy only when we are being strengthened according to God’s glorious power.

 

“Lord, thank You that You strengthen us with all might according to Your glorious power. Today I choose to walk in patience, longsuffering and joy.”

 

For His Glory

 Linda Reyes Shepherd
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Freedom, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 22, 2013

A New Perspective

cb devo aug 22“So we don’t focus on the troubles we see right now; instead we look forward to what we don’t see yet. For the troubles we see now are temporary, but the joys to come will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)

Recently, I listened to Pastor Rick Warren as he returned to the pulpit for the first time since his son committed suicide after suffering most his life with mental illness. There were so many words of encouragement in his message such as: “The tension goes down when we know the end of the story. We can have hope because we know this isn’t the end of the story.”   No matter if we are going through the most devastating thing in our life, as Christians we’ve read the back of the book (Bible) and know how the story ends. We have a hope of eternity in Christ. 

I have prayed for many with cancer, sudden loss of loved ones, marriage and financial troubles. Just so many struggles and hurts in this world, however, that’s the key we are focusing on things of THIS world. We need to be focusing on the bigger picture of eternity. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we gain a new perspective on life – one filled with HOPE – the Hope of eternal life in heaven. Nothing in this world will be easy or comfortable because this is our temporary home. God is creating a place for us that we will live in for eternity.

“Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving us enough to send Your son to die on the cross for our sins. Thus preparing the way for us to be with You for eternity in Heaven. Help keep our eyes on the eternal as we deal with struggles in our temporary home.”

 

For His Glory

 

Katrina Redman
TRBC Coffee Break

 

If you have never prayed to receive Christ as your personal Savior, please reply to this devotional and we will gladly show you how you can have the hope of eternal life in Heaven.

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 21, 2013

More Than These

MP900443495[1]“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” John 21:15 (NIV)

Meatloaf the second day or spaghetti when the sauce marinates – what’s your favorite leftover?  Leftovers make my wife life easy.  No meal to plan – just open the fridge and a quick warm up saves the dinner crisis.  The best part is it usually tastes better, and Mom once again saves the day.  While this works great in a crunch, the fridge eventually becomes empty leaving us with no choice than to get in the kitchen and cook a meal.

Do we ever find ourselves spread so thin that all we have to offer God is our leftovers?  Work spins out of control, our list of “Things To Do” grows and before we know it another day is gone. Great intentions fly out the window too easily.  Even when our schedule is empty, we often allow distractions and misplaced priorities to seize our “God time.”   Love the fact that God completely understands what our “wife life” is like.  Love the way He accepts us chaos and all, but I’m certain God isn’t impressed when we constantly offer Him leftovers.    I’m convinced God isn’t satisfied with our distracted, misplaced devotion that is easily justified because we know He will understand.  Maybe, that’s why Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Because saying we love Jesus is too easy, but making Him a priority now that’s truly “more than these.”

“Father, help me to be a woman who loves You with all my heart, soul and mind.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

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

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 20, 2013

Treasuring His Words

Woman Reading a Diary“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12 (NKJV)

Who doesn’t love the luscious taste of ice cream piled high with favorite toppings, their favorite entrée, or munchies? Some eat only what is healthy for them, while others have a tendency to over-indulge on anything that brings satisfaction to their hunger pangs.  Some desire just to have that tasty morsel that looks so good! Unless we go on missions trips often, we have a hard time identifying with those who never have enough to eat.

Do we desire God’s Word more than the food we eat? Job stated that he did, and he was one of the few people whom God pronounced as blameless in His sight! Oh, how I wish that were me! Can you imagine what it would be like to have on your tombstone, “Blameless In the Eyes of God?” Job may sound proud as he lists his life actions prior to the days of mourning over the many crises he was enduring, but if we could have seen his ‘body language’ and heard his tone of voice, perhaps he was actually doing a self-examination. He listed all the things he had done—feeding the poor, clothing them,  and good works—trying to discover why God seemed to have turned His back on him. We, like Job, ask that eternal “why” often when we are in the midst of heavy, dark trials.  However, we need to rest in God’s promise that if we hunger and thirst after righteousness as we do our food, we will be filled. That should bless our hearts each day!

“Father, thank You for filling us with everything we need! Create in us a hunger for Your Word so that it becomes the very first necessity of our lives each day. Teach us to love You more and more!

 

For His Glory

Sandy Day
TRBC Mountain Blend

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 19, 2013

Learning to Linger

cb devo aug 19“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” Exodus 33:11(NIV)

 

Awe-stricken, mesmerized, or disbelief could describe what he had witnessed – an unforgettable once in a lifetime experience!   Ever had one – an encounter radically changing your life forever?  Joshua, Moses’ servant experienced this first hand – a young man sitting at the feet of one of God’s most profound leaders.  Imagine that – so much to learn, observe and understand about leadership.   In Exodus 33, Joshua not only witnessed Moses talking with God but also the pillar of cloud descending and standing at the door of the tabernacle.

 

As Moses’ apprentice Joshua was privileged to partake of many of his endeavors, however, this particular time everyone worshipped and returned to his tent but he lingered (stayed in one place longer than necessary).  Why? Perhaps it was to pay attention in case God had something more to say or maybe he longed to be still in God’s presence absorbing all he had seen and heard. Whatever his reason, God recorded it.  Fast-forward a few books in God’s Word, and we find Joshua operating as another giant for God – following in Moses’ footsteps – how’s that for once in a lifetime opportunity?


Serving Moses preceded Joshua’s leadership opportunity.   God used lingering moments spent with Him to groom Joshua to lead His people.  Because everyday distractions cause us to scurry through praise and worship, quiet times and sweet moments with God, we often miss His blessing.  When was the last time you tarried with Jesus? It is time well spent.   Like Joshua it could lead to something that only happens once in a lifetime and won’t be soon forgotten!!

 

“Dear Jesus, please help us to linger with you.  You have so much to offer.”

 For His Glory

 Patsy Sanders
TRBC Coffee Break

 

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Posted in Spiritual Living, Success, Wisdom

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