Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | May 1, 2013

The Gap

cb devo may1“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”  Psalm 105:4 (NIV)

Why is it that some of us are destined to select the slowest checkout lines?  Just the other day I selected a line that was so slow, I was sure it was a world record candidate.  After three price-checks, ID verification and a refill of receipt paper, I was able to return home and inform my family that instead of ice cream, I would now be serving milkshakes.

One benefit of my extended stay was that I got to flip through an interesting magazine.  (Something I rarely do!)  This particular magazine highlighted famous men and women who died in 2012.  As I skimmed through the obituaries, I noticed a small blurb about Steven Covey, the author of the popular book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Although decades had passed since I read that book, I was reminded of Covey’s statement:  That between every event and response in life there exists a GAP.  In this GAP of anticipation, we are invited to press into God and draw from His strength and grace BEFORE jumping to a response.

If you are like me, you may not have ever paid much attention to this gap.  But, the reality is that before every response we make, we are given an opportunity to first meet with God.  So next time life throws an unexpected challenge, hurt or upset our way…let’s take a moment and meet God in the GAP so He might further align our responses with His truth and character. No matter what, He is faithful to guide us…even when our dreams melt into milkshakes as we face life’s unexpected delays!”

“Lord,  Please grant us the strength and wisdom to seek You before we respond to the events and hardships of life.  And when we come, please make us receptive to the work You wish to do in our hearts!”

For His Glory

                    

Claudia Dempsey
TRBC Coffee Break

Leave a Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Prayer, Spiritual Living, Success

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 30, 2013

Life’s New Normal

cb devo apr 30“My times are in your hands.” Psalm 31:15a (NIV)

Life has a way of changing things up doesn’t it?  Variety.   No two days are ever the same.   Although a plus, sometimes expectations alongside life’s reality become two different agendas particularly when anticipation abruptly turns to apprehension. Remember Forrest Gump’s reply in the movie: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” Suddenly what we want in life and what life delivers produces unpredictable detours ushering in a ‘new normal.’

Recently, witnessing a panel of women share testimonies of experiencing an unexpected ‘new normal,’ I was reminded of the spontaneity of life.  Circumstances ranged from becoming widows at an early age, loosing children, financial crisis, divorce, devastating heartache, etc.   Then who could have imagined multiple bombs would explode following a recent Boston marathon leaving behind horrific injures and tragic deaths.   Both situations birthed radically changed lives – a result of the unforeseen.   Expectations sorrowfully dissolved as disappointment and heartache overshadowed the very essence of so many. Though difficult to comprehend nothing happens to God’s child unless filtered first through His mighty hands. Learning to face disappointment as God’s appointment with courage and determination will solidify His purpose – it’s far greater than any expectation His child may have.

What is your ‘new normal?’ Ask God to fulfill His purpose in and through you.  His grace is sufficient, His strength is made perfect in weakness, and He is sovereign.  Though He doesn’t owe explanations, the truth is:  we owe Him glorification with every aspect of our lives.   We must determine to face each new tomorrow guided by His unseen hand.

“Please Lord, help me to embrace my ‘new normal’ and glorify You.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Coffee Break

1 Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 29, 2013

Guaranteed Freedom

Woman Standing in a Field“How much more, then will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”  Hebrews 9:14 (NIV)

We have been eternally redeemed destined for eternal purposes.  Let this sink in deep.  Easter was last month – you know the time our hearts are drawn to the cross and Jesus sacrificial death.  We celebrated the resurrection and then…well life goes on.  Another holiday marked off the calendar – or was it? The perfect sacrifice – Jesus Christ – became our High Priest. His death and resurrection removed the barriers; we now have full access to the throne room of God.  No standing in line carrying my sheep. No yearly confessions before a Priest.  The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed and sanctified me inside out.  So how do I live out my life day by day totally freed from the debt of sin I owed?  While forgiveness and grace wipes my slate clean, the rest of the story is just the beginning.  The removal of our sin isn’t just for our gain, but rather it’s God’s gain so that we can serve the Living God.   Washed in His blood, we’ve been bought with a high price destined to be worthy vessels of honor.  To whom much is given – much is required.  In case we’ve forgotten, we’ve been given much – far much more than we ever deserved.  Yet God takes it a step further – He wants to use our lives, our stories and our gifts. No cowering in shame or guilt.  No excuses why we aren’t worthy.  What God has cleansed, we are freed to receive – an opportunity to be redeemed for His eternal purposes.

“Father, there is no one who is beyond Your saving grace and there is no life that you can’t redeem or restore – help us to accept forgiveness and move forward in serving You.”

For His Glory

 Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break

1 Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Freedom, Hope, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 26, 2013

Welcome One Another

MP900178801[1]“So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.” Romans 15:7 (NLT)

 Have you ever had someone walk into your life and perhaps you didn’t want to associate with that person because you were embarrassed? Perhaps you thought that person didn’t “fit” in your circle of friends. Many times God will bring people into our lives to take us out of our comfort zone. We have to be ready to embrace them and make them feel comfortable. He might bring an angel unaware just to test us. When we humble ourselves and accept one another (no matter what background the person has), we bring God the glory. We must remember that God accepted us, and we might have things that others don’t like about us. In the same way we would like others to accept us just for who we are, we too must accept others just the way they are. We mustn’t prejudge people. We might find out that they can turn out to be our friend if we give them a chance. We must widen our circle of friends and include people of all kinds, yes, even outcasts. We can learn something from everyone. Jesus hung out with people that no one else wanted to hang out with. The Pharisees mocked Him because He associated with sinners. Are we choosing and picking who we want to be around or are we allowing God to help us accept everyone? Ask God to bring someone into your life who is out of your comfort zone. Ask God to love them through You –  to see them with His eyes.

 

“Father I choose to accept those you bring into my life in the same way You have accepted me. May You be glorified in my life.”

 

For His Glory

 Linda Reyes Shepherd

TRBC Mountain Blend

 

4 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 25, 2013

Surrending My List

Confident Businesswoman“After that, he (Jesus) poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples‘ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”  John 13:5 (NIV)

 Hot pink -yes, you got it hot pink now adorns my toes and fingers -Spring has arrived.  Along with it came a downpour of rain that fed my yard beyond abundance.  What was nonexistent is now plush green and growing by the day. Every weed has plowed through and with hubby out of town, you can only imagine the view out my window – I have a yard “Gone Wild.”  Happened so quickly – rain, sunshine and cool temps created the best scenario for lots of growth.  Only way to tackle this jungle is to pull out the mower – you know like me mow the grass?  You gotta be kidding. I do all that other stuff –   laundry, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping…do I need to continue? Mowing isn’t on my list…..it’s on his – you know husband who’s out of town.  Maybe I should just let go of my list…his list and take care of what needs to be done.  Happens all the time at work, at home and in ministry.  We follow our job description as if it’s etched in stone.  And if someone’s not doing their part, unfortunately we either ignore it or explode it to someone else.  God loves teamwork. He gets great pleasure in seeing His children working together – unaware of who’s getting the glory – unaware of who’s supposed to get it done.  When we drop the title and embrace the task, we position ourselves to experience abundant growth. Spiritual maturity resides in those who seek to serve others and obey God.  Maybe it’s the reason Jesus had no problem washing feet.

 

“Father, when we seek Your will everything else falls into place – help us to serve without excuse.”

 

For His Glory

 Janet Martin

TRBC Coffee Break

Leave a Comment

Posted in Attitude, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 24, 2013

Building Up God’s Kingdom

happy family“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, o Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

 A little rabbit named Thumper, in the movie classic Bambi, became famous for his quote, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” It’s hard to guess how many children and adults have quoted this phrase since the movie came out in 1942; I remember quoting it myself. The little rabbit’s advice, however, holds true since people prefer to hear kind words that edify versus harsh words that destroy. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up.” Encouragement builds self-esteem, boosts morale, and helps people accomplish things they may not have attempted. Encouraging words strengthen children’s relationships with their parents and spouses’ relationships with their mates. It makes teams stronger in the workplace and strengthens communities.

 As children of God, we should strive to encourage our brothers and sisters to stay in His Word, pray regularly, seek to do what is right, practice forgiveness, seek repentance when committing sin, and believe that with God all things are possible. Faith is the essence of our belief, for it is in faith we must believe for the things we ask of our Father in heaven. Choose today to go forth and become an encourager to those who are around you; a kind word may be just what they need in order to believe in the God that you serve.

 “Lord, we are tired of seeing families torn and people suffering because of lack of support and encouragement. Please help us to be bold and to choose to speak forth the Rhema word that has power to heal and to build. ”

 

For His Glory

 Luska Suzano

TRBC Coffee Break

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 23, 2013

Prayer – God Is My Refuge

cb devo apr 23“And she (Hannah) vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11 (KJV)

 Where do you turn when life gets hard?  Hannah chose prayer in her time of difficulty. She asked God to look upon her affliction and not to forget her. Hannah was specific about her prayer. Not only did she ask for a son, but she promised to give him back to the Lord all the days of his life. Totally surrendering her son to the Lord – now that’s faith that pleases the Lord. When we are afflicted, we must persevere in prayer. We must not get discouraged but rather pour out our hearts to God. Difficulties should not keep us from faithful worship of the Lord, but rather they should deepen our worship of the Lord. He is our help, He is there for us and we can go to the Lord in confidence. How he loves us to fellowship with Him and tell Him the most intimate things in our life.   Are we allowing trials to get the best of us or are we taking them to God in prayer with thanksgiving knowing that all things will work out for good to those that love Him? Let’s choose prayer. Let’s cast our burdens to the Lord for He cares for us.

 

“Father, thank You for looking on my affliction and remembering me. Thank You that You uphold me with Your right hand. You are always there for me.”

 For His Glory

 Linda Reyes Shepherd

TRBC Mountain Blend

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Prayer

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 22, 2013

The Good Fight

MP910220848[1]“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

 Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him.  Slowly he edged around the corner of his car, feet dragging to the tune of his walker.  Captivated, I slowed my pace as I watched him grab a bucket out of his trunk that he used as a stool. Sitting down, he reached for his wheelchair and attached the wheels.  Struggle edged the roughness of his tired face, but it didn’t deter him.  Rising with the support of the walker, he fling himself onto the wheelchair and maneuvered toward the entrance to the gym.  Who are you picturing in your mind – who do you envision this man to be?  I would probably surprise you if I told you he was a man in his late 30s or perhaps early 40s.  I’ve seen him in the gym diligently working his arms, strengthening and improving what he has left despite his obvious limitations.  Not caving in or giving up, but rather pressing through the overwhelming workout it took just to get him in the front door.  How often do we persevere and press through challenges?  Do we simply accept where we are – perhaps giving up expecting nothing more because of our perceived limitations?  Or like this man, do we become creative and more determined?   Whether we are facing physical, emotional, spiritual or financial challenges we can choose to invest in strengthening our faith.    God’s Word is full of examples of ordinary people who, despite their circumstances, remained faithful to Him.  They fought the good fight, they kept the faith and received the prize – isn’t that what we want?

“Father, I entrust all the uncertainties of my life into Your sovereign hands – enable me to finish well, to press through and honor You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin

TRBC Coffee Break

Leave a Comment

Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 19, 2013

Greater Glory

Young Woman Standing with Arms Stretched Out“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”  I Peter 4:13 (NIV)

 Ever wonder why oil and water don’t mix?  The molecules in oil don’t attract the molecules in water – simply put they can’t mix. When we consider suffering, pain and loss in our lives, we have a hard time seeing how they could intermingle with joy. From our viewpoint, they don’t attract each other, just like oil and water.  From God’s viewpoint , they are inseparable.  Why?  The branch of suffering is intertwined with a vine of joy that  stems from a deep root of trust in God.  Simply put, God’s design was for them to mix – to co-exist – because He is the vine and we are the branches.  Our vine will never disconnect from us, instead God draws in closer to the person who sacrificially trusts in Him.  And when we allow ourselves to draw near to Him, we find that His joy indwells  the empty, dark places of our soul. It is in this intimate connection of being poured out and filled up that we see the beauty of God’s sovereignty. We learn to breathe deep of His peace.  We realize that “joy” is a fruit of His spirit flourishing in us. We pick up our cross and carry it daily infused with the hope of the resurrection.  Though happy has left, real joy remains in those whose hearts are surrendered to the Father’s will. Overjoyed in the abundance of  knowing that the greater glory is always found in His plan, we shine as beacons of hope to a world desperately searching.

“Father, help us to exchange our fleeting happy for the gain of deeper joy found only in the crucible of suffering .”

 For His Glory

 Janet Martin

TRBC Coffee Break

Leave a Comment

Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | April 18, 2013

Childlike Faith

Asian Girl“…truly I say to you, Unless You turn around and become like children, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 18:3 (ESV)

My four year old daughter (Meri Kate) and I were headed to a dinner/play date at Chick-fil-a when she said, “I changed my mind I want Sammie to come with us.” “Well, it is too late,” I replied. “You said you didn’t want her to come.” She then taught me a lesson on faith as she seriously stated, “Well, I will ask Jesus to put her in the car! He can do it!” Wow! Yes, He can do that but would He?

I began to think back to the summer when I was praying fervently for a house and whole heartedly believed that God’s answer would be a yes and how it was a no. My young daughter’s knowledge of God’s power doesn’t know the pain of a no or a not yet for an answer. Yet despite having been told no or to wait myself, I am reminded by Jesus in Matthew 18:3 to have the same belief as Meri Kate. This is the same God that keeps the sun in the sky and causes a beautiful daffodil to burst through the hard dirt to dazzle me each day as I run. So in answer to Meri Kate’s statement, I asked her how Sammie would feel if she was suddenly in the car and would she be scared.  Meri Kate paused and lifted her voice, “Oh… Jesus, I take my prayer back please don’t bring Sammie in the car. I will play with her tonight.” 

“Dear Lord, give me the faith of a young child. Please guard my heart from becoming hardened by the struggles and trials of life. Keep my eyes open to your power and never ending love for me.”

 

For His Glory

Melissa Hester

TRBC Coffee Break

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Prayer

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories