Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 2, 2024

Love Isn’t Selfish

“Love isn’t selfish.” 1 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)

I was recently talking with someone who is coming up on a special date regarding their son’s death. Their eyes filled with tears as they talked about their son and how much they miss him. I appreciated their honesty and vulnerability with me. And I understood where they were coming from. But then, just as they started to share their heart – they stopped. The next words they uttered were – “I shouldn’t say that it’s selfish to miss him and want him back, because he’s in a better place.”

While there’s truth in the fact our saved loved ones who are deceased are in a better place, it’s not selfish for us to miss them. Shutting down our emotions will not help us process our grief. People often throw around the phrase “I love you to death.” But if their loved ended in death, then grief would be easy. What makes grief so difficult to process is the simple fact that your heart still loves the person who has been taken from you. You miss the relationship, the conversations, the hugs, their voice, their little quirky ways. Your heart doesn’t stop loving them just because they’ve been removed from your life. You’re left with all these emotions for the person, but they’re not here to share them with.

Grief is a lifelong process of learning how to handle the emotions regarding the person you are missing.

If you’ve spent any time reading the Bible, then you know God loves people and He values relationships. He values them so much that relationships will be the only thing that will continue in Heaven. The fact that there will be accountability for our life lived on this earth stands as proof we will be ourselves in eternity.

Scripture tells us that “Jesus wept” when he heard of the news of the death of his friend Lazarus. The tears that Jesus shed were an outward sign of the love He felt for his friend and the family grieving.

Grief is the cost of loving someone. 1 Corinthians 13:5 states “love isn’t selfish”. It’s not selfish to miss the ones you love. Until we take our last breath on this earth, we will miss our loved ones. We will grieve them.
Our sovereign God is in control of everything. We can find comfort knowing that the same sovereign God is the same One who has experienced the pain we face daily.

By holding onto our hope of our future reunion with them, we can find healthy ways to grieve the rest of our days.

“Father, we thank you that you are not aloof from our loss, our pain, and our sense of anger. You value relationships and we ask that you hear our hearts’ cry as we grieve the loved ones no longer with us.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes (www.EphraimMinistries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Hope, Love, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | October 1, 2024

It’s A Bloodbath

“But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

The Bible makes it very clear: We’re all sinners (Romans 3:23). In fact, we’re not sinners because we sin…we sin because we’re sinners. If you don’t want to take this truth from God’s Word, just watch a toddler for, say, five minutes. No one has to teach them to lie, be selfish, or lash out with verbal or physical retribution when things aren’t going exactly how they want it. And whether or not you are a follower of Christ, you know that you know this is accurate—God reveals Himself and His law by His creation and our conscience (Romans 1:18-20).

In this sin, we are separated from God. There is a chasm that we humans—throughout history and in every corner of the globe—have tried to make our way across. Every world religion puts forth a plan of action to accomplish this—there is work to be done, sacrifices to be made, even money to be paid. Sin makes us filthy in God’s eyes, so we do everything we can to wash ourselves clean enough for His holy presence. It’s so very exhausting…and it’s never enough. We step out of the bath and fall immediately into another mud puddle.

Oh, but God and His grace! Through Jesus Christ, we don’t have to “do” to span that unspannable chasm. Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live, took the wrath of God meant for us, died the death we deserve, and rose again in victory—extending to us both the forgiveness of sin and giving us the righteousness of Christ Himself. We are made clean.

Think about this mind-blowing truth for a minute. We cannot wash ourselves clean—not through good works or penance or payment. We could bathe in clean hot water for days, so to speak, only to come out just as filthy (and really pruney). Friend, only the blood of Jesus can accomplish what we cannot…only by this bloodbath can we be washed as white as snow and reconciled with God (Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:7; Revelation 7:14).

In 1876, Robert Lowry penned a hymn called “Nothing but the Blood” that eloquently expresses this Gospel truth…and the magnificence of this bloodbath. (There are 6 verses and the refrain, but here are just a few.)

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for making a way back into Your presence through the precious blood of Jesus—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Thank You that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, not by our efforts.”

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Gratitude, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 30, 2024

When Wait Invites His Glory

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him to the soul who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)

The expectation of awesome is so worth the wait. If only we could see that in the moment. To fully remember that the present day is not all there is – so much more lies ahead. The wedding date engraved on invitations. The anticipated arrival of a newborn. The dream job years down the road. All moments when life unveils what we so hoped for making the now totally worth it.

None of us enjoys waiting. Even the simplest of waits irritates our fast-paced lifestyle. Delay isn’t a mode we like to entertain. So how does one live in the now when all we’ve hoped for seems so far away and unattainable? How do we hold onto hope in the wait and not lose heart?

God’s faithfulness frames the lives of those who chose to wait, and the reading of their life stories inspires us to not let go either:

Moses was instructed by God to come up on the mountain and wait for the Lord to give him the ten commandments (Exodus 24:12).

Ruth was told by her mother-in-law to wait to see if Boaz would be her kinsman redeemer (Ruth 3:18).

God answered Habakkuk’s plea for intervention with the writing of a vision that would seem slow, yet he was instructed to wait for it – it will surely come. (Habakkuk 2:3)

Simeon, a righteous and devout man waited and longed for the arrival of the Messiah (Luke 2:25).

And we wait for a new heaven and new earth -our eternal home (2 Peter 3:13).

Yes, sweet friends wait is hard but spiritual growth and dependence on our God revolutionizes our gaze from what we want to what pleases Him. The faithfulness of our God in fulfilling His promises strategically at just the right moment is documented throughout scripture. We don’t have to wonder or doubt if He will transform our wait into something far greater than we could have ever imagined. The reward is worth it.

So if we find ourselves in a season of delay and postponement let’s keep holding on to the hope we have in God. Let’s resist the urge to manipulate circumstances to ease our discomfort. Let’s remember who our God is, how He interacted with His people throughout the pages of scripture and stand confidently on the solid rock of His reputation and love.

“Father, I so want to please You in the wait – to rest, grow and be strengthened knowing You are doing what is best.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 27, 2024

Altar of Grace

“In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered why there were so many shepherds in scripture? Maybe it was because lambs were in high demand. Innocent creatures lain bleeding upon an altar because of our need to be cleansed.

I’ve often wondered what church would look like today if we had no mediator – no advocate. What if we had to purchase a lamb and walk down that aisle entrusting our pastor to intercede on our behalf. As the blood would spill on the ground would we finally realize the price tag of our sin? Would it be enough to transform our hearts and quicken our spirits? Unfortunately, some of us would find ourselves piling up credit card debt to the shepherds to cover the price of our sin. Desperately lost and in need of a Savior, we would walk that path too often.

Eclipsing the pain of the cross, Christ saw the bigger picture in His suffering – redemption to the world. Was His death justified? No. Did He deserve it? No. Was it fair? No. Was it God’s divine plan? Yes. Was God glorified through it? Yes. Without pain, suffering and anguish we would not have free access to the Father; the gap between God and man would still exist.

Our malls aren’t bombarded with shepherds making a quick sale on Saturday night. Our sin debt has been paid in full, and we can gather at His feet without the intervention of anyone else. We’re privileged, treasured and welcomed – maybe it’s time we realized He is enough to transform our hearts.

“Father, Your gift of salvation is freely available to all who come seeking forgiveness.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Freedom, Gratitude, Mercy, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 26, 2024

We Need Jesus

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31 (NIV)

When we read Genesis 1, also titled “The Beginning,” we can see how God organized everything He created with much detail, care, love and reflective of Who He is. Nothing created by God was below par. And as He created each one, He was pleased with what He saw. I wonder if when He created mankind He purposely wired us to be a complicated being, but the reality seems to be that mankind is far more complicated than any other species under the sun.

From the beginning of time, there were situations when we clearly could see man’s craftiness, lack of truth, and selfishness. Look at Adam and Eve, for example. Man and woman in a garden plentiful of what they needed and the one thing they were told not to touch or eat from, they could not withhold from leaving alone. Woman listened to serpent, ate fruit and shared it with the man, who blamed his actions on the woman; and it was downhill from then. Their offspring, Cain and Abel were supposedly good boys, but when Cain was tested by God for not being recognized as bringing the best of his first fruits to the altar, eaten by jealousy, he tricked and slayed his brother and then pretended not to know what happened to him.

King David’s daughter was raped by her half-brother, who was then killed by their brother for raping her.  Joseph, the cocky boy with a coat of many colors, was thrown in a pit and sold by his brothers. Samson, who got tricked by the woman he chose for his wife, Delilah, lost all the power he had been given by God at birth. And on and on it goes.

By now, you are probably wondering what my point in all of this is. Well, I will tell you: we are all faulty and susceptible to sin and to actions that do not glorify God.  This, my friends, is reason enough to recognize that we need a Savior. We need redemption. And He is right there, ready to rescue you and me. His name? Jesus Christ.

“Lord Jesus, we need You, we so desperately need You.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 25, 2024

Is Jesus Really Enough

Jesus answered, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6(NIV)

My son earns his living sharing an amazing product that is so beneficial to so many. It is one of those things that you don’t know that you need, until you need it. It is such a blessing to know people are being helped for their future, but they have to believe that to invest in it. It is one of those products that simply sells itself. My son gets to share it with folks, they realize their need, they want to be prepared, and they decide it is worth their time and money. So they act on it.

I have listened to him talk about this and how he has the best job in the world because he gets to talk with people and there’s no pressure. Just presenting the information in an honest, clear, and friendly way allows people to see the benefits and most decide it’s worth it. My son has said, “I know how valuable it is. My job is to share the opportunity, it is their job to see if they want it.”

Every time he talks, I cannot help but think about Jesus. I am absolutely convinced that if we told people about Jesus in an honest, clear and friendly way, people would see who He is and many would decide He is worth their time and energy. Jesus “sells” Himself. We don’t need to add to Him, make Him seem better than He is, attach any strings if people chose Him, or take it personally if people don’t.

If we could clear away the cobwebs of church life, prejudices and presumptions, and our own sins, and just share Jesus and who He really is, I believe so many would realize He is exactly what they’re looking for!

What are some things we are looking for and how does Jesus fill that need?

  1. Someone to love us-John 3:16  Is there anyone else Who has given their very life for any of us?
  2. Someone to see us-Psalm 138:1-2  He knows our very thoughts!
  3. Someone to care about us-Romans 8:34  Jesus prays for us and knows our needs!
  4. Someone to give us insight and wisdom-John 14:6  Jesus is Truth-To know Him is to know Truth.
  5. Someone to talk to-1 John 1:3   We get to fellowship (hang out) with Jesus 24/7! He is there any time we need or want Him!
  6. Stability in our life now and in the future-Psalm 62:2 He is our rock, and we cannot be shaken.
  7. A plan for our life-Jeremiah 29:11 He has a plan for all of us. We are not here by  mistake.
  8. A plan for the future-1 John 5:14 We can KNOW we will live forever in Heaven with Jesus. We can KNOW we have eternal life.

Jesus truly is everything we could ever want or need.

“Heavenly Father, Help us to see Jesus for all He truly is without anything blocking our view. Thank you for the precious gift of your Son.”

 

For His Glory

 

Terrie Tollerson
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Mercy

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 24, 2024

Thru The Lens of Lies

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

It’s so easy to look around at our culture and shake our heads in disbelief at the utter depravity, chaos, and decay. Although, we shouldn’t be too surprised, as there was ample corruption and wickedness throughout time and Christendom—see, for example, Romans 1:24-32. But today seems different, doesn’t it? Internet-driven pervasiveness. There is 24/7 news (and its ridiculously fast cycle of turnover to keep us not thinking about anything too long or deeply) and ubiquitous social media platforms, which allow us to see and know detailed happenings from around the globe—even though they have no value for our lives other than to distract and generate intense anxiety, angst, and anger. Oh yeah, our socials also let us scrutinize other people’s filtered lives (and faces) at nauseum, amping up the condemning hiss in our ears telling us how less-than our own lives and faces and bodies are.

Oh, friend, please hear me. As followers of Jesus Christ, transformed by grace through faith, we must see unsaved people in this fallen world for what they are: Lost and lied to. The god of this world—Satan—is the father of lies (John 8:44). He and his minions know their time is short. So, they are lying on every level of society, in every corner of the earth, convincing people to focus on self—their own satisfaction, comfort, fame. He knows that these paths only lead to destruction—that’s his point, purpose, and hope! From power-lusting world leaders serving as puppets of mass destruction, to the would-be-beautiful 62-year-old woman at the grocery store whose face is utterly deformed from countless “I-must-look-like-a-filter” injections-gone-wrong, to the teenager who is convinced that cutting off her breasts is the key to ok-ness, to the drug or alcohol or porn addict who is shackled to scratching an unattainable itch…it’s all the same. See, the enemy of your soul doesn’t care how he gets you. He’ll use whatever lie will work to bait your hook. And his tackle box is overflowing with all kinds of colorful and deadly lures these days.

As believers, we worship weekly (or more), singing praise to the God who saved us and listening (hopefully) to a gospel-centered message. We recall with gratitude how we were pulled from the pigsty into the arms of Jesus. And yes, we pray for the lost to be saved. But then we walk out of church and turn on the news or scroll Instagram to immediately get ticked off at leaders, news anchors, and “Karens” out there…and we somehow forget: They are lost! They are responding exactly as lost people would to the lies of the enemy! They are—just as we once were—the walking dead (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Oh, sweet friend, you and I must change our filter when looking around at the brokenness. We must recognize the poisonous lies for what they are and remember from whom they originate. And we must replace our own responsive judgments, anger, and contempt with grace, mercy, and love. Most importantly, we must share the Truth—the Good News of the gospel. The only way to be truly satisfied and at peace is to surrender all to Jesus Christ—He is the Truth. Someone once broke through the lies we were believing and living “by giving us reason for their hope” (1 Peter 3:15). So, how can we now stand in judgment of those who haven’t yet heard? How can we leave them in their pigsty?

“Lord, forgive me for judging the lostness and brokenness of this world as if I were never lost and broken. May I truly view others through the grace of my salvation and Your desire for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). May I be the conduit of Your Truth.”
 For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Mercy, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 23, 2024

One Day

“But according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13 (ESV)

“One Day” – we’ve probably all spoken those words. One day, I will take better care of my health. One day, I will get back to the gym. One day, I will tackle the mess in my closet. One day, I will take  a cooking class. One day……. You fill in the blank. We’ve all got our version of something we say we will do one day.

While we often procrastinate over those spoken words, our God is the keeper of His words. If He said He will do something then we don’t have to doubt it – He will fulfill it. After all, the power of His spoken words birthed creation in six days. The Garden of Eden was absolute perfection until sin made its entrance into our world. So now we wait and wait for the “One Day” when Christ promises to return, Satan is defeated and we live with Him for all eternity.

Have you ever allowed yourself to dream and wonder what that “One Day” will be like? It’s ever so easy to get discouraged with our world today and lose sight of reality – this is not our home. Life as we know it is short, brief in comparison to eternity in Heaven. “One Day”  this imperfect world will fade away and the blessings of eternity will unfold right before our eyes. Sweetest words ever from our Jesus: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3)

Sweet friends, Jesus has been preparing an amazing place for us for a long time and just in case we forgot the glories we will find there,  here’s a few reminders:

“One Day” ………

We will see our Creator face to face
God will wipe away all our tears
We will live in the house of the Lord forever
All wrongs will be made right
We will see all things from God’s perspective
Suffering will fade away
Pain will be erased
People from every tribe and nation will gather in unity around His throne
We will be completely changed
We will lay our crowns at His feet
Sin and death will be no more
Satan will be defeated
Mourning will be replaced with everlasting joy
All things will be made new
The glories of our eternal home are endless. Absolutely nothing we have ever seen before will compare to the pure beauty of Heaven. It’s the Garden we’ve never known. It’s the peace and tranquility we can’t envision. It’s undistracted worship and joy as we gather around the throne. The perfection God intended when He spoke the world into existence will be realized “One Day” for all eternity, and we can trust Him to keep His word.

 

“Father, ignite a passion within us to share our God story with others so that no one will miss out on the beauty of Heaven and eternity with You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 20, 2024

When Strong Denies The Release of Weak

 

“For You (God) equipped me with strength for the battle; You made those who rise against me sink under me.” 2 Samuel 22:40 (ESV)

Ever experienced moments when being strong denied you the release of being weak? We do a great job at being courageous. We put on the happy face and preserve even in the toughest of storms. We hold the family together with our knees shaking beneath, and yes, we even tell ourselves we’ve got this covered. We keep pushing through claiming strong because admitting weak would take too much energy.

Wonder what we’re really missing when we don’t admit weak? When we fail to let go of the strength evaporating around us and attempt to keep doing it all, we miss out on all of these:

  •   God compels us to embrace weak because He is right there with us (Judges 6: 15-16).
    • God promises to strengthen our weak (Ezekiel 34:16).
    • The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes what we can’t put into words (Romans 8:26).
    • God chooses the weak over strong – those who desperately depend on Him (I Corinthians 1:27).
    • God promises to raise in power the weak (I Corinthians 15:43).
    • God’s power is magnified in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 11:30).
    • We are made perfect in our weakness – transformed by our loving God (2 Corinthians 12:9).
    • We can be content with weakness when we depend on God’s strength to sustain us (2 Corinthians 12:10).
    • God sympathizes with our weaknesses – He knows what we are facing (Hebrews 4:15).
    • Exercising faith infuses our weak into strong (Hebrews 11:34).

Loving these words of God today friends. Totally encouraged that yes, we can be weak. We can release our control and run into our Father’s arms. We can admit the struggle, remove the mask, unveil the unpretty and still be filled with His strength. Why? Because it’s not about us and what we can handle or take on. It’s all about His glory and power shining through our toughest battles and positioning us for victory. Today’s weak can be tomorrow’s strong if we plug into God’s power. And it all starts when we release our strong and chose weak.

“Father, You delight in transforming our weaknesses into beautiful displays of your power and grace. We are safely held in Your arms.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 19, 2024

And Let There Be Light

“And God said, ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light.” Genesis 1:3 (NIV)

I am a lover of light. If I am at home, I like to enjoy the brightness of those light bulbs. But there is nothing better than sitting and enjoying the light of the sun touching my skin, or watching the sun setting over the Blue Ridge Mountains. And then, at night, savor the splendor and shine of the moon and the stars. I often jokingly greet the light with the famous, legendary Biblical phrase, as spoken by God in the book of Genesis, “Let there be light!”

Light brings out the shapes and sizes of what lies ahead of us. It illuminates the path, so we can see what dangers may be imminent, such as a cliff or precipice, or what hurdles may be impending. the presence of light exposes anything or anyone which may be hiding or concealed from sight, awaiting to prey on us, taking advantage of the darkness.

Jesus said in John 12:35, “whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going.” Now, at the time He spoke those words, Jesus was speaking to the crowd that was attending the festival of tabernacles, and He was trying to prepare them for his eminent death. Jesus wanted the people to have a chance to choose between light and darkness, life and death, Him and the ruler of this world.

I was the first member of my household to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in June 1982. During my growing years, however, I witnessed my parents seeking God in all the wrong places, which involved my mother becoming a practicing medium in Spiritism. The meetings they attended took place in the dark, otherwise the “spirits” would not show up. As you can probably imagine, those practices infused terrible fear of the dark in my heart. I could never stay alone at home unless every single light bulb was lit; that was how badly I was afraid of the dark.

On the day I chose to publicly profess the Lord Jesus as my Lord and Savior all that changed. He filled the areas where fear indwelled in my life and gave me the assurance that even if physical light bulbs were turned off, He would be there in the dark with me. From that day forward I learned that the power that comes with the name of Jesus is way more powerful than anything else in the world and that if I want to be in light, I can simply call out His name, because He is light (John 8:12).

“Father, thank You for extinguishing darkness in our lives.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

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