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REBUILDING OUR FORTRESS
In the English countryside of Buckinghamshire, a three-story “mini-castle” built in the 1700s, a type of building known as an architectural folly, teetered, threatening to cru... View MoreREBUILDING OUR FORTRESS
In the English countryside of Buckinghamshire, a three-story “mini-castle” built in the 1700s, a type of building known as an architectural folly, teetered, threatening to crumble.
A fire nearly 200 years ago had consumed the interior, and the stone walls were little more than suggestions of what once existed.
In 2017, on the television show Grand Designs, a young architect and his wife took on the challenge of bringing the old folly back to life as a family home.
The miniature castle would once again be the fortress, the refuge it was originally intended to be.
Psalm 9:9 tells us:
“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
If your relationship with the Lord is teetering, perhaps even threatening to crumble, now is the time to start repairs. Your connection to God can be made new again.
It took that young architect more time and money than he expected, but the results were magnificent. The damage from the years of neglect contrasted with the updated design, but the home that resulted was more magnificent than the original.
Your life will reflect the damage you have struggled to overcome. However, with God as your champion, you will be more beautiful in the end than you started out to be.
Reach for God. He is already reaching for you.
Copyright © 2021 MyChurchNotes.net
OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE
If you’ve ever lived by a stream or a river, you know what to expect after a heavy rain.
The stream will begin to rise, the water will churn over the rocks and obstructions alo... View MoreOVERFLOWING WITH HOPE
If you’ve ever lived by a stream or a river, you know what to expect after a heavy rain.
The stream will begin to rise, the water will churn over the rocks and obstructions along the way, and then it will smooth as the water grows deeper.
The stream begins to spread, spilling over the banks, until it takes on many of the aspects of a river.
Water goes everywhere. Everything gets wet, even things that want to stay dry.
That’s how we need to be as Christians. We must be caught up in the rain of God’s presence until his glory begins to rise, churns over our troubles and obstructions, and becomes smooth with the depths of his love for us.
Then, we let it spill over – oh, we can’t stop it if we try. God’s love, his hope in us for a better tomorrow, takes on the aspect of a river, going everywhere, and getting everything wet … even the unbeliever that wants to stay dry.
Romans 15:13 (NIV) says:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
How do we find God’s rain? We attend a good, Bible-teaching church, spend time in prayer, and study God’s Word to see what it has to say to us. We model our actions after the example of Jesus, and we let our Lord direct our steps.
That’s where the rain of God is found, and when it fills us, it will spill over onto everyone around us, even those who never thought they needed the Lord.
Hope can be yours. Joy and peace come from trusting in God. Overflowing with God’s hope is as natural to the believer as waking up each morning.
God is our hope. In him, we are victorious in all things.
Copyright © 2024 MyChurchNotes.net (NIV)
REACHING THROUGH THE MIRROR
A mirror is like a social media post.
We can make it show just what we want to see.... View MoreREACHING THROUGH THE MIRROR
A mirror is like a social media post.
We can make it show just what we want to see.
Are our arms too big? Turn to the side, and they suddenly seem slimmer.
Dark circles under our eyes from a late night out? Dim the lights, and no one will notice.
In the mornings, we smile into the mirror, hold our shoulders back, and walk out the door feeling we’re the best we can be.
And maybe we are . . . except for that shirttail hanging out the back and the tissue stuck to the bottom of our shoe. Those things are there, also, and we haven’t looked hard enough.
Jesus says, “Let me reach through your mirror and reveal what I see.”
Luke 16:15 gives us the Master’s words:
“And he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’ ”
Here’s our take from this verse: We can dim the lights, turn just so, and smile our brightest smile, but God sees the tissue trailing us out the door.
Let’s take a long look in the mirror of our life and see what Jesus sees. Let’s let him reach through our mirror and help us tuck in our shirt and make sure our shoes are clean. Then when we shout out that we are Christians, we will have the reflection to back up our words.
Jesus makes us completely clean, even the things we cannot see.
Copyright © 2021 MyChurchNotes.net
OUR WALK IN THE PARK
What’s best about a walk in the park?
Having someone to share our experience with.... View MoreOUR WALK IN THE PARK
What’s best about a walk in the park?
Having someone to share our experience with.
Look, a bluebird. Come smell this flower. Oh, isn’t that the prettiest view?
Couples with a lifetime of experiences might find comfort in the familiarity of the path, their hands linked, and walking in time with each other. They know the rhythm of their partner’s gait like the back of their hand.
But children are all energy and curiosity. A branch or a root is all it takes for a tumble, a scratched knee and tears.
“I didn’t know it was there. Help me up, please.”
Life is like that. We are exploring the path for the first time, all energy and curiosity. Eventually, we think, “What’s going to trip me up next?”
Isaiah 41:13 says:
"For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'"
God has walked the path so many times. He knows every branch and root. The familiarity of the path is part of his nature. Like a grandparent with a grandchild, “Hold my hand. I know every step, and I’ll keep you safe.”
Then when we say, “How pretty,” God can let us walk closer, or he can say, “Not safe, my sweets,” and gently lead us away.
With your hand in God’s, your walk through this park we call life will be a journey you can enjoy. Look around you. Take it all in. Trust God to not let you wander, stumble or fall.
He loves you. He will watch over you every step of the way.
Copyright © 2024 MyChurchNotes.net
SLOUGHING OFF OUR STRAITJACKET
There are some things that seem to trip us up every time.
That cinnamon roll on the break room table. Mary brings them every Tuesday, and we can’t resist taking one.... View MoreSLOUGHING OFF OUR STRAITJACKET
There are some things that seem to trip us up every time.
That cinnamon roll on the break room table. Mary brings them every Tuesday, and we can’t resist taking one.
Or the shoe store’s monthly sale. It’s too good to pass up, even if we have ten pairs we’ve never worn.
Then how about that sharp retort when our spouse remarks that we wore that shirt yesterday. The words are out of our mouth before we can call them back.
“Who made you boss of me? I can wear what I want when I want.”
And our day goes downhill from there.
Other things are even harder to resist. Certain Internet pages. That drink with the guys. A secretive smoke. One pill, just to get us through the day . . .
2 Peter 2:9 gives us a way out.
“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”
We want the first so that we don’t have to be part of the second. We want to be rescued from our trials. We want to slough off the straitjacket of temptation so that we are no longer tripped up by things we never intended to get involved in.
God is our rescue. How? Here are four ways:
1. Prayer
2. Reading the Bible
3. Establishing the Word of God in our hearts (memorization!)
4. Frequent fellowship with Christians who also want to discard their spiritual straitjackets and move into the full and powerful truth of the Lord
God is our goal. Let’s run after him with every ounce of our strength.
Copyright © 2021 MyChurchNotes.net
JESUS: FIND AND REPLACE
Find and Replace is an editing term that writers are familiar with.
If we write a story, and it’s about tigers, we can make it tell about elephants using Find and Replace. We... View MoreJESUS: FIND AND REPLACE
Find and Replace is an editing term that writers are familiar with.
If we write a story, and it’s about tigers, we can make it tell about elephants using Find and Replace. We tell our word processing program to find every “tiger” and put “elephant” in its place.
We laugh because that might make for an amusing story. How much alike are tigers and elephants? Not very.
It works better if we write a story about two people. We can change the name or how they moved down the street with a few clicks of our keyboard.
Suzanne walked down the street becomes Margaret tripped down the lane.
That’s what Jesus did for us, Find and Replace.
Isaiah 53:5 says:
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
Here’s how it works:
God sees transgressions, and click, click, Jesus, pierced for us, appears instead.
Our iniquities and misdeeds? Click, click, and there’s Jesus, crushed to make us clean.
Rough times are a click away. Find and Replace with the peace of Jesus.
Sickness and injuries . . . that, too. God has us covered with the wounds of our Savior.
Find and Replace. It’s the best thing that’s happened to the Christian since salvation gave us entrance into the family of God.
There is nothing we lack when we walk with our Lord.
Copyright © 2021 MyChurchNotes.net
THE PAYBACK WE DESERVE
Jacob is a biblical icon, the grandson of the earliest foundation stone of three religions, and a patriarch of the Christian faith in his own right. God placed so much value on... View MoreTHE PAYBACK WE DESERVE
Jacob is a biblical icon, the grandson of the earliest foundation stone of three religions, and a patriarch of the Christian faith in his own right. God placed so much value on Jacob that he renamed him Israel, meaning the Overcomer.
Yet Jacob was often good at one thing in particular: stepping on others’ toes. Take his brother, for example. Jacob had stolen his brother’s birthright, and he had done it with cunning and deceit. In fear of what his brother would do, he ran to a far land in order to find safety from his brother’s anger.
Jacob’s actions deserved a payback of the fiercest kind.
After many years, Jacob decided to return to the land of his father. He wished to make peace with his brother. However, in Genesis 32:6, as Jacob nears his homeland, messengers come to him to report that his brother Esau rides his way with four hundred men.
It does not take four hundred men to greet a brother. Esau did not come with forgiveness in mind. He came to give Jacob the payback he deserved. Yet, Jacob fell on the ground before God, and he pleaded with God for the mercy he didn’t deserve. It was out of this yearning that Jacob received his new name, for Jacob refused to let go of God until he had the answer he had come to receive.
In Genesis 33:4, when Esau met up with his brother, he fell to Jacob’s neck and embraced him, forgiving him all that he had done in the past.
What made the change? God did. Jacob knew the payback he deserved, and he knew that only God could grant him the mercy he required.
When we come to God in our humanity and sin, we don’t have to plead for his forgiveness. While hanging on the cross, Jesus took the payback we deserve, so that God could grant us the mercy we require.
Even when we are at our worst, God sees us at our best, renaming us Overcomer by the power of the cross.
Copyright © 2013 MyChurchNotes.net
OUR MINE-SWEEPER GOD
A mine sweeper is vital in times of war.
Our enemies will plant hidden charges designed to cut us at the knees when we least expect.... View MoreOUR MINE-SWEEPER GOD
A mine sweeper is vital in times of war.
Our enemies will plant hidden charges designed to cut us at the knees when we least expect.
If we plan our course through mined waters, our chances of getting through without being blown up are slim to none.
God says he is our mine sweeper. He goes before us, and everything and everyone that might bring us to disaster, he tosses aside as if they were nothing.
Isaiah 41:11-12 says:
“Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.”
Here are four truths we can pull from this passage.
Truth No. 1: “All who are incensed against you shall be put to shame.”
Their cruel words will be their own downfall. Their anger will return to them in its full force.
Truth No. 2: “Those who strive against you shall be as nothing.”
They not only will be unable to hurt you, they will fall into their own snares.
Truth No. 3: “You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them.”
No more looking over your shoulder. They will run away from God’s awesome presence in your life.
Truth No. 4: “Those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.”
Poof. Forgotten as if they never were. You are free from their oppression, and your future becomes brighter than you though possible.
Let God sweep the mines out of your path. There is no length to which the Lord will not go to protect his children.
Copyright © 2021 MyChurchNotes.net
LETTING GO THE BUTTERFLY
The chrysalis.
It’s the place of change for the butterfly, the rigid, constricting encumbrance that holds the caterpillar in while it becomes what God intends it to be.... View MoreLETTING GO THE BUTTERFLY
The chrysalis.
It’s the place of change for the butterfly, the rigid, constricting encumbrance that holds the caterpillar in while it becomes what God intends it to be.
A cage, if you will, but one without which the butterfly could never fly free.
What is your chrysalis? What do you feel has you caged? What do you need to break free from to fly in all your beautiful finery?
The butterfly, after all, can’t remain in its cage. No matter how familiar the cage feels, it is still a cage that holds us back.
Worry, it will keep you from your future.
Finances will defeat you every time.
Housing, medical care, the cost of being alive. Every bit of it can crush us inside.
Matthew 6:31–34 (NIV) says:
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
We see the butterfly on wing and think, “Oh, how wonderful!” Yet, that butterfly was once caged. God wants you to break free from your cage. You can. Remember, each day has enough trouble of its own. God has his hand over your life. Step out in freedom and become the person he has designed you to be.
Your time is now. Your cage-breaker is God. Let your butterfly fly free.
Copyright © 2024 MyChurchNotes.net (NIV)
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