For Days You Need Encouragement

           Today, I just wanted to share with you some scripture that tells us about our Father and what He does for us and who He is. The other week I came across a post on Pinterest with many of the verses listed below. Whenever you’re down, remember who God is and what He does for you.

            My Father. . .

1.    Loves me: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.” –John 3:16

2.      Cares for me: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” –Matthew 6:26

3.      Forgives me: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” –Psalm 103:12

4.      Is giving:  “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” –Romans 8:32

5.      Satisfies: “for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” –Psalm 107:9

6.      Persistently pursues me: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:10

7.      Gives me wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” –James 1:5

8.      Carries my burdens: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you WILL find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."—Matthew 11:28-30

9.      Gives me peace: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." –Isaiah 26:3

      10.  Fights for me: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” –Exodus 14:14

11.   Heals and forgives me: “But he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” –Isaiah 53:5

12.    Knows me completely: You have searched me, Lord and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” –Psalm 139: 1-4

Today, I hope you remember that God loves you and is constantly with you, protecting you, offering forgiveness, love, peace, wisdom, and strength.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Without Rain, We Have No Beauty

            Yesterday morning, I woke up longing for sunshine and the outside world.

            Having a ton of homework meant that I would be spending my day inside, but at least my blinds could be opened. So, I pulled back my curtain and twisted the plastic stick only to reveal a picture of dismal, grey clouds splattering raindrops on the ground.

            Immediately, my heart sank a little bit. Sunny days are my favorite, and I desperately need them sometimes, but then, I realized a truth—without rain, all beauty would cease to exist.

            Think about it. Flowers need sunshine and rain to grow. If we never had rainy days, the flowers wouldn’t bloom, the gardens wouldn’t grow, and all vegetation would shrivel away into a heap of nothing. If we want a beautiful sunny day, a rainy day has to come.

            The same is true when it comes to our lives. Many times when storms and trials arrive, we fall into despair thinking that nothing good can or will ever come from it, but our God creates beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

            James 1:2-4 states, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (NIV). Notice he last three words: not lacking anything.

            When we go through a storm, whether it’s financial, physical, relational, or whatever else, God promises that we will come out of it lacking nothing. If I never had financial problems throughout college, I wouldn’t have strengthened my faith in God, and I wouldn’t have many of the great friends that I do now. Through my seemingly impossible situations, God has given me so much more than the temporary thing I wanted at the time. The storm brought gorgeous flowers I would have never imagined asking for.

            I’m also reminded of Romans 8:28, which promises “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I don’t know what storm you’re going through today. You may have just lost someone you love or maybe you’re facing financial struggles or a serious break-up. Maybe you’re completely overwhelmed by all of the work you have to do, but whatever the storm, remember three things...

            God is with you. Storms end in beauty. You’ll lack nothing.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Here I Raise My Ebenezer

            The Philistines were coming for them. Death seemed imminent.

            The Israelites shook in fear as they saw them approach, so they cried out in desperation to Samuel.

            Samuel cried out to God and sacrificed a burnt offering to Him
.

            When the Philistines thought they were going to win, God intervened and saved Israel.  He had heard their cry!

            “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:7-12, NIV).

—˜™–

“Here I raise my Ebenezer. Hither by Thy help I’ve come. . .”

            I’ve sung those words to the song “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” countless times in my life, but never realized what an Ebenezer was until last year. An Ebenezer is a symbol that reminds you of what God has done in your life, so you will never forgets and so that in times of darkness, you can remember that He is always there and working. 

            Samuel knew that he and all of Israel needed to remember what God had done for them in Mizpah, so he made a stone of remembrance to remind everyone of God’s love and power.

            This stone was his Ebenezer, and for generations to come, people could tell their children of the deliverance God had brought them that day.

            Just as Samuel made an Ebenezer to remember what the Lord had done in his life, so should we. Maybe you’re like me and think that you will never forget something God has done for you, but something I’ve realized is that I do forget.

            Some days when I forget what the Lord has done, the sun isn’t shining and the birds aren’t singing. Life isn’t perfect, and I wonder where God is. All I see are the trials I’m going through—and that’s precisely why we need Ebenezers, to remember.

            Maybe you want to write out a few words of what God has done for you on a rock like my church does and put them in a bucket in your house. Or maybe, you want to write out your ebenezers in a journal or on little slips of paper tucked away in a keepsake box. Either way you want to remember the goodness of God, just do it.

            I don’t know if you’re going through a trial or hard season in your life, but if you are, take time to write down what and where God has brought you from in the past. Just like Samuel, you will then be able to look back and see what the Lord has done and that He is good. You’ll find that God has never left you and will always come through.

            Never forget what God has done for you. He is a good God, and after you start writing out your Ebenezers, you’ll never forget it.

            What has God done for you today? I promise, He's done something. 

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

While Everyone Else Was Running

            Screams echoed through the streets of Boston as the first and second explosion went off. Blood covered the sidewalks as people ran away in horror. No one knew another bomb wasn’t seconds away from going off. All anyone knew was that two bombs had exploded, and they had to run for their lives.

            As I watched the footage of that horrific day last week, a certain type of people caught my eye, those running back towards the explosions. They knew just as much as the people running away knew, yet they risked their lives to save another. While everyone else sprinted toward safety, they raced to save lives even if that meant losing their own.

            That’s what Christ has done for us.

            Jesus selflessly laid down His life for us almost 2,000 years ago. No, we didn’t deserve it, we couldn’t earn it, we can’t earn it, but we did deserve to die. Romans 5:6-8 state, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV).

            Even after we turned our backs on God, He came for us and paid the penalty for our sin. Pay close attention to this verse; it says someone could die for a good man (though it’s rare), but God died for sinners. He loved us that much.

            Let’s put dying for us into prospective. One of the criminals from Boston is now in custody and will be prosecuted  He helped kill and injure countless people. Would you take his place in prison or on death row? No, that would be insane, yet God did just that for all of us.

            We were destined to die a brutal death and live forever apart from God. Murder, hatred, gossip, white lies, disobedience, and countless other sins blackened our lives, but God ran toward us. When everyone else would have run away from us, He pursued us. He laid down His life so that we might live. The heroes of last week’s bombings were the perfect depiction of God’s love for us.

            Instead of letting us die and be separated from God for all eternity, He died. Even though we were guilty, he picked us up.

            While He should have been running away, He wasn’t.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Broken Tools and Shattered Mirrors

            This past Easter, my church did this thing where we could take a tour of creation to the cross where Jesus died. I’ll never forget the experience of creation.

            Imagine perfection. You’re whole and one with God. You’re in perfect relation with Him, yourself, and others. One room in creation had tons of mirrors hanging on the walls and one large one sitting in the middle of the room. The only instructions said to imagine yourself as God had created you to be: perfect, flawless. Before the fall, we knew that God created us wonderfully and fearfully and didn’t question that fact. I wouldn’t see my big feet and ears. I wouldn’t see the two red scars on the side of my nose that I believe everyone will see if I don’t cover them up. I wouldn’t think I was too skinny or not pretty enough. Before the fall, I would know that I am created beautiful, but that perfect creation didn’t last—Adam and Eve sinned and brokenness entered our world.

            As I walked out of the creation room and entered the fall, everything was mangled and tattered in the dark room. A picture of twisted DNA with garbage pushing through the strands rested on a pile of sticks. Then, a pile of broken tools and equipment sat on the floor with signs saying, “You’ll never be good enough.” “You can’t fix it,” “Give up.” Why even try.” It was a broken mess representing how sin killed the way men view themselves. I was heartbroken. Tears welled up inside me.

            Then, I saw a broken mirror with glass scattered on the floor. Pictures of the “ideal” woman were strewn across a bulletin board. Some signs read “Shake yourself skinny,” “10 ways to lose weight,” “You’re not pretty enough,” or “No one will want you.” Pictures of photoshopped women covered the board. In that moment, I realized what we had lost when sin entered our world, and my heart broke into pieces.

            I also realized that that perception of us, men or women, was a lie. Yes, a lie. It was also a sin. God tells you and me that we ARE fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14, NIV). For us to say that we aren’t is to tell God that He is a liar. I don’t want to do that.

            Men, God created you to be leaders and hard workers, which means that He has designed that into your DNA. Yes, sin has messed up a lot, but with God you can be who He created you to be. Be strong warriors. You can protect us. I believe that. God says it. He created you to love women fearlessly and to provide for us. Trust Him to sharpen that in you. He can. Through Him, you’re good enough, strong enough, brave enough.

            Women, my fellow, precious women. You’re beautiful. We don’t have to look for flaws. God has created us wonderfully. He designed us and calls us HIS daughters. Be confident. You don’t have to be a certain weight or height or color or anything else because God loves you and KNOWS that you are beautiful.

            Don’t let the lies of Satan drag you down. Remember who God created you to be. He doesn’t make mistakes. He is the perfect artist. You are beautiful. You are worth it. You are loved. You are being fought for. You are His.

           And remember, the story didn't end at the fall. One day, when Christ returns, we won't be a broken mess anymore. We'll live in perfection with the One who saved our souls. I can't wait until that day.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Love Covers All Wrongs

            A little bit ago, I was venting to my mother about a friend who was getting on my last nerves. This friend had, in my eyes, really offended me, and I couldn’t get over it. I kept telling my mom about it and even told my dad my “woes,” but then, my friend needed me. At first, I didn’t really want to help, but the Holy Spirit beckoned me to be there for her, to love her. 

            So, that’s what I did. I went and spent time with her and loved her, and guess what? I found myself not rehashing the things my friend had done wrong anymore. I saw what had happened in prospective and realized how wrong I had even been. Also, when I was loving her, I didn’t have time to hate on all the bad stuff.

            That night after realizing that I needed to just love my friend like Christ does, I opened my Bible to Proverbs 10:12 that says, “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all wrongs” (NIV). In that moment, the scripture became alive to me again because I had experienced that verse earlier in the day with my friend. In the past when I had been angry with her, all my venting did was stir up more anger and fuel my selfish fire, but when I stopped and loved her, those wrongs disappeared and love covered all.

            God teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and we can’t do that while hating him or holding a grudge or gossiping about them behind his back. We may think we are justified in “venting” and being angry, that maybe our anger is okay and justified, but in reality, all that stuff does is make you miserable and eat at your soul. Forgiveness and love is powerful; they set you free.

            When I let go of all the petty things that had been bothering me, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Don’t let anger hold you down and cause more trouble for your life. Hatred (or even "dislike") leads to more hatred and then, bitterness, but love erases hard feelings and sets you free.

            Love covers all wrongs. Who do you need to start loving today?

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Living to Retire

            I recently did my taxes—well, someone else did them, but I saw the questions. Anyways, they asked me if I have a retirement fund. It got me to thinking about the future. At the moment, I only have a little bit of money saved up. In all honesty, I haven’t had the opportunity to save much, but I’m working on it. Thinking about saving money for retirement made me realize how odd that thought really is. Why would I work my whole life just to retire?

            Some of my friends and I discussed it later, and I realized that I am not alone in this thought. Before I go further, I want to say that preparing for the future is not a bad idea; it’s a good one, but what I am saying is that we shouldn’t be spending our lives looking forward to the time we can sit back a do nothing. Personally, I want my entire life to count. I don’t want to just work a job. I want my time to matter. When I meet Jesus, I want Him to say I’ve done well bringing Him glory.

            Then, I realized something else. I don’t want to work just to graduate from college and grad school. Waiting on a certain time in my life seems futile because God has called us to bloom where we are NOW. We aren’t supposed to wait to live. Life is happening all around us. We need to be a part of it. Fill your years advancing the Kingdom, not simply looking to the future and waiting on the next step in your life.

            I’m reminded of Colossians 4:5 that tells us, “Make the most of every opportunity” (NIV). Opportunities happen every day. Look for them. I don’t think we can make the most of every opportunity by waiting on graduation or retirement to live. Follow Jesus now. Take risks now. Give money, food, and clothing to those in need now. . .

. . .because, honestly, living to retirement isn’t guaranteed.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Good Things

           Many times during my childhood, I can recall not getting what I thought was good for me. Skittles, Fruit Rollups, and limitless amounts of other candies are what I begged my mom for every time we entered a grocery store. To my dismay, she hardly ever said yes because of cavities and such.

           I always thought she was horrible and unreasonable, but in actuality she was doing what any good mother would do. My mom was protecting me from future pain even if that meant I wasn’t happy every split second. She wouldn’t compromise my health for temporary pleasure, and neither will our heavenly Father.

          As we grow up, the world feeds us many lies. Society tells us that in order to have a “good” time, we need to get drunk with our friends, and if people ever want to be “loved,” they have to give each other their bodies. Not only that, but the world also tells us that in order to be happy, we must have iphones, ipads, tons of clothes, a nice car, and mainly, lots of riches. 

         The problem is that God’s word tells us a different story. We are to wait until marriage to know intimately our significant other, and getting drunk doesn’t allow us to have fun; it can actually hurt us. Also, riches will not make us happy. In fact, the love of money is the root of all evil (notice I said the LOVE of money, not money itself). Despite reading God’s truth, many people are deceived by this world into thinking that God is holding out on us, but I know this to be false.

         The truth is, God designed us and knows exactly what is best for our lives. The Bible teaches us that God is love, so why would He give us anything but good?

         James 1:16-17 says, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV).  God doesn’t just give us some good things or okay things. He gives us truly good things that the world cannot offer.

        Whereas the world often changes, God never does, and we can rest assured that He has our best interest at heart. He offers us good things. 

Living Life Together, 

Rebecca Thomas

He Will Provide

            I’ll be honest with you. I’ve been beyond stressed out with some financial issues in my life lately. Every time circumstances seemed to get better, another road block blew up in my face. Today, I even cried over it. From my perspective, nothing was or was going to get any better. But, thankfully, a dear friend reminded me of the truth: God is faithful, and He will provide.  

            My friend reminded me to think on what we know to be true, and that is that God promises to take care of His children and provide their every need. He knows my financial needs, and He will come through. Not only did my friend remind me of God’s promises, but she also prayed, in faith, for God to send someone to me with the answers. Guess what? Within 30 minutes of lifting up our hearts to my Father, He sent someone.

            Once again, God proved to me His unfailing love and provision for my life. I’ll be honest again. I don’t have all the solutions to my financial problems worked out just yet, but I know He will provide them, and regardless of the outcome, I know that God is in control and will take care of all of my needs. Therefore, I will praise Him even now. In the uncertainties that loom ahead, I will praise Him because He is good yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In Matthew 6:34 we are reminded “not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will take care of itself.” God has been teaching me that concept for a long time now. Sometimes I think that I must have some sort of amnesia because if I kept my focus on Christ, there would be no way to forget what He’s done. I can remember my family having $5.00 left on the night after payday with a whole week of needs hanging over our heads, but we never went without a meal or clothes to wear. He provided then, and He’ll do the same now.

            I don’t know what circumstances are looming in your horizon or are at your front door, but I do know that God is faithful. I don’t know when your financial needs will be met, but I know who will meet them.

Philippians 4:19 states, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

Remember that promise today. He WILL provide ALL of your NEEDS. So, don’t stress and worry; they get you nowhere anyway.

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

When Sin Binds You

            Recently, my heart was broken for someone whom I love dearly. Her story is all too familiar among Christians. We fall into temptation and sin. Then, one sin leads to another, and we find ourselves feeling trapped. Unfortunately, we, sometimes, believe that God will not love us like He used to and doesn’t want to talk and spend time with us anymore. We think, “How can I, a Christian, keep on sinning when I’ve been redeemed and expect God to love me still?”

            My friend thought that she was too far away from God and that there was no way she could ever be right with Him again because of her sin.

            That’s a Bold-Faced LIE! I wholeheartedly believe that we fall prey to that lie when we fail to remember that God set us free from sin. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died to sin has been FREED from sin” (NIV, Romans 6:6).  When Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross, He did so for all of our sins—past, present, and future. Christ defeated sin and the grave and offers us a new life living in His victory. This means that we don’t have to feel bound to sin because sin no longer binds us. Therefore, quit thinking you are bound to sin because Jesus shattered those chains to 

oblivion. We have freedom!

            Also, God saved us out of His love and grace, not because of our merit; therefore, we can neither lose nor gain our salvation. In addition, if you have fallen into sin, confess it to God because He says that He is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins to Him.

            Remember, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

            Be set free from your sins today, knowing that God will take you back and remember your sin no more.

   

           Don't let defeated sin bind you. Sin's power is Dead!

Living Life Together,

Rebecca Thomas

Facebook Distractions

            Buzz…Buzz…BUZZ. The sound of my alarm jarred me awake. I jerked my arm out from under my covers, frantic to silence the unwelcome noise.

My phone read 9:00 a.m., the latest time I could sleep ‘til.

God, please help me get through this day. I don’t want to be up right now.

My feet met the cold, tiled floor of my college dorm room. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and checked the time on my refrigerator, wishing my phone had been wrong. It wasn’t.

            “Taylor, do you care if I take my shower first? I need to print off my lesson plan for TESOL before chapel.” I asked my roommate who was still tucked underneath the warmth of her covers. Her alarm was going off.

            “No, go ahead. That’s fine,” she said, pressing the snooze button on her phone to gain a much coveted five more minutes of sleep. I headed into the bathroom.

            After I finished my shower, I checked the weather on my computer.

            Great, no rain today. All sunshine. Thank you, Jesus!

            The water in the sink gave me chills. It was cold, but it felt good against my hot hands after I dried my hair. 9:35 a.m. I had enough time to brush my teeth, pack my book bag, and print my paper.

            Perfect.

            Just as I was about to grab my bag and walk out the door, I sat down for a quick minute.

            I wonder if I have any emails or Facebook notifications?

            The news-feed of my Facebook page flashed on the screen. One message notification from my friend beckoned for my attention.

            “Just in thinking about our talk Monday night and doing this "rhythm" separately but together, I thought we could start a message thread. And see what we learn from it. I would say to definitely include anything we learn that stands out, along with ideas we attempt to get ourselves more into the Word, and even failings when we don't . . . So yesterday, I opened the Word before bed. And today, I wouldn't allow myself to turn on the computer in my office until I had read . . .”

            Wow, I’ve done everything else but spend time with God this morning.

            The words from her message hit me hard. I grabbed my pink and brown study Bible from my desk shelf, opened it, and began reading. 

            9:40 a.m.

This is a story from my life. What are you letting distract you from spending time with God today? 

Living Life Together, 

Rebecca Thomas

Out of Tune Clanging Cymbals

            "The people in the crowd rise to their feet as the first notes of the National Anthem ring across the stadium. Everyone opens his mouth to sing along, but a sound similar to nails scratching down a chalkboard permeates through the crowd causing the people to plug their ears in desperation to stop the noise. The vocalist keeps belting out lyrics of freedom, but the only thing the crowd wants is a power outage to silence this butchering of the National Anthem. The message of the lyrics is sweet, but the out of tune notes misconstrue the message."

            Most of us can relate to this make-believe scenario described above. The National Anthem (along with other beautiful songs) has been sung over and over and many times, terribly messed up by the band or vocalist. When this has happened to me, I’ve felt embarrassed for the performer, and I’ve wanted to stop hearing the song immediately. If it was a song I’d never heard before, I simply stopped listening to it, never to find out if the message was worthwhile.

            1 Corinthians 13:1-3 sums it up well, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing” (NIV).

My dear brothers and sisters, please speak in love. We have enough people yelling in this world. As followers of Christ, we have the most beautiful, love filled, and important message for the entire world, but they will never hear it if we argue and fight with them. Jesus was able to love the sinners (while never supporting their sins), and that love changed their lives. We can love them, too. Love those who do not know Christ, and through that love they will know that we are His disciples and maybe, thirst for the same Living Water (John 4:10 & 13:34-35).

We can proclaim the truth from the mountain tops, go on a million mission trips, memorize the Bible, pray 24/7, and everything else, but if we have not love, we’re just like the out of tune singer and band playing the national anthem.

But if we have love, we’ll be like the first rain after a drought—soothing and refreshing, a much desired necessity. 

Living Life Together, 

Rebecca Thomas