Luke 23:43
And Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
I am not going to lie…this
is a tough stretch of days. Facebook is filled with photos of mothers.
Everyone is talking about Mother’s Day…and some have sweetly posted
comments on my wall to let them know that they are thinking of my sister
and me on our first Mother’s Day without our own mother’s earthly
presence. I celebrate ALL mothers…on this earth and in heaven –
especially Greg’s mother, who is so very dear to me. I treasure memories
of my own mother - and my grandmothers and great-grandmother. And I
don’t know what I would do these days without my “other mothers,” who
nurture me…advise me and love me unconditionally.
But at the end
of the day, what will get me through this “rough patch” is what gets me
through a lot of things…the “solemn promise” that Paradise is real. I
am comforted, encouraged and sustained by the confidence that Jesus is
waiting for me there, along with my loved ones who have gone before me.
Because I have surrendered my sins – and my heart – to Him, He has
assured me that my soul will live forever in His presence. There will
be no more tears, no more struggles…no more worries about everything
from world peace to whether or not I should eat that last cookie! It
truly will be “all good.”
So I am going to focus on the mothers
in my midst…with a respectful nod to those who have passed. I am going
to thank Jesus for my own salvation - and His promise that I will be
reunited with my parents and so many loved ones someday. I take great
comfort in the confidence that we will sit at His feet and bask in His
glory forever and ever. Meanwhile, I am going to honor this promise to
the best of my ability by serving Him wholeheartedly and obediently. I
will trust His amazing promise in exchange for my simple (yet powerful)
act of surrender…and live with hope for the future. What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label confidence in Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confidence in Christ. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 10, 2014
Psalm 111:4
The Lord God is famous
for his wonderful deeds,
and he is kind and merciful.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This morning I got an e-mail message with news that a friend of ours has received the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma - kidney cancer. This occurred quite suddenly, and he is scheduled for immediate removal of one of his kidneys. Friends and fellow church members will gather during the surgery itself to pray for him and the medical team…and of course, prayers have already begun in earnest for this young father of three small children. These prayers are acts of compassion and care…and we believe that God will deliver a positive outcome, according to His will.
As I went about my morning activities, I muddled over all of this “news”. My first thought was of Dr. Jennifer Arnold, the “little person” I mentioned in another devotional who just completed chemotherapy for a rare form of cancer and “rang the bell” in her oncology ward to signify an “all clear” diagnosis. I pictured my friend doing the same thing. But then the devil filled my head with doubts, fears, panic and all sorts of questions. And I started to ask God, “What about this? Why that? What will happen if???”
Very clearly, I felt God telling me to “settle down”…to come back to “center” and remember WHO He is! I immediately changed my prayer from one of “Lord…NO!” to one of “LORD…I know You’ve got this!” God emphatically reminded me of the countless “Oh, NO!” moments in my own life that He handled perfectly. Notice I did NOT say that God handled each of these experiences as I wished…but I can see that the outcome had great purpose - HIS purpose.
In 1994, my classmate friend Sandra died of breast cancer. She left behind two young boys – ages six and nine. For a long time, I asked God over and over…“Why her and not me? I have no children…she is a single mother with two little boys. Didn’t she need to stick around to rear them?” I don’t know why God took Sandra…but I now understand at least in part why I am still here. I had children and a grandmother to care for…my husband needed me to help him with our business…and apparently, God has other things in store for me – at least so far this day!
The point is that God truly IS kind and merciful…and famous for wonderful deeds. And we must remind each other of this…even in the midst of a crisis or an event or experience that frightens and bewilders us. We must turn our “Oh, NO!” moments into “God’s got this!” affirmations. We must encourage others to do the same and lift them up with prayers of hope and assurance…hugs and words of promise and possibility…and a confident attitude that God never wastes an opportunity or experience.
I don’t know what your “Oh, NO!” moments entail…but I’m pretty sure you have had some – or you will at some point. And I’m fairly certain that family members and friends will have them, also. How will you handle them? Will you trust God to deliver you with kindness and mercy? Will you encourage each other as you call on Him to demonstrate His wonderful deeds? Will you empathize with those who are in the middle of a “rough patch” and assure them that God is still in control?
Do you truly believe the claim of this scripture passage from Psalm 111…and are you living out its message in your own thoughts and actions? Isn’t it time you took this to heart and claimed it – for your own life and the lives of others? Will this be the day you do exactly that? “God’s got this!” He truly does. Do you believe it…and does it show?
©2014 Debbie Robus
The Lord God is famous
for his wonderful deeds,
and he is kind and merciful.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This morning I got an e-mail message with news that a friend of ours has received the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma - kidney cancer. This occurred quite suddenly, and he is scheduled for immediate removal of one of his kidneys. Friends and fellow church members will gather during the surgery itself to pray for him and the medical team…and of course, prayers have already begun in earnest for this young father of three small children. These prayers are acts of compassion and care…and we believe that God will deliver a positive outcome, according to His will.
As I went about my morning activities, I muddled over all of this “news”. My first thought was of Dr. Jennifer Arnold, the “little person” I mentioned in another devotional who just completed chemotherapy for a rare form of cancer and “rang the bell” in her oncology ward to signify an “all clear” diagnosis. I pictured my friend doing the same thing. But then the devil filled my head with doubts, fears, panic and all sorts of questions. And I started to ask God, “What about this? Why that? What will happen if???”
Very clearly, I felt God telling me to “settle down”…to come back to “center” and remember WHO He is! I immediately changed my prayer from one of “Lord…NO!” to one of “LORD…I know You’ve got this!” God emphatically reminded me of the countless “Oh, NO!” moments in my own life that He handled perfectly. Notice I did NOT say that God handled each of these experiences as I wished…but I can see that the outcome had great purpose - HIS purpose.
In 1994, my classmate friend Sandra died of breast cancer. She left behind two young boys – ages six and nine. For a long time, I asked God over and over…“Why her and not me? I have no children…she is a single mother with two little boys. Didn’t she need to stick around to rear them?” I don’t know why God took Sandra…but I now understand at least in part why I am still here. I had children and a grandmother to care for…my husband needed me to help him with our business…and apparently, God has other things in store for me – at least so far this day!
The point is that God truly IS kind and merciful…and famous for wonderful deeds. And we must remind each other of this…even in the midst of a crisis or an event or experience that frightens and bewilders us. We must turn our “Oh, NO!” moments into “God’s got this!” affirmations. We must encourage others to do the same and lift them up with prayers of hope and assurance…hugs and words of promise and possibility…and a confident attitude that God never wastes an opportunity or experience.
I don’t know what your “Oh, NO!” moments entail…but I’m pretty sure you have had some – or you will at some point. And I’m fairly certain that family members and friends will have them, also. How will you handle them? Will you trust God to deliver you with kindness and mercy? Will you encourage each other as you call on Him to demonstrate His wonderful deeds? Will you empathize with those who are in the middle of a “rough patch” and assure them that God is still in control?
Do you truly believe the claim of this scripture passage from Psalm 111…and are you living out its message in your own thoughts and actions? Isn’t it time you took this to heart and claimed it – for your own life and the lives of others? Will this be the day you do exactly that? “God’s got this!” He truly does. Do you believe it…and does it show?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for August 28, 2013
Romans 15:13
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Greg and I watched Amour, an award-winning French film about an aging couple who face serious challenges after the wife suffers a stroke that leaves her paralyzed on her right side. The couple – former piano teachers in Paris – both make numerous adjustments to their home and lifestyle to accommodate her affliction. Then she suffers a second stroke that leaves her bedridden and unable to speak. Understandably, she loses hope… and over time, so does her husband. After the movie ended, Greg and I looked at each other, and I said, “I pray that God spares us this kind of ending.”
I know that we don’t get to choose what happens… and I would never dare to tell God how things ought to go. I know that His plans are perfect… that there are reasons and outcomes that I cannot envision. I know that I must trust Him completely… and for the most part, I do a pretty good job of this.
Still, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to name those I know personally who are currently facing situations that seem hopeless. I think of a friend who just had babies she had fostered for most of their little lives removed from her home yesterday in the dark of early morning… whisked away to live with a cousin they had never even met. I think about friends who have a spouse who is seriously ill and the decisions they face daily about the care and well-being of these spouses – and themselves. I think of a friend who will bury her brother in a couple of days… and another who sits at her brother’s bedside as he appears to be losing his battle with cancer. I am reminded of my friend Mich, who lost his battle with a cancerous brain tumor that he didn’t even know he had three months ago. I have prayed today for a high school classmate, whose grand-daughter was born yesterday with Down’s Syndrome and three holes in her little heart.
I know families who struggle from day to day to pay bills and put food on the table… and others who just can’t seem to get it together in their interpersonal relationships. I know some who struggle with addictions… smoking, drinking, drugs and more – and wrestle with kicking their habits. I visited this week with an elderly mother who lives in an assisted living facility. Her daughter is fighting for her life in a hospital in a nearby city, and this mother had not received any word about her condition in two days. Another resident I visited at the same facility was deeply concerned about his friend who is experiencing health problems as he stresses over caring for his wife. I picked up the local paper and read about a man who was arrested for receiving a shipment of illegal drugs at our local post office. His mother lives on my mother-in-law’s street, and my sister and I attended elementary school with him. I thought about how hopeless she – and all of these dear people – must feel.
How do you find joy and peace when you feel so hopeless… and helpless? How do you forge ahead with confidence in the midst of such trials and suffering? There is only one answer… Jesus! Through the power of His Holy Spirit, we can feel calm and peace when life swirls around us like a whirlpool and threatens to suck us down into the depths of despair. Because of Jesus, we can believe that we will laugh again… that we will find happiness, serenity, rest and renewal…that Someone far more competent and powerful than we are is in complete control… and that all will be well. Because of Jesus, we can dare to hope and believe that God’s plan is perfect… and we can rest in this.
Today marks 50 years since the infamous speech by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that is known to many as the “I Have a Dream” address. I also have a dream… that God is working out everything, according to His perfect plan… that I can rest in this hope and find His peace and joy in even the worst of circumstances. What is your dream? Where is your hope? Will this be the day that you rest in the LORD and begin to operate in His peace?
©2013 Debbie Robus
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Greg and I watched Amour, an award-winning French film about an aging couple who face serious challenges after the wife suffers a stroke that leaves her paralyzed on her right side. The couple – former piano teachers in Paris – both make numerous adjustments to their home and lifestyle to accommodate her affliction. Then she suffers a second stroke that leaves her bedridden and unable to speak. Understandably, she loses hope… and over time, so does her husband. After the movie ended, Greg and I looked at each other, and I said, “I pray that God spares us this kind of ending.”
I know that we don’t get to choose what happens… and I would never dare to tell God how things ought to go. I know that His plans are perfect… that there are reasons and outcomes that I cannot envision. I know that I must trust Him completely… and for the most part, I do a pretty good job of this.
Still, I don’t have enough fingers and toes to name those I know personally who are currently facing situations that seem hopeless. I think of a friend who just had babies she had fostered for most of their little lives removed from her home yesterday in the dark of early morning… whisked away to live with a cousin they had never even met. I think about friends who have a spouse who is seriously ill and the decisions they face daily about the care and well-being of these spouses – and themselves. I think of a friend who will bury her brother in a couple of days… and another who sits at her brother’s bedside as he appears to be losing his battle with cancer. I am reminded of my friend Mich, who lost his battle with a cancerous brain tumor that he didn’t even know he had three months ago. I have prayed today for a high school classmate, whose grand-daughter was born yesterday with Down’s Syndrome and three holes in her little heart.
I know families who struggle from day to day to pay bills and put food on the table… and others who just can’t seem to get it together in their interpersonal relationships. I know some who struggle with addictions… smoking, drinking, drugs and more – and wrestle with kicking their habits. I visited this week with an elderly mother who lives in an assisted living facility. Her daughter is fighting for her life in a hospital in a nearby city, and this mother had not received any word about her condition in two days. Another resident I visited at the same facility was deeply concerned about his friend who is experiencing health problems as he stresses over caring for his wife. I picked up the local paper and read about a man who was arrested for receiving a shipment of illegal drugs at our local post office. His mother lives on my mother-in-law’s street, and my sister and I attended elementary school with him. I thought about how hopeless she – and all of these dear people – must feel.
How do you find joy and peace when you feel so hopeless… and helpless? How do you forge ahead with confidence in the midst of such trials and suffering? There is only one answer… Jesus! Through the power of His Holy Spirit, we can feel calm and peace when life swirls around us like a whirlpool and threatens to suck us down into the depths of despair. Because of Jesus, we can believe that we will laugh again… that we will find happiness, serenity, rest and renewal…that Someone far more competent and powerful than we are is in complete control… and that all will be well. Because of Jesus, we can dare to hope and believe that God’s plan is perfect… and we can rest in this.
Today marks 50 years since the infamous speech by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that is known to many as the “I Have a Dream” address. I also have a dream… that God is working out everything, according to His perfect plan… that I can rest in this hope and find His peace and joy in even the worst of circumstances. What is your dream? Where is your hope? Will this be the day that you rest in the LORD and begin to operate in His peace?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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