Psalm 136:1-4
Praise the LORD! He is good.
God's love never fails.
Praise the God of all gods.
God's love never fails.
Praise the Lord of lords.
God's love never fails.
Only God works great miracles.
God's love never fails.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I was young, our family had huge holiday get-togethers, especially on Thanksgiving Day and again at Christmas. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins gathered for a noon meal that turned into grazing all afternoon and into the evening. Sometimes the men went bird hunting after lunch. Sometimes we played cards or dominoes. Other times we just visited and ate the whole day. There was an abundance family, food, and fun.
We rotated who hosted the holiday party, and the meals were potluck, and certain people always brought their specialty dish. My Aunt Altha made giblet gravy and wonderful pies. My cousin Betty Rhea made the cornbread dressing. My Mam-ma Polly cooked green beans in a cast-iron Dutch oven… and she always made the yeast rolls. We averaged 30 people at our “dinners,” and even the smallest house was outfitted with card tables and chairs to accommodate everyone. Nobody ever seemed to feel crowded.
Now our numbers have dwindled. There will be fewer than a dozen people at the table tomorrow. My mom usually makes the cornbread dressing, but her sister is making it this year. I inherited my grandmother’s cast iron Dutch oven nearly a decade ago, so green beans is always an item I bring. The homemade rolls have been replaced by the Sister Schubert’s heat and serve variety. Still, we gather and give thanks for our blessings. We thank God for those who have gone to heaven and celebrate the memories of their presence at our table for past holidays. We praise God that they now feast at HIS table every single day… and we look forward to joining them when He is ready for us.
I don’t know about your family traditions or how you celebrate the holidays. But I hope you take time to remember that God’s love NEVER fails. Whether you feast with thirty or three… or you spend the holidays by yourself… you are never alone. God is with you… He wants to meet your every need… and His love never fails. Praise the God of all gods this holiday season… and celebrate His unending love and care each and every day.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label faith and family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith and family. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 21, 2011
2 Samuel 7:28-29
"And now, Master GOD, being the God you are, speaking sure words as you do, and having just said this wonderful thing to me, please, just one more thing: Bless my family; keep your eye on them always. You've already as much as said that you would, Master GOD! Oh, may your blessing be on my family permanently!"
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Recently, we added a new member to our family. Three weeks ago, we welcomed Timothy’s baby sister, Zola, to the world. As soon as we knew that Zola was on the way, I began to pray for her. When the doctor declared that the baby would be a girl and a name was selected, I began to ask God specifically to nurture and protect Zola… before her birth and always. In the same way, I am praying for the unborn baby girl that my cousin and his wife are expecting, as well as the many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives in our extended family.
I don’t always pray for my family members by name… sometimes the prayer is more collective, as in “Please protect my husband’s brothers, their wives and children,” or “LORD, bless my cousins in northwest Arkansas and my husband’s family in Iowa.” But I believe these prayers make a difference… and pack more punch than we realize!
There is a lot of talk in the Old Testament about covenants – agreements between God and His children… promises to lead them through trials and tribulations and keep them safe. In the New Testament, the covenant between us and God comes from the blood of Jesus. When we invite Jesus to be LORD of our life, this covenant blood covers all of our sins and secures our future with Him in heaven. And when we pray and ask God for help, protection, answers, healing, and more… He hears us and delivers – according to His will.
I believe we fail to recognize the power of reminding God of His covenant with us as it extends to our family. There is power in the prayer, “Father, you promised to bless my family and keep your eye on them.” There is even more power in the confidence that God will do exactly this! I have seen the power of these prayers in action… I’ve seen the blessings and protection of God over my family members in a variety of situations. And I’ve come to recognize the power of God’s promise in the lives of those who are faithful. This makes me want to operate more fully in faith.
As much as people are watching, God is watching even more closely. When he sees a family member who is faithful and serving with honor… glorifying His name and trusting Him to mark their steps… I believe God looks at the extended family and blesses accordingly when asked. You may have family members who are not believers… or who certainly are not serving God and honoring Him in their lives. But because of your faithfulness and fervent prayers, God may bring about events that change this. I’m not saying your faith can save your family – or that they can be Christians “by proxy” through you. But I am saying that God will look at you – your service, your requests, and your faithfulness – and He will bless you in ways you can’t imagine – even to caring for your extended family.
So remember to talk to God often about everything – but be sure to remind Him of His covenant with you and your family. Ask Him to bless your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – and those yet to come in future generations. Believe that God will hear your prayers and answer according to His will… which is always perfect. Then operate in the confidence that God is “on the clock” – for you and your family!
©2011 Debbie Robus
"And now, Master GOD, being the God you are, speaking sure words as you do, and having just said this wonderful thing to me, please, just one more thing: Bless my family; keep your eye on them always. You've already as much as said that you would, Master GOD! Oh, may your blessing be on my family permanently!"
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Recently, we added a new member to our family. Three weeks ago, we welcomed Timothy’s baby sister, Zola, to the world. As soon as we knew that Zola was on the way, I began to pray for her. When the doctor declared that the baby would be a girl and a name was selected, I began to ask God specifically to nurture and protect Zola… before her birth and always. In the same way, I am praying for the unborn baby girl that my cousin and his wife are expecting, as well as the many nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives in our extended family.
I don’t always pray for my family members by name… sometimes the prayer is more collective, as in “Please protect my husband’s brothers, their wives and children,” or “LORD, bless my cousins in northwest Arkansas and my husband’s family in Iowa.” But I believe these prayers make a difference… and pack more punch than we realize!
There is a lot of talk in the Old Testament about covenants – agreements between God and His children… promises to lead them through trials and tribulations and keep them safe. In the New Testament, the covenant between us and God comes from the blood of Jesus. When we invite Jesus to be LORD of our life, this covenant blood covers all of our sins and secures our future with Him in heaven. And when we pray and ask God for help, protection, answers, healing, and more… He hears us and delivers – according to His will.
I believe we fail to recognize the power of reminding God of His covenant with us as it extends to our family. There is power in the prayer, “Father, you promised to bless my family and keep your eye on them.” There is even more power in the confidence that God will do exactly this! I have seen the power of these prayers in action… I’ve seen the blessings and protection of God over my family members in a variety of situations. And I’ve come to recognize the power of God’s promise in the lives of those who are faithful. This makes me want to operate more fully in faith.
As much as people are watching, God is watching even more closely. When he sees a family member who is faithful and serving with honor… glorifying His name and trusting Him to mark their steps… I believe God looks at the extended family and blesses accordingly when asked. You may have family members who are not believers… or who certainly are not serving God and honoring Him in their lives. But because of your faithfulness and fervent prayers, God may bring about events that change this. I’m not saying your faith can save your family – or that they can be Christians “by proxy” through you. But I am saying that God will look at you – your service, your requests, and your faithfulness – and He will bless you in ways you can’t imagine – even to caring for your extended family.
So remember to talk to God often about everything – but be sure to remind Him of His covenant with you and your family. Ask Him to bless your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins – and those yet to come in future generations. Believe that God will hear your prayers and answer according to His will… which is always perfect. Then operate in the confidence that God is “on the clock” – for you and your family!
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 8, 2011
Proverbs 17:17
A friend is always a friend, and relatives are born to share our troubles.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My friend Marla Ann is four years older than I, and she grew up in the house catty-cornered from mine. When I married, she was already attending college, and we didn’t see each other very often for several years. She moved to Austin, Texas, with her family, and we would get together for a brief visit on holidays when she returned to spend time with her parents. Then she and her husband moved their family to Edgemont, and we saw each other quite often. We started spending time together at Christmas and other holidays… and we got together many times in between.
Now Marla and her husband, Bill, live in Fayetteville near their children and grandchildren, and we see them maybe twice a year. But Marla and I talk all the time – mostly by e-mail. She is more like a sister to me than a friend, and we have stuck by each other in all kinds of weather. We have been through a lot together… personal crises, the births of babies, the deaths of loved ones, and more. We know that we always have each other’s back.
I do not have a very large immediate family, but my extended family – much of whom lives in Heber Springs, or at least in Arkansas – is huge. And while I seldom see some of my cousins, there are more than a handful I would consider as very close. I know that whenever I need them, they are always there for me. In times of trouble, my family comes together and supports one another. And that’s as it should be… this is what we are taught in God’s word!
But there are times when people get cross with each other. Things are said or done, and the next thing you know, your best friend is no longer a friend at all… or you are not speaking to your siblings, your cousins, or even your parents. My maternal grandmother used to say, “Blood is thicker than water,” meaning that someday your family members will come back around and reconcile. But I know for a fact that this doesn’t always happen. And in these situations, everybody loses… and God is deeply disappointed.
Today, I pray that you will stop at some point and take time to consider ways to reach out to those you love – your friends, your family members… and especially your mom, if she is still alive. Don’t let old grudges and past history keep you from doing what is right… and what pleases God. Make the call… heal that wound… start to rebuild and rekindle old relationships. I’m so thankful for my friends and family. Keeping the lines of communication open with all of them requires effort… and sometimes it’s hard work! But in the end, it is so worth the trouble.
Who do you need to reach out to this day? Will you step up and honor God and make the first move?
©2011 Debbie Robus
A friend is always a friend, and relatives are born to share our troubles.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
My friend Marla Ann is four years older than I, and she grew up in the house catty-cornered from mine. When I married, she was already attending college, and we didn’t see each other very often for several years. She moved to Austin, Texas, with her family, and we would get together for a brief visit on holidays when she returned to spend time with her parents. Then she and her husband moved their family to Edgemont, and we saw each other quite often. We started spending time together at Christmas and other holidays… and we got together many times in between.
Now Marla and her husband, Bill, live in Fayetteville near their children and grandchildren, and we see them maybe twice a year. But Marla and I talk all the time – mostly by e-mail. She is more like a sister to me than a friend, and we have stuck by each other in all kinds of weather. We have been through a lot together… personal crises, the births of babies, the deaths of loved ones, and more. We know that we always have each other’s back.
I do not have a very large immediate family, but my extended family – much of whom lives in Heber Springs, or at least in Arkansas – is huge. And while I seldom see some of my cousins, there are more than a handful I would consider as very close. I know that whenever I need them, they are always there for me. In times of trouble, my family comes together and supports one another. And that’s as it should be… this is what we are taught in God’s word!
But there are times when people get cross with each other. Things are said or done, and the next thing you know, your best friend is no longer a friend at all… or you are not speaking to your siblings, your cousins, or even your parents. My maternal grandmother used to say, “Blood is thicker than water,” meaning that someday your family members will come back around and reconcile. But I know for a fact that this doesn’t always happen. And in these situations, everybody loses… and God is deeply disappointed.
Today, I pray that you will stop at some point and take time to consider ways to reach out to those you love – your friends, your family members… and especially your mom, if she is still alive. Don’t let old grudges and past history keep you from doing what is right… and what pleases God. Make the call… heal that wound… start to rebuild and rekindle old relationships. I’m so thankful for my friends and family. Keeping the lines of communication open with all of them requires effort… and sometimes it’s hard work! But in the end, it is so worth the trouble.
Who do you need to reach out to this day? Will you step up and honor God and make the first move?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for March 21, 2011
Luke 3:7-10
Crowds of people came out to be baptized, but John said to them, "You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? Do something to show that you really have given up your sins. Don't start saying that you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire." The crowds asked John, "What should we do?"John told them, "If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Now that my grandmother has moved to an Assisted Living Facility, we are cleaning out her house and going through the things she did not take with her to the new apartment. I recently found a spiral notebook that my mother had given to my grandmother, in hopes that she would write down some information about her life – and maybe begin a journal. There are lots of gaps… and the “journal” stops abruptly right after the death of my brother… but my grandmother did indeed write a lot about her childhood experiences and the early years of her adult life.
She talks about her marriage to my grandfather in 1932, and how they had a three-room house – and that was too much space for the sparse furniture they had. She said they made up for furnishings with love and happiness. She also talks of the kindness and generosity of a German immigrant who hired my grandfather to work his fields and gave them a two-room “house” to inhabit. My grandmother says the house was in awful shape, but she worked and scrubbed and cleaned to make it better… and “Papa Stecker,” as she called him, was very generous to her. He supplied her with everything from a roof over her head to his fertilizer and chicken feed sacks for making her clothing, underwear, bed linens, curtains and more, to helping my grandparents later in life when their crops failed and a mortgage payment was due at the bank.
My grandmother talks a lot about the love and kindness of Papa Stecker – and others. She tells of countless times spent with neighbors and friends, sharing what they had… canning and drying food, making cotton mattresses to replace their straw and feather predecessors, and “sleeping four or more to a bed” in order to visit relatives and friends and attend church revival services and catch up on each others’ lives. She related that once when the families gathered, her uncle brought his cow so the family would have enough milk while they visited.
Truly, my grandmother and her circle of family and friends practiced sharing the love of Christ through sharing what they had. Today, many in her shoes would not even think of sharing an extra can of food, much less clothing or a milk cow! But there is something even more remarkable about this journal. On countless pages, in between the stories of hardship and back-breaking work and struggle, my grandmother says, “We had such fun,” or “Those were good times.” She also talks repeatedly about how “the Lord” saw her through… and truly, her faith has been the cornerstone of her existence.
On the first page of this “journal,” my grandmother wrote about her mother. She said that her family didn’t have much to do for entertainment or recreation, and when her mother had a free moment, she sat down and reached for her Bible. My great-grandmother read her Bible daily until pretty much the day she died. She instilled in her children the value of “producing good fruit” and she taught them about the things that truly bring happiness… family, friends, honesty, generosity, and a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, whom they almost always refer to as “the Lord.” Truly He was – and is – the Lord of their lives.
If we had to endure some of the things today that my grandmother has endured in her lifetime, we might very possibly collapse in a heap and concede defeat. But clearly, we have examples – from the time of the Bible on through history – of how God can strengthen His followers… give us deep roots and help us to produce good fruit. We have the models in place for how to do this. The question becomes… “Are we paying attention?”
©2011 Debbie Robus
Crowds of people came out to be baptized, but John said to them, "You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to run from the coming judgment? Do something to show that you really have given up your sins. Don't start saying that you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. An ax is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire." The crowds asked John, "What should we do?"John told them, "If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn't have any. If you have food, share it with someone else."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Now that my grandmother has moved to an Assisted Living Facility, we are cleaning out her house and going through the things she did not take with her to the new apartment. I recently found a spiral notebook that my mother had given to my grandmother, in hopes that she would write down some information about her life – and maybe begin a journal. There are lots of gaps… and the “journal” stops abruptly right after the death of my brother… but my grandmother did indeed write a lot about her childhood experiences and the early years of her adult life.
She talks about her marriage to my grandfather in 1932, and how they had a three-room house – and that was too much space for the sparse furniture they had. She said they made up for furnishings with love and happiness. She also talks of the kindness and generosity of a German immigrant who hired my grandfather to work his fields and gave them a two-room “house” to inhabit. My grandmother says the house was in awful shape, but she worked and scrubbed and cleaned to make it better… and “Papa Stecker,” as she called him, was very generous to her. He supplied her with everything from a roof over her head to his fertilizer and chicken feed sacks for making her clothing, underwear, bed linens, curtains and more, to helping my grandparents later in life when their crops failed and a mortgage payment was due at the bank.
My grandmother talks a lot about the love and kindness of Papa Stecker – and others. She tells of countless times spent with neighbors and friends, sharing what they had… canning and drying food, making cotton mattresses to replace their straw and feather predecessors, and “sleeping four or more to a bed” in order to visit relatives and friends and attend church revival services and catch up on each others’ lives. She related that once when the families gathered, her uncle brought his cow so the family would have enough milk while they visited.
Truly, my grandmother and her circle of family and friends practiced sharing the love of Christ through sharing what they had. Today, many in her shoes would not even think of sharing an extra can of food, much less clothing or a milk cow! But there is something even more remarkable about this journal. On countless pages, in between the stories of hardship and back-breaking work and struggle, my grandmother says, “We had such fun,” or “Those were good times.” She also talks repeatedly about how “the Lord” saw her through… and truly, her faith has been the cornerstone of her existence.
On the first page of this “journal,” my grandmother wrote about her mother. She said that her family didn’t have much to do for entertainment or recreation, and when her mother had a free moment, she sat down and reached for her Bible. My great-grandmother read her Bible daily until pretty much the day she died. She instilled in her children the value of “producing good fruit” and she taught them about the things that truly bring happiness… family, friends, honesty, generosity, and a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, whom they almost always refer to as “the Lord.” Truly He was – and is – the Lord of their lives.
If we had to endure some of the things today that my grandmother has endured in her lifetime, we might very possibly collapse in a heap and concede defeat. But clearly, we have examples – from the time of the Bible on through history – of how God can strengthen His followers… give us deep roots and help us to produce good fruit. We have the models in place for how to do this. The question becomes… “Are we paying attention?”
©2011 Debbie Robus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)