Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Today a social worker from
Hospice visited with us. She was here to get acquainted with us and
basically to make sure that we were all okay as a family. She asked my
mother how she was doing, and Mother assured her that she was trusting
God. She said, “I know that God is taking care of this."
When my
mother was first diagnosed with cancer in September, she e-mailed me
and said, “I have a serious problem, Debbie. The tests show cancer
markers. This is going to be OK—no matter what. Just going to be a
battle ahead.” The battle has come…and my mother is smack in the middle
of it!
The GOOD NEWS is that cancer is not winning. From the
very first diagnosis, my mother has said, “Either way, this will all be
okay.” And she is right. Because my mother’s refuge does not lie in
successful chemotherapy treatments or some miracle cure at a reputable
facility. Her “tested help” does not have “M.D.” after his/her name.
My
mother is relying on Almighty God to work things out according to His
will…on HIS timetable. And it doesn’t look like He intends for her to
hang out with us much longer. This morning, a dear friend texted my
mother a message. Another woman she knows is also battling ovarian
cancer. She wrote of this friend and my mother…”Your mom and my dear
special friend have packed her [Mom’s] RV for a new journey. She doesn’t
need a map or a GPS thing. The road has been ready for her trip for a
long time. What gives me comfort and peace is GOD is in the driver’s
seat! Instead of a seat belt, she has on her angel’s wings. The highway
is paved in gold, and Heaven is singing, “Coming Home!”
If that
doesn’t describe a “beautiful refuge” and “tested help in times of
trouble,” I’m not sure what would. My prayer for you today is that YOU
know this Refuge…that YOU trust Him to be your “tested help in times of
trouble.” I pray that nothing is too big for God to solve for you…that
you know that all will be okay, no matter what happens.
It’s a beautiful thing to go headlong into battle knowing that God is leading the way. Are you secure in that faith today? Isn’t it time you were?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label planning for our future with Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning for our future with Jesus. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 6, 2015
Romans 6:22-23
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
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.
There has been a lot of talk in our country lately about wages. Presently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. In my home state (Arkansas), the minimum wage is $7.50 per hour. A bill in Congress to increase federal minimum wage to $10 per hour over a three-year period has been stymied, while some companies – like Walmart, Starbucks, T.J. Maxx, Whole Foods, and Costco – have gone ahead and raised their company’s minimum wage (though not all to $10…Walmart went up to $9/hour).
Lest anyone think this is “good return” for the work, consider that “minimum wage” and a “living wage” are not at all the same thing. According to information found at http://livingwage.mit.edu/, a living wage reflects the amount required for persons to meet a minimum standard of living…buy food, clothing, shelter, medical care, child care, transportation, and other basic necessities…and this amount varies across the country, depending on location and the “cost of living” there.
Far too often, the “prevailing wage” is nowhere near what can be considered a “living wage”. So not only does quality of life suffer on a daily basis…but there is no hope of any light at the end of the tunnel. Certainly these hardworking folks do not have any grandiose notions of a cushy retirement someday – or visions of “retirement” at all You hear a lot of people say, “I’ll work until the day I die.” And for many, this is their reality!
This is a serious problem in our country that needs to be addressed. But even more importantly, we need to consider the “wages” for our spiritual life. I’ve heard this passage, “The wages of sin is death” all of my life…but I never considered them literally before today. It never really occurred to me that we are “working” for “wages”…that we are either “employed” in the business of sin – or that of serving the LORD. And there is a rate of “pay” for both.
For sinful living, the wages might seem quite fair - or even generous, at times…while those who are living Godly, faith-filled lives of service to Jesus might seem to be struggling to make ends meet. Think “Why do bad things happen to good people?” and you will see what I mean. A lot of rotten sinners seem to skate by on “Easy Street!” Or do they?
Unlike the disparity that exists in our natural lives between “minimum wage” and “living wage”…the tables are often turned in the Spiritual sense. Those who give their hearts to Jesus and diligently work to listen to God and live according to His will can claim a “living wage” with a generous “retirement plan.” Those who operate in sin may seem to have it all…but honestly, they are scraping by at best - and they will have nothing to show for their lives in the end except misery and heartache.
I have known some pretty “poor” people who were far richer than the wealthiest mega-millionaires of this world, because their “living wage” came from Jesus Christ. In this regard, I want to be “rich,” too…don’t you? I believe we must continue to argue for decent “living wages” for families and individuals across this great nation…but we must be even more aggressive in our attempts to grow in “wealth” that matters for all Eternity.
You may be “workin’ hard for a livin’” on this earth…but are you working harder for a life in Christ? What sort of “retirement plan” do you have in place? Are you ready to make a “living wage” with benefits and bonuses? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.
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.
There has been a lot of talk in our country lately about wages. Presently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. In my home state (Arkansas), the minimum wage is $7.50 per hour. A bill in Congress to increase federal minimum wage to $10 per hour over a three-year period has been stymied, while some companies – like Walmart, Starbucks, T.J. Maxx, Whole Foods, and Costco – have gone ahead and raised their company’s minimum wage (though not all to $10…Walmart went up to $9/hour).
Lest anyone think this is “good return” for the work, consider that “minimum wage” and a “living wage” are not at all the same thing. According to information found at http://livingwage.mit.edu/, a living wage reflects the amount required for persons to meet a minimum standard of living…buy food, clothing, shelter, medical care, child care, transportation, and other basic necessities…and this amount varies across the country, depending on location and the “cost of living” there.
Far too often, the “prevailing wage” is nowhere near what can be considered a “living wage”. So not only does quality of life suffer on a daily basis…but there is no hope of any light at the end of the tunnel. Certainly these hardworking folks do not have any grandiose notions of a cushy retirement someday – or visions of “retirement” at all You hear a lot of people say, “I’ll work until the day I die.” And for many, this is their reality!
This is a serious problem in our country that needs to be addressed. But even more importantly, we need to consider the “wages” for our spiritual life. I’ve heard this passage, “The wages of sin is death” all of my life…but I never considered them literally before today. It never really occurred to me that we are “working” for “wages”…that we are either “employed” in the business of sin – or that of serving the LORD. And there is a rate of “pay” for both.
For sinful living, the wages might seem quite fair - or even generous, at times…while those who are living Godly, faith-filled lives of service to Jesus might seem to be struggling to make ends meet. Think “Why do bad things happen to good people?” and you will see what I mean. A lot of rotten sinners seem to skate by on “Easy Street!” Or do they?
Unlike the disparity that exists in our natural lives between “minimum wage” and “living wage”…the tables are often turned in the Spiritual sense. Those who give their hearts to Jesus and diligently work to listen to God and live according to His will can claim a “living wage” with a generous “retirement plan.” Those who operate in sin may seem to have it all…but honestly, they are scraping by at best - and they will have nothing to show for their lives in the end except misery and heartache.
I have known some pretty “poor” people who were far richer than the wealthiest mega-millionaires of this world, because their “living wage” came from Jesus Christ. In this regard, I want to be “rich,” too…don’t you? I believe we must continue to argue for decent “living wages” for families and individuals across this great nation…but we must be even more aggressive in our attempts to grow in “wealth” that matters for all Eternity.
You may be “workin’ hard for a livin’” on this earth…but are you working harder for a life in Christ? What sort of “retirement plan” do you have in place? Are you ready to make a “living wage” with benefits and bonuses? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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