Guest post by Mary Sparks, Pastor’s wife, Hope Baptist Church, Joplin, MO Sufficient? While pondering on the phrase “God’s grace is sufficient” my mind kept wondering …is it really? What is sufficient? Is it “just enough” to meet your need? Is it a “little more” to meet your need and have some left over? Does it lack slightly below the “filling mark”? Think on these things: When your car is near the empty mark and the yellow light is on and the fuel light is on, and you are perhaps 30 miles from any station (you are guessing ‘cause you really don’t know how far it is). Would one gallon…
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What to Do When Others Let You Down
Are you disappointed in someone who let you down? Perhaps you’re angry or frustrated with someone who did you wrong. The reason why we get disappointed is because we had “better” expectations from someone who would possibly fail us. We put our confidence in someone who has flaws. Of course, if we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we’ve also let others down as well. What is our reaction when others disappoint us? It could be to pout, feel sorry for our selves, criticize, gossip, get even or never speak to them again. Unfortunately, these reactions stir up bitterness in our hearts. We may carry the load of…
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Even When My Faith is Small
To be honest, there are times when it’s hard to keep your faith steady. Our human nature kicks in because we don’t like to be presented with trials and uncertain circumstances. The bigger the problem seems to be, my faith tends to get a bit shakier. What we need to remember is that in God’s eyes, the size of the problem doesn’t really matter. No problem is too big that He can’t handle, nor any problem too small that He doesn’t care about if it concerns us. The other day when I felt my faith get a little shaky, the Lord brought the song, “Trusting Jesus” to my mind…and placed…
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What Influences You the Most?
The things we set most often before us will have the most influence on us… Yesterday, I was reading a series of 21 shocking cases of children who were cruelly left alone without human interaction — and more or less raised by animals. The results were horrifying and definitely heart-breaking. Some were raised around dogs and would mimic all the characteristics that dogs would do… such as barking and growing and walking on all four limbs. One young boy, who was often punished by his parents by locking him up in a chicken coop, would walk and strut like a chicken and also peck at his food. Another similar story…
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When you’re weary and exhausted there is hope…
In the first chapter of Luke, an angel of God told Mary that she would have a son and call his name Jesus. Mary then confronts the angel with the “questionable circumstances” from her own perspective of what seemed impossible… “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34) The angel responds with such powerful statement of which we all should take notice: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) Long ago…but not so long ago when my boys were very little (how time flies), my hubby was outside working to repair his vehicle that was used specifically for…