Thankful in Times of Drudgery – Part 1 of 5

Mother's Day 2008 Do you often feel weighed down, even overwhelmed, by the nitty-gritty of daily life? Does it sometimes seem as if there is nothing you can do to make the job of motherhood any better? Maybe you’re even ready to throw in the towel? For those of you who are new to this blog, I’ve been following the lives of the Israelites in the time of Moses, mainly their time in the desert as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Life out in the desert wasn’t much fun. There were no shopping malls, no TVs, and no books or magazines...

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Poem - Gardens of Joy

Once I was destitute, a captive of sin, But then You gave me life and dwelled within. You took my waste places, You took my tears, You took my heartaches, and all my fears. You took that pot, which was made of clay, You took all of my darkness and made it day. Then gave me wings, made me into a silver dove With yellow-gold feathers, covered in Your love. You gave me rivers and gardens of joy; Things more precious than some material toy. You gave me gladness and also thanksgiving And filled my heart with continual singing. In...

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Thankful in Times of Difficulty – Part 4 of 4

Besides saving the Israelites from slavery, God had another plan of salvation for His people, salvation from the slavery of sin to the freedom of righteousness; a plan that would include not only Jews, but Gentiles also. God began with the Israelites through Abraham, and later, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, made it possible for all who believe in the Son to have access to God. What God began in the wilderness, He is perfecting through all who place their faith in Jesus. We have access to all the blessings given...

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Thankful in Times of Difficulty – Part 3 of 4

The Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land wasn’t as happy a one as God had intended it to be. They were supposed to travel only a few days in the wilderness, but it turned into forty years. Their stubborn and unthankful hearts caused them lots of misery along the way. The more they resisted God, the more He resisted them. While they lived under the dictatorship of Pharaoh, they had to obey no matter what. Pharaoh cared only about building his empire on the backs of the Hebrew people. Unlike Pharaoh, God wasn’t a dictator. He...

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Thankful in Times of Difficulty – Part 2 of 4

Not very long afterwards, while standing on the outskirts of the Promised Land, the Israelites were faced with another test. Now God had previously promised them that the land that they were going to inherit would already be well established. They would live in houses that they hadn’t built with their own hands and enjoy vineyards that they hadn’t planted. Their scouts confirmed that the land was well inhabited and tremendously fruitful. They’d never seen anything like it in all their lives. However, when they saw the strength of...

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Thankful in Times of Difficulty – Part 1 of 4

How do you handle life when it’s not going your way? Every time in the Old Testament when the Israelites faced new difficulties, they would throw up their arms in fear or despair. Instead of staying focused on God, their problems would cause them to lose peace of mind.   Soon after crossing the Red Sea, Moses went up the mountain to speak to God. When a few days had passed and he hadn’t yet returned, the people gave up waiting for him and decided to take matters into their own hands. They created a golden calf to be their...

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Poem - There Once Was a Girl

There once was a girl on a sunny day She was having fun in a carefree way In a field of flowers with the honey bee This is how life should always be But growing up brought many hardships As she jumped in and out of relationships The flowers were exchanged for stolen kisses Followed by the sting and shame she now nurses She let life bounce like a ball at its own will Each bounce a piece of heart would kill Looking for love, but in the end she found none Life without rules brought pain instead of fun This is not how life...

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 5 of 5

The topic in this series has been thankfulness. Another aspect of giving thanks is offering praise. To praise God when things are going well is easy and necessary. When things aren’t going well, it becomes a sacrifice of praise. In other words, it’s praise that’s offered during difficult times. Those times you don’t feel like praising Him are probably the times you need it most. Praising God is like making an investment, the kind of investment that always brings greater returns. Praise is dynamic and active, not passive. It brings...

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Thankful in Times of Sacrifice – Part 4 of 5

If we want the love of God to be real in our lives, then we can’t love material things and comforts more than we love God. Just as He did with the Israelites, God uses the tough things in our lives to test us. He wants to see how much we truly love Him, and He wants to strengthen our spiritual muscles. Therefore, we must be willing to obey and follow God at any cost. Obedience in the littlest of things guarantees a victorious life. Many Israelites missed out on entering the Promised Land because they weren’t willing to make strategic...

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