Tag: comfort

52 Reasons to Love the Church

#24- Fear and Comfort

By Kathy Pollard

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up.  And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31).

The church grew because of two ingredients: walking in the fear of the Lord and walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. While the times may be a little different for us today, surely those same ingredients hold the power of increase for us, too.

“The Fear of the Lord”

I wrote a Bible-marking article on this topic and in that study learned what it means to fear the Lord and all the beautiful consequences of it:

  • It means to keep God’s commandments so that it may be well with us (Deut. 5:29).
  • It means to depart from evil in order to gain wisdom (Job 28:28).
  • It means to walk in God’s ways in order to be blessed (Psa. 128:1-4).
  • It brings strong confidence (Prov. 14:26).
  • It involves humility and the reward is riches, honor, and life (Prov. 22:4).
  • It means doing what is right so that God will welcome us (Acts 10:35).

“The Comfort of the Holy Spirit”

And there are blessings to walking in the comfort of the Holy Spirit:

  • “By the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom. 15:13).
  • “The Spirit helps us in our weakness…and intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:26).
  • “If you live by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, and you will live” (Rom. 8:13).
  • “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5).

What does this have to do with loving the church? The church is made up of people who are walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. This means we have a Family filled with wise and confident people doing what is right. It means that when we gather together, we are surrounding ourselves with people who are filled with hope and God’s love. What a balm for our troubled or overwhelmed hearts!

Kennedy Waddell holding our little Jude in Bible class

Encouragement for You!

According to my pocket calendar, today is the Day of National Encouragement.  To celebrate, please enjoy some uplifting Scriptures, quotes, and even a treat!

Scriptures for You

  • “As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (Psalm 18:30).
  • “In the world you will have trouble; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
  • “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
  • “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
  • “Now may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).

Quotes for You

  • “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”  –Anne Frank
  •  “Do you want to know who you are?  Don’t ask–act!  Action will delineate and define you.”  –Thomas Jefferson
  • “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”  –Leo Buscaglia
  • “The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.”  –Martha Washington, first First Lady of the United States

A Treat for You

“Warm Spiced Milk”

  • 2 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/3 c. apple butter
  • 2 1/2 T. real maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

-Whisk together all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over low heat until milk steams.  Do not boil.  Serves 4.  (Recipe from Gooseberry Patch Blue Ribbon Family Favorites)

-We enjoyed sipping this belly-warming beverage last night on a chilly, drizzly Colorado evening.  I used Pumpkin Pie spice in place of the cinnamon and cloves and simply heated  it all up in the microwave.

A Prayer for You

Bless each reader, Father, with strength, peace, and compassion as they reach out to those around them and influence all who know them.

 

 

He Sees All My Tears

I don’t think loneliness is restricted to times when we’re by ourselves.  Have you ever felt all alone while in a crowd full of people?  Loneliness can hit us when we feel like no one understands, no one gets it.  Hopefully Christians experience very few moments of loneliness, since we’re blessed with a church family that offers genuine love and support.  But for those times when we shed tears alone because we feel we can’t share them with anyone, we can remember a couple of comforting Scriptures.  “You number my wanderings.  Put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8).  Then there’s all of Psalm 139, which assures us that no matter where we are or what we’re doing, God knows our thoughts, and is always with us, even in our darkest moments.  No teardrop slips away unnoticed by our God.

He sees my tears of regret.  If I’ve sinned and the consequences are great, God sees my tears of self-loathing and remorse.  If I look back over my life and see missed opportunities, or a neglected family, God sees those tears of loss and regret, too.  God knows every time I think, “I wish I had…” or “If only I hadn’t…”  He sees my tears of regret.  And when I turn to Him in those times, I see His mercy (Ephesians 2:4,5) and His grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).

He sees my tears of frustration.  When I try and try, but nothing seems to be working out right, God sees my fretful tears of dismay.  When I’m feeling sorry for myself or stressed out, He sees my tears of resentment.  He sees my tears of frustration, but if I’ll turn to Him in those times, I’ll see His patience (Psalm 86:15) and His steadfast goodness(James 1:17).

He sees my tears of discouragement.  When I keep failing to reach my spiritual goals, God sees my tears of weakness.  When a loved one disappoints me or betrays me, God sees my tears of pain and anger.  And whenever I feel like giving up, God sees my bleak tears of despondency.  He sees every tear of discouragement, but when I turn to Him, I see His promises (Psalm 119:147-150).

As God comforted in the days of old, so He comforts today, “I have heard your prayers.  I have seen your tears” (2 Kings 20:5).

Prayer for Today:  Thank you, Lord, for caring.  Thank you for your patience and your love.