Encouraging Words Devotional

Why Do I Get So Stressed?

Patricia Sprinkle, author of Women Who Do Too Much, writes “Stress does not come from being busy. Stress comes from being busy about things we don’t want to do, or from not being busy about things we do want to do.”[i]

 

[i] As quoted in Mary M. Byers, How to Say No and Live to Tell About It (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2006), 105.

What Does God Want You To Do With Your Life?

Much is being written these days about purpose—that is, about finding your personal reason for being on Planet Earth.  What does God want you to do with your life?

From Trash To Treasure

Once in a while there is a commercial on television that truly catches my attention--instead of merely irritating me because it interrupted the program I was watching. An ad like that recently showed a woman taking the broken pieces of a beautiful blue and white vase that no doubt had been a favorite. She glued the pieces onto a glass vase in such a way that she created a lovely new pattern.  Then she filled in the spaces with paint as if it were grout. A bouquet of fresh flowers completed the remake of this piece of art. Honestly, I don’t remember what she was advertising, but I was impressed with the way she turned a broken treasure into something new and lovely.

Ministry Of The Hairbrush

Bible study teacher Beth Moore tells of the day she was waiting to board a plane when she caught sight of a thin, disheveled elderly man bent over in a wheelchair.  What struck her most, Beth said, was his long, stringy, tangled gray hair. God began to speak to her.

Bernadette’s Story

If you read my book More Precious Than Diamonds, you may remember the story of Bernadette, a young woman who longed for a child at the same time her husband, Alex, was battling what turned out to be terminal cancer.  The good part to her story is that before her husband passed away, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. 

How Long Is Eternity?

Lying in bed the other night waiting to fall asleep, I got to thinking about eternity.  Pretty heavy subject when you’re supposed to be winding down for the night! I thought how hard it is for us human beings to get a handle on anything that will last forever because we everything we see on this earth has an ending point, including our own lives.

When Is It Okay To Do Nothing?

It’s not my nature to sit and do nothing.  I like to be busy--to feel that I’m accomplishing something that counts.  So, when a few months ago I found myself spending more and more time just sitting on the sofa watching “whatever” on TV, I knew that was not normal for me. OK, I’ll admit this happened during a period when I was very, very tired, so I probably should not have felt guilty.  There were reasons why I didn’t feel like attacking any projects or being particularly productive. Nevertheless, I felt guilty.

You Can Fight Discouragement

See if this scenario fits you. Everything seems to have gone wrong lately. Your job is shaky, your health isn’t great, your family has problems, and your finances—well, let’s just say your bank account has acute anemia.

When You Need God’s Help

Comfort—it’s a word I like to hear. It has such a—well, reassuring sound to it, right? It’s also a Bible word. Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan says that the word “comfort” occurs in some form ten times in just five verses. That’s in 2 Corinthians chapter 2.

How To Use What You Have

George Washington Carver was an American botanist back in the 1900s who became famous for discovering 300 uses for the lowly peanut.  Most people wouldn’t have been willing to devote their lives to a mere peanut. But the story goes that Carver once asked the Lord,

“Lord, what is the universe?” The Lord said, “George, that’s too big for your little head. Suppose you let me take care of the universe.” Greatly humbled, the scientist asked, “Then, Lord, if the universe is too big for me to understand, please tell me, what is a peanut?” And then the Lord answered, “Now George, you’ve got something your own size. A peanut can understand a peanut; go to work on the peanut while I run the universe.” [i]

 

[i] M. R. De Haan, “Small Beginnings,” Our Daily Bread (Grand Rapids, MI: RBC Ministries), October 27, 1962.