Tag Archives: Encouragement

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Jeremiah 46

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“No, I’m not finished with you yet.” Jeremiah 46:28 (MSG)

I am bankrupt both financially and spiritually.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
I am utterly alone. There’s no one to help me.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
My dream lies in fractured pieces around my feet.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
I did it….again. I’m such a wretch.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
I’m always a finalist, but I never get the job.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
Old age is upon me. My body is wasting away.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
My every attempt to have children is a miscarriage.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
My body is wracked by incurable disease.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
I am nobody, nothing, going nowhere.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
My life counts for nothing. I’m a squirrel in a spinning wheel.
“No, I’m not finished with you yet.”

Believe.

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Jeremiah 32

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“Yes, this is God’s Message: ‘I will certainly bring this huge catastrophe on this people, but I will also usher in a wonderful life of prosperity.” Jeremiah 32:42 (MSG)

Wendy and I spent the weekend in San Antonio, revisiting the city where we honeymooned five years ago. We were supposed to have spent our honeymoon in New Orleans, but then Katrina blew through and our honeymoon plans blew away with the hurricane force winds. So, we ended up in San Antonio.

On Saturday night we decided to go to dinner and a movie. The problem was, we couldn’t get into a restaurant anywhere. From fast food to find dining and everything in between there were long lines and long waits for a table. The mega-plex 350 million screen theatre was packed with long lines for tickets, long lines for popcorn, and packed house.

“Wait a minute,” I said to myself as we stood in the line at the theater, “aren’t we just coming out of an economic recession? Aren’t times still supposed to be tough?”

In reading today’s chapter, I’m reminded of the cycle that I’ve seen repeated over and over again. Tragedy is followed by blessing. Catastrophe is followed by prosperity. Drought is followed by by fruitfulness.

God’s story does not end at the cross. It continues to the empty grave. When we find ourselves in times of struggle, we can remind ourselves that there is a mountaintop on the other end of the valley through which we are plodding.

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Isaiah 41

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Everyone needs a first aid kit. Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.Isaiah 41:10 (MSG)

There is a first aid kit in the back of my car. There's another one in the boat at the lake. When I was a lifeguard as a teen it was mandatory to know where the first aid kit was located. You never know when you might need it. It was, perhaps, that very realization as a teenager which made me think about the idea of a spiritual first aid kit.

It was simple. I jotted down a few verses that provided me with encouragement and reminded me of God's faithful provision, power, protection and promise. Isaiah 41:10 was always one of the verses in my "kit." I would then fold up the paper and stick it in my pocket. Throughout the day, as I reached into my pocket and felt the paper there, I was reminded of God's message. I would quickly, mentally think through the verses. When stress or anxiety would rise, I would reach into my pocket, or simply remember what was there. The verses popped to mind and reminded me of God's presence. The simple discipline of responding to negative emotion with positive reinforcement from God's Message was a lifesaver.

Throughout my life, as I have faced difficult legs of life's journey, I've gone back to the practice of sticking a spiritual first aid kit in my pocket.

What verse(es) would you put in yours?