Posts Tagged "2MefeomHim devotionals"

Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

Posted by on Mar 24, 2020 | Comments Off on Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

Noah’s ark provides a powerful example of isolation during an unusual event that changed the world forever. But God remembered Noah and his family. And he remembers each one of us.

 

 

 

 

Having a Noah’s Ark Experience During the COVID-19 Crisis

A 2MefromHim Devotional

 

But God remembered… Genesis 8:1

Noah's Ark Experience 1

Noah’s Ark Shows God is in Control

The COVID-19 quarantine is a unique experience in our time. We have lived relatively free of the diseases and plagues experienced by previous generations. Without warning, we face a formidable and dangerous situation that threatens our lives, our livelihood, and our world economy. We don’t know how long the pandemic will last or how our world will change before we emerge. Rather than the world being out of control, God is in control just as he was during the Flood.

We don’t know how long the pandemic will last or how our world will change but God is in control. #pandemic #Godisgood #hope Share on X

Noah’s Ark Shows God has a Purpose

In Noah’s time as in ours, evil flourished and few cared about God. He was the only righteous man in the world, intimate with God and obedient to him. Noah gathered his family, the necessary food, the animals, and entered the ark. Unlike our situation, Genesis 7:16 tells us, “Then the Lord shut him in.” However, whether due to our own health or the orders of authorities, ultimately God has a purpose for our isolation.

God Doesn’t Take His People Out of the Storms of Life

Noah's Ark Experience 2

Once Noah and his family were safe, the deluge hit. Imagine the panicky people left outside. Picture them running to the top of buildings and then mountains, as the waters rose higher, accompanied by frightened animals desperate to save themselves. Perhaps Noah heard the screams. In the same way that people have rushed to buy essential items, and call professionals worried about their health now, the people of Noah’s day scrambled to find a place of safety.

As with the natural forces unleashed during the Flood, the coronavirus is an event of nature resulting in massive mortality. Whether by direct action or selective inaction, God holds ultimate control. Like the rest of the world, Christians can’t avoid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our safety isn’t only in remaining virus-free and living. Christians have the assurance of safety in Christ even if they die. Likewise, God didn’t take Noah out of the storm but kept his family safe as they went through it.

God didn’t take Noah out of the storm but kept his family safe as they went through it. #safety #Godislove #safety Share on X

God Wants Us to Proclaim His Message to Frightened People

Noah's Ark Experience 3

We will come out of isolation. Noah emerged from the ark into a changed world void of other life and everything that existed before. People will emerge from the COVID-19 crisis having lost family members, health, jobs, financial security, and with new fears of another disease outbreak. When that time comes, God wants his people to go forth and proclaim the message of salvation to those trapped in fear and darkness.

Share the Good News of salvation in Christ with the frightened people in our world. #coroanvirus #Jesus #hope Share on X

Our Noah’s ark experience should equip us to share the Good News of salvation in Christ with the frightened people in our world. We have comfort and hope the world lacks. We have a God who says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Spend time with God during this quarantine and find ways to tell a frightened world that God remembers them and wants them to know him.

But God remembered… Genesis 8:1 God didn't forget Noah and he won't forget you. #Godislove #Noah #isolation Share on X

© Norma Gail Holtman, March 21, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail - AuthorNorma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

 

Two cover images

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To Forgive Demands a Surrender of Pride

Posted by on Mar 3, 2020 | 4 comments

To Forgive Demands a Surrender of Pride

The failure to forgive or to seek forgiveness grants the devil a foothold that destroys our hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

To Forgive Demands a Surrender of Pride

2MefromHim Devotionals

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:3

To Forgive scripture

To forgive demands a surrender of pride and pain in order to reach out to others as Christ extended grace to us.

To forgive demands a surrender of pride and pain in order to reach out to others as Christ extended grace to us. #forgiveness #pride #grace Share on X

Learn to forgive

As a young Christian of seventeen, it became clear that God required me to right a severed relationship. However, following a youth conference, I knew the time for healing had come. God used the heartbreak to lead me to salvation. It was all for good.

When I shared the testimony of what God did in my life, the one who hurt me sat a few feet away. I once rejected his plea for forgiveness. It was time to surrender my pride and let go of the hurt. And it freed us both. The lesson is etched in my memory.

Examples of forgiveness

Likewise, the world has never understood the importance of Jesus’ words on the Cross when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We injure others by words and actions without even trying. Proverbs 11:17 says, “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.” NLT

Joseph provides an excellent example. Sold into slavery, transported to a foreign country, and thought dead by his father, he was treated unjustly time and again. Years later, when his brothers appeared seeking aide in a time of famine, he revealed himself, telling them not to be distressed. God had a plan. When his brothers feared retaliation, he answered their pleas for mercy by saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…”

Called to forgive

To Forgive 1

In recent years, a painful situation created a gulf between myself and people dear to me. Once again, the lesson I learned as a teen returned. As a result, I humbled myself to seek forgiveness for words spoken in anger. Likewise, I needed to forgive the hurt I suffered. Forgiveness is a choice made on a daily, often moment by moment basis, whenever hurtful thoughts appear.

Forgiveness is a choice made on a daily, often moment by moment basis, whenever hurtful thoughts appear. #Forgiveness #choices #relationships Share on X

Humility brings reward

Quarrels never honor God. He is wounded when we offend others by our actions and words. In Ephesians 4, Paul admonishes us to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” However, our, loving Abba Father understands our weaknesses. If we humble ourselves, He will heal and renew. The failure to forgive or to seek forgiveness grants the devil a foothold that destroys our hearts.

Forgiveness frees the offender as well as the offended. #Forgiveness #freedom #reconciliation Share on X

Perhaps the way you can build up another today is to apologize. Maybe you need to forgive someone who doesn’t realize how they hurt you. Forgiveness frees the offender as well as the offended. Surrender your pride. Choose to forgive. It’s never easy but the reward is peace.

To Forgive 2

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 #forgive #kindness #compassion Share on X

© Norma Gail Holtman, February 26, 2020

About the author:

Norma Gail - AuthorNorma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.

Two cover images

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A Memorable Gift – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by on Nov 27, 2017 | 6 comments

A Memorable Gift – A 2MefromHim Devotional

My most memorable gift revealed the true love in the heart of the giver. It wasn’t what I wanted, less than I imagined, and downright disappointing, but it revealed a desire on the part of the giver to offer their best. When received with the right heart attitude, such gifts often become our greatest treasures for the love and care they reveal. I would love to hear your comments!

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The Palm of the Master’s Hand – A Poem about Trust

Posted by on May 29, 2017 | 2 comments

The Palm of the Master’s Hand – A Poem about Trust

The Palm of the Master’s Hand is a place of safety and calm, a place where we are shielded from the storms of life that rage in the world around us. It is a place of retreat for the Christian to rest and gather strength to face the battle. For where could we be more safe than held close within the hands of God? 

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