Posts Tagged "help"

Spiritual Tune-up – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by on Sep 8, 2020 | 6 comments

Spiritual Tune-up – A 2MefromHim Devotional

A spiritual tune-up is important for everyone on a regular basis. I hope you enjoy this devotional from 2018 about staying in touch with God daily. I’m enjoying time with our daughter!

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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 Click To Tweet

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 Click To Tweet

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 Click To Tweet

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 Click To Tweet

© 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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Choose Kindness & Compassion – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by on Feb 25, 2020 | 2 comments

Choose Kindness & Compassion – A 2MefromHim Devotional

To choose kindness and compassion, I must overcome uncharitable and selfish thoughts. It’s what Jesus would do.

 

 

 

 

 

Choose Kindness and Compassion

A 2MefromHim Devotional

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Always choose kindness and compassion. What we remember most about others is how they treat us. The best friend is one who goes out of their way to show love. Yet how easy it is to find an excuse to do the opposite.

Choose Kindness and Compassion scripture

Be kind and compassionate to one another... Ephesians 4:32 #kindness #relationships Click To Tweet

Choose Kindness

Not long ago, I sat at the bedside of my dying aunt. As a former nurse, sitting beside a deathbed wasn’t uncomfortable, however, a friend’s visit cheered my heart. When she realized the imminence of death, she remained. We sang hymns, read scripture, and prayed. Sacrificing her own plans for the day, she sat with my uncle and me and remained until after my aunt’s passing. Her thoughtfulness and generosity will never be forgotten.

Likewise, there is a stark contrast between a display of kindness and those who are either neglectful or mean-spirited. Henry Drummond said, “The greatest thing a man can do for his heavenly Father is to be kind to some of his other children.”

Choose Kindness and Compassion 1

Kindness Heals

I came across a quote recently from Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Occasionally, family members treat each other with less courtesy and kindness than they do acquaintances or even strangers.” I think this even applies to our family of fellow Christians and the greater family of mankind. Nothing should cause us to deny someone’s need when it is within our power to be kind. Even relationships broken by mistrust, lack of understanding, and hostility can begin to mend through a single act of self-sacrifice and care. It matters little if we understand completely, only that we help within our ability.

Broken relationships can begin to mend through a single act of self-sacrifice and care. #healing #relationships #hope Click To Tweet

Choose Kindness and Compassion 2

Lack of Compassion Hurts

In contrast, a confrontation with someone lacking kindness reminds me of the screams my husband and I heard coming from beside some railroad tracks near a sightseeing spot. We ran in that direction, only to discover a deer taken down by a pack of wild dogs. Though we chased them away, they returned. Similarly, to be treated with a lack of compassion and understanding leaves deep emotional wounds. Self-preservation makes us avoid people who hurt rather than help.

To be treated with a lack of compassion and understanding leaves deep emotional wounds. #compassion #depression #pain Click To Tweet

The Cost of being Kind

My father is remembered for his kindness. After he died, a dear friend related how he showed up at their door one year with money to buy Christmas gifts for their boys. Their savings were stolen from his wife’s purse, and though our family wasn’t well off, my father somehow found the means to help.

As a child of God, I must overcome uncharitable and selfish thoughts in order to treat someone with kindness. It’s what Jesus would do. It dishonors Christ to ignore someone’s plea when I possess the power to help. Yes, it costs us to be kind. We pay in time, humility, and sometimes money. However, the reward is everlasting.

Who do you know that needs to be shown some kindness? Will you honor Christ and make the sacrifice necessary to help?

Treating someone with kindness costs us something but pleases Jesus. #kindness #healing #Jesus Click To Tweet

© Norma Gail Holtman, February 22, 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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Losing My Way – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by on May 21, 2018 | 3 comments

Losing My Way – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Losing my way is something I dread, however, God has provided the answers to navigating life as safely as possible and dealing with the problems that come through His word. I’d love to hear about the times God’s word redirected you!

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Wait My Time – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Posted by on May 14, 2018 | 2 comments

Wait My Time – A 2MefromHim Devotional

Wait my time is a phrase God has spoken to me often in recent months. Times of trial often cause us to act out of fear and frustration. We long to resolve conflicts, but God will do far more than we can imagine if we only wait on his time and his way. I would love to hear your thoughts!

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