The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Chris... - Preparing Our Hearts for Spring Break

0:00Life Audio Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're so glad to have you listening. I'm Lynette Kiddell and today's topic is Preparing Our Hearts for Spring Break. We'll be right back after a brief message from our sponsor. Americans have a big health care problem. Over 100 million U.S. citizens carry medical debt, but that's not the whole story. With health insurance, your out-of-pocket and monthly costs are way too high. You get surprise bills, denied claims, and poor customer service. That's a serious burden. As Christians, we don't have to pay for a broken system. Christian health care ministries is an alternative to health insurance at half the cost. You can enroll at any time and join a proven faith-based solution

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2:06no-monthly fees, free ATM access nationwide, and competitive interest rates designed to help your money grow responsibly. Whether you're saving for the future, managing everyday expenses, or looking for a bank that reflects what matters most to you, 316 Financial makes it easy to bank with intention. Learn more and open an account today at bank316.com. Banking services are provided by 316 Financial, a division of Primus Bank, member FDIC. Preparing our hearts for spring break. Written and read by Lynette Kittle. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it, Hebrews 12-11. It's that time of year again, where our minds start thinking about spring break,

3:08and where our families will plan to spend it. Whether it's a staycation close to home, or at the beach, the mountains, an amusement park, or on an island paradise, it's about loving and enjoying our families. Grieffully, our family has experienced wonderful spring breaks, getaways, where everything went well, but we've also waited through difficult and challenging ones, where everything seemed to fall apart. No one seemed to get along, the influenza hit us, we ran out of gas in the desert, traffic was chaotic, and travel didn't go the way we planned. During times like these, when it's easy for emotions to run wild and feelings to easily get hurt, we want to remember what Colossians 3-12-13 urges. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

4:10clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another, if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Although there are often issues that arise during family getaways, they don't have to color our experience and memories in a negative way. We can ask God to help us put situations into perspective where we let go of the less than pleasant and hang on to the warm and loving moments. We don't have to allow life's displeasures to take away from the joy of being with one another and spending time together despite the circumstances through thick and thin the fun and not so fun moments. Rather than letting various difficulties and challenges ruin our time together, we can view them as bumps in our relationships,

5:13with opportunity to learn how to walk through disputes and disruptions with God's grace and forgiveness. We can be determined to not let challenging moments define our time together. As the Apostle Paul urges us in Philippians 2, 3 through 4, do nothing at a selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interest of the others. During spring break we can look to God to help us to learn, grow, and even discover joy in the middle of this haps, troubles, and difficulties. Paul reminds us in Romans 8, 18, I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. When we are willing to set our minds on it,

6:14we can trust God to work the hardships, difficulties, and disagreements together for our good by bringing us closer together with a common goal of making it through whatever is happening, drawing us closer to one another, and growing together rather than further apart. First Peter 16 reminds us that, in all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. Spending time together as a family is often where everyone's weakness is flare up, fueled by spending a non-stop week together. Instead of us all going our own ways for school, work, and church, during concentrated time together, it doesn't take long for our frailties and faults to rear their ugly heads. Rather than feel despair when spring break misunderstandings and disappointments happen,

7:14Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 1210. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, and persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong. Instead of being in despair over them, we can believe it gives God the opportunity to show himself strongly in our lives, including our family's lives. With Christ as the center of our lives, Paul, who definitely knew what it was like to experience difficulties, weaknesses, and challenges in his life, reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4 8 through 9. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed, intersecting faith in life. Before spending spring break as a family,

8:15gather together to pray, for God to prepare your hearts to be loving and kind to each other during your extended family time, as well, discuss beforehand how God can help you to be patient and long-suffering with each other during your time together. Further reading, 15 spring break trips that are budget and family-friendly. The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please take a second to rate and review this podcast in your favorite podcast app, so that more listeners like you can find the show. For more faith-filled inspirational podcasts, visit us at LifeAudio.com. You're invited to pull up a chair on Lisa Harper's Back Forge,

9:16where faith meets real life. Welcome to Back Forge Theology. Each episode helps you dive deeper into God's Word and discover that the gospel isn't just good news for eternity. It's great news for everyday life because God is for you and he's always been restoring our value and drawing us closer to him, with honest conversations, a few laughs and guests ranging from close friends to brilliant theologians. Back Forge Theology is thoughtful, meaningful, and never stuffy, so grab some coffee or sweet tea and join Lisa Harper on Back Forge Theology. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts. Jesus said, this is the will of my father, everyone who beholds the sun and believes in him will have eternal life. Let's pray. Jesus saved me. Forgive me for all my sins. I will follow you, Jesus. If you would like prayer, you're welcome to call 267-367-LOVE. 267-367-L-O-V-E.