"I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint". -Habakkuk 2:1
Habakkuk: a prophet of the Lord.
At the beginning of this book, we see Habakkuk complaining to the Lord because he has not seen the Lord work on his behalf concerning a suffering country of Judah (Hab. 1:2-4). The Lord then finally answers him by saying: "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told"(1:5). The Lord was in fact doing something for the land of Judah, but Habakkuk could not see it yet because the time was not right. How many times do we go to the Lord in prayer and ask him to do things on our behalf? Everyday. But sometimes, the Lord is not ready to reveal those things to us because he is still working in other areas that we can not see in order for those things to come to pass. Isaiah 55:8 says: "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord, "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." God responds in His timing. Habakkuk understood what the Lord was saying and eventually trusted in the Lord and says that he will not move until he sees the Lord work. Just because we do not see God do something immediately when we ask him does not mean that he is not doing something. The Lord wants us to come to him with the things that our hearts desire and the things that we want to see the Him work in. In fact, the Lord told Habakkuk to "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end-it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." (2:2-3) Tell the Lord your desires, but do not doubt that He will do it. With God all things are possible! If we ask for something or whatever it may be, EXPECT the Lord to work. Often I will pray and then just not expect anything out of it, but how faithless is that. We should expect the Lord to speak to us and to work on our behalf if we are His. But even if we do not see immediate results, our response should be just like Habakkuk's in 3:17-19:
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive tree fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation, God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."
God alone is to be praised even if we do not see him working! At the end of it all, He is still the God of our salvation, our portion, and our strength.
Expect to hear from the Lord today. Expect to hear with full confidence (without wavering) that He still speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. Praise Him if you hear from him, and Praise Him if you have to wait on Him. In or out of season, be sure that God gets the glory in whatever you do.
"Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." -Ps. 5:3 (see also Proverbs 3:5-6)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Urgency
Read this on foxnews.com this morning:
"While faith isn’t necessarily front and center in every aspect of Japanese life, there are
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/18/finding-faith-japans-crisis/#ixzz1H3f7XkCc (article by Lauren Green)
"While faith isn’t necessarily front and center in every aspect of Japanese life, there are
and Shintoism still run strong, despite some 70 percent of Japanese saying they have no personal god."
Certainly, in moments of crisis at the time of death, at moments of illness and so on, people do
tend to their faith tradition," said Williams. Some Japanese will pray to either Buddha or
Shinto deities, and ask for the safety of those who are missing. Mantras or prayers will be
recited, especially in the coastal regions of Japan in fishing villages near the epicenter of the
quake."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/18/finding-faith-japans-crisis/#ixzz1H3f7XkCc (article by Lauren Green)
Christians, fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ..
This should compel us to be praying constantly for the salvation of the Japanese people. If the christians are not praying for the Lord to work in Japan, then who will be praying for them?
This should compel us to be praying constantly for the salvation of the Japanese people. If the christians are not praying for the Lord to work in Japan, then who will be praying for them?
We should pray that the Lord will reveal himself through this disaster. We should pray that the
Lord will send laborers to present the Gospel to the lost. Let's pray for the Holy Spirit to move
across Japan and that the people there will trust in Christ and accept Him as their Savior! He is sufficient to meet the needs of not only the needs of America, but the needs of the whole world! Lord, let the Japanese people see that you hold all things together and that you are in control. Reveal yourself to them in this time of trouble!
Lord, Be exalted among the nations! Father, I pray that they may know you and that you will lead them to salvation that can only be found in you!
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."
Ps. 46:1-3
"Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth...."Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress."
Ps. 46:8-11
"Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:37-38
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is NO OTHER name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is NO OTHER name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Worthy of the Gospel - Pt. 1
"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ...." -Philippians 1:27
Today as I pondered this verse, I started to think about 3 things: 1) What does a life look like that is characterized by the gospel? 2) What does the Bible say about living a life worthy of the gospel? 3) If we are called to live a life that is worthy of this gospel, then do I really, truly, authentically believe in the gospel and know the truth of it? Would I be able to explain to someone the gospel...and if not, then how am I to live a life that is worthy of it, if I do not truly know it?
The Lord has layed this on my heart for the past couple of weeks so I feel as if He is calling me to dissect this topic. As I go through this, I would also like for you to share in it with me. So, in the next couple of blogs, I will flesh out these questions and focus on what the Bible teaches about the Gospel, and how we are to live a life that reflects that. My ultimate goal is to answer the question: What does it look like to live a life worthy of the Gospel in light of what the Bible claims the Gospel to be?
PART 1
I will start with the third question...first!::: If we are called to live a life that is worthy of this gospel, then do I really, truly, authentically believe in the gospel and know the truth of it?
I want to answer this question first because I believe that it is most important to understand the gospel and what it is in order to actually live a life that is worthy of it.
The Gospel=the GOOD news....if there is good news, then that means there has to be bad news too. The BAD news=we are fallen, sinful, humans who are separated from God without hope of eternal life or forgiveness of sin. We are wicked in our ways, and our ways naturally do not desire to associate with God or carry out the things of God without a Savior. We deserve wrath, rather than grace. Without Christ, we are: under the Law (Rom. 2:12-13; 3:19-20), under sin (Rom. 3:9), unrighteous (Rom. 3:10), and can not understand the truths of God....etc....
The GOOD news=Jesus Christ. Yes, we are fallen, sinful, humans who do not deserve to be in the presence of God or enjoy fellowship with him, but God loved us so much and so deeply, that he gave his own Son up for us. The Bible claims that Jesus was the propitiation for our sins. According to Wayne Grudem, the word "propitiation" means - a sacrifice that bears God's wrath to the end and in so doing changes God's wrath toward us into favor (Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2, 4:10; Rom. 3:25-26) Praise be to God for HIS great love for us!! I will never be able to thank God enough or fully grasp the concept of his great love---that He would give up his son for us, that Jesus would die for us out of obedience to the Father--that Christ would die for us so that we would not receive the punishment and wrath that we deserve--that Christ would give us a hope for forgiveness and eternal life, living in fellowship forever with God! I don't know about you, but when I actually ponder this, my heart must bow and worship Him, my heart must revere Him as being WORTHY of my affections, thoughts, and actions.
Through the gospel or "good news" of Christ, believers now have: atonement for sin, resurrection with him, we are co-heirs to the kingdom in Christ (Rom. 8:17), citizens of heaven (Eph. 2:19; Phil. 3:20), blameless (Col. 1:21-22), justified (Rom. 5), forgiven, children of God (Jn. 1:12; Eph. 5:1), adopted (Gal. 4:5), righteous (Rom. 5:19), free (Gal. 5:1) ... and the list goes on and on!! There are many verses in the Bible that speak of this. Just some that I enjoy are Titus 3:3-7; 1 John 4:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:6-11...etc..... the whole Bible points to the Gospel of Christ.
Some of my favorite verses are
Ephesians 2:4-9:
So my question to you is: How do you see the Gospel? And if you do know the truth of the Gospel and are living it, is the way you are portraying your life worthy of it? How is your life measuring up or weighing out in comparison to the Word? Let's make it a goal to search the Scripture for truth and strive to live a life that is pleasing to God! (2 Peter 1:5-9---this has been my prayer for a while now...let it encourage you!)
I pray that we will begin to examine ourselves in light of the Gospel and let the Holy Spirit mold us into His image through it. (2 Cor. 13:5-6)
Today as I pondered this verse, I started to think about 3 things: 1) What does a life look like that is characterized by the gospel? 2) What does the Bible say about living a life worthy of the gospel? 3) If we are called to live a life that is worthy of this gospel, then do I really, truly, authentically believe in the gospel and know the truth of it? Would I be able to explain to someone the gospel...and if not, then how am I to live a life that is worthy of it, if I do not truly know it?
The Lord has layed this on my heart for the past couple of weeks so I feel as if He is calling me to dissect this topic. As I go through this, I would also like for you to share in it with me. So, in the next couple of blogs, I will flesh out these questions and focus on what the Bible teaches about the Gospel, and how we are to live a life that reflects that. My ultimate goal is to answer the question: What does it look like to live a life worthy of the Gospel in light of what the Bible claims the Gospel to be?
PART 1
I will start with the third question...first!::: If we are called to live a life that is worthy of this gospel, then do I really, truly, authentically believe in the gospel and know the truth of it?
I want to answer this question first because I believe that it is most important to understand the gospel and what it is in order to actually live a life that is worthy of it.
The Gospel=the GOOD news....if there is good news, then that means there has to be bad news too. The BAD news=we are fallen, sinful, humans who are separated from God without hope of eternal life or forgiveness of sin. We are wicked in our ways, and our ways naturally do not desire to associate with God or carry out the things of God without a Savior. We deserve wrath, rather than grace. Without Christ, we are: under the Law (Rom. 2:12-13; 3:19-20), under sin (Rom. 3:9), unrighteous (Rom. 3:10), and can not understand the truths of God....etc....
The GOOD news=Jesus Christ. Yes, we are fallen, sinful, humans who do not deserve to be in the presence of God or enjoy fellowship with him, but God loved us so much and so deeply, that he gave his own Son up for us. The Bible claims that Jesus was the propitiation for our sins. According to Wayne Grudem, the word "propitiation" means - a sacrifice that bears God's wrath to the end and in so doing changes God's wrath toward us into favor (Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2, 4:10; Rom. 3:25-26) Praise be to God for HIS great love for us!! I will never be able to thank God enough or fully grasp the concept of his great love---that He would give up his son for us, that Jesus would die for us out of obedience to the Father--that Christ would die for us so that we would not receive the punishment and wrath that we deserve--that Christ would give us a hope for forgiveness and eternal life, living in fellowship forever with God! I don't know about you, but when I actually ponder this, my heart must bow and worship Him, my heart must revere Him as being WORTHY of my affections, thoughts, and actions.
Through the gospel or "good news" of Christ, believers now have: atonement for sin, resurrection with him, we are co-heirs to the kingdom in Christ (Rom. 8:17), citizens of heaven (Eph. 2:19; Phil. 3:20), blameless (Col. 1:21-22), justified (Rom. 5), forgiven, children of God (Jn. 1:12; Eph. 5:1), adopted (Gal. 4:5), righteous (Rom. 5:19), free (Gal. 5:1) ... and the list goes on and on!! There are many verses in the Bible that speak of this. Just some that I enjoy are Titus 3:3-7; 1 John 4:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:6-11...etc..... the whole Bible points to the Gospel of Christ.
Some of my favorite verses are
Ephesians 2:4-9:
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Isaiah 53:3
"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
To me, these verses pretty much sum it up! By GRACE we are saved! God willingly gave up his son to die on a rugged cross so that we would not have to bear God's wrath. Through Christ we now have forgiveness of sins and hope of eternal life! The Bible clearly says that He cleanses us from all of our transgressions and makes us one with Himself. There should not be a day that goes by that we are not in awe of the cross and the work that was accomplished through Christ because of it. There should not be a day that goes by where we are not thanking and praising God for taking away the account of sin in our lives and thanking Christ for standing in our place. There should not be a day that goes by where we are not thanking God for seeing us as the blameless, holy, righteous, children that He calls us, that we did not deserve. There should not be a day that goes by where we do not praise Christ for being the atonement for our sins and the hope of our salvation.
Praise the Lord for grace and mercy. We truly do serve a gracious God...Let's grasp that!!
If we view the Gospel like this, then our affections, thoughts, and actions should strive to live a life that is worthy of it. Someone died for us---someone died for our sins----someone took our penalty that was against us and made it no more----Jesus Christ is that someone.
If we see Jesus Christ in this light, then our only response to this message and truth is to a live a life that reflects it...a life of gratitude, obedience, and hope! He is so so worthy of our attention and affections!
So my question to you is: How do you see the Gospel? And if you do know the truth of the Gospel and are living it, is the way you are portraying your life worthy of it? How is your life measuring up or weighing out in comparison to the Word? Let's make it a goal to search the Scripture for truth and strive to live a life that is pleasing to God! (2 Peter 1:5-9---this has been my prayer for a while now...let it encourage you!)
I pray that we will begin to examine ourselves in light of the Gospel and let the Holy Spirit mold us into His image through it. (2 Cor. 13:5-6)
Part II - What does the Bible say about living a life worthy of the Gospel...COMING SOON.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
SURPRISE...or not
January 17, 2011 was my 22nd birthday.
Every year I always anticipate my birthday, still just as excited as I was when I was a little girl. Leading up to it, my friends would ask me "What are you going to do for the BIG day"? And...as usual, my answer is always I don't know. This year, however, I knew exactly what I was going to do for my birthday.
I have some pretty amazing friends in my life right now. So amazing...that some of them wanted to throw me and my twin sister, Kellie, a SURRISE birthday party. Now, I know what you are thinking, how was it a SURPRISE if you knew about it. Well, I accidentally found out that these friends were throwing me and my sister a party when I saw it on someone's phone through a text message. I was so mad at myself for seeing the message at first! I always ruin surprises for myself...nothing is ever a secret for me. I found out about this party on a Thursday, and my birthday was on the following Monday, so I knew all weekend that these friends were going to throw me a SURPRISE party. It was quite funny for people to ask me what I was doing for my birthday and seeing their reactions after asking...most people had a smirk on their face with the thought of "ha i tricked Kristen, I know something she doesn't know!" WELL...they were wrong! I knew exactly all the things that were going on behind my back leading up to my birthday surprise party. So, My birthday rolled around on the following Monday. All day that day I was nervous, anxious, and anticipating something amazing that was going to happen at the end of the day! Some of my friends kidnapped me and Kellie with blindfolds so that all of my other friends could get to my house for my surprise party (that I knew about...but did not tell anyone I knew). So long story short, we get to my house FINALLY...and after a whole weekend of waiting for my party that I was not supposed to know about....I walk in the door...and...SURPRISE! some of my closest friends were there to celebrate Kellie and I's birthday with us! Kellie had no idea and trust me it was really hard to keep it a secret from her. My heart was really joyful and happy even though I knew what was about to take place!
Here is where the "teachable moment" comes in...the Lord is so gracious in showing us things through everyday life!
I got to thinking that night about how Jesus throughout His Word promises that one day He will return to this earth and redeem His people. The second coming of the Lord is something that I think about often. There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not acknowledge it in my head or think about what it is going to be like. So, I got to thinking about my surprise party. I knew about this party for a good 4 days before it came to pass. In the same way, Jesus says that there are signs that are going to happen for us to discern when He will come or rather that His return is getting close. Scripture says that no one knows the time or season when He will come, but we can know when it is getting close.
Although I knew that this party was supposed to be a "suprise" it was not much of a "surprise" to me....or it did not catch me off guard when it finally came because I had time to prepare myself for what was to come (my reaction, my emotions, etc..) In the same way, Christ gives us signs for us to discern when the end is near, so that we are not caught off guard by His return, but rather, we are filled with joy!
The flip side to this story is the way that my sister, Kellie, might have perceived it. She had no clue what was going on for her birthday or that there was any surprise party planned at all. When our friends came and kidnapped us, she just went with it and did not think anything of it, until they un-did our blindfolds and our friends yelled SURPRISE!! and she was surprised and astonished. The Bible says that the coming of the Lord will be like a thief in the night. I pray that we as believers will not wait to seek the Lord until it is to late. Let's not wait until tomorrow to do the things that we can do today! We would be foolish to live life naive and think that He won't return. I pray that we won't be foolish in our thinking about this concept.
In conclusion, my prayer for this blog is that we will not be caught off guard by the coming of the Lord (whenever that will be), but we will DAILY strive to live for him as if He were to come today.
I was anticipating my surprise party before it even came to pass and was longing for Monday to come so that I could celebrate the greatest day of the year with my closest friends. In the same way, I pray that we learn to anticipate the Lord's coming and that we will anticipate His return with joy and perseverance knowing that with that comes our redemption, final salvation, and that we may be filled with JOY and not regret.
Every year I always anticipate my birthday, still just as excited as I was when I was a little girl. Leading up to it, my friends would ask me "What are you going to do for the BIG day"? And...as usual, my answer is always I don't know. This year, however, I knew exactly what I was going to do for my birthday.
I have some pretty amazing friends in my life right now. So amazing...that some of them wanted to throw me and my twin sister, Kellie, a SURRISE birthday party. Now, I know what you are thinking, how was it a SURPRISE if you knew about it. Well, I accidentally found out that these friends were throwing me and my sister a party when I saw it on someone's phone through a text message. I was so mad at myself for seeing the message at first! I always ruin surprises for myself...nothing is ever a secret for me. I found out about this party on a Thursday, and my birthday was on the following Monday, so I knew all weekend that these friends were going to throw me a SURPRISE party. It was quite funny for people to ask me what I was doing for my birthday and seeing their reactions after asking...most people had a smirk on their face with the thought of "ha i tricked Kristen, I know something she doesn't know!" WELL...they were wrong! I knew exactly all the things that were going on behind my back leading up to my birthday surprise party. So, My birthday rolled around on the following Monday. All day that day I was nervous, anxious, and anticipating something amazing that was going to happen at the end of the day! Some of my friends kidnapped me and Kellie with blindfolds so that all of my other friends could get to my house for my surprise party (that I knew about...but did not tell anyone I knew). So long story short, we get to my house FINALLY...and after a whole weekend of waiting for my party that I was not supposed to know about....I walk in the door...and...SURPRISE! some of my closest friends were there to celebrate Kellie and I's birthday with us! Kellie had no idea and trust me it was really hard to keep it a secret from her. My heart was really joyful and happy even though I knew what was about to take place!
Here is where the "teachable moment" comes in...the Lord is so gracious in showing us things through everyday life!
I got to thinking that night about how Jesus throughout His Word promises that one day He will return to this earth and redeem His people. The second coming of the Lord is something that I think about often. There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not acknowledge it in my head or think about what it is going to be like. So, I got to thinking about my surprise party. I knew about this party for a good 4 days before it came to pass. In the same way, Jesus says that there are signs that are going to happen for us to discern when He will come or rather that His return is getting close. Scripture says that no one knows the time or season when He will come, but we can know when it is getting close.
"Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning--lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake" -Mark 13:35-37
"But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand" - Mark 13:23
"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night....But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness." -1 Thessalonians 5:1-2,4-5
(See also 2 Peter 3 & 2 Thessalonians 1..etc.)
Although I knew that this party was supposed to be a "suprise" it was not much of a "surprise" to me....or it did not catch me off guard when it finally came because I had time to prepare myself for what was to come (my reaction, my emotions, etc..) In the same way, Christ gives us signs for us to discern when the end is near, so that we are not caught off guard by His return, but rather, we are filled with joy!
"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with hoy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." -1 Peter 1:8-9
"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." -1 Peter 1:13
"But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace." -2 Peter 3:13-14
(see also Revelation 1)
In conclusion, my prayer for this blog is that we will not be caught off guard by the coming of the Lord (whenever that will be), but we will DAILY strive to live for him as if He were to come today.
I was anticipating my surprise party before it even came to pass and was longing for Monday to come so that I could celebrate the greatest day of the year with my closest friends. In the same way, I pray that we learn to anticipate the Lord's coming and that we will anticipate His return with joy and perseverance knowing that with that comes our redemption, final salvation, and that we may be filled with JOY and not regret.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Truth or Dare.
Truth or Dare? -Truth
Truth or Dare? -Dare
I pray for my (a) husband at least once, if not more, a day. No, I do not know who that is yet, and Yes, I believe that it is in the Lord's timing when I will meet him if that is what He has planned for my life (EXCITING!) It could be someone I already know, or it could not be, only He knows and I TRUST that. As women, I think that it is VITAL for us to pray for our husbands daily! It is also VITAL that we ask the Holy Spirit to control our emotions and that they will come under the command of his will/control. I personally pray that the Lord is grooming him to be the spiritual leader that he is called to be. I ALWAYS pray first and foremost that the Lord will send me a man that loves Christ more than me and walks humbly in His ways (fear of the Lord). I pray that the Lord is daily teaching him and reproofing him in discipline so that he will be obedient to the Word and the Holy Spirit. Secondly, I pray that He views the relationship as an offering to Christ, and as a reflection of the gospel!! My heart swells up when I think of this! What a beautiful picture of his grace, and how much more beautiful is it that we, his creation, get to portray a picture of his grace, his love, and his unity with the church! (Ephesians 5:23). Im not saying that there can't be any fun in relationships because I do think there should be!...but..these things must be the foundation..that foundation being Christ.
I not only pray for my husband, but I also pray for myself. I pray that the Lord is grooming me daily to be the wife that someone else is looking for (Lord willing that I become a wife). I pray to be a wife that faithfully serves and faithfully is willing to be an encourager. I pray constantly for a pure heart, for a loving heart, and for a life that reflects the glory of Jesus. I pray that I will be compassionate and that I will radiate the imperishable beauty of the heart of Christ (see blog temple on wheels). I pray all these things and MORE! Is all of this easy? NOOO Do I struggle with the question of "am i wasting my time praying for someone who I may not have met yet?" YES!!
I am not looking for a "perfect" someone, but I am looking for a sinner who is covered/saved by the grace of God and strives for perfection in their walk with Christ through his saving/sanctifying power. In all respect, we should be looking for the imperfect, not the perfect. Someone who knows how deep their sin is, but also knows how great their saving God is!
I WILL wait for this!! We have a call to wait for this! We have a call to protect our hearts, and we have a call to groom ourselves for our future husband (see blog on singleness). Prov. 31
With all of this said, The main point of this blog is this: Ladies, it is important to prepare yourself now to be a wife! It is important right now in the waiting to prepare your heart to 1) to know Christ personally/intimately and strive to seek after Him 2) be pure and 3) be a servant.
"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:1-4
"Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman, for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God." 1 Cor. 11:11
(read also Ephesians 5:22-33)
We have a calling to reflect God's glory in our lives. Women, we are called to be pure and conduct our lives in a pure way, not to WIN a husband, but to reflect God's glory!! This means purity in thought and in action. No, not all of us ladies are called to be wives. Some of us may remain single forever. The only thing that matters is....CHRIST and living for him daily! We must be satisfied in him. This includes our emotions, desires, thoughts...all must be focused on him. He is sufficient for us!
Second- we are called to be SERVANTS! The man is the head of the house and the woman is to be under the man. This goes all the way back to Genesis 2. We need to learn how to serve with a pure heart. We need to learn how to serve without complaining but rather serve as if we are serving Christ. He says in His word to do ALL things in him and in way that we were serving him! I want to learn how to GLADLY serve. I am praying for this now in my own life. We are called to be servants and good stewards of our relationships. There is more to say on this topic, but you get the point.
So the reason to prepare? to 1) reflect the glory of God in the light of being a woman made in His image, 2) to reflect the Lord in a pure manner in a relationship, 3) to acurately reflect the gospel of Christ in a pure and holy way, 4) to show internal and imperishable beauty.
Preparing is an EVERYDAY thing! and will be for the rest of our lives!
Preparing is an EVERYDAY thing! and will be for the rest of our lives!
Truth or Dare? -Dare
I dare you to pray DAILY for your husband. I dare you to seek the Lord and ask him to create in you a pure heart that is dedicated to making HIM known. I dare you to live out your faith according to CHRIST and not man. I dare you to be the aroma of Christ with the realization that it WILL reflect His glory to those who are being saved and to those who are perishing. I dare you to reflect God's glory in your relationships...boyfriend or husband with the realization that is reflects the very gospel of Christ and his church. I dare you single ladies to guard your hearts and do not let it be moved by the world which is eagerly wanting us to give into its "standards" of dating.
Pray for these things and more!
May God be made much of in our lives and may he be reflected in our relationships!! (friendships, boyfriends/girlfriends, and marriage)
PS....check out this blog!! http://www.cbmw.org/Blog
PS....check out this blog!! http://www.cbmw.org/Blog
Thursday, October 21, 2010
For our sake.
As I sit here tonight in the quietness of my room, my heart and spirit can not stop dwelling on and rejoicing in 2 Cor. 5:21 and Ephesians 2:4-5. This blog will be simply put...so here it goes
2 Cor. 5:21 - "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Ephesians 2:4-5 - "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved -"
MERCY-God took the away the wrath, punishment, and death that we deserved as sinners and gave us grace, mercy, and life through his son, Jesus when we were so undeserving.
It blows my mind that we did not have to do anything to ask for the gift of grace, but God lovingly showed us his grace through the death of his son. If anything, we deserve eternity without God, but he loves us so much that he sent Christ so that we now might become his TREASURE.
Last night, Bible study was on this topic. I have thought about the significance of grace often in my life, but never really mercy...until last night. I can say that my mind, soul, spirit and every thing else about me has fallen so incredibly in awe with the fact that though were we detestable and haters toward God, though we were living in our flesh day after day after day, God still looked on us with love and sent Christ to cover our sins! FOR OUR SAKE he sent Christ who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God...wow...that makes my heart rejoice!
I think that this song best explains what I feel tonight:
How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
So all this to say, just the realization that we deserved wrath but instead get mercy through Christ leaves me standing in awe of who God is and how much he LOVES us and desires for us to know him personally! Just by this truth being revealed to us can change the way we minister to people drastically! As christians, we are living examples of mercy and grace...how great of an impact can that have on those who do not know Christ as their Savior...to say that we were once objects of wrath, but now are walking examples of objects of righteousness, salvation, and GRACE!
This honestly brings me only to a place of humility..when i realize that nothing is from me..and everything is from God..then my heart bows in reverence to the one who holds all things together for our good and works for OUR sake.
This honestly brings me only to a place of humility..when i realize that nothing is from me..and everything is from God..then my heart bows in reverence to the one who holds all things together for our good and works for OUR sake.
Like Paul, I pray that we .. "may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the LOVE of CHRIST that surpasses knowledge, that your may be filled with the fullness of God"....(Eph. 3:18)
My prayer for you is that you may know Christ and the power of his great grace and mercy! Take a few moments to fully understand this concept of mercy...I hope that the Spirit radically changes your heart and thoughts of Him
"i think mercy is so captivating because it's so against our nature" - my good friend Laura Hollifield.
"i think mercy is so captivating because it's so against our nature" - my good friend Laura Hollifield.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sufficient
2 Corinthians 3:5 - "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God".
The word "sufficient" means - enough to meet a need or a purpose
I sure do love this verse and the reminder that it leaves with me: I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ON MY OWN! In my own strength, I find often that I am weak. When I am not satisfied in Christ, then I am not satisfied at all. Thank God that he knows we are weak, and meets our needs every time! Scripture promises that he does not forsake us or leave us!
Furthermore in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Paul writes: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Some of you reading this may know that last October through about mid-January I struggled with some pretty intense anxiety/panic attacks. I thought everything was wrong with me and stayed in bed for most of the time. I would go to the doctor at least once a month in this time frame because I seriously thought something was wrong with me...but there wasn't. This all made me realize that I do not hold myself together, Christ does. He is the sustainer of my life and the things that happen to it. He alone is SUFFICIENT to supply all my needs. He keeps my heart beating and my lungs filled with air. I absolutely can say that I did not trust the Lord in this season of life. I felt like He was not in control of anything and ultimately, the root of the problem was that I did not trust in Him. We are not sufficient in ourselves! Through all of that this is what I learned: Through my weakness, God was glorified because it gave me proof and a reason to trust in Him even more! As I said above, He is sufficient in supplying the needs for my life such as keeping my heart beating and alive. Through this experience I can boast in the fact that Christ was glorified through it.
When we are weak, we are made strong! What an encouragement to think that God is enough for us...even in our weakest points. The Lord has graciously shown me lately that trusting in Him and believing in faith that His word is true are keys to being satisfied in Him. Christ is glorified and exalted when through our weakness, his glory shines and his work is displayed. When we are weak, all pride goes out the window. Here we realize that we can not do anything on our own. We must humble ourselves!
Acts 17:24-24 - "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything."
God is the Creator of all things. He himself is sufficient. Today the pastor at church said this: "We ourselves are not the resource of all things, but we are connected to the resource of all things".
Christ makes us sufficient to others because he himself is sufficient.
Praise God that he meets our needs! Praise God that His power is displayed in our weaknesses because we can not do it on our own!! Praise God that he meets us in our weaknesses and struggles to show his glory through our lives. He is the sustainer of all things...and in this my soul rejoices today! : )
The word "sufficient" means - enough to meet a need or a purpose
I sure do love this verse and the reminder that it leaves with me: I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ON MY OWN! In my own strength, I find often that I am weak. When I am not satisfied in Christ, then I am not satisfied at all. Thank God that he knows we are weak, and meets our needs every time! Scripture promises that he does not forsake us or leave us!
Furthermore in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Paul writes: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Some of you reading this may know that last October through about mid-January I struggled with some pretty intense anxiety/panic attacks. I thought everything was wrong with me and stayed in bed for most of the time. I would go to the doctor at least once a month in this time frame because I seriously thought something was wrong with me...but there wasn't. This all made me realize that I do not hold myself together, Christ does. He is the sustainer of my life and the things that happen to it. He alone is SUFFICIENT to supply all my needs. He keeps my heart beating and my lungs filled with air. I absolutely can say that I did not trust the Lord in this season of life. I felt like He was not in control of anything and ultimately, the root of the problem was that I did not trust in Him. We are not sufficient in ourselves! Through all of that this is what I learned: Through my weakness, God was glorified because it gave me proof and a reason to trust in Him even more! As I said above, He is sufficient in supplying the needs for my life such as keeping my heart beating and alive. Through this experience I can boast in the fact that Christ was glorified through it.
When we are weak, we are made strong! What an encouragement to think that God is enough for us...even in our weakest points. The Lord has graciously shown me lately that trusting in Him and believing in faith that His word is true are keys to being satisfied in Him. Christ is glorified and exalted when through our weakness, his glory shines and his work is displayed. When we are weak, all pride goes out the window. Here we realize that we can not do anything on our own. We must humble ourselves!
Acts 17:24-24 - "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything."
God is the Creator of all things. He himself is sufficient. Today the pastor at church said this: "We ourselves are not the resource of all things, but we are connected to the resource of all things".
Christ makes us sufficient to others because he himself is sufficient.
Praise God that he meets our needs! Praise God that His power is displayed in our weaknesses because we can not do it on our own!! Praise God that he meets us in our weaknesses and struggles to show his glory through our lives. He is the sustainer of all things...and in this my soul rejoices today! : )
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