Restrictions of Frail Health

"Through all eternity I shall bless God that He gave me that faithful, praying friend. How little they know, who languish in what seem like useless sickrooms or amid the restrictions of frail health, what work they do for Christ by the power of saintly living and by even Fragmentary prayers."

~Stepping Heavenward by E. Prentiss

Giving

 "We’re not giving what we’re called to give, unless that giving affects how we live — affects what we put on our plate and where we make our home and hang our hat and what kind of threads we’ve got to have on our back. Surplus Giving is the leftover you can afford to give; Sacrificial Giving is the love gift that changes how you live — because the love of Christ has changed you. God doesn’t want your leftovers. God wants your love overtures, your first-overs, because He is your first love.” 

-Ann Voskamp

Contrast

 5  Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man

and makes flesh his strength,

whose heart turns away from the Lord.

6  He is like a shrub in the desert,

and shall not see when prosperity comes.

He shall dwell in the stony wastelands of the wilderness,

in an uninhabited salt land.

7  "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose trust is the Lord.

8  He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

nor cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17

If you say that you'll be there...

 I want to share a page from my daughter's favorite book. This book is for little girls, but I think the lesson here is one that many adults need.

"Has a friend ever hurt you who wanted to play.

And you couldn't wait for that red-letter day?

She said she'd come over-rain , sleet or snow, 

But when the time came, she didn't show.

God says that you're to be faithful and true,

That folks should know they can count on you,

Let your yes be yes, and your no be no,

If you say that you'll be there, be sure that you go."

 

I can't even count the times I have made plans to have someone over, and the time they have said they would arrive comes and goes and no one shows up. Hours later, or maybe even the next day they may apologize and say something else came up.  In fact, now I am often pleasantly surprised when people actually arrive on the scheduled day and time!

Ladies, we need to not let courtesy die with the past. If someone has cleared their schedule to make time for you, the least you can do is show up. Or if a true emergency does come  up, please have the decency to call as far in advance as possible to let your hostess know that you can not make it.

The Bible calls us to be steadfast and dependable. Let us live up to that standard.

Keep My Commandments

  My children and I are currently reading through John, after having made our way through 1 John, 2 John and 3 John. At the same time I am reading Leviticus, after just finishing Exodus.

The numerous times the same idea is repeated through all these chapters just keeps jumping out at me.
Keep My Commandments.

The Church  as a whole seems to have let this teaching slip under the rug.  We live in the age of "Do what you want, and Jesus's salvation will cover up all the bad"  And I find that to be a dangerously unbiblical doctrine.

Yes, Jesus' forgiveness is not to be made light of, but it is not a free ticket to continue in sin.

You may call yourself a Christian because you like the idea of Jesus. But He was very clear.  If you love Me, obey My commandments. (John 14:15) If we truly belong to Him we will take His Word seriously. We will obey His commands.  We will not participate in the things He tells us to keep away from.

If we truly love Jesus, we wont look like the rest of the world.  We won't be participating in premarital sex. We wont have filthy language (Ephesians 4:29,5:4). We will not watch movies/tv shows that glorify sin (Psalm 101:3, Philippians 4:8). 

In fact He even says, the test for knowing you are truly saved is keeping His commandments.
1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps His word, in him truly is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.

Eternity isn't worth compromising over. The Bible says FEW will find the way to heaven. Be sure you are one of those few.

Do you know His Word?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a few examples of how important it is to the Lord that we OBEY Him. He said it MANY times.

John 15:10-"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.


1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life...

Deuteronomy 13:4  It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

 Deuteronomy 5:10 {I am} showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

 Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments

1 John 3:22 Whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.

1 Kings 8:58 May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors.
Luke 11:28 Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!

James 1:21 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 

Stuck at home?

 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence Acts 28:30-31

We read this scripture in church this week, as we finished up the book of Acts.

This one verse really stuck out at me as a stay at home mom.
My husband takes our only car to work each day, so I can't go anywhere. Not to mention I have homeschooling to do, a house to keep, meals to make and naps to schedule around.  So even when I do have the car, getting out is just not something that can easily be done.

But does that mean I can not further God's kingdom? Absolutely not!

I can keep my door open to anyone who comes through it. I can try to create a comfortable and welcoming home for them to visit, and I can pray that the Lord would give me wisdom and confidence in my conversations and interactions with those who do come visit.  I can invite neighbors, other moms, and friends to share part of their day with me as I serve them tea or a snack and hospitality.

I can pray for those in my life. Friends, family, people in my community or in government.It only takes a few minutes most of the time and it blesses both me and the person I am praying for. You can even include your children in these prayers and bless them as well!

I can send cards of encouragement, or words of encouragement via email when the Lord puts someone on my heart.

I get to raise up a new generation to love and serve the Lord in my very own home.

I can bless my husband by making home a comforting place to come to after a hard day at work.

I can make crafts to use as gifts to bless those I love, or to sell and use that money to further the Lord's kingdom.

Paul had a rich ministry,  writing most of his epistles that make up our Scriptures while he was "stuck at home".
 Mama, do not let the enemy convince you that you are wasting your life being "stuck at home". You can still do so much for the Lord's kingdom!

Love-for no reason

My daughter is 3 now, but she has taught me so much in her short life. Even before she was born, the trials during my pregnancy grew me more than anything that had happened in my life to that point. The Lord has used her to teach me that I don't have it all together, that I am not nearly as patient as I once believed, and that I don't know everything about raising children.

Lately, she has been saying out of the blue, "I love you for no reason Mama." I would respond with "That is good,  because I love you too!".

But last night, I was searching my own life, and this new phrase of hers came to mind, and with it conviction from the Holy Spirit.

Do I love- for no reason?

As I thought about it I realized that I don't always love for no reason. I am guilty of loving because I want to be loved back. But Biblical love is deeper than that.

Jesus loved me "for no reason". And now I love Him because He first loved me. (1 John 4:19) 

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

Beauty Tips

Do not let your adornment be merely outward~ let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 

1 Peter 3:3-4

I've been thinking on this a lot the last couple days. Webster's Dictionary defines

MEEK- mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated

QUIET-peaceable, not turbulent, not giving offense, mild, meek, contented.

I'm not feeling so beautiful. In fact this week I am feeling much like Martha, instead of Mary, rushing all over to get things done before company arrives for the summer. I have not been meek or quiet or contented. The Lord keeps reminding me of a verse He gave me a couple weeks ago:

"How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only one God?" John 5:44

 I've been so wrapped up in making sure my house is clean and everything is done, instead of how beautiful and quiet my spirit is.

So I am clinging to these verses this week: 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Galatians 5:22-13

It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman.

Proverbs 21:19