The Treasures of God’s Word

Let’s go on a treasure hunt. A hypothetical treasure hunt. Just think with me for a moment. We are going on a treasure hunt, so let’s discuss details.

First of all, what treasure are you hunting? Nothing else matters in your planning if you don’t even know what you are looking for?

Where would you go to hunt for this treasure? It’s hard to plan unless you know where you are going? You much decide on a destination.

Lastly, let’s talk about what would you take with you? I would assume you would take with you a compass and a map to help guide you. Possibly extra clothes . I would assume you would want to wear good shoes for all the exploring you may do. Tools and supplies are very important in this treasure hunt.

Going on a treasure hunt would definitely be an adventure, especially if I knew I would find what I was looking for. The allure of a treasure hunt comes in the adventure of the hunt. Studying the Bible can be much like a treasure hunt. We know we will find valuable truths, but often surprising truths await us. However finding these treasures take discipline.

Why should we study the Bible? There is no command in the Bible to read and study it. So why should we? It’s simple really.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 NLT

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

We need it in order to live our lives to the glory of God, which is our purpose. It is necessary for our survival. His word exposes our sin so we can repent, it trains us in righteousness and equips us for good work. We need it! Our sin nature is too strong to attempt life without it.

When we do not make time for Gods Word in our daily schedule, we essentially starve ourselves spiritually. Time in the Word is as essential for the Christian as eating & sleeping. Just as we make time to keep ourselves nourished, hydrated and rested, we should also make time to study our Bible. It is how we grow in our knowledge, understanding and love for our Savior! The Bible is what tells us how to live. The Holy Spirit uses scripture to teach us and to guide us.

Psalm 119 is my favorite chapter in the Bible to teach me the treasures that await me.

“Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.” Psalm 119:2

We are called blessed when we keep the testimonies of God and seek HIM with our whole heart. What does that mean? Simply put, we obey his commands. We do what it says to do. Our life is a living testimony to what the Bible teaches. And we seek God for direction with our whole heart. He is our life. We don’t live for anything else, but to please our Creator. The world will confuse us and lead us astray, but our God never will. He is our source of absolute truth.

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Psalm 119:34

He is the source of our understanding of Scripture. We can read commentaries and books to hear mans interpretation, but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that gives us the understanding. Such treasures await us when we purpose ourselves to obey Gods law and keep his ways as our ways.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

When we study our Bible, our next steps are more obvious. I’ll admit, there have been many times when I am searching for answers in my prayer life, asking the Lord to show me the way through a specific situation. Often my indecisiveness is a result of my lack of time in the Word.

So, I think I have established plenty evidence on the importance of reading and studying our Bible. And even though I know this, there are still days when I let the urgent over power the important in my day. Meaning, I let a busy schedule push out my time with the Lord. I’m guilty.

There are a few things I do that help me to maintain the habit of reading & studying my Bible.

Coffee & the Word first thing in the morning. It’s what I do first. I make my cup of coffee & go back to my bed or my chair in my room and read my Bible. Most often, I’m only reading or listening to it through an app. No underlining, no making notes, just reading and absorbing. I have a Bible plan I use to keep me on track.

When my children were very young and drinking coffee alone in the morning was a non-existent activity, I would have to be creative at times. I often studied at night after kids went to bed. Yes, I was exhausted, but my time in the Word was so important to me I felt my day wasn’t finished until I had spent time with my Bible.

Often my Bible reading & prayer was done while nursing a baby or holding a toddler in my lap. One of my favorite memories of this is when my little Sam came wandering in my room early one morning and found me sitting in my chair with my Bible. He crawled into my lap and I read some verses out loud to him and then I prayed. He began to pray in his little voice, telling God how much he loved him. Tears still flow when I think of that special time. I never wanted my kids to feel as though they were a bother or interruption during my quiet time. I wanted them to understand how important it was for them to spend time with God too.

If you are challenged in when to spend time in the Word, ask the Lord to show you when and how. He is so faithful and he loves when we value His words to us above all others. Knowing God more intimately comes as we draw near to him through his Word. We can experience him in ways we may not have before as we find treasures in His truths. When we are intentional about studying his Word to know him, we experience his transforming power in our lives. What a remarkable God he is to lavish us with such tremendous treasures!

The 4:11 on Keeping Life Simple and Meaningful

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church of the Thessalonians, giving them some very simple instructions for living and for sharing the gospel. The church seemed to be doing well. He complimented their work of faith, love for each other and steadfastness to the gospel. He encouraged them to keep doing what they are doing and urged them to do it even more. This is a very encouraging letter compared to some others Paul sent.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 is a fantastic verse that is so often overlooked. Paul gives very simple basic instructions for life. I feel like if more people followed the principles of this verse there would be a lot less drama in our world.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians how to live so that their lives will be a witness of the gospel to to the unbelieving persons around them.

“Make it your goal”

Be intentional. Choose to live like this. We are all sinners so it won’t come natural. You have to fight the urge to live selfishly.

“to live a quiet life”

In a very loud world, living a quiet life definitely is not the norm. This word “quiet” in the greek means peace, tranquil, rest, not striving. I’m thinking of s slow moving stream maybe in a creek. It’s not stagnant , but gently moving forward, quietly. I think of how Jesus often ministered to others. He didn’t bound into town making a big announcement, he was just there, doing what he was purposed to do.

“minding your own business “

This is how we live a quiet life. We mind our own business. We stay in our lane. We are more concerned with how we are living than how others are living. We aren’t comparing ourselves with others, we are just focused on the choices the Lord has convicted us of.

As a homeschooling mom, this can hit hard. Often we moms base our success on the performance of our kids. I mean, that’s what others see right? So if my child can recite the states and capitals perfectly then everyone knows I’m teaching that well. And if we heard someone else’s child reciting the Preamble but our child can’t suddenly we feel like a failure. We start comparing ourselves to other moms and it then affects how we teach our own children. Mom, if you are guilty of this-remember, God made you their mom because he quips you to raise, nurture and teach them according to their needs. Stay focused on your own family. We can learn from each other, but we mustn’t compare ourselves to each other.

“working with your hands”

Stay busy. I know for moms, you don’t have a problem with that. But what are you busy doing? It’s important that our busyness is productive and God glorifying. We must be intentional in working to managing our homes well, teaching our children (you teach whether you homeschool or not) and loving our husbands in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. All we do must be done to his glory or it is done in vain.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23

Teach your kids to work with this mindset. I think often that our society has conditioned us to believe that work is bad and to be dreaded. But work was created by God from the beginning, it wasn’t a result of The Fall, thought the Fall did change the type of work given. He gave Adam a job in the garden. We need to help our kids develop a mindset that work is good and to be done to the glory of God. When you work in this way it doesn’t go unnoticed. If you work for someone else you become a very valuable employee. This is something we have taught our kids…to be the most valuable employee. Their work ethic is always noticed by their employers and they earn their respect which usually results in a trusted position at work and better pay. But even if the better position and better pay doesn’t happen, they should still work to the glory of God because his opinion is really the only one that matters.

If you back up in chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians you will see that in verse 9 Paul reminds the church to love each other, that God is the one that has taught them to do this.

But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.  Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more. 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

I love how he reminds them of this simple command before he reminds them of how to live with others. If you cannot love each other then you won’t be able to live quietly, mind your own business or work to the glory of God. It all must begin with the correct posture of our heart. We much first love one another so that we can walk out these very simple instructions for keeping life simple and meaningful.

Thou Shalt Not be Consumed by Sports

The shirt I’m wearing today says, “Baseball Mom” and I wear it proudly. My youngest plays 12U recreational baseball for the local city league. He is in love with baseball. He would play seven days a week if he could. His saddest day is the last ballgame of the season. His happiest day is the first practice of the new season. Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do. I look forward to the new season starting. I love watching him play. He’s a catcher and I have come to love the sound of the pop of the pitchers ball into the catchers mitt.

Charlie is the youngest of eleven kids. I’m not sure if I’ve ever written that in a post yet. It’s not a secret. It’s all over my ABOUT page. But, Charlie is the first to really play sports like this. A few of our kids were in gymnastics, one son played a season of baseball, but that was about it. When you have that many kids, sports is a really hard thing to have on the calendar. We made a choice a long time ago that we would not allow sports to consume us. If someone wanted to do something we figured out how to make that happen, but we wouldn’t let our lives be dictated by it. So, I was never that mom who shuffled my kids from field to gym to field to gym all week long. Life is just different when you have a really large family like ours. But I am fully aware that there are moms of a large families out there that have made it work.

Now our family is mostly grown up. So, we are getting a taste of what “normal” parenting could be like. I giggle as I write that because there’s still nothing normal about my life. Or maybe typical is a better word. For me, having a house full of people is normal. Cooking for 20 plus people is normal. Having one kid left in school is not normal for me, it’s new and unusual. I digress…sorry.

Being a baseball mom has given me a glimpse into the lives of other moms I didn’t have before. I’ve learned a lot. I’m thankful we made decisions before we entered this sport. It’s made it easier to navigate. Here’s a few things we decided and how it’s helped us.

No games on Sundays.

Charlie wanted to play flag football, but the practices & games were always on Sunday. We believe Scripture tells us to keep the Sabbath holy and Sunday is our Sabbath. We go to church and worship on Sundays. That’s our day of rest. That’s our day to mentally & physically prepare for the new week. We don’t do sports on Sundays. Thankfully this baseball league we are in agrees with that. There could be a practice late Sunday evenings, but that’s all and that’s ok.

Family, Church and School remain the priority.

We don’t let baseball become priority. As I type, my husband and Charlie are at the batting cages. It’s 10:00 in the morning, school hasn’t happened yet, but we homeschool so that’s ok. On days like today we just switch up the schedule. When he gets back, he will get his schoolwork done. If he doesn’t do his school work then there will be no more batting practice before school lessons. He knows that his lessons are priority.

Family is an easy one. These games actually increase our family time. HIs siblings love to come & cheer him on.

Just have fun!

One season in and Charlie was hooked. He wanted to join a travel ball team and make this his career because he was convinced MLB was in his future. We said no. He was 10, we are just here to have fun and now he’s 12 and we are still just here to have fun. One of Charlie’s coaches assists on a travel team and he applauds our stance because he didn’t and he wished he had. Our weekends are sacred to us, especially Sunday. We didn’t want to be traveling most weekends, staying in hotels, missing church because our son wanted to play ball. It just isn’t worth it to us. He’s making friends with the boys on his team, I’m making friends with the moms. We are just here to have fun, learn the game and build some character as we go. Once it starts to not be any fun then we are done.

One season at a time.

We are making no major decisions about his future in baseball. We are literally taking it one season at a time. This season he is fine tuning his skills as a catcher. He’s hoping to pitch a little and he loves working 1st base. After that, we will see. If he’s still loving the game when he’s 14 we may move to a homeschool sports league that is more competitive. Maybe. I don’t know. We will see.

My child is not the parent.

This is a biggie. And I’m sure I’m about to step on some toes. My son tried for about 10 minutes to convince me as to why he should be on a travel team. He knew beyond that it was futile. We have have a rule. If you ask me a question and I give an answer then we are done. You don’t have to like my answer, but you cannot keep asking. I am the parent and my answer is THE answer. There will be no negotiation. Now before you think we are harsh parents, we do listen to our kids. They change our minds all the time about things, but our kids know that the ultimate decision belongs to the parent. Here’s an example of what that conversation could look like.

Child: Can I do this? Parent: Why do you want to do that? Child: Because I think it’s a great idea and my friends are already doing it. Parent: I need better reasons than that. Keep talking.

Through the discussion a decision is made; either in favor of the child or not.

I talk to moms all the time that made a decision because their kids begged and pleaded and convinced the parents to do it even though the parents didn’t want to. Be the parent!

I think it’s important to decide ahead of time what is most important to your family as a unit. Can your whole family handle multiple practices and games? Can your family priorities still be maintained along side this sport? Does it fit with your vision for your family? Character building is important but sports isn’t the only way to teach that. What about the financial responsibility?

Sports are fun and can be a great part of your family dynamics, but they can also consume your life. That is the point of this post. Don’t let it consume. What should consume us? Wow! Now that’s a loaded question for another blog post. But I’ll just leave you with this. As Christian parents, we are to lead our kids to Christ, expose them to His truths, teach them the Gospel. If your sports activities are fitting in with that, keep going! Well done!

To God be the Glory!

How to Pray While You are Waiting on God

Waiting on God. It’s what we do sometimes when we have laid our requests before him and we are waiting on an answer. Waiting on God signifies his sovereignty. We recognize it is He that holds all things together and it is he that Lord over my life. So, when we find ourselves in a season of waiting, how can we pray?

Many years ago, our family was faced with a desperate situation. My prayers for deliverance were becoming desperate. I felt as if God had just set us aside and no longer heard my prayers. I knew this wasn’t true, but my emotions often ruled over my prayers. We, as a family, were facing the impossible, the unthinkable, the unimaginable. So, I had to learn how to pray in a way that protected my heart and mind from allowing self-pity to set in.

Here are some passages that helped me learn to pray as I was waiting on God to move.

Fill your mind with truth

Philippians 4:6-7, do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.

This passage reminded me of what not to do and of what to do. Instead of getting anxious, I should pray. And not just pray, but pray with thanksgiving. In spite of our trials, I still had so much to be thankful for. So I learned to begin each day by praising God for all he has and will do for our family. Some days all I thanked him for was giving me another day to glorify & honor him, because the days were hard. When I did this, the peace of God guarded my heart and mind and I was able to function and thrive rather than just survive and endure.

Pray in faith!

James 1:6, But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

I learned to pray, believing God would answer. I prayed knowing he would do what he said he would do. He would provide for us, protect us, keep us, love us, lavish us with his grace & mercy. I knew this because scripture said he would. I did not claim promises that were not mine to claim. We must be careful as we pray, that we do not tell God to do things for us that he never promised he would do. It is easy, especially during a difficult season to find scripture we would like to apply to our own lives. Praying in faith is strengthening and powerful for our souls. It draws us closer to God and more in line with his spirit.

Dare to pray big things!

James 5:17-18, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Who would ever think to pray that it wouldn’t rain? Elijah did because he knew his God and he knew God was at work in the people around him. Do you know the story? Read it in 1 Kings 17 and 18. But the point to this passage here is that Elijah prayed for something that would ultimately bring all the honor and glory to God. Elijah’s longings and desires were only to be faithful and to please his God and from that came this prayer. When our hearts fully belong to God, our prayers will be big and sometimes daring because we know our God can do big and daring things in our lives.

I remember once, when my husband was working nights at the local grocery store. It was terrible work, long hours and very painful for my husband. But this is how God was providing for us and as thankful as we were for it, I wanted better for my husband. He had always owned his own business, but the Lord had us in a very difficult season. I asked God how to pray for my husband. I began the typical prayer of help him endure, strengthen him and ease his pain and then I ended my prayers with, I thank you for the day when he won’t have to work nights anymore. One year later the Lord put in our laps a new business. Eight years later, this is our family business that provides not just for us, but for 3 of our sons as well (they work for us). I felt it was a daring prayer to thank God for something he had not done yet. But my ultimate desire is that our lives would bring glory to him and this business is doing that.

Seek Him with all your heart

Jeremiah 29:12-13,  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

In the book of James he reminds us that often we don’t have because we are asking with sinful motives. This verse in Jeremiah tells us what happens when we pray with godly motives. When we are waiting on God to move, we have to guard our hearts from self-pity and stay focused on what really matters…seeking God with all our heart in all things. In our prayers, in our thoughts, in our motives and actions. We do this by staying in the Word and praying God’s words back to him.

Waiting on God can be a very difficult season to be in, but don’t waste the waiting. Grow! Learn to pray more fervently and earnestly. Learn to guard your heart and mind from anxiety and fear by seeking him in all you do. Immerse yourself in God’s Word more than you ever have before. Such sweet blessings await you.

Scriptures for When I am Frustrated

The day is not going as planned. I blew up at my kids. I almost ran into someone in the parking lot. My temper is trying to bust loose.

Lord, I need your help!

Here are some passages I find especially helpful on those days when I want to lose it, but I know I shouldn’t.

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Paul doesn’t say, choose wisely what you are anxious about. He says to not be anxious at all! But what I love most is he then gives instructions on how to do that. Pray with thanksgiving. You cannot be anxious or frustrated when your heart is set on what you are thankful for.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Ok, here it is again. Pray & give thanks. When you feel the frustration welling up, just start talking to Jesus. Tell him all about it. Don’t call your friend. Don’t post it on Facebook! Tell Jesus! No one else needs to hear all that. I promise. Thank Jesus for everything and anything. In the midst of whatever you are going through, I guarantee there is something to be thankful for.

Matthew 11:28-30,  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I love this reminder that God knows, he cares and he wants our burdens because he knows we can’t handle them. If I’m frustrated about something, no matter the size of the problem it is because I am not bringing it to Jesus.

Ephesians 4:2-6, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Paul is reminding us of our duty to one another as Christians. Often we let our flesh do the walking rather than the Spirit and it breaks the unity of Believers. Are you frustrated with a brother or sister in Christ? Humble yourself, love them deeply, pray for them fervently and ask the Lord to help you resolve the matter.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Whatever it is, it will not destroy you. Don’t let your emotions rule the day. Stick to what is true. If you are a Christian, you belong to God and he has promised you that you are safe with him. It may not feel like it. You may be weary from the trials, but our life here is just a tiny blip in time compared to the eternity we get to spend with him. So, get back up. Brush the dust off. Open your Bible and feast on the Truth of his word, written for you.

The Awkward Stage of Motherhood

Did you know there that just like there is an awkward stage for children, there is an awkard stage for moms? It’s been around for centuries, I just created a name for it is all. I never read a book that prepared me for the awkard stage of motherhood. The typical timeline of motherhood went something like this; give birth, raise the child, child leaves home, done.

Of course there is a lot that goes on there that books prepare you for. I read so many books about preparing to give birth. I read even more books on raising children properly and biblically. I should have read a lot of books about the teen & young adult years but I didn’t. But is there a book out there that writes about that strange stage a woman finds herself in when she has adult children married with children while she is still raising children at home? I’m sure there is. There is a book about everything.

It wasn’t hard at first. When my last baby was born, my oldest was 21. That was fun! I still had many children at home to care for. As the years passed quickly, more and more children began leaving home. Either for marriage or just because they could. That’s fine. That’s what I raised them to do. But all of a sudden it was like my once very busy home was emptying out. Now it was quiet. It stayed tidy. There were always lots of leftovers from dinner because I was struggling to adjust to not cooking for a crowd. Laundry was caught up (for the most part). It was weird!

I wasn’t that mom that dreamed of the day when my kids finally moved out so I could do whatever I wanted to do. I wasn’t that mom that felt like I had put my life on hold to raise a family. I was that mom that knew motherhood was my calling. I was that mom that even though it was so hard and I did it wrong so much of the time, I really did love being a mom.

And now, I don’t really feel much like a mom. None of my kids needs me to survive. I’ve taught them how to do that without me. I’ve basically worked myself out of a job.

I often prayed, “Lord, I don’t know if I like this!”

The worst part of the awkward stage is that it often comes about the same time as peri-menopause. It’s like the perfect storm! I am the storm. I giggle as I type that because I can hear my family all moaning in agreement.

At the risk of this becoming a ranting and rambling post, I do have a point. Contentment.

I’ve been reading a very old book. Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs. You can download it here. In his book, Burroughs is dissecting Pauls words in Philippians 4:11,

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.“

Burroughs summarizes the definition of contentment by saying this.

I find a sufficiency of satisfaction in my own heart, through grace of Christ that is in me. Though I have not outward comforts and worldly conveniences to supply my necessities, yet I have a sufficient portion between christ and my soul abundantly to satisfy me in every condition.

This gave me great pause on my current state of mind.

I kept reading.

He goes on to write that contentment is an inward, heart thing. It results in a quiet, gracious heart. It does not murmur or whine, nor does it fret or grumble. He also said it is a skill and a duty of a Christian. Referring to it as a skill means it is learned, not natural. My sin nature is too strong for me to be naturally content. No one is naturally content. We all have our thing in which we grumble and fret.

So, how does one learn the skill of contentment? Looking at the life of Paul there is something that stands out to me. Submission. His whole life was lived in submission to Christ. He was completely satisfied in Christ. He had died to self. His identity was in Christ.

As a Christian woman what does that look like for me in today’s world? No matter the season I find myself in, my duties as a Christian are still the same. My heart and mind must belong to Christ, I must submit my will, my longings, my desires to Him. I also must understand that everything he has blessed me with still belongs to him. My family, my marriage, my friendships, my material possessions. It all belongs to him, to do with as he pleases because he is my Creator. Does this bother you to think of God in the way? It actually brings me great comfort because I hold things with a lighter grip. My life is his. And when I can learn to find complete satisfaction in that truth, contentment is not far behind.

This contentment draws me to my Jesus like nothing in this world can. I long for more time in his word, I make time for prayer and Bible study and my soul is left satisfied. As Paul told Timothy in his first letter, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)

So, back to my awkward mom stage. I began asking the Lord to show me the blessings of this new season I find myself in. My groaning became less and I have become more content.

My mom used to have a magnet on her refrigerator that said,

“Please be patient. God’s not finished with me yet.”

How great is that? God is never finished with us! I believe that is the purpose of him bringing us into new seasons. They are all an opportunity for us to grow more into his likeness.

Wrestle to Understand

Our church is studying 1 Timothy together in small groups. I get to teach part of the session to our ladies group on Wednesday evenings. Teaching Bible study is my favorite part of serving my church.

I have to admit that when I heard 1 Timothy was the book chosen for this semester I was a bit disappointed. Of all the New Testament books, why this one?  I mean it has the verse in it. You know the one. ( 1 Timothy 2:11)

Women need to shut up & sit down in church.   

Ok, so that’s not what it says, but that’s how I’ve heard it summarized.

But it begs the question. What do we do with those verses in scripture that we don’t like or that offend us? I think the first question we ask is “What do I believe about God?” Then we ask, “Do I believe his Scriptures are inerrant and alive?” These 2 questions should lay the foundation for how we study the Bible. If we go in with a better understanding of who God is and the purpose of this Word, though we still may wrestle with certain passages we will wrestle to understand, not wrestle to prove we are right.

Consider the source. It’s something I’ve told my kids for years when they heard something said about something or someone. Who said it & can their word be trusted? Are they a gossip, or are they mature and discerning when they speak? When we read a passage we don’t agree with or that offends us, we need to consider the source. Who wrote that? God did. Is God sovereign? Yes  Is he wise & trustworthy? Absolutely!

R.C. Sproul gave excellent advice for those times we come up to those verses.  He said to read with a red pen. Mark in the margin with a question mark what you don’t understand. Mark passages with an X that offends you. Afterward, you can focus on those area’s you struggle with. He says, “This can be a guide to holiness because those X’s show us quickly where our thinking is out of line with the mind of Christ.”  This has helped me so much in studying the Scripture. If I don’t like something I read it’s probably because I just don’t understand it.  If I understand and still don’t like it that reveals faulty thinking on my part, rather than the Bible being wrong.

As we study, we must keep humble hearts and minds. We must be teachable so that when we encounter offensive passages we can recognize the source of the offense…our sinful hearts.

Back to my 1 Timothy study.  I immediately began asking the Lord to show me his purpose & heart behind the words of this small 6 chapter epistle. I began reading it in its entirety every day for several weeks. At first it seemed to be a book that I could only partially relate to. I’m not an elder, not a false teacher.  I’m not a widow, but I am a woman.

Lord, show me my role in your church.

Over time I began to see 1 Timothy as a letter written from an older preacher to his intern. Paul’s love and compassion for Timothy are so evident. He has entrusted the care of several churches to this very young man who was disciples by his mother and grandmother.  

What a beautiful reminder to me as a mother and grandmother of my purpose and role in my family and my church. I want to be used of God in my family, church and community. In order for that to happen in the most God glorifying way, I must study his Word with a teachable spirit that wrestles to understand and resist the temptation to wrestle with this Word in a way that takes me away from him rather than draw my closer.

As we read and teach from challenging passages in God’s Word, we must not miss the clear message of the gospel. It is of first importance. However, when the spotlight is on the cross, obscure and difficult passages don’t disappear in its shadow.

We believe God has given all his Word—even challenging passages—to reveal himself and his will. As those who humbly and expectantly want to receive what God has given, we should seek his help as we do the hard work to understand the Bible accurately and communicate it with others lovingly.

Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

2 Peter 3:16, “as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

3 Simple Habits to Stay Focused During Your Quiet time

Tell me if you recognize this scenario.

You sit down with your Bible to have your quiet time and as you begin reading the scriptures and it’s just what you needed to encourage your soul and then BAM…you remember you need to pick up some lettuce at the grocery store. What? Where did that come from?

You go back to reading and then it happens again, you remember that you need to return a phone call. You pick up your phone and see that you missed 3 phone calls.

Stop! Focus! Seriously, why is this so hard now?

I get it. What could only take 30 minutes often turns into an hour because I cannot stay focused.

Lord, help me!

I’ve found a few things to do that have actually helped me to make the most of the time I spend with the Lord.

1.  Start off with prayer and a deep breath. This will quiet your mind. It can be hard to quiet down the noise in our mind that often pulls us away when we are trying to focus on scripture and prayers. Prayer redirects my thoughts back to where they should be. When I pray, I ask the Lord to quiet my mind & my heart and give me understanding as I read his Word. It helps to keep me from making this something I just check off of my to-do list. I’m sitting at the table with my Lord to feast on the goodness he has for me through His Word. I need to make the most of every moment he gives me to do this.

2.  Silent your phone.  As much as possible, I have my quiet time first thing in the morning with my first cup of coffee. So, typically my notifications are already turned off, but not always. This keeps me from checking my phone when someone text or calls me. I have to be very careful though because I often use an app for my Bible readings because I like to listen to it. I don’t go anywhere on my phone except that app. If that is still too much of a temptation don’t use any apps during your quiet time. When I am prepping to teach Bible Study or to speak somewhere, my phone is not within grabbing distance. I need to focus and it is just too disctracting.

3.  Have Post-It notes or a notepad close by. When those random thoughts do come, write them down. That helps to get them out of the way. Sometimes the Lord will put certain people on your mind so you want to remember to pray for them and possibly contact them later. Write it down and move on.

I know this is only 3 things. There are so many more I could offer, but if you start with these 3 then you will find for yourself other ways to help make your time with the Lore more productive & effective.

They say it takes at least 21 days to create a new habit. Commit to doing this for 30 days and see if that helps you have a more focused and meaningful time with the Lord.

The Wife Who Enriches her Husband

My morning was not off to a good start.  I was behind and the day really had not even started yet.  I had a dozen or so things I needed to get done and then I got a text from my husband.

I need you to take my clothes to the cleaners.

One more thing on my list. Ugh!

And if my attitude wasn’t bad enough I replied this to his text.

Don’t worry, I will.  Trying to get kids up.  Need a shower. Gotta get laundry going. Need to get groceries today. Trying to keep Charlie out of the trash…but don’t worry.  Your clothes will get to the cleaners!

Oh yes…I did send that text to my poor husband who had no idea what was coming to him.  All he knew was that his clothes needed to be at the cleaners and he couldn’t take them.  He didn’t know I had a super bad attitude… until he got that text from me.

Proverbs 31:11 reminds me of my role and my ministry to my husband.

Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.

If I am to be the kind of wife that is described in this scripture, I had a lot of attitude adjusting to do.  It wasn’t my husbands fault I felt overwhelmed that day.  It was mine.
I looked up the word, “enrich”.

Enrich is to make fuller, more meaningful, or more rewarding.

This is just part of my ministry to my husband…to make his life with me meaningful, rewarding and fuller.  When I let my attitude get nasty I am doing the complete opposite. 

I’m not saying I need to ignore my own emotions in order to make my husband’s life wonderful. But, if my emotions are creating reactions ,like my text message, that are rude & unfair then those emotions are not productive. I need to deal with them, not share them or push them onto him.

I love this verse, because it says as his wife I have the potential to greatly enrich his life and that is what I desire. I am learning to keep my own attitude in check.  I’m learning to guard my mouth (& text messages).  I’m learning to remember that my husband doesn’t ask much of me at all and if all he needs is for me to take his clothes to the cleaners then that is my priority that day.

So, what can I do today to greatly enrich his life?

I think that is a great question to ask yourself.  If you aren’t sure, ask your husband.  I bet he will have some idea’s.

Grasping the Goodness of God

 In 1999 I was in a very serious car accident. I had all six children with me and I was 10 weeks pregnant when I lost control of my suburban and rolled it, landing upside down in a wheat field. It was the most traumatic thing that I had ever endured and it wrecked me emotionally and spiritually.

I was consumed with depression, anxiety and flashbacks of the accident. I hardly left my house and I didn’t drive for months because I was consumed with fear. 

One evening (a few months after the accident) I was at church for a gathering and a staff person asked how I was doing. I’m sure I said the typical, “I’m doing really good!” because then they responded with “God is so good!” That statement bothered me. Friends kept saying it when they heard what happened.  I remember thinking, “No way is he good! If he was, he wouldn’t have let this happen to me!” 

Do we really understand what the goodness of God is? I know that in 1999, I didn’t understand it. My thinking of God and his goodness was all wrong. 

Elisabeth Elliot said, “We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of scripture.”

So, let’s see what scripture says about goodness.

Exodus 33:19

And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 68:10

..your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Zechariah 9:17

For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.

Mark 10:18

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Titus 3:4-5

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

This is not an exhaustive list of scriptures on goodness. I encourage you to go do your own word study on this. You will be so encouraged and blessed by it. 

When we feast upon the word of God we taste his goodness and are satisfied in Him!

According to these scriptures, Gods goodness is a gift wrapped in mercy (Exodus 33:19), that will follow us all our lives (Psalm 23:6), as we dwell in it (Psalm 68:10)and enjoy the greatness of it (Zechariah 9:17). We must recognize that only God is good but that it is in that goodness that we are saved by faith, according to his abundant mercy.

God is the source of all goodness and is the measure of what good is! 

Romans 8:28 reminds that all God does in our life is for our good as his purpose for us is accomplished.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

This verse is often misquoted or taken out of context. But when you view this verse in light of what we just learned from the scriptures above it should be a little more clear. 

What is good according to this verse? This is where my thinking was all wrong because I associated this “good” with only blessings & favor, but there so much more to it. Mark 10:18 tells us that only God is good. The greek word used in this verse is the same as used in Romans 8:28. 

Could it be this “good” is meant to grow us in godliness? Could it be God is using “all things” to make us more like him? 

The answer is yes. 

I had to stop viewing the goodness of God only as what the world considers good and see it as it is…becoming more like him. Sometimes his goodness doesn’t feel good, it’s painful, miserable, unthinkable, unbelievable…but it is still his goodness and I’m learning to praise him for all of it.

That means our trials, adversity, excruciating circumstances are the goodness of God just as is the favor, prosperous, pleasant and happy times God brings to our lives.

This sheds a whole new light on my life as a godly woman and how I am to respond to circumstances in my life.  When I respond to trials as a  sharpening of my faith I find joy in the goodness of God.  His mercy is so great and I’m so thankful he doesn’t leave me in my sin but by his goodness he has washed me clean so that I may worship him and give him all the glory!

I don’t know if that staff member who told me how good God is realized how he upset me, but as I look back I’m thankful he said it. It showed me how wrong my thinking of God was. Over the next 18 months I fought and I struggled and then the goodness of God consumed me and I surrendered to him. I experienced his grace and mercy in ways I never had before. He broke me and then restored me and his joy is mine!

By His Spirit and through His goodness I can be a woman of mercy and wisdom, patient and forgiving who embraces her trials to grow in godliness.