Far Above Rubies

The Bride of Christ

2007-02-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

This is a repeat of an old post which I had placed on Pen of Iron. Yesterday, my pastor preached from Proverbs 8 about wisdom and he tied it in with the woman, the church, as he explained how God's wisdom is reflected in the church. Here is what I wrote.

Psalms 45:14 - She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

Exodus 39:29 - And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.

I love it when the Lord hits me with a gem from the word of God every now and then, and it gives me pleasure to share the nuggets.

The reference to needlework hit me this time. It was in the context of the church and how she shall be brought to the bridegroom arrayed in raiment of needlework. Ladies may find this thought particularly interesting, especially those who do crochet. My late grandmother used to crochet a lot, and she was always making table cloths and bed spreads (covers) for all her grandchildren and their wives.

Watching her doing a bed cover for me, I once noticed how she would take the time to do one unit a time, a flower or whatever design she had in mind, and then sew it on to the rest, one unit after another till she finished the whole thing. When it was over, the cover was a masterpiece. I treasure those pieces she gave me. As I reflect back on the years, I remember that when I first immigrated to Canada, and I was not sure I’d stay then, of the items that I had in my suitcase were a couple of needlework pieces that she had made for me.

This is what I gleaned from the reference in Psalm 45 as the reference to “needlework” hit home.

We are in the church age, and the Holy Spirit calls the Christians out on an individual basis. Unlike his dealing in the Old Testament or even in the Tribulation times where God dealt with the nation of Israel nationally, in the church age believers are called individually. Today jews and gentiles are baptized into one body, the body of Jesus Christ. We are his bride and we will be ushered in at the wedding arrayed in needlework. Think for a minute. Each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made, and yet each of us a member of the body. Just like the needlework my grandma did. God takes the time to work in each of our lives individually and he connects us with muscles and sinews all together into this one body.

I leave this verse with you.

Ephesians 4:16 - From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Delayed or Immediate Glory?

2006-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

If there is one female Biblical character I'd like to model my life after, it would have to be Ruth. I used to admire women more like Deborah or Priscilla because they were strong and outspoken leaders -- something I strove to be. Now I begin to realize that my former ambitions and plans for myself were very egotistical.

Ruth came from very lowly circumstances -- not only was she a foreigner, but she was also a widow. In every possible way she was an outsider and "didn't belong."
She was intimate with pain and sorrow.
Ruth was willing to forsake everything for the God of Israel. She spared nothing in her pursuit of God.
She was a selfless servant -- Ruth took the lowliest of labor to care for her mother-in-law.
Ruth was a hard worker -- she gave 110%.
Her reputation spoke for her -- she was known among the Jewish community as a virtuous woman.
She "married smart" -- even though Ruth probably could have had any handsome young man she wanted, she chose to marry a godly older man and was blessed through that union.
God blessed Ruth because of her obedience and willingness to serve Him.

I personally hadn't paid much attention to Ruth in the past. She immigrated to Israel with her mother-in-law, worked in a field, married a much older man, had a baby... big deal. Ruth didn't do any "glorious" things like assassinate a king (Jael), judge a nation and lead an army into battle (Deborah), nor did she have intellectual conversations with apostles and great teachers (Priscilla). She pretty much lived out her life in humble service. Emphasis is placed on her servant's heart more than anything. No gloriously exciting actions. No "big things."

Or so I thought. But the older I get, the more I realize that my life doesn't have to be filled with big, glorious deeds for God (or myself). He doesn't need my puny trophies. What He wants is for my heart to be fully surrendered to Him and His service. Better that my life be filled with delayed glory (like Ruth's) where my actions reap glory for God for generations to come, rather than immediate glory for myself. Do we ever hear of Deborah's descendants? No, but Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David and was thereby placed directly in Christ's lineage.

I think I'd rather have a life of humble service that has long-term effects.

~ from the pages of Carey's journal

The hidden Man of the heart

2006-12-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

Every Bible Believer is familiar with the above-mentioned verse, so much so that even the little ones of my church can quote it as easy as they can count 1, 2 and 3!

Now we know that the Word is our God-inspired Scripture (2 Tim 3:16), the Holy Bible. A Christian that wants to survive this world will surely faint in the day of battle if he does not read and study His Bible. When Christ was tempted by the devil he fought him back with SCRIPTURE.

We also know, by studying our Scripture, that Jesus Christ is called THE WORD (John 1:14).

Observe how beautifully Psalm 119:11 ties in with the following verse:

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3:3-4

I have heard many say that the "hidden man” is the real you, but that statement is ludicrous. Firstly, and logically speaking, the verse is addressed to women so why would Peter address it as the MAN. Secondly, the real you is a sinful being and we KNOW that everything that proceeds out of our own heart is wicked (Jer 17:9).

So who is this hidden man of the heart? It’s none other that Jesus Christ Himself. David said THY WORD have I HID in my HEART!!! Ladies, if we let Christ do the work on this wicked heart of ours, I do believe we can all make for virtuous women. Read again verse 4 of 1 Peter 3 “which is in the sight of God of great price.”

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10

God give us women

2006-11-28T17:26:00.000-08:00

I found this poem on the internet and thought I would post it here. It's quite beautiful.

God Give us women who know what it means
To pray and work behind the scenes,
Who know their God in such a way,
Who will cling to Him, let come what may.

God give us women with hearts aflame,
Who will raise their children to be the same.
Who look to the ways of their household well,
Yet yearn for those who are headed to hell.

God give us women who will fast and pray,
For her husband and children night and day.
Whose heart is submissive in everything,
Who honors her husband, for he is her king!

God give us women who will stand the test,
Who in big or small things, will do their best.
Who know that all they say or do,
They do as they would do to You.

God give us women full of grace,
With hearts serene as they run the race.
Whose desire is not for a life of ease,
Who long the most their Master to please.

God give us women who find great delight,
In the lot that God gave them in life.
Who embrace with joy the little things,
Who fulfill their duty with a heart that sings.

God give us women with a vision clear,
Who live in reverence and Godly fear.
Who abide in Christ all through the day,
And seek to please Him in every way.

~Mary Troyer~

Carey's 19th Birthday

2006-11-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd post this here to wish Carey a very wonderful Birthday!!!

Humility: The Secret of Redemption

2006-11-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

Joshua Harris recommended a book by the title of Humility, and I was so excited to find it at a bargain price on the internet. It is a rare gem! Such a tiny little book and yet so powerful. Here is a sampling from the chapter by the above title:

"Is it any wonder that the Christian life is so often feeble and fruitless, when the very root of the Christ-life is neglected, is unknown? Is it any wonder that the joy of salvation is so little felt, when that in which Christ found it and brings it is so little sought? We must seek a humility which will rest in nothing less than the end and death of self; which gives up all the honor of men as Jesus did, to seek the honor that comes from God alone; which absolutely makes and counts itself nothing so that God may be all, that the Lord alone may be exalted. Until we seek humility in Christ above our chief joy, and welcome it at any price, there is very little hope of a religion that will conquer the world.

How much of the spirit of the meek and lowly Lamb of God do we see around us, in those who are called by His name? Think about how all the lack of love, the indifference to the needs, feelings, and weaknesses of others, the sharp and hasty judgments and utterances so often excused by our cries of being upright and honest, the manifestations of temper and irritation, the bitterness and estrangement, have their root in pride. Pride seeks only itself.

Devilish pride creeps in almost everywhere. What would happen if believers were to become permanently guided by the humility of Jesus? Oh, for the humility of Jesus in myself and everyone around me! We must honestly fix our hearts on our own lack of the humility revealed in Christ's life. Only then will we begin to feel what Christ and His salvation truly are.

Believer! Study the humility of Jesus. This is the secret, the hidden root of your redemption. Sink down into it more deeply day by day. Believe with your whole heart that Christ--whom God has given us--will work in us, making us what the Father wants us to be."

~ by Andrew Murray

My daughter and I attended a funeral today for a tiny baby. The little girl had been born without a brain. She lived for only a few hours. But her parents were a shining testimony of this very trait of humility. They humbly accepted the will of God without complaint. They praised
Him. They testified of His goodness to all of us there. They thanked God for her little life, as brief as it was. They will never be the same for having had her. Of course they grieved and were in great pain. But they knew the hand of a sovereign God had dealt this to them, and they
did not question Him. That is humility.

How bright is our light?

2006-11-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

As Christian women, we know we are to shine as beacons of light in this sinful world, but just how bright do we shine? Jesus Christ commanded that our “light so shine before men”, but do we really look any different than the “worldly” women? Is our speech different? Is our attitude different? Do lost sinners see that we have something they do not have?

I believe most of us are familiar with the children’s song about not hiding our light under a bushel, but unfortunately, as adults, that is exactly what we do sometimes. Instead of being conformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2), we are conformed to the world and we become no different than the average women. We get so caught up in living in this world that we forget that we are not of this world. We are a new creature in Christ (2 Corinth 5:7) but out sinful nature often rears it ugly head, and we forget that we are daughters of the King.

This world is ruled by sin and people need to see that Christian women really do shine. Many lost women are without help. We as Christians can offer them true hope in Jesus Christ. We cannot keep the Lord to ourselves. We have to flood the world with His light!!

What is Sin?

2006-11-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

I like to read whatever my children read. I like to discuss what they're reading with them. I want to really know them - what they think about life, how they respond to what is happening around them. I can better pray for them if I understand their struggles. So...we purchased Joshua Harris' book, Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is). My son, his mentor, and his dad are using this book and the accompanying workbook together as they meet weekly. My daughter has her own workbook (designed for women) as well. And I wanted to read it too. This book is powerful. Not just because of the obvious topic, but because it requires us to really look at ourselves as God sees us. In Chapter 7, entitled "Half a Poison Pill Won't Kill You," Josh says:

What Is Sin?

"So what are we allowed to view? It's easy to latch on to a rating system or some set of rules that will make it clear what we we will and won't watch. But no rating system based on content can replace a heart that wants to please God. If we're to honor God with our entertainment choices, we must be willing to carefully evaluate how what we watch affects our love for God. We must be willing to wrestle with our standards and often refuse to watch what others think is permissible. When he was in college, the famous evangelist John Wesley wrote a letter to his mother asking her to give him a clear description of sin. I think he wanted a list of do's and don'ts. But Mrs. Wesley didn't give John what he wanted. She gave him something much better. In response, she wrote:

Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the
tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God,
or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever
increases the strength and authority of your body over your
mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.

It doesn't matter what something is rated, or how popular it is, or how seemingly innocent it appears. If it hardens your heart toward God, if it obscures your awareness of the ugliness of sin and the holiness of God, if it takes the edge off your spiritual hunger, then it's sin. Joel Belz writes, "If you can't bow your head and sincerely thank God for a movie or a symphony or a newscast or a novel--then for you that activity is wrong. Stop arguing with yourself, and move on to something else."

Our time on this earth is short. James 4:14 says, "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Every little decision matters. We are far too comfortable with being comfortable. Are we spending our time for Christ? Are we making each moment count for Him?

Of Buffaloes and Butterflies

2006-10-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

My son and I had a "joint babysitting job last night." He actually went with me to babysit four little girls! They are the daughters of the two young moms who are prayer partners with my daughter and I. He is calling it "Daddy Boot Camp." More young men should voluntarily give their time around young children with the aim of being better fathers! (He is also taking a course on Manhood with 80+ other guys on Wednesday night at church.) After we returned home, we had our nightly discussion around the book, Tender Warrior by Stu Weber. It has discussion questions at the end of each chapter and is a great book to do with a friend, or group of friends. Stu says:

"Author and speaker Gary Smalley really nails down some of these general characteristics (of men and women) in his somewhat whimsical "buffalo and butterfly" comparison:

The butterfly has a keen sensitivity. It is sensitive to the slightest breeze...It notices the beauty of even the tiniest of flowers. Because of its sensitivity, it is constantly aware of all the changes going on around it and is able to react to the slightest variation in its environment. Thus, the butterfly reacts with swiftness toward anything that might hurt it. (Try to catch one without a net sometime.) If a tiny pebble were taped to its wing, the butterfly would be severely injured and eventually die."

That is a powerful portrayal of the feminine side. Equally graphic is the description of the buffalo:

The buffalo is another story. It is rough and calloused. It doesn't react to a breeze. It's not even affected by a thirty-mile-an-hour wind. It just goes right on doing whatever it was doing. It's not aware of the smallest of flowers, nor does it appear to be sensitive to slight changes in its environment. Tape a pebble to the buffalo's back and he probably won't even feel it. The buffalo isn't 'rotten to the core' just because he goes around stepping on pretty flowers. In fact, the buffalo's toughness is a tremendous asset. His strength, when harnessed, can pull a plow that four grown men can't pull.... [the man] may tend to plow through circumstances, while [the woman] may 'feel' life and [her] surroundings with much more sensitivity.

In our wise Creator's providence, these differences were intended to be pleasurable, effective, and even fun. Yes, let's enjoy the differences. Let's capitalize on them. Let's fight the temptation to say, 'This is more valuable than that.' Let's resist belittling one another for our God-ordained distinctions. They enrich our lives. They are 'the rest of the story.' And in our Creator's words, it is good."

A rare gem

2006-10-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10

Who can find a virtuous woman? She is like a rare gem. Precious stones are costly because they are so rare. The ruby, for instance, has been the world's most valued gemstone for thousands of years because of its beauty and rarity.

It is the rare, hard to find gems that are worth a lot. And for some reason, God made most common stones unattractive but He made most rare stones very beautiful and brilliant. The virtuous woman is a beautiful woman, not necessarily outwardly, but inwardly (Prov. 31:30). She is not only a rare gem but a beautiful gem.

From this we see that the godly (virtuous) woman is hard to find. She is worth more than a precious stone. She has an inner beauty and strength of character that is, in God's eyes, very valuable. She is likened unto a rare gem, the ruby.

Seven Steps Downward or Upward?

2006-09-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight, as I was reading Leslie Ludy's book, Authentic Beauty, I read the following:

"A devoted young college student, John Stam, who later gave his life for Christ on the mission field in China,* once wrote about the two roads we must choose between whenever we are faced with any kind of temptation toward sin. The first road John called "Seven Awful Steps Downward." He describes each step on this road. The following is a paraphrase:

Step One: Adopting a careless attitude toward sin.
Step Two: Giving in to sin.
Step Three: Habitually giving in to sin.
Step Four: Surrendering to sin.
Step Five: Abandoning God for a life of sin.
Step Six: Becoming a tool of Satan to tempt others to sin.
Step Seven: Hell - and you do not have to die in order to go there. Hell is character as well as location. The person who hates everything that God loves is in hell now, and hell is in him or her.

The second road John called "Seven Glorious Steps Upward." He describes each step on this road. The following is a paraphrase:

Step One: Developing a resistant attitude toward sin -- determining that sin will not gain control over you.
Step Two: Overcoming sin by faith in Christ. Successfully fleeing from temptation--saying no the desire or opportunity to sin.
Step Three: A lifestyle of victory over sin. Habitually saying no to the desire or opportunity to sin. The strength that comes from one victory helps in overcoming the next temptation.
Step Four: Discovering the "abiding life," the "victorious life," the "exchanged life." It has been termed many things by many different Christians through the ages, but in short, it is a life of intimate acquaintance with the grace of Christ and the empowerment that comes when His Spirit gains full access to your life.
Step Five: Entrance into even deeper fellowship with Christ. It started with your trusting God--now God trusts you. You are set apart for His enjoyment and for His service.
Step Six: Becoming one that God calls on to do great and mighty things for His kingdom. A set-apart existence that values Christ over life itself and is willing even to suffer and die to carry out the King's bidding.
Step Seven: Heaven - and you do not have to die in order to get there. Heaven is character as well as location. The person who devotedly loves everything that God loves is in heaven now, and heaven is in him or her."

Which road are you on? The first road is a slippery slope, and you will continue to move downward if you don't change paths completely. If you are on the second road, are you moving upward, or digging a rut where you are? Perhaps even moving one step forward only to move two steps backward? Which step would best describe where you are in your walk with the Lord? Few Christians actually reach Step 5, let alone Step 6 where God can use them to do great and mighty things. If we actually believed that Jesus was returning tomorrow, how would that change our todays?

*John and Betty Stam, former students of Moody Bible Institute, lost their lives for sharing the Gospel in China. They were arrested by Communist soldiers, held for ransom, and beheaded. Their courage led hundreds of other young men and women to volunteer for missionary service.

"The Lord's Mercy"

2006-09-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

Meditations of the Heart: "The Lord's Mercy"

"I will rejoice over them to do them good." Jeremiah 32:41

2006-09-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

"How heart-cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in His saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God's people cannot take much delight in us, or they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery; that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delighteth in the cloudcapped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that He delighteth in the habitable parts of the earth, and that His delights are with the sons of men. We do not find it written that even angels give His soul delight; nor doth he say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, 'Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee;' but He does say that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by His grace. In what strong language He expresses His delight in His people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, 'He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.' As He looked upon the world He had made, He said, 'It is very good;' but when He beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus' blood, His own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvellous declaration of His love, and sing, 'I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation'?"

~ from Morning and Evening
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

After God's Own Heart

2006-09-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

That I May Know Him

I linked this post which I have put up on my blog, as per Barbara's request. Thanks!

Do You Speak "Woman?"

2006-09-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time Thursday night fellowshipping with my young mom friends! They are both in their 20's (I'm 55), both pregnant, and both precious. I love them dearly, and we had the opportunity to have some great "Level 3" conversation. Our pastor categorizes conversations at three levels, #1 being surface and #3 being heartfelt, deep conversations about the things closest to our hearts. What a privilege that we can share because of Him. We were speaking the strange language that men have such a hard time understanding. It is called "Woman." Men can learn this language, but it takes a lot of effort. Thank God that there are those few men who will take the time and effort to learn it. It will pay off for them greatly in the long haul. I quote from Stu Weber's book, Tender Warrior:

"So what are a woman's needs? What are the prerequisites for learning this wonderful, sometimes-bewildering language called "Woman"? Dr. Willard Harley isolates five. The first is her need for affection, that is tenderness. The second is conversation, the sharing of the heart. The third is honesty and openness; no secrets between us. The fourth is security, or physical and financial provision. The fifth is relational commitment. She must know she is a priority. Scripture refines those five feminine needs down into three imperatives for men: honor, nourish, cherish. And listen friends, that's no academic exercise--it's an action plan. Shakespeare said it this way, "They do not love that do not show their love."

See, we're not that complicated! At least life is never boring with a woman around!

"My meat is to do the will of Him who sent Me...."

2006-09-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

I have been meditating on this verse for several days. "Jesus saith unto them, 'My meat is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.' " John 4:34. The Greek for meat used here (bromah) means, "that which delights and truly satisfies the mind."

My son interviewed one of our Missions Pastors, John Brown today, and is writing a paper about that interview. John's responsibility is to teach those who are called to go to foreign fields and prepare them for their work. When Jeremy asked John how God had called him, he said that his passions changed - from business to Christian service, and then to missions. When John talked to Tommy Nelson, our pastor, about his love for teaching & missions, Tommy suggested combining the two and that is exactly what John does. Our church has its own Missionary Training Institute and serves as its own mission board. (If you are interested, the website is: www.serve.dentonbible.org) We have friends in Zhongdian, Shanghai, Kenya, and Mexico. Watching over the years as they have sacrificed and repeatedly laid down their lives and personal desires, I am always awe-struck at our marvelous God and how He works His will through them. Our friend, Jill, who is leaving for Kenya soon, has such a passion for her work that it is contagious - very evident when she had dinner with us last week! Carey has been interested in missions since the age of nine. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do with her life. I have no doubt that the above verse could easily apply to all of our missionary friends' lives. That which truly satisfied and delighted the mind of Christ was to do His Father's will and work. Nothing else would satisfy. How many of us can say the same?

Sarah wrote a great post on something similar on Tuesday on her blog: "Job, even during the worst of his trials, was able to utter such words as to esteem the Word of God more than his necessary food." His Word, His will, His work. Complete satisfaction and DELIGHT. We've talked about surrender on this blog a lot lately, but have we been talking about gut-wrenching, teeth-gritting surrender......or delightful surrender? Is the doing of His will and work the very thing which sustains us and brings real joy to our lives? What else could possibly satisfy?

God has done an amazing thing in my life this year. Although I have been a Christian for 34 years, I have had growth spurts and plateaus, trials and blessings, times of fervor and times of complacency. That is the normal Christian life. I was in such a time of complacency, and this spring God began moving in my life in a way that I have not seen in a long time. It is as if I have awakened from a deep slumber. I have become passionate for the Word again and a prayer warrior for many. I journal, I blog, I am discipling two other young women as well as my own daughter. I have a precious outreach in the Children's Ministry. I would rather think on, read about, listen to, and discuss the things of God than anything else. I really don't care if I eat anymore - it's just a bother. I have better things to do! So I guess that this verse is becoming a reality in my life in a way that it never has been before. The way He brought all of this about is even more amazing - I never would have believed it! But I praise Him for His mysterious ways and His never-failing love and goodness toward His chosen ones. He is truly the only thing that can satisfy and delight my mind!

"I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8

Woman of Strength

2006-09-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

~Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The word “virtuous” is from a noun (virtue) meaning strength. Virtuous is a commendable quality or trait and implies chastity, especially in a woman. Here, it refers to strength of character and moral strength. A virtuous woman is one who is morally excellent and thus, a righteous woman. In light of this truth, we can say that Proverbs 31:10 applies to a woman who fears God, loves truth and hates sin. In comparing Proverbs 31:10 to Proverbs 31:30, it is evident that a virtuous woman is a God-fearing woman.

The expression of a "virtuous woman" is used in two other places in the Holy Bible. Therefore, to fully comprehend the term of a virtuous woman / woman of strength, we must take a look at:

1. Ruth 3:11

“And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”

When a woman has strength of character (fears God, loves truth and hates sin), others around her will take note. Why? Because it’s unusual for a woman (and may I add, especially young women) to uphold such high and Godly standards. In general, people are morally weak and lack Godly character, that when a woman of strength shows up, she stands out in the crowd.

2. Proverbs 12:4

“A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.”

Here, we learn that this woman of strength is the crown to her husband, she is his reward. A crown in the Bible usually typifies a reward for the Christian. Also, this virtuous woman does not make her husband ashamed.

In conclusion, we know that a virtuous woman is a woman of strength in the Lord. She is clothed in righteousness, and so, we can say that she has put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

~Philippians 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

~Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

Dating vs. Courtship

2006-09-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.pursuantgroup.com/hudson/audiodevo/0906-w1.htm

Remember Me

2006-09-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

When we were driving home from church last night, I was listening to Carey's I-pod and discovered a song by Mark Schultz that is very thought-provoking:

Remember Me
In a Bible cracked and faded by the years.
Remember Me
In a sanctuary filled with silent prayers.

CHORUS:
And age to age and heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder, child of God
I'll remember you...
Remember Me.

Remember Me
When the color of the sunset fills the sky.
Remember Me
When you pray and tears of joy
Fall from your eyes.

CHORUS

Remember Me
When the children leave their Sunday school with smiles.
Remember Me
When they're old enough to teach
Old enough to preach
Old enough to leave.

And age to age and heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder, child of God
I'll remember you...
Remember Me.

Other-Centered Life

2006-09-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Mattew 16:25, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

About nine years ago, my husband and I took a course on parenting from a Christian perspective. Carey and Jeremy would have been 9 and 5, respectively. There is so much good material available to help you on your way as a Christian parent that it is daunting! We came away from this course with two very important ideas that we have tried to implement since then:

1) The family should function as a team, a microcosm of the Body of Christ. Right now, our home is a crazy place! My husband and my daughter are both in college at different campuses, going in different directions. My older son works in downtown Forth Worth and has a 2-hour round trip commute each day. So these three are literally going north, east, and south. Jeremy and I are still homeschooling, but we only do half of his subjects together. Carey and I work part-time at the church together several days a week (at least we see each other there). I am studying for the national pharmacy tech exam, which I hope to take in November. Somehow, meals are still prepared, laundry gets done, and the house is reasonably clean. To add further stress (I mean challenge), we recently moved my 80 year-old mother into a house down the street from us so that we can take care of her as she ages. That was a major step of obedience for me (honor your father and your mother). What amazes me is that most of the time, our family functions as a well-oiled machine. Okay, so we creak and groan a little! We take turns cooking, we all clean (sometimes under duress), some mow, we take turns running errands, etc. We are in church Sunday morning (service), Sunday afternoon (Lifeline), and Sunday evening (AWANA and childcare). Jeremy and my mom are serving as Cubbie leaders this year, while Carey and I work in childcare. We are not a ME-centered household! We support each other. Even our five bank accounts are linked so that we can transfer money around to whoever needs it. Guess who gets that responsibility! Which leads me to the second principle.....

2) Our lives should be OTHER-centered as opposed to SELF-centered. I am sick to death of hearing about SELF-esteem. What we need is more GOD-esteem. If we have a correct view of who God is, then SELF becomes utterly unimportant, and the side benefit is that we find the true happiness that we seek when we lose ourselves in the Savior. The first principle will not work if you do not implement the second....and it is just plain hard work!

So, as a young woman, if you are looking forward to marriage as the answer to all of your hopes and dreams...don't! In their book, The First 90 Days of Marriage, Leslie Ludy writes, "God challenged me to give Him the pen of my life afresh; to lay down my agenda, my expectations, and my plans for what our married life was supposed to be; to allow Him to take us through whatever challenges and trials He saw fit; to let Him continue to script our love story in His own perfect way. I realized that I had been subconsciously thinking of marriage as the time when 'everything would finally be perfect in my life,' that I would be completely satisfied and fulfilled simply because I was finally married. But I was looking for satisfaction in human things; in having a comfortable home, a white picket fence, and a husband that knew how to meet all of my needs.

After spending time doing some serious soul-searching, I was reminded that my number one source of fulfillment and satisfaction must be Christ alone. My external circumstances might never be perfect. My marriage to Eric, though wonderful, could never fulfill the deepest needs of my heart. But my relationship with the God of the universe could satisfy and fulfill me completely, if I would simply surrender my entire life to Him." (The first chapter of this book is available to read online at their website: ericandleslie.com).

As a young unmarried woman, what should you do to prepare yourself for marriage, providing God has that in His plans for you? Leslie says, "Surrender is not a one-time act, it is a daily, moment-by-moment decision." Amen! Look at every moment of your day as an opportunity to respond as He would, and His light and beauty will shine through you. When, and IF, God gives you the privilege of marriage, you will be much better prepared for the daily sacrifices and challenges He brings to you through learning to love another person His way, by seeking their highest good and not your own. Look for opportunities to die to yourself - providing the ultimate picture of the Savior. Get to know Him better! Spend every moment you can in His Word! Exercise your faith by talking to others about Him! Stretch yourself by taking a mission trip! Life with Jesus is rich and full - don't lose your todays by thinking too much of tomorrow.

The Lord Trieth the Righteous

2006-09-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

"ALL events are under the control of Providence; consequently all the trials of our outward life are traceable at once to the great First Cause. Out of the golden gate of God's ordinance the armies of trial march forth in array, clad in their iron armour, and armed with weapons of war. All providences are doors to trial. Even our mercies, like roses, have their thorns. Men may be drowned in seas of prosperity as well as in rivers of affliction. Our mountains are not too high, and our valleys are not too low for temptations; trials lurk on all roads. Everywhere, above and beneath, we are beset and surrounded with dangers. Yet no shower falls unpermitted from the threatening cloud; every drop has its order ere it hastens to the earth. The trials which come from God are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and to add to their energy. Our Lord in His infinite wisdom and superabundant love, sets so high a value upon His people's faith that He will not screen them from those trials by which faith is strengthened. You would never have possessed the precious faith which now supports you if the trial of you faith had not been like unto fire. You are a tree that never would have rooted so well if the wind had not rocked you to and fro, and made you take firm hold upon the precious truths of the covenant grace. Worldly ease is a great foe to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valour, and snaps the sinews of sacred courage. The balloon never rises until the cords are cut; affliction doth this sharp service for believing souls. While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk it is useless to man, it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known. Thus it is well th Jehovah trieth the righteous, for it causeth them to grow rich towards God."
~ from Morning and Evening by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Christian Manhood

2006-09-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

"Hey, wait!" you are probably thinking. This is a blog designed around Christian womanhood! Yes, but womanhood needs to understand manhood because one depends on the other. My son is currently being discipled by a wonderful man in our church, the AWANA Commander, Phillip B., and my husband. They are going through a Scouting program called "God in Life" which they will complete before Jeremy's Eagle Court of Honor, and Phil will reward Jeremy with an additional medal for completion of it. (I know, this may be boring to you, but hold on.) They are learning together about how to apply your faith in the real world. Nothing could be more important in high school than this. We may study great theology in Bible, but if he can't apply it, what good is that? (Although I do know that ultimately this is the Holy Spirt's job, but a little prodding can't hurt). In light of that, I am reading a book called Tender Warrior: God's Intention for a Man by Stu Weber (a former Green Beret in Vietnam and now a pastor). I highly recommend this book for the man in your life (could be your brother!), or for guidelines for you ladies on what to look for in a man. As I was reading tonight, I discovered two small literary nuggets that I just had to publish. The first is by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of my favorite American authors:

As unto the bow the cord is
So unto man is woman;
Tho' she bends him,
She obeys him.
Tho' she draws him,
Yet she follows;
Useless each without the other.

~ from Hiawatha

The second nugget is by Diana Craik:

Oh, the comfort,
the inexpressible comfort
of feeling safe with another person.
Having neither to weigh thoughts
nor measure words,
but pouring them all right out
just as they are,
chaff and grain together--
Certain that a faithful hand
will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping
and with a breath of kindness
blow the rest away.

What more can I say? Isn't this the kind of relationship all of us long for? Only through Christ and in His marvelous plans for our lives will we find it!

Listen to the Silence

2006-09-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

You are in My hands. You are not keeping yourself; I am keeping you. If I choose to hide you away, it is for a purpose. If I wish to give you a time of rest, it is for thine own good. Nothing is amiss that is in My will. Do not think that it will be as times in the past. I have deeper lessons to teach you. How invaluable have you found the truths to be which I have taught you in your 'Arabia years?' Arabia was not the only solitary period in the life of St. Paul. Indeed, it was rather insignificant in comparison to the later prison day experiences. One does not write what has already been written. One writes out of the storehouse of fresh revelation and his own personal knowledge gained through the painful experiences of growth. Ye cannot escape the growing experience without forfeiting the other. Ye shall cease writing if ye cease learning. Ye do not learn as ye write, but write as ye learn.

I would spare you if I could do so in love; but this kind of protecting love would be false, and would rob you of much treasure. I only love you truly as I give you My best. My best cannot come to you without pain, even as it could not come to the Lord Jesus without pain. Pain is the result of sin, true, but sin is still an existing problem to be dealt with. It must be grappled with. Empires do not simply fall, but are taken by a stronger force if ye hope to see it fall. I want to make you strong. I want you to be a Devastator. I have brought you to this place. Make the most of it. Drink in the silence. Seek solitude. LISTEN TO THE SILENCE. It will teach you. It will build strength. Let others share it with you. It is priceless. It is little to be found elsewhere.

~ from Come Away My Beloved
by Frances J. Roberts

Transparency = Integrity

2006-08-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

"Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" John 1:47.

No guile. No deceit, craft, or trickery. The Hebrew root word means to catch with a bait; a decoy. With Nathanael - what you see is what you get. Jesus sees his heart clearly. What does He see in my heart or yours? What do others see in us? Are we transparent so that Christ can cleary be seen through us? The dictionary defines transparent as, "Easily understood, very clear; without guile or concealment; open, frank, candid." This has always been a benchmark for me in discipling my children. What you say and do is who you are. Do we always achieve that? Of course not. But if you strive for nothing, you hit nothing. The main reason that we participated in Boy Scouts (and it was a Christian, homeschooled troop) was the character parallels I saw in God's Word. I wanted that shaping for Jeremy (and it had a trickle-down effect on Carey). She is very proud of her brother's recent Eagle achievement. This is the Scout Law:

A Scout is - Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

This is a good life model for a Christian, man or woman. It imitates Christ. The very first character trait though is trustworthy. Worthy of trust. What makes you or I worthy of trust? Integrity. "The quality or state of being of sound moral priciple; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity," according to the dictionary. As Christians, sometimes we are more opaque than transparent. People are watching us all of the time. Do we stand out from the culture around us, or do we blend in? Do our words and actions speak clearly of our Master? If you had an opportunity to share the Gospel with that person who is watching you, would he or she listen?

Live Out Thy Life Within Me

2006-08-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Live out Thy life within me,
O Jesus, King of kings!
Be Thou Thyself the answer
To all my questionings.
Live out Thy life within me--
In all things have Thy way!
I, the transparent medium,
Thy glory to display.

The temple has been yielded
And purified of sin;
Let Thy Shekinah glory
Now flash forth from within,
And all the earth keep silence,
The body henceforth be
Thy silent, docile servant,
Moved only as by Thee.

Its members every moment
Held subject to Thy call;
Ready to have Thee use them,
Or not be used at all;
Held without restless longing,
Or strain or stress or fret,
Or chafings at Thy dealings,
Or thoughts of vain regret.

But restful, calm and pliant,
From bend and bias free,
Permitting Thee to settle
When Thou hast need of me.
Live out Thy life within me,
O Jesus, King of kings!
Be Thou the glorious answer
To all my questionings.

Words by Frances R. Havergal (1836-1879)

Click here to listen to the music (by Samuel Wesley).

"Inward Gaze"

2006-08-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Not sure of the exact date that I wrote this, but it was back in 2001, so I would have been fourteen at the time.

"Inward Gaze"
Carey Nofziger, 2001

My gaze is turning inward;
Lord, turn my eyes to those
Who, for the sake of Jesus,
Suffer trials and woes.

My eyes are on myself, Lord,
Please pluck them if you must,
So that I shall be dependant
And in You only trust.

My thoughts are on my fate, Lord,
Please turn them towards the goal
Of planting seeds of gospel truth,
And fishing for some souls.

My heart is broken so, Lord,
Please mend it up again,
So that I can be more cheerful
And be a fisher of men.

Faith in the Furnace

2006-08-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our beloved pastor, Tommy Nelson, has been very ill the entire summer. He is a remarkable poet, and has published an entire book of his poetry. This is his latest poem inserted in our church bulletin on Sunday:

Faith in the Furnace

The love of God in truth and act
Enlightens, blesses, pole to pole
But in its wide benevolent sweep
It reaches down into The Hole ~
The dark place where the wounded lie
Those in confusion...darkness...low
In rooms whose corridors are slight
Where light from God alone can go.
Where prayer can seem a lifeless fax
Where truth seems brittle on the page
Where faith flies by its instruments
And clings to facts from ancient days.
But ah the wisdom...the perspective...
Oh the vision from its depth
What learning from its high tuition
What different view its hand has left.
Of others, values, God and sin
Thyself, the world and sovereignty
Of purpose, love, the church and suffering
The moment 'gainst eternity.
Before the veiled and dark instructor
Bows his student to beseech
And learns indeed there is no place
That is so deep that God can't reach.

Copyright 2006 by Tommy Nelson

"He Maketh My Feet Like Hinds' Feet"

2006-08-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite books of all time is Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I could see myself so clearly in the lead character in the book, "Much-Afraid," when I read it years ago. As I read Carey's post, "I Surrender All," that book was the first thing that came to my mind. In the climactic moment of the story, this character voluntarily lays upon an altar and allows the Shepherd to remove a plant that has wrapped itself around her heart, and the pain she suffers as He pulls it out, with all of its roots entangled around her heart, is very great. But when He is finished, she is FREE! Free to hear Him clearly, free to run about the mountains with Him because she now has "hinds feet" that enable her to do so. As I researched this in Scripture, I found that there is not one reference to this allegory, but three....

2 Samuel 22:34, "He maketh my feet like hinds feet: and setteth me upon my high places."
Psalm 18:33, "He maketh my feet like hinds feet: and setteth me upon my high places."
Habakkuk 3:19, "The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places."

like hinds' feet...
God must think that this concept is important to state this three times. But, what are hinds' feet? In Hebrew, the word for "hind" is 'ayalah, and means "doe or deer." Why would I want feet like that? "Deer are ungulates, or hoofed mammals. Their legs are well suited for running, whether chasing during the rut or evading danger. Deer also possess a great leaping ability. They bound swiftly across a dense forest or prairie, often jumping 8 feet into the air. The strong muscles of a deer's hind legs provide most of the power for running and jumping. The front legs are ideal for pivoting, allowing a deer to make sharp turns. The top speed of the whitetail is about 35 miles per hour. Whitetails are also good swimmers." (Hunting.net) I must confess, I would like to be able to move like that, both spiritually and physically!

Toward the end of the book, "Much-Afraid has been eagerly anticipating a call from the Shepherd, and not even the fortress-like walls of the canyon could keep her from responding. Neither the deer (that she is following) or Much-Afraid hesitates or is distracted from their purpose. Much-Afraid is fearful no longer--her heart has been transformed! Her focus is single-minded and she's determined to obey. Confident that she is being guided according to His plan, she follows precisely in the footsteps of the deer." (restorationministries.org) Oh that I would follow my Shepherd so closely!

my high places...
The first thing I noticed about this phrase is the pronoun my high places. My high places will not be your high places. They are uniquely chosen by the Shepherd for me and for you. The Hebrew word for "high place" is bamah and can mean a "mountain, a battlefield, or place of worship." He sets us, or makes us to walk, in these diverse settings. From the mountain He gives us a clearer view of the world around us so that we can clearly navigate with His perspective. With our Spiritual armour on, we can move into the battlefield of the day, equipped for His service. If we begin our day in the high place of worship, there is nothing we cannot conquer through Jesus Christ. With the hinds' feet He gives us, as we surrender our all, we can move into the high places with Him. "Keep in mind this wonderful thought: All that you're learning to apply now is just a fortaste of the glorious highest High Places to come when you see the King face to face. But that fact should not diminish in the least the reality of His here and now purpose for your life." (restorationministries.org)

Oh, and by the way, Much-Afraid's name is changed when she receives her hind's feet from the Shepherd. Her new name? Grace & Glory!

I Surrender All

2006-08-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

For the past month the Lord has taught me many lessons about surrender, and they've all been very painful and/or uncomfortable. Corrie Ten Boom once said, "I hold all things lightly, so it won't hurt for my Father to pry them loose from my hands." I had to learn not to hold on too tightly.

Before I left for Canada at the beginning of this month, Mom bought a signed copy of Elisabeth Elliot's "A Chance to Die" for me to read on the plane. It forever changed my life. As I read, the Lord convicted me of my need to surrender everything in my life -- something I hadn't done. I experienced small moments of surrender -- where I gave up little things or parts of big things -- but I wasn't living surrender. Right there in the plane I surrendered all to God, not knowing the consequences, but looking forward to the ultimate prize -- Jesus Christ Himself.

Reader, when you surrender all of your life to God the consequences are often costly and usually painful, but "he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" (Jim Elliot).

During my week in Canada, the Lord took me at my word and required not only the dearest thing to my heart, but my life as I knew it or had thought it would be. Everything was turned over. When I said I wasn't coming back the same Carey as when I left, I wasn't kidding. I left the old Carey behind me.

The moment I returned to the US, God had already taken care of so many things for me that I thought I had to deal with when I returned. There were some things that I had to give up, and I gave them up gladly. But there was still one thing I struggled to surrender. I had held it so closely to my heart, that I did not even realize at first how much it would hurt to let go... but I had to.

I have written before about laying your Isaac on the altar -- a great topic to write about and exhort others to do, but when it came to applying it to myself it was an entirely different matter. Reader, I guarantee you that when you are a child of God being sanctified, the Lord will at some point ask you to surrender something (or someone) very precious to you. Only until you surrender it completely will you even have the chance of getting it back. Maybe your sacrifice will be required and never returned, but I do know one thing: if you do not surrender your heart's desire, you most surely will not get it back.

Does this sound cruel? I sometimes felt that God had dealt cruelly with me. Why did He answer so many prayers and make the situation seem like His will -- only to take it away from me? But when I step back and look over this summer (in particular), I would not change a thing that happened. The spiritual growth brought forth and the deepening that only pain can bring is priceless. Even if I never get back my "Isaac," I take comfort because God worked beauty into me through the furnace -- and I have only a glimpse of the end result. I would go through that over and over again. God's will is perfect.

The entire week I was in Canada, one hymn continually played through my mind -- "I Surrender All." It has become my theme song:

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In his presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me Jesus, take me now.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

This past Sunday, I heard a sermon that drove the point home for me: "The Cost of Being a Disciple." When you are a disciple of Christ, you have to follow His example and deny yourself the passions and desires that rule your life, crucify your flesh, take up your cross as Christ did... you must lose your life in order to gain it (Mark 8:35-36). My life is not my own, and if you are a follower of Christ -- neither is yours.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith -- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

~ Philippians 3:7-16 (ESV)

The Faithfulness of God

2006-08-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

"There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, no not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely tried, our eyes bedimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the outworkings of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we can no longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice. Cherished plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have failed us, a professed brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We are staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud hides Him from us. We find it difficult, yea impossible, for carnal reason to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering soul, severely tried fellow pilgrim, seek grace to heed Isaiah 50:10, 'Who among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.'

When you are tempted to doubt the faithfulness of God, cry out, 'Get thee hence, Satan." Though you cannot now harmonize God's mysterious dealings with the avowals of His love, wait on Him for more light. In His own good time He will make it plain to you. 'What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.' (John 13:7) The sequel will yet demonstrate that God has neither forsaken nor deceived His child. 'And therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all that wait for Him.' (Isaiah 30:18)"

~ from The Attributes of God, by Arthur Pink

He satisfies the longing soul

2006-08-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Psalm 107:1-9 (ESV)

1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom He has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love,
for His wondrous works to the children of men!
9 For He satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul He fills with good things.

In my quiet time this morning, I "happened" to open to Psalm 107 and verse 9 "happened" to catch my eye -- "For He satisfies the longing soul..." Of course, I had to dig into the Hebrew Lexicon.

The Hebrew word used for "satisfies" literally means "to be satiated or enriched" -- blessed in over-abundance. "Longing" denotes running to and fro with a greedy eagerness. What I found particularly interesting was the word used for "soul." Now, when you think of a soul what immediately comes to your mind? My first thought was that it referred to an actual person (such as when we say "the poor soul"), but it's more than just that...

nephesh [neh'-fesh] -- living being (with life in the blood); the man himself, self, person or individual; seat of the appetites; seat of emotions and passions; activity of mind

The Lord does indeed satisfy the hungering soul. We have a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill, and we try to fill this gap with everything else (Christians included) -- success, money, friends, human love, material possessions -- you name it.

Of course, we have human desires. The Lord knows the "longings of my soul," but He often takes those crutches from me to draw myself closer to Him -- a constant reminder that ultimately, my Beloved is the only one who can satisfy me.

The Barren Women Rejoice

2006-08-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Last time I posted on this blog, I had spoken of Hannah and how the Lord hearkened to an honest prayer and opened the womb of a barren woman.

As Hannah rejoiced yet over her man child, Samuel, she gets on her praying knees which had served her well and utters one of my favorite verses.

Sa 2:5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

Just today, I stumbled upon verse nine of Psalm 113.

Psa 113:9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.

Amen, Lord! How many Biblical women were barren, yet the Lord opened their wombs. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah and Elisabeth, yet none did the Lord forsake. I know a lot can be said and taught from this, but tonight, my heart rejoices in that we, also, serve that same God of miracles.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Praise ye the Lord, for He doeth great things for His children; miraculous things for His daughters.

If our Lord Jesus Christ maketh the barren to bare seven children and maketh her a joyful mother then that can only reaffirm that nothing is too impossible for Him.

Matthew 19:26 With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

What, then, have I to doubt, what have I to fear? Nothing, for the Lord, He is my God.

Joshua 2:11 For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

I AM ashamed of the Gospel of Christ....?

2006-08-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am an avid reader, as is my daughter. I am currently reading Pilgrim's Progress, The Judgement Seat of Christ, and One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven. A quote from this last book by Mark Cahill was very convicting..........

"Many Christians want the lost to simply look at their lives and be able to see that they love Jesus. I suppose that means that the lost will need to infer that they too should love Jesus. I John 2:6 says, 'He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.' No doubt about it, everyone who calls himself a believer must strive to walk like Jesus did. John 4 tells us that Jesus made the first move to talk to the woman at the well. So to walk like He did, we must be available to the Spirit of God to initiate conversations with people as we're out witnessing.

Also, if people are looking at you, whose life are you really sharing--yours or God's? They would not know why you are supposedly such a good person, so you would be sharing your life only. And once you say you are a Christian, non-believers will watch everything you do. They like to see Christians stumble. So when you talk bad about the coach who doesn't give you enough playing time, drop a curse word into the conversation, talk about others behind their backs, etc., the lost are listening. Are you sure you want to witness by your actions alone? I definitely don't want to do that, because sometimes my actions don't portray my Savior in a very good light.

I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to speak at a missions conference at Biola University in Los Angeles. It was a great time, with many folks challenged by the messages God had me deliver. One day during lunch, some students invited me to sit with them. After we chatted a while, one of the girls said, 'Mark, I heard everything you said today, but I am just going to share my faith by my actions.' When people say that, I tell them, 'Oh, you must be thinking of Romans 1:16, 'I am ashamed of the Gospel of Christ...'

They usually respond, 'But that isn't what the verse says.' That's true--the verse actually states, '...I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.' When we don't want to talk about our faith, it is usually because we are ashamed of what people might think of us. However, God commands us to stand for Him and never be ashamed of Jesus. I asked each of those students how they got saved. Their answers were what I expected. 'My parents led me to Jesus.' 'I heard about Him at a revival meeting and made a commitment.' 'I was at church one Sunday and surrendered my life to the Lord.' 'A friend led me to Christ.'

I then said, 'Each one of you has just admitted that you are now a Christian because someone verbally told you about Jesus. Yet you want to come up with a new way to share your faith where you don't have to use words? Suddenly they all realized the imortance of speaking boldly about what they believe. People believe when the Good News is preached and the Spirit of God touches their hearts. So preach the Good News as God (through Paul) tells us to do!" (see Romans 10:13-17).

My deepest appreciation to Rev, Sarah, and Leila for enriching my daughter's life for 8 precious days! You have modeled this challenge, and done it well! "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12. You reach out to the lost faithfully and inward to the body of Christ as well. That reminds me of Paul's commendation to the Macedonian church, "How that, in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." May our Lord bless you richly!

A Woman's Question

2006-08-09T01:21:00.000-07:00

Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the Hand above?
A woman's heart, and a woman's life--
And a woman's wonderful love.

Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child might ask for a toy?
Demanding what others have died to win,
With the reckless dash of a boy.

You have written my lesson of duty out,
Manlike, you have questioned me.
Now stand at the bars of my woman's soul
Until I shall question thee.

You require your mutton shall always be hot,
Your socks and your shirt be whole;
I require your heart be true as God's stars
And as pure as His heaven your soul.

You require a cook for your mutton and beef,
I require a far greater thing;
A seamstress you're wanting for socks and shirts--
I look for a man and a king.

A king for the beautiful realm called Home,
And a man that his Maker, God,
Shall look upon as He did on the first
And say: "It is very good."

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade
From this soft young cheek one day;
Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves,
As you did 'mong the blossoms of May?

Is your heart an ocean so strong and true,
I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell
On the day she is made a bride.

I require all things that are grand and true,
All things that a man should be;
If you give this all, I would stake my life
To be all you demand of me.

If you cannot be this, a laundress and cook
You can hire and little to pay;
But a woman's heart and a woman's life
Are not to be won that way.

~Lena Lathrop
from I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

Why Bother to Pray?

2006-08-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

"If God is sovereign, and things will be as they are going to be anyway, why bother to pray? There are several reasons. The first is really all we need to know: God has told us to pray. It is a commandment, and if we love Him, we obey His commands. Second, Jesus prayed. People sometimes say that the only reason for prayer is that we need to be changed. Certainly we do, but that is not the only reason to pray. Jesus did not need to be changed or made more holy by praying. He was communing with His Father. He asked for things. He thanked God. In His Gethsemane prayer, He besought His Father to prevent what was about to take place. He also laid down His own will. Third, prayer is a law of the universe. God ordained that certain physical laws should govern the operation of this world. Books simply will not stay put on a table without the operation of the law of gravity. There are spiritual laws as well. Certain things will not happen without the operation of prayer. God could cause books to stay on tables by what theologians call "divine fiat." Everything we pray for could occur in the same way, but that is not how things were arranged. Pascal, the great French thinker, said that in prayer God gives us "the dignity of causality." Bible reading should shape our prayers. Here is a passage from Colossians 3:12-14 (Phillips) which hits me between the eyes and shows me very clearly some changes I need God's help to make.

'As God's picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God Himself, be merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind. Accept life, and be most patient and tolerant with one another, always ready to forgive if you have a difference with anyone. Forgive as freely as the Lord has forgiven you. And, above everything else, be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues.'"

Elisabeth Elliot, from Keep a Quiet Heart

"Staying Pure"

2006-07-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.pursuantgroup.com/hudson/audiodevo/0706-w4.htm

What's in a Name?

2006-07-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at church, John Brown, our Missions Pastor, spoke about the name and character of Jesus. We sang about His name. We meditated on the character that His name personifies. Jesus said in John 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."

"The many names (of God) in Scripture constitute additional revelation of God's character, His works, and His relationship to us based on His character and works. The names which God chose for Himself and which are ascribed to Him in the Word of God are additional revelations of the who and what of God that we may know and relate to God. So, just as the name of God in the Old Testament, spoke of the holy character of God the Father, so the name of Jesus in the New Testament speaks of the holy character of God the Son." (from The Names of God by J. Hampton Keathley, III) I have a reference card that I carry in my Bible that lists the names of Jesus. He is known by 123 names! Just studying and meditating on His names and associated character could take a very long time.

In our culture, we human beings usually have only 3 names, first/middle/last. Sometimes we are given names passed down from family, some parents name their children after famous people or perhaps they just like the sound of a name. In the Bible, a person's name often had great significance, such as Eve (the mother of all living) or Noah (rest). God sometimes changed names based on significant events, such as Abram becoming Abraham, or Jacob (deceiver) becoming Israel at the Jabbok River after wrestling with the Angel of the Lord (Gen. 32:28).

My husband and I prayed about what we should name our children, believing their names would signify their character and hopefully how God would use them. Carey Lanae means "pure/light"and Jeremy Nathaniel means "appointed by Jehovah/a gift from God." They have been reminded all of their lives about the meanings of their names and encouraged to live up to them. Whether your parents prayed about your name or not, a Sovereign God decreed what your name would be. What does your name mean? Does it describe your character? Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver or gold."

The primitive Hebrew root word for "name" is "suwm" and means "to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix; to set or make for a sign." Your name is a sign of who you are. It was ordained and established for you before the beginning of time. If you are a believer, your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life. So....what will you do for Him today? How can you live up to your name?

Emotional Purity

2006-07-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

Webster's dictionary defines pure as "unmixed with any other matter -- free from dust, dirt, or taint -- spotless, stainless -- being thus and no other: sheer, unmitigated."

Physical purity has always been stressed in the Church. Have we ever stopped to consider that there is more than just sexual purity to preserve? We focus so much on saving the body for marriage.

But what of the heart?

I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3, ESV)

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:22-23)

Sarah F., a good friend of my family wrote this about emotional purity...

When I was in college and was in an accountability group, I remember coming across a verse that struck me hard. "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless..." (1 Peter 3:14)
I was profoundly aware of my spots. I had been emotionally involved with guys through dating for several years and longed for emotional purity. How I wished to turn back time and do things differently! My sincere desire is that you do not make the same mistakes I did.
My advice to you would be to fall in love with the Savior. Place Him in the highest place in your heart. Once you withdraw your worth and satisfaction from Jesus, you will no longer be in as much danger of drawing value from other people.
If you have become emotionally wrapped up in other people, as I did, there is still hope! God is faithful and is able to make all things new. He can renew your heart. Its never too late to choose purity! (Beauty From the Heart: Thoughts on Purity)

For us women, it is all too easy to become emotionally entangled (see "Guarding Your Heart"). Each one of us has a built-in desire to be loved, but so often do we forget our heavenly Bridegroom and compromise our emotional purity! I do not suggest that we do not become emotionally involved, but that we be careful not to become emotionally entangled. Emotional involvement is inevitable for us women -- that is the way we are built.

To my unmarried female audience: Would it not be wonderful to tell your husband someday, "You are the first, the last -- the only man I have ever loved or will love"? I have held emotional attachments for the opposite gender before -- out of sisterly love -- but never anything serious. Once I fall in love with someone -- that's it. Period. It's all or nothing.

Ladies, that is why it is so important -- and I repeat -- so important that we consistently offer our hearts to our Bridegroom Jesus Christ for His keeping. We must be at all times surrendered to His will -- our hearts in His hand -- so that we may keep His commandment of total purity.

Purity requires all of you -- body, mind, heart -- without total surrender to Christ, there is no purity. I exhort you, my sisters, to render yourselves living sacrifices to the Lover of your soul.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2, ESV)

Hannah

2006-07-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

I don’t necessarily have a favorite Bible character; I only have many favoriteS, and Hannah is most certainly one of my favorite ladies in the Bible. I had posted this on my own blog months ago, and I decided to archive it and edited it a little bit.

1Samuel 1:10-18 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

Hannah is a Godly woman, and just like prior to other Godly women in the Bible, she had to wait on the Lord for her heart's sole desire. She was barren. Not only so, but she was provoked by her adversary (1 Samuel 1:10), mocked because the Lord had shut up her womb. That caused her great sadness, so much so, she would not eat (v.7). In verse 10, we are told that she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore.

She was a smart woman, what I like to call "a prayer warrior", quick to get on her knees and unashamed of pouring her heart out at the altar of the Lord. She speaks, reasons and makes a vow with Him (v.11), that if He would look on her affliction and give her a man child she would dedicate Him unto the Lord all the days of His life.

She prayed with sincerity and didn't hold back anything. She prayed in her heart, probably with an attitude of humility. Hannah certainly did not lack belief in the Lord. After having prayed and having received a blessing from Eli (v.18) Hannah gets back on her way, eats and her countenance was no more sad!

Two verses below, she conceives Samuel and Hannah remembers to keep her vow unto the Lord:

1Sa 1:21-28 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

In chapter two, we read a most beautiful prayer by Hannah. Not only does she keep her vow unto God but gets right back on those prayer knees which served her well. In verse 5, she says "so that the barren hath borne 7". Just a few verses below, in verse 21, Hannah conceives again and bares three more sons and two daughters!

Prayer is a must, but for Hannah (and for us), it would have been in vain had she not trusted that the Lord would hear her cry and fulfill her heart's desire in due time. There comes that belief again! There was a change in her attitude, in her countenance, prior to the answered prayer.

Moreover, it is so important and crucial to keep our vows and to remember the Lord who beheld our affliction, just as Hannah accomplished, and in return, the Lord blessed her yet more!

"Tribute"

2006-07-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Carey's Journal: "Tribute"

Isaiah 55:8-11*

2006-07-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. "

I find this passage particularly comforting. God's thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are higher than mine. So often do I find myself worrying over things that I should not even be concerned with. As if Satan or man could change God's plans! When I think of this Scripture, my worries suddenly seem very small and almost childish. God's Word does not return void, and His promises will come to pass. I can rest in that! Isn't that a wonderful comfort to know for the believer? God will accomplish what He set out to do -- not only that, but it will prosper!

*New King James Version

Pure in Heart

2006-07-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

One of the sub-topics in our Bible study last week was the benefits (bene being the Latin word for good) mentioned in the above Scripture. One of those 7* benefits is Revelation. Matthew 5:8 states, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." This is Revelation. Everything else in heaven and earth pales by comparison and fades away if we are beholding our Maker. And yet we are promised this benefit if we are pure in heart. What does that mean? You knew this wouldn't be easy, right?

This definition for pure is, "(1) purified by fire (2) like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit (3) free from corrupt desire, sin, and guilt (4) free from every admixture of what is false, sincere, genuine (5) blameless, innocent. So, do you want to see Him? Do I? What else do I want to see that gives any meaning to my life? If I do not behold Him first, NOTHING. But what is in the way? What hides His face from me? A. W. Tozer states, "Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God." Somehow, I knew that was coming. I don't like the thoughts of fire and pruning. How about another quote from Tozer, "We must do something about the cross, and one of two things only can we do--flee it or die upon it." (from The Root of Righteousness). Back to the cross again. And again. "The bitter providences of our lives teach us to see God." (Margaret Ashmore)

What is the alternative? Sin and death. Oh, great! You mean there is no gray area? No place I can hide? No. But the result of a pure heart is to SEE GOD! It comes down to this. Sin and death, or beholding God. Either way, you will have pain and suffering. I prefer pain and suffering with unspeakable joy to the alternative. How about you?

*More on the other 6 benefits later.

Tears

2006-07-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, my husband and I watched The Passion of the Christ together when our children were in Mexico. This past week, we watched The Notebook. I must be masochistic! Watching the first movie is an intensely personal experience. I need to watch it every 6 months or so, just as a reminder of the pain that I caused my Savior and how precious the redemption is that He purchased for me. It brings my life into focus again, and gives me fresh perspective on the events of the present. The second movie is a perspective on human love between a husband and wife. When you have been married a long time (almost 20 years for us) and you have weathered many trials together, it is easy to identify with this couple at the end of their lives, to see how the passion of youth gives way to endurance and strong commitment that stands the test of time. I shed buckets of tears during both movies, for different reasons.

We women are destined to shed tears. I sometimes think that tears are the glue that hold us together. The men around us look on in puzzlement, failing to understand this mystery. They even think we're weird. What does God's Word have to say about our tears?

Psalm 56:8, "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?"
Psalm 126:5 says, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."
Rev. 7:17 states, "For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes."

The Lord keeps our tears, they bring a harvest of joy, and He will eventually wipe them all away! (I personally think that I have a really big bottle in heaven!) If you are going through a difficult time right now and you have shed many tears, wipe His feet with them. (Luke 7:38). He has seen every one, and is moved on your behalf. "For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living." (Psalm 116:8-9) It is a privilege to be a woman. At times, I think we have an edge over the men in our lives. Only when they become husbands and fathers do they even begin to understand why we cry so easily. So, onward, ladies! Sow a great harvest! We will reap in joy!

A Gracious Woman

2006-07-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

~A gracious woman retaineth honour. Proverbs 11:16

To be gracious is to have generosity of spirit marked by kindness and courtesy, to retain is to keep in possession, and honour is to merit respect. As daughters of the King, we eye to merit honour from our King Jesus. If then, we are gracious and welcoming to those who are in need, we will obtain favor from our Master.

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and remember that we are not trying to please men and each other, for all this is vain, but we desire to be the apple of the eye of our great God and Saviour.

We can be gracious to the things that are dear to the Lord, such as little children. (Matthew 19:14). And it a bit more difficult, we can even be gracious and extend a gesture of kindness to our enemies, such as the Lord commanded in Matthew 5:44.

After all, no one will ever be more gracious to us than the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life a ransom for ours on the cross of Calvary.

Certainly a beautiful verse for the Proverb of the Day for the 11th of the month.

"Wait"

2006-07-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Carey's Journal: "Wait"

Barbara's Testimony

2006-07-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank my daughter, Carey, and Leila and Sarah, her good friends, for the opportunity to share my testimony here. I never thought I would enter into the "blogosphere" because it seemed a thing in my children's realm, not mine. I was a little afraid of it, and didn't see how I could ever have the time. But, as God would have it (with my daughter's influence), I decided to give it a try. So, here I go...........

I was a "flower child" of the '60's, living in California, and a cousin to Janis Joplin. I saw Jim Morrison & the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl and the Beatles at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and tried everything my generation had to offer. It was all emptiness and death. But God's sovereign hand plucked me from the pit and brought me to Texas at age 21, and a new journey began for me here.

I had not been in the Dallas area long when my 17 year old sister (my only sibling) decided to go back to California to visit friends before starting college. We had always been very close, and I was looking forward to renewing that closeness we had as children. It was not to be. We got a phone call from California telling us that there had been an car accident, and that she and the driver, a girlfriend of hers, were both in the hospital. We needed to come quickly! After 3 days in intensive care, a flat EEG, and kidney failure, she left this world. I had tried everything - bargaining with God (who I didn't really know), offering my life if He would let her live, anything..........but nothing I could do or say could bring her back. As I type this, the memories are as fresh as yesterday. Wounds heal, but the scars are always with you.

It was her death that was the path to New Life for me. My parents were attending Believer's Chapel in Dallas, and the Word was taught faithfully there, often by staff of Dallas Theological Seminary. Crushed by the death of my sister, I was now ready for the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, and a faithful and Godly pastor, Bill MacRae lead me to the Master. I can remember him asking me if I thought I was going to Heaven. I replied, "I hope so," and then he explained how I could KNOW without a doubt, where I would spend eternity. It was INCREDIBLE! ME, chiefest of all sinners? It was that simple? I cannot explain in words the joy and elation I felt at that moment. I truly repented of my many sins, and asked Jesus Christ to save me, and He did!

Now, the process of sanctification began. There was much "undoing" to be done in my life, and I discovered that walking in newness of life doesn't mean that you are instantly "fixed." Oh, that it was that easy! Not long after I was saved, I began seeing a young man, graduate of Texas A & M University who came from a wealthy family, and fit the criteria of my parents for a "good match." Since I had been such a rebel, I decided to do things their way for a change. Unfortunately, it wasn't God's way. The 6-year abusive marriage was a disaster. Although he was a Dallas Police Officer, I barely escaped with my son after being threatened at gunpoint. Are you getting the picture that I learned life lessons the hard way?

Through the next 7 years, as a single mom, I truly learned to love Jesus as my provider and my closest friend. He was always there for me as I sought to raise David for Him. We were always in church and David was in a Christian school through 5th grade. David made a profession of faith as a young child, but I have never seen fruit. At the present time, he has moved back home, and we are all praying that he would see Christ in us and be drawn to Him as his Savior.

Almost 20 years ago, I met my present husband at church. He is a sweet, gentle man who came from a Mennonite home and had dear Christian parents. Isn't that funny? An ex-hippie and an ex-Mennonite! God has such a great sense of humor! (That's probably why our family is so crazy?!) My husband knew how to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" of a Christian, but when he was forced to retire on Disability 3 years ago (due to Muscular Dystrophy) and came home full time, it became painfully apparent that he wasn't saved! Praise God that we were at DBC and under the awesome teaching of Tommy Nelson! He was listening to Tom's series on marriage, angry at God (and everyone else) for his plight, and the Holy Spirit convicted him that HE was the problem! He has said it was as if the cobwebs cleared from his mind and he could see clearly for the first time. He repented of his sin, and walked out of our bedroom a new man!

I praise God that during our entire marriage, he loved our children and was always supportive of my homeschooling them. He worked so hard to provide for them and to love all of us to the best of his ability. But now, he loves us with the love of Jesus Christ, and there is NO comparison!

I first became aware of homeschooling when I was managing the Family Bookstore in Plano (a Christian book store chain). I had gone through their management training program and opened the store at Collin Creek Mall. As the manager, I could take home any books that I wanted to read (I could sell them better)! Wouldn't you know it, among the parenting books were books on homeschooling. Carey was only 2, so I read one for fun. And then another. Then I discovered that, at almost 40 years of age, I was expecting Jeremy! Oh my! Hard right turn! No more career mom!

Three years later, Carey and I began homeschooling in Kindergarten and we've never looked back. Homeschooling began as a commitment and has become a PASSION for me. Of course, my favorite subject is Bible, but my goal is to disciple my children for Christ, that I can give them back to Him, equipped for His service. We study the Westminster Confession of Faith, Christian Worldviews, Foxes Book of Martyrs, apologetics, and the great Christian writers of the Church Age. I am a curriculum fanatic and everything we use must be filtered through God's Word! As my children grow in their faith, I get to keep growing with them!

Seeing Carey & Jeremy putting their faith to use as young adults is the greatest blessing of my life! Watching them follow Jesus with their own passion cannot be compared to anything the world has to offer. I am now working in the childcare ministry in our church, and God has given me several young mothers to mentor and pray with on a regular basis. They are making the decision to homeschool their children because of the fruit in mine. Amazing! People who know me now cannot believe that I was the rebel of my past. I truly am a new creature in Christ. I just rejoice if anyone can see a small reflection of my Savior in me! Praise His Holy Name!

Barbara

The Path of Obedience

2006-07-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I gained from this nanny job it is insight -- I will have a better idea of what I'm getting into than most young women. No idealistic dreams of having well-behaved children and how I think parenting should be done (with my vast years of life experience... haha). It is just plain hard (and a full-time job).

For the past two days Taylor (age four) and I have been dealing with obedience issues. Sure, she's cute and sweet, but wow is she stubborn. I have to be even more stubborn, but I also realize that for a young child obedience is one of the most important lessons she can learn. Really, obedience is the most important lesson for anyone to learn, but it becomes harder for an adult to learn.

For people like myself with a rebellious streak, obedience can be a hard (and sometimes painful) lesson to learn. If you're like me, it sometimes takes several "lessons" (or a 2x4 over the head) to get the message across, but the more you practice obedience the easier it becomes. The path of obedience is not often chosen because it is difficult, it is hard, and it is lonely. The path of obedience will not make you happy -- but it will bring you the greatest joy.

Just a few days ago, I was presented with a clear-cut choice to obey God or do my own thing. By the sheer grace of God I chose the path of obedience this time, even though it was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make yet. In my journal, I compared it to jumping off a cliff...

(03 July) ... I don't know what will come of this. I jumped off the ledge and I cannot see the bottom -- neither have I hit it. It's as though I am suspended with naught but the invisible hand of Christ holding me -- but He caught me when I jumped. Now I have to entrust the landing to Him, [even though] it may be a while before I land.

Obedience is like jumping off a cliff: God often calls us to obey when we cannot see the outcome of the situation. We have the choice to jump or turn around. Often we turn around, but do we not realize that though it may be a bottomless abyss before us, that the Almighty is there to catch us. Just think of Peter walking on the water to Jesus (Matthew 14).

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! (Psalm 119:1-2)

Resignation

2006-07-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

http://careysjournal.blogspot.com/2006/07/resignation.html

Transformation, Not Information

2006-07-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

"God is most glorified when we are most fully cast upon Him." (Margaret Ashmore -- 7/4/06 Quote of the Month from her website www.margaretashmore.com)

"I would not be anywhere else but in this hardest of fields with an invincible Christ... I am full of hope that when God delays in fulfilling our little thoughts, it is to leave Himself room to work out His great ones. And, more and more as times goes on, I feel that the longer He waits the more we can expect, for the deeper and wider will be the undermining, and the greater will be the band of those who will come forth free from their prison walls. When one gets hold of that vision, one can throw back in the devil's face his taunts over the seemingly wasted years that lie behind us." - Lillias Trotter

Carey and I have been studying the book of Esther with this wonderful, Godly woman. She subtitles the study, "The book that teaches us not to take matters into our own hands." It is an intense study on the sovereignty of God, and my purpose in writing is to share some of the precious nuggets of Truth gleaned in the time we spend with this amazing woman. Margaret said, "What we need is more transformation, not information!" Amen!

Revelation 19:7-8: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." What are some of those righteous acts?

You must understand true repentance (John 4:28-29, Isaiah 31:6-7)
You are non-compromising (like the Shulamite you must be a wall; Song of Solomon 8:10)
You are led by commitment and faith, not emotion (Matt. 17:20)
You do not gossip (diablos/name for Satan; means slanderer (Prov. 10:18)
You do not give opportunity for the flesh (2 Cor. 7:1)
You do not focus on yourself (the other person is most important; get lost in the love of others and serving others (Isaiah 58:10-12)
You are forgiving, remembering how much God has forgiven you! (Eph.1:7)

Jerry Bridges, in The Pursuit of Holiness says, "But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like Himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God."

"What you are becoming while waiting on God is more important than getting there!"

"Everything you are looking for is on the other side of the cross!"

"All of God's revelations are sealed to us until we obey." (Margaret Ashmore)

New Team Member!

2006-07-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone please welcome our newest team member to Far Above Rubies -- Barbara (justified51)! I've known this special lady all my life (and she just happens to be my mommy). So now we have two mother-daughter teams posting on this blog. Justified51 will be posting soon!

The Beauty Myth

2006-06-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Western culture bombards us with them constantly: slim figures, pouty lips, perfectly straight hair, smoldering eyes... the list goes on and on. Young women are pressured to look and dress a certain way in order to be accepted as "beautiful." So many young women (including myself once) have accepted the lie that you must look a certain way to be beautiful.

Ladies, we must not believe this lie that Satan tells us. By putting our focus on outward appearances, we take our eyes on what matters -- the heart.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward --— arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel -- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Satan wants us to focus on our outward appearances in order to take our eyes off of Christ.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)

Why do we care so much that we have to be beautiful? Every woman has a deeply rooted desire to be loved and appreciated by a man. So many women will go to extraordinary lengths to obtain this appreciation -- even if it literally means killing themselves. We go to such great lengths to produce a physical appearance that the world defines as "beautiful" in order to be loved -- only to find utter shallowness and low self-worth.

This is what drives so many young women to eating disorders. Ladies, this is wrong. Period. I know from personal experience that starving yourself and/or binging is the wrong way to lose weight. You are hurting your body, which is a temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19). Let me give you examples of what can happen to your body.

Anorexia -- when you consistently starve yourself of vital nutrients found in food, you begin to deplete your muscle tissue (a very bad thing) and can even sterilize yourself (an even worse thing).

Bulemia -- consistent vomiting will severely damage the lining of your esophagus and eventually you will not be able to stop vomiting (even if you want to). You can give yourself Acid Reflux. Recovery is slow, frustrating, and often painful.

At the age of fifteen, I weighed nearly twice what a girl of my small bone structure and height should have weighed. I really did need to lose weight for medical reasons, but my desire was to be skinny and "pretty," not to be just healthy. Purging after excessive eating was not the answer to my problem -- in fact, in only added to my problem. After two months of this, I grew tired of vomiting and wanted to stop -- but I couldn't. The lining of my esophagus was already so badly damaged that I vomited every time I ate -- regardless of whether I wanted to or not. It took medication and years of recovery to repair my body. Even though it's been years, I am still paying the consequences with acid reflux. Acidic foods still make me nauseous.

Seven months ago, I finally began to handle my weight the right way with healthy eating and exercise. Losing weight is not easy for me, but up to date I have lost 35 pounds and three clothing sizes. It can be done, but it takes discipline and dedication to keep your body healthy. I did not set a goal weight, because losing weight is not my goal. My goal is to be healthy so that I can serve God to the best of my ability.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23)

Take a look at the Proverbs 31 woman. Not once is her physical appearance praised or even mentioned -- it is her godly character that is exalted. Also remember that a man will never complete you -- only your heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, can complete you and love you with perfect love.

Laying your "Isaac" on the altar

2006-06-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

Read: Genesis 22

When God asked Abraham to give up the most precious thing in his life, Abraham readily gave up his only son. No questions asked. What incredible faith!

God asks us to give up things (or people) that we love and we must be ready to surrender everything to Him. Sometimes the sacrifices are taken, and other times they are given to us -- after we have completely laid them on the altar before the Lord. My sisters, let me tell you there is no greater joy than surrendering to God and having your sacrifice returned to you. The Lord is good!

But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:25-30)

Guarding Your Heart

2006-06-07T04:16:00.000-07:00

As Christian women, we are constantly told to guard our hearts (usually in regards with a man). So many (including myself) take this to mean "guard your emotions." We think we must detach ourselves emotionally from a situation in order to "guard" our hearts. In reality, my sisters, we cannot guard our own hearts. That is the job of our heavenly Bridegroom.

We women are very emotional creatures. It is difficult (and nearly impossible) to emotionally detach ourselves from people and/or situations, so attempting to emotionally detach ourselves seems a little absurd.

For the longest time, I held the view that guarding my heart meant building walls around it -- complete with concrete, barbed wires, and snipers. Sure, I was an impenetrable fortress -- no man would have me. What I didn't realize was that not only was I inhibiting my relationship with my Beloved Lord, but a person who builds walls cannot love easily... and those who do not love do not truly live. The Lord had to break down my "walls" -- a painful, but sanctifying experience -- to render my heart broken and vulnerable. Yet when your heart is broken and vulnerable, dear sister, that is when the Lord works best.

Guarding your heart is not building walls. Rather, it is tearing down the walls around your heart and making yourself vulnerable to the Lord -- not to a man, but to your heavenly Bridegroom. Guarding your heart is surrendering it to the Lord and His will. You must trust the Lord to guard your heart, not your own walls to defend it. Be most assured, dear sister, that the Lord will guard your heart with a jealous passion -- for it belongs to Him. Surrender your heart to the Lord, for there is no safer place than in His hands.

There will be pain and suffering, but embrace that cross just as our Lord did. Embrace your vulnerability. Embrace the pain that comes with a broken heart. Bear it gladly and bear it well, my sisters.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, Who daily bears our burdens. Selah. (Psalm 68:19)

No Other Love But Thee

2006-06-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

O You Whom I love,
My Beloved, my Groom!
Be ever near to me
In trials, when they loom.
Hold my hand, my Love,
And draw me to Thy side.
E'er Thou art faithful
To always with me bide.
Let this passion ne'er cool --
This ardour always flame --
May I always show Thy love
And glorify Thy name.
No one could ever be
As good as Thou to me.
For I shall have no other love --
No other love but Thee.

Carey Nofziger
17 May 2005

Woman with the Alabaster Box

2006-06-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

In Matthew 26:6:13, you will read of a woman, which to me is the most fascinating woman in the New Testament. The Bible does not record her name, though she is mentioned in three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke.

This section of Matthew, chapter 2 that is, is about Jesus’ coming death.

Mat 26:2-5 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

Now while Jesus is in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, here comes this woman with an alabaster box of very precious ointment (v. 7), and pours it on Jesus’ head. Here’s what I find very interesting. Jesus Christ knows that his time is short and has two days before his crucifixion, and though he has been mentioning it to his disciples, they were never able to comprehend it. His disciples, however, seemed to understand the concept of charity, for this was their answer:

Mat 26:8-9 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

And this is Jesus’ response:

Mat 26:10-12 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

How did this woman who appears to us out of the blue, seem to have known and understood that her Saviour would soon die for her sins. That is beyond me. And here we have his disciples who were with him from day one, and though it is great that they knew charity, hadn’t yet realized that Christ came not to live, but to die and to lay down his life that they may freely obtain it.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is kind in that he recognized her good deed. For she hath wrought a good work upon me.

Mat 26:13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

What a blessing coming from the mouth of Jesus Christ. Someday in eternal heaven I will meet and will ask her, “how did you know?”.

"Yet I Will Rejoice"

2006-05-31T04:03:00.000-07:00

"Yet I Will Rejoice" by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The Proverbs 31 for Men

2006-05-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 31 for Men -- what to look for in a godly man, ladies.

The P-31 Model

2006-05-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about an airplane. I'm talking about the Proverbs 31 woman -- the bane of every Christian woman's existence. We all know that list is there and most of us purposely ignore that section of the Bible, but what is it really saying? Is Proverbs 31 as "bad" as we make it out to be?

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The Hebrew word used for "virtuous" (chayil) actually means "strength" in the sense of the military. No, it doesn't mean you need to be GI Jane, but this verse is literally saying that this woman's strength is like that of an army. Wow! That's a woman to be reckoned with!

11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Her husband is confident in her. Batach, used for "safely trust," means "to be confident, secure, bold." This woman's husband is proud of her.

12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. This verse seems to explain itself in a general manner, but when I looked up the original Hebrew, I discovered what was meant by "good" and "evil." She is sensitive towards her husband's emotional, intellectual, and sexual needs. She is not hurtful towards this man -- she uplifts him.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. Does this mean we should weave and drive an hour for groceries? No. Notice the key words -- she seeks and works willingly. She has a servant's heart. It's interesting to notice that the Hebrew used for "seeketh" means "to consult, enquire of, seek (of God); to practice, study, follow, seek with application."

15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. I once heard a story about a man who asked his wife, "So when are you going to wake up early?" to which the wife replied, "When are you going to get me some of those maidens?" Again, this speaks of the woman's diligence. No, you don't have to wake before dawn (although I personally like to because I'm a morning person). The Hebrew for "riseth" actually means that she is "established" and "fulfilled" before the sun ever rises. I would take this a step further to say that this woman has her personal devotions before the break of dawn. She meets with the Lord before her day begins and before anyone else is awake.

16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. The P-31 runs a business out of her home.

17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. "Strength" is actually used not only in the physical sense, but also in social and political sense. This woman exudes strength and confidence.

18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She tastes the benefits of her prosperous labor and works late into the night. Again, this woman is diligent.

19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. This worried me at first because I can't sew to save my soul. My mind draws a blank when my eyes behold the needle and thread. You do not need to be well-trained in the way of the seam to be a godly woman, but you do need to apply yourself diligently to the work you have -- like this woman.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. The P-31 is merciful and helps those who are less fortunate than she. (Take a look at James 2:14-26.) She volunteers in her community, works in a food bank, etc.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. Because of her diligence, the P-31 does not fear for her family's well-being.

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. In Biblical times, silk and purple were the fabric exclusively associated with royalty. This woman isn't a frumpy housewife.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. Because of her excellent character, her husband has no fear of taking a leadership position.

24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Her second business run out of the home.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. The P-31 is literally cloaked in strength and honor. Interesting, though, is that the Hebrew for "rejoice" actually means "to laugh, play, mock."

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. See Psalm 37:30-31, 39:1, James 1:26, and James 3:1-12. This woman controls her tongue -- something many females don't do.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. She is never idle, but wisely using every minute of her day.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. This verse is often used on Mother's Day cards, but every day is Mother's Day for the P-31. Those closest to her -- who see her worst side -- sing her praises.

29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. This is what her husband says of her -- the greatest praise a man could ever give a woman.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Nothing is said of the P-31's physical beauty -- she has a gorgeous character. God-fearing women are to be praised. Proverbs 11:22 says, "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion." Beauty does you no good if there isn't a beautiful heart.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. An excellent conclusion -- let her own works praise her. No words are needed to give this woman praise.

Wow, so that really is a "tall order" isn't it? Obviously, no woman -- no matter how godly she is -- completely fills this profile. This passage is here to challenge and exhort us. Don't try to make a list and follow it. God doesn't make lists for us to follow -- He sent His Son for us to follow.

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." Walk closely with the Lord and this will become natural (James 4:8).

Mothers at the foot of the cross

2006-05-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mothers Day in North America.

Brian seized the opportunity and preached on mothers. His text came from John and the account of the crucifuxion. He focussed on two main thoughts.

The need to honor our mothers (and fathers) and how Jesus cared for mothers including his own. He stressed how fom the cross our Lord made sure that Mary would be cared for after his death.

Brian referred to the mother of Jesus coming to the foot of the cross and illustrated that a good mother will spend time at the foot of the cross. At the foot of the cross, good mothers become great mothers, he added.

Love is Patient

2006-05-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Carey's Journal -- Love is Patient

Also Far Above Rubies

2006-05-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

The price of a virtuous woman is not the only thing that is Far above rubies. Wisdom is also mentioned twice in the same way in the Proverbs

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. ~Proverbs 3:14-15

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. ~Proverbs 8:11

And if any lack that wisdom that is more precious and better than rubies, let Him ask of God, for thus saith the Word of God.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. ~James 1:5

Study of Zephaniah

2006-05-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

http://careysjournal.blogspot.com/2006/05/study-of-zephaniah.html

Never listen to your heart

2006-04-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ~Jeremiah 17:9

That's a very well known and often quoted verse by believers. I think it's a verse that all Christian women ought to remember.

Women in general, mostly young ladies, tend to often think with their heart. It also seems to be a worthy piece of advice, "do whatever you heart tells you to" or "listen to your heart". It irritates me when I hear these words!

The Bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

Never listen to you heart. Always trust in the Lord your God.

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. ~Psalms 37:5

And here's what to do with you heart:

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. ~Psalms 62:8

Now there's a worthy piece of advice from God's own Holy Word.

Love Like Flaming Steel

2006-04-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Love Like Flaming Steel

Condolences

2006-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

My boss sent me the following, and I thought it worthwhile sharing.

Please join me in saying good-bye....

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name ofCommon Sense who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were longago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valued lessons asknowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets theworm and that life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend morethan you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, arein charge, and wants do not equal needs ). His health began to rapidlydeteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

The report of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment forkissing a classmate, a teen suspended from school for using mouthwashafter lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student,only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools wererequired to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but couldnot inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to havean abortion.

Finally, Common sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandmentsbecame contraband, churches became businesses and criminals receivedbetter treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realizethat a steaming cup of coffee was hot, spilled it in her lap, and wasawarded a lot of money.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; hiswife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Wait For Me

2006-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wait for me,
As I wait for you.
Faithfully, darling --
Let us be true.

Waiting... waiting...
For God to make it clear
Just exactly who you are,
And if you're far or near.

Waiting... waiting...
For months or for years?
I'll wait patiently
And bide my fears.

Are you waiting as I wait?
With pure heart and steady gait,
Will you take my hand and vows?
Are you waiting for me now?

This poem was written by yours truly at the age of fifteen. I found it last night while browsing through one of my old journals. It was very comforting to me. Why?

From a young age, I have always maintained a high standard of purity -- even to the extent of saving my first kiss. It is really hard to maintain a high standard of purity -- not the easy road to take -- but young ladies, I encourage you to take this road with me.

I'd like to be able to look my husband in the eye someday and say with a clear conscience, "I saved everything for you -- not just my virginity, but I saved everything, even my first kiss." Sounds a bit antiquated and maybe silly? A lot of people think so. And what if I never marry? Many young women use this argument: I'm attracted to this guy, so what's wrong if we kiss? I may not get married, so should I never ever kiss?? Young ladies, your first kiss, like your virginity, is a very precious gift. Once you give it, it's gone.

For those of us who won't marry, we can offer up that purity to Christ which we kept intact during our life. Your purity and innocence are so fragile and difficult to keep intact. In the end, it will be worth it, even just to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant."

So ladies, I encourage you to wait -- not for your Prince Charming -- but wait for the Lord.

"... Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25b-27)

"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)

“'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!' The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him." (Lamentations 3:24-28)

What great Faith

2006-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Mar 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, Mar 5:26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, Mar 5:27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. Mar 5:28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

Twelve years she lived with her sickness, but when she heard of Jesus "If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole" proves to me that even she understood the simplicity of trusting Christ. It was the Faith that she put in Jesus Christ that healed her.

Mar 5:29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

We do not know her name but the legacy she left behind is her great Faith in the Lord Jesus.

Mar 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Foul language for women

2006-04-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

I find it disgusting when women use foul language. I am not being a shovenist or anything but I think women who behave like men cursing and yelling out filthy words are not feminine at all.

"It's not a religion, it's a relationship."

2006-04-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

This is what I told a girl at school a year ago. She was raised Methodist and was telling me (rather sarcastically) about the futility and traditions she was brought up in, how she thought the Bible was more like Aesop's Fables, etc. It pained my heart to hear about such a misrepresentation of my Lord.

Even as born-again believers, how often do we treat God like a religion, rather than a relationship? We go to church every Sunday, pray over our meals, occasionally read our Bibles to make our day better, maybe join a Wednesday night Bible study... we go through the motions. How often do we actually see that the Lord of heaven and earth loves us dearly and wants a very personal relationship with us? He wants to meet us at every step of our day... but do we sense Him there?

Several years ago, an older Christian friend of mine from China pointed out something that struck my heart to the core. We were discussing devotions and when we had them. She asked if I had a specific time I met the Lord each day.

"Well, no... sometimes in the morning (if I wake up early enough), or in the evening -- whenever I have the time."

"If the President of the United States asked to meet you at a specific time, would you tell him 'Whenever I have the time'?"

Ouch. Of course not. If the President wanted to meet me, of course I would set aside the time (even if I don't agree with him 100%). How much more should I honor the Creator of the universe?

So ladies... when do you meet the Lord each day?

Deep stuff or just scratching the surface

2006-04-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

There is a general feeling that meetings for women should be set in a home-like atmosphere making it more cozy because women are more delicate or fancy. I realize it is natural for women to want to decorate their meeting rooms and bake a cake for fellowship time and I am not against being stylish. However sometimes we get carried away and the meetings end up being nothing more than just a tea party.

I personally prefer meetings that are more focused around prayer and bible study where the purpose is discussing personal issues in light of biblical standards, than just having a debate on issues that hardly scratch the surface. I believe that godly women are just as capable of handling deep stuff as godly men are.

Sarah's Testimony

2006-03-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Before sharing my testimony, I would first like to thank all the lovely ladies of this blog for giving me an opportunity to share what the Lord has done in my life.

Consecrated (Leila) is my mother, and so, if you read her testimony below, you will understand and know a little bit better on my background. I have asked her permission to share some personal detail. You will understand why as you read on.

My brother and I were both born in Lebanon. Due to the civil war, my parents immigrated to Canada when I had just turned 7. And so, I can say that I have been raised in Montreal. You now know how my mother was brought to salvation. My father was brought up Roman Catholic, much like the Christian majority of Lebanon. He wasn't saved when my parents married. Though I attended a catholic school in Lebanon, when we came to Canada, my parents took us to a Protestant Church. In fact, it was an excellent church, even though we were there for one year. The church was a French King James Bible Believing church. It was somewhat confusing to me, since I was not aware of Christian denominations, being of a young age. Catholic churches are big and fancy looking in Lebanon. I thought that churches in Canada were just poor and that is why my church was small and remarkably different.

That year, my father (though I'm not certain of his salvation, and am in no position to judge, only God knows), and my brother got saved and were baptized in that small French church. That was even more confusing to me. I had always thought that only babies get baptized, and it was odd looking to me to see my brother, and my dad, a grown man, getting baptized. I inquired my mother when we got home. And so, at the age of 7, sitting in our living room in that first house in Canada, my mother explained to me salvation and the difference of baptism. I don't remember what really did it. All I know, is she told me that I was a sinner, and that Jesus loved me.

I went upstairs to my bedroom, and tears started rolling down my cheeks unctrolabely, and I could not understand why. I ran back downstairs, shouting to my mother that I was a sinner, and still in absolute hysteria. What was confusing is that I could not understand why I was crying so much, that's when mom shouted with joy telling me I had just gotten saved, and pretty soon, I knew it well too! We then kneeled and prayed in that same spot where she told me the gospel, and I asked Jesus christ to come in my heart and to forgive me all my sins. A few months later, I got baptized.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. (one of my favorite verses)

Here's where it gets harder for me to go on. I believe that when we get saved, we ought to bear fruit, there's a difference in us, our heart is on fire for the Lord. We are a new creature. My father did not bear any fruit, and had no joy in the Lord, neither in the church. The family was starting to deteriorate. It went from bad, to really ugly. That is a part of my life that I look forward to never remembering in Heaven, but for now I will use it for God's own glory.

I know that the Lord equipped my brother and I in getting saved at a young age. I will speak for myself, but I KNOW that had not been for my salvation, I would not have been able to get through everything that my brother, mother and I went through. My parents finally separated the summer I turned 12, my brother had just turned 14. That was the lousiest summer of my life. My salvation also kept me from having "regrets", since I was somewhat wild and wanted to only hang out with friends, I always had a voice in the back of my head convicting me and warning me. I could never figure it out why or what that was. Now I know that it was the Holy Spirit in me. It was God the Father that kept me and sheltered me underneath His precious wings.

My father moved back to Lebanon. Two years later, both my brother and I went down to visit him for the summer. My dad begged us not to leave and to stay with him. We both did not want to, but my brother took the fall for me. He decided to stay, in order to let me go. But even then, my dad kept begging me, to the point, I really thought I would never escape. Though I had not been walking with the Lord, because I was very ignorant and did not really know Him or know much about Him, I started crying to Him. I had done all the begging I could with my dad, but he would not hear. So I begged and argued with the Lord while holding my Bible tight every night. The only trouble, is that I thought I found God through the Catholic church....Nevertheless, not only did He hear, but He made sure I got back, without even having missed my first day of school.

It was nice coming back, but it hadn't hit me that my brother was staying there. It had not hit my mother either.....When I told my mother all that the Lord had done for me, and that I basically almost converted to "idol" worshiping (saint this and that), she screamed and said, you did what????? She explained to me through the Bible all the differences. But it wasn't till a few months later, when my mom and I went to NYC for Christmas to visit my aunt. For New Year's, I wanted to see the ball drop and stay out on the streets and party with all the wackos. My mother dragged me by the ears and took me to church. Who spends New Year's in NYC at a church? That evening, the Pastor preached the message of my life! He kept on crying out, and saying, look at all those people on the streets (where I wanted to be), what if Jesus were to come back tonight, where would he find you, in the streets, or in God's house on your knees in prayer. That did it for me! I walked up to the Pastor and spoke to Him. I also prayed with my mother again, and re-dedicated my life to the Lord! That was at 14, seven years after my salvation. My problem at the time was whether or not I wanted the world or the Lord, this following passage really put it in perspective for me, and is still a constant reminder to me that I ought not to be ashamed of my salvation and of my Master.

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mar 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

My growth with the Lord is attributed to His Timing, His goodness and His Mercy. Since it was now "my mother and I", God provided a family for us through the church.

When I needed a family, He provided. The church was my everything and the people were my family. Sadly, three years ago, many problems arose in the church, and mom and I knew the Lord was calling us out of there. That was hard, but I'm so thankful we listened to His calling. That led to Bible Baptist Church, which I am very grateful to be a part of.

When I needed a family, God provided, but when it was time for me to grow and eat meat, the Lord, also provided. I have learned a lot more and certainly grown a lot more through the ministry of this present church.

Moreover, things got better during the first year of the church, and my brother was able to visit my mother and I two years ago for the first time in six years of separation.

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I cannot imagine my life without the Lord, it would be void, empty and meaningless. Jesus Christ rescued me. He rescued me of pershing in my sins, two thousand years ago when he bore my sins on the cross of Calvary. He saved my soul, I have nothing to fear, and I will shout it to the millions that Jesus Christ is the Saviour! He lifted my head up high from the ground, and now my eyes look up to Heaven, constantly waiting for my blessed King Jesus' return.

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Carey's Testimony

2006-03-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Like Leila, I was brought up with a religious background. Though we moved around a lot, my mother made sure that we went to church. For the first ten years of my life we wandered from church to church and from home to home. Growing up, my mother was my anchor; neither my father nor my older brother were saved, so I did not have a strong older male influence. It was my mother who taught me the Bible from a very young age. She told me that I "asked Jesus into my heart" at the age of five, but to this day I have no remembrance of this moment.

At the age of nine, I was a good little girl: I attended church and Sunday school with my mom, did almost everything I was asked to do, ate my vegetables, etc. but I did not have a serious grasp on salvation. I wanted to be baptized, so I went in for an "interview" with the pastor of the church we were currently attending. The first question he asked me was, "What is sin?" I couldn't answer that because I really had no clue.

That Christmas season, I went with a group of children to minister to the elderly at a nursing home. We sang songs, read poetry, and visited with the older people. One girl read a poem that particularly struck me: "Twas the Night Before Jesus Came" by Audrey Patricia Woolverton.

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed.
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "it's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound.
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

I couldn't remember a salvation experience and was suddenly very afraid that Jesus would come back that minute... and I would be left behind! So I prayed another prayer.

My personal relationship with Jesus did not develop into a more mature relationship until I was thirteen. This is when I began to see that Jesus was not a baby in a manger scene, nor an angry Judge, nor some figure on a cross in a church. I realized that Jesus was real, and that I could have a loving, personal relationship with Him. I began writing about my journey with Him. Journaling has been an opportunity to see my spiritual growth over the years, as well as providing a way for me to read about my past mistakes.

This beautiful relationship has brought me through many trials: my dad losing his job, family issues, my parents nearly separating, considering suicide more than once, depression, eating disorders, and many others. The Lord was merciful to bring me out of these valleys of life stronger. He was there beside me every step, even when I didn't notice. But for the grace of God, I would not be here today. It is also because of His mercy that He brought my dad to a saving knowledge of Him last year and spared our family from becoming fractured. It was truly a miracle, and I still look back in astonishment.

I have discovered that the Christian life is not all fun and happiness, but without the Lord I would not have come out of my struggles alive. He is a loving father to the fatherless. Just like every other human, I am incomplete without Him.

Leila's testimony

2006-03-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

I was officially saved at the age of 18 in a Bible believing Baptist Church. My salvation story begins with the Book. That Book has fascinated me from childhood and it played a key role in my salvation.

By heredity, I was raised a Greek Orthodox, but at school I was raised Evangelical at an English school which was renouned for its classic heritage and high educational standards. The whole school lined up every morning and we filed to Assembly Hall, each class in his rank, down the aisles into the pews where on a daily basis, we read the Bible, sang hymns, heard school announcements, and very often missionaries came from England and gave us the message of salvation.Bible education was mandatory. We memorized the King James Bible since childhood, and we were graded for that, and it went into our school average.

I believe with all my heart that God was at work in my life since I was in grade 1 and even in Kindergarden. Why my siblings and I were sent to an Evangelical English school in a country that is widely Catholic French speaking is a question I can only answer by saying it was God's providence. It was at school (not at home) that I first laid my hands on a New Testament. To me that small black book was just fascinating. I remember flipping through its pages and admiring the calligraphy, and the black border around each page. As I held that book I knew I was holding something very precious. There was something special about that book, something mysterious, heavenly. Oh I can't describe it. I still get goose bumps when I think of the effect it had on me in those days (grades 2 and 3) and still does. One day my mother was not home (you know how little girls like to go through their mother's wardrobe) so I found a thick black Bible, the complete book in her cupboard. I took it down and read it for hours. That Book just fascinated me, but I did not know much more than that. I thought these characters lived thousands of years ago, but oh how things have changed since then.

Years went by and the little girl was now about twelve years old when rumous circulated that the virgin Mary had been sighted on the dome of an Eastern Church (my mother's). My mother, bless her heart, gathered her four children and we went out to spend the night outside that church waiting for the virgin's appearance. Before we left home, the five of us (mother and 4 children) decided to ask the virgin for one thing if she appeared to us. Eternal Life.

No one appeared that night (of course) and we all went back home feeling desponded. Then came Easter and my Greek Orthodox father took us to the Greek Orthodox church where if we went under the flowery hearse (a greek orthodox tradition) we were told we'd get eternal life. Sundays came and went, and we burnt incense at home to drive the evil spirits out, we recited our Creed, and the rest of the shabang but I had not met the Lord yet. At school I was evangelical, at home Greek Orthodox, but I never realized there was a difference.

Years went by and I became a teenager but I was ready to give up. Although at school, I still bowed down and told the Lord I wanted to go to heaven at every invitation from every missionary, but back in the classroom, the girls were cheating in exams and I would allow them to copy from my papers, so I knew I had commited sin one more time. I wanted to be perfect for God. I tried to earn my salvation by my own goodness. At home I was getting fed up with religion. I believed that heaven was for nuns and priests. Often during the ceremonial celebrations of Easter I would be moved to tears of despair knowing that I am not going to make it to heaven. I didn't want to live like a nun, and I did not want to look like the religious girls in my class either. (I was in an all girls school).

What I had not realized throughout all those years was that Jesus had paid it all. I did not need to do anything to get saved. It was simply by believing on him and trusting his finished work on the cross. For some reason, no body had told me that it is as simple as can be. All my life I had been trying to be a good person, and to work towards pleasing God to save me. But praise God one night my uncle came to visit in order to talk some sense into my brother who was about to quit school. But my uncle who was a saved man started discussing prophecy. He got us hooked. We all loved prophecy and so the visits were repeated. All this time my uncle spoke confidently of his salvation. I asked him one night how come he was so sure of his salvation. My uncle said "Do you have a Bible?" Sure I have a Bible I answered. Go get your Bible and open to John 3:16, and Romans 10:10 and one by one he made read verses which showed that you are saved just by grace, it is the gift of God. It is not a question of what we do, but what Jesus did. It is finished. The Book had finally cracked the code for me. I did not need to earn my salvation. I liked that. I immediately said, "I want to come with you to your church." The next morning, he picked me up with my three siblings and we went to First Baptist Bible Church in Beirut.

Soon I was in the church choir practicing a chantata for Christmas, and one Sunday afternoon we were all standing on the pulpit practicing the hymn "Have you any room for Jesus". Our song leader was giving us instructions to look happy because we are giving a testimony to the congregation. As I sang the first verse, the truth suddenly hit me. I am singing to them, asking them "Have you any room for Jesus". Hey, it means I have room for Jesus in my heart. At that very moment, I felt a surge of Joy, unspeakable and full of glory, come over me from head to toe, and I realized for the first time in my life that I WAS SAVED. Finally, I am saved. The seed that was planted in childhood now sprang to life. I have Eternal Life. I ran down the pulpit into the pastor's office and asked to be baptized. I was baptized that last Sunday before Christmas in 1974.

All my life I had looked for it. The Book showed me the way. The Lord, he is God, he paid the price for me. I am now eternally his, and his alone. I want nothing else in this life but to glorify his name and to serve him and to declare his love to the multitudes.

That is why my name is Consecrated unto God.

Meet the Ladies

2006-03-24T18:34:00.000-08:00

Each of the blog administrators will be giving her testimony soon.