Have you ever identified yourself as a Mary or a Martha?

Yes, I’m talking about the story in Luke 10:38-42, where Jesus visits Martha’s house.

In case you need a refresher, here it is.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Frankly, I’ve always identified with Martha.  My to-do list just doesn’t leave enough time to sit still for very long, certainly not if there’s obvious work to be done.  I wonder, could it be that I feel worthless, not enough, if I’m not accomplishing, doing, making progress somehow?

Yet Jesus clearly applauded Mary’s choice to sit at His feet.

Jesus called Martha “careful and troubled about many things.” Not only was her body in constant motion, but her soul was disturbed.  Can you identify?  Yes, Martha, I’m right there with you.

Do you ever crave a bit of soul rest, stillness before God?  I think that can be answered by setting aside our service for a bit, and worshiping at Jesus’ feet.

Since Mary understood this, let’s see what we can learn from her in this area. Maybe I can cultivate some Mary in my own heart.

 
1.  Mary made a conscious choice to worship.  In verse 42, Jesus said, “…Mary hath chosen that good part…”  I don’t know if people have always been as busy as we are – or at least as busy as we make ourselves – but we certainly have to make the choice to worship if we are going to do it.  It’s rare that we sit down and think, “Oh, I have twenty minutes free, let me worship.”  If we’re going to worship God on a regular basis, we need to schedule it.  There may be times it just happens – I’ve been riding in my car and gotten caught up in a song I’m listening to, and it leads me straight to worship – but that’s certainly not often enough.  I must choose to include time for worship in my day.

2.  Mary was willing to set aside service to worship.  I think we’d all agree that there is a time for service.  Certainly Martha was doing her best to serve the guests in her home.  And I am certain that on most occasions, Mary was right there working alongside Martha.  But Jesus said that in that moment, spending time with Him was the needful part.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in service, what I with my own two hands and my hard work can do.  If we’re worshiping, it’s all about being still – at least in our soul – which means being quiet and focusing on God.  I need the times of worship, so that I can have strength for the times of service.

3.  Mary’s worship was about Jesus, not about her.  Verse 39 says that Mary was sitting at Jesus feet.  She wasn’t in a place of prominence or seeking attention from the others that were present.  If we’re not careful, we can use service to seek our own glory.  We want others to recognize all that we’re doing, to applaud us for our sacrifice in serving.  And while God knows our intentions – and our service certainly can be all about Him – true worship from a sincere heart, is only about God.  It’s about praising Him for who He is and what He’s done.

I tried to think of a few practical ways we can worship God.

• Pray a Psalm back to God.  Here’s one of my favorites to use for that purpose.
• Read/sing/listen to a favorite hymn that focuses on praise to God.
• Take a set amount of time and meditate on one verse that describes God’s character.

I didn’t intend to write a series on lessons I’m learning from women in the Bible, but that’s what it’s turned into!  I have a few other posts along these lines in the works, but here are the first three in case you missed them.

What Ruth Teaches Me About Trusting God
What Mary Teaches Me About Praising God
What Eve Teaches Me About Doubting God

I’d love to know what other ideas you have for ways we can worship God!

Like many young girls, Ruth and Esther were two of my favorite Bible characters when I was growing up.  Both were brave and courageous, and both had to make hard choices when it came to following their faith.

I’ve studied the book of Ruth on my own several times, and my husband recently taught a series on her in our Sunday School class.  I’ve learned a lot from Ruth, but the overarching lesson that speaks to me is her trust in God.

I first see it in chapter one, when she tells Naomi, “your God will be my God.”  We know that Ruth lives out that faith once she’s settled in Bethlehem, because in Ruth 2:12, Boaz says to Ruth, “…and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

I’m amazed at Ruth’s ability to leave her future in God’s hands.  She willingly followed Naomi to an unknown country and faced an uncertain future.  I would love to interview Ruth and find out what inspired her faith, and how she came to know the God she so fully trusted.  Was it her husband’s testimony?  Was it her mother-in-law’s example?  Did she compare Jehovah to the false gods of her homeland?

In my 40-plus years, I’ve come to realize that learning to trust God is going to be a lifelong process.  If I want to be a woman who trusts God like Ruth did, here are a few lessons I can learn from her story.

 
1.  There are no coincidences with God.  Ruth 2:3 says, “And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz...”  Ruth headed out to work, and “happened” to end up in the field of a kinsman redeemer, one of the few people who could provide a better life for Ruth and Naomi.  God knew exactly which field He wanted Ruth to be in, and He guided her there.  His plan for taking care of her was already at work, even when she had no clue about what was happening.

Just so in our lives, every step is planned, every circumstance is orchestrated.  Even when we can’t see or understand the direction our life is taking, He is working behind the scenes to direct us in the way He wants us to go.  Philip Yancey said, “I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.”

2.  There is confidence in obeying what you know to do.  In Ruth 3:5 we’re told, “And she [Ruth] said unto her [Naomi], All that thou sayest unto me I will do.”  Ruth did as her mother-in-law instructed her, and followed the plan for approaching the kinsman redeemer, Boaz.  Even though she may not have understood the customs, she obeyed what she knew she was supposed to do.

When I’m doing what I know God commands me to do in His Word, I can be confident in leaving the outcome to Him.  On the other hand, if I’m going my own way and doing my own thing, how can I trust that God is going to bless me?

3.  There’s value in sitting still and waiting.  I’ve long loved this passage in Ruth 3:18.  “Then said she [Naomi], Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall…”  I can just imagine Ruth pacing around the house, stopping to look out the window to see if anyone was coming who might could tell her how things had gone between Boaz and the nearer kinsman.

I think we’d all agree that seasons of waiting on God to work can be agonizing.  We often want to take matters into our own hands, to see if we can move things along in the direction we want them to go.  Yet how many references are there in the Bible to waiting on God!  One of my favorites is Psalm 27:14.  “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”  Truly, it takes courage to wait, yet this verse tells me that He’ll provide the strength I need while I wait.  Just as with Ruth, good things – yes, the best things – can come to us as we’re willing to wait on God.

As we enter this second week of the new year, let’s all seek to follow Ruth’s example of trusting God, with our present as well as with our future!

If there’s anything that causes us to evaluate our lives and think about ways we can improve ourselves, I suppose it’s the start of a new year.  It’s a fresh slate, a time of beginning new habits, a chance to plan ahead.

While I know I learned some lessons in 2016, I didn’t see, in hindsight, as much spiritual growth as I would have liked.  As we’ve looked ahead to 2017, I discussed with my daughters ways we can grow in our spiritual life, hoping that we could all set goals for the coming year.  We thought of seven areas we can concentrate on when we want to grow spiritually (in no particular order).

• Prayer
• Bible reading
• Memorizing Bible verses
• Meditating on Scripture
• Witnessing
• Giving
• Ministry (church, serving others, etc)

I chose two areas that I want to focus on this year – prayer and meditation. (I’m sure this means you’ll be getting posts about these topics off and on throughout the year. 😉

With those ideas in mind, I thought about the next 365 days, and what I want to see happen in my life and in the lives of my family.  I think the following three requests can be made by all of us, no matter how we hope to grow in the coming months.

 
1.  Pray for God to order your steps. 

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” ~Psalm 37:23

I actually have Sues to thank for this one!  In a comment on a previous post, she said that this is a prayer she prays each day.  I love this idea, as a daily prayer and as an overarching request concerning the way God will guide us in the year ahead.  We know that God is in control of every aspect of our lives, that each circumstance that comes up is no accident, but a moving of His hand.  He wants to grow and change us into His image, and to teach us to rely on Him as we recognize how much we need His help and power.

I want to have a heart that is ready and willing to follow His plan without question, to submit to His will without complaining.  It has to do with accepting daily “interruptions” as from Him, and allowing His schedule to supersede mine.  I am definitely still a work in progress here!

2.  Pray that you and your family will grow spiritually.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” ~2 Peter 3:18

I want to look back at the end of 2017 and be able to see concrete growth in my spiritual life. That may involve trials that I’ve come through with a greater understanding of God’s peace and grace. It may be a temptation I’ve overcome by God’s grace. It may simply be a habit I’ve mastered that’s allowed me to learn more about Him through studying my Bible.

I think the best way to ensure that this will happen is to develop a plan.  For example, since I’ve chosen prayer as a focus for the year, I’m getting back to writing out my monthly prayer list for my family (something I’ve not been doing for the last couple of months).  I’m also following this Scripture writing program for January.  Each day I write out a verse about prayer in my journal, and then meditate on that verse for the next 24 hours.

Not only is it good to make a plan for ourselves, but we can also do it for our families.  Maybe there’s a particular Bible study you want to do as a family – or you could choose a Bible character or a book of the Bible to dive into.  Maybe it’s just reading a verse from Proverbs together each night and talking about what it means.  Having a plan to grow spiritually doesn’t guarantee it will happen, but it does give us a better chance at success!

3.  Pray that God will be glorified in all you do in 2017.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” ~I Corinthians 10:31

We were created to bring God glory (Isaiah 43:7).  How often I’m tempted to do things for my own glory, so that I will be recognized by others.  This can affect my marriage and certainly my parenting.  Maybe I want my kids to obey so that others will think I’m a good mom.  I need to realize that God gave me these relationships to steward for Him, to raise my kids so that they will ultimately bring Him glory.

If I’m seeking to bring God glory, then I’m living in humility.  As I look at my goals for the year, am I using them to bring glory to Him?  Will my body be a better temple if I eat healthier foods and exercise?  Will I be a better wife if I set a goal to do something special for my husband every month?  Will I know His word better and learn what actually glorifies Him if I get into my Bible every day?  If our ultimate goal is to glorify God, we can apply that principle in every area of our lives.

I pray that each of us will grow in our walk with God in 2017, that we might look back at the end of our year and see how He has guided us, and be able to give Him praise and glory for what is accomplished!

What else are you praying for in 2017?  Do you have a particular area of your spiritual life that you want to focus on this year?

Related posts:
Praying God’s Blessings on My Family
Top 10 Most Influential Books
10 Traits of a Wise Woman

While the three homes my family has lived in have all been new construction, only with our first home were we actually involved from the beginning of the building process.  We got to watch it from the ground up, choose the finishes and colors, and see each phase as it was finished.  It was an exciting day when we actually closed on the house and were able to move in!

While that’s not exactly the work that’s being referred to in Proverbs 14:1, many of the same principles apply.

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”

I thought it would be appropriate to finish our series on becoming a wise woman with a verse that tells us exactly what a wise woman does!

As women, God has given us an amazing amount of influence in our homes.  We often set the mood – for better or worse.  It’s a lot of responsibility that can only be properly undertaken as we seek God’s help.

When we look at what it means to build our homes, I liked what Ellicott’s commentary on this verse says.  “Each person and each good work throughout the household grows, as it were, under her fostering hand.”  I think the perfect commentary on this verse, however, is in Proverbs 31:10-31.  Every detail that’s shared about the virtuous woman fits the description of one who is building her house.

For today’s post though, I wanted to think of specific ways we can build our house that are also related to the actual task of building a physical house.  Let’s look at what it takes to build a house, and, in contrast, how we might be tearing it down.

Here are a few items we’d need to build a house, in the physical and the spiritual sense.

• A plan to follow.  I don’t believe anyone would build a house without first thinking through its overall design.  A blueprint makes sure that the dishwasher actually ends up in the kitchen!  The best place for us to find a plan for building our homes is in God’s Word.  It tells us how to do marriage, parenting, and life in general in a way that will bring glory to Him and fulfill us in each of our roles.  In a practical sense, having a plan for your day (a schedule, even if it’s loosely followed!), your money (a budget), and even goals for teaching and training your children often helps things run more smoothly.

• Management skills.  There’s a lot of moving parts to be coordinated when a house is being built!  Things have to be put into the house in a certain order.  And while the husband is the head of the home, the wife is typically the one who actually manages the home.  Here’s where the Proverbs 31 woman certainly excelled!  To list just a few of her responsibilities – she fed and clothed her family, she bought and sold goods, she oversaw and provided for those who served her family, she reached out to those in need.  In our day, this can be as practical as crafting a meal plan, replacing the kids’ outgrown shoes, and making sure your husband has clean clothes to wear.

• Hard work.  It would be nice if we could just sit by and let the house build itself 🙂  It won’t happen that way.  Building your house is going to take hard work. It’s going to look like disciplining when you just want to ignore that misbehavior.  It’s taking time for your husband instead of finishing that novel you wanted to read.  It may mean staying up late and/or getting up early in different seasons. It’s being creative in order to save money, and making sure that everyone gets where they need to be at the right time.

• Patience.  I know that it often takes much longer to build a house than is originally planned.  In the same way, we aren’t going to build our homes in a week, a month, or even a year.  It’s a process that takes years to develop – and some of those periods (here’s looking at you toddler and early teen years!) may seem even longer than the actual time that goes by.  Yet good will come to our families as we are faithful to God and His Word.

Since we want to be wise and not foolish, let’s look at how we might be tearing down our homes.

• Neglect.  This may be the hardest one to recognize.  It’s not that you purposely don’t build up your family, you just fail to pay attention to them.  You get busy with other things.  Before you know it, that particular season has passed, and you haven’t done what you could have to love, encourage and care for those in your house.

• Idleness.  Rather than just neglecting your house because you’re busy with other things, this is just like plain laziness. This happens when we put our wants ahead of our families’ needs. Perhaps we waste time doing things that aren’t significant or find ways to avoid doing any work at all. Laziness often comes when we’re not focused on our purpose and the ways God has called us to help those around us.

• Poor management of resources. This could be in a financial sense, when we waste money and/or live beyond our means. It also involves wasting time, especially since we are told in the Bible to redeem our time [Ephesians 5:16].  God has also given each of us talents and abilities that can be used specifically to strengthen our families, if we apply them properly.

• Complacency.  Sometimes we may reach a point where we’re just willing to let things drift along the way they are, even though they we know we could do better.  Whether it’s in our marriage or in training our children or even in our personal growth, we don’t want to stop learning and improving.

We’ve reached the end of our series of seven steps to becoming a wise woman. There are obviously other steps you can take along this path. If I’d based the series on eight steps, I would have included the principle that a wise woman learns from other wise people.  This could be in real life – perhaps from your mom or a mentor or a Godly woman in your church.  It can also take place through books and podcasts and other media resources.

Thanks so much for joining me in this study!  Can you think of an additional step that would lead us to becoming wise women?

You can find previous posts in this series here.

Related posts:
10 Traits of a Wise Woman
Lessons for Mom from a Corn Maze
Lessons from a Cooking Class…That Have Nothing to Do with Food

I’m a great one for recognizing how I should have handled a situation once it’s over.

For example, yesterday my daughter was questioning me about a decision I’d made, and I was struggling to come up with an answer that I thought would explain it.  I didn’t do a very good job.  A couple of minutes later, after we’d gone our separate ways to get dressed for church, it came to me what I should have done.  I should have said a quick prayer for wisdom in that moment.

Parenting teens – make that parenting in general – can certainly make you realize your need to be in a constant state of prayer!  If I want to be a better wife, a good mom, a wise woman, I will seek to live in an attitude of prayer.

Why do I think that praying always is an important enough characteristic to be one of the steps toward becoming a wise woman?  Let’s look at these three verses.

“Pray without ceasing.” ~I Thessalonians 5:17
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” ~Ephesians 6:18
“Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” ~Colossians 4:2

It’s been talked about before, but I want prayer to be my first response, the initial reaction to a trial, a temptation, some uncertainty – which would have served me well yesterday!

Yet living in a prayerful way also includes thanksgiving.  Actually taking the time to stop and offer a prayer of thanks when you get that phone call or text or letter in the mail with good news is an important aspect of our prayer life.

Have you found that you tend to pray more when you’re going through a trial than when life seems to be going along smoothly?  When I’m struggling, I see more clearly my need for God, and my own lack of power or control.  I’ve seen God use those times to bring me into sweeter fellowship with Him through increased prayer.

So what would a wise woman pray for?  Here are seven ideas I’ve found that are based on Scripture.

1.  God’s will to be done.  The first four on this list come from the “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6.  Verse 10 says, “…Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”  We certainly want God’s will to be accomplished in our lives and in the lives of our family.  We also can pray that His purposes would be fulfilled in our world at large, and that the message of the gospel would spread to those who have never heard.

2.  My daily needs to be met. Verse 11 says, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  We’re not told to ask for what we need in the future, but that we will have what we need for this day.  I pray this prayer, then trust that God will provide what He wants me to have today.

3.  Forgiveness.  Moving on to verse 12, we read, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  I need God’s forgiveness on a daily basis – and I need to be just as quick to offer forgiveness to others as I am to go to God and ask for it for myself.

4.  Deliverance from evil. Finally, verse 13 teaches us to ask the following:  “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…” I can pray that God will help me recognize temptation and then give me the strength to turn away from it.  And isn’t it neat to look forward to heaven, realizing that the ultimate answer to this prayer will be answered there when evil will no longer be present!

5.  Wisdom.  Here’s the verse that I thought of a bit late yesterday! “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  What a gift – to be able to ask God for wisdom with the promise that He will give it generously!  It’s my own fault if I don’t take advantage of this as I should.  It reminds me that He wants me to walk in victory and gives me the tools to do so.

6.  The healing of others.  “…and pray for one another, that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” ~James 5:16  We know many that need physical, spiritual, and emotional healing.  Our prayers can make a difference!  This is one benefit of having a written prayer list.  It reminds us to pray for those with needs, while reminding us to give thanks to God when those whom we’ve prayed for are healed.

7.  Those in authority. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” ~I Timothy 2:1-2  Whether or not we like or agree with those who are in places of authority in various areas of our lives, we are instructed to pray for them.  I’m convicted about not doing this as often as I should.  I don’t currently have this as a regular part of my prayer time, so I need to change that!

I’m reminded to pray by putting “prayer triggers” in my life – basically habits that remind me to pray.  That may look like devotions or quiet time first thing in the morning, praying before meals, praying with my kids when they go to bed, etc.  As I’ve mentioned before, I like to pray a blessing over my family every day at lunch time.  It helps me think about what they may be doing at that point in the day, and ask the Lord to protect them and grant them His grace and peace.

Next Monday we’ll look at a final step we can take as we seek to become wise women!

Catch up on previous posts in this series here.

Related posts:
Five Blessings of Answered Prayer
Does My Prayer Request Pass These Tests?
Praying and Praising with Scripture

This is a time of year when bright, shiny things vie for our attention.  If ever we’re tempted to think that a new possession will bring satisfaction, Christmas time is it.  The television commercials can make me feel like if I find a new car in the driveway or a diamond necklace under the tree, I will be happy.

In this season, I like to think about the next step we can take towards becoming a wise woman.  We can be content.

While we often think contentment means being content with what we own (or don’t own) – and it does – it also encompasses much more.  Am I satisfied with my calling in life?  Do I envy the woman who has more friends or a larger blog audience or makes better crafts or has smarter children?

When comparison, the enemy of contentment, creeps in, we can become discontent in many different areas of our life.  Often we’re totally satisfied with what we have until we notice what someone else has.  It’s then that we feel something is lacking.  As I’ve written about before, we can be happy for someone else and their gain while being content with our own situation.

Now let’s agree that being content doesn’t mean we never seek to have nice things or don’t better ourselves by living up to our full potential.  We know the Proverbs 31 woman worked hard, she provided good things for her family, and even gained financially, but always with the right attitude.

That’s what contentment is – an attitude that accepts all God provides (be it little or much) as from His hand and as what is best for us in our current season of life.  It’s an understanding that nothing outside of us can bring true satisfaction.  If you don’t have that attitude of contentment, it won’t matter how much you get; it will never be enough.

So what do I need to know about being content?

1.  Contentment can be learned.  “Not that I speak in respect of want:  for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” ~Philippians 4:11  If Paul can write these words from a jail cell, surely I can say them along with him here in modern-day America.  I may struggle at times with being content, but with God’s help, I can learn to trust Him to provide exactly what He wants me to have.

2.  God is all I need.  “Let your conversation [lifestyle] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” ~Hebrews 13:5  In my humanity, I want to trust in my own self or in a reliable source that I can actually see for my security.  But in reality, if I have God’s presence with me, I need nothing else.

3.  Grasp those things that last.  “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” ~I Timothy 6:6-7  Love that wording – “it is certain we can carry nothing out.”  We all know that any earthly attainments and possessions are going to stay behind when we die.  It’s only the investments we’ve made in eternity that will last.

4.  God knows my needs.  “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?….for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” ~Matthew 6:31-32  God knows what I need.  Other verses in this passage talk about how He takes care of the birds and the flowers, so I can certainly trust Him to take care of me.  How often He goes above and beyond meeting my needs and also gives me my wants!

May an attitude of contentment begin in our hearts and permeate our homes this holiday season!

Read previous posts in this series here.

Related posts:
Accepting the Season I’m In
How to Teach Our Kids to Be Content
Releasing Yourself from the Comparison Trap

The walls in my younger daughter’s bedroom are kind of bare.  We (aka my husband) painted them several months ago, but she’s being very thoughtful about what she puts up to decorate the space.  On Friday, she asked to search online for some wall art with quotes that she could hang on her walls – a little daily inspiration, if you will.

We shop for about everything else on Amazon, so I let her start there.  Then we headed over to Etsy.  I helped her start the search, and couldn’t believe that the first row of wall art quotes that showed up had one with filthy language on it.  I’d thought it would be a relatively safe search for us to do together, but obviously I was wrong.  I know that stuff is out there, but I just didn’t expect it in that arena.

In the same way, sin can slip into my life unexpectedly.  From the magazines I read to the television shows I watch to the music I play to the conversations I have with friends, I have to guard my heart from the evil that is present in our world.  If I’m desiring to be a wise woman, I’ll want to pursue and surround myself with what is uplifting, encouraging, and pleasing to God.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”  My attitudes and actions will be determined by what I allow to infiltrate my thought life.  My desires are born out of what I dwell on, along with the ideas and principles that I embrace.

If God’s Word tells me to be diligent about guarding my heart, I can know that it must be constantly under attack.  So what can I do to guard my heart?

 
1.  Pray for discernment. Part of being wise is realizing what I don’t know. God, through His Word and through the Holy Spirit, can give me discernment regarding areas in which I need to guard my heart.  Hebrews 5:14 talks about how a mature Christian has his/her senses exercised to discern both good and evil. As I pray for God’s help, He can show me an activity or a thought process that I need to remove from – or add to – my life.

2.  Evaluate what influences I allow in my life.  If I’m going to guard my heart, I need to be aware of ways in which I’m being influenced. Just a few verses after we’re admonished to guard our heart, we’re told to “ponder the path of thy feet.” [Proverbs 4:26] Is there a place I go that causes me to do things I shouldn’t? Do I notice that when I’m with a certain friend, I tend to gossip or fall into a critical spirit? Is a movie I watch promoting a lifestyle that’s opposed to what I know from the Bible? Look at the positive side, too.  Hopefully, the music I’m listening to promotes praising and worshiping God. It’s good to consistently have a devotional time to focus my thoughts on learning more about Christ.

3.  Use God’s Word to set personal boundaries.  Once I’ve evaluated the influences, I need to carefully determine what I can do (or not do) to keep wrong influences away from my heart.  Your heart includes your mind and your thoughts.  Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”  For example, Philippians 4:8 tells me exactly what type of thoughts I should have – those that are honest, pure, praise-worthy, etc.  Therefore, when my thoughts don’t line up with those guidelines, I need to pray for God’s help to overcome my sinful thoughts.  Finding principles in Scripture that I can use as a litmus test for my thoughts and actions will help me to guard my heart.

4.  Lean on the Holy Spirit for support.  I seem to get worked up about things more in this season of life than I ever have before – and it’s often about trivial stuff. In those moments, it’s not the fruit of the Spirit that I’m exhibiting!  Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self control – if those were present in my life at all times, my heat would be in good shape!! Ask the Holy Spirit to allow His fruit to be present in your life, then refuse to let yourself get carried away by your emotions.

This fourth in our 7 Steps to Becoming a Wise Woman takes action on our part!  This week, let’s be vigilant about protecting our hearts and make sure we surround ourselves with positive influences that will keep our minds focused on growing in wisdom. (And if you know of a good source for wall art quotes, let me know ’cause we’re still in the market!)

Related posts:
Called to Holiness
How’s Your Thought Life?
5 Ways That Daily Quiet Time with God Changes Me

A couple of weeks ago, my daughters began basketball practice with their school teams.  They have a new assistant coach who has put them on a conditioning program where they run and do some fairly strenuous exercises either before or after practice.

The first day or two, my girls were in misery!  They came home talking about how sore they were.  But as each day passed, they were able to get through it a little easier, and could move and stretch without soreness the next morning.  By using muscles that hadn’t seen much action lately, they built them up, so now it’s far less painful than it was at first.

I think that taking this next step to becoming a wise woman – trusting God – is like that in a way.  The more we practice trust, the more easily we’re able to do it.  When a trial comes into our life, trusting God gets a little easier and becomes a bit more second nature to us.

My favorite verses on trusting God are Proverbs 3:5, 6.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

I want to grow in my walk with God to the place where I wholeheartedly trust God, acknowledge that His way is best, and follow His plan for me.  So how do I build my trust?

 
1.  Praying.  Trust begins when I recognize that I need to take my problems to God.  That part is often easier than what comes next – actually leaving my request with Him.  Trusting God to bring about the outcome that is for my good and His glory can be difficult.  I may need to take it to God in prayer over and over and over again!

2.  Resting.  By this, I mean letting go of what I perceive as my control of a situation and resting in the promises I find in the Bible.  Psalm 9:10 says, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee; for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”  I know that God loves me, He sees and knows all, and He is trustworthy.

3.  Remembering.  When I can look back and see how God has taken care of me in the past, I know He’ll do it again.  God is faithful.  Ann Voskamp describes it this way in her book One Thousand Gifts.

“Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow, built with planks of thanks.  Remembering frames up gratitude.  Gratitude lays out the planks of trust.  I can walk the planks – from known to unknown – and know:  He holds.

Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time’s shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried.”

I love what the Bible says my reward is as I learn to trust God.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee:  because he trusteth in thee.” ~Isaiah 26:3

Perfect peace.  How I want to have that present in my life as I seek to become a wise woman.

Simply trusting every day;
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by,
Trusting Him, whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all

(Stites/Sankey)

Is there a situation in your life in which you’re failing to trust God? Let’s pry open the fingers of our control and release it to Him, accepting His direction and trusting Him fully.

Find earlier posts in this series here.

Related posts:
Afraid?  Trust
Still Learning to Trust
From the Why to the Who

In my top dresser drawer, where no one ever looks, you’ll sometimes find a bag of Dove Dark Chocolates. I’ve learned it’s best not to keep them in the kitchen; the temptation is too close. 😉 And while I like to savor a little taste of dark chocolate from time to time, I also know how sick I’d feel if I ate the whole bag in a day!

Sometimes, though, I treat life that way.  I want to enjoy what makes me feel good today, without considering the long-term consequences.  The future – especially eternity in heaven – often seems far away, so I focus on the pleasure in this moment.  However, a truly wise woman realizes what is ahead of her, and how what she does today impacts her future with Christ.

 
Whether it’s how I talk to my husband, parent my children, treat my neighbor, or share the gospel, the most important things I can do today are those that affect eternity.  I can’t get so wrapped in my to-do list or my house projects or my television watching that I forget to invest in what lasts forever.

So what lasts forever?

Souls.  Every person you meet has a soul that will never die.  Investing in people’s lives by giving them our time, sharing with them financially, or encouraging them in some way has an impact that is eternal. We know how much Jesus loved people, and if we want to be wise, we’ll follow His example.

I’m inspired by verses that remind me to keep my focus on eternal things.

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” ~Colossians 3:20

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth…But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” ~Matthew 6:19-21

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” ~Philippians 3:20

Keeping my eyes fixed on my eternal home helps me not to get so preoccupied with what’s going on down here.  I still want to be a good citizen and live out God’s calling for my life, but to quote the old Jim Reeves’ song, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through…”

So how do we do live for eternity in a practical sense?  Here are five ideas to get us started.

1.  Read ten verses in your Bible today.
2.  Choose someone to encourage today with a note, a phone call or text, or just a spoken word.
3.  Christmas is coming; think of a person to whom you could give a small gift – financial or otherwise (and perhaps even anonymously) – and begin planning for it now.
4.  Spend five minutes praying for a pastor, missionary, your church, or another Christian outreach ministry.
5.  Communicate a truth from God’s Word to your children.  Read them your life’s verse or talk to them about what we’re discussing in this post – living for eternity.

Just as I’d regret scarfing down a whole bag of chocolates, I’ll be sorry to a much greater degree if I get to the end of my life and realize that I lived for earthly, rather than eternal, values.

Here’s a final thought from C.S. Lewis.

“It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.  Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.”

[You can read the first post in this series here.]

Related posts:
Better Things Ahead
Don’t Spend It All On Your Motel Room
What Will You Do Today That Matters