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“And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish.
Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and
they ceased, and there was a calm. And
he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered,
saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth
even the winds and water, and they obey him.”  ~Luke 8:24-25

As I read this passage yesterday, I thought about how often Jesus could ask me this question.

I’ve been praying about several situations lately.  I ask God for His will to be done, for His way to be made clear….then I step out into my day and begin worrying about how things will play out.

Rather than fully surrendering to His will and trusting Him to work it all for His good, I fight to take control and, if I can’t actually effect change in the situation, I at least think I need to spend time going over it in my mind and feeling anxious about the outcome.

Then I realized how the disciples responded.  They said, “What manner of man is this!”  These followers of Christ were amazed that the winds and the seas obeyed His command.

In this moment, they didn’t fully understand who Jesus was.  If they had truly recognized Him as the Son of God at this point, then they shouldn’t have been amazed at His control over His creation.

Yet isn’t it the same with me and my doubts?  Don’t I tend to forget what an all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving God I serve?  The more I know about my Savior, the stronger my faith will be.  As I truly rest in His goodness, mercy, and grace, then I can have the faith that I need to completely trust Him.

Let’s ask God for His help to have the faith that we need for this day!

Eight months into 2015, I continue to ponder my word for the year – grace.

Lately, I’ve been considering what it means to grow in grace.  God’s grace is constant, always the same, but as I mature in my Christian life, I want to be accessing more of it, to be recognizing and proving the grace that He provides.

Here are three ways I believe we can all grow in grace.

1.  Seek to know God more.   “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”  (2 Peter 3:18)  Grace and knowledge are tied together here – as I learn more about Him, I will know more about His grace and see it at work in my life.  All I ever need to know about Him is found in the Bible, so reading, studying, and meditating on it will cause me to be more aware of His grace.

2.  Be humble.  “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”  (James 4:6)  I cannot grow in grace when I allow pride in my life.  This is definitely a struggle for me!  Learning to trust in and rely on God and His will rather than my own desires, thoughts, and feelings will allow me to experience more of His grace.

3.  Ask God for His grace.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:16)  I can’t work harder to get God’s grace.  Just as in salvation, my works will get me nowhere.  The Bible verse here tells us simply to ask for His grace.  Then we can have faith that He will provide it!

In what other ways do you think we can grow in God’s grace?

If there’s such a thing as getting up on the wrong side of the bed, that’s what I did yesterday.  I pretty much felt negative about everything that came up during the morning….and this was on a Sunday!!  How thankful I am for a God who is faithful, longsuffering, and merciful!

Thankfully, I did take time to have my quiet time first thing in the morning.  I struggled with my attitude even after those moments of prayer and Bible reading, but God was able to convict my heart about my sin.

Some mornings I might think my time could be better spent getting a head
start on my tasks for the day, but never could I find a better use for
my moments than praying and getting into God’s Word.

Here are five ways that my quiet time with God changes me.

1.  It gives me a spiritual focus.  Writing in my gratitude journal, reading a hymn story, praying for my family, and reading a portion of Scripture gives me, at least momentarily, an eternal perspective.

2.  It plants God’s Word in my mind.  I’ve been studying the life of Moses lately.  Yesterday I read in Numbers 14:18 Moses’ plea for the children of Israel in which he reminds God, “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression....”  Even though I didn’t apply that verse to my particular situation right away, it came back to my mind later in the day and encouraged me.

3.  It puts proper priorities into my day.  While having devotions early in the morning may not work for everyone, I find that I’m most likely to keep my “appointment” with God if I put it first in my day.

4.  It allows me to turn my day over to the Lord and leave my burdens with Him.  True, I may try to pick those same burdens up later in the day, but at least I start by seeking His guidance and trusting Him to undertake in my behalf.

5.  It gives me a truth to reflect on throughout the day.  Meditating on a verse – or even just a phrase – that I read can benefit me throughout the day You never know what God is preparing you for in the day ahead with the Scripture passage you read in the morning.

The fundamental disciplines of Bible reading and prayer are what help us grow daily in our walk with Christ.  How blessed we are to have His Holy Spirit to reveal truths from the Bible and to intercede for us as we pray!

In what way does quiet time with God change you?

What makes a woman wise?

In the past few weeks, I’ve been studying Bible passages about wisdom.  As I seek to support my husband, parent our children, and grow as a Christian, I want to access the wisdom that only God can give.

Through my Scripture reading, I’ve found a list of at least ten traits that mark a wise woman.

1.  She fears the Lord.  The Bible is pretty direct in letting us know that this is the place to begin our quest for wisdom.  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

2.  She is teachable.  “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.” (Proverbs 8:33)  “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” (Proverbs 9:9)

Whether learning from God’s Word in our personal study or from pastors, Bible teachers or fellow Christians, a wise woman absorbs Biblical knowledge and applies it to her life.

3.  She controls her mouth.  Talk less.  “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)

We also want our speech to be profitable and for our words to build up and encourage others.  “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.” (Proverbs 15:2)

4.  She plans ahead.  “He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.” (Proverbs 10:5)  Several verses in Proverbs 31 describe the virtuous woman as one who is organized and prepared.

5.  She is careful in her choice of friends. “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)

6.  She fears the pull of sin and stays away from it.  “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” (Proverbs 14:16)  We want to recognize our weaknesses and keep ourselves out of situations that might tempt us to sin.

7.  She seeks the counsel of other wise people. When we don’t know how to handle a certain situation, we should seek the Lord in prayer and then, as appropriate, seek advice from those we know who are wise. “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” (Proverbs 1:5)  “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” (Proverbs 12:15)

8.  She guides her heart.  “Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.” (Proverbs 23:19)  A wise woman guards her affections.  She monitors her activities so that she has time for the things of the Lord and isn’t focused on things of the world.  It’s wise for us as women to set guidelines to keep worldliness from slipping into our own personal lives or homes.

9.  She considers her latter end.  “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29)  This passage is talking about the children of Israel, but I think it can certainly apply to us.  We need to examine the many choices we make – whether small, daily decisions or bigger, potentially life-changing ones – and consider how will they impact our future here and in eternity.

10.  She knows that all that happens in her life is in God’s hands.  “For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God:” (Ecclesiastes 9:1a)  From Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, comes this reminder that every event in our life is under God’s control.

May the Holy Spirit help us to grow us in wisdom so that we can be the Christian women, wives, and mothers that He would have us to be!

What other traits would a wise woman have?

Source

 Elisabeth Elliot passed away on Monday.

As I’m sure is the case with many Christian women, I’ve been inspired by her testimony.  I’ve read many of her books including Through Gates of Splendor, Let Me Be a Woman, Passion and Purity, and The Shaping of a Christian Family.  I read her YWAM biography to my daughters.

I occasionally heard her on the radio and always appreciated the wisdom she shared.  Here are five of my favorite Elisabeth Elliot quotes.

• “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of
  Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind
  of woman.” 

• “Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy.
  Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to
  wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His
  hands.”

•  “God never withholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call
  good. God’s refusals are always merciful — “severe mercies” at times
  but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts desire except
  to give us something better.”

•  “God has promised to supply our needs. What we don’t have now we don’t need now.” 

• “Teach me to treat all that comes to me with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all.” 

I’m sure it was a joyous time as she met face to face the Savior that she served so well!  May we live in such a way that we, too, will please the Lord and leave a testimony to encourage others.

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“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee….”  II Corinthians 12:9

As I’ve studied Bible passages on grace this year, I focused in on one particular word in this oft-quoted verse.

Sufficient.

Sufficient means enough to meet the need.

So the question I ask is, “What do you need grace for today?”

• Patience to deal with a strong-willed child?

• Wisdom in dealing with a difficult situation at work?

• Strength to care for a sick family member?

• Sweetness in the midst of your own illness?

• Courage to face a financial difficulty?

• Power to overcome a temptation?

• Determination to finish a project?

Whatever our needs are today, the grace of God is enough.  Our own strength or fortitude or will power may not be sufficient to get us through, but God has promised that His grace is enough to meet our every need.

Source

“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”  ~I Peter 5:5

Humility is the key to receiving God’s grace.

It begins with salvation.  I must recognize that I am a sinner and can’t save myself; only Jesus could meet the requirements of being my Savior and it’s only through Him that I can get to heaven.

In my daily Christian walk, I know that I can only live for Him through His power.  When I think I can make it on my own, I will certainly fall.

Proverbs 3:34 puts it in a similar way. “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.”

Isn’t pride what began man’s downfall?  Eve, seeing the fruit, desiring to be made wise, to be “as gods,” made the choice to disobey.  So I tend to make choices that put my own wishes in the forefront rather than submitting myself to God’s desires for me.

Yet I long for God’s grace, know that I must have it to be the wife and mom that I want to be for my family today.  

So let me be humble, let my heart see my need for God so that I can be a recipient of His grace today.

Source

“Great people don’t do great things.  God does great things with surrendered people.  And surrender happens every day in one thousand small moments.”  ~Jennie Allen in Restless:  Because You Were Made for More

Life is made up of small moments, the nearly non-stop choices of whether I will follow God’s way or my own.

There’s the moment when I choose between….

• kind words or a snappy retort
• patience or impatience
• a selfish action or sacrificing my way
• gratitude or discontentment
• puffing myself up with pride or allowing humility to rule
• worry or prayer
• faith or unbelief

If I want to become all that God can make me as a wife, a mom, a friend, and His child, then I must have His help in those moments, in making the right “little” choices that will add up to a surrendered life.

These verses encourage me in this struggle.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” ~Galatians 5:1

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”  ~Romans 6:13

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”  ~I Thessalonians 5:24

Let’s ask for God’s help in surrendering to Him in our choices today!

“Lord, I repent of it all:  the expectations that kill relationships and the entitlement that steals all joy.”  ~Ann Voskamp in One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces

Expectations.  Entitlement.  I certainly struggle with one or both of these frequently!

It’s easy to build up expectations in our mind, things that we assume others will do or say, or a certain way that we think events will unfold.  When we expect something that doesn’t happen, we get disappointed and perhaps become disgruntled.

Sometimes our expectations are unrealistic.  I think as women we often put expectations on our poor husbands that they don’t even know about!  Rather than explaining to them what we’d like, we just expect them to know how to please us.  It could happen with friends or family members as well – we expect certain behavior and when it doesn’t happen, we let that affect the relationship.

Who will never let us down?  Only one person can meet our every expectation.  “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”  Psalm 62:5

Let’s let go of our expectations of other people and seek instead to serve and give to them.

Living with an attitude of entitlement is another pitfall.  If I’m always looking to receive what I think I’m due or worthy of, always wanting to make sure I get “mine,” I can’t be content.  I easily lose my joy because I don’t feel like I’m getting the good things I deserve.

The antidote for entitlement begins with gratitude.  Let me be grateful for what I have.  Whether it’s material gain or public recognition or a promotion at work, I should realize that these things will never bring lasting joy and that God is enough.  “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”  Psalm 16:8-9

Let’s ask the Lord to help us let go of expectations and entitlement and focus our minds on Him and all of His blessings!

“It seems odd, but usually our greatest trial is what molds and shapes us.  It gives us character, backbone, courage, wisdom, discernment, and friendships that are not shallow.”  ~Randy Alcorn in If God is Good

Trials come to all of us.  There’s your every day, garden-variety trial – not enough money at the end of the month, an afternoon headache, an irritating person, a job you don’t like.

Then there are what we might consider larger trials – the loss of a loved one, facing a chronic illness, a child who’s away from the Lord, a job loss.

Yet I’ve found that it truly is through our trials that we grow the most, that we find ourselves becoming more conformed to His image.  When my husband had back surgery last year, I learned more about prayer and trusting God than I had in a long time.  Losing our first child due to anencephaly taught me amazing lessons about God’s goodness, His grace, His peace, His perfect timing, and His love and care for me.

I love the phrase Alcorn uses – “friendships that are not shallow.”  Whether it’s family members or friends or church members, once they’ve walked with you through a deep valley, the relationship is forever sweeter and closer.

In the same book I mentioned above, Alcorn says, “God never wastes our pain.”  Whether that’s physical or emotional pain, I believe that there’s always a purpose to it.  Even when we can’t see it, He is always, always working for our good and His glory

So whatever trials you and I are facing today, I pray that we will recognize that God is developing in us those traits that will make us more like His Son and that, by His grace, we can come through our trial a stronger, more trusting Christian.