Striving to be a virtuous woman is hard work! The world around us wants us to believe that men and women are equal in all aspects, but God has a very different idea. Nothing in the world can be compared to a virtuous woman... she is more priceless than rubies.
Nobody is perfect, but we CAN constantly strive to be better. I hope that you can find encouragement from my experiences as I strive... and, boy, do I have a long way to go! Encouragement from fellow "strivers" makes the journey sweeter so share your thoughts with me, too!
Tuesday, August 16
A Proud Heart
Chad's aunt, Hazel, posted 10 signs of a proud heart on Facebook. I couldn't wait for the new one each day, though they were quite convicting. I just had to share them with you...
1. Proud people focus on the failures of others; they have a critical, fault-finding spirit. They look at everyone else's faults
with a microscope, but their own with a telescope.
2. Proud people have to prove that they are right.
3. Proud people are protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation.
4. Proud people want to be served and to be a success.
5. Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated. They get wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.
6. Proud people are quick to blame others for their problems.
They are unapproachable or defensive when criticized.
7. Proud people are quick to take offense.
8. Proud people wait for others to come and ask forgiveness
when there is a misunderstanding or conflict in a relationship.
9. Proud people compare themselves to others and think they
are doing alright. They don't think they have anything to repent of.
10. Proud people don't think they need revival--but they're sure that everyone else does.
These were such an encouragement and conviction to me to pinpoint some areas in my life where I need to be more humble and ask God for help. I hope that they do the same for you!
Thursday, May 26
Reading through the major prophets is HARD work! These two verses in Jeremiah really stuck out to me...
Jeremiah 7:9-11
"Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. "
These verses just seemed to jump off the page as a description of what is happening in our world today. We are constantly hearing of corruption in churches where supposed men of God and Christians in general are committing heinous crimes.
I think specifically of the abomination of homosexuality and how it has crept into God's house. Those who commit this sin say that they can't help it because they were made that way... or in other words, "We are delievered to do all these abomination." We are all born with a sin nature, but we do have a free will to choose right or wrong. How dare we say to God "I can't help it when I sin." If one of my children were to say that they couldn't help disobeying, would I simply overlook it and forgo punishment? Absolutely not.
Even among unbelievers that excuse is made... every high-profile court case has a defense claiming that the accused criminal is not responsible for his or her action because of something that happened to them in their childhood or some mental reaction/impulse that they couldn't control. Basically, our society is teaching that we don't have to take responsibility for our actions. God says we do... and if we don't we will be punished for them. Every action, whether good or bad, will have a consequence or result.
It is up to us to ask the Lord for help in making the right decision... one that would please Him.
Tuesday, April 13
[Windows: A Love-Hate Relationship]
I absolutely love waking up in the morning to the sun coming up over the lake. (Not the waking up part, just the sun!) It certainly makes the mornings a little cheerier. This winter we ran a woodstove to heat the house during the day... certainly a blessing! Over time, though, the windows (and walls, but I don't even want to think about them right now) have accumulated residue from the smoke. YUCK! So yesterday I finally tackled the task... it was the last item on my Spring-Cleaning list so I couldn't avoid it any longer. One word: HATE! Yuck, yuck, yuck. I used a citrus cleaner ($1.50 from Marden's and I LOVE it!) over the whole window then went over the glass again with a special cloth. The are so nice and shiny!!
One thing I noticed as I was cleaning the window sills and trim was how dirty the walls looked compared to the window! Now that the windows are nice and pretty, I have to look at those dirty walls and motivate myself to clean them. Isn't that how it is in our spiritual lives sometimes? I've been searching my heart lately and doing some Spring-Cleaning in my thought-life and habits. It seems that as soon as I make a decision to get rid of one thing it opens up a whole other area that needs work! AAAHHH! I get so excited when I make a decision to change something for the Lord, but after a couple of days He lays something else on my heart and it's hard to motivate myself to keep up the enthusiasm! Oh boy. Thankfully though, the Lord is merciful and gracious. He is SO patient with me and all of my MANY short-comings. His mercies are new every morning and he is so faithful even when I'm not.
So there... I love nice, clean windows that let the beautiful sunshine in, but I HATE cleaning those windows. I love making decisions and changes for the Lord that let him shine through me, but I hate my unfaithfulness and short-comings that cloud his glory. I'll end this with a "love"... I LOVE that he is faithful no matter what!
Found this verse this morning...
Psalm 86: 15 "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."
