Bible Journaling 101

Good morning lovelies! I'm trying a new project. I have seen such great ideas on how people journal in their bible, keeping track in a beautiful way their prayers or what they are learning. However, I don't have the money to buy a new bible. But recently I received lots of scrap booking materials. So, I decided I would try using a scrap book as a way to journal. Here is the beginning:

I've been checking out some online resources and videos because I'm not sure where or how to begin. It can seem rather daunting because so many people seem to be so artistic. I'm lucky if I can draw a stick figure!! I also don't have money for fancy supplies. I have gotten some basic supplies to get started. I know I can pick up more stuff at the dollar store. That's a great way to accumulate a variety of supplies without going broke.

My biggest stumbling block is what verses to start with. There are websites to help with that. Or you can start with a favorite passage. You might want to use a verse from a daily devotional. Or just pray about it. God will tell you where you need to start. I found a really nice video on how to get started. This is one from a very bubbly college student. You can check it out here: **How to Start Bible Journaling + My First Entries.

There are also resources to do an online bible journal. Those of you who are familiar with various photo editing programs might find these a little easier than those of us who really don't know! I found some ideas in this blog: ** http://www.biblejournalingdigitally.com/3-ways-to-bible-journal-digitally/. It offers some images and a workbook you can download and print. You can also download and print images just from a google search.

There is no one wrong or right way to do this. This is for you. To follow your progress in your faith. Or get you through a tough time. Or a way to express your creativity that God gave you. I hope you will try this out and maybe share some photos of your journals!

** If the links don't work, then just copy and paste it into your browser. **

Have fun and God Bless!

Fingerprints

How many times have we just got done dusting something when the kiddos come along and leave their sticky fingerprints on things!!?? You just roll your eyes and try to wipe it clean yet again.

How many crimes have been solved, or at least a suspect determined by a single fingerprint?

We can all be singly identified with our own unique fingerprint. No 2 are alike. These intricate little whirls and swirls tell who we are. It's amazing really.

Well, when God answers a prayer, you can usually tell because you see His fingerprints all over it. Aha!! It was God who did it!! lol

It's so easy to praise and say thank You when He answers our prayers. It's so easy to sing Hallelujah and Amen when times are good and everything is going right. But what about those tough times? The times when you think God isn't listening? When you've exhausted every prayer and every praise? It is within those sticky messes that we need to keep praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (Emphasis added by me.)

It says REJOICE ALWAYS. Not rejoice when things are good. Not rejoice because you have everything you need. You are to rejoice ALWAYS, REGARDLESS of your circumstances. You should give thanks in ALL circumstances, not just the good stuff.

Pray without ceasing... some very important direction in there. It doesn't say to pray when you get around to it. Or pray when you have a free moment. It doesn't say to pray once in a while. It says "Pray WITHOUT ceasing." 

Lately I have been reading "The Power of Simple Prayer" by Joyce Meyer. I'm learning a lot about prayer. Sometimes you have all you can do to just utter a single sentiment. If so, let that sentiment be "God help me." God doesn't require a lengthy, wordy prayer. He knows what's in your heart. He knows what you need before you pray about it. But, He does require that we do ask. He'll hear you. I promise. 

If you keep the will of what God wants in your prayers, trust me, things will happen. "If it is Your will, Father" is a good way to start. But, I found "God help us" is a goodie too. Straight, simple and to the point.

I found that out tonight when we ran into problems with our car. My husband was under the car with a faulty jack and rain coming down trying to figure out where this and that goes so the car would start again. It was a simple fix, really. Just plug the thing back in. But with no flashlight it is difficult. 

As I stood under the tree trying to stay dry I had a little conversation with the Lord. I told Him that as much as I love the rain, we could really do without it at the moment. I told Him what we needed was a light from heaven (and I didn't mean lightning!). Not long after someone had come out of one of the shops with a flashlight for my husband to keep. 

I kept repeating the words "faith and patience. Faith and patience." (As my husbands' patience was wearing thin.) As I uttered those words, the words turned into words only understood by God. I closed my eyes and just kept repeating as the Holy Spirit filled me. It was then that the rain stopped. And then my husband found the place that the part needed to be plugged in to and voila! The car started. I once again looked skyward and said Thank You Jesus! 

My husband, who I will call (or my daughter calls him) a "lukewarm Christian". He goes to church with us, he helps out with projects around the church and so forth. But it's hard to convince him that God has a hand in things. So, as he crawled out from under the car, he looks at me and says "Who's the man!?!?" I smiled and pointed heavenward. My husband just looked at me "But I got the car started." Yes, he may have been the one UNDER the car but God was ABOVE the car helping in His own way. He had left His fingerprints all over this one. There was no denying it.

I see God's fingerprints on more than just that. Money is super-tight in our house. I have recently had my 27 yr old son move back home with us. I still have my 18 yr old daughter living at home. My husband has been out of work for a year and my job is on salary so it doesn't matter how many hours I work. I still come home with the same thing. It's really hard to make things last 2 weeks (I get paid biweekly.) But, God has provided. My husband has a temporary job with a text book supply warehouse. We get money when we least expect it and need it the most. We may not have everything we want, but we have everything we need. God has seen to it that we are always provided for.

Matthew 6:25,27 tells us that we should not worry. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than the clothes?...Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

I changed my prayers from "God I hope You will help" to "God I KNOW You will help" and help He has. We have money for food when we need it, money for gas to get us to work and back and I have my medications every month. Life may be hard. It can be downright impossible at times. But I know that as long as I keep my faith and keep praying that God will hear me.

I still worry. I still fret. I'm human. I know some will say that by worrying it means you are not putting your whole trust in God. That may be, but I know that God will still hear my prayers. He knows what I need. I KNOW He will provide.

Think about the circumstances in your own lives. Are there things that are blocking your path? Do the little things seem overwhelming? Ask Jesus to guide you through these. Reflect on those bible quotes. Do you have any "go-to" bible verses? I'd love it if you would share those. :)

Much Love and God Bless.

Submission God's Way

I swear, sometimes God's timing comes at the worst times. As I'm driving home, I get a sort of revelation. And this always happens. When I don't have the time to write about it. Well, I'm going to make the time because this is important. And God is prompting me to tell the WHOLE story. Not just pieces.

Let me give you some background so you can better understand where I am coming from. Many years ago, before I met my husband, I was involved with a gentleman who introduced me to a whole different lifestyle. One of Dominance and submission. I was learning about becoming a submissive and all it entailed. At that time, I felt like I had found a part of me that was missing. I am a natural born people-pleaser. I want people to like me. I want to always help. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I was pretty happy. I was doing the "mom thing" and taking care of everything. I wanted my home to be like Martha Stewart! 

So this was not a huge stretch for me. The only drawback was that he lived in New Jersey and I lived in upstate NY. He wouldn't travel to come see me. And I couldn't go down there. (I was married to my first husband at the time and neither of us were faithful to the other at that point. Yes, I know that 2 wrongs don't make a right. By that time our marriage had completely broken down.)

It takes A LOT of discipline to do something like that. We made it work for over two years through text messages and phone calls. At that point in my life, it worked for me and it worked for him. You don't have someone watching you, making sure you're doing everything you are asked to do. You are being held on your honor that you are doing what you are supposed to, that you are living within the rules that your master has set about for you. I thrived with that kind of relationship. I didn't have to think, plan, manage. Nothing. Just to obey and be good. (And if you know me, you know that for me that could be difficult at times!!)

How I had longed to be like the others who were "owned", those who were "slaves" with loving masters. I wanted to work hard so I would earn my "collar". When it all fell apart, so did I. There went my dream of being an owned and collared slave. 

However, after I met my second husband I had to choose...him or the lifestyle. How do you give up part of yourself? But here was this man who was REAL. He was with me night and day. He loved me. Obviously, in the end, I chose my husband. Looking back on that relationship, I believe that God used it as a lesson.

I asked my husband to at least TRY to learn to be a Dominant. He had the personality of one. He had all the traits I was looking for in a new master. So we tried a few times with Dominant/submissive thing, but it always ended in disaster. It ended with me being unhappy and feeling taken advantage of. What were we doing wrong?

We weren't doing anything wrong, it's just not what God had intended. At least not in that form. The bible clearly states that the woman is to be submissive to her husband. (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1-22; and many others.) Aha! There was the answer! It only took me 3 long years of trial and error, of failing miserably, to finally understand what it was that God intended for me to do.

He indeed wanted me to be submissive. But to my husband. In the biblical sense. Oh boy. After all the things my husband and I had been through, I would have to trust him enough to lead me. And trust in the fact that he was being led by God. I'm not big on trust. I've been burned too many times before. It takes a HUGE leap of faith (yes, faith!) to trust someone. When we believe in God, in Jesus and the Holy Spirit, are we not called to trust? It is called faith for a reason. But it's easy to trust God. Not so with people.

Ok, so we're not quite there yet. We are still a work in progress. But it's God's work. He is slowly changing both of us to be His. And that is what's so amazing. Here I was wanting to be owned and loved and wanted and I didn't even realize that I already was all of that and more!

I am owned and loved by the Supreme Master. The Utmost Sir. Jesus Christ. I have been bought and paid for through the blood of Jesus. When He hung on that cross, all had been forgiven. He paid the ultimate price for me. Wow. What a revelation!

My husband and I are in different seasons of our walk of faith. And that's ok. The bible also says that the wife will lead by example. "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives." (1 Peter 3:1) 

I still have my rules that I must follow. They're in this big book that I take with me. It's called The Bible. There I can find any answer, any rule, any guidance that I may need. With Jesus as my Master, I can't go wrong. He won't lead me into where I don't belong.

Yeah..where I don't belong... Satan tried that on me. He made sure he poked me and prodded me. "See what you are missing?" "See..this is what you wanted..." "You can't be happy unless you have this life." He spent the whole weekend doing that. 

Ohhh.... I am so mad! I'm mad at myself for falling into that trap. The devil always will attack at our weakest points. I've been so stressed out about all our problems that I LET myself be dragged into those thoughts. Going to work today, it got me away from those thoughts. I got back into the swing of things. I did all my devotionals, I read, I prayed. And Jesus rewarded me with this revelation. "See, My child, I have given you all you wanted and more. There are so many other ways to serve. But first you need to learn to serve Me." I can not be submissive to my husband without first submitting to Christ. He will lead me and train me to serve Him. Only then will He permit me to learn to serve my husband. 

And with that, my husband is calling...dinner is done. (He likes to do all the cooking.) So, my friends, I will leave you with this. A little slice of who I once was and who I am becoming. 

Much Love & God Bless.

Morning Devotional Saturday 5/24/14

Good morning beautiful people! As time permits, I will try and post a morning devotional to get your day off on a positive note.

I have a devotional that I read from every day called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. I will probably post the readings using that book, but when I'm home and more time permits, there are other devotionals that I subscribe to. I may use one or both or whatever the Lord directs me to share. I hope you will join me in this venture and start your day worshiping our Heavenly Father and His Mighty Son!

Bring Me your mind for rest and renewal. Let Me infuse My presence into your thoughts. As your mind stops racing, your body relaxes and you regain awareness of Me. This awareness is vital to your spiritual well-being; it is your lifeline, spiritually speaking.

There are actually more than four dimensions in this world where you live. In addition to the three dimensions of space and the one of time, there is the dimension of openness to My presence. This dimension transcends the others, giving you glimpses of heaven while you still reside on earth. This was part of My original design for mankind. Adam and Eve used to walk with Me in the garden, before their expulsion from Eden. I want you to walk with Me in the garden of your heart, where I have taken up permanent residence.

Bible verses for the morning:
Genesis 3:8 (NIV)
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden."

Psalm 89:15 (NIV)
"Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD."

Logos Verse of the Day:

Time For Change

Hello lovelies! Those of you who read my blog will notice there was a title change. I've decided I want my blog to reflect what I am learning to become. It's not always the easiest of roads. I'm a stubborn person and I get irritated with my husband at times. But I am trying. And I am learning. It is a path that God has set me on. I know that my relationship with my husband is more peace-filled and less arguments take place.

Change is never easy. It has been studied that it takes 30 days to form a new habit. And I believe a lifetime to "unlearn" all the bad things we pick up over time. Yet, without change, our lives will become stagnant. We become stagnant. So, here I sit, reflecting on all my bad habits and deciding it is time for a change.

Something dawned on me late this afternoon. I may be finally learning about how this whole "godly wife thing" is supposed to work! It was a post I was responding to on a page about a woman who had just had an argument with her husband, yet again, about housework. Here's the post (I'm keeping the name out as I don't have her explicit permission to use it.) 

"Our anniversary is in 7 days.... And I'm not feeling very loving at the moment. Just had a huge fight and I'm honestly just tired of doing everything for him- even when I need rest (had a migraine and back issues and I was still doing everything for him and our son). I'm not a happy wife at the moment, and it's as though I'm supposed to do everything to keep us happy, when its a two way street and he should be trying too."  

Here was my reply: "As hard as it may seem, as wives we are called to sacrifice and service. I know it's not easy. Believe me, I've had my share of grumbling. I work full-time and my husband is out of work. He hadn't been helping a lot around the house. I felt like it was all on me. But, I am trying to be the godly wife and do the right thing. The last thing any man wants is to be nagged. Try sitting down with him and explain how you feel. Sometimes it's just a lack of communication and understanding. Maybe try telling him that when you don't feel good you'd like for him to pitch in a little. And I agree with you 100%. A happy marriage is NOT a one-way street. It takes two to make any marriage work. I hope this helps some. God bless." 

Being a "godly wife" isn't always the easiest thing. And for someone like me, who can be just as stubborn as my husband, we've butted heads over everything. After a while, fighting over stupid things that I have no control over is just a huge waste of time. And my husband, like most husbands, will eventually just tune us out. Our complaints go in one ear and out the other. It took a drastic event for things to change.

As hard as it was to pick up the pieces afterwards, it was worth it. He still doesn't help with a lot of the housework, but when he does, it's a huge relief to me. I've learned that it's ok to let things go. I am only human and can only do so much. I know that if I ask nicely, that sometimes it's easier to get him to help.

Men are not mind readers. They may see we're annoyed but have no clue as to WHAT we're annoyed about. If I'm out in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, chances are my husband, who is on the sofa with the tv and computer on, will not going to know that I'm upset over anything. 

I'm just as much to blame. I keep everything in until it just takes one little thing to set me off. Then look out. I will go off like Vesuvius! That's not healthy. It's so much easier to just sit down and talk to my husband about the things that are bothering me and asking him to just help me out a little. After all, we both live in this house. We both make a mess. 

It's not just the housework, though. Sometimes it starts as that but the root is something deeper. I try to say my prayers at night before I lay my head down to sleep. I sit in the quiet darkness of my room and pour out my soul to our Father. Sometimes it's just a simple "Father help me." Other times it's more of a conversation. I leave my issues with God and let Him deal with them. This is not to say that I just dump all my problems on God then wake up in the morning without a care. Nope. It doesn't work that way and it's not always just that simple. But it's a start. And we all have to start somewhere. 

So, 30 days to form a new habit. Complain less. Leave it with God. Remember that my job is to serve and sometimes that involves sacrifice. No one said it would be easy. But God did promise us that it would be worth it. 

God Bless.
Linda. 

Here's a blog entry on the topic I just mentioned..nagging. Check them out.

"There's a snag in my nag"
http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/2014/theres-a-snag-in-my-nag-2/

Today’s Truth
Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife (Proverbs 21:19).

Good Morning Girls Devotional Week 2: Scripture Verse, Challenge and Video

Welcome to week 2 of our study. This week we're going to look at why the crucifixion matters. Our scripture for Sunday (4/6/14) is Luke 23:26-49.It is the heart breaking story of the crucifixion. I have seen several movies about the crucifixion and I always find those scenes the hardest to watch. But Jesus did it for us! He knew what would become of Him and why. He made the ultimate sacrifice. Keep that in mind while you are reading this.

This is from the GMG Blog, but I thought it needed to be shared here. Some important things to keep in mind.

1. We are ALL sinners

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way…”- Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)

We are all in need of forgiveness, mercy and grace. No matter how hard we try, we can NOT earn our way to heaven. Our “good works” are like filthy rags compared to God’s holiness. (Isaiah 64:6)

2. We can have peace with God because of Christ’s shed blood on the cross

Jesus died in my place….in your place. I NEVER want that truth to ever be taken for granted. My sins put Him on the cross and I want that realization to daily rock my world. I want to love, forgive and extend grace extravagantly because of the price my sweet Jesus paid on my behalf.  Jesus suffered what was meant for me.

By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserve and offered us His righteousness. When we trust Christ for our salvation, essentially we are making a trade. By faith, we trade our sin and its accompanying death penalty for His righteousness and life.- Chuck Swindoll

3. We are loved
I know we’ve all heard the saying,

“It wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus on the cross, but His love.”

As women, I know we love watching movies where the hero of the story rescues the girl and saves the day from the evil villain and if we’re honest,  as we watch these movies our hearts secretly wish we had someone in our lives who would love us like that. What we don’t realize is that we already do, Jesus. He has already fought the mighty battle for our souls by going to the cross and dying in our place.

Honestly, I don’t think our minds can comprehend what Christ truly went through on the cross, not just physically but spiritually as well. We don’t know what it feels like to be separated from God and bearing the weight of the world’s sins for all time. Past. Present. Future.

For those of us who have accepted God’s free gift of salvation and have asked Jesus to take control of our lives and come into our hearts….our eternities were forever changed by what Christ did on that old rugged cross. Instead of a future of hell, Jesus laid down His life and now we have a future of heaven to look forward to. No matter how hard life gets, because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have a glorious future to look forward to.

Week 2: Challenge:
Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we are no longer slaves to the sins in our lives that so easily entangle us. We now can have God’s forgiveness of our sins, embrace the grace He extends and look forward to our hope of heaven. Despite what is going on around us in this world, we have a bright future to look forward to when we get to heaven. This week focus on what Christ’s crucifixion means to you and how you are going to honor Jesus with the new life, the second chance,  you have been given. Write it out and share it with your group or a friend.

Week 2: Memory Verse

http://www.goodmorninggirls.org/ 

Good Morning Girls Devotional Friday of Week 6

Here is Friday of Week 6. Whew! Did it!! Yay!! 

So, here it is, 2 Timothy 3:10-17:

Take Paul As Your Model

But you have paid attention to my teaching, conduct, purpose, faithfulness, patience, love, and endurance. You have seen me experience physical abuse and ordeals in places such as Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I put up with all sorts of abuse, and the Lord rescued me from it all! In fact, anyone who wants to live a holy life in Christ Jesus will be harassed. But evil people and swindlers will grow even worse, as they deceive others while being deceived themselves.

But you must continue with the things you have learned and found convincing. You know who taught you. Since childhood you have known the holy scriptures that help you to be wise in a way that leads to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.

S: 2 Timothy 3:15-17: Since childhood you have known the holy scriptures that help you to be wise in a way that leads to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.

O: We are familiar with stories from the bible from when we were children. It is those stories that help us get through as adults as well as our faith in Jesus Christ. 
There is a reason they have been around for so long. We learn from them, base our lives on them, our beliefs rest in the pages. Those pages, the stories within, tell us how to be good Christians. It reminds us what is right and wrong in the eyes of God. It tells of the struggles and challenges of those who came before us.  

I remember growing up with my grandparents, my grandmother would tell me about when she and her brothers and sisters were little growing up in Brooklyn, NY. I bet some of you remember hearing such stories when you were growing up.

It is from those stories that we learn. We learn about family, we learn about mistakes made, we hopefully learn what NOT to do.

The same can hold true for the bible. The bible is chock FULL of stories that we can learn from. And we need to pass that knowledge down to our children. 

A: My children were raised in the church. Ok...so they're not the greatest examples... lol It's at least worth the effort to teach the next generation about our faith. Think about how you came about your belief in God.. where did you learn it from? 

I know at least ONE of my children was influenced by my prompting them to go to church. Actually two of my three kids. My middle son was a deacon at his church. Now my daughter is deacon. She's been going to the same church since she was 4. 

Let's pass our love for Christ and living a good life down to the next generation. Even if you're a new believer, pass it on! 

P: Lord Jesus, we have learned so much by reading about You and our Father. We have learned about ancestors many, many generations ago. We have seen the good and the bad. We learned the consequences of sin. We have learned the glory of Your love. Let us keep Your word alive for generations to come. Help us to teach our children and their children and on and on. We have much to learn still. But Your word keeps us learning. 

)  

 

Good Morning Girls Week 5 Our Friendships

Read: John 15:9-17
"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other."  

SOAP: John 15:12-13
S: "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends"

O: God tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend. It doesn't necessarily mean that we have to die for our friends. It means to put aside your own life for a time to help your friends. It means to be selfless. Stop and think about someone other than yourself. 

I just read a blog entry about life being hard. God never promised us a rose garden in life. He never promised it would be easy. But He did give us friends to help us along the way. A friend can take many forms. It can be your spouse, someone you've known a long time or someone you may not know. It is anyone who befriends us at a time when we need it the most. 

There was a post shared with my tonight about a young woman who has Stage 4 cancer that has metastasized and she was given only 6 months to live. The post said to find the young ladies' profile on Facebook and friend request her and give her some encouragement. So I did. I also shared the story in a couple of prayer groups that I am in. I don't know this girl. But I did tell her that I would pray for her and her family. 

I took the time to put aside my own problems for a moment so I could befriend this girl and pray for her. I believe that is what God had meant. Put your life aside for the good of someone else. 

A: I sometimes need reminding that it's not just me and my problems. I need to remember that helping someone else can be rewarding. I need to remember to put me aside. There are people with worse problems than me. I can make someone elses' life a little better, maybe, by doing something for them, such as praying. It doesn't cost anything but a few minutes out of my life. 

P: Lord Jesus, help us to remember that You sacrificed Your life for us. It was the ultimate gift of love and friendship. You taught us how to die to self. You taught us the meaning of sacrifice. Remind us, Jesus, that it is through Your absolute love that we are made stronger. Remind us that we are to love as You love us. Amen. 

 
 

Good Morning Girls Week 4 "Biblical Submission"

Hello dear reader. Before I delve into our study, I want you to know that I get to write about something that is near and dear to my heart. "Biblical Submission".

Now before you go running and saying you'd NEVER submit yourself to a man, take the time to read on. It's not as bad as you think.

I don't think there's any better way of showing greater love for both Christ and your husband then through submission. One goes hand in hand with the other. Once you master the one, the other is sure to follow. So let's take a look at what the bible has to say about this topic.

Read: Ephesians 5:22-33.
SOAP: Ephesians 5:22-23; 28-29

Read:  Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
 
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

S: 22:Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23: For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 28: In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29: After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.

O: Ok, so what the bible is telling us women is that we should be submissive to our husbands. What exactly does that mean? It DOES NOT mean that we should just blindly follow what our husbands tell us to do without question. It DOES NOT mean that we are weak or that we are to be treated like a doormat. What it DOES mean is that our husband is the head of our relationship. We have to TRUST our husbands, just as we trust Christ. We know that Christ would never steer us wrong. We know that He would never do anything to hurt us or to put us in jeopardy. Christ loves us for us, faults and all.

Now, our husbands HAVE to rely on Jesus Christ just as much as we do, if not more so. They HAVE to listen to what God tells them because they know, just as we do, and do as God would want. 

Jesus HAS to be at the center of all this or else things could go horribly wrong. If a husband is not OF Christ and FOR Christ, then how are we to trust them? Some men see a submissive woman as an easy "target". One that can be easily taken advantage of. This could easily lead to an abusive situation, not something that Jesus would want for His children.  

When we learn to submit to Christ, it makes it easy to want to submit to our husbands. A man who submits himself to Christ shows strength and love. If he can humble himself to Christ, if he can love Christ, then he will have no problem showing that same love and strength with his wife. 


When our husbands love us and we love them in return, it feels good. It's not just a chemical reaction, but one of emotion. And when we have the capacity to love and be loved, it says a lot about us. If you don't feel good about yourself, how can you be expected to feel good about someone else?

I'm not just talking about physical beauty either. Looks will fade over time. Inner beauty-- the kind that comes from being who you are, will show through. Feed your body with good things...peace, love, Christ Jesus, your husband. These things will show outwardly. As a friend of mine at church mentioned tonight, when she was at peace with the love of Jesus, her whole outward appearance changed. People noticed. Kind of like that "pregnancy glow". Only this is the "Jesus loves me" glow. 

When all of these elements come together, love, trust, respect, submission will come easy. Let your husband lead. If he is leading according to God's plan, you will know. And you will see how your marriage will flourish. As my husband always says, there can only be one leader. If both of you try to be the leader you will bang heads and cause strife. Only one can be in charge. That One should be Christ, then your husband. 



A: I need to learn to let my husband lead. But first I have to be sure that he is leading the way God intended. We have been down that road many times without a good ending. My husband is quite the dominant type. He wants to be "the man" in the relationship. Well that takes work and trust. These things don't just happen overnight. But the more he submits to Christ Jesus, the easier it will be for me to trust him to lead me in the right direction and the easier it will be for me to submit to him.

I also have to learn to trust God. I still end things with "I hope so". There was a lady at church last week who told me some things that she knows that God will help me with. My response was "oh, I hope so." That doesn't show much trust or faith in God for me. So, as my trust and faith in God grows, the easier it will be for me to submit to Him. Which, in turn, will make it easier for me to WANT to submit to my husband. 

P: Heavenly Father, I pray that my husband will continue to follow you, to want to do the right things that are pleasing to You. I pray that You will help him grow in his faith and his willingness to lead our family the way You designed it to be. I pray that You will help me to trust You more and to trust my husband more. I pray You wipe away all doubt out of my heart and replace it with Your love. I know that as all this comes together, You will help lead me and my husband in the direction that You have planned for us. I pray that other couples will learn the same thing and that their marriages will flourish as this happens. Bless all of us, O Lord, with Your love and make our submission to You the beautiful gift that it is. Amen.

 

Good Morning Girls Week 4 Genesis 3

I am a day behind, so this was Tuesdays reading.

Genesis 3
New International Version (NIV)

The Fall

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.  So the Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

S: Genesis 3:6 "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

O: If you're like me, you're sitting there thinking that everything that woman has to suffer through is because of Eve! And I know a fair amount of men who think that women have been deceiving men since Eve deceived Adam and gave him the fruit of the tree they were not supposed to be eating from. Technically, all this is true.

God punished them harshly for their indiscretions. But honestly, I don't think either Adam or Eve did this on purpose. They didn't know enough. BUT, they did know what God's rule was: "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." Ok. So what part of that did they not understand? It's like your children. You tell them not to do something and they do it anyway. They want to see what they can and can not get away with. The same can be said for Adam and Eve. Eve didn't see the harm in eating just one little piece of fruit.

This also goes back to my theory of "It seemed like a good idea at the time". The fruit on the tree looked yummy. The serpent made Eve believe that God wasn't really going to punish them for eating from the tree. So what the heck! I'm sure at some point Eve probably said to Adam "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!" 

Deceit never ends well. What seemed like a good idea at the time may very well be something that could result in disastrous consequences. The grass isn't always greener. That apple isn't going to taste any better. And God WILL find a way to call you out on what you did. So why tempt fate? Keep God's rules. I know it won't be easy, but it will be worth it! 

A: I can apply this to my own life. I've been down this road too many times before. I have allowed myself to be deceived too many times and it never ended well. I would rather keep to God's rules and please Him then suffer the consequences.

P: Father, I pray that you help me to stay on the straight and narrow no matter how much better things may seem on the other side. Help me to remember that right now my life may not be a bed of roses, but it's a work in progress. One that You will help build and help to sustain. I will take my strength from You and all You have planned for me. Amen. 

Good Morning Girls Week 4: Genesis 2:18-25

Week 4: Monday
Read: Genesis 2:18-­‐25
SOAP: Genesis 2:18, 24

S-­‐Write out the scripture passages for the day:

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

O:  If you remember the story of Noah and the ark, you know that God created 2 of everything--a male and a female. He did this so that the species would be able to reproduce and also so they could help each other. The female raises the young while the male goes out hunting. (Well, MOST of the species work that way. There are some where the role is reversed.) 

The same could be said for Adam and Eve. Man can not survive on his own, but neither can woman. They need each other. When a man and woman get married, they begin a journey together. Their parents' aren't with them. This is their time to form a bond and decide in what direction their relationship they want this relationship to go. If there were influences from outside (i.e. family) things might turn out different than what the husband and wife had in mind. 

P: Father, we come to You as one body, husband and wife. We ask You to guide us and enrich us as we begin this week on marriage. I pray that other couples who are just starting out come to You to guide them through their marriage. I pray that all marriages can become Christ-Centered. You made woman to be a helper to man. As part of the wedding vow, we say what God has brought together, let no man put assunder. We know that You can renew what may have failed or broken. I pray that more couples will renew their love and faith in marriage and in You through this study. Amen.