Good Morning Girls Devotional Thursday of Week 6

My dear readers, I have gotten so far behind with this bible study. It seems like life has taken over and has a mind of its own. 

Our blessed leader, Marie, has decided to start week 7 this week since all of us are so far behind. I hope to get caught up this weekend. So bear with me while I get caught up.

Read:

Matthew 18:1-6

Common English Bible (CEB)

Greatest in the kingdom

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and be drowned in the bottom of the lake."

S: Matthew 18:5-6: "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and be drowned in the bottom of the lake."

O: We see Jesus speaking directly to His disciples in these passages. He is telling them that they should take a lesson from the child. He is saying that we should welcome Him as little children do, with humility and a happy heart.

Children see things differently than adults do. They have an innocence about them. They haven't been jaded by life yet. They have the belief that things can be changed. They are humble. 

Jesus is telling us that if we humble ourselves like children and believe as children do, then we will be welcoming Him as do children.

However, if someone causes the children to sin then it would be just as good to drown the person because they have no life in them. This is because a child's innocence also means they are more apt to believe anything they are told. So if you are low enough to fool a child into doing something sinful you may as well just drown yourself. 

A: I can apply this in my own life by trusting in Jesus just like an innocent child. I need to stop doubting. I need to open my eyes and see Jesus guiding me. 

P: Lord Jesus, give me the innocence of a child to trust in You and Your perfect love. Let me not be swayed by the influences of sin that are all around me. I do not want to drown in a sea of sin. I want to rejoice in heaven! I ask this humbly of You, Oh Lord. Amen.  

 

Good Morning Girls Week 4: Titus 2:3-5

Titus 2:3-5: "Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God."

S: "Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good."



O: I'm having difficulty with this one tonight. Perhaps it is because I have no experience in this. It would be my understanding that perhaps the elderwomen of the time, the ones who had been married and maybe now are widowed would teach the younger women how to be a good wife and mother. 

Obviously gossiping about others is a big no-no. How easy is it to fall into that trap, though. I'm just as guilty as the next person of that. It's probably just easier to steer clear of gossiping people. And live by the rule "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, then be quiet". Something I need to learn as well.

Heavy drinkers. Hmmm.... Alcohol can be evil. I know, you're probably wondering how.  There's nothing wrong with having a glass of wine with dinner or in a social setting. BUT... start knocking back a few tequilas, Long Island Iced Teas, etc. and look out. We all turn into someone else. Me, I get giggly. But I've also been known to cry hysterically. That's because alcohol can be a depressant. And when you're already depressed, it's not a good mix.

My husband, on the other hand, ohhh..his mouth starts running. And it's not pretty. The sarcasm. The derogatory jokes usually aimed at me. I can't tell you the number of knock-down drag-out fights that had resulted from that. He's not a chronic drunk and it wouldn't be often. But when it he did drink, I really didn't want to be around him.

I believe that's why God tells us it's not a good idea to be heavy drinkers. No good ever came from getting drunk or even just having a "few too many". Look at the number of DWI's that occur as well. How can we expect to be godly people if we are stumbling around filled with alcohol? 

My husband has since quit drinking. And you can't imagine what a relief it is to me to not have to worry about what I'm going to come home to on a Friday after I've been working all day. I would go to work with dread in my heart knowing what I would be coming home to. Was he going to get all mouthy and get in another fight with me? I know each day is a struggle for him when it comes to drinking. Life has not been easy. And for someone who is a recovering alcoholic it would be so easy to drown yourself in a ton of booze to forget about life's problems. Lord knows there were days I wished I could've had a few too many glasses of wine to forget about things. 

But I digress here. The whole point of this passage is that we should do what would be pleasing to God. We should learn from our elders about love and marriage. Look at couples who have been married 50,60 years or more. What could we learn from them? How did they make it work for so long? It's because they learned from THEIR parents and families. Something we don't really have these days. BUT we have our bible and our faith. If we don't have role models, we can find the BEST role model in the bible--Jesus Christ. Or browse through the Old Testament. There are plenty of good role models there. 

If you are fortunate enough to still have your parents or grandparents around and they are still married, talk to them. Find out how they made it work. Learn from them. And spend time in the Word. If you follow that then you're already ahead of the game.

A: I don't have role models for me to follow. My mom has been remarried three times. My grandparents are both deceased. Besides, my grandmothers' advice to me on marriage was that all men cheat. Get a hobby and look the other way. Yup. That was her advice. smh

I have a second chance at getting marriage right. I have to learn from the mistakes that I made in my first marriage. I need to learn from the bible what a good marriage is and how to keep it alive. I read blogs. I pray... A LOT. I know Jesus will help me along the way. I have friends in church. Our pastor and his wife have been married for over 20 years. Obviously they've been doing something right.  I just need to take things a step at a time and learn from my mistakes, learn from Jesus and rely on Him to get us through the tough times. 

P: Father, You have given us the most wonderful examples of how to be good wives and husbands. Your son, our Savior taught us about pure love. How fortunate we are to have those resources at our fingertips. We have to remember that we are an example for our children. It's so easy to just throw in the towel when things get too hard. But it during those times that we need You most. Rather than turning to alcohol or to divorce or any other evil thing that will break down a marriage, we need to run to You. We need to read through Your words to learn, to be guided in the right direction. We trust in You and know You will show us the right thing to do. 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 3- Let’s Be Intentional

Week 3 Challenge: Let’s pray specifically this week for us to be more sensitive to the spirits working in our hearts, to the lessons he is trying to teach, the impressions he is making and the sin he is convicting us of.  
    
Week 3 Memory Verse:   

    
Week 3: This week I’m going to be intentionally focused on: I'm going to try and focus on the good things in life. Whenever I get stressed I will think of all the good things God has created upon this earth, including His Word.
 




Week 3: The Mind (YouTube Video)
 

Good Morning Girls, Intentionally Focused Week 3

My dear friends, I am trying to play catch up with my bible studies. I am 3 weeks behind. So tonight I am going to make an effort to at least get a few days worth done. 

The reading from Week 3, Wednesday 2/5/14:

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

S: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.


O: In Paul's letter to the Philippians, he reminds them to focus on what's good in their life. He tells them to not think of the bad things. He says to share the good things they think about with each other. That is how we encourage one another.

A: This is definitely something I apply in my life. I know when I am troubled or overwrought, I try to focus on beautiful things. I'll Google things like flowers, gardens, tea sets, whatever I can think of to soothe my mind. And that's what Paul is reminding us to do. Focus on the beautiful, the peaceful, whatever is honest and true. Don't think of the bad.

P: Father, I pray that in times of trouble, in times of stress and strife, You will help me to focus on all the beauty in the world around me. To take notice of the small things. Help me to share these things with others so that I can be an encouragement to them. Amen.