True Joy

Hi Ladies, I'm Katie from over at Modesty is Next to Beauty writing a guest post.


Today ladies we will be studying on True Joy, so enjoy and relax as we study.

Numbers 14:18

"The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."

Though we walk in today's world, nothing shall change who you are, or what you wear except for your convictions, and lifestyle.

Everyone knows when conviction gets to you, whether it be through the bible prayers, or something you have read, it changes you, in so many ways possible,

The way you act, when you get saved, there's a change in your life, that is set up to change you, from what is the old man to the spirit.



Romans 6:6

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

You take on a role when you get saved, to not act like the world, but to act Godly, to judge righteously, when you open your mouth, do you speak words of grace and understanding? does happiness roam your life throughout the day?

Christians of today have a problem, when you get to that road of back sliding, its hard to put the break on and back up, and turn around, yet sometimes we just can't stop. Sin is like candy to a child, sweet to the tongue but bad for the teeth. Sin is pleasurable to us at first but bad to us afterwards. Our old man (our flesh) comes back. When you have sinned, you cannot just go and you want something good to happen so you pray, God doesn't hear you, yes I just said that, yes you are saved and God doesn't hear you.

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: therefore repentance is in order for God to hear your prayers, Not it's not that you being saved should get you to heaven no matter what, God is and always will be longsuffering" ~ Psalm 66:18

"The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." ~ Numbers 14:18

"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." ~ 1 Timothy 1:16

He is longsuffering, and forgiving to us, life changing acts come upon us everyday, trials pass our way, but God will always be here, there is a true joy that is within us, if we are close to God.


Happiness is an emotion, that can go away in a blink of an eye, something goes wrong in your life, and happiness is no longer there, unlike happiness, true Joy can only come from God, and will only go away if you allow it to.

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." ~ Psalm 16:11


If we put our trust in him, he will fulfill your prayers and provide you with answers. all you have to do is trust in him.

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee." ~Psalm 5:11

The pure joy that you can have when you trust in God, is indescribable you can have that too, all you need is God. you can have unending joy as long as you want. as long as you will allow it.



Thank You For Reading.

In His Honor.

Katie.

My link to my blog is http://modestyisnext2beauty.blogspot.com/

Clogged

by Debra Weiss

I watched the water swirl around my knees. I had just come face to face with a big problem. The bathtub drain was clogged and the water in my tub was going to keep rising unless I did something. Soon.

As I inspected the drain, I couldn’t help but see how the situation paralleled my spiritual state. Just like I’d ignored a small clog in my tub, I’d also ignored sins I’d dubbed small. Little white lies. A moment of anger. A few seconds of pride.

I hadn’t cleaned my heart (or the tub) since the problems began. Instead I left both sitting, hoping they’d just go away.

Neither did.

They’d only grown worse. My bathtub now threatened to overflow with water and my heart overflowed with anger, envy, and other disgusting sins.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but think of Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

As I cleaned out the drain, I sent up a silent prayer for God to clean my heart as well. Over the next few days, I spent time in prayer, earnestly asking God to renew my heart.

When I finally began to feel light and free, I made a resolution to take care of the little sins in my heart before they became big.

If you’re reading this, dear sister, I beg you not to let small, seemingly innocent impurities go. Left untreated, these compromises will cause your heart to become hardened.

Stop now and ask God to reveal any area where you have been unfaithful to Him. Confess your sin to God and accept His loving mercies. Then go forward renewed in Christ!

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

What it Means to be a Sister

by Miss Robyn G.

Sisters. What does it mean to be a sister?

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says: "Sister - to resemble, akin, office or duty, affectionate, same kind, a woman of the same faith, sisterly."
So if we have an office or a duty to perform as a sister, then how does the Bible qualify the term sister or how a sister should act? Let's check.

1 Corinthians 13:4 says:

"Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."

Love is kind, not envious, not proud, therefore a sister is to love.

A sister is to be patient even when we are having trials of various kinds.

Romans 5:3 says:

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience."

A sister is not to envy others. Envy changes our inner beauty and makes it ugly.

Proverbs 14:30 says:

"A sound heart is like of the flesh: but envy is the rotteness of the bones."

A sister should not be boastful of what she will do and when.

Proverbs 27:1 says:

"Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what thy day may bring forth."

If we are not loving or patient, if we are envious or are boastful, we are not only hurting ourselves but those around us as well. So we need to be careful to watch if the sin of hatred, impatience, envy and boastfulness rear their ugly heads in our lives.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 13:5:
"[Charity/Love] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"

So if we are being loving, we will not behave indecently or be unfit to our families' rules or God's laws.

As sisters we also must not seek our own pleasures or desires. We must sacrifice and put others before ourselves.

Philippians 2:4 says:
"Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the things of others."

Another thing that I find hard not to do is thinking evil of my siblings. Isn't it tempting? I know it is by my own experience! :-)

1 Corinthians 13:6 says:
"[Charity/Love] Rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth;"

We should not glory in our siblings or others misfortunes. And we ought to be happy for them no matter what our own circumstances are.

1 Corinthians 13:7:
"[Charity/Love] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

To me this means that we must bear all things, knowing that God will help us.

We must also have hope even when we fail as a daughter, as a sister, or as a friend.

Psalms 42:5:
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

Endurance is a necessary character trait to develop while we are still in our parents' home. We must endure it when younger siblings get into our things, when our parents give us work that stretches us, etc. It is during these times that we can come to the throne of grace.

Hebrews 4:16:
"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy in our time of need."

1 Corinthians 13:8:
"Charity never faileth. But whether there be prophecies they shall fail, whether there be tongues they shall cease and whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away."

Basically, what I take from this verse is that everything will vanish away, but God's love.

Now, before I close I have a few more verses to share...

James 3:8:
"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

Believe me; I know how very hard it is to hold your tongue! But we must pray asking the Lord to help us control our tongues, as well as our tempers.

James 5:16:
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

It is so important to confess our sins to one another and make sure the slate is clear by the end of the day. (Eph. 4:30) Prayer is also another important aspect of relationships. By praying and confessing our sins to our families we can grow our relationships. I know this from trial and error!

1 Peter 3:8:
"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love, as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous."

Being compassionate to our siblings, loving the unlovable, being courteous when we want to be rude is part of our calling as a sister. We are called to show God's love above all things. Even those that reject our efforts at first will usually grow to love under our example to them. And as sisters, we are setting the example in our homes to our younger siblings. What we do, they will do. I know this by experience too! When we rise to our calling, we are actually helping our parents by setting a good example. They probably won't need to train and discipline the younger children quite as much as they did for us older ones.

John 13:15:
"For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you."

Now, some if you may thinking, "Okay this is great but how does this apply to me?" Well, that is a great question! This applies to you because you are God's daughter, your parents' daughter and most of you are sisters. As daughters, sisters and friends, we must use these godly character traits to build our relationships with our families. As Mr. Kevin Swanson says, "Relationships are messy!" But let's all follow Jesus, our Maker, Creator and King; and follow in His footsteps to be better daughters, sisters and friends!

Miss Robyn G. is a homeschooled young lady, who enjoys baking, sewing, gardening, babysitting, cooking, and reading She is passionate about writing and does so on Shining Stars, Pure Little Ladies Ministry, Maidens Of Virtue, and other sites for young woman! She is the oldest of 7 children, soon-to-be 8 children in August. You can visit blog here at Virtuous Girlhood.

Honoring God with Your Time

A Post by: Melinda

We've all heard it. It's been preached to us. We've had our parents tell us. We've even underlined it in red in the Bible.

"Redeem the time..." (Ephesians 5:16)

But when reality strikes, we forget those wise words entirely. We live like there is no tomorrow. Our days are flitted away in nothingness and vain pursuits. We use out time for our own pleasure, desires, and goals.

Unfortunately, I have come to realize that I often treat my time as if it wasn't God's, but my own to use and squaunder in the way I want. Sure I spend time with Him in the morning, but the rest of the day, I forget to commune with Him, to ask Him what He wants me to be doing at the moment, to seek His will for every moment of my days, to live His praises in my life daily, to moment-by-moment rest in His joy, love, and peace.

I forget to redeem the time. And in not redeeming the time, I do not honor God but surrendering "my" time, "my" days, "my" moments to Him. Because really, "my" time is His anyway. It isn't mine to control. When I surrendered my life to Him, I gave away my life for Him to use for His purposes.

Ephesians 5, in which we find the verse that encourages us to redeem the time (v.16), hold some keys to redeeming the time that I will share with you. These verses hold practical ways that we can daily honor the Lord with our time and our whole lives.

Therefore...

1. Be imitators of God (verse 1)

2. Walk in love, as Christ loves us (verse 2)

3. But...impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you (verse 3)

4. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking (verse 4)

5. Instead let there be thanksgiving (verse 4)

6. Walk as children of light (verse 7)

7. Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (verse 10)

8. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness (verse 11)

9. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise (verse 15)

10. Making the best use of the time (verse 16)

11. Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (verse 17)

12. Be filled with the Spirit (verse 18)

13. Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart (verse 19)

14. Giving thanks always and for everything (verse 20)

15. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (verse 21)

Ephesians 5:1-21 (ESV)


Ouch. Those verses are so practical and so convicting!! If I lived according to those verses, I think the Lord would truly be honored by the way I spent my days. I don't think I have any reason to complain that I don't know practical ways to honor God with my time, for it seems here that it outlined quite simply for me.

May I walk and live my days in an honoring way to the Lord.

And so that I can redeem the time I will present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is my spiritual worship (Romans 12:1 ESV).


Amen.

Honoring God with your Talents and Abilities

A post by Julia

Our current topic is Honoring God, and the various ways you can do that. I would like to focus today on honoring him with the talents he has blessed you with.



Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ.


What do you do? Where do you pour your efforts and abilities out?


If God has gifted you with the ability to sing… Sing for the Lord! Gather your family together for a time of song in the evenings and lift up your voices to worship him. Sing softly, in quiet moments all by yourself, just for him. Join your church choir, or start a chorus group with your friends.


Has the Lord given you the talent of dancing? Dance for him! I had a friend who dedicated her life to dancing for the Lord, teaching ballet classes to younger girls and telling them about him while doing so.


Are you blessed with the gift of encouragement? This is a very important talent and you can use it in so many ways… giving hope to troubled or downcast Christians, refreshing them in their walk with God. Encourage those around you.


Do you have a fiery, enthusiastic personality? Use it to light a fire for Christ in the hearts of the lost! Organize an outreach in your area and hand out material with information about our wonderful Lord and Savior.


If you are blessed with a gentle spirit, you have a special talent and can be a sweet and peaceful influence in your home and in the lives of your friends and neighbors.


When the enemy knocked you down, and God picked you back up, did you tell people about it? Share your testimony with others and tell them about God’s goodness!


Do something! Whatever God has given you to do, do it as unto the Lord. Honor him with whatever he has put into your hand to use.


“Ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ”.


Soli Deo Gloria!
~Julia

Honoring God with Your...Heart

Written by: Miss Rachel

Lately God has been dealing with me and how my heart is. I wrote this about a month ago, and checked it before it went up, and it was like it was just for me, that I hadn't even written it. :) Funny how God works like that. He knew I'd need to read this yesterday. I pray it will bless you as well today as you read it. :)

"Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life." ~ Proverbs 4:23

The heart and the soul seem to be connected in some way. I don't know where the soul is in our body, as God does not tell us. But, He does say that when we believe in Him and in His death and resurrection, that He will place the Holy Spirit in us to guide and comfort us in our Christian walk. :) I don't know where it is, but I can feel it. When I do wrong, it makes me stop and ponder my actions...and then convicts me to ask to be forgiven and repent. When I am afraid or worried, it comforts me. When I am glad and things work out for good in my life, I can't help but rejoice and praise the Lord with with all my heart! :D

Our hearts are the most important part of our body. Scripture mentions it (either the heart of the soul) so many times in the bible! Why is it soo important? Because it's what guides, teaches, comforts, challenges, convicts, praises, and so much more! We must learn how to take care of our spiritual hearts, because if we don't, satan will attack and we won't be ready to fight. It's satan's easiest way to lead us astray. Satan loves to lie to us, tempt us, and many other things to keep us from being close to God. We must keep our hearts with all diligence!


1. We can not hide from God. He sees into our hearts and knows our ways.

"Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart." ~ Psalm 44:21

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts." ~ Proverbs 21:2

God sees into our very souls. God is the one guiding us and directing us in our lives. But we must LET Him do His work in us! There are two kinds of spiritual hearts, the fleshly heart that leads us against the things of God, and a righteous spiritual heart that leads us in godly things. We are human and we tend to let our fleshly hearts lead us instead of God and our righteous spiritual hearts. God knows this and understands the battle we face each day against our will and His.



2. Where is YOUR Treasure?

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." ~ Matthew 6:21

Life offers us so many opportunities and things to fill our lives with. But these "things" can often take our hearts away from God without even knowing about it (which is idolatry). :( What do you fill your time with? What do you spend your money on? Who do you listen to most? These area's show where your heart REALLY is ladies. The things you invest your time and effort into is what has your heart.

Does God have your heart? Do you give it to Him freely each day? Or, do you give your heart to other people, other distractions and entertainments? Do you spend your time with the Lord each day? Does He have your WHOLE heart? How much time do you spend with HIM each day, even just in talking in prayer or singing in praises to Him?



3. Serve the Lord with your Heart!

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." ~ Samuel 12:24

"I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works." ~ Psalm 9:1

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore." ~ Psalm 86:12

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." ~ Matthew 22:37

God wants our hearts...not some of it, but ALL of it! He loves us soo very much, that He even gave and sacrificed His very one and only Son to die for our sins. Yet, we do not give Him all of our heart. We may say one day..."Yes, Lord, I want You to rule in my heart"...but then days later, we take it back and don't want Him to work in THAT area...not yet anyway. ;)

We also give our love to someone else and other things instead of to Him. As I said, the things we invest our time in is where our hearts are. How can we give our hearts to God? By constantly giving it back to Him to change and mold us into the women He wants us to be. :) By letting Him work in us. By serving only Him in all we do and giving Him all the praise and glory and honor for all we are. :) And, by doing things that please Him. ;)



4. God Strengthens our Hearts/Souls.

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." ~ Psalm 27:14

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." ~ Psalm 28:7

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." ~ Psalm 31:24

"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." ~ Psalm 62:8

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." ~ Proverbs 3:5

"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." ~ Psalm 73:26

"Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." ~ Psalm 37:4

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD." ~ Psalm 112:7

'Be not afraid, for I am with thee; I am thy God', He tells us in Isaiah 41:10. :) Isn't that sooo comforting?! :D Times are tough. This world has soo much evil in it, and I don't know about you...but I get really scared sometimes about it! :( But you know what? I have FULL confidence in my Lord and King to take care of every single one of my needs each day! :) He even takes care of my emotional and spiritual needs! :D He is always there guiding and comforting me on a bad day or when I forget His power and might.

"What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee." :) That verse has been a prayer and comfort of mine since I was about 11. :) Through the storms and the storms in life, it's been there to remind me Who my trust is in. We must remember that our God is above all gods...that He is the Creator of the universe and He LOVES US!!!! :D If we ask, He is there to comfort and strengthen us in our weaknesses. To comfort and guide us when we are hurting or lost. Take courage my dear friends in the ONE Who is mighty in your life! :D Remember His ways and read His word and remember His works in your life when things get tough :) Don't think about all the things you are not or don't have or might happen in life...they will only bring you down spiritually! God wants us to have peace in our hearts. Think on the things of God (Philippians 4:8-9). :)



5. Hide God's Word in Your Heart!

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." ~ Psalm 119:11

"Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." ~ Psalm 86:11

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:" ~ Psalm 139:23

God's word is our sword. If we don't hide His word in our hearts by memorizing it, then when trials and temptations come, we will easily be lead astray. :( Knowing what God has to say about things in life and this world helps keep us from sin. Not always, but more often. ;) It also comforts when we're afraid or worried, and it guides when we don't know which way to go. :) Ask God to teach you about His ways. Ask Him to guide you in your walk. :) God is ready to teach us more about Himself and His ways if we will only ask Him! :D He tells us in His word to seek after those things which are above...not earthly things. Seek after righteousness. :)

6. Heart Affects us in Many Ways/Area's!

"The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things."~ Proverbs 15:28

"The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips." ~ Proverbs 16:23

"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" ~ Matthew 15:18-19

Did you know that our hearts affect our actions, our speech, and our thoughts?! It does your know. ;) What is in our hearts will be shown in the way we talk, the way we act, and the way we think! These area's show where our heart truly lies...what it actually thinks and feels. We may talk big, but our actions show the wickedness our heart really holds. Or maybe your actions are good, but your speech is not. Whatever it is, we must get real with ourselves and allow God to show us the area's where sin has entered into our hearts (greed, selfishness, pride, anger...).

Remember, we can not hide things from God. He knows our hearts...even if we hide things from everyone else, God still knows! We must deal with the sin in our lives...eventually, it will come out anyway no matter how well we try to hide it. :( In the end, sin that is allowed to reign in our hearts will only cause more and more trouble in our lives until it is a big, dirty, filthy mess. :(

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." ~ Psalm 51:10

Ask God to create a clean heart in you. :) That's what He wants for you after all don't you know. ;) God honors a heart that is fully in Him. He will teach you and guide you and try you in the fire until you have are made perfect. :) "Don't be weary in well doing" my friends, for God knows our sinful ways and still loves us. He will always be there helping us against ourselves and our own weakness. :)


7. Seek God with All Your Heart!

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." ~ Jeremiah 29:13

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." ~ Romans 10:9

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:7

Seek God, as if He is a precious jewel. He is the prize in this race. Keep you eyes on the goal and run with patience my friends! :)

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." ~ Psalm 19:14

Blessings!
~Miss Rachel~

Honoring God with Your… Thoughts

By Sarah H.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV


I have struggled a lot with my thoughts. Often times I find myself dwelling on things that are defiantly not in keeping with the verse above. I get frustrated sometimes because thoughts, images, and ideas that I have tried to get out of my mind keep coming back. I guess that this is one of the big down sides to having a very good imagination.

A little over a year ago, I was given a book that truly helped me. It was a book called Loving God with all Your Mind by Elizabeth George. Mrs. George struggled with severe depression however, the lessons that she teaches in this book can apply to all of us.

One of the things that she talks about is whenever you start to think about things, the first thing that you should ask yourself is, is it true, is it reality? For example; worrying about another world war it not reality, it isn’t true that only causes us needless stress. For me, asking myself made me realize how much time I spent thinking about things that didn’t matter and just wasted my thinking time, movies, computer games, or even what I was going to eat tomorrow.

For me, honoring God with my thoughts isn’t just about not thinking about bad things, it’s about filling my mind with constructive things. For instance, when I start to think about that movie I watched last night I try to turn my mind to my next blog post instead. When I start to worry about something, I try to pray instead of stew about it.

Changing how you think is not easy but it is worth it.

“The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…” Romans 8:6 NIV

Lessons from Romans: Glorious Hope

A Post by: Melinda

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)

I love the word hope.  It isn't a wonder then that my blog is named Abounding Hope. :-) God's hope, which never fails, brings me constant and abiding joy.  When I get discouraged, I think of the hope I have in Christ.

The verses above bring such insight into the Christian life and why we have hope.

We've been justified by faith.
We have peace with God through Jesus Christ.
We have access into God's grace.

And because of all those, we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Beautiful.


How is hope best developed?

Through rejoicing in our suffering.

Why do we rejoice in suffering?

Because suffering produces endurance.

Why is endurance important?

Endurance produces the character of Christ in us.

What does the character of Christ produce?

Hope.  Hope that doesn't put us to shame.  Hope against hope and without reason.

Why does hope not put us to shame?

Because God has poured His love into our hearts.



Wow.  Isn't that beautiful?

That's why I love hope.  I hope you learn to love it too. :-)


"May the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope."  Romans 15:13 (ESV)

Lessons from the Book of Romans; Justified

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.


And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:29-30 (NIV)
I love this verse. God has a process for us to be glorified. He doesn’t just save us from eternal death and sin, He predestines, calls, justifies, and glorifies us.

Before the creation of the world God choose me to be His child. He set me apart before time began to be His ambassador to the world. God knew everything I would do right and wrong and He still made me part of His family.

My earthly dad only knew about me about 8 months before I was born. Yet He loved me even then. He accepted me into His family and dreamed about who I would be. I hadn’t done anything good or bad, but still my dad loved me and accepted me into the family before I was even born.

Do you see the similarity? Our earthly dads loved and accepted us even before we were born. In a way they predestined us to be brought into our family. But with our heavenly Dad, He planned to adopt us even when we were children of sin. Isn’t His love amazing?

Then He called me. He calls with a small wonderful voice. A voice that doesn’t call out our sins or accuse me. He calls out that my sin has been paid. My life has been redeemed. I am His and He will help me. In whatever happens He continues to call, sometimes I tone Him out, but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t call.

And it doesn’t end there. He justifies. He came down in the flesh and reconciled me to Himself. He took my sin and threw it into a bottomless sea. Now I stand justified before God, not because of my own righteous actions, but because of what God has done for me. I’ve been made whole.

And yet God goes one step further, He glorifies me. Because I am united with Him, I share in the glory of God. Now I may look like ordinary country girl, but one day I will glorified. All that I have done will be set as jewels on a crown. God will take away all the pain and shame. Nothing will be left except Him and His glory.

One day we will see all of this clearly. Until that day comes, trust and rest in God and He will lift you up.

Independence Day

Let's remember the sacrifice our Founding Fathers made 234 years ago today.

Enjoy the little word art I made. :-)

And have a happy Independence Day. :-)


Click on it to enlarge it.

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever." Thomas Jefferson

Lessons from the book of Romans: A lifestyle of serving God

A post by Julia

Before you read my post, I would love to encourage you to read Miss Rachel and Sarah's excellent posts first. I know they blessed me very much and believe that the same would be true for you! :)

Our family has recently begun attending a new church closer to home, instead of driving an hour away to visit a homechurch, and it has been so good for me to be stretched in new areas, like meeting new people and getting out of my comfort zone to talk to people I didn't know yet. I've been enjoying the sermons our pastor has preached lately, and was convicted by many of the things he said about living a life for God. So my post today was for the most part inspired by the things I've been thinking on recently. :)

Romans chapter 6 verses 13 through 18 says...

(13) 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.

(14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

(15) What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

(16) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousnes?

(17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you.

(18) Being then made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.

Now, I hope you did not do what I do sometimes on a busy day (much to my regret) and skip over the scripture to read only what the author of the blog post is writing. if you did that, please go back and carefully read through the verses. ;)

I loved reading what Paul was writing to the christians in Rome. He was so encouraging and uplifting, yet at the same time his message was powerful and convicting. You can sense that he had a tender heart for these fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, but he didn't mince words or tiptoe around where the word of God was concerned.

In verse 13 of that passage of scripture up there, Paul was saying "Don't yield your members (I believe that's our hands and feet, and our physical efforts) as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin" We cannot become tools of the enemy. Don't let him use you for evil works! Instead... "...yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. "

That gives me such a good feeling inside, when I yield myself unto God! It is such a safe thing to do - God knows what is best for us and loves us unconditionally, so serving him with everything that is within us is the best thing we could do.

Who are we serving right now? Are we honoring the Lord with our actions every day, or just for a little while out of the week on Sunday morning, or Wednesday night?

Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says...

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

What are you doing to uplift the circle of influence around you? We see a select group of people often. Family, friends, the regular clerks at the grocery store, the tellers at the bank...  We don't think about it, but there is a circle of people around each one of us that we can either reach out to, or ignore. What will others see reflected in the style of your life? What does your lifestyle look like to them? We need to be thinking about the things we can do to be a positive influence.

The world is watching you - what will you show it?

Let's keep up the good work, endeavoring to be a servant of the Lord in all we do.

Love & Blessings,

Julia