Women of Strength

Here is an audio excerpt, especially for women, from Desiring God. John Piper gives 3 ways the world teaches women to gain power. Then he shows how the Scripture encourages women. Please listen: it only takes about 2 minutes.

Truth: Who wants it?

Recently, I have been pondering why we ignore the truth. I cannot count how many times I have witnessed someone apprehend truth and then pretend they never saw it. They push it far from their mind and then when it pops up unexpectedly they dismiss it. Why do we do this?

I am sure there are many reasons, but I will offer two. First I think we are afraid of pain. We fear being vulnerable. Here is the scenario: the Scripture speaks on an issue and we see it and we say to ourselves, “I can’t forgive that person.” The pain is too great. So, we fill our heads with lies such as; God would never ask me to forgive that person. The Holy Spirit has graciously opened our eyes to see this area where we fall far short and we foolishly look at ourselves and say there is no way, it is impossible, it is too distasteful. So, fear of failure or fear of pain keeps us in darkness and lies.

This leads to the other reason which is intertwined with the first. Our pride causes us to ignore the truth. We don’t want to see our brokenness we want to think we are very spiritual and we want others to think the same. So we will just stay away from those difficult verses that call us to do the impossible. Then we can feel good about ourselves. We are supposed to be happy, right? How can we be happy when we are made to look at our weakness? Often, when we see how far short we fall we had rather embrace a lie than the truth.

Therefore, two great enemies of truth are pride and fear of vulnerability. I hope that I can show a better way. I would like to put the axe to the root of these enemies. Truth is so important. Jesus said that He is the truth. He said if you know the truth you will be free. I am no stranger to this temptation, but I feel as though God has given me the means to do battle with it. Here is what I do when I am tempted to ignore truth.

First of all I acknowledge that indeed it is truth. The Scriptures are for my benefit, not against me. Let them do their work and expose your sin. Remember the above scenario only this time when the truth is revealed hold it and don’t let go. Let it expose your weakness, let it break you. Let it open your eyes to your weakness. Confess your weakness. Continually bring it before God and those whom you are close to. Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand. For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Do not see this as something you need to change, but see it as work for God. Your work is to be broken and humble. God’s work is to transform you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Always agree with God.

Using the above example of unforgiveness, you could do something like this: Oh, God, I see how unforgiving I am. Yet you forgave me when I was your enemy. How unlike you I am. Oh God have mercy and change my heart. You are the Creator of all things. Create in me a clean heart- a heart of forgiveness. Make me like Jesus who forgave those who were his enemies. Then go to someone you greatly respect who believes the Scripture and confess your unforgiveness and ask them to join with you in praying that God would give you a heart that longs to glorify Him in this way. Go to them often and tell them how you are doing in this area. Refuse to entertain ungodly thoughts. Soak in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will help you in this struggle. God’s will is for you to be humble and this may be the means He has chosen to achieve humility. Do not fear brokenness, but fear pride. Our brokenness helps us to see that there was nothing desirable about us that made God choose us, and yet He has chosen us not because of works, but that we would worship Him for His mercy.

Do not reject the truth for a lie. You will miss out on the great opportunity of knowing Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. You will find joy that far surpasses the shallow happiness that comes when we refuse to be broken that is based on lies and avoidance of truth. Let’s seek humility and find joy in knowing Jesus.

Teaching Doctrine To A Six-Year-Old

Here is a good article by John Piper about the importance of understanding doctrine. Also, if you haven't already checked out the entire Desiring God website. It has recently been redone and it is loaded with free downloads and articles.

Teaching Doctrine to a Six-Year-Old

Best Books

I was "tagged" to do this over a month ago and I am just getting to it.

One book that changed your life: The Bible continues to change my life. It is the only book that is God-breathed. And it gives me the ability to judge every other book by its standards. Also, Desiring God, by John Piper; The Way Home, by Mary Pride (although I don't agree with all she has to say the book is so counter cultural it shook up my world). Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by Wayne Grudem and John Piper.

One book that you’ve read more than once: Toward Jerusalem, by Amy Carmichael

One book you’d want on a desert island: The Bible

One book that made you laugh: The Mystery of Marriage, by Mike Mason (It's not a funny book, but he captures the experience of falling in love very well and it made me laugh)

One book that made you cry [or feel really sad]: The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, and The Shadow of the Almighty, by Elisabeth Elliot

One book that you wish had been written: I wish my dad would have kept a journal. Then again maybe I don't. God knows best!

One book that you wish had never been written: The numerous books that defile the reader, but are passed off as great literature!

One book you’re currently reading: The Joy of Fearing God, by Jerry Bridges

One book you’ve been meaning to read: The Pleasures of God, by John Piper

Thoughts on Helping

One wife gave me the counsel to be the kind of wife to your husband that you would like your sons to have. She said if you treat your husband in a way that you would not want your daughter-in-law to treat your sons then you should change the way you respond to him. So in other words, do to him as you would have your future daughter-in-law do to your son. She said most likely they will expect from their wife what they saw from you.

Another wife told me that she serves her husband by always making it a point to greet him cheerfully when he comes home from work.

A very good helper to her husband, Dorothy Patterson, says to not rob your husband of time, but help him have ample time and opportunity to achieve what God has called him to do.

If you truly want to be a help to your husband, meditate on God's word and apply it. When you read a passage about being kind and loving apply that to your marriage, not just outsiders. And when you try this and see how difficult it is to lay down your life for another it is an opportunity to understand better the gospel. And it is an opportunity to demonstrate the gospel.

Author, Larry Crabb says, that most people get married to have their needs met which is what causes all their problems. He says, as Christians we know that only God can meet our needs. Therefore, we are free to serve and meet the needs of our husband.

So drink deeply of Jesus and you will be free to pour out your love and service to your husband.

A Helper Fit For Him

Genesis 2:18-25
18Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." 19So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

24Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

In this text we see God's design for woman. She, along with man, is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and she was created to be a suitable helper for her husband.

Many of us modern American women have been trained by our schools and our culture to not see ourselves as our husband's helper. This has helped destroy our families and our identities. Let us renew our minds by turning to Scripture. Here we see that as Christians, desiring to glorify God, we are called to be who God created us to be. So, as married women, one of our first desires should be to help our own husband.

Over the next few weeks I will post some ideas from other women about helping their husband. And feel free to leave any comments about ways you help your husband.

For the glory of God, let' s examine ourselves and see if we are conciously seeking to be our husband's helper.

The B-I-B-L-E, Yes That's The Book For Me!

God has used the Bible more than any other book to change my life. It is in the Bible where I find the truth of the Gospel. It is in the Bible where I find the purpose for which He created mankind, and more specifically woman. It is in the Bible where I find His teachings, that keep me from being conformed to this world. It is in the Bible that I learn that the world and all its desires are passing away, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. The Bible is God's Word. And I implore you to not forsake it.

As a new Christian I was around people who did not value the Bible. They would have never claimed to not value you it, but they constantly discouraged us from treasuring it. I think the reason was because they had found themselves delighting more in studying the pages of the Bible, than delighting in the Author of the Bible. And that is a huge problem. But it doesn’t mean we neglect the Scripture and pursue God apart from the Scripture. It means we repent and turn to Christ.

I think one of our problems as Americans is that we have heard so many sermons and we have numerous Bibles in our homes. This causes us to be arrogant and ungrateful. We don’t realize how much of what we have is due to the Scriptures. Imagine for a moment if everyone in the States were stripped from all access to the Scriptures. Not only the ability to read from our Bibles, but even the Scripture that we have heard or memorized. We would be plunged into darkness. It is a horrible thought. Yet many believers act as though we do not need the Scripture. They say we have the Holy Spirit and that is all we need. This is a tragedy. And most of these same people don’t realize how much they base their lives off of what they have heard or read from Scripture.

May God be merciful to all of us and bring us to repentance where we have neglected His word.

The following are some quotes from a sermon entitled, Building Our Lives on the Bible, by John Piper. May God give us eyes to see our dependence upon His Book.


"We are a people of the Book. We know God through the Book. We meet Christ in the Book. We see the cross in the Book. Our faith and love are kindled by the glorious truths of the Book. We have tasted the divine majesty of the Word and are persuaded that the Book is God's inspired and infallible written revelation. Therefore, what the Book teaches matters.


"There is no salvation from sin and guilt and condemnation and hell apart from faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Romans 10:13-17; 1 John 5:12). And there is no other authority besides the Scriptures to show you who Christ is and to give you his Word. So don't leave the Bible, children. Don't leave the Bible, young people. Don't neglect the Bible, dads and moms. Don't ignore the Bible, single people. Under God, the "sacred writings," the Scriptures, are the greatest treasure in the world. They alone make us wise unto salvation through Christ. O don't neglect this Book!"

What is the Gospel?

My husband and I have been talking about the gospel. He just returned from a conference called, Together For The Gospel. It was beyond excellent! It, along with some books we've been reading (Romans, Galatians, Christ Our Mediator, and The Cross-Centered Life1,) has caused us to realize how easy it is to forget the most important thing. Our sin is so great that we deserve to have God's wrath poured out on us. Yet Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath to the dregs for us. We taught the following song to our five year old and the words are something worth meditating on,

The Gospel Song
Words:Drew Jones
Music:Bob Kauflin

Holy God, in love, became
perfect Man to bear my blame.
On the cross he took my sin.
By his death I live again.

(If you want to hear a sample of the song click here and scroll down to The Gospel Song and click on one of the players.)

One of the things that has struck me about the song is that it says blame instead of shame in the second line. So much of Christianity today focuses on how good God makes us feel and leaves out the main thing. He took our blame. Do we really realize that our sin was so heinous that we deserve to die? He took our blame. The innocent one took our blame. I think the reason so many of us do not consider our sin to be great is because we compare ourselves to other sinners. But that is not how God judges us. He judges us according to his righteousness. This is why we are all to blame. My sin cost more than I could ever pay. Jesus took the blame and bore in his own body my sin, and God poured out his wrath upon him. Jesus is my substitute. This is the gospel- Jesus died for my sin. So, now I am free from God's wrath. This is better than being free from shame.

1 Of course I do not put all these books in the same category. Romans and Galatians are the infallible word of God, and the other two books are by CJ Mahaney.

Confession

The following is taken from our worship service today.

Holy God,
You have called us to live by faith and in freedom, but we oftentimes live by sight and in bondage. You have called us to be the light of the world, but we have oftentimes covered our light in the presence of others. You have called us to the walk of faith, but we cling to the paths that we know. You have called us to reach outward in love, but we draw inward to ourselves for protection. You have called us to live with abandon, in trust, but we live carefully, in fear. God, forgive us. Amen.

Girl Talk

Just in case some of you don't look at my post on my other blog "Because I Remember," I wanted to let you all know about a great post I read this morning. It is about modesty and fashion.

The following is an excerpt,

"...the immodest girl seeks to dress in a way that draws attention to herself and to her body, instead of serving others and bringing glory to the Savior."

Please check it out!

Imperishable Beauty

"but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:4

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard excuses about why this verse does not apply to particular women. Why do we so often want to dismiss certain Scriptures? I believe the reason is pride and an unwillingness to repent. The verse does not say all women are born with a gentle and quiet spirit or all women naturally have a gentle and quiet spirit. No, it says "let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

Peter is addressing all of us women. I would say especially those of us who do not have a gentle and quiet spirit. Peter is saying something very similar to what Paul says to the Ephesians when he says, "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesisans 4:22-24)

You may say, "I could never have a gentle and quiet spirit it is just not me." Then I say, you are absolutely right- apart from God you can do nothing, but with Him you can do all things. This is the power of the Holy Spirit living in you, it actually changes your attitudes.

When we read these words that we are to adorn ourselves with a gentle and quiet spirit, it is a call for us to repent and call out to God to change us and give us this kind of "clothing" that is very precious in his sight. Then we will have a beauty that is out of this world! The Scripture calls it imperishable beauty. I don't know about you but that is what I want, a beauty that is imperishable and very precious to God.

What is the purpose of having this kind of beauty? It is not so that everyone will say, "Wow, she is really beautiful!" The purpose is the same for all that God does in our life, it is to glorify Him. Not only is glorifying God our chief end, but it is also where we find true satisfaction and joy. Therefore, this beauty comes from God and it is through God and it is to God! To Him be the glory forever!!

Finally, adorn yourselves with a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious; and find your joy in glorifying Him, rather than glorifying yourself with perishable, fading beauty.

TODAY

by Amy Carmichael

O God, renew us in Thy love today,
For our tomorrow we have not a care,
Who blessed our yesterday
Will meet us there.

But our today is all athirst for Thee,
Come in the stillness, O Thou heavenly Dew,
Come Thou to us - to me -
Revive, renew.

Believers

I have been listening to a sermon series by John Piper called Battling Unbelief. It has been very challenging and encouraging (when I say encouraging I don't mean what our culture so often means, I mean putting courage in your heart to keep climbing). He says that faith is not to be a looking backwards, (for example looking back to the cross) but it is a looking forward and believing the promises of God. He talks about the countless number of Americans who say, "I believe Jesus died for my sin and God raised him from the dead" yet it makes absolutely no difference in their life. They do not live a life of faith in God.

Therefore, when I read todays, Daily Light, reading I saw God reinforcing what Pastor John has been preaching. Here is what I read,

"And [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was 'counted to him as righteousness.' But the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord.

"For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. - 'The righteous shall live by faith.'- Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. - Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. - 'For nothing will be impossible with God.'...'And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Gen. 15:6. Rom. 4:20-24. Rom. 4:13. Rom. 1:17. Heb. 10:23. Ps. 115:3. Luke 1:37, 45.

Finally, let us fight the good fight of faith; for he who called us from darkness into his glorious light is faithful to all his promises! Let's be believers!

Be Filled With The Spirit

How many times have you heard people say, "Our church is spirit-filled," or "that person is spirit-filled?" What is usually meant is that the person speaks in tongues or the church has expressive worship. Yet the Bible does not define spirit-filled in this way. So, what is evidence of a spirit-filled church or a spirit-filled person? Jesus said "Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit , nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16-20).

I would like to suggest you look for the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." For example, in Ephesians 1:15 Paul is convinced of the Ephesians having the Spirit becuase he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints. Therefore, let us be filled with the Holy Spirit and love one another. We love because He has loved us. Let us obey Christ and love our enemies, love the outsider, and love the foreigners in our midst. Let us love one another. "This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience-it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary , it shares the joy of those who live by truth. Love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Without love we are sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. Oh Great God of Mercy look upon us and forgive us of our lack of love and wash us and fill us with your Holy Spirit that we may love with your love that passes understanding.

Tied Feet

“We soon found that everything must go down before the claims of the children. Everything personal had, of course, gone down long ago, but now every missionary call had to be subordinated to these new demands.

“And yet, at the beginning, we were often tempted on this point. The new work seemed poorer than the old. The district where we had itinerated is twice as large as Wales and twice as populous, and farther afield opportunities had begun to open and, apart from the ordinary routine of mission work, calls had begun to come from many parts of the Madras Presidency and beyond. Could it be right to turn from so much that might be of profit (evangelistic tours, convention meetings for Christians and so on) and become just nursemaids? ‘Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God and went to God; He riseth from supper and laid aside His garments; and took a towel and girded Himself.’ He took a towel- the Lord of Glory did that. Is it the bondservant’s business to say which work is large and which is small, which unimportant and which worth doing? The question answered itself, and was not asked again. It was a foolish question, for the Master never wastes the servant’s time.

“Children tie the mother’s feet, the Tamils say, and Bishop Paget said, ‘With the venture of faith there is need of self-discipline and of effort.’ Babies are truly a venture of faith and, in India at least, they tie the mother’s feet. For there are no “Nannies” here, and we had seen enough of the difficulties of some missionaries, who had to use ayahs, to teach us that we could not be too careful of our children’s earliest years. So we let our feet be tied for love of Him whose feet were pierced.”1

My “feet have been tied” for almost six years now, and I would not trade these years for anything. It is God’s grace that has allowed me to see the beauty of having one’s feet tied. As with all of God’s ways, when we walk in them, we come to see Him more clearly. Oh how the world scorns His ways and tries to tell you that you are wasting your time or you are doing more than necessary. May we cling to His ways and resist the temptations of the world. As the Scripture says, “the world and all its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”




1 taken from Gold Cord, by Amy Carmichael

Call To Prayer

Today is a day of great confusion and pain for many in our country. Today countless young people will be deceived and seduced by the world's idea of love. Movies, television, books, magazines, the Internet, music, and peers are all busy teaching young men and women what love is. Yet the great majority of these teachers are false teachers, inspired by the serpent of old.

May we, whose eyes have been opened to the truth, not sit by passively watching the blind lead the blind. Let us lift our voice, declaring the truth we have found. And for our children, let us cut off the channels that false teachers are seeking to use to lead our children astray. In the same way that we seek to fill our children with food that is to their benefit, let us fill their mind with ideas and teachings that are for their benefit.

Today is a great day to teach our children about true love. And a day to remind ourselves what true love really is. Let us turn away from the worlds teaching and let us look into the Word of God, in order to see the Word of God. Jesus Christ demonstrated love for God and love for others perfectly. May we walk in His steps! And may we glorify God as we rejoice in the truth that because of Christ, God has lavished His love on us and called us His children!

"Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:7-8

Let us pray:

1) His love, Calvary love, would permeate our lives.
2) That our children would know His perfect love.
3) That we would be a beacon of hope and truth for a lost and dying world.

"This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience- it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: it is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.

Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it shares the joy of those who live by the truth.

Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"The fruit of the Spirit is love..." Galatians 5:22

Poem Of The Week

You may have noticed that I really love Amy Carmichael's poetry. I studied English Literature in college; so I had ample opportunity to fall in love with poetry. It just never happened. It never connected with me. I believe poetry is meant to inspire us and affect our hearts.

From the very moment I first heard Amy Carmichael's poetry I was hooked. So, I thought it would be good to share. You will find a new link entitled "Poetry For Your Heart" on the right side of the page. Each week I will add a new poem for your enjoyment. I hope that you too will find great delight in reading her works.

Stand Like Stone

Most mornings I read from a devotional called, Whispers of His Power, by Amy Carmichael. She was a woman who lived not for the passing pleasures of this age, but by God's grace she set her heart and mind on the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Therefore, she is a woman to follow and emulate. The following is taken from the above devotional.


"Col. 3:12 (Way1): Array yourseleves, then, as God's chosen ones, His consecrated and dearly loved ones, in a heart of sympathay, in kindness, in lowliness, in gentleness, in tireless patience.

An Australian poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, who was born more than 100 years ago, wrote:

'Life is mostly froth and bubble.
Two things stand like stone:
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own.'

Life is not mostly froth and bubble if you are living for the things eternal. But it is perfectly true of the life that has not for its center, Christ.

The last three lines are entirely true. Let us put them into our hearts and minds and live them. "

1 A. Way, The Letters of St. Paul (a translation)

Sweet Fruit

So the question comes, "Do we experience the fruit of love1 most when we are the center or object of love, or when we are the ones loving?"

I think most people lack love in their lives because they give so little. The woman who neglects her children and her marriage will find very little fulfillment in either. She will spend her time looking for love when all the while it could be found in her home. When we invest in the lives of others, especially those who God has placed in our homes, we will find satisfaction. The world teaches us it is better to receive than to give, but our Saviour said just the opposite. Throughout the Scripture we see that when we meet the needs of others God will meet our needs (see Isaiah 58).

So, when we are the ones doing the loving we will find more satisfaction. This is true even if we are never acknowledged by the ones we are loving. Because the Scripture teaches that whatever we do to others, it is as if we have done it to the Lord (see Matthew 25). In fact the woman who gets no return for her love may be the one who is rewarded most! For the Bible says if we do our works to be rewarded by man then that is reward enough, but if we do them without reward then God will be the One who rewards! Talk about motivation to love those who do not know how to return love! So, wives who find it difficult to love their husbands with a passionate love, I encourage you to stir it up and look to God's reward! Or anyone who finds it difficult to love, follow Christ and love the unloveable, and you will soon be tasting the sweet fruit of love. Let us cast off the desire to be the center or object of love and let us consider others better than ourselves and love with the love of Christ. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.

Love Through Me

Love through me, Love of God,
Make me like Thy clear air
Through which unhindered, colours pass
As though it were not there.

Powers of the love of God,
Depths of the heart Divine,
O Love that faileth not, break forth,
And flood this world of Thine.

-Amy Carmichael


1 When I use the term "fruit of love," I simply mean joy and pleasure.

Love

Recently, I have been pondering the concept of emotional love. Probably, because of a Bible Study that I am currently in that is called, The Beloved Disciple. I fear that my generation or who knows maybe most generations believe that love is most clear when the one loved is indulged and petted.

You see this very clearly when it comes to parenting. I have seen countless young mothers refuse to discipline their child "because they just want to show them love." What they don't understand is that love often comes in the form of discipline. The Scripture teaches that if God does not discipline us then we know that we are not truly His children. Our culture is in direct opposition to a Biblical worldview. The world tells us to satiate our children's desires rather than train them. We must come to grips with the fact that we have been given a trust from God. Our children are given to us not so that we can give them what they believe is their hearts desire. Rather, we are the adults who have much more experience and wisdom. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. We are called to do what is for their benefit whether it pleases them or not. I once heard a mother say "we are not called to make them happy, but to make them holy." A superficial happiness that comes with always having things their way is not what will make our children truly happy or holy. Of course, we cuddle them and laugh and play with them, but if we refuse to cross their will to teach them self-control and self-denial then we are not truly loving them. If we love them we will prepare them for a life of obedience and service to the Almighty Creator of the universe. And if we serve the Lord with joy, by God's grace, so will they.

to be continued...

Comforted

A GREAT wind blowing, raging sea,
And rowers toiling wearily,
Far from the land where they would be.

And then One coming, drawing nigh;
They care not now for starless sky.
The Light of life says It is I.

They care not now for toil of oar,
For lo, the ship is at the shore,
And their Beloved they adore.

Lord of the Lake of Galilee,
Who long ago walked on the sea,
My heart is comforted in Thee.

-Amy Carmichael

I often find myself ill-equipped for the task at hand. This can easily bring discouragement. Yet when I hear Him "who long ago walked on the sea" call me to follow Him into whatever task He has put before me, my heart is comforted. For I know that if He is with me there is nothing to fear. Truly, His grace is sufficient for me. And He is faithful to teach me all I need to know, in order to perform the task well.