The Beauty of His Love

He is Good

2012-01-10T18:59:00.000-08:00

Was reading through some letters the other day that were sent to our church from missionaries we support. It’s always so cool to hear how God is working in far away places! The recent letters were re-capping the past year and different things God had done in 2011. One paragraph stood out to me in particular — “We have experienced much joy, a little sadness, great victories and minor defeats, real trials and wonderful blessings. Through it all, the Lord has been gracious and good, as always. What a great God we serve.” I’m sure that could sum up in a few words what most of us could say about 2011.

Yeah, last year had it’s ups and downs, joy and sadness, victories and defeats, trials and blessings. I love the perspective this ends up with though — Through it all, the Lord has been gracious and good, as ALWAYS. What a GREAT God we serve! Just this morning I was thinking of some things I had wanted to happen last year that didn’t happen and found myself thanking God that He was, and is, in control! He wants the best for us so much that He doesn’t just give us everything we want. We can’t see the whole picture, but God can. I’m so thankful for that!

Sometimes we have to follow Him even when we don’t want to. I remember when we first moved to Guam. I didn’t want to come at all, but at the same time there was a peace in my heart that God wanted me to come. So I came. Now I don’t ever want to leave! God knows what’s best. Every. single. time.

At the end of 2012 I have no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing, but I do know that whatever happens, wherever God leads me, no matter what joy and sadness, victories and defeats, trials and blessings come my way I want to be able to say, “Through it all, the Lord has been gracious and good, as always. What a great God we serve!”

“Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart;

for consider what great things He has done for you.”

~1 Samuel 12:24

Living With an Eternal Perspective

2011-11-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

“What will you do this week that will count for eternity?" I Read that question on a friend’s Facebook status tonight. What awesome words to live by! Just made me think of how many ways my outlook and purpose in life would change if I really lived by that each day. My overall goal in life is to live with an eternal perspective, but just breaking that down to “what will I do this week?” or “what will I do TODAY that will count for eternity?” creates a lot to think about. I know there are changes I need to make in this area for sure.

If I did away with everything in my life that won’t make any difference in eternity, what would be left? If I changed all my desires and things that I hoped for to being in perfect alignment with God’s desires, what would my heart look like? If changed everything that I strive for and aim to accomplish each day to what God sees as important for me to accomplish, what would my days look like? Of course, as imperfect people we won’t ever be able to live a perfect life like that, but just living with that eternal perspective each day and keeping our focus on eternal things will bring us closer and closer to accomplishing that goal.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

~Ephesians 2:10

What will you do this week that will count for eternity? What will you do today that will help accomplish your goal for this week?

The Red Sea Rules

2011-11-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

It’s a little tiny book packed with awesome truths from God’s Word…The Red Sea Rules. The account of God parting the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass through and then crushing the pursuing enemy with the very same waters is incredible! The same God who parted the Red Sea is the same God who does whatever it takes to crush our enemies, lead us out of difficulty, and always makes a way where there seems to be no way. He’s a God of the impossible! God allows difficulties to come our way, but He always leads us out.

Red Sea Rule 1

Realize that God means for you to be where you are.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon.”

~Exodus 14:1-2

The sea was before them, Pharaoh’s hosts behind them, and the mountains around them. And all this, be it observed, permitted and ordered of God.

~C.H. Mackintosh

Red Sea Rule 2

Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief.

Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, “They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.” Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.

~Exodus 14:3-4

If we could only look upon a difficult crisis as an occasion of bringing out, on our behalf, the sufficiency of divine grace, it would enable us to preserve the balance of our souls and to glorify God, even in the deepest waters.

~C.H. Mackintosh

Red Sea Rule 3

Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord.

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them…So the Egyptians pursued them.

~Exodus 14:5-9

The great tyrant has not forgotten you, and he designs your capture and re-enslavement.

~Charles Spurgeon

Red Sea Rule 4

Pray!

When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

~Exodus 14:10

Their fear set them a praying, and that was a good effect of it. God brings us into straits that He may bring us to our knees.

~Matthew Henry

Red Sea Rule 5

Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work.

Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.

~Exodus 14:13-14

I am waiting on Thee, Lord, to open the way.

~J. Hudson Taylor

Red Sea Rule 6

When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith.

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.”

~Exodus 14:15

I have found that if we go as far as we can, God often opens up the rest of the way.

~Isobel Kuhn

Red Sea Rule 7

Envision God’s enveloping presence.

The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

~Exodus 14:19-20

For your Van-guard is the Lord, and your Rear-guard is the God of Israel.

~Isaiah 52:12 (Rotherham)

Red Sea Rule 8

Trust God to deliver in His own unique way.

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

~Exodus 14:21-22

There came a mighty wind like a wedge and split that sea wide open, clear to its center.

~B. H. Carroll

Red Sea Rule 9

View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future.

The Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

~Exodus 14:30-31

I know He tries me only to increase my faith.

~J. Hudson Taylor

Red Sea Rule 10

Don’t forget to praise Him.

Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will sing to the Lord,

For He has triumphed gloriously!

The horse and its rider

He has thrown into the sea!

The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation;

He is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

~Exodus 15:1-2

Wash your face every morning in a bath of praise.

~Charles Spurgeon

*Taken from The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan

W...A...I...T

2011-10-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Waiting is a hard thing to do…no matter what it is that we’re waiting for. I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but a friend of mine gave this one to me before she moved away and I love it! Every time I read this poem I’m reminded of the importance of keeping my focus on Christ instead of my circumstances; resting in Him in the midst of everything and realizing He has a bigger purpose than I can see. “Wait” isn’t the answer we like to hear, but we would miss out on so much if God just dropped everything into our lap without ever needing to trust, rest, depend and wait on Him!

Wait

by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .

And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming Your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate

Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to wait?

I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,

As my Master replied again, "Wait."

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,

And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .

and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.

You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint.

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love

When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight.

The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,

But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to truly know Me.

And though oft My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

~~~~~~~

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…”

Psalm 37:7a

Streams in the Desert ~ September 20

2011-09-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

“Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

~John 11:40

Mary and Martha could not understand what their Lord was doing. Both of them said to Him, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Back of it all we seem to read their thought: “Lord, we do not understand why You have stayed away so long. We do not understand how You could let death come to the man whom You loved. We do not understand how You could let sorrow and suffering ravage our lives when Your presence might have stayed it all. Why did You not come? It is too late now, for already he has been dead four days!”

And to it all Jesus had but one great truth: “You may not understand; but I tell you if you believe, you will see.”

“…But he trusted.”

Abraham could not understand why God should ask the sacrifice of the boy; but he trusted. And he saw the glory of God in his restoration to his love. Moses could not understand why God should keep him forty years in the wilderness, but he trusted; and he saw when God called him to lead forth Israel from bondage.

Joseph could not understand the cruelty of his brethren, the false witness of a perfidious woman, and the long years of an unjust imprisonment; but he trusted, and he saw at last the glory of God in it all.

Jacob could not understand the strange providence which permitted the same Joseph to be torn from his father’s love, but he saw the glory of God when he looked in to the face of that same Joseph as the viceroy of a great king, and the preserver of his own life and the lives of a great nation.

And so, perhaps in your life you say, ‘I do not understand why God let my dear one be taken; I do not understand why affliction has been permitted to smite me; I do not understand the devious paths by which the Lord is leading me; I do not understand why plans and purposes that seemed good to my eyes should be baffled; I do not understand why blessings I so much need are so long delayed.”

Friend, you do not have to understand all God’s ways with you. God does not expect you to understand them. You do not expect your child to understand, only believe. Some day you will see the glory of God in the things which you do not understand. J.H. McC

If we could push ajar the gates of life,

And stand within, and all God’s working see,

We might interpret all this doubt and strife,

And for each mystery could find a key.

But not today. Then be content, poor heart;

God’s plans, like lilies pure and white, unfold,

We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart—

Time will reveal the calyxes of gold.

And if, through patient toil, we reach the land

Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest,

When we shall clearly know and understand,

I think that we shall say, “God knew best.”

You Will Seek Me and Find Me...

2011-09-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Prodigal Blogger should be my new name here…that’s surely what I feel like! Not only here on the blog, but physically and spiritually too. I’ve allowed myself to get caught up in work and become so focused on things that “need to be done” that I skimp on my time spent with God and other things that really should take higher priority. God’s been working on my heart about that, but today I finally came to the end of my rope! It just doesn’t work to do things in our own strength, no matter how hard we try. But like the father of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 accepted his son’s repentance and welcomed him home after he had run off, God is faithful to forgive and welcome us back to Himself. I’m so thankful for God’s mercy towards us – completely undeserved, yet fully and faithfully given!

God has really been renewing my vision and desire to pursue Him with a passion and I’m so excited about sharing some of things He’s used to encourage me in that! As Beth Moore would say, “it’s a mean world out there, girls!” J We have so much against us, but with God we have so much MORE for us! We can’t do it on our own, we have to continually seek HIM and fill ourselves with His love and grace for each day.

If you find yourself on the same path I’ve been on the past few months - trying to fit so much in that it begins to push God out - I hope you’ll join me on the path that seeks Him with a passion and a desire to know more of His love!

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

~Jeremiah 29:13

Leftovers ~ Christian Surfers Devotional

2011-08-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Several months ago my brother posted a devotional from Christian Surfers on his Facebook page and the message from it stuck with me ever since…serving God the leftovers. Lately, as I’ve gotten busy with work and other things, I realize how easy it is to slip into a habit of giving God the leftovers of my time each day. We can be super busy, involved in ministry and many other good things, but there is absolutely nothing that can replace or fill in for time spent in God’s Word. I’m so thankful for God’s patience with me as I learn to put Him first in all things…every day. Every time I slip into a habit of giving Him the last bit of my day, or allow something else to take the first place in my heart and mind, He gently reminds me that He is the only one who deserves that place in my heart and draws me back to Himself. His love is amazing and complete – it’s all we need!

Here’s the devotional from Christian Surfers:

As a surfer, I’ve never been all that concerned with what people think. I’ve walked into conferences with wet hair and sandy feet. I’ve even gone to church barefoot, but I can’t imagine inviting special friends over for dinner and then throwing a few leftovers into the microwave to serve up to them. If I were to do that, it would speak volumes about how I really feel about them.

Giving God the leftovers of our lives speaks volumes about His true worth to us. When God asked Abraham to give Isaac back to Him as an act of worship, Genesis 22:1 calls it a test. {Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" and he said, "Here I am."} A test to see if there was anything in his life that he treasured more than God.

It’s no different for us. There are times when God requires something really important to get His work done. He’ll ask us to give up our natural instincts of seeking revenge so that we can communicate His forgiving love by forgiving our enemies. He may call us to sacrifice portions of our time or money or comforts to advance His cause. The way we respond to what He requires says volumes about how we really feel about Him.

What will you serve up this month? This week? Today? Right now? Anyone can offer the leftovers. Only those who love God more than anything else will serve up the very best for Him.

God deserves far more than leftovers; He deserves the very best, the first, the last and everything in between. We won’t survive long on very little time spent in the Word. It’s only with God’s strength and by His grace that we are what and who we are.

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Scripture Memory Challenge---CHANGES!

It’s the beginning of a new week, which means it’s time to choose a new verse for the Scripture Memory Challenge! As we continue with the challenge, I will only be posting new verses on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. The blog and the Scripture Memory Challenge will go on, but I will not be posting on the blog every Monday related to the challenge. I really, really love reading the verses you’re memorizing and would love to keep sharing those with each other. So head on over to The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page and continue on with the 2011 Scripture Memory Challenge!! Click {here} to head that direction! J

*Photo courtesy of Christian Surfers

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 16

2011-07-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been out on a boat enjoying the nice breeze, or laying out on the beach soaking up the sun thinking, “Aahhhh, this is the LIFE! It just doesn’t get better than this!” Living on a tropical island I’ve had those words pop into my head many times! Colossians 3:4 tells us that Christ is our life, and one day He will be revealed to us and we will be revealed with Him in glory! This week, as I thought about the first part of that verse, “When Christ, who is our life…,” I realized that Christ is to be our life; living each day for His glory, serving, giving of ourselves, our time, our energy, our minds, and our hearts…that is truly the LIFE! But how often do we think of it that way when we’re in the midst of giving and serving, do we think “Aahhhh, this is the LIFE!”?

One day, when Christ returns, we’ll be revealed with Him in glory and have to give an account for our lives. How did we live each day? And not only how we lived our lives, but did we have the right motive in our heart about it, or were we living for ourselves and our own pleasure. I love the cross-reference to Colossians 3:4, “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” (1 John 2:28) Wouldn’t it be an awful feeling if, when Christ returns for us, we were ashamed to face Him because we didn’t abide in Him and live our lives for Him?

I love this quote from our sermon this morning, “Every Christian should live a Spirit-directed life that is sold out to the Savior.” If Christ is our life, let’s live each day for Him, putting our whole heart into each task that He sets before us! When an opportunity comes to serve and show the love of Christ to others, remember…That is the LIFE!

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For week 16 of the Scripture Memory Challenge, I’m moving on to Colossians 3:5…

“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

You can post your verse for this week as a comment here or as a post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page over {here!}

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 15

2011-07-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

I plan to spend another week on my memory verse (Colossians 3:4) before writing a post about what God’s teaching me through it, but in the meantime I wanted to share a section from Streams in the Desert (July 24):

“Then believed they His words; they sang His praise. They soon forgot His works; they waited not for His counsel; but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their souls.”

~Psalm 106:12-15

We read of Moses, that “he endured, as seeing Him who is visible.” Exactly the opposite was true of the children of Israel in this record. They endured only when the circumstances were favorable; they were largely governed by the things that appealed to their senses, in place of resting in the invisible and eternal God.

In the present day there are those who live intermittent Christian lives because they have become occupied with the outward, and center in circumstances, in place of centering in God. God wants us more and more to see Him in everything, and to call nothing small if it bears us His message.

Here we read of the children of Israel, “Then they believed His words.” They did not believe till after they saw – when they saw Him work, then they believed. They really doubted God when they came to the Red Sea; but when God opened the way and led them across and they saw Pharaoh and his host drowned – “Then they believed.”

They led an up-and-down life because of this kind of faith; it was a faith that depended upon circumstances. This is not the kind of faith God wants us to have. The world says “seeing is believing,” but God wants us to believe in order to see. The psalmist said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

Do you believe God only when the circumstances are favorable, or do you believe no matter what the circumstances may be? C. H. P.

“Faith is to believe what we do not see,

and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.”

~Saint Augustine

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Continuing on with Colossians 3:4 this week:

“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,

then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

You can post your verse for this week as a comment here or post on The Beauty of His Love’s wall over {here!}

~ Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 14 ~

2011-07-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Dying to self. It’s probably one of the hardest things to do, but at the same time it’s such an exciting thing. Our ladies Sunday school class and Bible study has been going through Beth Moore’s study on Esther. The whole study has been amazing, but today’s session was *A-mazing!* J Beth Moore was talking about the “reversal of destiny.” It started with Queen Vashti – the King wanted to show her off at his banquet, the next thing you know, we never see her again; Esther was a poor orphan girl, God turns things around and she becomes the queen; Haman had plans to kill Mordecai, yet God arranges for Haman to array Mordecai in the king’s robe and crown and lead him through the city on the king’s horse shouting, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor!” And the greatest of all…2 Corinthians 5:21 explains that God made Christ “who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Christ became sin so that we, who are sinful, can be FREE from the bondage of sin! That is the ultimate “reversal of destiny!”

Going back to my verse from last week, Colossians 3:3 – “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” In the previous verses it’s talking about seeking the things above, things that honor and glorify God, and now we know that the reason we do that (and can do that) is because we have died with Christ. Our life is changed; we are hidden away from worldliness and alive in Christ. Dying to self is hard! There are things that come up daily which require us to die to self and yield to God’s way. But thinking back to the above paragraph and seeing how God works in incredible ways to bring about His perfect plan is so encouraging! When God changes the direction we are going and places us in new situations it almost always requires us to die to ourselves in some area. There’s a sweetness that comes with dying to self when we realize that we’re really surrendering ourselves to a far better way. Our lives are in the hand of an amazing God. Dying to self allows God’s perfect plans to be fulfilled in and through us.

Why hold on to our ways when God has so much more in store for us? The next time God requires us to die to ourselves in some area, let’s remember what He did in the book of Esther, flipping things completely around in order to bring about His perfect plan, but most of all remember that “He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Dead to ourselves, alive in Christ!

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This week I’m going to move on to Colossians 3:4

“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed,

then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

What verse are you going to work on for week 14 of the Scripture Memory Challenge? You can share it in a comment here or on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction…

Set Your Mind On the Things Above

2011-07-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

When one of my siblings has a crazy dream they tell us all about it in the morning, then we sit there laughing or thinking how scary it would be if it were real! I guess I think it through too much though, because they all laugh when I say, “Oh, I bet you dreamed that because we were talking about ______, or doing ______ yesterday!” The things we see, listen to, and do really affects our minds and what we think about.

The verse I was working on this week was Colossians 3:2 – “Set your mind on the things above…” That’s not the way we naturally think! The word “set” is so true. It’s an action word; something we have to choose to do, and that’s exactly what we have to do with our thoughts. Even after almost 3 months of doing this Scripture Memory Challenge, my mind doesn’t naturally flood with Scripture and Christ-honoring things all the time. I have to “set” it there and purpose to fill my mind with things that are godly. Thinking on things that “are on the earth” (Colossians 3:2) would be anything that’s contrary to God’s Word. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on things that are true, honest, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. That’s what we want to fill our minds with!

It sure takes constant reminders from God’s Word to set our mind in the right place, but I think really grasping the next verse in Colossians 3 is so important for this.

“For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Colossians 3:3

That’s the verse I’m going to work on for “the challenge” this week. Just knowing that, as Christians, we’re dead to the things of the world and ALIVE in Christ is an awesome thought! We can have complete freedom from thinking things that are contrary to God’s Word because we’re no longer controlled by them. “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” ~1 John 4 But I’ll go into that verse after I spend the week memorizing and studying through it more. J

What are you filling your mind with? Is it true, honest, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, and honoring to God?

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This is week 13 of the Scripture Memory Challenge! If you didn’t start with us from the beginning, you can jump in at any time. Post your verse for this week as a comment here or wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page over {here!}

How Badly Do You and I Want to Be Like Jesus?

2011-06-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

“How badly do you and I want to be like Jesus? If you and I are in Jesus, walk as He walked” I wrote that down on a piece of scrap paper several months ago and stuck it in my Bible. It was taken from a video series our old church was going through. I don’t even remember the name of the video or the whole story that was told, but it was Rebecca’s story. She told how her family, among other Christians, had to meet secretly to study God’s Word and suffered persecution. She was part of a horrible attack and witnessed some awful things in it. But those people didn’t give up on their walk with God. They wanted Him so badly that they were willing to suffer for it. How badly do you and I want to be like Jesus?

Colossians 3 talks about seeking Christ and setting our mind on things above, then it goes on to talk about living that relationship out in our everyday life, in the home, in relationships, in prayer, and in our witness and speech (Chapter 4). It’s packed full of awesome insights for our walk with Christ and becoming more like Him! This was my first week of memorizing Colossians 3 so I’ve only done verse one, but I’m excited about sharing all that God teaches me over the next several weeks as I go through the chapter.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

~Colossians 3:1

As Christians (those who have been raised up with Christ), we’re not only to seek the things above, but to keep seeking the things above. It’s something we have to constantly be doing. Every day we make choices and do things that will either benefit us and only last temporarily, or bring glory to Christ and reap eternal benefits. As we were driving home from church tonight, a song called “Repent” was playing and the words are so true – “And I confess that though Your love is in me, it doesn’t always win me when competing with my sin.” A lot of times we know the right thing to do, but self and sin get the victory. The chorus of that song goes on to say, “And I repent, making no excuses. I repent, no one else to blame. And I return to fall in love with Jesus. I bow down on my knees and I repent.” We’re all sinners who will never be perfect, but the goal is to be moving in the right direction. When we fall and allow our sin to overcome us we can return to Christ and keep seeking Him! It takes work and constantly reminding ourselves to have an eternal perspective on life, not just a day by day perspective on what seems good for the moment.

How badly do you and I want to be like Jesus? Enough to live each day for His glory, not our own? Enough to say no to things that have temporary pleasure in order to gain eternal reward? Enough to not be swayed by what the world thinks of us? Enough to live a life poured out for Him? If you and I are in Jesus, let’s walk as He walked!

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We’re 12 weeks into the Scripture Memory Challenge!! I’m loving it and hope you’re learning some awesome things from memorizing/studying God’s Word! This week I’m going to move on to verse 2 of Colossians 3:

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

You can post your verse as a comment here, or as a wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page over {here!}

~ Watch Unto Prayer ~

2011-06-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks I’ve really slipped with the Scripture memory challenge! I’ve been reminded so much lately that absolutely nothing can substitute or be given higher priority than the time we spend in God’s Word. We can be involved in great things, things that bring glory to God and are a good investment of our time, but when those things get in the way of how much time we spend in God’s Word – that’s a problem! We need God’s Word daily, not just a little bit here and there. It takes more than just quickly reading through a chapter before bed to really grow in our relationship with Him.

Streams in the Desert (June 6) talks about letting our walk with God slip in the area of prayer, but it can really be applied to all aspects of our walk with Him:

“Watch unto prayer.” ~1 Peter 4:7

Go not, my friend, into the dangerous world without prayer. You kneel down at night to pray, drowsiness weighs down your eyelids; a hard day’s work is a kind of excuse, and you shorten your prayer, and resign yourself softly to repose. The morning breaks; and it may be you rise late, and so your early devotions are not done, or are done with irregular haste.

No watching unto prayer! Wakefulness once more omitted; and now is that reparable? We solemnly believe not.

There has been that done which cannot be undone. You have given up your prayer, and you will suffer for it.

Temptation is before you, and you are not ready to meet it. There is a guilty feeling on the soul, and you linger at a distance from God. It is no marvel if that day in which you suffer drowsiness to interfere with prayer be a day in which you shrink from duty.

Moments of prayer intruded on by sloth cannot be made up. We may get experience, but we cannot get back the rich freshness and strength which were wrapped up in those moments. ~Frederick W. Robertson

If Jesus, the strong Son of God, felt it necessary to rise before the breaking of the day to pour out His heart to God in prayer, how much more ought you to pray unto Him who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift, and who has promised all things necessary for our good.

What Jesus gathered into His life from His prayers we can never know; but this we do know, that the prayerless life is a powerless life. A prayerless life may be a noisy life, and fuss around a great deal; but such a life is far removed from Him who, by day and night, prayed to God. ~Selected

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Nothing satisfies like Christ, and nothing can substitute the time we spend with Him. It has to be constant, and it can’t be a quick skimming of His Word. So as we begin a fresh new week with Him, let’s make sure He has the most important place in our lives, not just the leftovers.

Up to this point of the Scripture Memory Challenge, I’ve been memorizing single verses around the Bible as opposed to working on a passage, but this week I’m going to begin working on Colossians chapter 3.

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above,

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

~Colossians 3:1

You can post your verse for this week as a comment here or on the Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction!

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 9

2011-06-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

As we start off a new week of memorizing Scripture, I really encourage you to read this article by John Piper (Desiring God) on the importance of memorizing Scripture. It’s a quick read and goes through six great points on why we should memorize God’s Word.

Why Memorize Scripture?

First, a few testimonies: I have it third hand, that Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Seminary once made the statement (and I paraphrase) that if it were his decision, every student graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary would be required to learn one thousand verses word perfect before they graduated.

Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote, “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” (“Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, p. 7).

Chuck Swindoll wrote, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. . . . No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified” (Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], p. 61).

One of the reasons Martin Luther came to his great discovery in the Bible of justification by faith alone was that in his early years in the Augustinian monastery he was influenced to love Scripture by Johann Staupitz. Luther devoured the Bible in a day when people earned doctorates in theology without even reading the Bible. Luther said that his fellow professor, Andreas Karlstadt, did not even own a Bible when he earned his doctor of theology degree, nor did he until many years later (Richard Bucher, "Martin Luther's Love for the Bible"). Luther knew so much of the Bible from memory that when the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth of justification in Romans 1:17, he said, “Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory,” in order to confirm what he had found.

So here are a few reasons why so many have viewed Scripture memorization as so essential to the Christian life.

1. Conformity to Christ

Paul wrote that “we all, . . . beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18) If we would be changed into Christ likeness we must steadily see him. This happens in the word. “The Lordrevealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord” (1 Samuel 3:21). Bible memorization has the effect of making our gaze on Jesus steadier and clearer.

2. Daily Triumph over Sin

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. . . . I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9, 11). Paul said that we must “by the Spirit . . . put to death the [sinful] deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). The one piece of armor used to kill is the “sword of the Spirit” which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). As sin lures the body into sinful action, we call to mind a Christ-revealing word of Scripture and slay the temptation with the superior worth and beauty of Christ over what sin offers.

3. Daily Triumph over Satan

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness he recited Scripture from memory and put Satan to flight (Matthew 4:1-11).

4. Comfort and Counsel for People You Love

The times when people need you to give them comfort and counsel do not always coincide with the times you have your Bible handy. Not only that, the very word of God spoken spontaneously from your heart has unusual power. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” That is a beautiful way of saying, When the heart full of God’s love can draw on the mind full of God’s word, timely blessings flow from the mouth.

5. Communicating the Gospel to Unbelievers

Opportunities to share the gospel come when we do not have the Bible in hand. Actual verses of the Bible have their own penetrating power. And when they come from our heart, as well as from the Book, the witness is given that they are precious enough to learn. We should all be able to sum up the gospel under four main headings (1) God’s holiness/law/glory; 2) man’s sin/rebellion/disobedience; 3) Christ’s death for sinners; 4) the free gift of life by faith. Learn a verse or two relating to each of these, and be ready in season and out of season to share them.

6. Communion with God in the Enjoyment of His Person and Ways

The way we commune with (that is, fellowship with) God is by meditating on his attributes and expressing to him our thanks and admiration and love, and seeking his help to live a life that reflects the value of these attributes. Therefore, storing texts in our minds about God helps us relate to him as he really is. For example, imagine being able to call this to mind through the day:

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)

I used the word “enjoyment” intentionally when I said, “communion with God in the enjoyment of his person and ways.” Most of us are emotionally crippled—all of us, really. We do not experience God in the fullness of our emotional potential. How will that change? One way is to memorize the emotional expressions of the Bible and speak them to the Lord and to each other until they become part of who we are. For example, in Psalm 103:1, we say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” That is not a natural expression for many people. But if we memorize this and other emotional expressions from the Bible, and say them often, asking the Lord to make the emotion real in our hearts, we can actually grow into that emotion and expression. It will become part of who we are. We will be less emotionally crippled and more able to render proper praise and thanks to God.

There are other reasons for memorizing Scripture. I hope you find them in the actual practice.

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Scripture Memory Challenge—Week 9! I’ll be working on Corinthians 6:19-20:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

You can post your verse for this week as a comment here or a wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page over {here!}

~ Scripture Memory Challenge--Review Week ~

2011-05-29T05:49:00.000-07:00

It’s week 8 of the Scripture Memory Challenge! I’m so thankful for each of you who are taking part in this. It’s definitely been a challenge for me, but so rewarding and encouraging. I pray that God has used it in awesome ways for you too! God's Word is so refreshing, uplifting, and powerful!

This week, I want to do something a little different. Instead of choosing a new verse to work on, let’s go back through the past 8 or more verses we’ve memorized up to this point and review them. Read through them every day and be sure you still have them stuck in your memory. J Then, instead of posting a new verse as a comment or wall post on the Facebook page, I’d love to hear one thing that God’s taught you in the past eight weeks, a verse that really stood out to you, something that’s helped you memorize your verses, or anything that you’d like to share about memorizing God’s Word that’s been helpful or encouraging to you!

One thing I’ve noticed is that when I take time to think on my verse before I get out of bed each morning, I have a better mindset for that day. Not that it makes my day perfect or problem-less, or even guarantees me being in a great mood all the time, but it gives me a better perspective for whatever God brings my way. It reminds me to keep my focus on Him and that Christ is who I’m living each day for!

“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture…No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced.

Your faith will be solidified”

~Chuck Swindoll

So as we dive into week 8, spend time reviewing the past verses you’ve memorized and take a minute to share one thing God’s taught you through His Word! You can leave a comment here or post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page over {here!}

~ Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 7 ~

2011-05-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I came across a quote that said, “If you went running when you first started thinking about it, you’d be back by now!” When I read that, I knew it would be on my mind the next morning when it was time to get out of my cozy bed and hit the pavement. There are many mornings that I’d rather stay in bed and sleep in a little. There’s just something about keeping my eyes on the finish line and reminding myself of the wonderful feeling at the end of a good run that gives me energy and motivates me to get out there and do it!

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) has that same effect on our daily life; it gives us strength and energy to run the race mentioned in Hebrews 12:1 with endurance! There are so many things we can fix our eyes onto that draw us away from God. Once we do that, our spiritual energy begins to slump and our endurance fades away. Working on Hebrews 12:1b-2 this week was a huge reminder to me of the importance of constantly fixing my eyes on Jesus and keeping Him as my highest priority and focus. In a message this week, the guy speaking said, “No earthly relationship should get in the way of your relationship with Jesus Christ.” I think that could really go for anything in our life, not just relationships. Some good questions to ask ourselves would be, “does ________ get in the way of my relationship with Christ? Is it drawing me towards Him or away from Him? Would I be willing to completely give this up for Christ?”

“The test of spiritual concentration is bringing the imagination into captivity. Is your imagination looking on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Your work? Your conception of what a worker should be? Your experience of salvation and sanctification? Then your imagination of God is starved, and when you are up against difficulties you have no power, you can only endure in darkness. If your imagination is starved, do not look back to your own experience; it is God Whom you need. Go right out of yourself, away from the face of your idols, away from everything that has been starving your imagination. Rouse yourself, take the gibe that Isaiah gave the people, and deliberately turn your imagination to God.”

~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

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For week 8 of the Scripture Memory Challenge I’ll be working on Psalm 46:10:

“Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Looking forward to reading your verse for this week…it’s always a huge encouragement!

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You can post your memory verse for this week as a comment here, or as a wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction!

~ Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 6 ~

2011-05-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

“Don’t ask God what He can do for you, but ask what you can do for Him.” That was the final thought of this morning’s sermon at church. I think it ties in perfectly with the verse I was memorizing and thinking on this week…

“And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves,

but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

~2 Corinthians 5:15

The ultimate goal of our lives as Christians should be to live for Christ, to honor and glorify Him in all things. He died for us so that we can live for Him! I find myself asking Him to do certain things for me or to work in ways that will benefit me more than I ask how I can live for Him. Not that I think it’s wrong to ask God for those things, but overall I’ve had a “what can God do for me” kind of mindset. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 really opened my eyes to see the ultimate purpose for my life…to live for Christ! While God does tell us to come to Him with our requests, needs, and desires, I see a greater need in my life to ask Him to show me ways that I can live for Him each day.

I’ll be moving on to a new verse this week, but want 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 to be the theme of my life: To be controlled by the love of Christ, and to live every day of my life for Him and His glory!

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And now for WEEK 6! I’ll be working on the last part of Hebrews 12:1 and go through verse 2:

“…And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You can post the verse you’re working on this week as a comment here, or as a wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction!

~ Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 5 ~

2011-05-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

"True love is not simple and soothing like a lullaby; it is demanding. To see love for what it is—the reckless self-giving so wonderfully shown on Calvary—is to realize that selfishness is not an option. No one can persist in seeking the best for himself while he keeps before him what Christ has done for him on Calvary." ~Leon Morris, Testaments of Love

Last week I chose two verses to work on, but got “stuck” on the first phrase of 2 Corinthians 5:14…“For the love of Christ controls us.” To know the love of Christ to the point that it controls my every thought and action, not just knowing He loves me in a way that makes me feel good and happy, but in a way that literally dictates what a say, think, and do…That’s what I want for my life! How can we show Christ’s love to those around us without first knowing it deep within our own hearts? God’s love is so amazing, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to fully grasp the greatness of it, but we can fill ourselves more and more with it each day.

“And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

~Ephesians 3:19

2 Corinthians 5:14 goes on to say, “Having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died.” Through His death on the cross, Christ expressed the greatest kind of love to us. “Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends.” ~John 15:13 If Christ gave His life for us, can we give ours for Him? Maybe that won’t literally be through death, but in the way we live, spend our time, energy, resources, etc.

“The foundation for walking with God is twofold. It comes from knowing deep within that God loves you with all that He is, and secondly, from knowing deep within that you love God with all that you are. When these two factors are joined together, then your walk is stable, fulfilling and fruitful. The Lord becomes the longing of your heart and the delight of your soul. You crave to drink regularly from His living water so that you can be an expression of His wonderful love to those around you—family, friends and anyone else you meet along the way. The alternative is to walk in selfishness, self-centeredness and sin." ~A Disciple's Notebook

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Since I only did one of the two verses I chose last week, I’ll work on the second one this week:

“And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves,

but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

~2 Corinthians 5:15

You can post your verse as a comment here, or as a wall post on “The Beauty of His Love’s” Facebook page. Click {Here} to head that direction!

Photo by Paige Overturf Photography

~ Faith Like Abraham ~

2011-05-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was reading Streams in the Dessert and wanted to share the paragraph below with you. I love Abraham’s example of faith! God called Abraham to leave his country, relatives, and his father’s house and go to a land that God would show him. Abraham didn't wait for God to tell Him exactly where he was going. He just took God at His word, gathered his possessions and left with his wife, nephew, and servants. Another one of my favorite accounts is Abraham’s incredible faith with his son, Isaac. After waiting years and years for a son, God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Not only was Abraham *willing* to sacrifice his son, but he actually got to the point of laying him on the alter and raising the knife! THEN, God provided the ram. What an awesome picture of faith; being willing to give our most precious possessions, desires, plans, etc. to God with complete trust that He will provide the “ram”!

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Streams in the Dessert, April 16

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed.”

~Hebrew 11:8

Whither he went, he knew not; it was enough for him to know that he went with God. He leant not so much upon the promises as upon the Promiser. He looked not on the difficulties of his lot, but on the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, who had deigned to appoint his course, and would certainly vindicate Himself. O glorious faith! This is thy work, these are thy possibilities; contentment to sail with sealed orders, because of unwavering confidence in the wisdom of the Lord High Admiral; willinghood to rise up, leave all, and follow Christ, because of the glad assurance that earth’s best cannot bear comparison with heaven’s least. ~F. B. M.

It is by no means enough to set out cheerfully with your God on any venture of faith. Tear into smallest pieces any itinerary for the journey which your imagination may have drawn up.

Nothing will fall out as you expect.

Your guide will keep to no beaten path. He will lead you by a way such as you never dreamed your eyes would look upon. He knows no fear, and He expects you to fear nothing while He is with you.

The day had gone; alone and weak

I groped my way within a bleak

And sunless land.

The path that led into the light

I could not find! In that dark night

God took my hand.

He led me that I might not stray,

And brought me by a new, safe way

I had not known.

By waters still, through pastures green

I followed Him—the path was clean

Of briar and stone.

The heavy darkness lost its strength,

My waiting eyes beheld at length

The streaking dawn.

On, safely on, through sunrise glow

I walked, my hand in His, and lo,

The night had gone.

~Annie Porter Johnson

*Photo by Paige Overturf Photography

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 4

2011-05-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

“I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever.” That part of the two verses I worked on last week (Psalm 86:11-12) reminded me of this quote by J. White:

"Can God, who gave His all for you, ever do wrong by you? Shall you accept the good from His hand and then charge Him with wrong doing when something does not go your way? Shall you thank Him when He blesses you with what you approve but not thank Him when it seems bad and painful for you? Is He worthy of praise only when His acts please you? His chosen way for you is always good and perfect and best. He is ever more worthy of thanksgiving and praise, even in the darkest times. Your trust in the dark so pleases your Heavenly Father. Your praise in pain honors Him.”

God desires and deserves our thanksgiving and praise no matter what. We cannot only thank Him when things are going our way. I was thinking how important it is to thank Him when things are *not* going our way, because that’s when He’s directing us towards something far better. Sometimes it requires praising Him out of obedience and full trust, not because we really understand the situation or where He’s going with it, but because we trust that HE is God and is orchestrating every step of our lives for His glory and our best interest.

Nick Vujicic said, “I’ve never met a bitter person who was thankful, or a thankful person who was bitter.” Thanking God with our whole heart is a mindset and an attitude that, when put to action, helps us to have a better outlook on the situation; it keeps us focused on God’s promises of faithfulness and love to us in all things. “His chosen way for you is always good and perfect and best…Your trust in the dark so pleases your heavenly Father, your praise in pain honors Him!”

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And now we’re at the one-month mark of the Scripture Memory Challenge!! This has definitely helped me to be consistent with memorizing and thinking on God’s Word throughout each week. A huge thanks to all you who are in on this with me!

This week’s verses are 2 Corinthians 5:14-15:

“For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and arose again on their behalf.”

You can post your verse as a comment here or as a wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here}

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 3

2011-04-25T03:20:00.000-07:00

The word “Challenge” is the perfect way to describe week three of memorizing for me! When things get busy it’s so easy to get in the “I’ll work on it later” mindset. I find myself doing whatever it takes to fit certain things into each day, but not making as big of an effort for memorizing Scripture. Not taking time for God’s Word is like trying to go to an unknown place without directions. It’s like trying to build a relationship with someone without getting to know them beyond the surface. That’s not how I want my relationship with God to look. I want it to be the very center of my life; to dictate the way I live each day!

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

~Psalm 119:105

God’s been teaching me so much about trusting Him as my Shepherd; the One who directs each step I take and guides me down the path He has chosen for me. All too often I have the perfect plan in mind and think I know what He’s doing…then He takes a quick sharp turn and leads down a completely different path! But it’s always so much better than I imagined. There is no better place to be than resting in His plan, learning to go with the flow of what He is doing instead of controlling things in the direction of our own will.

As I continue learning to trust God to direct each step of my life, Psalm 86:11-12 are my verses for this week:

“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

and will glorify Your name forever.”

You can post your verse for week 3 of the Scripture Memory Challenge as a comment here, or as a comment or wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction!

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 2

2011-04-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

Monday is back! It sure came fast, too. :) I absolutely loved getting notifications every time a verse was posted as a comment or wall post on here and Facebook; so encouraging to read through them!

Jeremiah 17:8 is the verse I worked on this past week: “For he (the one who trusts in the Lord) will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” This verse was really encouraging as God’s been working in my heart to trust Him for every single aspect of my life; to know that He is my Shepherd and will lead me in all things.

The palm tree always comes to mind when I think of this verse. Maybe that’s just because Guam is loaded with them, but I like the analogies that go along with it! I remember studying palm trees for a school project one time. What really stood out to me is how they can withstand huge amounts of wind. When we had a couple huge typhoons here in Guam several years ago, it was incredible to watch those palm trees bend and sway in the wind as if they would snap any second, but they never did. Instead, they just pop right back up! They don’t wither on super hot days, but their branches stay strong and green as ever. And that’s how it is with us when we fully trust in God. We can stand strong in the storms and not fall under the heat of trials. God is our continuous source of strength and with Him we have absolutely nothing to fear or be anxious about!

I’ve been reading through Streams in the Desert this year and read this quote that goes right along with Jeremiah 17:7-8:

“God permits temptation because it does for us what the storms do for the oak—it roots us; and what the fire does for the painting on the porcelain—it makes them permanent.”

It’s when we trust God in the heat of trials and temptations, and in the small things as well as the big, that we become rooted deeper and stronger in our relationship with Him. As He becomes greater in our lives, fear, anxiety, and our lack of trust become smaller.

“There are times and places where God will form a mysterious wall around us, and cut away all props, and all the ordinary ways of doing things, and shut us up to something divine, which is utterly new and unexpected, something that old circumstances do not fit into, where we do not know just what will happen, where God is cutting the cloth of our lives on a new pattern, where He makes us look to Himself.” ~Streams in the Desert

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For week 2 of the Scripture Memory Challenge I’ve decided to work on Zephaniah 3:17:

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs!”

Looking forward to reading your verse for this week! You can write it as a comment on this post or as a comment or wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction!

*Photo by Hannah Ruth Photography

Scripture Memory Challenge--Week 1

2011-04-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Monday is finally here (at least for those of us in Guam) and the Scripture Memory Challenge begins…NOW!!

Memorizing Scripture has been a challenge for me for a long time, so having all this accountability is quite a treat! As I was reading through Psalm 119 the other day, I realized how important it is to memorize and meditate on God’s Word. It’s something to treasure and find true delight in to say the least! If you haven’t read Psalm 119 recently, I would really encourage you to read it this week as we kick off the challenge.

For the past few days I’ve been thinking, “Which verse should I memorize first?” As I read my Bible each day I prayed and kept my eye out for a verse to stand out. One morning I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a friend had posted Jeremiah 17:7-8 on their wall and that became THE verse I wanted to take on for the week!

“For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.”

~Jeremiah 17:8

From the previous verse (verse 7) we know that the “he” in verse 8 is talking about the one who trusts in the Lord. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7) But I’ll share more about this verse after spending the week memorizing and learning more about it.

I can’t wait to read the verse(s) each of you have decided to work on! You can write it out in a comment to this post or as a comment or wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page. Click {here} to head that direction!

Praying for you all this week as you hide God’s Word in your heart and apply it to your life!

*Photo by Paige Overturf Photography

The Beauty of His Love's Scripture Memory Plan

2011-04-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

After lots of praying and thinking, I’m so excited to announce The Beauty of His Love’s Scripture Memory Plan! But, before I go into more detail, let’s think about the importance of memorizing God’s Word…

In my first post of 2011, I wrote about God being our Source, Sustainer, and Goal, based on Romans 11:36: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen!” If God is our Source, Sustainer and Goal, we have to know HIM and know His WORD in order to gather from the source which then sustains us. There’s a huge difference between knowing about a source and actually receiving from the source. It’s also possible to keep our distance from the source, or have it readily available, right at our fingertips when we need it.

When I go on a long run, it’s a must for me to carry water; I won’t make it very far without a way to hydrate and keep cool. The night before a morning run, I fill my little water bottles up and stick them in the fridge. The next morning they’re cold and ready to clip on my “fuel belt”. As the sun rises and the heat turns up, whether I’m drinking that water or pouring it over my face and neck it keeps me going! I don’t have to depend on there being convenient water stops during a race, or worry about making the next mile because I’m just too hot. I’m prepared; my source of refreshment is there when I need it. That’s exactly what memorizing God’s Word does for us. No one can take what we’ve stored in our mind and hidden in our hearts. When we have God’s Word right there, we’re prepared. Prepared to give a ready answer, fight our battles when they come, resist temptation, and find comfort, strength, and grace for every need. When God’s Word is in our hearts, we’re not dependent on having our Bibles literally at our fingertips. Our Source is THERE, ready to put to action!

One of my favorite verses, Joshua 1:8, shows the importance of memorizing God’s Word. If we don’t memorize His Word, how can we meditate on it “day and night” so that it becomes a part of our lives?

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, So that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

Joshua 1:8

Psalm 119 is FULL of verses that talk about God’s Word and how we should love it, act on it, take delight in it, seek it, and find instruction and counsel from it!

“Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”

Psalm 119:11

Memorizing God’s Word is so important, but it’s also one of the easiest things to skimp on or let slip away. We can memorize tons of movie lines, music lyrics, and so much more, but for some reason it takes more effort to let God’s Word have just as much importance in our lives. My hope is that doing this together will keep us accountable and help to make memorizing Scripture a daily habit!

So here’s the plan…

· Each week we’ll memorize 1 verse (or 2 shorter ones if they go together).

· The last week of each month will be used to review the 3-4 verses we’ve memorized

that month.

· Every Monday we’ll begin working on a new verse.

· On Monday you’ll write out the verse you’ve chosen as a comment on The Beauty of His Love’s blog post (I’ll be posting my verse on the blog each week), and/or as a comment or wall post on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page .

· This week be thinking on what verse you’d like to work on and spread the word to your friends—although you can join in at anytime, Monday, April 11 will be our first week of the challenge!

· Make it a goal to stick with this all year long! Our last day of sharing verses will be Monday, December 26, but memorizing God's Word should be a lifelong habit for all of us.

It will be fun and encouraging for all of us to see what verses everyone is working on! If you run across a verse someone else posted that you like, jot it down to work on the following week.

It sounds pretty easy to memorize only one verse a week, but by spending a whole week on the verse we’ll have plenty of time to meditate on it, which will really help to understand and apply the verse. For many people, memorizing more than 1-2 verses a week doesn’t allow it to sink in real well and the verse doesn’t stick in our memory as long. If you’re a pro at memorizing Scripture…GO FOR IT! The goal isn’t to hold you back from doing more; it’s to get God’s Word in your heart and mind. And memorizing one verse a week, meditating on it, and really letting it sink into your heart is a great place to start!

Helpful tips:

Pick a verse that’s meaningful to you. Maybe it will help you in an area you struggle with, or be a rock of strength during a time of weakness, or even help overcome a fear in your life. If the verse is meaningful to you, it will be easier to memorize and you’ll WANT to recall it throughout the day!

Don’t overdo it! Memorizing too much at a time doesn’t allow the verse to stick real well. If you’ve chosen a longer verse, break it down into sections. Memorize one part at time and only go on when you have the first part down well.

Write your verse on Post-It notes or little cards and stick them in places where you’ll see them throughout the day.

Set aside a few minutes each day to work on your verse with NO distractions. Even five minutes at a time will do the trick! Just be sure to revisit it throughout the day.

Find one or more friends or siblings to join you in this! Share with each other what God is teaching you through your verse.

If you don’t know which verse to choose, feel free to work on the same one that I post; it doesn’t have to be different. Search your Bible or even other comments and Facebook wall posts and see if there is a verse that stands out to you. You can also contact me at anytime for help: thebeautyofhislove@gmail.com

I’m excited about this! My greatest desire in doing this is not only to encourage and help you memorize God’s Word, but I hope this will be life-changing for you! Knowing the Bible by heart and allowing it to make a difference in your life is so important in the Christian walk. God doesn't want us to only hear His Word, but to take ACTION and become DOERS of the Word…Let’s put James 1:22 to action!

“But prove yourselves DOERS of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

~James 1:22

*We'll begin on Monday, April 11!

Because they know His voice

2011-03-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

When I was little and would run outside to play, I dreaded the times when Mom’s voice called out behind me, “Kelliii! Come back real quick…” Usually it was to have me finish a job or re-do one that wasn’t done well. Sometimes, I would pretend not to hear and continue running in the direction of all the neighborhood kids playing outside…it would have been easier to listen the first time. ;-) When it was time to go inside for dinner, even though I couldn’t see my parents, I always recognized their voice calling me to come home and went running in for dinner…

God wants us to hear His voice in the same way, to recognize His voice when He calls and follow. “When he (the shepherd) puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ~John 10:3-4 Jesus is telling a parable using sheep here, but God compares us as Christians to sheep, and Himself as our Shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:31, John 10:11) The sheep follow the voice of their shepherd because they know it. It’s familiar and trustworthy and they go where he leads. If a stranger were to try and lead the sheep, not only do they not follow his voice, but they flee. They run from the unfamiliar voice!

Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:14) and in verse 27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” As God’s sheep, we’re not only to be familiar with His voice, but to know it, and know it well. We’re to follow His voice when and where He leads without question, with confident trust that our Shepherd will never mislead us.

We don’t have to experience evil to know if it’s wrong, and we don’t have to try out other “shepherds” to see if they’re worthy of our following. It’s unfamiliarity that makes us run, recognizing that the voice of the world is different than God’s. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4) If we become just as familiar with every other voice, pretty soon we’ll be comfortable with them all and not know which one to really trust.

"Our goal is to know His voice so well that anything that doesn’t line up with His Word becomes like the voice of a stranger…and we run from it."

How do we “know His voice”? By filling ourselves with His Word and spending time with Him! When I was little I recognized when it was my parents (and not my friend’s parents) calling me in for dinner because I had spent so much time with them that I knew their voice. I would never have run to my friend’s house thinking their parents were calling me in for dinner…although I might have wanted to sometimes! We know God’s voice when we take the time to learn it. Through reading His Word we learn who He is, what His characteristics are, the things He loves and hates, how to respond in situations, we learn the difference between right and wrong and what things fall into those categories. By looking at the lives of other godly men and women we see how He’s worked in their lives, by journaling we can look back at how God’s worked in our own lives. We can learn from books and lessons from those who are further and stronger in their walk with God than we are. Our goal is to know His voice so well that anything that doesn’t line up with His Word becomes like the voice of a stranger…and we run from it.

God’s leading us every single day. He leads in small decisions just as much as He does in big decisions. He directs our steps and guides our paths. But if we can’t hear Him, none of that will help us. Sheep follow their shepherd because they know his voice. If we want to follow our Shepherd, we have to know His voice.

Do you know God’s voice? Are you learning more of who He is every day? Or are you comfortable with the voice of the stranger, making it difficult to decide who the true Shepherd is and where His voice is leading?

The Lord is my Shepherd. Not was, not may be, nor will be. “The Lord is my Shepherd,” is on Sunday, is on Monday, and is through every day of the week; is in January, is in December, and every month of the year; is at home, and is in China; is in peace, and is in war; in abundance, and in penury.

~J. Hudson Taylor

God's Word...A Privilege!

2011-03-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

When’s the last time you stopped and thought about the privilege it is to have God’s Word written in your own language? For most of us, we don’t just have one Bible per household; we have multiple Bibles…sometimes per person. Then not only do we have multiple Bibles, but different translations to compare with in order to gain a greater knowledge of what God is saying. We have quick and easy access to them through internet and even on our phones! I’ve always loved carrying my Bible to church so I can underline verses that stand out to me during the message or look up cross-references, but lately I’ve gotten in the habit of using the Bible app on my phone…because it’s easier than carrying my big, bulky Bible around after church. How silly! There are people all over the World who would give anything and everything to carry a big, bulky Bible around!

After watching the video below and seeing the incredible excitement of these people who are receiving Bibles in their own language for the first time, I realized how much I take my Bible for granted and don’t even think of the blessing it is to have not only one, but many in our home. There are people all over the world that don’t have the privilege of owning a Bible. Either it’s not written in their language, or they don’t have the freedom to own one.

“No one can take away the things we hide in our heart!

That’s ours forever, no matter what!”

It’s a blessing to own a Bible. But simply owning a Bible doesn’t make us a stronger Christian; it doesn’t deepen our relationship with Christ… *using* it does! Spending time in God’s Word, studying it, memorizing it, and making it a part of our lives is what makes us grow in our Christian walk. Who knows…there may come a time in our lives when we won’t have the freedom to own a Bible. But no one can take away the things we hide in our heart! That’s ours forever, no matter what! Memorizing God’s Word is so important; something I definitely need and want to make a bigger priority in my life.

“Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you…”

~Colossians 3:16

I posted this video on The Beauty of His Love’s Facebook page the other day, but wanted to share it with those of you who aren’t on Facebook as well. It was so amazing and convicting to me when I saw the excitement these people have for God’s Word. It’s a treasure, a blessing, and a gift. Let’s treat it that way!

Let it Be Said of Us...

2011-02-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

Let it be said of us that the Lord was our passion, that with gladness we bore every cross we were given, that we fought the good fight, that we finished our course, knowing within us the power of the risen Lord! That right there is what I want for my life; not only knowing who God is and all about Him, but to have that passionate relationship with Him. I want Him to be my All in All, my everything. Christ is the One who should be the driving factor of everything I say, think and do. But all too often it’s me. Me wanting to do things that benefit me, that look good, sound good, and feel good. Colossians 3:1-3 says,

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

My life and your life is hidden with Christ in God! When we surrender our lives to Christ and receive His salvation, we have died to sin and self and our life is no longer our own. We’re no longer slaves to sin…yet sometimes we live as though we are. We let our thoughts and the things we do be driven by self. Our dreams, our desires, and our selfish thoughts still seem to consume us. But we’re to be dead to that; dead to our old sinful habits and human ways, but alive in Christ, allowing Him to be the driving factor of everything we do, think, and say. His desires are to become our desires, and His thoughts, our thoughts.

“Relationship with Christ begins in our heart…”

Sometimes it’s easy to confuse “being passionate about God” with doing a bunch of stuff for Him. We like to be busy and active outwardly, while our hearts suffer. It’s like the more we do, the better Christian we are. But that’s not what relationship with Christ is about. Relationship with Christ begins in our heart, what we do outwardly is the fruit of that heart relationship. Because we can do, and do, and do more, but if our heart is not right and the things we do are not a driven out of love for Christ, then it’s nothing…worthless. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Satan likes to tell us that we’re not good enough, we don’t have the skills or gifts, or whatever to discourage us from doing what Christ wants of us. But the truth is, if we have a right relationship with Christ, if He is the driving factor of our actions, then we don’t need to be “good enough,” we don’t need to possess the “right skills.” When we do things out of a right relationship with Christ, He opens the doors and works through us. It’s never us being good enough, smart enough, or skilled enough…it’s Christ living in and through us!

My greatest desire is to have Christ living in and through me, to be dead to my passions and desires and allow Christ to be ALIVE and at work in my life. No, I’ll never be good enough, skilled enough, or smart enough, but Christ in me is. The question we have to continually ask ourselves is, “where is my heart? Are the things I do driven by myself or Christ?” The most important relationship we can ever build is with Jesus Christ. Let it be said of us that the Lord was our passion…let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song!

“Let it be said of us, we were marked by forgiveness, we were known by our love, and delighted in meekness; we were ruled by His peace, heeding unity’s call, joined as one body, that Christ would be seen by all.”

~Promise Keepers

Hide Away in the Love of Jesus!

2011-01-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

It was so beautiful this morning when I headed out for a run. A refreshing breeze was blowing and the sun was creating a nice warm glow without the full force heat that would come in the next hour or so. I thought that made for a perfect run until I turned around and realized I was headed straight towards a vibrant rainbow that could be seen from end to end…and not only one, but a whole cluster of rainbows! It looked like I would be running right underneath the arch, so I ran faster trying to get there. “Hide Away in the Love of Jesus” was playing on my iPod. It was an amazing and beautiful reminder of the promise of God’s love. He promises that He’ll never leave or forsake us, and that His love is everlasting! {Hebrews 13:5b, Jeremiah 31:3}

Come, weary saints, though tired and weak

Hide away in the love of Jesus

Your strength will return by His quiet streams

Hide away in the love of Jesus

Running after a cluster of rainbows doesn’t happen every day, but every day we can run after God’s promises in His Word. Sometimes we just need a little reminder of the strength He gives to get through a busy day, other times it takes a whole cluster of promises to get through something much bigger. No matter what our circumstances are, we can always hide away in the love of Jesus to find hope, strength, healing, and peace.

Here Him calling your name

See the depths of His love

In the wounds of His grace

Hide away

Like most rainbows, the ones I was after this morning were further away than they looked and my path turned before reaching them. But I didn’t forget that beautiful picture or reminder of God’s promises. We can’t always sit and read our Bibles all day long, but we can still take God’s promises with us after spending time with Him in His Word. His promises are ours to claim forever…and they never fade!

Come, hopeless hearts, do not despair

Hide away in the love of Jesus

For ten thousand joys await you there

Hide away in the love of Jesus!

Our Source, Sustainer, and Goal

2011-01-06T05:08:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011!! January seems to be the month of new beginnings and a perfect time for setting goals. Some of those goals reach accomplishment, some make it half way there, and others never make it past the first step. I love January. It feels fresh, clean, and full of motivation and hope! It’s also a time for looking back and recalling all that God did during the past year. I’m always amazed when I think of what God did, the places He took me, and the people He brought into my life. Every year ends in a completely different way than I imagine it will each January. And I’m thankful for that. Thankful because in the end I see how much better God’s ways are than mine.

Last month, after reading Romans 11:36, I felt that same hope and motivation that comes with Januarys.

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.To Him be the glory forever. Amen!”

~Romans 11:36

Christ is the Source (from Him), Sustainer (through Him) and Goal (to Him) of ALL things! It was an awesome reminder to me that Christ is who I live for. Not only is He the goal of all things but He gets us to the point of completion. He is our source of inspiration, direction, strength, and help. He is our sustainer when everything seems to be going uphill or when we feel as if we’re trekking through a dry desert. He is to be the ultimate goal for each goal, assignment, task, and dream we’re after.

A source is a place to obtain something, like information, food, or help. Usually we have to go to the source to receive what we’re after. Christ is our Source, and if we’re not continually going to Him for direction, help, and spiritual food, then we won’t experience Him as our Sustainer. If we aren't sustained by Him, how will we ever reach Him as our goal in such a way that He can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? It’s so important to carve out time every single day to spend alone with Jesus, to visit our Source for strength and sustenance in order to reach the Goal.

A few Sundays ago, the sermon ended with a few questions that fit right in with living out the coming year with Christ as our ultimate goal:

· Whose agenda am I really after?

· Is my desire to succeed in the warfare or in the world?

· Am I going to be able to stand before God and hear Him say, “Well done!”?

If you want an adventurous year ahead, choose the path that trusts God for the unknown, that is willing to let Him be the leader instead of you, and that lets go of self and puts God on the throne! But you won’t survive the adventure unless you seek Him as your Source and Sustainer and aim for Him as your Goal!

“Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

1 Corinthians 8:6

*Photography by Hannah Ruth

Holding out for God's best {Part 2}

2010-12-23T00:25:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of Leslie Ludy’s article on “Holding out for God’s Best!”…

Are you wondering about the true character of a guy in your life? Observe him “behind the scenes” when no one else seems to be watching. He might be a wonderful example of Christ when he is in front of his church friends, but what is he like around his family? How does he treat his younger siblings? Does he honor his parents? What is he like around the “unlovable” people – those who can’t do anything for his reputation or popularity? Does he seek the limelight or is he content to be in the background, ministering to those that everyone else overlooks? What is the overall direction of his life? Is he pursuing money, or is he truly pursuing Christ? Does his “spiritual wisdom” come from hours on his knees alone with God, or merely from what he borrows from the spiritual lives of others? Is he truly respectful of women and honoring to his future wife, or is he constantly trying to win the affection of girls? Take some time to quietly observe his behavior (over more than just a day or two!) and allow God’s Spirit to open your eyes to his true nature.

Recruit some “teammates” who can observe him along with you. Often the best teammates are parents or Godly older adults you respect, rather than friends your own age who might just tell you what you want to hear. Your parents (if they are walking with Christ) have been given a special position in your life by God, and often they have special insight into important decisions such as this one. If you are willing to humble yourself and submit to their wisdom, God can work through them to give you caution or assurance as you decide whether to move forward in a relationship. Even if you are an adult and living completely independent of your parents, they can still serve as prayer partners and Godly counselors for this crucial area of your life. If you are willing to humble yourself enough to listen to their perspective, you will be surprised at how beneficial it can be.

“…even if you are mocked, ridiculed, or ignored because of your stand, you can be sure that God will honor your decision”.

I have spoken with many godly men who have told me that if young women started keeping their standards high rather than settling for mediocre men, then guys would be forced to make serious changes to their masculinity. And even if you are mocked, ridiculed, or ignored because of your stand, you can be sure that God will honor your decision. He paid for the treasure of your heart with His own blood. You disregard His amazing sacrifice for you when you allow your femininity to be trampled in the mud. You are a daughter of the King, so hold out for a man who has royal blood coursing through his veins.

Holding out for God's best {part 1}

2010-12-18T03:02:00.000-08:00

Leslie Ludy has had a huge impact on my life through her ministry to girls at www.setapartgirl.com. This article written by her was a huge encouragement to me and I think you’d enjoy it too!

An earthly romance is meant to be an outflow of our Heavenly romance with Christ. A human love story was designed to be a picture of the stunning romance between Christ and His Bride. The only way this can happen is for both individuals to be completely consumed with Jesus Christ; to be ruled and operated not by selfish motives, but by His divine Spirit alone.

There are lots of “Christian” guys out there; guys who profess Christ but allow self to reign and rule their lives. All too many young women lower their standards out of desperation – thinking that if they don’t snag the one guy who seems at least somewhat better than the rest, they will end up alone. But this attitude demonstrates a complete lack of trust in God’s good and perfect plans for your life. If you give Him the pen and allow Him to script your story, you don’t need to strive or manipulate in order to make a romance happen – He will bring the perfect guy into your life in His own perfect time and way. He is more interested in this area of your life being beautiful than even you are!

If you settle for less than a man who is fully yielded and surrendered to the King of all kings, you settle for less than God’s best for you. You may not feel worthy of a noble, gallant, Christ-built Warrior Poet who will lay down his life for you. But this is exactly what Christ is to you. And this is exactly what He desires for you in an earthly prince. If you keep your standards high, you honor Christ. You acknowledge that you were purchased by the precious blood of Jesus, that you are the daughter of the Most High King, and that you will not cheapen all that Christ has done for you by throwing your pearls to swine. Christ has made you into royalty. Do not throw that gift away by giving the treasure of your femininity to a self-serving pig.

How can you tell the difference between a Christ-built Warrior-Poet and a cleverly disguised self-built “Christian” man? There are many ways.

First, learn to listen to the voice of Christ’s Spirit within you. The more you diminish your own selfish voice and tune in to what His Spirit is whispering to your soul, the more you intrinsically sense when God is opening a door, or when He is telling you to be cautious. If you need wisdom about a guy in your life, devote plenty of time to diligent prayer. The more you pray, the more clear God’s voice will become. And don’t rush ahead out of impatience. If there is any doubt in your mind, it is always best to err on the side of caution rather than presumption. If God wants you to take a step forward with a guy, He is perfectly capable of giving complete peace and confidence to your soul. If there is uncertainty, the best thing to do is to wait and continue to pray until your path becomes clear. God will not allow you to miss His will if you simply build your life around seeking Him.

In my weakness, He is strong!

2010-12-09T04:26:00.000-08:00

There was a time when each morning after I woke up, before I could even get out of bed, I had to cry out to God for grace and strength to face another day, to get out of bed and just focus on what I needed to do that day. I was so discouraged, confused, and hurt that I couldn’t even think of getting up and going through the day without His grace. As I worked on a project today, I was reminded of that time in my life and felt overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness in the way He gently and lovingly turned my heart toward Himself and filled it with His amazing love and strength! I still need God’s grace and strength for each day, but it’s in those times of extreme weakness that His strength really shows up in special ways in our lives.

A couple nights ago, while Mom and I were driving home from our Christmas ladies’ meeting, we got to talking about how God uses our weaknesses to do great things. When we realize our inability to do things on our own and begin to draw on God’s strength, then He can work through us! Like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5, “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” We came up with other examples of God using weak men to accomplish great things…Moses, leading the Israelites out of Egypt, yet he felt that he wasn’t cut out for the job. David was the smallest and youngest of his brothers, yet he single-handedly killed a lion, a bear, and a GIANT! Gladys Aylward, a tiny woman who was labeled as insignificant, ordinary and uneducated led 100 orphans to safety during war in China. Is God hindered by our weakness? Not at all! He uses the least, the weak, the lowly, and the needy to do awesome things. In my weakness, in your weakness, God is STRONG!

“All God’s giants have been weak people.”

~Hudson Taylor

When you’re faced with days where you have no strength of your own, when God brings opportunities your way that you feel incapable of doing, when you’re faced with giants, brick walls, and impossibilities…that’s where God’s power really breaks through! During those times, run to Him and seek His grace and strength. He’s ready to pour it out to you in the exact measure that you need it. In our weakness, God is STRONG!

“And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

~2 Corinthians 12:9

Remembering God's Faithfulness

2010-11-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

The last few days I’ve been reminded of God’s amazing FAITHFULNESS! As I’ve thought back on some past experiences that weren’t all that pleasant and see them from the other side of the tunnel, it’s so exciting to see how God’s hand was in the midst of it all! During that time I kept a journal of all that God was doing in my heart—because I wanted to remember God’s faithfulness!

Reminds me of David in the book of Psalms. He starts out so depressed, sad, worried, troubled, and weary from various trials and encounters. The enemy is out to get him and he wonders if God’s forgotten him. Then he ends the Psalm with praise to God for His faithfulness and unfailing love, His protection and power over the situation. What happened in between David’s anxious thoughts and his praise to God? His situations may not have changed, but his perspective sure did! Psalm 77:11-12 says, “I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds.” David remembered God’s faithfulness in times past; how God never let him down before, and began thinking on God’s power over the situation instead of focusing on his own fears and weakness over it.

My journal isn’t a place to go back and re-live painful or difficult times, it’s a place to remember God’s faithfulness in the midst of it all. It’s like the Israelites in Joshua chapter 4; gathering stones to make a memorial of what God did for them when they crossed the Jordan on dry ground. When their children saw the stones and asked, “What are these stones for?” their parents could pass on the story of how God did miraculous things for them!

James 1:2 says we’re to count it all joy when we encounter various trials. To be joyful in the midst of trials is a pretty hard thing to do! We might not find joy in pain, suffering, and hardship, but we CAN find joy in the fact that God is faithful, sovereign, and powerful over those things. Keeping records of what God has done in the past will only give us strength and perseverance in future trials.

The goal of remembering past trials is not to re-live them, but to find strength in the One who gives grace and the ability to overcome difficulty! In what ways has God shown His faithfulness to you?

“Your way, O God, is holy; what god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.”

~Psalm 77:13-14

Why Here?

2010-11-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Why did God put us here on Earth? I mean what is our sole purpose in being here? If you are like me, I’m sure you have asked these questions more than once in your life.

The answer is: To know God. Now, that does not mean to know about Him, as we say about a person, “Oh yes, I know him, he’s the one who is on that TV show!” No, truly knowing God simply takes more than basic or even thorough knowledge of Him—it takes love.

Photography by Hannah Ruth

“We should become so in love (and stay that way)

that we spend our time pursuing His desires

and finding out His passions.”

For a minute think about someone you really love. Do you find it natural to pursue his or her desires, interest, and dreams in life? When you are “in love” with someone, it becomes almost innate for you to discover your lover’s likes and dislikes; and his pursuits and even disgusts suddenly become your own as you spend time with and get to know him. This is how it should be with our Lord. We should become so “in love” (and stay that way) that we spend our time pursuing His desires and finding out His passions. His desires should become yours, and His abhorrence should also become your own.

Naturally, as one gets to know God, godliness will be affectionately embraced, and sin will become despised. The result of narrow-mindedly seeking God is knowing Him. Engage God by studying and cherishing the Word, free your heart before Him, and listen to His Spirit. These things will bring you to the fulfillment of our purpose—God’s most desired wish—for you to truly know Him, and for Him to know you!

Read Psalm 9:1-15 today and throughout the week. This Psalm reveals how David genuinely knew God and His ways.

Amanda Morris is a part-time college student majoring in communications. Her passion is effectively communicating truth to the world through writing and speaking. God has called her to a lifelong ministry of serving Him to any place in the world! She has ministered in Peru and Mexico and looks forward to serving in other nations in the future. Amanda is currently working at the Institute in Basic Life Principles.

Wrestling Prayer

2010-11-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

The latest on The Beauty of His Love|Bookshelf: Wrestling Prayer

Do you long to pray more effectively? Are you ready to pray with real power and experience real results?

Powerful prayer leads to powerful living. That’s been confirmed by great spiritual warriors such as King David, the apostle Paul, Augustine, John Knox, David Brainerd, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, and others. Did you know God desires to work through you in the same mighty ways He worked through them?

“Prayer is that mightiest of all weapons that

created natures can wield.”

~ Martin Luther

Wrestling prayer is the key that unlocks the supernatural strength that moves mountains and calms storms. It can radically transform your life and unleash God’s power in ways beyond what you can even imagine.

This mightiest of all weapons is yours to use. Join Eric and Leslie as they lead you on an inspiring journey, and discover how wrestling prayer can alter every area of your life.

You’ll never be the same!

Click *here* to purchase.

You never can measure what God will do...

2010-11-15T05:54:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wish God’s will for your life could be delivered by a message in a bottle, or at least in some way that’s just as obvious? Ever since I can remember, I wanted to pursue music in some shape or fashion as my "life calling." That's pretty much all I pursued after high school. I took lots of classes and participated in all kinds of things to further my training, but never knew exactly what I'd do with it. I never felt 100% sure that's what I really should be doing. I prayed and prayed for God to show me His will. I asked Him, "What do you want me to do for You? I'm willing to do something, but what is it?" I wanted so bad to know what His will for my life was!

"You never can measure what God will do through you if you are rightly related to Jesus Christ."

- Oswald Chambers

It was August 30^th, I was reading that day’s devotional in "My Utmost for His Highest" when I realized I was aiming for the wrong thing by asking, “What can I do for You, God?” The goal shouldn't really be “What can I do for You, God,” but more about having a growing relationship with Him. Once God opened my eyes to that (and I'm still learning this!), I really began focusing on my relationship with Him. Instead of asking what I could do, I asked Him to live through me, to give me a relationship with Him that is vibrant and overflowing with His love. Wow, then God started to work in ways that I had never thought of! I was amazed at how He opened up doors for ministry and opportunities to share His love. I never forgot "August 30th" in “My Utmost for His Highest” and have had to remind myself of it frequently. :) Because even though God showed me that truth, I still find myself thinking, "Am I doing enough?" and asking "God what can I do now?", but He patiently reminds me...It's not about how much or what I do, it's about living out a deep, passionate relationship with Him so that He can do the work through me.

I think Oswald Chambers explains it best, so I’ll let him share the rest…

August 30

Am I convinced by Christ?

“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not…, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Luke 10:20

“Jesus Christ says, in effect, Don’t rejoice in successful service, but rejoice because you are rightly related to Me. The snare in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service, to rejoice in the fact that God has used you. You never can measure what God will do through you if you are rightly related to Jesus Christ. Keep your relationship right with Him, then whatever circumstances you are in, and whoever you meet day by day, He is pouring rivers of living water through you, and it is of His mercy that He does not let you know it. When once you are rightly related to God by salvation and sanctification, remember that wherever you are, you are put there by God; and by the reaction of your life on the circumstances around you, you will fulfill God’s purpose, as long as you keep in the light as God is in the light.

The tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make usefulness their ground of appeal. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure that ever lived. The lodestar of the saint is God Himself, not estimated usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that Our Lord heeds in a man’s life is the relationship of worth to His Father. Jesus is bringing many sons to glory.”

So yes, let God know you're willing to be used by Him, then pursue Him with all your heart and watch Him do amazing things through you because you have a relationship with Him that pours out His love to everyone around you!

“…And as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.”

~ 2 Chronicles 26:5

Photography by Fredrico Stevanin

Is love a fancy, or a feeling?

2010-11-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Do you see love as a fancy, or a feeling? I’m sure that quote from Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” is meant to be in the context of romantic love between a girl and guy, er, lady and gentleman, but think about it in relation to our love for God. Our love for Him can definitely be a fancy or a feeling. Fancy, in the dictionary, means to have “a mental image or conception, an idea or opinion with little foundation.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to travel all across Europe! I’ve even planned out exactly which countries I’d visit and in what order, but it’s just a *fancy* that’s never actually happened…yet. ;-) Do you fancy your relationship with God, making it a nice warm, happy thought with great ideas that aren’t put into action? Do you have great feelings of love for Him that aren’t being expressed by the way you live?

“If you love me, you will keep My commandments.”

John 14:15

If we love Him, we’ll keep His commandments. A fancy or a feeling is pretty easy to muster, but taking action and obeying commands brings on a whole new meaning! Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” When Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus gave Him a command: “Tend My sheep.” Jesus asked Peter two more times, “Peter, do you love me?” Peter answered yes both times, and each time Jesus gave him a command: “Tend My sheep,” and “Shepherd My sheep.” (John 21:15-17) What a perfect picture of how God wants us to express our love for Him by keeping His commands!

God’s greatest command to us is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Mark 12:28-30) Do you love Him above everything else? A good way to find the answer to that question is to ask yourself if you would be able and willing to give (fill in the blank) up for Christ. Whether giving that up means in order to spend more time with Him, to fill your mind with more of Him, because it doesn’t line up with His Word, or any other reason showing it holds more importance in your life than Christ does. God’s Word is full of commands for us to follow and live by. Are you following those commands and living out your relationship with Christ, or is your love for Him only a fancy or a feeling?

“Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand…for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.”

~ Deuteronomy 30:9-11

A Heart wholly devoted to Christ {Part 3}

2010-11-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Create in me a clean heart!

A couple years ago I became friends with a guy and his sisters. It wasn't long before I started liking this guy but kept telling myself, “Oh, we’re just friends. It’s ok to hang out and have fun together; we’re with a group of friends anyway!” or, “It’s really his sisters that I enjoy spending time with, he’s just here too!” As more time went by, I realized I really liked this guy; all the while, I was committed to trusting God to bring the “perfect man” into my life in His perfect time. So, not knowing if this would be “the one,” I started talking louder to myself...”It’s ok to hang out with this guy, we’re just friends!” The truth is, telling myself those things was a far cry from what I really felt in my heart. I fell in love all in the name of “friendship.” I wasn’t honest with myself. I made myself believe with all my heart that what I was doing was ok, when it wasn’t. Things didn’t work out and there I was, heartbroken, confused, and hurt.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”

You see, I knew what my standards were, I knew this guy didn’t fully meet them, and I knew that my heart was wanting more than a casual friendship. But I told myself differently until I believed it. God says in Genesis 8:21, “For the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Our natural ways are sinful. We know what we want, we know the easy route, and all too often we take it. If I had just been honest with myself from the very beginning, I could’ve avoided a ton of pain.

God is looking at our hearts to see what our motives are behind everything we say, everything we do, and everything we believe. We have to be open and honest with ourselves, with God, and with those around us. Deceit will get us nowhere. It may seem to work for a little while, but in the long run it’s painful.

Think about your heart. What are the motives behind your walk with God, things you do for other people, the relationships that you build, the standards and convictions that you have? Are there areas where you’re trying to make something seem ok when it’s not? Are you doing things to satisfy yourself and look good on the outside, or out of love for God and to bring glory to Him? As God shows you areas where you’ve been deceiving your heart or doing things with wrong motives, ask for His forgiveness and to turn your heart back to Him. I love Psalm 51; it’s a beautiful picture of David pouring out his heart to God, begging for forgiveness and a clean heart after his sin with Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11-12) When we are open with God and faithful to confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive and renew our hearts. All we have to do is ask!

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”

~Psalm 51:10,12

*Photography by Hannah Ruth

Defeating lies we believe with God's truth!

2010-10-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

As I sit here looking out over the gorgeous turquoise ocean I’m in awe of God’s beauty! He created all of this and purposely chose each one of us to be a part of His amazing creation! Not only are we a part of it, but He has a plan for each of our lives that’s just as beautiful. That’s easy for me to write, but so much harder to grasp. Sitting here I can feel the warm sun mixed with a cool breeze, I can hear the water ripple and see many shades of turquoise and blue forming into tiny waves along the reef, a few fish are jumping out of the water and I can smell salt in the air. Some of you are seeing things more like vibrant yellow, orange, and red leaves falling out of trees and crunching under your feet, feeling a crisp cool air, and smelling all those yummy fall foods coming out of the oven! The picture is complete in every way. It’s easy to believe this because we can actually see it. When it comes to believing that God’s plan for us is just as beautiful as everything else He created we can’t see the whole picture at once. Somehow it doesn’t seem as beautiful when we can only see a little part of it at a time, but what we can see and believe are God’s promises!

Flourishing Faith Photography

Last week a Bible study I attended began a series by Elizabeth George; she talked about thinking on things that are true. What a great challenge! Combating every single lie we believe with a truth from God’s Word brings amazing freedom and peace. Whatever is TRUE…think on these things! (Philippians 4:8) God’s Word is truth. It’s real, complete, and beautiful when nothing else seems to be. When we can’t see the whole picture the ugly and not-so-pleasant things seem to stand out – So we think about them. We think about how we could fix the problem or how things would be so much better if _____. Once our thoughts go that direction, we take our minds off of what is really true about our circumstances. The truth is that God is in control (Psalm 103:19), He loves us unconditionally(Jeremiah 31:3), His plans are so much better than ours (Isaiah 55:9), He knows all of our needs…and provides them (Matthew 6:8), He’ll never let us down (Deuteronomy 31:8), we DO have enough grace for each day (2 Corinthians 12:9), His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17), our fears can be overcome through Him (2 Timothy 1:7), and God can use us despite our weakness (Jeremiah 1:6-7). That doesn't even come close to naming all of them!

When untruthful thoughts begin flooding my mind, I find a truth in Scripture that overcomes those thoughts. Sometimes it takes more than a quick reminder; I have to claim that promise from God by thinking about it, memorizing it, praying about it, and filling my mind with it so there is no room left for those untruthful thoughts. Just about every day we’ll be faced with lies that Satan wants us to believe, but we don’t have to give in to them! That’s why it’s so important to stay in God’s Word daily. Write verses on post-it notes and stick them in places where you’ll see them throughout the day, memorize them, and constantly fill your mind with God’s truth. When you can’t see the entire beautiful picture of His plan for you, instead of thinking about the incomplete picture focus on what IS true. Are you allowing untruthful thoughts to fill your mind or are you combating them with God’s promises? What truths from God’s Word are you claiming today?

“Sanctify them in truth; Your word is truth."
~ John 17:17

2010-10-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

A Heart Wholly Devoted to Christ

{Part 2} A Humble Heart

King Nebuchadnezzar made a public decree to “all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth.” I can just picture him dressed in fine robes of royalty and hear his majestic, kingly voice proclaiming, “May your peace abound! It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. Great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace…” Twelve months later, as he was walking on the roof of his royal palace looking out on the flourishing land of Babylon, the king said with pride in his voice, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” Right then and there God’s powerful voice comes down from heaven, “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field…” King Nebuchadnezzar was doomed to seven years of living like a beast and eating grass like cattle; his body was drenched with dew until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds claws! After seven years of living in this extremely humble state, King Nebuchadnezzar said (and I have a feeling his voice has a more heartfelt, humble sound than the proud and powerful one it did before!):

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

~Daniel 4:37

Pride destroys. Doing things for outward appearance or with the motive of being accepted by others, seen as greater than others, or to be thought well of is pride. We probably won’t start eating grass like a cow, growing eagles’ feathers and long claw-like nails. Maybe we won’t walk around with our head held high and our nose turned up either, but our heart will look just as gross and proud on the inside. Pride isn’t just thinking we’re the greatest thing going, it comes in different packages, like looking at our achievements, decisions, abilities, actions, motivations, or standards as our own doing and for our own glory rather than by the grace of God.

“Humility begins by giving God first place in our decisions, our actions, and our motivations. The humble man recognizes that his every failure to do good is sin and therefore depends entirely on the Lord. He does not take pride in his holiness but understands how far short he falls.”

~Unknown author

Are there areas in your life that you see as your own doing or achievement? Are there standards, convictions or positions that you hold for outward appearance? Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was restored to him in all of its splendor and majesty, his counselors and nobles began seeking him out again, he was reestablished in his sovereignty and surpassing greatness was added to him once his heart was humbled. Humbling ourselves before God and seeking His approval isn’t going to cause others to think bad about us. People are drawn to someone who is humble far more than someone who is proud and motivated by the praise and approval of others. A heart that is wholly devoted to the Lord will be humble, realizing that anything worthy of praise is only because of God’s grace.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am a gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

~ Matthew 11:29

*The story of Nebuchadnezzar can be found in Daniel 4.

2010-10-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

A Heart Wholly Devoted to Christ

{Part 1} Discarding the “To-Do List”

To-do lists are one of my favorite things! Well, not exactly the idea of having “so much to do in so little time,” but I love keeping things organized and the ease of seeing everything that needs done at a glance. I love to plow through my lists and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with crossing things off! For me, life without a to-do list would not be nearly as productive! There’s an area of life where it’s helpful to have things written down for the purpose of scheduling them into our day, but sometimes this list gets written in our heart and we begin accomplishing these with the wrong motive…to check them off, forgetting the real reason for doing them.

Read Bible
Pray
Go to church
Recite memory work
Give to the church
Wear the right clothes
Listen to the right music
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

And the list goes on….

Hannah Ruth Photography

Every single one of those things is great! Those are things God calls us to do as Christians, but sometimes that’s all it is…a list of things to do and check off that we’ve done them. Where does a relationship with God come in when our walk with Him is treated as a to-do list? What good is reading our Bible going to do if we forget what we read as soon as it’s checked off the list? What good will it do for us to pray and memorize God’s Word, to listen to the right music and wear the right clothes if we are only doing those things to put a checkmark beside them?

If we faithfully complete our list of “things to do for God” every day we can appear to be a great Christian! Those who are able to watch us fulfill those things might be very impressed with us, but is that who we’re living for? Is it the approval of our neighbors, friends, and family that we’re after? To be really honest there sometimes is – at least to some extent – a desire to be admired and thought well of by those who observe our actions. All the while God is looking in our hearts to see what our real motives are; do we do those things out of a desire to know Him more and with the purpose of building a relationship with Him? God isn’t as concerned about how many things we can check off our list for Him each day as He is about the motives in our heart for doing them.

“For God sees not as man sees,

for man looks at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart.”

-1 Samuel 16:7

What a fine line to walk. We can do all the things on our “list”: read our Bible, pray, go to church, etc., and one way of doing them amounts to nothing (for the approval of men), the other way has eternal rewards (with a heart to know God and bring Him glory). It’s very easy to get caught up in doing things with the wrong motives. Things we do or standards we have with wrong motives have no value to them, and we wind up living our lives to look like something that we’re really not. Whether we’re reading our Bible, praying, memorizing Scripture, working, cleaning, or spending time with friends, what is our motive behind doing those things; is it for ourselves, the approval of other people, or for the glory of God?

“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

~1 Peter 4:11

2010-10-08T04:27:00.000-07:00

“The man who has God as his treasure has all things in one,

and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever.”

~ A. W. Tozer

If God said to you, “Ask anything you wish Me to give you,” what would you ask for? Your mind would probably race with all kinds of things that you would love to receive from God. For some of us it might be a pretty hard choice!

Solomon was asked that very same question not long after he became king. God said “Ask anything you wish Me to give you.” There was Solomon’s chance; he could ask for anything he wanted and his response was, “Give your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil,” – In other words, Solomon asked for wisdom. God was pleased with his choice! Because Solomon asked for wisdom as opposed to long life, riches for himself, or the lives of his enemies, God gave him a wise and discerning heart and He added to it things that Solomon didn’t ask for…riches and honor, and if he walked with God and kept His commandments his life would be prolonged!

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”

~ Matthew 6:33

Solomon’s first interest was ruling his kingdom in righteousness and wisdom. When God saw where Solomon’s heart was and that he was seeking God’s desires first, He blessed him with riches, honor and life!

What are you asking God for today? Is it something with selfish motives, a desire of your own, or something that will further God’s kingdom? Are your interests and desires lined up with God’s? He blesses those who seek Him and His kingdom first. We don’t have to worry about “all these things.” God knows what those things are, and He’ll provide them in His perfect time. Ask God for wisdom, righteousness, and a heart that is devoted to Him and “all these things” will be added unto you!

“…For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

~ Matthew 6:8

2010-09-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

“So many of God’s children limp through their lives starved for love, because they haven’t learned the art of receiving.”

~Sarah Young

Are you seeking for fulfillment through God’s love? All too often, we seek that feeling of satisfaction in the wrong places; places that can never bring the kind of perfect satisfaction we desire. We have the most amazing, perfect love not only available to us, but wanting us to run after it. It’s perfect, it’s the only source of love that will never fail us; the only source that can completely satisfy; it’s God’s love.

“The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.’”

~ Jeremiah 31:3

I've been reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and love what she wrote here:

“Open your mind and heart---your entire being---to receive My (God’s) love in full measure. So many of My children limp through their lives starved for love, because they haven’t learned the art of receiving. This is essentially an act of faith; believing that I love you with boundless, everlasting love. The art of receiving is also a discipline; training your mind to trust Me, coming close to Me with confidence.

Remember that the evil one is the father of lies. Learn to recognize his deceptive intrusions into your thoughts. One of his favorite deceptions is to undermine your confidence in My unconditional love. Fight back against these lies! Do not let them go unchallenged. Resist the devil in My Name, and he will slink away from you. Draw near to Me, and My presence will envelop you in love.”

Ephesians 3:16-19---That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, andto know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Are you seeking satisfaction in Christ’s perfect love above any other source? His love is one that never fails and is never half-hearted. When all else fails, His love remains strong and perfect.

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we would be called children of God; and such we are…”

~ 1 John 3:1a

2010-09-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

~Isaiah 55:9

“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool…” (Proverbs 28:26) Somewhere in the last week I got a day ahead in reading the Proverb of the day; so tonight I read chapter 28 and those words from verse 26 really stood out to me. Most of us have been in a situation where we see exactly how we want things to go, or how a particular circumstance should end up, but the next thing you know, God spins things around and we’re headed a completely different direction than we ever expected. Or maybe we never had an idea of how the circumstance should pan out, but we think it definitely shouldn’t be the way God’s taking it!

When I first found out we were moving to Guam, I remember thinking “Why would God send us there? It’s so far away and things are just perfect right where we are.” It was so hard to leave, especially my last week in the states. I tried to think of a good way and a good reason to stay behind…but I came up with nothing. It’s been a little over three weeks since I landed in Guam and I’m so thankful that God sent us here! I really can’t imagine having stayed behind. We’ve been blessed with an incredible church that has a genuine vision for helping people develop a heart for God. I’ve been so encouraged by the friends we’ve made and the fellowship we have. Once again, I’m in awe of God’s faithfulness and love in leading me in the direction that He did.

God works in ways that are so different from our own; many times they make no sense to us. We like to think and plan in ways that we can understand, but God works in ways that are beyond what we can imagine. If we trust Him instead of our own foolish hearts and allow Him to lead us in His perfect way, He’ll do amazing things!

If you’re in the midst of trusting God for an unknown future, or hanging on while He takes you somewhere you’d rather not go, I want to encourage you to keep waiting, keep trusting, because God has a perfect plan for you. He wants the very best for you, and if you allow Him to show you what that is, you’ll see Him do amazing things to get you there.

“He who trusts in His own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.”

~ Proverbs 28:26

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

~ Proverbs 3:5

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

~ Psalm 27:14