Good morning everyone,
It is a beautiful day today. Sorry, I'm late this morning, with the email. I am moving a tard bit slow. Morning came way too quickly, I was not ready. The girls went to Barnes and Noble with friends, so I was able to catch up, thankfully.
Here is a question, that needs pondering and also action. Why do we find it so easy to be judgmental about others? I know the Bible tells us not to judge; Matthew 7:1Judge not, that ye be not judged. I guess the real question or problem is that we judge others, yet we do the exact same thing and do not see it. We do not see our selves, perhaps because we do not wish to. This got me to something else we tend to do as ladies... I know I am not the only one. We are fixers... We fix things, people, situations. We fix... Perhaps that's in line with our title as 'helpmates'. Just a thought.
Anyway, here is another verse from my standard as a woman; Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Now, if I applied that verse to my life in the literal sense, there would be no judging of others, because I would seek God's council before speaking. But because of my sin nature, I give over to my instinct of speaking and sayings things in a rather judgmental manner, because people are not aligning with my personal standard. Isn't that sad, and disheartening? There are so many verses that remind us of the evil of the tongue.
Today is Friday, how have we used this member of our body through out this week? Did we open our mouth with wisdom and kindness? Or were we swift to speak? James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
I love my God, because He is quick with new beginnings. He waits for me to confess my sins, and He then hands over a clean slate, a new beginning. Yea...Gimme that God (Kirk Franklin). Take advantage of such unfailing love and unwavering mercy and forgiveness. Let us begin again. Remind ourselves to be 'slow to speak'. Let us cushion our words with kindness, especially to those we love the most...harder to do, because we expect too much... Love you more, have a blessed day.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Renewal
Good morning to a few of my favorite ladies,
It is a beautiful day. It is even more beautiful this day, because it is a special day. It is a special day because... (Drum roll please) it is my birthday!!! Yea! Love birthdays, it is great time to reflect and make new commitments for a brand new year of your life. Looooooove birthdays. We shall just ignore the growing older part for now. How shall we celebrate this brand new year? This year that God has allowed me to see? Glad you ask!
Proverbs 31:25. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
I love this verse. It is one of the few verses in this chapter, that is all about her. The KJV says, 'strength and honor are her clothing'. Strength and honor... To be honorable, to be known as one who is honorable, in a society where it seems few women aspire for that title. Honorable.. But why strength and honor? Why strength?
She needs strength in order to be honorable. We need to be strengthened in The Lord in order to be honorable.
I determine whether I will be called honorable. It is up to me. No one outside of God, can help me. You see after a while, everything I do and say in the flesh, even if it is 'nice', it gets old pretty quickly. Especially if there is no earthly reward for it. When no one says 'good job', when it seems as if I am being taken for granted, when what I do is taken for granted..
Celebrate this special day, by leaning on The Lord, for His perfect strength. Laugh today, play today, find sometime today to read and as always have some quiet time with The Lord. But let this day be a new beginning. Claim your identity.. We are children of the Almighty King. He loves us perfectly.
Have a great day.
It is a beautiful day. It is even more beautiful this day, because it is a special day. It is a special day because... (Drum roll please) it is my birthday!!! Yea! Love birthdays, it is great time to reflect and make new commitments for a brand new year of your life. Looooooove birthdays. We shall just ignore the growing older part for now. How shall we celebrate this brand new year? This year that God has allowed me to see? Glad you ask!
Proverbs 31:25. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
I love this verse. It is one of the few verses in this chapter, that is all about her. The KJV says, 'strength and honor are her clothing'. Strength and honor... To be honorable, to be known as one who is honorable, in a society where it seems few women aspire for that title. Honorable.. But why strength and honor? Why strength?
She needs strength in order to be honorable. We need to be strengthened in The Lord in order to be honorable.
I determine whether I will be called honorable. It is up to me. No one outside of God, can help me. You see after a while, everything I do and say in the flesh, even if it is 'nice', it gets old pretty quickly. Especially if there is no earthly reward for it. When no one says 'good job', when it seems as if I am being taken for granted, when what I do is taken for granted..
Celebrate this special day, by leaning on The Lord, for His perfect strength. Laugh today, play today, find sometime today to read and as always have some quiet time with The Lord. But let this day be a new beginning. Claim your identity.. We are children of the Almighty King. He loves us perfectly.
Have a great day.
Thankfulness
Good morning, on this absolutely beautiful morning, ladies,
It is a gorgeous day here in Central New York. On such a day, we need to count our blessings. The birds are singing their praises to our great God, let us join with them this morning.
A few sundays ago during our Couples' Fellowship, we were again reminded that we are our husband's image bearer. We bear our husband's image best, when we are the Lord's image bearer. We need to first be God's image bearer, and I believe we become our husband's image bearer, without really trying. God has set some very clear principles in His Word for us as wives. It is not conditional, whether our husbands walk or not according to His Will.
Here are a few verses I would like to share with you, as we go about our day..1 Corinthians 9:24-27.... Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self- control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Our lives are an open epistle.. What are your husband's friends saying about you? Maybe, they are not saying it out loud, but what do they think about you? Are they thinking... Your husband is lucky to have found you? Or they thinking.. What was he thinking marrying you? You determine that, by your actions..
It is a gorgeous day here in Central New York. On such a day, we need to count our blessings. The birds are singing their praises to our great God, let us join with them this morning.
A few sundays ago during our Couples' Fellowship, we were again reminded that we are our husband's image bearer. We bear our husband's image best, when we are the Lord's image bearer. We need to first be God's image bearer, and I believe we become our husband's image bearer, without really trying. God has set some very clear principles in His Word for us as wives. It is not conditional, whether our husbands walk or not according to His Will.
Here are a few verses I would like to share with you, as we go about our day..1 Corinthians 9:24-27.... Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self- control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Our lives are an open epistle.. What are your husband's friends saying about you? Maybe, they are not saying it out loud, but what do they think about you? Are they thinking... Your husband is lucky to have found you? Or they thinking.. What was he thinking marrying you? You determine that, by your actions..
Monday, November 7, 2011
Good Morning Family;
Phil. 1:3 says " I thank God upon every remembrance of you" and indeed I do thank God for all of you, because you all have made an impact on my life. In all of you, there is a God given inner source of strength; Ps. 27:1 says ....The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? You all have strengths in different areas, and that's what makes you unique. I want to encourage and challenge you this week. Prov. 31:10 says; Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. I looked up synonyms for virtuous: blameless, clean-living, exemplary, faithful, guiltless, honest, honorable. Initially, I thought it was enough that my husband thought me, a virtuous woman, and although that a good place to start, that's not enough. It is more important for God to think of me as a virtuous woman. And guess what? That's my challenge; For God to say 'well done, my good and virtuous woman' . That is the greatest honor, I think. So, here goes: This month and for the balance of year, let us make the committment, let us vow to: 1. Spend quality time with the Lord every morning. We need to start our day with Him, because He sets the standard!!! 2. Let us work on one (yes just one, out of the million, lol) bad habit, that God brings to mind. 3. Work on cementing a godly habit 4.Take some time off everyday just for you (no less than 10 minutes) {take a nap, read a pleasure book, paint your fingernails, call a friend} 5. Practice talking to God throughout the day (you SHALL enjoy His company) Let us work on these everyday, and watch God at work in our lives!!
For His Glory,
Brenda
Phil. 1:3 says " I thank God upon every remembrance of you" and indeed I do thank God for all of you, because you all have made an impact on my life. In all of you, there is a God given inner source of strength; Ps. 27:1 says ....The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? You all have strengths in different areas, and that's what makes you unique. I want to encourage and challenge you this week. Prov. 31:10 says; Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. I looked up synonyms for virtuous: blameless, clean-living, exemplary, faithful, guiltless, honest, honorable. Initially, I thought it was enough that my husband thought me, a virtuous woman, and although that a good place to start, that's not enough. It is more important for God to think of me as a virtuous woman. And guess what? That's my challenge; For God to say 'well done, my good and virtuous woman' . That is the greatest honor, I think. So, here goes: This month and for the balance of year, let us make the committment, let us vow to: 1. Spend quality time with the Lord every morning. We need to start our day with Him, because He sets the standard!!! 2. Let us work on one (yes just one, out of the million, lol) bad habit, that God brings to mind. 3. Work on cementing a godly habit 4.Take some time off everyday just for you (no less than 10 minutes) {take a nap, read a pleasure book, paint your fingernails, call a friend} 5. Practice talking to God throughout the day (you SHALL enjoy His company) Let us work on these everyday, and watch God at work in our lives!!
For His Glory,
Brenda
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
I am
Lately, the Lord has been placing on heart, the need to get the girls into the mind frame of being in service to Him. Not just occasional service, but living a life of service. What does that entail? For us it involves a number of things... service to the Lord answers the question who am I? Who are you? First you are (Name) and you are a child of God (a christian). That is who we are. We went into the grammatical aspect of this (am). It implies a state of being. I am a christian. What does being a christian look like? This involves a relationship with the Lord. It means that I am growing in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). It means that I am loving the Lord with all my soul and with all my heart and with all my mind and that I am loving my neighbour as myself. God loves people (John 3:16) In order to demonstrate my love for God I must love others. This morning, our devotion was taken from Phil. 3:7. How do we live a life of service? We have to understand first, the privilege, the honor we have to be called a child of God. It is a privilege! Do we see it as such? Or perhaps we think we deserve our salvation. When we see our salvation as an honor and a privilege, then we are ready to be of service to the Creator of the Universe. Do you see your salvation as a privilege? Do you understand that God's love for you is an honor?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Parenting
To all parents,
It occurred to me, while having my quiet time with the Lord, that as parents (especially moms) we are very much about ourselves. One would even dare to say we are pretty much about me-ism. The doctrines or beliefs about me. Why do I say that? Let's take me for instance; it is my desire to raise godly children, I believe that children are a gift from God and are to be raised to bring Him glory. That is according to His Word Ps. 78: 6,7; Prov. 20:7,to name a few. I believe that. I have Bible study with the girls on mornings and we talk about the Lord and His Word. We talk about His standards for our lives. We talk of His faithfulness, His grace and mercy. We talk of His goodness, His great love for us, for mankind. I say to them we can rest on God's promises, He will never leave us nor forsake us. We discuss Ps. 139. I say I trust the God who orchestrates my life, from the time I was a figment of my mom's imagination until the end of my life on earth. But do I really? Am I truly careful to demonstrate that I believe that? I have been known to say that I do not like people much, and that is true. On my own, in my own strength, I just do not have the capacity to love unconditionally, as the Lord commands. I have a very low opinion of human nature, and through out my life of observing and encountering various people, there is very little about people to change my opinion. There, I have said it!! Guess what people, The Bible says it too! The heart of man is deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9). WE are innately wicked, there is no good found in us. That is why we need a Savior. I allow my past to, at time direct my future ( actions, attitudes toward people and circumstances). Why? Why do I do that, if I believe that the Lord is in charge of my life? Why do I allow my past to dictate my relationship with others? Why do I have twelve inch walls between myself and others? Perhaps, because I do not trust the heart of my Lord as I say I do. Do you?
It occurred to me, while having my quiet time with the Lord, that as parents (especially moms) we are very much about ourselves. One would even dare to say we are pretty much about me-ism. The doctrines or beliefs about me. Why do I say that? Let's take me for instance; it is my desire to raise godly children, I believe that children are a gift from God and are to be raised to bring Him glory. That is according to His Word Ps. 78: 6,7; Prov. 20:7,to name a few. I believe that. I have Bible study with the girls on mornings and we talk about the Lord and His Word. We talk about His standards for our lives. We talk of His faithfulness, His grace and mercy. We talk of His goodness, His great love for us, for mankind. I say to them we can rest on God's promises, He will never leave us nor forsake us. We discuss Ps. 139. I say I trust the God who orchestrates my life, from the time I was a figment of my mom's imagination until the end of my life on earth. But do I really? Am I truly careful to demonstrate that I believe that? I have been known to say that I do not like people much, and that is true. On my own, in my own strength, I just do not have the capacity to love unconditionally, as the Lord commands. I have a very low opinion of human nature, and through out my life of observing and encountering various people, there is very little about people to change my opinion. There, I have said it!! Guess what people, The Bible says it too! The heart of man is deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9). WE are innately wicked, there is no good found in us. That is why we need a Savior. I allow my past to, at time direct my future ( actions, attitudes toward people and circumstances). Why? Why do I do that, if I believe that the Lord is in charge of my life? Why do I allow my past to dictate my relationship with others? Why do I have twelve inch walls between myself and others? Perhaps, because I do not trust the heart of my Lord as I say I do. Do you?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Good day Family,
Let us continue to work with the definition of vitrtuous (Prov. 31:10): blameless, clean-living, efficient, excellent, examplary, faithful, guiltlesss, honest, honorable; again I want to challenge you and me to raise the standard again this month. I trust that we spent time with the Lord every day this week, if we faltered, let us remember that Jesus Christ has become our advocate, we ask HIs forgiveness and we begin again, He remains faithful and just to forgive. What bad habit were you working on with the Lord's strength to get rid of? This week continue to pray and seek the Lord, He waits for us, desires that we get to know Him, to spend time with Him. Let us continue to do this! 2. Continue to work on the bad habit, only Jesus Christ can truely help to get rid of it. 3. Do something for YOURSELF once a day this month. You can: paint your nails, wash your hair, read a book, go for a walk, talk to a good friend, buy a pair of shoes {lol. love this one} spend some time with a friend, discuss God's Word. Whatever you choose to do, do it in the name of Jesus. Let us realize we need the Lord today more than yesterday, everyday we need Him more. Let us choose to get closer to the Lord.
For His Glory
Brenda
Let us continue to work with the definition of vitrtuous (Prov. 31:10): blameless, clean-living, efficient, excellent, examplary, faithful, guiltlesss, honest, honorable; again I want to challenge you and me to raise the standard again this month. I trust that we spent time with the Lord every day this week, if we faltered, let us remember that Jesus Christ has become our advocate, we ask HIs forgiveness and we begin again, He remains faithful and just to forgive. What bad habit were you working on with the Lord's strength to get rid of? This week continue to pray and seek the Lord, He waits for us, desires that we get to know Him, to spend time with Him. Let us continue to do this! 2. Continue to work on the bad habit, only Jesus Christ can truely help to get rid of it. 3. Do something for YOURSELF once a day this month. You can: paint your nails, wash your hair, read a book, go for a walk, talk to a good friend, buy a pair of shoes {lol. love this one} spend some time with a friend, discuss God's Word. Whatever you choose to do, do it in the name of Jesus. Let us realize we need the Lord today more than yesterday, everyday we need Him more. Let us choose to get closer to the Lord.
For His Glory
Brenda
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