Reflecting Christ in our Home

“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children …” Proverbs 13:22a KJV

I know as mothers we each desire to raise our children well. But, in reality, we are human and we will make mistakes. Not one of us is perfect. You have made mistakes. I have made mistakes. We all have made mistakes. We all have done something … or many things … that we regret or will regret. Things that we wish that we could go back and change. But, unfortunately, those things are in our past. There is no changing them.

There is something that we can do with our past though … we can turn it over to Jesus. We can go to Him and tell Him where we have failed and ask Him to forgive us … and He will.

Then, looking forward, we must ask God to show us what ways that we can reflect Him and His Word into the lives of our children, our children’s children (our grandchildren), and the children for generations to come. The interesting thing about reflection is that it only reflects what is there.

So, what qualities do we need in our lives to be able to
reflect Christ to our children and grandchildren?

Prayer

  • Prayer is a powerful tool of the Christian that can break barriers that we cannot break.
  • You never know how powerful prayer is until you pray.
  • We cannot do anything in our own strength. We cannot change. We cannot heal. But we do have a God who can. John 5:30a “I can of mine own self do nothing …” How many times have we told ourselves that “WE can do this!”? But we cannot! Only GOD can!
  • There are going to be things in our lives and our children’s lives and our grandchildren’s lives that look impossible to change for the better … but they can … with God! Matthew 19:26b “…With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

You will never know how powerful PRAYER is … until you PRAY.

God’s Word

  • What kind of personal devotions do you have?
  • Yes, we may have small children, but we must take time for our own spiritual growth. We cannot help someone else grow if we are not growing.
  • Not only that but God’s Word is just that God speaking to us. So, when we need guidance and answers to life’s questions, where are we to get them? Well, as Christians, it should be from God’s Word. Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Lover of the body of Christ (the church)

  • We show love best by actions. The phrase “actions speak louder than words” is so true. What are we showing our children?
  • Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.”
  • If we make excuses for not attending church, our children will learn to make excuses for not attending church. This is a dangerous roller-coaster to be on!

Unconditional Love

  • Sometimes our children will do some very hurtful (or embarrassing) things to us. But we must ALWAYS love as Jesus would … and the only way that we can do that is if He is living inside of us. Jesus’ love NEVER fails … I Corinthians 13:8a “Charity [love] never faileth.”

We must ALWAYS love as Jesus would.

Grace

  • Grace is defined as “God’s unmerited (unearned) favor.”
  • God bestowed His grace upon us at Calvary. Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
  • Let us show His grace to our children. Let us show them favor even when it is unearned.

Forgiveness

  • We must set the example of forgiving others … Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
  • Bitterness is a hard thing to swallow and if left, it will destroy not only you but all those around you.

Peace

  • Only God can give us true peace. John 14:27a “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you …”
  • If we want peace in our homes, we are going to have to seek that peace from above.

Past

  • Put your past behind you, mommas! Don’t keep dredging it up. The ugliness of it does not get any prettier the more that we wallow in it.
  • The Bible says to admit that we have sinned (confess that sin to God) and God will forgive us. I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Hope

  • Psalm 42:11 “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? HOPE thou IN GOD: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
  • God can restore! God can heal! Where there is life, there is hope. May we find our HOPE in HIM!
  • Romans 5:5a “And hope maketh not ashamed …”

Where there is life, there is hope. NEVER, ever give up on your children, mommas!

Is our reflection perfect? Are we perfect mommas now? No. But, God only requires us to be obedient to Him and He will take care of the rest. So, momma, are you willing to be obedient to Him?

Remember that it does not matter what your past has been. God can forgive you if you confess and repent of those sins to Him.

He has a greater plan now for you … Jeremiah 29:11, 13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end … And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Let’s go searching for Him, mommas, so that we can be reflecting Christ in our homes!

I Fell to My Knees … and Cried, Father!

This post contains affiliate links to products that if purchased,
I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you.

“… Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1

As I struggled to find peace about a topic for July’s Devotional Study Sheet, this title came to mind with its focus on prayer. July is the month that we celebrate this country’s freedom. So, why choose prayer? Because for us to maintain our freedom in this country, it is going to require MUCH prayer.

Prayer is a dying commodity in this day and age. I am not talking about the lack of prayer in the general populace. No, my friend, I am talking about prayer in the life of true genuine believers — ones just like you and me.

In today’s society, it is so easy to be swept up in all of the drama of the moment. It is a time in which we find ourselves so paralyzed by the overwhelming flood of social media, that we drastically fail at living. This is a ploy of the devil, and a very effective one at that.

Our faith is on trial here. Your faith and my faith are on trial. How strong do you find yours? I find mine very weak.

So, what are we to do? We must strengthen our faith. How are we to do this? First, by arming ourselves with God’s Word. We must find ourselves in His Word DAILY. Strength and comfort are found there.

The second most important part of this equation is PRAYER. I recently started reading E. M. Bounds’ book entitled “E. M. Bounds on Prayer.” I am not sure when or where I purchased it, but I found it in my mini library and have dug right in.

This book from the outside is quite a daunting force. Why? Because it contains 622 pages!! Yes, that is not a typo! It is a very THICK book.

As soon as I opened to the first page though, my attention was caught never to be let go again! This book is incredible! It amazes me how a man who lived his life from 1835-1913 can have such applicable examples of prayer for us today.

Furthermore, Mr. Bounds could not have chosen a more clinching title for the first chapter than “The Force That Shapes the World.” What is that force? It is PRAYER!

If you find yourself, like me, in a depressed, overwhelmed, and fearful place with all that is going on around us, this book will most assuredly calm your heart and give you hope for not only the day but for the future too!

I have not given the daily devotions sub-topics this month on purpose. Not every passage will speak specifically about prayer, but they will have a principle that is valuable for our prayer life. You will also notice that many of the days have multiple verses. This is to give us a more full picture of the principles to be learned that day.

I do not know if I will be able to finish the entire book during the month of July, but I know what I gain from it will be most treasured in my walk with God. If you are interested in getting your hands on a copy of “E. M. Bounds on Prayer,” you can purchase it at a very reasonable price on Amazon (and free shipping, if you have Amazon Prime). Note: if you do purchase it through this link, I will receive a small commission through Amazon’s Affiliate program at no extra charge to you.

There is power in prayer!

May this month be one in which we find our faith strengthened through prayer!

Part 3: What is that in thine hand? Using what God has given you to your fullest potential

 “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” Exodus 4:2

Two weeks ago in Part 1, we saw five lies that the devil tells us … and that we so gullibly believe … that hinder us from using what God has given to us to our fullest potential. Last week in Part 2, we saw where we must go for our instruction on how to use what God has given us and that is the Word of God. This week we will try to wrap all of this up.

God made each one of us unique. He also made each one of us with certain skills or talents (as the Bible calls them). In Matthew 25:14-30, we read about the parable of the talents. What is a parable? It is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. So, what meaning or what lesson does God want us to learn from this passage in regard to using what we have in our hand?

We see first of all that the lord gave EACH one of his servants at least ONE talent, did he not? What did he then expect his servants to do with that talent? To use it, correct? God has done the same for us. He has given EACH one of us at least ONE talent to USE.

How are we to use the talent or talents that God gives to us? Well, Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” So, clearly we must use it for God FIRST. THEN afterward, He will help take care of the rest of our needs.

How do we do this? Use your talent in God’s house. Church congregations are not as large as they used to be. There are so many churches struggling and closing their doors today and it is so sad. God ordained the church and He sustains the church through the giving of His children. This is done first and foremost through the giving of our tithes and offerings. Then it is also seen through each of us giving our service in some capacity within the church. God did not save us to be a hit-and-miss Christian. Neither did He save us to warm a pew. Use your talent in God’s house, my friend!

Right now, more than ever, people are struggling financially to support their families. I know it is extremely hard and I am not belittling this in any way. But, this is no time to despair, my friend! God already knew before you did what you would be facing today because He “knoweth what things ye have need of, BEFORE ye [even] ask him.” Matthew 6:8. He is not one bit surprised.

How can He be so confident? It is because He already has given you exactly what you need to do this! Yes, you heard me correctly. You right this very minute hold in your hand the very tool needed to provide for your family. The question is, are you using it?

Remember the devil lies. He is going to try to make you believe that it is someone else’s fault that you are where you are. That is a lie. He is going to try to make you believe that nothing can be done with what you currently have available to you. That is a lie. How do I know this? Because I read Matthew 25:14-30.

Nowhere in my Bible did it say that any of the servants exchanged talents because their lord gave them the wrong one. My Bible does say though that each servant who used their talent … what God put in their hand … He MULTIPLIED it! Yes, He MULTIPLIED each and every one of the talents that were USED!! Is not this the greatest news that you ever heard?

USE what is in your hand right now, my friend! Do not worry about tomorrow or the next day or next week or next month. You have in your hand TODAY exactly what you need!!

You may have only received one talent, but be FAITHFUL with that one talent. Use it! God will bless your faithfulness with even the smallest talent that He gave you.

That servant who never used his talent reaped nothing! Do not be like that servant. Do not lose it! For then you will have nothing.

The sower never reaps what he does not sow, but he always reaps more than he sowed.

Part 2: What is That in Thine Hand? Using what God has given You to your Fullest Potential

 “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” Exodus 4:2

Last week in Part 1, we saw five lies that the devil tells us … and that we so gullibly believe … that hinder us from using what God has given to us to our fullest potential.

Life is full of struggles — health, finances, family, relationships, church, etc. I have struggled. You have struggled. Others struggle. Some of us have been so stuck in our struggles that we now sound like a broken record. Our continual whining and complaining and bemoaning and whatever pet name that we have for it has gotten old. We are tired of it and everyone else around us is tired of hearing about it.

I am in no means belittling our struggles because we all have struggles, but it is what we do with our struggles that really counts. So, how do we get past all of these struggles? How do we move through them? How do we conquer them? The answer to all of these questions is this: We do this through Christ.

First and foremost, we have got to get our eyes off of self and the woe-is-me attitude and get our focus back onto God. In our monthly Devotional Study Sheet this month, we are learning so much about how God is our all. In fact, this week we learned that our worth [value] comes from God. We also learned that our instruction must come from God as well.

So, what better place to help us in our life’s struggles than the Word of God.

1.  We must look unto Jesus — Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith …” He is the beginning, He is the end, and He is everything in between. Why do we struggle so with unbelief that our Creator will not take care of us? Peter proved to us what happens when we get our eyes on the circumstances around us and off of God (Matthew 14:30-31).

2.  We must rest in confidence that God sees and knows — Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” BEFORE we can even ask, He knows!

3.  We must face these struggles in God’s strength — Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” We believe ourselves to be so tough; yet, what strength we forfeit by not letting Him be our strength. He is the omnipotent One! He is the all-powerful One!

4.  We must allow God to provide for us — Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” So many times I have slipped into the mode of self-preservation, which is completely opposite of what God wants for me and for you.

5.  We must use what God has given us — Exodus 4:2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” How many times have you and I struggled through life looking for answers, when God had already put the rod in our hand? All we had to do was peel the blinders back to see what God had already provided and then use it!

Peel the blinders back, my friend, and join us here next week to see what God will reveal to us through His Word!

Part 1: What is that in Thine hand? Using what God has given you to your fullest potential

 “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.” Exodus 4:2

This topic has been on my heart and mind for some time now. I pray that God will give me mental clarity and my lips His words for I feel that too many of us need to hear what God wants us to hear about this.

We hurry and we scurry and fill our days to the fullest, but do we truly use what God has given us to our fullest potential?

It is so easy to get stuck into a certain mindset … into a rut, if you will. Do not start pointing fingers yet because you may be there right now and did not even have a clue. I know that I have been here. Sadly, it is not just confined to a certain race or a certain profession, and it is just as widespread in the church as it is out of the church.

What hinders us from living our lives to their fullest potential? Sometimes it is important to stop the merry-go-round of life and step off long enough to get a clear picture of what is really happening around us. To see where we really are headed in life.

Satan is the master hinderer. He is also a master at deceiving us into believing his lies. So, let us look at some lies that he uses to hinder us:

1.  By being busy, I accomplish more — This is so clearly portrayed in the contrast between Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Martha was so “cumbered about [with] much serving,” yet, Christ said that, “Mary hath chosen the good part.” Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet was the one who was blessed the most. Yes, we must serve, but we cannot fail to forget the “good part” either!

2.  Believing that all things are created equal; consequently, not setting priorities — The Bible clearly tells us in Matthew 6:33 that we are to, “seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Setting and living by priorities in our lives are so important and at the top of that list must be God. If we fail to do just this one simple thing, it can mess up everything else in our lives in a hurry.

3.  Feeling that we are not good enough — This feeling most often comes when we compare ourselves to others. II Corinthians 10:12 informs us that this is a very unwise practice. God “fearfully and wonderfully made” each one of us (Psalm 139:14). He did not make us to sit off to the side. No, my friend! He made us to use us. We are special to him and that is what counts!

4.  It looks too much like work — Sometimes we ignore what we are carrying in our hand because we do not want to use it. It may look too much like work to us! But, II Thessalonians 3:10 tells us that, “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” If we want sustenance physically for ourselves and for our families, we must work to provide for that.

5.  It does not matter how I do the job as long as it gets done — Umm … no! That is not what God says. God says in  II Corinthians 10:12 that “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” We must do it with care and purpose. We must do it from the heart!

Come back next week as we continue with Part 2 … finding out how we can use what God has put in our hands!

Thirty Years and Counting: Cultivating a Lasting Relationship

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27

What is involved in this cultivating? It is defined as preparing, fostering the growth of, encouraging, and developing. The word cultivating sounds too much like work to me. Is that what it sounds like to you? In truth, cultivating does involve work.

Yet, life has proven that things left untended or uncultivated quickly die. They seem to constantly struggle to the point where they finally give up. Not only is their life shortened, but they are cheated out of their full potential. This is where in marriage you hear, “I do not love them anymore.”

“I do not love them anymore.”

This past week, my husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. It is amazing how fast time flies. In one respect, it seems like yesterday, yet on the other hand, it seems like it has always been. Reaching this milestone in my life and in our marriage has caused me to ponder what has been, what could have been, and what could be in our relationship.

I will be the first one to admit that I have not always been the best wife, nor the one that is the easiest to get along with. Actually, looking back, there are many things that I regret or times that I wished that I had acted or spoken differently.

I believe though that there are some things in life that have to be lived and learned. By focusing my reflections on these things, I will be able to do more cultivating in the future in my marriage.

Today I would like to share some things that God has shown me, during my time of reflection, in how to truly cultivate a lasting relationship. Not only with my spouse, but, surprisingly these are the exact same principles that will also cultivate a more lasting and beneficial relationship with God.

¨ We must be united as one — Matthew 19:6
¨ We must draw together — James 4:8
¨ We must love unconditionally — I Corinthians 13
¨ We must stick closer than a brother — Proverbs 18:24
¨ We must be fruitful in all areas — Genesis 1:28
¨ We must be a helpmeet — Genesis 2:18
¨ We must communicate in every area — Philippians 4:6
¨ We must surrender our authority to God’s chain of authority — Ephesians 5:22-24
¨ We must not be weary — Galatians 6:9
¨ We must sow if we want to reap — II Corinthians 9:6

This, by far, is not an all-inclusive list, but it surely is a good starting place, is it not? There are so many other key factors that could be added here, such as, communication, forgiveness, selflessness, etc. I am sure that you could very quickly even name a few to add to the list.

I believe that they all boil down to one main key and that is found in II Corinthians 9:6 where we find the law of sowing and reaping. You will get out of any relationship what you put into it. So, sow and cultivate wisely, my friend, for you will reap the benefits for many years to come, and some at an even greater degree.

You will get out of any relationship what you put into it.

Sunday Savourings: Flattening the Curve

 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:8

Much talk today is surrounded by “flattening the curve” … the Coronavirus curve that is. Not only much talk, but much work has been involved in learning not only 1) what it is but 2) what the cause is, 3) how it is spread, 4) how to eliminate it, and 5) how to keep from getting it in the future … to flatten the curve.

Is there such a thing in the spiritual realm … as flattening the curve?

Today, I would like us to open our spiritual eyes and see what this term means for you and me as Christians. Is there even such a thing in the spiritual realm … as flattening the curve? I truly believe so! Let us look at just that:

1) What is it? In the spiritual realm, it is called SIN. Unlike the Coronavirus though, ALL of us have it as Romans 3:23 tells us … “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” It is that sin that inflates the curve. It is that very sin that separates us from a righteous and holy God … Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

2) What is the cause of that sin? The Bible is very clear that it was by ONE man’s sin … “Wherefore, as by ONE man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon ALL men, for that ALL have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) It was the first man, Adam. It was his sin that day in the Garden. Now, every man after him is born in sin. The Coronavirus started with just ONE and now look at how many it has affected.

3) How is sin spread? Before we can understand how sin is spread, we must first realize where it resides. It resides in the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” But James 1 goes on to tell us that “when lust [temptation] hath conceived [is acted upon], it bringeth forth sin … [then] when [sin] is finished, [it] bringeth forth death.” A death far worse than any victim of the Coronavirus has ever experienced. For it is a death, for all of those who have chosen to live a life of sin, that is followed by everlasting punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46).

4) How do we eliminate sin? Washing! So simple, yet so often overlooked, is it not? I have never washed my hands so thoroughly my entire life as I have these past weeks with the Coronavirus. Why? Because I wanted to flatten the curve. I wanted to do my part. We need that washing that comes from God’s Word as well (Ephesians 5:26). When we apply God’s Word and confess our sins (I John 1:9), HE (God alone) is able to cleanse us. What a magnificent cleansing that is too! 

Exposing yourself to God and His Word flattens the curve of sin.

5) How do we keep from getting it in the future? Immunity. For Christians, it is not exposure to sin and the world that brings immunity. No, my friend! It is the exposure to God and His Word! It is building a wall or layer of protection around our whole entire being. In the scripture, it is known as the Christian’s armor. Ephesians 6:11-12 tells us that we are to “Put on the WHOLE armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against … against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Sin inflates. Drawing nigh to God flattens the curve.

Sin inflates. So, in order for you and I, my friend, to flatten the curve in our lives we must simply “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” Draw closer to Him … flatten the curve!

A printable version of this devotion is available.

Personal Bible Study: Shewing Yourself Approved

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15

This blog started because one day God got ahold of my heart to be more faithful than I ever had been before … in not just reading His Word EVERY day: no, but in STUDYING His Word every day. There is a great difference, my friend!

I do realize that I was MIA for far too many months … and I apologize for that. Sadly, life and poor mental health happened. In the process, I failed you, and I failed my heavenly Father.

Just recently I have been fervently praying to God to bring my writing back. I missed it. I missed my daily deep studies and thoughts. I missed being with you all.

In those prayers, God and I had some very open and honest conversations. Yikes! You know the kind that I am talking about, do you not? Well, God has answered my prayer … far above what I expected. Isn’t that just like our God?

God knows what I need, and He knows what you need, my friend! So, He has spoken to me about how I can accomplish His will for my life personally and also help to bring some sweet-smelling savours into your life for Him at the same time.

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning … even before this blog was started … when I was writing a daily devotional and only posting on Facebook, you will know that I love word studies. I also love to do a study for an entire month on one theme … with sub-themes for each day.

So, are you ready?? Brand NEW to you … and to me … I will design a FREE monthly STUDY sheet for you and me to study from. Oops! Did I say you … and me? Yes! We are going to STUDY together! Yay! It sounds like fun, does it not?

To start us off, this first FREE Devotional Study Sheet is available right now for you and me to start studying on May 1st. Yes, that is just a few short days ahead!

I have entitled this first Devotional Study Sheet, “Seeking God – Finding our All in Him.” For that is EXACTLY what you and I need to do … find our ALL in Him! Each day, you will find a sub-topic and scripture reference that follows that very thought. [March 2021 topic: Let’s Walk the Walk … Not Just Talk the Talk]

So, how will this work, you ask? You will want to print off the Devotional Study Sheet AHEAD of time. While you are at it, go grab your Bible and your favorite journal and pen … please, NOT a loose piece of paper!!! Have them set aside and ready for May 1st.

Each day, find a quiet place and a quiet time. Begin with a prayer to God to clear your mind of all the ramblings, cares of this life … and whatever else that has found their way there. Ask Him to give you wisdom and insight into what He wants you to learn that day.

Begin by writing down the date in your journal … and I also write down the day of the week. Take your Devotional Study Sheet and write down the topic for the day. Once you have found the scripture in your Bible, write it out verbatim as well. Then prayerfully read through the verse. Allow time to meditate and for the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart.

Once you have done this, then allow the Holy Spirit to draw your mind toward other verses and cross-references that go along with that topic … or even other topics. The important thing is to let Him draw you along.

Be sure to write down any of these other references. I write verbatim other verses as well. Then, lastly, I write down any thoughts or prayers that He may have given me.

Before you finish, take a moment to thank Him for what He has shown you that day. Ask Him to help you to apply it to your life … even that very day. So, that you did not just take time to read His Word, but to study it and apply it. That is where the sweetest savourings are found!

Before getting up, take a second to check off the block on your Study Sheet for that day. This will help give you a good visual and also a good motivator to be faithful in studying EVERY single day.

Yes, I could write the devotional for each day and post it, but I feel that God wants me to share this magnificent opportunity to turn our hearts and our minds to His Word … physically get our grubbies on and get that shovel out, get in there with both feet, and start digging on a personal level.

I love to bake, and I love to share my baking. But, the best, most memorable baking is what I personally made and partook of. That is what I want for you, my friend!

I not only desire for my life to be a sweet-smelling savour to my LORD, but I desire for your life to be the same. Let us join together and “Study to shew [ourselves] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed ….” KJV

Note: To receive this FREE Devotional Study Sheet for this month and for the months thereafter, simply scroll up/down the right sidebar to the signup box! I have also laid out some basic information that is very easy to follow, so you will definitely want to check it out as well! Of course, if at any time, you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at bettina@asweetsmellingsavour.com.

Ladies, please only print one sheet for your personal use. If you are going to use it for a group study, for the ladies in your church or you want to share with a friend or family member … which I encourage all of those … please direct them to this post for them to participate on an individual basis. We want them to experience firsthand what God wants for us this month and that begins by them taking the first step in committing to receiving the Study Sheet personally. Thank you for honoring this request!

To Serve or Not to Serve

 “Serve the Lord with fear …” Psalm 2:11

Well, that is a good question. Should I serve the Lord today or should I not serve the Lord today? Do you wake up every morning asking yourself this question? No? Well, neither do I. But … you knew that there was a ‘but’ in there, did you not? But, in truth, every single day that we wake up, this is the choice that we have to make.

To not serve is a subconscious choice at best. So, we must make a conscious choice each day.

To serve simply means to wait on; to be of use to; to perform duties. I did a Bible search for “serve the Lord” … for that is what we are to do as Christians. Interestingly enough, that exact phrase was only found 26 times in the King James Bible. We obviously will not cover all 26 of those, but there were several that stood out to me, as I had my devotions this morning, that I would like to share with you today.

Joshua 24:15a says, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve …” Wow! Joshua did not cut any corners here, did he? He was basically saying, “Well, if you really do not want to serve the Lord, then choose right now who you will serve.” I can hear the frustration in his voice, can you? Can you imagine with me how God feels when you and I, His children, do the same thing? We play church. We play Christian. When all God wants is for us to serve Him!

Joshua 24:18 goes on to say, “… therefore will we also serve the Lord; for He is our God.” If for no other reason, we must serve Him because He IS our God, is He not?

Now let us jump over to I Samuel 12. In verse 20 it says, “And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.” What a blessed assurance that Samuel just shared with the people! That same assurance is ours today! Hallelujah!

First, let us not fear. Secondly, even though we may have sinned greatly against our Lord in failing or ceasing to serve Him as we should have in the past, we can still turn from those things and serve the Lord. Not just serve the Lord, but serve Him with ALL of our heart!

Before we close today, let us look at one more verse and that is Luke 16:13. It says, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” The devil would love nothing more than for us to believe the lie that we can serve God and the world at the same time. That we can live like the world one minute and speak and live like a Christian the next minute. These mix like oil and water. In short, they do NOT go together. So, why then do we try to mix the two?

Instead, let us choose as Joshua did that day and boldly say, “… but as for ME and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We can even be like Samuel and readily answer our Lord’s call to serve … “Here am I, LORD!”

Are you ready to serve or not to serve? That is the question.

The Following

 “… Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

As I sat down to have my devotions this morning, this was the first verse that came to my mind. Many of you know that I love word studies and word definitions. So, to begin, I went to the Merriam-Webster dictionary and found that the word follow literally has an entire page of definitions. Wow! Was I ever surprised!

Let me share a few brief definitions. To follow means to go or proceed; to act in accordance; to accept authority; to come into existence as a result of something; to copy after or to imitate; to watch steadily or attend closely to. Stop for a moment and let these steep in your brain. There is so much depth to this word that I never realized before! Do you see it as well?

Typically, in my devotions, I will look up other referenced verses in the middle column of my Bible. I will also use a Bible app to search for a word or phrase. This morning, I searched for “follow me.” It did not find many verses with this exact phrase, but I did find numerous verses that had some form of the word follow in them. I immediately latched on to some of those verses and that is what I want to share with you this morning.

First, in Matthew 4:19, we found the exact phrase of “follow me.” If those were the only two words in this verse, they would be enough. Do you not agree? Can you just hear your heavenly Father saying to you, “Follow me.” He does not need to expound, or explain, or clarify, or even justify why He wants you to follow or what He expects from you if you follow. Just simply, “Follow me.”

Secondly, I looked up Psalm 63:8 which says, “My soul followeth hard after thee …” Wow! I not only must follow my Father, but I also must follow “hard.” I must strongly desire. I must be extra alert and aware that I am on the right path. I must do all in my power and with His strength to follow hard and follow close.

Thirdly, I was blessed to read Proverbs 21:21 which says, “He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.” Am I truly a follower? Or am I one who likes to lead … my way and in my time? I pray that God will help me to be a follower … so that I may find life (versus death), righteousness (morally right and free from sin), and honour (esteem from my Father)!

Fourth, and last, and on a rather soul-searching note, I read Matthew 10:38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth [not] after me, is not worthy of me.” Here my heart stopped. Am I worthy of Christ? Yes, I claim Him as my Savior, but, is He my Lord as well?

Yes, I claim the name of Christ. I claim that I am a CHRISTian. But, do I follow Christ? Do I live a life that He wants me to live? Do I obey Him? For, to obey is to follow.

What about you, my friend? Do you need to find yourself on your knees, like I did, confessing your sin to your Father so that you can truly follow Him?