Blog Archives - A Sweet Smelling Savour

May 10, 2023May 10, 2023

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!

June 26, 2020

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!

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

Tell Me a Story

When our daughter was small, we did not have television. So, we read books to her … LOTS and LOTS of books! Some books we read so often that she actually memorized them … even as young as eighteen months old! Actually one of the first books that she memorized was Psalm 23.

Our lives are like books … they tell a story. No two stories are alike. God has made each one of us uniquely different; therefore, each one of our stories are uniquely different. Your story is special to you. My story is special to me. Yet, God can use each of our stories to help someone else.

As I share my story in the pages of this site, you will find that I am not perfect. You will see flaws in me. You will see mistakes. I do not share to compare. I do not share to act better than another. But, if my story and the lessons that God is teaching me speaks to just one person, it is worth the sharing.

The greatest story in history is the story of my Savior dying on the cross for my sins. He was the only begotten, sinless Son of God. He died in my place on that cruel cross that day. He took my sin and my shame and when I repented of my sin, all things became new. I am now a new creature in Christ!

Tell me the story of Jesus … write on my heart every word

As a child, I do not remember having many books to read, but I do distinctly remember listening to the Children’s Bible Hour stories on the radio. I also remember having some of the story records from the Children’s Bible Hour. One of those records had the story of the rapture on it.

One day as I was playing in my bedroom by myself, I was playing that Children’s Bible Hour story record on the rapture. I remember playing and listening and when it got to the end, I remember going over there and kneeling down on my young knees and praying to God to forgive me of my sin. God had convicted my heart so strongly that day. I knew that even though I had been in church my whole life (at the old age of 6-years-old) and even lived in a pastor/missionary’s home, I was not saved. I would not be going to heaven when Christ returned at the rapture and I knew that I did not want to be left behind.

My story did not end that day. No, my friend, that was just the beginning. Many years have passed and many pages have been written since then. My story has not always been one of love, or of faithfulness, or of servitude. Some of those pages are sodden with tears of sorrow and of grief. Some smell like a field of beautiful flowers on a sunny, summer day.

As my storybook has gotten thicker, I have finally come to the place where I so deeply desire to be a sweet-smelling savour in all that I do and say. I know that I have failed the Lord many times, but He has never failed me. It is the least that I can do each day is to strive to bring honor and glory to His name.

So within the pages of this site, you will see me pointing to God. You will see me seeking answers and wisdom from Him who sees all and knows all. We have lived and played in the world long enough, my friend. It is time now to get serious with God. It is time to love Him and serve Him as He has always intended for His children to.

What story is your life telling? Every single day He gives you a new page to write on. What story will you write on your page today?