Versified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a]29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Wow...
As I was sitting in Barnes & Noble this morning eating a delicious Moroccan yogurt breakfast (which I highly recommend), I had been praying for God to show me something I really needed to see in His Word today. I have been reading in the gospels this summer, but have been trying to see them in a whole new way. God brought to my focus verse 23 out of this passage. I decided to research for myself a little bit about myrrh. Myrrh alone can be used for an antiseptic, healing balm, calming aroma, etc. God showed me though that they didn't offer him myrrh alone, but myrrh mixed with wine. Now, I had to look into the significance of the myrrh being mixed with wine. After all of their mockery, why would they offer anything to Jesus as He was being crucified? Chemists teach that mixtures that are bitter tend to be poisonous, whereas mixtures that are sour are considered more safe. Wine when mixed with myrrh, takes on a bitter taste, making it more poisonous. Jesus refused the bitter concoction. Had He drank it, it could have killed him before the suffering of the crucifixion. Meaning that it is quite possible that He refused the mixture because He knew what He needed to go through in order for us humans to be reconciled back to God. Later on, it states that Jesus did drink a bit of sour wine, believed to help calm His thirst, so this in fact means He knew that the sour wine was safe and the wine/myrrh was a poison.
This made me think about the things in my life that I would like to take the easy way out on. I know there is purpose behind my pain, and struggle, but a lot of the time I find myself wishing there was an easier way out. My perspective has definitely changed after reading this. Jesus was on a cross, He had seen this done before, He knew what He was about to endure, but refused the easier way knowing that the result of Him going through this pain and suffering would bring a better result...
This was the perfect reminder that there is purpose behind pain. Maybe we need to remember that a little more often.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a]29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Wow...
As I was sitting in Barnes & Noble this morning eating a delicious Moroccan yogurt breakfast (which I highly recommend), I had been praying for God to show me something I really needed to see in His Word today. I have been reading in the gospels this summer, but have been trying to see them in a whole new way. God brought to my focus verse 23 out of this passage. I decided to research for myself a little bit about myrrh. Myrrh alone can be used for an antiseptic, healing balm, calming aroma, etc. God showed me though that they didn't offer him myrrh alone, but myrrh mixed with wine. Now, I had to look into the significance of the myrrh being mixed with wine. After all of their mockery, why would they offer anything to Jesus as He was being crucified? Chemists teach that mixtures that are bitter tend to be poisonous, whereas mixtures that are sour are considered more safe. Wine when mixed with myrrh, takes on a bitter taste, making it more poisonous. Jesus refused the bitter concoction. Had He drank it, it could have killed him before the suffering of the crucifixion. Meaning that it is quite possible that He refused the mixture because He knew what He needed to go through in order for us humans to be reconciled back to God. Later on, it states that Jesus did drink a bit of sour wine, believed to help calm His thirst, so this in fact means He knew that the sour wine was safe and the wine/myrrh was a poison.
This made me think about the things in my life that I would like to take the easy way out on. I know there is purpose behind my pain, and struggle, but a lot of the time I find myself wishing there was an easier way out. My perspective has definitely changed after reading this. Jesus was on a cross, He had seen this done before, He knew what He was about to endure, but refused the easier way knowing that the result of Him going through this pain and suffering would bring a better result...
This was the perfect reminder that there is purpose behind pain. Maybe we need to remember that a little more often.
16Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me.18The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
22The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
WOW!! I am not a mom yet, but I cannot even imagine being this mother.
Have you ever had a dream? I know for me, being a mom is one of my biggest dreams. I could not imagine being this woman, investing months into growing this child, birthing him, breastfeeding him, bathing him, all of the hard newborn stuff and then this woman comes and "exchanges" children with you in your sleep. She notices and then goes to the proper authority, and the other woman accuses her of lying about her child. At this point, if I were her, I would have lost all of my salvation on this woman. But the judge says okay fine get me a sword and we will divide the child among the women, resulting in the death of the child. The true mother of the child, realizing that this would kill her son, decides to let the other woman have him so that he will at least live. HOLY COW! What sacrifice, give her the living baby, can we dwell her for a minute? Let's go back, this son is her most prized dream, knowing that this dream would die, she sacrificed her happiness, her purpose as a mother, her dream so that it could live on. Even if it wasn't how she wanted to see it happen, she let the dream live on. Have you had something like this happen to you? Have you planned your dreams and goals and pursued them just for God to have you lay them down? I have. Let me tell you walking it out was one of the most difficult things I have had to do, and it's hard to imagine someone else walking out your dream, but God has different purpose for this sacrifice. The story goes on to say:
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice
The king knew that the true mother would not want this boy killed, he knew that she would sacrifice herself and her happiness just to see him live, with or without her. Maybe, that's how God sees us and our dreams. He knows our dreams and I believe He has put them in our hearts for a reason. Sometimes we are asked to sacrifice our desires. There is purpose in our sacrifice. Sometimes, I believe God wants to see if we will make the commitment of sacrifice just as the king asked the mom to do. When she did, her promise was delivered back to her. What in your life has the enemy tried to steal from you and what have you been asked to sacrifice, it may not be a permanent sacrifice, God may bring that promise back to you.
19“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
22The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
WOW!! I am not a mom yet, but I cannot even imagine being this mother.
Have you ever had a dream? I know for me, being a mom is one of my biggest dreams. I could not imagine being this woman, investing months into growing this child, birthing him, breastfeeding him, bathing him, all of the hard newborn stuff and then this woman comes and "exchanges" children with you in your sleep. She notices and then goes to the proper authority, and the other woman accuses her of lying about her child. At this point, if I were her, I would have lost all of my salvation on this woman. But the judge says okay fine get me a sword and we will divide the child among the women, resulting in the death of the child. The true mother of the child, realizing that this would kill her son, decides to let the other woman have him so that he will at least live. HOLY COW! What sacrifice, give her the living baby, can we dwell her for a minute? Let's go back, this son is her most prized dream, knowing that this dream would die, she sacrificed her happiness, her purpose as a mother, her dream so that it could live on. Even if it wasn't how she wanted to see it happen, she let the dream live on. Have you had something like this happen to you? Have you planned your dreams and goals and pursued them just for God to have you lay them down? I have. Let me tell you walking it out was one of the most difficult things I have had to do, and it's hard to imagine someone else walking out your dream, but God has different purpose for this sacrifice. The story goes on to say:
27Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice
The king knew that the true mother would not want this boy killed, he knew that she would sacrifice herself and her happiness just to see him live, with or without her. Maybe, that's how God sees us and our dreams. He knows our dreams and I believe He has put them in our hearts for a reason. Sometimes we are asked to sacrifice our desires. There is purpose in our sacrifice. Sometimes, I believe God wants to see if we will make the commitment of sacrifice just as the king asked the mom to do. When she did, her promise was delivered back to her. What in your life has the enemy tried to steal from you and what have you been asked to sacrifice, it may not be a permanent sacrifice, God may bring that promise back to you.
Brokenhearted...
When you're a little girl, if the boy on the playground calls you names.
When you're a teen, the boy you've had a mad crush on asks if your best friend is single.
As a young woman, the guy you've been talking to and seeing ghosts you.
These are some of the ways I have heard (and maybe experienced) where we've felt a little disappointed and brokenhearted.
But I want to talk about the kind of broken hearted I have been feeling lately. If you haven't heard by now, I lost my father on the 14th of May, a grandma in my life on the 29th, and a role model in my life on June 1st. I know what you're thinking, but I'm okay, let me tell you why...
When I lost my dad, I was feeling a new kind of broken. It was the kind where life is different now, separated by what was, and what will never have the chance to be. A daughter who doesn't get to have her dad walk her down the aisle, who doesn't get to have her dad teach her kids how to fish. He would never get to hold my babies and pretend to have a heart attack so that they will rescue him and when they do tickle the snot out of them. This was something I never imagined as a girl. Our relationship was not perfect by any means, but the hurts were healed and our relationship had been restored for the last year of his life. Before he passed we were talking on the phone frequently so I could see how he was doing, so it was not shocking when I went to call him one day to check on him not realizing that his voice will never be on the other end of the call again. This is a different kind of broken that hits when you least expect it, waves of emotions.
Then you get a phone call that Mimi who has been battling cancer has passed away and there it is the surge of emotion. This woman has supported me at every graduation, church endeavors, surgery, and life decisions. She has told me she was proud of me and who I had become. She never missed a chance to joke with me and encourage me at the same time. She was a smile I loved to see at any family function, but that couldn't happen anymore. This time I just feel numb. How could this be? I hadn't gotten to go see her since I was in town, and now she's gone...
Then you're at work and you get a text.
"Donnie Moore passed away."
"what?!"
*checks social media*
How is this possible, I just read a post he put on Facebook the other day! This one hits like a ton of bricks, can't speak without crying, I just want to go curl up in a ball and hide from anyone that I love because at this point it is blatantly obvious that life is not guaranteed. This man... He said yes to God and his calling so many years ago and because of him I am a better person today. My first encounter with him was at my church 10 years ago. I thought he was crazy for his feats of strength, but he had this thing about him that reminded me of my own father and I have never been sure why. We go to a camp every summer hosted by his ministry team (who are all very near and dear to my heart as well.) but my first year he's not there. He had fallen ill and couldn't make it, but let me tell you, I heard nothing but students raving about him and wishing he had been there. At this camp, my life was changed forever, baptism of the Holy Spirit, called to ministry, and here I met some of my favorite life people. The next year we go to camp, and Donnie speaks on forgiveness, something I have always struggled with and he calls us up to the altar to forgive some people. He dos the knock on the door thing that most of us know and love. I open my door and there is my dad, I am hysterically crying at the altar and donnie goes around praying with people, he prays with us as that person seeking forgiveness. I forgave my dad at that altar and I firmly believe that has a lot to do with how I got to spend the nod of his life with my father. For the past 10 years of my life Donnie has played many roles, we weren't as close as some of the people I know and love, but he never missed a chance to hug me at camp and thank me for being there with the students. He too would tell me he was proud of me. Man, it's hard to fathom not being able to see him again.
I know that is a lot of back story and maybe I didn't need to say it all, but its healing, so I did.
Brokenhearted.
That's where I am sitting. A new feeling of heart break, and a kind I wouldn't wish on anyone. Maybe you know this feeling and if so, I am so terribly sorry. This is where I get to the good stuff though. Did you read that promise from Psalm?
Psalm 147:3
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Wow, another amazing promise of God that we get to reap the benefits of. A promise that when we are in the above moments of hurt, grief, and brokeness, that God will heal our hearts and bind up the wounds. I work in the medical field, so I have seen many doctors give stitches. They are methodical, they lineup the wound as all as they can so that as time passes, the mark that is left by this injury is as least noticeable as possible. So that in years nobody will notice the scar of your dog bite or bike accident. Naturally, when I read that God will bind up our wounds, I picture God standing over us lining up our wound and carefully and methodically stitching us up so that nobody can recognize our pain. What an amazing promise! I am not done being stitched from these pains yet, but ask me in few weeks and I am sure I will be able to show you a healing wound and in years I will be able to tell you of these accounts and you will barely notice the scars. But for now, remember to let God do the healing and the binding and grow closer to him in prayer. And be honest, the more of the injury you tell the doctor about the better he can understand how to heal it.
When you're a little girl, if the boy on the playground calls you names.
When you're a teen, the boy you've had a mad crush on asks if your best friend is single.
As a young woman, the guy you've been talking to and seeing ghosts you.
These are some of the ways I have heard (and maybe experienced) where we've felt a little disappointed and brokenhearted.
But I want to talk about the kind of broken hearted I have been feeling lately. If you haven't heard by now, I lost my father on the 14th of May, a grandma in my life on the 29th, and a role model in my life on June 1st. I know what you're thinking, but I'm okay, let me tell you why...
When I lost my dad, I was feeling a new kind of broken. It was the kind where life is different now, separated by what was, and what will never have the chance to be. A daughter who doesn't get to have her dad walk her down the aisle, who doesn't get to have her dad teach her kids how to fish. He would never get to hold my babies and pretend to have a heart attack so that they will rescue him and when they do tickle the snot out of them. This was something I never imagined as a girl. Our relationship was not perfect by any means, but the hurts were healed and our relationship had been restored for the last year of his life. Before he passed we were talking on the phone frequently so I could see how he was doing, so it was not shocking when I went to call him one day to check on him not realizing that his voice will never be on the other end of the call again. This is a different kind of broken that hits when you least expect it, waves of emotions.
Then you get a phone call that Mimi who has been battling cancer has passed away and there it is the surge of emotion. This woman has supported me at every graduation, church endeavors, surgery, and life decisions. She has told me she was proud of me and who I had become. She never missed a chance to joke with me and encourage me at the same time. She was a smile I loved to see at any family function, but that couldn't happen anymore. This time I just feel numb. How could this be? I hadn't gotten to go see her since I was in town, and now she's gone...
Then you're at work and you get a text.
"Donnie Moore passed away."
"what?!"
*checks social media*
How is this possible, I just read a post he put on Facebook the other day! This one hits like a ton of bricks, can't speak without crying, I just want to go curl up in a ball and hide from anyone that I love because at this point it is blatantly obvious that life is not guaranteed. This man... He said yes to God and his calling so many years ago and because of him I am a better person today. My first encounter with him was at my church 10 years ago. I thought he was crazy for his feats of strength, but he had this thing about him that reminded me of my own father and I have never been sure why. We go to a camp every summer hosted by his ministry team (who are all very near and dear to my heart as well.) but my first year he's not there. He had fallen ill and couldn't make it, but let me tell you, I heard nothing but students raving about him and wishing he had been there. At this camp, my life was changed forever, baptism of the Holy Spirit, called to ministry, and here I met some of my favorite life people. The next year we go to camp, and Donnie speaks on forgiveness, something I have always struggled with and he calls us up to the altar to forgive some people. He dos the knock on the door thing that most of us know and love. I open my door and there is my dad, I am hysterically crying at the altar and donnie goes around praying with people, he prays with us as that person seeking forgiveness. I forgave my dad at that altar and I firmly believe that has a lot to do with how I got to spend the nod of his life with my father. For the past 10 years of my life Donnie has played many roles, we weren't as close as some of the people I know and love, but he never missed a chance to hug me at camp and thank me for being there with the students. He too would tell me he was proud of me. Man, it's hard to fathom not being able to see him again.
I know that is a lot of back story and maybe I didn't need to say it all, but its healing, so I did.
Brokenhearted.
That's where I am sitting. A new feeling of heart break, and a kind I wouldn't wish on anyone. Maybe you know this feeling and if so, I am so terribly sorry. This is where I get to the good stuff though. Did you read that promise from Psalm?
Psalm 147:3
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Wow, another amazing promise of God that we get to reap the benefits of. A promise that when we are in the above moments of hurt, grief, and brokeness, that God will heal our hearts and bind up the wounds. I work in the medical field, so I have seen many doctors give stitches. They are methodical, they lineup the wound as all as they can so that as time passes, the mark that is left by this injury is as least noticeable as possible. So that in years nobody will notice the scar of your dog bite or bike accident. Naturally, when I read that God will bind up our wounds, I picture God standing over us lining up our wound and carefully and methodically stitching us up so that nobody can recognize our pain. What an amazing promise! I am not done being stitched from these pains yet, but ask me in few weeks and I am sure I will be able to show you a healing wound and in years I will be able to tell you of these accounts and you will barely notice the scars. But for now, remember to let God do the healing and the binding and grow closer to him in prayer. And be honest, the more of the injury you tell the doctor about the better he can understand how to heal it.
What's Stopping You?
It was an early morning and we were camping at Sly Park. I had been asking God to speak to me in a new way. the embers from the previous nights fire were still smoldering. I was wide awake for no reason, or at least I thought... I did what I knew I should and grabbed my Bible and headed to the fire pit. I prayed that God would show me through His living Word what He needed to speak to me. I read a few chapters, then I got the a very familiar verse. Jeremiah 29:11. I can recite it by heart since I was a little girl, but I felt like I was urged to read on. I came to verse 13 and I knew this was it. This is why God woke me up so early. I prayed and He spoke. I was faced with a question I wasn't expecting, What was I holding onto that I was making me unable to seek God with my whole heart. I had been seeking Him, but only in certain areas of my life because I wanted to keep some control. I realized in that moment there were a few things holding me back from giving God my everything. Once He showed me that, I prayed. God, take it all, empty my hands of anything that I have tried to keep hold of and that has kept me from seeking you with my whole entire heart.
I knew that I didn't want to be the reason I couldn't encounter God in every single area of my life. So this is where I ask you, are there things that you are still holding tight to? What is keeping you from seeking God with your entire heart? Are you ready to give them up so that He can have your whole heart and you can begin to encounter Him in a WHOLE new way?
I knew that I didn't want to be the reason I couldn't encounter God in every single area of my life. So this is where I ask you, are there things that you are still holding tight to? What is keeping you from seeking God with your entire heart? Are you ready to give them up so that He can have your whole heart and you can begin to encounter Him in a WHOLE new way?
Wow!
What an amazing picture painted regarding the Proverbs 31 woman! If you grew up in church, you have probably heard of this woman many times, not until recently have I actually sat down and studied this piece of scripture. Lets look Proverbs 31: 10-31 together.
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself[e] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.[f]
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
What an amazing woman right?! When I read this I can't help but dwell on verse 26!
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. If you're anything like me, there are MANY days that I need to remember to open my mouth with wisdom and kindness. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our day to day hurts and frustrations and before we know it we are opening our mouths with negativity. There is a French saying "turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before speaking", this saying really strikes a chord with me because it's making you take the time to really think about what you're going to say before you say it. If we did this we would be able to really open our mouths with wisdom and kindness. When you speak out of kindness and wisdom it really changes your attitude and it reaches the people around you. What if we took into account this small principle and became more aware of what we speak into our lives?
We could laugh without fear of the future!
What an amazing picture painted regarding the Proverbs 31 woman! If you grew up in church, you have probably heard of this woman many times, not until recently have I actually sat down and studied this piece of scripture. Lets look Proverbs 31: 10-31 together.
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself[e] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.[f]
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
What an amazing woman right?! When I read this I can't help but dwell on verse 26!
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. If you're anything like me, there are MANY days that I need to remember to open my mouth with wisdom and kindness. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our day to day hurts and frustrations and before we know it we are opening our mouths with negativity. There is a French saying "turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before speaking", this saying really strikes a chord with me because it's making you take the time to really think about what you're going to say before you say it. If we did this we would be able to really open our mouths with wisdom and kindness. When you speak out of kindness and wisdom it really changes your attitude and it reaches the people around you. What if we took into account this small principle and became more aware of what we speak into our lives?
We could laugh without fear of the future!
So much yes to this verse!!
Man, I need to hear this verse ever single day! I don't know about you, so many times I get caught up in the lives of those around me and I let the thoughts of inadequacy set it. This verse is such a gentle reminder that God has placed you in this time, this place, antd this life for a reason. One of my favorite quotes says something like this (please forgive me if I butcher it) "the sheer fact that you were born is evidence that this generation needs something you have to offer!" Wow! What a concept. The fact that you are here and now means that you have something this world needs right now! All it takes is boldness from you to say yes and allow God to use you for the purpose in which you were created! I may not ever get to meet you face to face in this life, but I know that you are loved fearlessly and unconditionally, I know that someone thinks more than the world of you, I know that you've been placed where you are with destiny, and I know that you are meant to be a part of the family of God. I pray that if you don't already know the Lord, that very soon you will accept Him as your savior, and He can begin to use you to fulfill the destiny He has placed on your life! All it takes is a simple yes for things to be put to motion in your life!
Who knows, "Perhaps this is the moment in which you were created for"!
Man, I need to hear this verse ever single day! I don't know about you, so many times I get caught up in the lives of those around me and I let the thoughts of inadequacy set it. This verse is such a gentle reminder that God has placed you in this time, this place, antd this life for a reason. One of my favorite quotes says something like this (please forgive me if I butcher it) "the sheer fact that you were born is evidence that this generation needs something you have to offer!" Wow! What a concept. The fact that you are here and now means that you have something this world needs right now! All it takes is boldness from you to say yes and allow God to use you for the purpose in which you were created! I may not ever get to meet you face to face in this life, but I know that you are loved fearlessly and unconditionally, I know that someone thinks more than the world of you, I know that you've been placed where you are with destiny, and I know that you are meant to be a part of the family of God. I pray that if you don't already know the Lord, that very soon you will accept Him as your savior, and He can begin to use you to fulfill the destiny He has placed on your life! All it takes is a simple yes for things to be put to motion in your life!
Who knows, "Perhaps this is the moment in which you were created for"!