worth repeating Archives - Page 5 of 10

Lies Women Believe About Priorities

June 9, 2011 by Aliesha

This past Tuesday night at Bible Study, we looked at three lies women believe about priorities.

The lie: I don’t have time to do everything I’m supposed to do.
The truth: There is time in every day to do everything that God wants me to do.

DeMoss says (p. 120, Lies Women Believe):

Frustration is the by-product of attempting to fulfill responsibilities God does not intend for us to carry. Freedom, joy, and fruitfulness come from seeking to determine God’s priorities for each season of life, and then setting out to fulfill those priorities, in the power of His Spirit, realizing that He has provided the necessary time and ability to do everything that He has called us to do.

The lie: I can make it without consistent time in the Word and prayer.
The truth: It is impossible for me to be the woman God wants me to be apart from spending consistent time cultivating a relationship with Him in the Word and prayer.

DeMoss says (p. 124, Lies Women Believe):

The truth is, apart from “abiding in Him”–living in constant, conscious union with and dependence on Him–I cannot do anything of spiritual or eternal value. Oh, I can create a lot of activity, I can make a lot of decisions, but I will end up having nothing of real value to show for my life.

The lie: A career outside the home is more valuable and fulfilling than being a wife and mother.
The truth: In the will of God, there is no higher, holier calling than to be a wife and mother. God uniquely designed the woman to be a bearer and nurturer of life. There is no greater measure of a woman’s worth or success than the extent to which she serves as the heart of her home. God’s plan is that a woman’s primary attention and efforts should be devoted to ministering to the needs of her husband and children.

DeMoss quotes Dorothy Patterson (p. 129, Lies Women Believe):

It is true that many “perfect jobs” may come and go during the childrearing years, but only one will absolutely never come along again–the job of rearing your own children and allowing them the increasingly rare opportunity to grow up at home.

Contentment

June 4, 2011 by Aliesha

Andrea just emailed me this devo this morning, and I wanted to share it on here as well! Contentment is something I think we all struggle with at times (or maybe it’s just me!), and this is a timely reminder where we should find our contentment, security, and worth. Enjoy!

The Secret of Contentment
Micca Monda Campbell

“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11b (NIV)

Have you ever noticed how over-extending yourself tends to bring unwanted pressure into your life?

Sometimes I think we busy ourselves in order to gain more, find acceptance among peers, land a better position, and gain riches of all kinds. Perhaps we live under the illusion that having such riches is what makes a person complete, content, and deliriously happy. Yet, when we discover that’s not the case, we’re left feeling empty and discontent.

Contentment and security are not found in career titles or in the kind of car we own. The logo on our car only tells others what kind of car we drive — not who we are. True satisfaction, in its purest form, is found in the wealth of who God is and the riches He graciously lavishes upon us.

Recently God’s been showing me that when I constantly want more than He has given me, it reflects a heart that is discontent. It’s like I’m telling God, “I’m not satisfied with what You have provided for me. I want more.”

In wanting more, I place undo pressure on myself in an attempt to get what God hasn’t provided. Naturally, anxiety is the result when I focus on things other than God and His will for my life.

The pressure to have more and do more can lead us down paths we never intended. In our attempt to fill the vacuum of our empty souls, we discover that external luxury is only a cheap substitution for spiritual wholeness. As our key verse points out, Paul knew the secret of finding contentment. “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Take note that Paul wrote these words in a high stress situation as he sat in jail awaiting a verdict for a crime he didn’t commit. I don’t know if I could find contentment if I were in his sandals. I would probably strum my wooden cage with a rock singing pitifully, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen. Nobody knows my sorrow.”

Finding contentment doesn’t mean we have to like our current situation, but it may require an appreciation for it. Let me explain.

Paul learned that the fruit of contentment is developed when we are thankful for what God has provided whether we like it or not. That’s because peace isn’t the absence of pressure. It’s the presence of God and our attitude toward His provision in the midst of our stress. By expressing gratitude, Paul experienced richness of being, not having.

You may be in a hard place right now and you’re longing for freedom. Maybe you’re in a job that feels like a dead end; perhaps you have two of them! It may be that you live in a space too small for your family and you hate it. You’re not where you planned or hoped to be and you certainly don’t like it.

The truth is, we don’t have to like where we are or what we have, but if we will choose to thank God for His provisions regardless of our feelings toward them, we’ll experience the same contentment Paul encountered.

Being thankful doesn’t mean that God will eventually remove us from our situation. He may; He may not. Rather, being appreciative sets us free from the desire to have and lets us rest in the riches of contentment. And when we reach a place of contentment, we don’t need earthly riches galore.
God becomes our greatest treasure. In Him, we have everything we need.

Dear Lord, I’m grateful for what You’ve provided for me. Fill me with Your peace so that I may be truly content in Your blessings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Family Devotions, Pt. 2

May 23, 2011 by Aliesha

This is another post by Tad which was originally published in our church’s monthly newsletter. You can read his first post on family devotions here. Enjoy!

Last month I wrote about the importance of family devotions. This often neglected Christian tradition is of vital importance to both families and the church as a whole. The family was designed by God to be the primary vehicle for passing on the faith from generation to generation.

This month I would like to continue to discuss family devotions. I want to answer the question, “Who should be leading family devotions?” and “What should family devotions entail?” The first question is,“Who should be leading family devotions?” I believe that Ephesians 6:4 answers this question: “Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Word.” This command is very specific, wherein it addresses fathers and commands them to raise their children in the faith.

Fathers are to teach their children from the Bible what they are to believe and how they are to act. This passage does not say “Fathers, it might be a good idea if you did not provoke your children to wrath, and if you really want to you should raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Word.” No, this passage is a command to fathers to be teaching their children the truth of God’s Word. One of the best ways to visualize how this leadership should play out is to think of the father of a household as the pastor of his house, spiritually leading his family through life.

This brings us to the second question, “What should family devotions entail? There are three main things that family devotions should include. The first is the Bible. Family devotions should include reading from the Bible, or if your children are really young, the reading of a Bible story book. If the Bible is not read, then how can you expect your children to take seriously the importance of God’s Word? We read the Bible because that is how God has chosen to speak to us, and we desire to impart God’s instruction to our families.

The second thing family devotions should include is prayer. While reading the Bible is how God speaks to us, prayer is how we speak to God. By praying together as a family, we will be modeling our dependence on God for all things.

The third element is worship. We should worship God through singing as a family. If we relegate such worship through singing to only doing it on Sundays, we are failing to teach our children how worthy God is of such worship. We should live lives of continual worship to God, and this should come out through singing songs of worship to him in family devotions.

Once again I challenge to have devotions together as a family. I challenge you to read the Bible together, to pray together, and to worship God together through singing.