Great Devotional by the late Mr. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I was planning on posting one of my own devotionals today, but when I came across this devotional in this book written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, I just had to share it with all of you.

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

~Mark 12:30

Suggested further reading: 2 John 1-6

We are bound to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Thus, we deduce that we are to love God supremely. Thou art to love thy wife, O husband. Those canst not love her too much except in one case, if thou shouldst love her before God, and prefer her pleasure to the pleasure of the Most High. Then wouldst thou be an idolater. Child! Thou art to love thy parents; thou canst not love him too much who begot thee, not her too much who brought thee forth; but remember, there is one law that doth override that. Thou art to love thy God more than they father or thy mother. He demands thy first and thy highest affection: thou art to love him "with all they heart". We are allowed to love our relatives:we are taught to do so. He that does not love his own family is worse than a heathen man and a publican. But we are not to lovethe dearest object of our hearts so much as we love God. You may erect little thrones for those whom you rightly love; but God's throne must be a glorious high throne; you may set them upon the steps, but God must sit on the very seat itself. He is to be enthroned, the royal One within your heart, the king of your affections. Have you kept this commandment? I know I have not; I must plead guilty before God; I must cast myself before him, and acknowledge my transgression. But nevertheless, there standeth the commandment-"Thou shalt love God with all thy heart" that is, thou shalt love Him supremely.

For meditation: The Lord Jesus Christ practiced what He preached(Matthew 10:37,38). His Heavenly Father's house came first, but he was obedient in His earthly parents' house(Luke 2:48-51); His Heavenly Father's will came first(Matthew 26:39), but even while He was carrying it out, His earthly mother's wellbeing was upon His heart(John 19:26-27). We love our families, our fellow-believers and the lost ones best, when we love and obey God first.

Great Devotional by the late Mr. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an outstanding preacher who lived in the 1800s. He was nicknamed the Prince of Preachers, and he was indeed that! If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Spurgeon, I highly recommend that you purchase some of his books or sermons. Your soul will be fed and nourished by the convicting yet encouraging words of this amazing man.

The following devotional of his is actually an excerpt from one of his sermons. It's taken from the book 365 Days with Spurgeon Vol. 1. This book is "a unique collection of 365 daily readings from sermons preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon from his New Park Street Pulpit. I recommend that each of you purchase this book and the other 2 volumes that go along with it. Your life will forever be changed! You will grow closer to the Lord, and after reading just a few of Mr. Spurgeons writings, you will be amazed by how much stronger your faith is.
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Everywhere and Yet Forgotten

"Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind."

~Job 12:9-10

Suggested further reading: Deut. 8:11-20

This forgetfulness of God is growing upon this perverse generation. Time was, in the old puritanic days, when every shower of rain was seen to come from heaven, when every ray of sunshine was blessed, and God was thanked for having given fair weather to ingather the fruits of the harvest. Then, men talked of God as doing everything. But in our days where is our God? We have the laws of matter. Alas! Alas! That names with little meaning should have destroyed our memory of the Eternal One. We talk now of phenomena, and of the chain of events, as if all things happened by machinery; as if the world were a huge clock which had been wound up in eternity, and continued to work without a present God. Nay, not only our philosophers, but even our poets rant in the same way. They sing of the works of nature. But who is that fair goddess, Nature? Is she a heathen deity, or what? Do we not act as if we were ashamed of our God, or as if His name had become obsolete? Go abroad wherever you may, you hear little said concerning Him who made the heavens, and who formed the earth and the sea; but everything is nature, and the laws of motion and of matter. And do not Christians often use words which would lead you to suppose that they believed in the old goddess, Luck, or rested in that equally false deity, Fortune, or tremnled before the demon of Misfortune? Oh for the day when God shall be seen, and little else beside! Better, my brethren, that philosophical discoveries were lost, than that God should be concealed behind them. Better that our poets had ceased to write, and that all their flaming words were buried with their ashes, than that they should serve as a cloud before the face of the eternal Creator.

For meditation: When men replace Father God be mother nature, God leaves them to behave in ways which are unnatural and opposed to their false new deity(Romans 1:21-27).

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Convicting, wasn't it? How guilty we Christians always are of saying to people, "Good luck!" or "Oh, I'm so lucky!" What a horrible witness! We need to erase the word luck from our vocabulary! Instead of saying "Good luck", how about saying, "May the Lord bless you!" Instead of saying, "Oh, I'm so lucky!", how about saying, "Oh, the Lord has blessed me far more than I could ever deserve!". We need to begin taking those worldly sayings from our vocabulary, and begin replacing them with words and phrases that glorify God and bring others to Him.

My pastor often reminds us that we're only one sentence away from witnessing to someone. You can be in the middle of a conversation with a person, and you're always only one sentence away from speaking about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that brings me to my next point. So often, we say to people, "God bless you!", thinking that somehow we've just witnessed to that person. What a false idea! The Devil is not scared by us saying "God bless you" to someone! No one is saved or brought closer to Christ by us saying that. The word "God" doesn't offend anyone or bring anyone to salvation. People like Oprah use the word God all the time but are lost as can be. Oprah has said things like "God is whoever you want it to be." Therefore, it becomes obvious that mentioning the word God to someone doesn't really do all that much or help bring them to Christ. The term God means a thousand different things to different people. We need to begin speaking of Christ Jesus. If we don't speak about Him, then our witnessing isn't any good. We're bringing no one to salvation unless we consistantly speak of Jesus Christ- the only Savior there is, without Whom, all go to Hell rather than Heaven. We need to begin adding the words Jesus Christ to our everyday conversations with people. I encourage you to do that this coming week. The more you do so, the more natural it will become. And remember, dear readers: you're only 1 sentence away from spreading the Gospel! :)

Rich blessings to you all!

P.S. I want to hear about all of your witnessing experiences this coming week! Do what I've prescribed above, and then come back and let me know how it went!

Friday's Devotional: On Prayer

But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

~Proverbs 15:8a(NKJV)

Are you delighting the Lord as you should be, as His child? The prayer of you, His upright servant, is His delight. Are you praying to your Father as often as you should be? I'm preaching to myself every bit as much as I am to you. I'm ashamed to say that I often find myself rushing here and there through the course of each very busy day, not even taking the time to enjoy a deep and intimate conversation with my Savior, the lover of my soul. How sinful and shameful that is! I should desire to speak with Him above anyone else! He's the One who I'd been consistantly sinning against. He's the One I had been the rebellious enemy of-the One whose soul I was grieving because of my unrighteousness. Yet He came down, out of immense love for me that I can't begin to comprehend, to willingly endure the most agonizing, traumatizing, excrutiating death that anyone could possibly go through. Yet He spoke not a word of anger or malice through the whole ordeal. And here I am, not even taking the time to speak with Him?! How that must grieve Him! How that must sadden Him to know that His daughter, who He died for so that He might save and spend eternity with her, isn't even speaking to Him everyday all day as she should be!

Are you guilty of this sin as well? There is hope, dear sister! Repent of this sin and then set aside a special portion of each day to be dedicated to close communion with the Lord. Not only will this delight your Savior, but you will also be filled with much peace and joy yourself!

There's something I want to point our about this verse. It says that the prayers of the upright are a delight to Him. This means that the prayers of those who are not upright or righteous are not delightful to Him whatsoever. This is because the person who is chained in unrighteousness doesn't have a heart and soul yielded completely to His will. This person's prayers, therefore, will be rebellious in nature, selfish, and unpleasing to the Lord. So, if you've found yourself giving into temptation a lot lately, repent of those sins! After you've done so, your prayers will once again be a blessed delight to your merciful Savior!

Wednesday's Devotional

A good man obtains favor from the Lord.

~Proverbs 12:2a(NKJV)

This Scripture makes it clear that a good person obtains favor from the Lord. From this, we are able to deduce the following: a wicked person finds no favor in the sight of God Almighty. So, what constitutes a good person? Well, it's evident that this verse is in no way teaching that God only saves good people, for there's no such thing as a good person! All have fallen short of the glory of God. So, it's clear that the favor a good person finds in God's eyes is not the same thing as salvation!

So, we come again to the question: what is a good person? A "good person" is someone who has been saved by God's miraculous grace, has been justified and sanctified, and who has been made righteous through the death of Christ. Because faith without works is dead, it becomes clear that the good person who finds favor in God's eyes is the Christian who lives according to God's Word-by always obeying His commands, living in the manner that is set forth in Scripture, and by imitating Christ in all areas of life. It is only the Christian who obeys the Lord's every command that finds favor in the sight of God. No one else can find favor in God's sight, for all others are enemies of God(as we all were before the Lord graciously saved us) on whom the wrath of God rests. Now, this is not to say that the Christian will never disobey God's Word. Christians are not perfect and will at times disobey God's commands. But a true Christian's life will be characterized by joyful, unquestioning obedience to Christ and His Word. For the person who has favor in the sight of God, disobedience of the Bible causes immense shame, guilt, and sadness. If you want to be a righteous person, a person who finds favor in God's holy sight, then become learned in the Scriptures, and strive to make daily obedience a characteristic of your life.

Are you a person who, without a doubt, has favor in God's eyes? The book of James commands us to diligently examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith. Examine yourself, dear lady, to see if you are truly a peson who has found favor in the Lord's eyes.

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Please make sure you come back tomorrow, for an important blog announcement!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:11

Let the women learn...

~1 Timothy 2:11(NKJV)

I'll be conducting a devotional series on the rest of this passage at some point in the near future. For today, I just wanted to focus on the beautiful words that begin this verse in 1 Timothy.

"Let the women learn." This sentence may not seem so amazing to you, but these 4 little words contain such a treasure! Feminists and feminism-minded women try to tell us that God pushed women down and belittled them when He commanded them to be homemakers, to submit to their husbands, to abstain from being pastors or elders, etc. Nothing at all could be further from the truth! At the time in which this passage of Scripture was written, Jewish society was a horrible place for a woman to live. The Jewish men used to recite a prayer every morning that went like this: "Thank you, God, that I'm not a slave, a pig, or a woman." Women were viewed(as they still are in Muslim society) as things, as second class citizens, etc. Now when Jesus came on the scene, He was viewed as a liberal(today, of course, He's often viewed as too conservative-go figure! :))! He spoke to women, ministered to them, blessed them, began friendships with them, healed them, liften them up, and respected them. The Jews of His day thought He was crazy! Here was the Messiah elevating women(yes, I understand that many Jews did not view Him as the Messiah)! He treated women as exactly what they were: special people, that were equal with men, yet had different roles than men.

In Jewish society at the time when 1 Timothy 2:11 was first penned, women were oftentimes not allowed to learn much of anything. Other Jews allowed women to learn, but didn't see a woman's education as very important, so they certainly didn't encourage it. And then comes a command from our Lord: "Let the women learn!" It was important to our Lord that women learn, that they be fully and highly educated. The Lord saw this as a very important thing, and viewed learning as a woman's responsibility! He believed that women need to be educated, and so He left us with this command: let the women learn!

So, the next time you come across someone who tries to lead you astray by telling you that Jesus hated and belittled women, you point them to this verse and reveal to them that that simply is not the case!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 4

In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation; not in braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

~1 Timothy 2:9-10(NKJV)

Through this devotional study, we've discovered that Christian women are to be adorned with modest apparel. But verse 10 teaches that Christian ladies are also to be adorned with good works and are to be clothed in righteousness.

Proverbs 31:30, " Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." A Christian lady's true beauty does not come from braided hair, fine and expensive clothing, or pearls and gold(which will all pass away). Her true beauty comes from within-when her inner chastity, discreetness, virtue and fear of the Lord shine through, it is then that she is truly beautiful.

A Christian lady is not beautiful in God's eyes because she has perfect clothes or a perfect hairdo. Rather, her beauty that the Lord is enthralled with comes from her heart that has been purified, sanctified, refined by fire, and cleansed by His work in her life. 1 Peter 3:3 says, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

If you want to be truly beautiful, then clothe yourself with righteousness, a meek and quiet spirit, and good works. It is only when you've acquired these characteristics that your're truly beautiful. No apparel, hairdo, makeup, or jewelry can make you attractive if you aren't filled with godliness and purity. A Christian lady is only beautiful when she's adorned in modest apparel, righteousness, and good works.

Ladies, begin cultivating in yourself the characteristics that will make you a truly beautiful lady!

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I hope this devotional series has been a blessing to you! Now, it's up to you to share what you've learned in this series with those around you! Be a beautiful, salty shining light for your Lord!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 3

...but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

~1 Timothy 2:10(NKJV)

In the first two parts of our devotional series on 1 Timothy 2:9-10, we discovered what modest clothing really is. It became clear that not only is modest clothing not tight or revealing, but it's also not gaudy, overdone or loud. This also refers to any ornamentation that may be worn-it must not be worn in excessive amounts and our appearance must not be overdone.

Now we come to the part of the passage that reveals to us why Christian ladies must wear modest clothing: because that is the only type of adornment that is proper for godly women. Flip that around and it soon becomes clear that immodest clothing is not proper for women professing godliness. Yet, what is happening today? Countless girls and women are claiming to be Christians, but are adorning themselves with horribly immodest attire. Many see this and think, "Yeah, what a shame, but so what? It's not that big of a deal." Excuse me? Yes, it is a big deal! Don't ever underestimate just how sinful it is for professing Christians to go around dressing just like the world (or, in some cases dressed even worse than most of what the world wears!). This sort of behavior is causing God's Word to be blasphemed, is making Christians appear as hypocrites (which drives unbelievers away from church, for they don't want anything to do with hypocrisy or fakeness), and is telling the world that the "Christian God must not have any power to change people, because the 'Christians' appear to be just like the world". Christian females being immodestly clad is a huge problem we have in the church today, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise! Christians wearing the world's attire is a slap in the face of Almighty God, is an abomination to Him, and is a sin that must quickly be repented of and discarded, or we will soon face the Lord's judgment and displeasure for these actions. Lest we think that this is all "no big deal" and that this "doesn't really bother God", let's take a look at Isaiah 3! In this sad and eye-opening passage, we discover that the women of Israel and Judah were anything but modest! When I read this passage, I often think about our culture and wonder, "How long will it be until God does this to us? How long will it be until God shows us just how angry and sick immodesty makes Him?" Isaiah 3:16-26 says, "Moreover the Lord says: 'Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery, the jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents, the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands, the perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; the nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; the outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. And so it shall be: instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. Her gates shall lament and mouren, and she being desolate shall sit on the ground." As you can see, immodesty is no little think in the sight of God Almighty. When people profess Him, but don't follow His commands, they will face punishment. Christians dressing immodestly is a serious thing in God's eyes, and so shall it be in ours!

Ladies, if you've been guilty of dressing immodestly, there is hope! 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Repent of your sin of immodesty, and turn from that sin. The Lord will give you the strength needed to never return again to immodesty. With Him, ALL things are indeed possible! :)

Question and Answer Sessions: Responses Part 5

I've so enjoyed receiving and answering all your questions, ladies! Please continue to send them to me(on any subjects), in interview style, and I would be more than happy to answer them!

I received the following questions from my dear friend from church, Hannah.

First of all thank you so much for your great questions, Hannah! If you have anymore, be sure to let me know! :)

What is your favorite story/character in the Bible?

I can only pick one?! lol I have many favorites.

My favorite stories would be the love story of Ruth and Boaz, the love story of Rebekah and Isaac, the parable of the sower, the amazing story of when our Lord did not condemn the adulterous woman, and the story of the sea storm, where the disciples are rebuked for being of little faith. The love stories I mentioned are so beautiful, and show that in reality, every single marriage is an arranged marriage-arranged by our all-loving and all-wise God. The parable of the sower encourages and strengthens me so much to teach God's Word more. The sower didn't know how or when the seed began to grow, but it did by God's grace. He just threw the Word and left the results up to the Lord. To me, that's so very encouraging, because I tend to worry and fret over whether or not the people I'm debating with will realize the Biblical truth of what I'm teaching or not. But, I don't have to worry! :) All I have to do is be faithful to teach God's Word, and leave the results completely in His hands! How refreshing is that! The story of when the Lord forgave the woman caught in adultery simply amazes me! What amazing, wondrous love our wonderful Lord has for us! Lastly, the story of the disciples and Jesus in a boat when the powerful storm arises convicts me every time I read it. I would often be rebuked by the Lord for being of little faith. Not only does this story convict me, but it also encourages me, because it shows that at all times, the Lord is completely trustworthy, and in control of all things.

As to my favorite Bible character, I would have to say Mary. Her unwavering and unquestioning faith in the Lord and willingness to do whatever He required of her absolutely amazes me! Because she was unmarried, she knew that she would be persecuted, ridiculed, looked down upon, made fun of, etc. for being with child. But she was a willing servant of Christ, and her example convicts me so much! I pray that the Lord would make me more like Mary.

Do you like my mother's famous no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies? ;)<p>

I love those! They are so good. Maybe you could bring those to the fellowship meal at church Sunday! :)

Your devotionals are great! Have you ever thought of putting them together as a book?

Thank you so much! That's very kind of you. :) I hope they're a blessing.

It's so funny that you should ask that, as I was talking to Mama about that very idea just a few weeks ago. That is something that I'm very seriously thinking about. If I did have them published, I would probably add study questions, application tips, etc. to the end of each one.

What do you think, ladies? Should I have my devotionals published? Is this something that you would be interested in purchasing? Please share your input!!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 2

...not in braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing.

~1 Timothy 2:9b (NKJV)

We are now on part 2 of our devotional study of 1 Timothy 2:9-10. In part 1, we discussed the huge importance of dressing modestly. Part 1 of this series showed that the true godly lady has no desire to draw attention to herself during church services(or at any other time, for that matter), but rather desires that all the attention be directed to the Lord. She wants the worship services to be about Him-not her.

Now we come to the second part of this verse. A lot of confusion arises when people read this part of the passage, because they begin to wonder whether or not it's a sin to braid your hair or to wear jewelry or nice clothing. Let me assure you once and for all: it's not! In fact, it would be sinful for us to not look our best-we are ambassadors for Christ, and so we need to show that we pay careful attention to how we present ourselves, for His glory.

Now to understand what the Bible is teaching on the subject of braiding your hair, we need to look to what is said in this verse after it speaks on braids, and we also must look to the culture in Ephesus at the time this was written, so that we can better understand what God's Word is truly teaching. During the time when this verse was first penned, women were attending church services with ribbons of gold weaved through their braids, as a way to show off and flaunt their wealth. That is what this verse is commanding against. Braided hair, pearls, nice clothing, and gold are all ok-as long as they're not worn in excess, or worn in such a way that you are flaunting what you have. The truly Biblical woman is not haughty or prideful- the Lord abhors pride and hautiness, and this includes hautiness of spirit, adornment, etc.

When we hear the word 'immodest' we tend to think only of clothing that is tight and revealing. But immodest clothing has a much farther range than just this. Gaudy, overdone, excessive, loud clothing and acessories are every bit as immodest as tight, revealing clothes are.

The bottom line about clothing and hair is this: our adornment is not to be tight, revealing, or gaudy and overdone. Jewelry is fine, providing that it's not worn in excess. Braids are beautiful and perfectly modest, providing that you don't adorn them throughout with pearls, gold, etc.

Be sure to return on Monday for part 3 of this series!

Devotional on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 part 1

In like manner also, that th women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation.

~1 Timothy 2:9a (NJKV)

This is an exceedingly important command that all too often goes unheeded in the church today. In our culture,(as it was in Ephesus at the time this passage was written), church-going women oftentimes attend worship services dressed in very immodest clothing, whether it be revealing clothing, tight clothing, gaudy clothing, etc. These women are preocupied with the desire to snag a guy by the way in which they're dressed. In the youth group of our old church, many teenage girls attended the church services for the sole reason of getting a young man's attention, and this showed in the way they dressed. Other girls there did truly attend church for the purpose of worshipping the Lord, but they as well attended the worship services in very immodest attire so that they might also acquire the attention of the boys there. Their thoughts were not on being godly young women attending church for the purpose of worshipping God and learning more about His Word. Rather, their thoughts were on ensuring that their clothing, hair, makeup, etc. looked such a way so that they would be liked by the boys at church. Sadly, women guilty of this as well. This is a wicked and vile sin and is immensely abhorred by God Almighty. The female after God's own heart desires to dress in a manner that while she's at church, no one's thoughts are on her, but rather on the Lord to Whom the church service is dedicated. The true godly woman doesn't want attention placed on her in any way, but rather on the Lord and His goodness. When people at church see her, the true Christian lady desires for them to see Christ in her. She wants them to see her modesty, chasteness and love for the Lord.

In his study Bible, Mr. John MacArthur, regarding the words 'propriety' and 'moderation' in this verse, writes that "the Greek word for 'propriety' refers to modesty mixed with humility, which carries the underlying idea of shame. It can also refer to a rejection of anything dishonorable to God, or refer to grief over sin. 'Moderation' basically refers to self-control over sexual passions. Godly women hate sin and control their passions so as to not lead another to sin." As you can see, the truly Christ-like lady is clothed with modesty and humility. Simply the thought of dressing in such a way at church as to cause another person there to sin, or to cause their attention to Christ turn rather to attention dedicated to her, is enough to make her ill. She would never ever want to be guilty of being dressed at church in such a way that there would be sin there in the house of God.

I cannot even begin to express to you the huge importance of dressing in a modest manner at all times-not just at church. We are to be shining lights for Christ in this dark world, and the simple truth is that we will be unable to be a shining light for Him if we're adorned in immodest apparel.

So, ladies, band together with me, and purpose to be a lady of modesty for the glory of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Monday's Devotional

Hello, ladies!! I pray that all of you had a wonderful weekend, and a restful, blessed Lord's Day!

For the devotional today, we're going to be doing something a little different.

The following is one of my very favorite songs. I want you to meditate on its lyrics; just soak in the amazing truths found in this beautiful song.

What Wondrous Love Is This?

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this

That caused the Lord of bliss

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down

Beneath God’s righteous frown,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;

To God and to the Lamb I will sing;

To God and to the Lamb, Who is the great I AM,

While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,

While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.

And when from death I’m free

I’ll sing His love for me,

And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,

And through eternity I’ll sing on.

God's love absolutely amazes me! Just stop and think a minute on how amazing His love is. We were enemies of His; we were vile, wretched, wicked, impure sinners. And He is a pure, holy, righteous, perfect God that cannot stand to be even in the presence of sin. Yet He came down from heaven to die the most agonizing death imaginable, so that we would spend eternity with Him in heaven. That's amazing! Why would He, a righteous, just, holy God, want to spend eternity with us?? It's truly amazing isn't it? What wondrous love is this!

Friday's Devotional

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

~Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

I love this verse! It's so comforting and encouraging! We may think that we have our whole lives planned out for ourselves. But that isn't the case! The Lord has planned out the events of our lives-all the joys, sorrow, blessings, and disappointments were planned out before the foundation of the world. He is directing our steps in every area of our lives. He's leading us in the direction He wants us to go. The events of our lives are not planned by us! Rather, they're planned out and directed by our all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful God Almighty. What immense and blessed comfort there is to be found in that knowledge!

If at any time you find yourself apprehensive and worried about the future and what it holds, I encourage you to simply meditate on this beautiful verse. Know that the Lord is in complete control over what happens in your life. He planned all of your days and what they would contain before a single one of them came to be. His plan for your life is far, far better than anything you could every think about or ask for, or anything you could dream up yourself. Simply trust in that knowledge, and thank the Lord that He's so trustworthy, and that He has planned for you such a wonderful life!

Wednesday's Devotional

If you love Me, keep my commandments.

~John 14:15 (NKJV)

Do you love the Lord? I mean, do you really love Him, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? There's only one way to find out. And that is this: if you truly love Him, then it will be clearly evident in your life, because your life will be a life of complete obedience to Him. That's the only way you'll ever be able to truly discover whether or not you truly love Him. True lasting love is not feelings and emotions. It's dedication to Him and full, unquestioning obedience. If you truly love Him, you will obey Him always, out of your immense love for Him. If you don't obey His commands, then it's extremely doubtful that you love Him at all. That statement may seem a bit harsh, but that's what this verse teaches. We may say that we love the Lord. But that claim is only true if we live a life of complete, total obedience to Christ.

Now, of course that's not to say that we won't still sin and at times disobey Him. We're still sinners! When we became Christians, we didn't all of the sudden become perfect and incapable of committing sin. We will still occasionaly disobey the Lord in some areas. We will still sin, and when we do, we must go to the Lord in repentence. We must ask for His forgiveness, and ask that He make us stronger in the future to resist temptations that we'll face. He will strengthen us, and will bring us closer to Him.

Ladies, if you have a deep, longing desire, as I do, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, then you must begin by living a life of obedience to Him! And you'll only be able to do that if you stay constantly in the Word of God. You will not know what His commands are or how He wants you to live, unless you search out and study the Scriptures often. Psalm "Your Word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." That's what we all must do; it's crucial to leading a life of complete obedience and love to Christ!

So, I encourage you all to join with me in this adventure! Join me ladies, as I strive to become a young woman after God's own heart. A young woman whose life is characterized by complete obedience to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Monday's Devotional

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required;

~Luke 12:48 (NKJV)

Just dwell for a minute on the amazing fact that we've been given so much! We were enemies of Christ, were vile, wicked, wretched, worthless sinners, and yet God-completely holy, pure, blameless, above reproach, perfect in every way-chose to save us! It's amazing that He would desire to have anything at all to do with us, let alone save us so that we'd spend eternity with Him! Isn't He amazing?! We indeed have been given much! Much more than we could ever ever deserve; the Lord's blessed us in countless ways.

We've all been given much, and so, from us, much is required. We're told over and over in God's Word that we're to be salt and light in this dark, vile, lost, sinful, pagan world. That is what is required of us! And nothing less will do. We're required to obey Christ in all things, out of a heart of thanksgiving and love to Him. I know I've said this countless times before, but I'm going to say it again: we must look COMPLETELY different from the world! Because, if we don't, God's Word is going to be blasphemed because of us. That's a guarantee. If the world knows that we call ourselves Christians and yet we act and live just like the world does, rather than living in total obedience to Christ, then the world is going to think that God must have no power whatsoever to change people, and that all that Bible stuff is just a bunch of fairytales. Let me assure you, fellow Christians, that there truly is a whole lot required of us! We are slaves of Christ, and as such, must be obedient to Him in all things. That kind of joyful, complete obedience to Him is what He requires of us.

Therefore, ladies, let's train ourselves to be true warriors for Christ and His Kingdom! Let us join together in fellowship, and let us be dedicated to Him and His Word at all times fully. The world is watching us. Therefore, it's of paramount importance that we reveal to them what a true Christian's life is really like-a life of joy, fulfillment, completeness, loving obedience, and satisfaction.

Monday's Devotional

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction.

~Proverbs 19:23a

A Christian can only be truly satisfied in life and totally fulfilled and complete if he obeys the Lord's every command, out of reverance and fear for Him. That's where true joy and satisfaction is found. Don't ever let the world tell you that you'll only be happy if you follow the world's standards. Don't ever let the world tell you that all that "strict Christianity stuff" just steals your fun and fulfillment. Both of those are complete lies.

The life of the Christian that is completely and solely dedicated to the Lord and to the loving obedience of His commands, is the most complete, adventurous, fulfilling, exhilarating, joyous, blessed, exciting, productive, and happy life that you could ever imagine! True joy and happiness in life can only be found in God and in following His Word. No matter what some people may think, no one can ever be truly fulfilled, complete or happy by following the world's philosophies-whether they be feminism, humanism, or whatever else. True joy and complete fulfillment comes only from making the Lord #1 in your life. You will never truly be happy unless you are obeying His commands, and unless His blessings are on your life. What the world has to offer pales in comparison to what Jesus Christ offers! The world's philosophies, standards and teachings only bring heartache, suffering, sadness, stress, and feelings of unfullfillment.

The fear of the Lord truly does lead to life. Not only to eternal life, but to the most amazing life while here on earth. It is only in loving Him, obeying Him, fearing Him and placing Him first in our lives, that we find true joy and true fulfillment!

Friday's Devotional

All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

~Proverbs 8:8(nkjv)

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Can this be said of you? Is this a godly characteristic that you have abtained? As Christians, we are commanded to be godly in all areas of our lives. And one of the most important is in our ruling of the tongue. The book of Proverbs as well as the book of James speak a lot on the subject of the tongue-how hateful, unruly, damaging, and un-Christlike it can be. If we're Christians, that means we've been sanctified and redeemed. The word sanctified literally means to "be set apart". We're to be drastically different from the world, and one of the most important areas where this difference must be evident, is in our speech. The world should be able to look at us and know without a shadow of a doubt that we are His.

This verse says that everything we say is to be righteous. We must not allow anything crooked or perverse to come out of our mouths. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." Every single thing we say should bring glory, honor and praise to our Lord. The words we say ought to be a wonderful example of what a Christian truly is. Our words should show that we are in this world but not of this world! Our witness and example for Christ is hugely important, and if we go around speaking as the world does, we will tarnish and destroy that good witness. If we speak as the world does, that will send off the message that all that Christianity stuff is nonsense. The world, by our bad example, will begin thinking that God couldn't possibly have any power to change people, for we "Christians" are just like the world. That's why it's so important that we do not allow any crooked or perverse thing to come from our mouths.

Not only is the words you say so important, but how you say them is of equal importance as well. We can go around saying pure and upright things, rather than crooked and perverse ones, but if we don't speak in a loving, kind, Christ-like, charitable way to all people whether enemy or friend, then our witness for Christ will be just as tarnished as it would be if we were perverse in our speech. We must make it a habit to speak always, to everyone, in a kind manner. We must put that meek, gentle and quiet spirit into practice, ladies!

As the book of James tells us, guarding the tongue is so difficult. But it's something that must be done. And, ladies, we're not alone! The Lord desires for us to be pure and holy in all areas of our lives. Go to Him and ask Him heartily for help! He will give us all the assistance and help we need to guard the tongue, so that we can truly say "All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them."

Wednesday's Devotional

Hi, ladies! The following devotional is yet another really great one by Oswald Chambers. I thought you all would be blessed from it, so I decided to post it instead of posting my own devotional today. But don't worry-more of my devotionals, articles on feminism, exciting announcements, answers to questions, etc. etc. will all be posted soon, so be on the lookout! :)

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"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." ~1 Thessalonians 4:3

It is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me; is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made possible by the Atonement? Am I willing to let Jesus be made sanctification to me, and to let the life of Jesus be manifested in my mortal flesh? Beware of saying, "Oh, I am longing to be sanctified." You are not, stop longing and make it a matter of transaction-"Nothing in my hands I bring." Receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you in implicit faith, and the great marvel of the Atonement of Jesus will be made real in you. All that Jesus made possible is made mine by free loving gift of God on the ground of what He performed, my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound humble holiness(there is no such thing as proud holiness), a holiness based on agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation; and also on the amazing realization that the love of God commended itself to me in that while I cared nothing about Him, He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification(see Rom. 5:8). No wonder Paul says nothing is "able to serparate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is done only through the superb Atonement of Christ. Never put the effect as the cause. The effect in me is obedience and service and prayer, and is the outcome of speechless thanks and adoration for the marvellous sanctification wrought out in me because of the atonement.

Monday's Devotional

I want to dedicate this devotional to all the dear ladies who have visited my blog and who have been such an encouragement and joy to me throughout these past few months.

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I thank my God, making mention of you in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you.

~Philemon 1:4-7(NKJV)

I thank God so much for the gift He richly blessed me with when He gave me your friendships! My convictions and way of life are very counter-cultural, and to have met such likeminded, encouraging sisters in the Lord has been a bigger blessing than any of you will ever know! I have received so much encouragement from all of you. You've kept me strong in my convictions, and have encouraged me to stay strong in the Lord, to live always the way He wants me to, and to follow after Him and His commands always. I'm so very very grateful to all of you! I can't even express in words what joy you've all brought to my heart! As the end of this passage of Scripture says, I have "great joy and consolation in your love". My heart and countless others have been refreshed by all of you!

Many of you ladies have blogs as well, and to go access those and see what an amazing life you all are living for the Lord and His glory alone has been so encouraging! We ladies who live only according to God's commands and precepts may be numbered as few among the population of the whole world, but I have been so blessed to have met many of you through "blog land". Meeting other like-minded ladies has encouraged me so so much, and I'm so grateful for all of you and for your testimony and witness to the Lord! Thank you all for how much you've ministered to me. It's been so wonderful to know that I'm not alone in my Biblical convictions!

I also, as this verse says, keep you all in my prayers. That's one of the reasons why I really want you all to e-mail me your prayer requests-so that I may better know how to pray for you all, and to bless you in that way.

Once again, a special and huge thank you to all you dear readers of my blog. You are all such blessings, and I thank God continually for you all!

May the Lord richly bless each and every one of you!

Numbers 6:24-26:

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Devotional by the late Oswald Chambers

I'm sorry I'm a little late in posting this devotional! This has been a busy day! :)

The following is a great, and very convicting devotional by the late Oswald Chambers, and can be found in his devotional book My Utmost for His Highest. I hope that it edifies, encourages and strengthens you!

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Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? ~Matthew 7:9

The illustration of prayer that Our Lord uses here is that of a good child asking for a good thing. We talk about prayer as if God heard us irrespective of the fact of our relationship to Him (cf. Matt. 5:45). Never say it is not God's will to give you what you ask, don't sit down and faint, but find out the reason, turn up the index. Are you rightly related to your wife, to your husband, to you children, to your fellow students-are you a "good child" there? "O Lord, I have been irritable and cross, but I do want spiritual blessing." You cannot have it, you will have to do without until you come into the attitude of a good child.

We mistake defiance for devotion; arguing with God for abandonment. We will not look at the index. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want when there is something I have not paid for? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? I have not forgiven someone his trespasses; I have not been kind to him; I have not been living as God's child among my relatives and friends.(vs. 12)

I am a child of God only by regeneration, and as a child of God I am good only as I walk in the light. Prayer with most of us is turned into pious platitude, it is a matter of emotion, mystical communication with God. Spiritually we are all good at producing fogs. If we turn up the index, we will see very clearly what is wrong-that friendship,that debt, that temper of mind. It is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then, Jesus says-"Everyone that asketh receiveth."

Wednesday's Devotional

The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out and the young eagles will eat it.

~Proverbs 30:17(NKJV)

This verse is so powerful! Not honoring and obeying our parents is a very serious thing in the eyes of our Lord! In fact, in Deuteronomy, we find that it was Jewish custom to stone a child who was guilty of disobedience. Then, when we turn to Romans 1, we read that the sin of disobeying parents is equal to the sins of murder, sexual immorality, etc. Not honoring or obeying one's parents is a horrible sin in the eyes of God, and so should it be in ours!

Today, I will be focusing on the first part of this verse, which shows us the vileness of the sin of mocking one's father. We are commanded over and over in the Scriptures to honor our parents. In fact, we discover that this command is the first one with a promise: that it will go well with us, and that we will enjoy long life in the land which the Lord has blessed us with. We are to show them proper respect and honor.

So, what does this verse really mean when it says that it's a sin to mock your father? What does it really have in mind? Well, I'll share with you some things that immediately come to mind when I hear this verse. Some of them may surprise you, as I'm sure you'll find yourself guilty of them, just as I have been. These things may at first seem innocent to you, but you'll soon discover that they fall under the heading of mocking your father.

If we're going to put into practice the virtue of not mocking our fathers, then there are several things we must abstain from. Have you ever found yourself guilty of saying to your friends, "Oh my father would never ever allow me to do that. He's so strict and overprotective!" This can be labeled as mocking your father. By saying this sort of thing, you are mocking your father's instructions, his wise counsel, his God-given job and responsibility to protect you and train you in the ways of God. This is a grave sin, ladies! As I wrote about in a prior devotional, we should heed our parent's instuctions, advice and leadership, because it is a blessing from God! Without them training us up in the way we should go, and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we would be lost! We'd be led astray so easily by the world and its teachings and way of life. To mock your father's (or your mother's) loving instruction is to mock God, His ways, and His blessings to you! This is very serious, and if this sin's been committed, then it needs to be repented of. Another way to mock your father is to say something to the effect of, "Oh, do you know what hilarious thing my father did the other day?" or "He had the funniest little mishap yesterday!" or "My father misspoke the other day, and do you know what it was he said?" Without even meaning to, these kinds of comments can lead into the sin of making fun of your father. It may just be meant as a joke, or something funny to say or talk about, but it's actually a form of mocking-and it's very disrespectful and unhonoring. This kind of speech about your father is definitely something to guard against. I'm not saying that your honoring speech about your father should make him appear as some sort of perfect idol or something like that. But we have to be very careful to speak of our fathers(and mothers) in such a way as to bring honor to them, and to show others how blessed we are to have them and their counsel in our lives.

These little sayings like those mentioned above are often overlooked, or may be seen as something little, but they can do so much damage. The sin of mocking your father is a dire thing, and if you've been guilty of it, go before God and repent. Then go to your father and ask his forgiveness as well. The Lord will give you the strength you need to overcome this sin! Rest in that knowledge and know that even though you can't overcome these sins in your own strength, the Lord's help and strength is always there for you!