Daughters of Sarah..."Take heed to yourself..."

"And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." (John 8:32 Amp)

Quoting from the book: Daughters of Sarah by Genevieve M. White

"Every Christian wife and mother has the potential within her to make her home into a place of peace and tranquility...What it takes is a willingness to surrender to God, a willingness to learn His Word, and a willingness to obey what you learn, no matter the cost to yourself."

Jesus said,"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." (John 12:24)

This United States of America is in deep trouble, and the root of the problem is the breakdown of the home...If we have any chance at all of turning things around, it has to start at the root, in the hearts of those in the home."

"In like manner, you married women, be submissive to your own husbands (subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and ADAPT yourselves to them...their vision, goals, enterprises...), so that even if any do not obey the Word, they may be won over not by discussion but by the lives of their lives." (1 Peter 3:1)

I found out this morning that adapting myself to Alin means that I share his vision of having a fit,toned wife...no matter how difficult that seems to me. I need to be willing to "pay the cost" in terms of self-control and discipline to achieve this goal...since this is important to my husband.

It was interesting to note how readily I dismissed this aspect of submission along the years because I had preconceived ideas regarding what it means to be a spiritual man/woman. The Lord simplified matters for me this morning by not only making me willing to adapt myself to my husband's vision in this regard (I had agreed with it for quite some time)...but by making me realize that there was a price to pay for this adaptation!

I would like to rely on "prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1) for as long as it takes to accomplish this. I found myself willing and able to pay the price to adapt myself to my husband's vision...

Confession...

Today I had to acknowledge that I did not fully trust the Potter...when I entrusted Him the cares and concern of my soul. I was afraid He might "mar" what I entrusted to Him. I could have spared myself a lot of anxious moments and days...had I been convinced that His will could only work toward uplifting and purifying another's soul...no matter the upheaval necessary to achieve this. Had I been content to know that I am just a willing "bond-servant"...who does not need to understand His Captain's orders...in order to carry them out...I might have lived in a deeper peace.

I will strive to apply the truth I found in Phillipians 1:19 during this next year...

"...deliverance through...prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ..."

Dedicated

"For I know that this (present trial) will turn out for my deliverance (from idols) through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ...so now also Christ will be magnified...whether by life (as the Lord allows) or by death (of my vision). For to me, to live is Christ..." (Phil. 1:19-21)

God has a way of checking our lives...and removing anything and everything that rises above Christ. I think our Father wants to bring His children to maturity until they can say along with Paul:...to live is Christ! Anything short of that implies a certain clinging to hopes and expectations ...and hinders our race...Even a vision can become a weight, a snare...unless we learn endurance by "WAITING ON GOD"!

We are to continually offer ourselves...as living sacrifices (our reasonable service). The hardest battles we fight...involve defering our will to Christ's will for our lives. The greatest lie that the Adversary hopes to entice us with: We know better what is best for us and God merely sets boundaries to stiffle our enjoyment of life. If we were grounded in the love of God as demonstrated by Christ dying for us while we were yet sinners...we would capitulate much sooner and would avoid some battles altogether.

Debtors to Grace...

Poem by A.M. Toplady

A debtor to mercy alone,

Of heavenly mercy I sing;

Nor fear drawing near to the Throne,

My person and offering to bring.

The terrors of law and of God,

With me can have nothing to do;

My Savior's obedience and blood

Hide all my transgressions from view.

The work which His goodness began,

The arm of His strength will complete;

His promise is "Yes" and "Amen"

And never was forfeited yet.

Things future, nor things that are now

Not all things below or above,

Can make Him His purpose fore go,

Or sever my soul from His love.

My name from the palms of His hands,

Eternity will not erase;

Impound on His heart it remains

In marks of indelible grace.

And I to the end shall endure,

As sure as the earnest is given;

More happy, but not more secure

The spirits departed to heaven."

"As I look across the Christian landscape...the depth and complexity and ugliness and danger of sin in professing Christians is either minimized--since we are already justified--or psychologized as a symptom of woundedness rather than corruption...We proceed to heal the wound of the people lightly...What Owen offers is not quick relief, but long-term, deep growth in grace that can make strong,healthy trees where there was once a fragile sapling. I pray that thousands...will choose the harder, long-term path of growth, not the easier, short-term path of circumstantial relief."

(John Piper--foreword in the book: Overcoming SIN and TEMPTATION bu John Owen)

Building on the Rock

a story from the book: How God Stopped the Pirates by Joel R. Beeke & Diana Kleyn

"Several years ago, a minister was sent by God to a fishing village...However, in this village there lived an old fisherman who was, and always had been, very rough and ungodly. He broke the Sabbath, never attended church, cursed those who tried to speak with him about spiritual matters and wore loudly on numerous occasions.

After arriving in this small village, the new minister began visiting all the people with one of his elders. When coming to this old fisherman's house his elder warned,"If you do not want to hear God's name misused and His Word mocked, do not go there. Speaking with this man about religion is hopeless."

The minister, however, did not agree. He said to his elder," God opened the eyes of a blind man with clay from the ground. Possibly I am the clay which God plans to use for this old sinner. If he remains hardened, then at least I have done my duty. Let us go; maybe God will bless it."

Perhaps our neighbors and family members still ask the same question: "I want to know what love is...I want you to show me..."