Back With A Purpose

Hello Everyone!

I am back online after a great week of rest, repentance, and refocusing. The Lord is so amazingly gracious in His dealings with me, and my mind is renewed to use this blog as a tool He has given me to share the gospel of the kingdom and spread His fame across the world. The cry of my heart is to glorify my Lord with every day He gives me, and to have an absolute dependance on His grace and Word. Thank you everyone for your kind comments, e-mails, and cards during this time - the Lord has greatly blessed my life with your friendships. Thank you all.

I was also very humbled to find that the ladies at Handmaidens With A Mission had awarded me with the "Blogging with a Purpose" award! Thank you so much!

Now, as is the custom, when you receive an award you must pass it on to five people. Here are the blogs I have chosen... it was so hard to name just five!

1) How Great is His Faithfulness

2) A Quill and Inkwell

3) Because He Lives

4) Simply Sactified

5) Only One Life

God bless all your efforts and continue to glorify the Lord as you blog.

I should have a "normal" post soon, so check back soon!

To My Readers

 "Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing form the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face O God of Jacob." Psalms 24:3-6 

I just wanted to inform you all that I am going on a "computer fast" this week starting today, so I won't be posting or responding for awhile. I will still be receiving your e-mails and comments, but will not respond to them until next Thursday or Friday (the 31st or 1st).

May I ask for your prayers during this time?

I am going through a time of repentance and cleansing in my heart, examining to see where I have "lifted my soul to an idol" and am asking God for clean hands and a pure heart. I want to be part of the generation that seeks God above all else, elevating nothing in my heart above Jesus.

For now I have left you with two new Forums, so you can check them out below or go to the Friendly Forums page. I pray you are blessed by them.

Thank you all for your friendship and support, and for your understanding.

Friendly Forum #3

Welcome to Friendly Forum!

I am really looking forward to your responses on this Forum and I pray you are encouraged and blessed.

If you are new to the Forum, feel free to read the Comment Policy and Friendly Forum pages for more info and guidelines.

Thank you all dear sisters in Christ! 

   What advice would you give on cultivating healthy sibling relationships for older and younger siblings?

Friendly Forum #2

Hello Everyone!

Here is another Friendly Forum for you all. Thank you everyone for participating in this. I have greatly enjoyed reading all of your responses to the last Forum and hope you were blessed too. 

If you are new to the Forum, you can read the Comment Policy and Friendly Forum pages for info and guidelines. 

May you be blessed!

  What is "ministry" to you? What are some ways you have ministered to others and served the Lord as a young woman pursuing godliness?

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty

 

Have you ever had one of those moments when God completely blows your mind with a verse(s) of Scripture?

I had one of those moments today (and I wish they would happen more often), as I read in the book of Psalms of David's realization of God's greatness and majesty, but also His intimacy.

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth, who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! ... When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? ... O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" 

How great is it that the God who paints the sunsets, breathed the stars, and commands the ocean's limits is the very same God that thinks and cares for you and me. It is almost more than I can take in...

This knowledge of God's ultimate majesty and intimate delicacy should inspire our hearts to worship and adore Him more - but yet oftentimes I fail to gain a real appreciation of His majesty. My knowledge of His greatness tends to be superficial, because I do not take the time to reflect on His majesty and bow before Him in humble adoration and worship. How I wish every morning my heart awoke in awe and reverence of His greatness and majesty.

"For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, and the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand." (Ps. 95:3-7)

It is not easy to quickly grasp the full meaning and splendor of these verses, so just let them soak in and stir your heart until you feel compelled to bow your heart in humble adoration before the throne of Grace. I have found that when my heart is quiet, and I fully take in the surpassing greatness of who God really is, can I truly bow in genuine worship.

In the moments when I am not beholding a breathtaking sunset or relishing in His wonders around me, my focus can slip from His great majesty and forget the tender care and thoughts He has for me. And I wonder how can I keep His majesty in sight? The words of Andrew Murray were a great comfort to me this morning:

"The Word declares,"Oh the depths of the riches...the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and His paths beyond tracing out" (Rom. 11:33) Our hearts should respond, "Indeed, how wonderful, Lord, are all Your thoughts! How deep are your purposes!" Our meditations upon what God is ought always to fill us with holy reverence and deep longing to know and honor Him. When you worship God, therefore, cry out, "How great is the glory of the Lord who is my God and Father!" Confess with shame how little you have tried to get to know Him, or how reluctant you have been to wait upon Him to make Himself known to you. Then start believing that the incomprehensible and wonderful God will begin to work in your heart and life, enabling you to know, to love, and to serve Him better."

So I cry out to God, "Lord God, You are great and Your majesty is breathtaking... I am sorry I have lost sight of Your splendor by focusing on my minor problems - forgetting that by Your greatness You are able to help and supply the very needs I worry about. Thank You, kind Father, that You care for and think of me, even while You hold the entire world in Your hands. Continue to complete the good work You began in me; work in my heart to know, love, and serve You better. I want to see Your majesty. I love You. In Jesus, Your Son's name, Amen.

Friendly Forum #1

Hello all, and welcome to our first Friendly Forum!

I pray this is an exciting and encouraging feature that let's you all interact with one another and me on subjects close to our hearts for the edification of all.

Just a quick note before we get started, this Forum is for you and by you, so please comment as often as you want. I will be reading over each and every response to mediate and interact with you. Also, if you have an idea for the next Forum, please go to the Features Page and leave me a comment or drop me an e-mail.

Remember to read the Comment Policy for comment guidelines. Most of all, have fun and be encouraged in the Lord and by your sisters in Christ around the world! 

Our first Friendly Forum is to deal with this question/situation:

    A young friend is struggling in her walk with the Lord. She finds it hard to stay focused on God and sometimes would really rather accept the world's standards rather than God's. She wants to love God with all her heart but is just discouraged.

What would you say to encourage her? 

Introducing: Friendly Forum

  I would like to introduce everyone to a new feature I will be hosting on my blog. I have named it Friendly Forum, and it will be a place in which I will post questions and/or thoughts and let you all answer and respond to the question/thought and to each other. It will be a forum in comment format. 

There are just a few guidelines to this forum:

The goal here is to encourage and inspire through the questions and comments. Remember who we represent and how we are to treat our sisters in Christ. Please let all speech be seasoned with salt and grace.

Also, if you have any ideas for future forums, go to the Features page and leave me a comment, or drop me an e-mail.

I hope this will be fun for everyone and will encourage your hearts, as I know it will encourage mine. For additional guidelines, please see the Comment Policy page.

I am just so excited! I will be hopefully posting the first question soon, so stay tuned and don't be afraid to comment and share your heart. God bless you all, and may God be glorified in all this!

"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

White As Snow

   When I woke up this morning, God had a delightful surprise waiting for me... Snow! Yes, our whole yard was wrapped in it's pure white blanket. I am always mesmerized by snow; I could simply sit and stare at it for hours. It is amazing how the bland canvas of winter can be transformed into a wonderland of soft and comforting masterpiece. It is one of God's captivating wonders.

God began to use this milky wonder to quiet and soften my heart to feel His guiding presence. What a testimony this snow is to the longings in my heart for sanctification. As I had mentioned in my last post, God has been teaching me a lot pertaining to sanctification in my life. 

I love the definition of sanctification: to make clean, render pure; to consecrate, devote, set apart from a common use to a sacred use, to regard and venerate as holy. I appreciate that definition because it beautifully describes what I want to become; clean and pure, devoted and holy, set apart for a sacred use. Snow is a precious reminder of being sanctified - this advancing work of the Spirit in our hearts.

Listen to David's prayer in Psalm 51:

"Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." verses 6-7, 10 

Is this your heart's cry today? David is such a great example for us to see a heart abandoned and surrendered to God. He wanted purity; and he longed for an unstained heart. He wanted to be white as snow in the eyes of the Lord.

God desires (and demands) us to be white as snow in His sight. He wants our hearts to be pure, and to live holy lives. Listen to His pleading voice:

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be a white as snow; though they be like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land." Isaiah 1:18-19

"By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:10

Because of Jesus blood shed for our sins, we have been made pure and clean - white as snow. He has and is sanctifying us to become more like He is; and He is setting us apart for His sacred use.

May you be blessed this day, my Snow White sisters.

This is the view from our back yard... isn't it beautiful?!

Refining Purity

The doors in the back of the church open. The music begins to resound throughout the room. The guests stand and hold their breath. The groom's knees go weak. The bride enters...

Can't you just picture this cherished scene with me? Do you have this moment rehearsed in your mind as you dream of the future?

The beautiful bride gracefully strolls down the aisle, all who gaze upon her are captivated by her beauty, grace, radiance and ... most of all ... her purity. Isn't that what a bride represents - an absolute purity in it's most delightful sense? I think, apart from worldly and tainted exceptions, a bride still does represent to us this symbol of purity we so admire in the face and presence of a bride. 

In Scripture, we often read of God's demands for purity in our lives, especially as women. (Titus 2:5, 1 Tim. 2:9, 5:6, 1 Peter 3:2) Purity should be an extensive part of our lives, especially as young women pursuing godliness; it should be something we pray for, study about, and strive to display. Our lives and hearts should be the aroma of the purity in Christ for all to inhale.

But, sadly, purity is a depressing subject for most (I think to everyone), because we all too clearly remember the bitter failings and mistakes we have made in regard to our purity. We have been tricked by our enemy to believe that we only get one chance - one try - at purity. (2 Cor. 11:3) And for all of us, we think we have lost our only chance of ever becoming that delicate and pure bride walking down the aisle to join hands with our prince. This deception leaves us incapacitate, dejected, and heartbroken, and always battling the suffocating guilt.

Dear sisters, God did not give us just one shot at purity; just like He goes not give us only one try at patience, tolerance, or unconditional love, etc. His grace covers all areas of our lives. And purity is not the exception. God has a great and vital lesson tucked away in His Word for us to discover - one that will give us amazing hope and assurance with this issue of our purity.

 Pure As...

You might be surprised to know that the first mention of the word "pure" in the Bible was not in reference to a person's morality; physical or emotional. It was in reference to gold. (Ex. 25:11) And not just any gold... gold for the Ark of the Covenant. God commands the children of Israel to take pure gold and build the Ark of the Covenant with this material.

Now, think with me for a moment about gold. Does gold start out pure on it's own? Did it begin it's existence in purity? ... No. Gold must be refined. 

When gold is discovered, it is usually sent to a mint to be purified. There are naturally impurities in it, like traces of silver or other minerals, that make the gold impure. So the gold goes through a refining stage, usually involving a heat source or furnace to rid the gold of it's impurities.

Now think about our purity in relation to gold. When God reaches down in love and pulls us out of the mud, dusts us off and claims us as His own, we begin the purity process. God begins to use methods, heated trials and experiences, to purify us. The more we grow and mature in the Lord, the impurities of our lives come to the surface and are removed by our Heavenly Goldsmith.

Purity is not a one time opportunity that is either lost or gained - it is a venture and process that slowly manifests and cleanses. Purity is refining; God purges us from our impurities and disinfects us from harmful substances. 

"Many will be purged, purified and refined..." Daniel 12:10

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7

Your faith in God is more precious than gold refined - and if you are losing your faith in Him because of the shame in your purity, this is deadly to your faith. And it won't result in praise, glory and honor either. Rejoice in your refinement.

Purity Refined

If you leave with only one thought from my heart from this post, it is that God is still refining your purity. It is a process just like everything else in your life. Will you still make mistakes? Yes. Will you get back up and cling to God more than ever for His purifying presence in you? That's up to you. Purity, like every other virtue, takes practice - and it takes patience.

But be confident (have faith) in your God. He is purifying you; He's refining you through your circumstances, your hardships, your "fiery furnaces", your devotion to Him, and your journey with Him hand-in-hand...

He is purifying you to be His bride; to walk down the aisle glowing in white garments to symbolize your purity, refining you for His purpose.

He is making you pure as gold.

A Heart Hidden in Christ

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ, that a man should have to seek Him first to find her." --Author Uncertain

As most of you know, I have this quote posted on the sidebar of this blog. It has a beautiful meaning and vision to me personally - and I think to every woman who reads it, for two reasons:

1) Our hearts long to be hidden (safe, adored, secure) in something or someone.

2) And the thought of a man seeking God to know our heart is so tender and precious, and would leave any woman feeling extremely loved and cherished.

I would like to discuss each reason in a little more depth.

Yes, our hearts long to be hidden in someone who will protect, love and cherish us immensely for who we are and who we are becoming. But to many women, this quest to be hidden in someone ends in broken hearts, consuming emptiness, and wasted lives.

Take a look at the culture around you. What are most young women "hiding" themselves in? Boyfriends? Appearance? Clothes? Diets? Drugs? Sadly, the answer is yes. Sinful human nature will lead you right to these for satisfaction and happiness. A woman's identity in this world is based on her man, body, and status. If you don't have these, you will stand out - in a negative way.

As a result of this unbiblical mindset, young girls are cast into the world scrambling to be hidden in something just to fit in, and to find their own happiness. How cruelly they are deceived when a boyfriend doesn't make you feel safe, your image changes, and at the end of the day you are still fighting that awful, gnawing hunger for something more in the core of your soul.

Is there a better way? Can women be hidden is something that really satisfies? YES! Sinful woman needs a Savior - and that is Jesus Christ.

"Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Col. 3:2-3

Dying to the world and it's ways, we can set our hearts on Someone else. Self has died - and life is hidden in Christ! This word "hidden" can also be translated "planted", like a seed that is buried in the earth. How astounding that we who have died to sin are like a seed, dead in itself; yet in Christ hidden and buried we become alive and fruitful! We are safe and secure in the refuge of Christ, and our hearts are finally at peace and satisfied in His transforming and fulfilling presence. Our hearts are hidden in Christ alone and this is where we belong.

But we must be prepared to realize that we will not "fit in" by the world's standards. This quest for a hidden heart in Christ results in a set apart lifestyle that is lived differently than those who are in the world. We don't (shouldn't) act, dress, talk, or behave like the world, because we don't seek the things the world seeks. We seek that which is above - that is Jesus our Lord and the virtues He bestows.

And what blessings this hidden life brings! We have Christ and His Word to comfort and encourage, urging us to press on, stay hidden in Him, and live for Him; conforming to His image and persevering in our sufferings. It is in this set apart life lived for Jesus alone that we embrace the hidden heart and it's pleasures forevermore.

Our hearts seek no one else for the happiness we find in Jesus. And if it be His will, He blesses us with an earthly man who can represent to us Christ Himself in many ways. For the woman whose heart is truly hidden in Christ is favored to receive a man seeking after God's heart in all his ways - including finding her.

May your heart stay hidden in Jesus.

I want to know You more...

Is this the desire of your heart today? Above all else, do you long for more of Jesus in your life?

As I was praying and reading this morning, God used the words of a devotional I am reading through this year to rekindle the desire to know Jesus even more in my life.

I know I have already recently written a post on Knowing Jesus, but I think this subject can never be over-discussed or written about! And I would like to encourage you again to recognize the crucial need in our hearts to truly know Jesus, especially as His adoring bride. We should know Him better than anyone else.

~~~~~

Taken from the devotional Daily In His Presence by Andrew Murray.

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3

"The knowledge of God is essential for the spiritual life. It is life eternal. The knowledge spoken of here is no intellectual knowledge received from others, nor the product of your own thinking, but a living knowledge wherein God makes Himself know to us.

How is it that we so seldom experience the life-giving power of truly knowing God? Because we do not give God time to reveal Himself to us. When we pray, we think that we know well enough how to speak to God. We forget that one of the most important principles of prayer is to be silent before Him that He may reveal Himself.

God desires to manifest His presence by causing it to rest upon us and work within us. To know God as a personal and loving God is to know real life.

Brother Lawrence, who had a desire to know God, can be quoted as an example. Various prayer books were given to the monk, but he replied that it would not help to pray if he did not know the God to whom he was speaking. And he believed that God would reveal Himself. He spent long hours in quiet adoration in order to become conscious of God's presence, nearness, and sustaining power.

That is the secret. As the rising sun holds the promise of light for the rest of the day, so your quiet time spent waiting on God will be the promise of His presence and power throughout your day."

~~~~~

I pray your heart was blessed by these words and encouraged to spent some quiet and restful time with Jesus, seeking to truly know Him even more.

A Work in Progress...

Hello Everyone and welcome to the newly modified Alabaster Box! 

I decided to finally make the switch to Wordpress, and I am loving it. Please bare with me as I find my way around and replace the pictures, links, etc., from my old blog. I hope you like the new look, and are encouraged by the Lord's workings in me.

A few days ago, the Lord began teaching me more about "sanctification" and the whole idea about being "a work in progress". I don't know about you, but I have many days in which I am overwhelmed and discouraged by my lack of progress, maturity, and growth in the Lord. So many areas in my life need a "makeover" and spiritual improvements! And I was having one of those days when the Lord, in His graciousness, gave me these precious verses that I have been quoting to myself:

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He will also bring it to pass."  1 Thess. 5:23-24

What comfort! God knew just what I needed, and these verse brought such hope to my heart. Yes, I am a work in progress, and God WILL sanctify me - spirit, soul, and body! I know this because God is faithful... so very faithful. He will bring it to pass. 

I hope this has been a comfort for you too. We all are being sanctified entirely, being conformed into the image of His Son. (Rom. 8:29) A precious thought.

Another verse of hope:

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil.1:6)

Resting in God

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man that carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do no fret; it leads only to evil doing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land."  Psalms 37:7-9   Rest: quiet; repose; a state free of motion or disturbance; peace; a pause; to be quiet or still; to be undisturbed. ~ Webster 1828

 

This post concludes the discussion on the verses in Psalms 37:3-9. I hope you have enjoyed reading my insights into one of my favorite Psalms, and that your heart was encouraged and renewed through the amazing truths found in these verses. God is continually teaching me deeper implications to apply to my own life, heart and mind from this Psalm, and really all Scripture in general, and I am overjoyed to be able to share them with you.

 

Moving into the command to rest in God, I find that this message is greatly needed especially in this culture and society where "rest" is extinct, work is abused and immoderate, worry is prevalent, and distractions are overwhelming. Our bodies and spiritual lives are malnourished from the lack of true rest in God. We have lost the pure and beneficial art of repose and rest, which is desperately needed in our physical and spiritual lives, and is commanded by God in Scripture.

 

Just as our bodies need time to slow down and sleep, our hearts need time for reflection and quietness, so that we can be fully aware and re-focused in our personal journeys with Christ. To have time to contemplate our previous words spoken, dealings with others, status of our relationship with Christ, and attitude in life is valuable and prescribed by God for our benefit. Our souls need rest and undisturbed time.

 

In the moments of quiet time spent with God, we are better able to hear the whispers of His Spirit and the clarified sounds He has created around us: the birds singing, children's laughter, your own breathing. In these moments we realize more that God is near, His presence is with us and within us.

 

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10

 

Like the tempest winds provoking the variable sea, our aggressive lives cause confusion and disturbance in our spirits that consume our passion for God and the caring for others. We struggle to remain afloat. Worry diverts our minds from the empowering effect of meditation on God and His Word. Life becomes suffocating.

 

But we need to listen and obey the words that our good Master is calling out to us - "Hush, be still..." (Mark 4:39)

 

Worry, or fretting, only causes harm. When our minds deviate from the assurance of God's sovereignty and purpose and become engulfed in the snares of worry and anxiety, we lose the precious rest that comes from a heart at peace and secure in the love and supremacy of God. If we trust, delight, commit, and rest in God (as we have studied in these verses), they envelop our souls and dictate our actions and thoughts to test if we are pleasing God.

 

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him." Psalms 62:5

 

Another important dimension to enjoying true rest is finding that rest in God alone. Many attempts at "rest" can only leave us empty, and our souls exhausted from searching. We oftentimes try to fill ourselves with that which does not sincerely satisfy. We must go to God to find the rest our souls desire. One of my favorite quotes from Saint Augustine says this:

"Our heart is restless, until it rests in Thee..."

 

How true and revealing. Our heart of hearts needs, craves, fellowship and rest in God alone, and we find that sweet rest in God's presence, drawing near in prayer, and feasting on the Word.

 

My friend, may you find rest for your souls in God alone, making time in everyday for rest and peace, to reflect and re-focus, to abide and adore in your Creator and Sustainer. Remember that Satan uses many tactics to distract you from being devoted to Jesus. In any way he can, he will uses the duties of life, appointments and meetings, phone calls and e-mails, exhaustion and piles of laundry and dirty dishes to distract you from the rest God calls you to have in Him.

 

Listen to His voice. He's calling for you to come away with Him for awhile, sit at His feet, and breathe in His transforming presence. Run to His arms for the rest your soul needs and craves.

He's waiting for you. Rest in God.

To Love and Obey

I have lately been meditating upon the great call in a Christian's life for obedience - and it's relation to our position as Christ's bride.

It is true we find our joy, security, and satisfaction in Christ's abundant love for us, but I think we often times neglect the serious reality of the great commitment and cost there is to follow Jesus. While we adore Christ's love, and how He proved His love, we need to be reminded that our love for Christ has, or should have, a proof too. True love always has evidence.

Have you ever met someone who claims to follow Christ, and even boasts, "Oh I love Jesus!", but as you observe their life, it is void of the fruit of the Spirit's presence and genuine faith? What is lacking? And how can we avoid shallow devotion to Christ?

 Love and Obedience

Love coupled with obedience is the secret to a fulfilled, powerful, and fruitful walk with Christ. Our minds have been so polluted by the world's sinful standard that we have lost the earnest truth of loving Christ and what it looks like in our daily walk. The world would have us believe that love is based on mere feelings. God would have us to believe that love is based on truth, commitment, and obedience.

This is not to say that feelings are always irrelevant and wrong; only that when our feelings are not based on the truth and obedience of the love, we can err. This fault can be traced back to the bountiful amount of divorced couples. The apparent and sad motivation for many divorces is, "I just don't feel in love with them anymore." The simple truth is - love is not all about the feelings. Marriage is about commitment, faithfulness, and endurance. What happened to obedience to our vows, our lovers, and our God?

 Christ's Love and Obedience

When we look at Christ's life - His perfect life lived - we see that His definition of love is quite the opposite of our warped perception of love. He was a perfect lover; meaning He loved perfectly. When I read about His communion with the Father, how perfectly and purely He loved God, my heart is renewed to a flawless outlook. His love wasn't grounded in what He happened to be feeling at the moment. Think back to the garden of Gethsemane. The cross was hard, dreadfully hard, but He was obedient to the point of death to His Father.

"So that the world may know that I [Jesus] love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me." John 14:31

Jesus proved His love for God by obeying His Father's voice, doing exactly as God commended Him, "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Phil. 2:8)

Jesus lived as our example showing us that obedience, especially when it is hard and difficult for us, is how we prove to ourselves if we really love God. Our daily lives should reveal that we love Jesus. People should see in us a life lived in obedience that testifies of the love we speak of for Christ.

Loving Jesus is so much more than shallow Sunday prayers and fish-shaped decals on the bumper of our vehicles. It's about obedience to the God who loves passionately, forgives abundantly, and requires enormously a life lived holy and blameless - obedient to Him.

"He who has my commandments and keeps [obeys] them is the one who loves Me; and He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and disclose Myself to him." John 14:21

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep [obey] My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come and make Our abode with him." John 14:23

"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." Romans 6:17-18 

 The Bride's Call to Obedience

In our passionate love relationship with Jesus, we must accept the call and command to live obedient lives to and for Christ. A bride of Jesus is not her own - she belongs to Another. She is committed, surrendered, and obedient to her Groom in all things. Those who look to her see plainly the evidence of her love for Him by her obedient lifestyle and nature. 

The calling to be a bride of Christ demands abundantly more than fleeting emotions and shallow loyalty; it is arduous and demanding, yet fulfilling and rewarding. Because as we kneel before the altar, we vow to adore and commit. We promise to love and obey.

Alabaster Heart: Morgan

It is my pleasure to introduce to you a beautiful new friend of mine. May her life lived for Jesus encourage your heart and inspire your walk with Christ.

My name is Morgan and I am 17 (almost 18) years old. I have been homeschooled my entire life and will graduate this spring. I live on a farm in SW Ohio with my 2 younger siblings and parents. I have been a dancer for 13 years and currently I am the teacher's assistant for the 6-8 grade class at one of hte studios I attend. I like designing web pages in my spare time and I also take photography courses from the New York Institute of Photography. I plan to receive my Associate degree (unsure of what it will be in.) Most likely, though, majoring in computer security, computer forensics, or business. I also want to continue with my photography and hope to work using my degree to save money in order to have my own photography studio. I then want to get married and have a large family...living in the woods in a log cabin. (smile) I also like caring for kids, volunteering wherever needed, taking walks in the woods, and meeting new people. I hope to raise children that will carry on Christ's legacy and be a light in a very dark world.

 

1) How and when did you first come to know Jesus as your Lord?  

 

I was raised in church my entire life and accepted Christ at the age of 7 or 8. When I was 12, I rededicated my life to Him at a Christian dance convention. 

 

2) What has been the biggest change in your life as a result of salvation? 

 

Wanting to be Christ-like. Sometimes I think that something is right because I've heard that it is for so long. When I stop and think about it, I ask myself, "Is it Christ-like? Am I acting like Him?" If I'm not, I try to change right away and become who He wants me to be.

 

3) What is your favorite thing about Jesus? 

 

Oh my goodness...His forgiveness. It really does  stretch as far as the East is from the West!  

 

4) What do you feel God's purpose for your life is? 

 

In general as a Christian, my purpose is to reach all those around me with the love of God and bring others to Christ. As for Christ's personal plan for my life, I'm not sure yet. I've always felt a strong call toward missions, but am unsure if it means out-of-country, or just reaching those around me! I know for a fact that He wants me to get married become a Godly wife, all the while raising Godly children. 

 

5) What is the hardest thing for you to live out as a set apart woman? 

 

I am a peace keeper. Sometimes I do not always stand up for what is right in order to keep the peace. I think that it comes from our 'politically correct' culture and I try to break away from that. I know sometimes it isn't easy, and we can extend forgiveness and grace towards others, but we also need to stand up for Christ and our Biblical values...even if it makes people uncomfortable.

 

6) What woman has impacted your walk with God more than anyone else? 

 

I have two: my Mom and my Bible study leader, Mrs. Landis.

 

7) In your daily walk with God, what are a few things that you do to remain renewed and focused on God? 

Memorize scripture... specifically prayers.

 

8 ) If you could say one thing to other Christian girls what would you say?

 

 Make your actions and your words match according to God's Word.  

 

9) What do you do to entertain yourself? 

 

Ha ha...I live in the middle of no where! We make our own fun! I take pictures and edit them. Our family likes to watch Hallmark movies together and my sister and I like to do DancePraise2. (Christian version of DanceDance Revolution) I like to read craft magazines and dream about things I'll never make. (smile) And I like going to youth group activities and hanging out with friends and their families.

 

10) What are some of your favorite books? 

 

I don't really like to read...I think it's because of all the Christian romance novels I read my freshman year. ;) There are a few books that I LOVE~ "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "When My Name Was Keoko."

 

11) What is one of your favorite things to do in the course of a day? 

 

Go to sleep!

 

12) What is your favorite bible verse? 

 

"Let my speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that I might know how I ought to answer everyone." -Colossians 4:6    Is that hard to live by or what? And I also love " Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you will honor Me. " Psalm 50:15

13) As far as music goes, who is your favorite artist and why? (Also name a couple of your favorite songs) 

I like Brandon Heath, Chris Tomlin, Nicole C. Mullen, Across the Sky, Lincoln Brewster (my favorite), and the Glory Revealed CD.  My favorite songs are "I Surrender" by Lincoln Brewster and the hymn "Ancient Words."  I love Lincoln Brewster because he has such great worship songs....especially on his live CD- it makes me feel as if I am there worshipping there with them!

 

14) Can you describe yourself in one word? 

 

Random...I  am so random. 

 

15) What is your favorite quote? (From someone other than Christ) 

 

"Walk softly and carry a big stick" for the humor of it... and also, "Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadow." Helen Keller

 

16) What is your favorite thing about this blog? 

 

The unity amongst us as sisters in Christ and the way Kaysie pulls us all together!

Happy New Year

In my quest to somehow encourage you this first day of a New Year, my heart kept taking me back to the God's Word in 1 Peter chapter 1. So I resolved to allow Him awaken your heart this new day, and let Him speak life into your soul through His powerful and living Word.

And Happy New Year to you all. Thank you for listening. 

  "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

    Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

    Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 
   "All men are like grass, 
      and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; 
   the grass withers and the flowers fall, 
       but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you."

1 Peter 1:13-25