God is Good...All the Time?

written by Rachel Brown*
 

Scene 1: A happy-go-lucky Irishman sitting in his fields of ripe, golden wheat with a huge smile on his face.  The sun is shining brightly, the sky is blue with white, puffy clouds lazing around, and birds are chirping gaily.  It is the perfect day.  "God, You are just absolutely amazing!  This day is perfect, my fields are ready to be harvested, and I feel so happy to be alive!  Life is grand, and God, You are so good to me!  Yep, God is good."  He nods his head in affirmation of what he just said as he looks about his beautiful wheat once again.  "Yes, God is good, all the time!"

Scene 2:  The puffy white clouds have tuned black and menacing, while the sun no longer shines.  The wind begins to pick up dangerously as storm clouds threaten to unleash their fury.  The happy-go-lucky Irishman now has a furrow between his brow as he gazes up into the sky and then back at his wheat.  Harvesting was to begin tomorrow. Thunder roars, startling the Irishman.  He runs for cover as the clouds suddenly open up and let loose torrents of pouring, gushing rain.  He ducks into his barn, soaked to the skin.  Worry lines increase on his forehead.  What had happened to his perfect day?  Stark fear springs into his eyes as he hears an unwelcome sound.  He prays his ears deceive him.  But no, his eyes confirm it.  It was hail.  "No, oh no, my wheat.  God, why are You doing this?!  What happened to doing what is best for me?  Don't You understand, that wheat is my livelihood!  What will I feed my family with if I haven't any money?  God, You're supposed to be good all the time!  No, please no.  God, if You truly do what is best for me, stop this hail before it completely destroys my crop!  God?  God!"

 

Just what is a fair-weather friend?  Someone who is not steadfast; able to be relied upon only when things are going well, much like the Irishman in the story.  When everything was going according to his plan, he trusted and relied upon God.  Yes, God was good then.  But as soon as things didn't go according to the man's plan, he lashed out at God.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

So many times we are God's fair-weather friends.  When life suits us, we are gushing out praises to God constantly.  Life is good.  God is good.  But only when things are going our way.  As soon as disaster strikes, we faint with weariness because we don't understand why God would do this to us!  Doesn't He care? 

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." -Isaiah 40:31

Life is always going to be hard.  We can't expect God to erase all hardship from our lives simply because we are too weak to bear the big and even little trials of life.  Thankfully God has promised not to overbear us, even though it may seem like it at times.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." -1 Corinthians 10:13

God is always faithful to His people, even when we are not, and even when life seems to be going completely against us.  Many times we don't see God's handiwork behind the scenes working for our good.  Everything in life—the good and the bad—is always for our good.  We may not see it, we may not believe it, but as Romans 8:28 clearly states, God is always  working for our good in this life.  Perhaps hardship is meant to test our faith, and strengthen us where we are weak.

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

God really is good all the time—we just don't realize it because we are too focused on ourselves.  We feel that life is just so unfair because we haven't got it as good as so-and-so, or everything seems to be going just fine for the wicked, but we are left to trial and suffering.  The fact is, the wicked will be punished in due season (Prov. 24:19-20) while those who trust God and remain faithful to Him will be rewarded.  The problem is that we can't see the rewards just yet.  We are still being tested and tried.  However, as Galatians 6:9 says:

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."  (emphasis mine)

Doubts begin to discourage us when we realize that things aren’t going according to plan.  Waiting is such a difficult task, and we feel that we simply can't last any longer.  The rewards seem too far out of reach, and our longing has already begun to slay the appetite of our living.  Day after day just drags by in desperation, and we wonder hopelessly when God will make everything right.  "God, I'll be happy when..." 


"Life is just too hard," we say, and we want to give up.  It's no use, because we can't seem to get anything we want.  Yet, what is the meaning of faith?  Faith put simply, is believing God, and not just believing Him, not just believing that He can, but knowing that He will perform all He has promised, for our good.  No matter how hard it may be, we must simply trust God to work everything out—both the big and the little things that discourage us.  Trusting God has to be a choice we make every minute.  We must put all our trust in Him, for today, for tomorrow, and for five years down the road.  We must give up everything to Him—our hopes, dreams, and plans for the future—because only He can bring them to pass, and only He holds tomorrow.

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." -Proverbs 3:5-6

The writer of Psalm 37 knew that God will not forsake His people when the going gets rough.  Verse 25 says that, "I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

Earlier are the well-known verses of four and five:

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." 

We must make our desires God's will.  Thy will be done.  No mater what happens we must be willing to say and truly believe that God knows what He is doing, and He is doing it for a purpose: our good.  True, it can be very discouraging when nothing seems to be going right, but in the end, the rewards will be much sweeter than we could ever have imagined.  God is good.  All the time.

*Rachel Brown is the eldest daughter of eight children born to James and Sonya Brown. Her greatest passions lie in her avid reading and writing to the glory of God. She also enjoys music, dancing, knitting, crocheting, sewing, and cooking. Her greatest desire, beyond that of glorifying God, is to one day be a wife and mother. She is the writer of her many hopes, dreams, failures, thoughts, beliefs, and expectations for the future at Covenant Maiden.

True or False Love

Written by Rachel Brown*

When I was young and immature, I pretty much took love at its basic concept, as any young child does.  I loved my parents, I loved my siblings, I loved my family, and I loved my friends.  What else was there?  That was love.  It wasn't until I began to grow up that my version of loved changed (particularly due to a demolished sense of love portrayed in romance novels).  Love was that beautiful thing of romance and flowers, gazing deeply into someone's eyes, being "in a relationship" with someone, saying sweet things, being told sweet things, candlelight, and "ooey gooey mush," as some people like to call it.  However, the more I find out about true love, the more I realize that there is so much more beneath the underlying surface of romance.

My dad told me to study 1 Corinthians 13—for it is the most precise chapter in the Bible on the meaning of true love—to deepen and develop my weak understanding of what love really is.  So I took him up on it.  I have read over 1 Corinthians 13 countless times, but it was only recently that I realized how superficially I had been reading it.  I had already understood that love suffers long, is kind, is patient, does not envy, and is not prideful, but I had never fully grasped what it is like in practice.

I am at a point and time in my life when I need the best understanding of love I can possibly receive.  Too many people have made mistakes concerning love and marriage, simply because of their misconception of that little word love, and have come to regret decisions later on in life.  Many marriages have failed because people do not understand what it really takes to love someone until death do them part, especially when "real life" hits.  Love is all that beatific, romanticism into practice, but it goes so much deeper into the heart and soul of a person.  As Voddie Baucham has said:

"Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object."

There is plenty of emotion in love, more than enough in fact at its fullest, ripest phase.  However, the true test of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13.

"Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Love never faileth" (v. 4-8).

The character of love is one of the most important aspects.  As Daddy has said, anyone can romance; it takes a real love built upon the foundation of God's Word with Christ as head to last forever, even through the toughest times life brings our way [read: reality].  When I am old and gray, I still want my husband to say that he loves me just as much after fifty years of marriage as he did in the beginning, if not more.  I will have lost all earthly youth and beauty as wrinkles line my face and my hair has turned to gray, but I want him to love me just as much as ever before.  That could not be possible if our "love" was based solely on the youthful delight of passing romance.  True romance in love, however, will last forever, just like the old white-haired couple who still loves to hold hands after a lifetime together.  What could be sweeter?

From 1 Corinthians 13 we gather that love is a pretty selfless virtue.  It suffers long, is kind, patient, humble, does not envy, is not jealous, does not behave unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices in truth not iniquity, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails. 

Love says, "I will follow you to the ends of the earth if need be, suffering in patience anything that may annoy or irritate me."  Love says, "I am willing to sacrifice my selfish desires for your needs and even wants, no matter the cost to myself."  Love says, "I will be with you through the fire, through the raging storm, as well as during the best years of our lives."  Love says, "I will be your ever constant source of hope, encouragement, faithfulness, devotion, friendship, tears, smiles, happiness, sorrow, and joy."  Love says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Love says, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things (1 Cor. 13:11).  Love says, "I will always be here for you, whatever may happen.  I am willing to lay down my life daily in self-sacrifice for you.  I will live for Christ and serve Him because I love Him most, but through loving Him I can love you more."  True love never ceases, never fails, and though sometimes it may falter or waver, Christ the architect always keeps it steady.  Love is forever.  True love is not the furtherance of self, but rather the laying down of self for others.

Oh yes, there is definitely mush in love.  That is the emotion that leads to action; the excitement that follows commitment; and the depth that cannot be measured.  True love without romance would not be love at all, for love has to have emotion.  In marriage there is deep emotion between husband and wife, just as God ordained.

Let's face it: love can be pretty blind to faults in another person.  Premature emotion can twist and distort the meaning and object of love, which is why one must be extremely cautious in applying emotional romance in courtship before marriage.  Too many times emotion blinds, until the revelation at the end ends in confusion, unhappiness, and broken hearts.  Romance in the early part of a courtship can actually be quite dangerous if it gets out of hand.  Joshua Harris, in his book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, said this:

"When we find ourselves attracted to someone, we need to make building a deeper friendship our first priority.  Too often we believe that relating in a romantic, exclusive relationship will automatically mean we'll be closer and know each other better.  But this doesn't always happen.  Although romance can be a more exciting level of relationship, it can also foster illusion and infatuation, obscuring the true character of each person involved.  Remember, as soon as we unleash our emotions in romantic love, our objectivity begins to fade.  For this reason, we need to focus on developing a closer friendship with a potential partner before introducing romance."

Every girl wants the romance.  It must be part of our womanly genetic system.  Because of this, we tend to speed things up in a friendship or courtship before marriage, when what we should be doing is concentrating on the most important: the character of the other person.  When the time comes that we have to decide on whom we marry, do we want to be confident because we have deepened the friendship and discovered the hidden person and character, or do we want to be so blinded by romance that we are rudely awakened to an unhappy and unfit marriage with lots of troubles later on?  Disaster is ripe and ready to be harvested when two people say they love each other, but both don’t truly understand what they mean.

This period of love is an extremely difficult one.  On the one hand, it can be the most glorious and fantastic time period of life.  On the other, sometimes it can be the most frustrating because we want to rush into something head-over-heels, without giving proper time to analyze and discover and grow.  Marriage is a committed covenant for life, and if the time before it is messed in in haste, we will regret it for the rest of our lives.  Caution is the best key in a beginning courtship.  In due time, if there is true love on both sides, it will bud and bring forth the most gorgeous flowers that purity can muster.

True love IS worth the wait.  Yes, it is hard to wait on the romance, and many times we make the mistake of rushing headlong into it, but it is a matter of being guided by God's wisdom and prudence, as well as the counsel of godly parents.  Is it wise to be led by emotion without realizing what true love is?  It is definitely fun, but unquestionably not wise.  God will bring forth the increase in His timing, if we are patient and faithful in doing what is right.  After all, in marriage two lovers can have all the romance that their hearts desire.

So, is it worth the wait to experience the first of everything in marriage, or is it better to go ahead and give pieces of our hearts way before it is the correct time at the alter?  Do we want to give our whole and unblemished heart to our future spouse, or just broken fragments of a once beautiful thing?

It depends on whether your love is true or false.

Rachel Brown is the oldest daughter of James and Sonya Brown.  You can read more about her on her blog, Covenant Maiden.

A little something to ponder...

I want to have a word with the younger ladies...and maybe a few older ones as well, if it is needed. I have been married for nearly 20 years, and it seems like it has taken many of those precious years for me to realize...it's not all about me.  You heard me right.  When it comes down to it, we are all extremely selfish creatures.  We want everything to go our way. We want what we want and we want it now!  Whether it's the perfect body, beautiful hair, the latest gadgets, our dream home, what the Jones' have, time alone, peace and quiet...You name it, we want it, and most of the time, we think we "deserve" it.  I want us all to stop and ponder...what is our role, our responsibility, in this life? Is it to keep up with the Jones'? Or constantly try and attain that youthful "beauty"?  

From the beginning of time, we (women) have struggled with the desire to have power. You may say, "I don't want to rule over any one."  That may not be the "power" you struggle with.  But what about the "power" to be a goddess?  To have the power over men, to sway their eyes (lust) to your body, to have them "worship" your beauty? No, you may not have the desire to rule over a nation, or "wear the pants" in your family, but what about the desires in your heart?  Are you longing to be a godly Christian wife and mother, or are you secretly wishing for that "perfect" body that you think can have power to turn men's hearts?  Or maybe it's another power you desire.  I don't know what it may be, but I do know, we MUST turn our hearts back to God...back to our homes and our families.

We have wasted too many precious years on ourselves.  We wonder why our homes are in shambles, why "christian" ladies want to focus so much attention on their outward appearance, and their hearts are full rebellion and bitterness.  Yes, I do agree that our society's main focus is on outward appearance, and it is harder in this day and age...we constantly feel as if we are in competition with our bodies...BUT, aren't we supposed to "come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the LORD"... To be in the world, but not of the world.  It's time we start focusing on our hearts...on the things that matter most in life.  One day we are going to wake up and realize that it is too late...we've spent all our life on worldly pursuits, and not focused on the things that REALLY matter.  What IS the chief end of man?  To glorify GOD and enjoy HIM forever!  We are falling for the exact same thing that Eve fell for in the garden...we want to be God, plain and simple.  We are to pursue righteousness, holiness, godliness, contentment.  Are we teaching our children to pursue these things, or are we teaching them to pursue their desires, their dreams, their wants, their lusts?  We need to examine our hearts, our motives.  Are they in accordance with scripture, or are they our own humanistic agenda?  God said if we obey him, he will bless us...if we disobey, he will curse us.  Which is it going to be?

Another area I see running unchecked is jealousy, and it is usually a bigger problem with women than men, and yes, I have struggled with it greatly in the past.  There is a time and a place for everything, and I do believe that there can be a time for righteous jealousy, but what I'm seeing is not and could never be labeled as "godly" jealousy.  It is flat out, "selfish distrust, because we want it all to be about me", jealousy.  What are we teaching our daughters?  Again, we have taken our focus off the prize (the high calling of Jesus Christ) and put the focus on ourselves.  I hate to be the one to break it to you, but jealousy is selfishness at it's core.  The Bible says plain and simple that it's as cruel as the grave.  Think about that for a minute.  To me that says that the person on the receiving end of a jealous wife might as well be put in the grave.  There is no escaping it...no matter what he does, he is never trusted.  Can you even imagine?  Again, we need a complete heart change.  Are our lives bringing glory to Jesus Christ or are we wanting it all for ourselves. When our lives on this earth are past, what will we be remembered for... Just something to ponder. 

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

The Depravity of the Tongue

Today's post is written by my oldest daughter, Rachel.  It deals with a much needed topic among Christian kids today...Sibling Rivalry.  She is wise beyond her 17 years.  :)

"Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace
That where there is hatred, I may bring love,
That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,
That where there is error, I may bring truth,
That where there is doubt, I may bring faith,
That where there is despair, I may bring hope,
That where there are shadows, I may bring light,
That where there is sadness, I may bring joy."
-St. Francis of Assisi
Let me begin with a story.

Once upon a time, in the schoolroom of an ordinary little home, there lived eight children: Temper, Impatience, Bossy, Anger, Hateful, Jealousy, Pride, and Conflict.  Unlike the happily ever after stories of fairytale books, these little children loved to quarrel and fight and argue and bicker amongst themselves.  Their names, as you can see, befit their character perfectly.  These eight children were constantly at war with one another—sometimes two against one, or seven ganging up against one, or five against two—and it seemed quite a hopeless case of self-love: each esteeming self above all the others.  What a horrible way to begin a story, aye?

Unfortunately, this is not a make-believe story. In fact, it is all too real, particularly in my family, probably in yours, and most definitely in the lives of siblings around the world.  We all share this not-so-unique common problem: sibling rivalry.  Even at seventeen years old, I am still at war with my siblings, God forgive us all.  There may be a few with whom I get along better, just as there are others with whom I do not get along quite so well.  Sometimes it is as if we are barely existing, barely getting by, and barely acknowledging one another's existence.  Then again, there are others who get along so well that most of the time it is laughter and jokes shared, though not without the occasional rift.  It is a wild rollercoaster ride of mixed emotions and attitudes—one day we like so-and-so, and the next day we like a different so-and-so—just like the little second-grader whose best friend changes weekly.

"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle."  -Proverbs 18:19

There are many different root causes of sibling strife, but the most dominant, the ultimate root cause of all, would be self-love.  Self-love leads us to act in many ways that we should not act, and more specifically being addressed in this post, say many things that we should not say.  The tongue is the most dangerous of all enemies for the Christian, and particularly, to brothers and sisters.  The tongue is a malicious part of the human body, for it has a more destructive force than any earthly weapon.  The old saying of "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me," is the furthest thing from the truth.  Words can and do cause more pain and anguish than a thousand sharp knives that are lashed into the body.  The tongue, as James says, is a fire.

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell...the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."  -James 3:6, 8

The evil, deadly poison of the tongue causes us to offend our brother, and in the verse quoted above, a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city (Prov. 18:19).  The tongue will make or break a relationship.  If the tongue is given freedom to say whatever it wants and feels like saying, the only logical conclusion is the relationship will not last or bring forth fruit.  We are seeing an apparent lack of brotherly love among siblings, and thus the breaking of the relationships, because the tongue is loose and rampant, and has not been held in check.

"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."  -Proverbs 17:28

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."  -Proverbs 18:21

"A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards."  -Proverbs 29:11


All men, because they are sinners, love the depravity of the tongue.  It gives them a taste of power and control above other men.  They can speak words that will hurt, wound, cut to the quick, bring power to self, uplift self's pride, degrade others, and create a pedestal on which they can rise above others.  Brothers and sisters love the tongue just as much as any man, perhaps even more so because it allows them to uplift themselves as better than their siblings.  The tongue is a wicked member, causing strife and discord where peace and harmony ought to reign.  Even when the tongue is bridled, more often than not a little slip of the tongue can cause the greatest damage and distress.  Whether in the heat of anger, or the quiet rest of peace, we must be wary of the tongue.

I took the following paragraphs from a post I wrote on my blog, entitled Bite Your Tongue, thinking that it fit in well with this article:

With siblings it is especially difficult to keep a watchful eye over our tongue because we are so used to saying whatever comes to our mind, and usually it is not what is acceptable (Rom.12:1).

In all of our relationships (i.e. husband, wife, father mother, child, sibling, coworker, boss, pastor, relative, friend, etc.) there is an important key to maintaining a tongue of that which is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Phil.4:13).  Oftentimes it is a troublesome task not to just blurt out as fast as out brain thinks (which can be scary in some of our cases).  More often than not this is how relationships are damaged because we are habitually prone to say hurtful things to degrade others and promote self.  From experience I can say that the hurtful words of our mouth injures not only others, but ourselves.  We fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal.5:16-17) when we give in to our fallen desire "to be as gods."  To achieve this, and to reconcile our own mind to the fact, we first have to make sure no one else is in the god-seat.  Dare we assume to take the place of God Almighty?  God forbid us.

We as Christians are called to be the salt and light of the earth, but if we fail in the small things, what right have we to expect the bigger blessings from God?  Too frequently we automatically expect the best things from God when we are not willing to be faithful in what we have already been given (Matt.25:14-29).  And besides, our witness to the world is shattered if we are not willing to submit every area of our lives to the sovereignty of God.  He will acquire our ultimate obedience anyway; for He is GOD (isn't there such power in His name alone?).

Just another thought for the day. Think about it. And bite your tongue.


Sometimes it seems like the only answer to the solution of an unruly tongue is to bite it, literally.  Yet how many times do we fail to do so when the need is dire?  "Let loose and live" is the motto of our tongues, and frankly, we don't seem to care what we say, particularly when it comes to our brothers and sisters.  They are the easiest to offend, the easiest to wound, and the hardest to win back.  If we truly want to become the best friends we possibly can with our siblings, one of the key elements in this reconciliation is to entrap our tongue, not by saying whatever we please whenever we please, but by bringing it captive to Christ and His Word (2 Cor. 10:5).  There is simply no other way around the matter.  Our tongue has to be controlled by Christ, or we will never accomplish the work of being ruled by kindness (Prov. 31:26).

Most of the time we don't want to be nice to our brothers and sisters.  We view them as annoying little pests who are always bothering us or getting into our stuff.  But the fact of the matter is that, well, I'm certain we can be irritating at least many times.  God ordained the home to be a happy, harmonizing place of peace and laughter, not grudges and hatred.   We have made our homes into graveyards, where only dead bones abide.  The weeds have grown up high and towering around our homes, as the roof has caved in and the foundation has been destroyed.  It is up to each individual, whether an oldest, middle, or younger sibling, to close in the gap that separates us from being friends with our siblings.  We have kept each other at arm's length long enough.  Enough is enough, for I am sure that each one of us is tired of the constant dirge of seemingly endless conflict and fighting.  Our lives will be happier, more blessed by God, and definitely more fulfilling when we settle the differences that lie between our hurting relationships, and kill the god of self that lies within us.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13), and that includes solves the puzzle of sibling rivalry.

The answer is simple, really.  Self must be destroyed so that God may be glorified.  And in doing so, we pave the way to creating strong relationships within the family—bound together by the bonds of love that cannot be severed.  The road that leads to a truly fulfilling life is indeed difficult, but very worth it in the end.

The story I began in the beginning is not over.  It is in the working right now.  Those eight little siblings have choices to make, whether they will continue in their sin of hatred and strife, or whether they will give up their desire to war, as well as give up their pride.  Self-love is dangerous, for the end is death, and eventually one by one each person is consumed (Gal. 5:15).

The first step is to guard, guide, and yes, even bite our tongue when need be.  We don't realize how much catastrophe could be avoided if we would just watch our tongue, and instead of using it for evil, use if for good and the encouragement of our siblings.  Saying something cruel and nasty is easy enough, for it comes with our sin nature; but it takes courage to say what comes hardest to our nature, and that is something kind and edifying.  There is no doubt that the tongue is depraved.  The question is, will we fight its depravity and use it for good?

Rachel Brown is the oldest daughter of James and Sonya Brown.  You can read more about her on her blog, Covenant Maiden.

Having a Wise Heart

I came across this article by Nancy Wilson...wife to pastor Doug Wilson, and thought I would share it with y'all.  It's rather convicting - which is a good thing, btw - So, I thought "Hey! Why should I be the only one under conviction!"  Here you go sisters!

"If you have ongoing anger toward one person in particular, then it’s likely there may be some unconfessed bitterness and resentment toward that person, big or little, young or old. We get resentful over some of the dumbest things. Deal with the bitterness that is lodging in your heart. It’s poisoning everything! It feeds anger and needs anger."

"Don’t take your children’s misbehavior personally. Don’t get into an adversarial relationship with your children. You are the mother; you are in authority over them. Don’t get your feelings hurt when they don’t listen or when they disobey. They are children! That’s what children do!"

Read more here...

Growing in Christ

God never places us in any position in which we cannot grow. We may imagine that He does. We may fear we are so impeded by fretting petty cares that we are gaining nothing; but when we are not  sending any branches upward, we may be sending roots downward. Perhaps in the time of our humiliation, when everything seems a failure, we are making the best kind of progress. Look on and look up. Lay hold on Christ with both your poor, empty hands. Let Him do with you what seems good to Him. Though He slay you, still trust in Him, and I dare in His name to promise you a sweeter, better life than you could have ever known, had He left you to drink of the full dangerous cups of unmingled prosperity. 

~ Elizabeth Prentiss  (1818 - 1878)

The Spotless Spouse

Written by Susanna Spurgeon

"You are so beautiful, My beloved; there is no spot in you." - Song of Solomon 4:7

"Ah!" I hear some timid, trembling believer say, "such a text can have nothing to do with me! I am the very opposite of all that is beautiful and spotless. The eyes of my soul have seen hideous sights within, which I can never forget; and I loathe myself and my sin so much that, though I believe God has forgiven me for Christ's sake, I feel it impossible to take those precious words as addressed to one so sinful and imperfect."

Yet, trembling soul, I would bid you take courage, and look up. Christ's love for His people is marvelously set forth in this Song of Songs; and if you are a believer in Him, you must be part of that Church—as much His bride and spouse as the greatest saint, or most renowned disciple. The Master makes no difference between upper and lower servants in His household. The same price was paid to redeem the least lamb of the flock, as for the choicest sheep; the same precious blood was poured out to ransom the feeblest child of the great family, as for its strongest and most notable member.

Come, then, timid one, fear not to grasp the truth now put before you; delay not to rejoice in the blessed fact that you are indeed precious to the Lord; and when He says, "You are all beautiful, My beloved," do not contradict Him by lamenting your blackness; but, rather, adoringly bow before Him in wonder at the miracle His love has wrought in you. It ill becomes the bride of Christ to ignore His loveliness, which He has put upon her, and go about bemoaning the scars and blemishes which His great love overlooks and forgets.

It is quite true that, in themselves, believers are sorrowfully imperfect and sinful; but if the Lord Jesus, in His marvelous mercy, unrobes Himself to cover over their unrighteousness, they may well be content to be thus made "beautiful" in His sight. Do you ask, "Why should He do this?" Look at the succeeding words, "My beloved." We cannot comprehend the mystery and sublimity of Divine love; but it is the sole and all-sufficient reason for the dear Lord's estimate of us; and when He uses such endearing language, our hearts melt and are ravished by His condescension. Even as earthly affection is intensified and nourished by tender tones and words of special grace, so, (with reverence we say it,) when our dear Master deigns to address us in accents of love and admiration, our souls are thrilled with heavenly bliss, and we are uplifted beyond all the sorrows and vexations of this world, into an atmosphere of unspeakable spiritual joy! To be "the beloved of the Lord," to "dwell in safety by Him," as our Husband and dearest Friend, is so high an attainment, and so glorious a privilege, that it must forever be a marvel why we are so listless in seeking it, or so sinfully content without it.

Living the Impossible

written by Rachel Brown - Covenant Maiden

2010 has closed its door; 2011 has opened another.  This means God has not forsaken us, but has given us another chance at life, and another chance to live wholly for His glory.  Let's look at "living for God's glory" a moment.  1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." We may smile and nod our heads in righteous piety, but do we take this verse at its fullest context?  "I pray before I eat," we may say triumphantly.  Apparently we forgot to read the remainder of the verse.  You've heard that the Bible applies to every area of life?  This verse could sum it up.  Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, exactly what this verse is reminding us.   "Whatsoever ye do" doesn't mean whatever we feel like doing or whatever we want to do - it is everything.  That means how we treat our siblings, honor our parents, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, the words we say, our attitudes, our thoughts, even the simplest chores around the house.  We want to do something big, however.  Some of us may be willing to face the jungles of Africa or the communist hostility in China, but no one wants to wield a toilet scrubber and face a dirty bathroom.  Or, we may want to work in a big company for fame, recognition, money, or even just to make a difference, but who wants to help their father in his vision and business, especially if it is small and unnoticed?  We would gloriously die on the mission field, but we don't want to live contentedly at home. We take Paul's words in Philippians 1:21 a little too far.  Sure, to die is gain for Christ.

Daughters at home can get a little discouraged sometimes.  Okay, maybe very discouraged (more than sometimes).  This is dangerous- very dangerous - because the world begins to look inviting.  We must not fall into that trap!  Daily routine becomes monotonous. Because of our restlessness and discontentment, we are grumpy, moody, and liable to be snappish.  The truth of the matter is that we are not happy with our position, and we don't want to glorify God in everything.

I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions.  I never have been.  Anything I might have "promised" myself in the past always ended in disaster, such as waking up every morning with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart.  It's always the impossible with me.  I might want to be completely loving, always honoring my parents, never quarreling [much] with my siblings, always having the right attitude in every situation, being a servant, daily displaying the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23), and on and on and on the list goes.  Call me crazy, but I'm a perfectionist.

Mark 10:27 and Luke 1:37; 18: 27 say the same thing: with God nothing is impossible.  So we think that, while glorifying God in the home, everything should be practically unproblematic.  We want the easy life.  Yet, if everything was easy and breezy, where would satisfaction come in?  Our character would never be strengthened, our patience would never be tried, and we would never receive a "well done" from our Master.  Life wouldn't be life without difficulty.  There would be no triumph over trials and no ultimate glory in the end.  We would be lazy good-for-nothings.

Again we take a verse out of context (many times we do this to fit our preferences, ironically).  We as infallible human beings cannot be perfect!   Everything is impossible with us because we cannot do good. (Romans 3:10; 3:23; 7:15; Isaiah 64:6)   Therefore we shouldn't expect a miracle every morning (especially at 7:00 a.m.).  However, this also doesn't mean we have the right to be a snappy grump.  Titus 2:3-5 exhorts women of all ages to be holy, temperate, loving, discreet, good, and obedient - showing us a pattern of good works.   I know from experience how hard it is to be kind and patient.  But that doesn't give us the license to be mean, cross, and irritable.  To develop a good relationship with family and friends we have to be considerate, helpful, understanding, and attentive.  If not, bitterness and strife will cause pain because of rejection.   Again, speaking from experience, people will want to completely ignore you if you haven't the right attitude.  Everyone finds irksome people a chore to get along with.  True love will find a way, however, even amongst faults. (1 Corinthians 13)

With a whole new year ahead of us, just waiting for us to taste the delicious delights pending over the horizon, we shouldn't expect the impossible.  Instead, cultivate joy and contentment even in the smallest of things.  People will be happier, and the atmosphere so much more pleasant.  Because God in His mercy and grace has given us another chance, we ought to look forward with bright eyes and a rapidly beating heart.  Only God knows what lies ahead, but we can be sure it will be something grand as long as we walk in His footsteps.

Living the impossible...
For the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ
Soli Deo Gloria!

Rachel is the oldest daughter of James and Sonya Brown.  Check out her blog, Covenant Maiden, to find our more about her.

What does your tongue say?

Here's a little "conviction" to throw everyone's way... {including mine}

The Home Conversation by J.R. Miller

Few things are more important in a home, than its conversation—yet there are few things to which less deliberate thought is given. We take great pains to have our house well-furnished. We select our carpets and pictures with the utmost care. We send our children to school that they may become intelligent. We strive to bring into our homes, the best conditions of happiness. But how often is the speech of the household left untrained and undisciplined?

The good we might do in our homes with our tongues, if we would use them to the limit of their capacity of cheer and helpfulness, it is simply impossible to state. That in most homes the best possible results from the gift of speech are not attained, is very evident. Why should so much power for blessing be wasted? Especially why should we ever pervert these gifts, and use our tongues to do evil, to give pain, to scatter seeds of bitterness? It is a sad thing when a child is born dumb; but it were better far to be born dumb, and never to have the gift of speech—than, having that gift, to employ it in speaking only sharp, unloving, or angry words.

While in all places and at all times our words should be well chosen, and should be full of the pure and gentle spirit of Christ—there are many reasons why the home conversation, pre-eminently, should be loving. Home is the place for warmth and tenderness: it should be made the brightest and sweetest spot on earth, to those who dwell within its walls. We should all carry there our very best moods, tempers, and dispositions. Especially by our speech should we seek to contribute to the enrichment of the home life, helping to make it elevating and refining, and in every way ennobling in its influence.

Home should inspire every tongue to speak its most loving words—yet there is in many families, a great dearth of kind speech. In some cases, there is no conversation at all worthy of the name; there are no affectionate greetings in the morning, or hearty good-nights at parting when the evening closes; the meals are eaten in silence; there are no bright fireside chats over the events and incidents of the day. A stranger might mistake the home for a deaf-and-dumb institution, or for a hotel where strangers were together only for a passing night. In other cases—it would be even better if silence did reign—for there are words of miserable strife and shameful quarreling heard from day to day! 

Husband and wife, who vowed at the marriage-altar to cherish each other until death, keep up an incessant petty strife of words!

Parents, who are commanded in the Holy Word not to provoke their children to wrath, lest they be discouraged, but to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord, scarcely ever speak to them gently and in tenderness. They seem to imagine that they are not governing their children, unless they are perpetually scolding them. They fly into a rage against them at the smallest irritation. They issue their commands to them in words and tones which would better suit the despot of a petty savage tribe, than the head of a Christian household. It is not strange, that, under such "nurture," the children, instead of dwelling together in unity, with loving speech—only wrangle and quarrel, speaking only bitter words in their interactions with one another.

That there are many homes of just this type, it is idle to deny. That prayer is offered morning and evening in some of these families, only makes the truth the sadder; for it is mockery for the members of a household to rise together from their knees after morning devotion, only to begin another day of strife and bitterness!

Nothing in the home life needs to be more carefully watched and more diligently cultivated, than the conversation; it should be imbued with the spirit of love. No bitter word should ever be spoken!

The talk of husband and wife, in their companionship together, should always be tender. Anger in word, or even in tone—should never be allowed! Chiding and fault-finding should never be permitted to mar the sacredness of their speech! The warmth and tenderness of their hearts, should flow out in every word that they utter to each other. As parents, too, in their interaction with their children, they should never speak—but in words of Christ-like gentleness. It is a fatal mistake to suppose that children's lives can grow up into beauty— an atmosphere of strife! Harsh, angry words are to their sensitive souls—what frosts are to the delicate flowers! To bring them up in the nurture of the Lord, is to bring them up as Christ himself would do; and surely that would be with infinite tenderness. It is impossible to estimate the blessed influence of loving speech, day after day and month after month—it is like the falling of warm spring rain and sunshine on the garden. Beauty and sweetness of character will issue from such a home.

But home conversation needs more than love, to give it its best influence: it ought to be enriched by thought. The Savior's warning against idle words should be remembered. Every wise-hearted parent will seek to train his household to converse on subjects which will yield instruction, or tend toward spiritual and moral refinement. The table affords an excellent opportunity for this kind of education. Three times each day the family gathers there; it is a place for cheerfulness. Simply on the grounds of health, meals should never be eaten in silence. Bright, cheerful conversation is an excellent sauce, and a prime aid to digestion. If it prolongs the meal, and thus appears to take too much time out of the busy day—t will, in the end, add to the years by increased healthfulness and lengthened life. In any case, however, something is due to spiritual and moral refinement, and still more is due to the culture of one's home life.

The table should be made the center of the social life of the household. There, all should appear at their best and brightest; gloom should be banished. The conversation should be sprightly and sparkling; it should consist of something besides dull and threadbare commonplaces. The idle gossip of the street is not a worthy theme for such hallowed moments. The conversation of the table should be of a kind to interest all the members of the family; hence it should vary to suit the age and intelligence of those who form the family circle. The events and occurrences of each day, may with profit be spoken of and discussed; and now that the daily newspaper contains so full and faithful a summary of the world's doings and happenings, this is easy. Each one may mention the event which has specially impressed him in reading or in discussion without. Bits of refined humor should always be welcome, and all wearisome recital and dull, uninteresting discussion, should be avoided.

Table-talk may be enriched, and at the same time the education of all the members of the family may be advanced, by bringing out at least one new fact at each meal, to be added to the common fund of knowledge. Suppose there are two or three children at the table, varying in their ages from five to twelve. Let the father or the mother have some particular subject to introduce during the meal, which will be both interesting and profitable to the younger members of the family. It may be some historical incident, or some scientific fact, or an event in the life of some distinguished man. The subject should not be above the capacity of the younger people, for whose special benefit it is introduced, nor should the conversation be over-weighted by attempting too much at one time.

One single fact clearly presented, and firmly impressed so as to be remembered, is better than whole chapters of information poured out in a confused jargon on minds, that tomorrow cannot recall any part of it. A little thought will show the rich benefits of a system like this, if faithfully followed through a series of years. If but one fact is presented at every meal, there will be a thousand things taught to the children in a year! If the subjects are wisely chosen, the fund of knowledge communicated in this way will be of no inconsiderable value. A whole system of education lies in this suggestion; for, besides the communication of important knowledge, the habit of mental activity is stimulated, interest is awakened in lines of study and research which may afterwards be followed out, tastes are improved, while the effect upon the family life is elevating and refining!

It may be objected that such a system of table-talk could not be conducted without much thought, study, and preparation on the part of parents. But if the habit once were formed, and the plan properly introduced, it would be found comparatively easy for parents of ordinary intelligence to maintain it. Books are now prepared in great numbers, giving important facts in small compass. Then, there are encyclopedias and dictionaries of various kinds. The newspapers contain every week paragraphs and articles of great value in such a course. A wise use of scissors and paste will keep scrap-books well filled with materials which can readily be made available. It will be necessary to think and plan for such a system, to choose the topics in advance, and to become familiar with the facts. This work might be shared by both parents, and thus be easy for both. That it will cost time and thought and labor ought not to be an objection, for is it not worth almost any cost to secure the benefits and advantages which would result from such a system of home instruction? 

These are only hints of the almost infinite possibilities of good which lie in the home conversation. That so little is realized in most cases, when so much is possible—is one of the saddest things about our current life. It may be that these suggestions shall stimulate in some families, at least—an earnest search after something better than they have yet found in their desultory and aimless conversational habits. Surely there should be no home in which, amid all the light talk that flies from busy tongues, time is not found every day in which to say at least one word that shall be instructive, suggestive, elevating, or at least, in some way, helpful.

What's on the inside?

 

"Many persons think a great deal about the adorning of the body, but do not think anything about the ornaments of the soul. The feeding of the physical frame engrosses much care, but the supply of spiritual food is often neglected. Yet, O man, thou thyself art better than thy body! Thine immortal soul is worth far more than that poor carcase of thine which will soon become food for worms; and all the things that thou hast, what are they compared with thine inner self,—thy real self,—thy heart, thy soul, thy spirit?"

 

"True religion is heart-work. We may wash the outside of the cup and the platter as long as we please, but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy altogether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves than our hands are; the very life of our being lies in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity within."

 

- Charles Spurgeon

A Heart Issue

"The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts." - Proverbs 17:3

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9

Our heart.  Several words pop into our minds when we hear the word:  blood pumper, love simulator, secret keeper... the place that only you and God know about, right?  What DO we have hidden in the secret chambers of our hearts?  Is it love?  Or is it Hate?  What about bitterness or jealousy?  Or maybe some secret sin that you think will never be found out?  Jesus said, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." -Matthew 12:34  What is in our hearts will eventually come to the surface, it will be made known.  You may think it can be hidden there and not cause any problems, but it does... eventually.  We must confess our sin or it will fester and grow, and then it will most definitely be known.  We must fill our hearts with good things, fill it with the Word of God.  Ask Him to fill our hearts with His love.  The Psalmist said in Psalm 51:10,  "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."  May that be our prayer each and every day.  It doesn't take very long before our hearts become heavy with sin.  We need to be renewed each and every day by the Word of God and through prayer.  What is in your heart today?

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." - Proverbs 4:23