Seasons

Spring, summer, autumn...
  Seasons.  
     Seasons come.
           Seasons go.
                  Seasons are here for a time, and fade into another;
Difficult to tell when one leaves and another comes...
    but, seasons are always consistent, 
                always changing, always moving into another.
Whether weather, or life, seasons continually change.

We arrive in one season, then in only a short while, we are begging for the next...we simply are not satisfied.  We long for what we do not have.  In summer, we long for cooler days, in winter, we long for warmer days.  When it's gloomy; "Where's the sunshine?"  Then, when the sun is out, we long for a gloomy day so we can pull out a good book, kick back, and relax.

When we are single, we long for marriage, when married, we long for children, when we have children, we long for the time they are gone, and when they are gone, we long for children once again, then, that's when we have found most people get "DOGS!"  Ok, sorry if I offended you "little" dog people, but it's true; so it seems :).  We have a CAT!  It was for the kids, but yes, it's a "baby" too!

Why can we not be content with where God has put us in our lives?  Paul says in Philippians 4:11, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am."  Paul found a way to be content, to be happy in God alone, wherever he was, and whatever he was doing.

When someone says we must be like Paul, we can't, because we are not all single men.  He had no one else to think about, worry about, or provide for other than himself.  What a blessing for those who have chosen to follow wholeheartedly in Paul's footsteps and remain single, but we must take Paul's heart of following and apply it to who and where we are in God's world, and in this season of life he has us in at the moment.

I believe once we know God's will, seek to obey Him, and not the world or culture, then it becomes easier to be content.  Life becomes difficult when we listen and look to our peers, to the world, TV, radio, sales papers, catalogs; then, our vision of God's will becomes quite hazy.  Or, when His will collides with our own initiatives, our agendas, our desires, our wants and wishes.  We tend to fall off-track once again, til we see chaos around us and we look again to God and His ways, His paths, His desires and, when we line up with Him, He can bless beyond what any of us desire.  

Go here to read an excerpt of a book by John MacArthur called Found: God's Will. (The giveaway is over, but the book is a super read!)  Go here to buy it for $1.50!  

In knowing God's will, are we in obedience?  Are we willing to obey all He has called us to in this season of life? Reading His words, are we willing to sacrifice our own desires for God's desires?  Are we willing to sacrifice what we want for what God wants?  To fully obey His will, His commands, His desires, His heart?  

Seasons of our lives will change for us as men and women, as we go through life.  As women, we may have a career for a time, then we may be mothers for season, then again if God chooses, we may enter the career season once more.  God's will does not change, we just move into different phases, different seasons of it.  Are we willing to sacrifice one for the other?

With each season of life, I am convicted every time I pick up His words, for they pierce my heart; "the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

I pray you will let God look into your heart, and allow Him to pierce your soul, to examine your intentions.  Don't be sad or upset if He brings convictions; know it is the working of His Holy Spirit in your life to bring you into alignment with Him.  God's word is always clear, and right, and true.

So, "let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Heb. 4:16.

Where are you in your season of life?

Do you find joy where God has you at this time?

Let me know your thoughts and encouraging words...

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Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

I Will Follow

You are the source of life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus, I need You Jesus

My heart is Yours for life
I need Your hand in mine
No one else will do
I put my trust in You

I need You Jesus to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other Name by which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You

My heart is Yours for life
I need Your hand in mine
No one else will do
I put my trust in You

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me

This world has nothing for me
This world has nothing for me
                                                 I will follow You

Do I put my trust in Him?  Can I really say, this world has nothing for me?  My desire is to SEEK Him with all that I have, to be able to lift my hands in praise to the God who saves, and say, this world has nothing for me.  

Yes, capture me with grace, because no one else will do, 'cause I need You Jesus!  Yes.Just.Jesus.  I can say it, but do I live it?  Does my life say, He is all I need?  

Paul says in 2 Timothy, "Now you followed my teaching (doctrine), conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings...continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."  (2 Tim. 10-11a, 14-15)  

As hard as I try, I fail.  As diligent as I have been to instill God's teachings to my children, our next generation, I fail, and then that's when "capture me with grace" reaches out to touch me.  Is my conduct, my purpose, my faith, all it can be?  What about my patience, and love, and perseverance?  Christ is the source of this life, my life, my husband's life, my children's lives, and I need Your hand in mine, because I am putting my trust in You, Jesus.  

This world can throw what it can my way, but in Christ, and by His grace, I can say "this world has nothing for me."  I could have followed this world and it's culture of love of money, and things, and work, and giving my children away to others, and I did some of that for awhile.  Then, God showed me that His ways are higher than ours, His ways are best, His ways are true, and right, and good, and He has our best on His mind, and will use it to bring ultimate glory to His Name, the name of Jesus.  God had a plan in the beginning and it is when we try and deviate from that original plan that things go awry.  

We may take a principle from His Word, or maybe two, but life doesn't work until we take ALL the principles lined up in Scripture and apply them to our lives.  Some say, go into all the world, we are to all be missionaries, but it's when you look at who God created you to be that you may see, to GO was not what He intended, at least at this season of your life.  For Paul, God designed him to be single, with no other responsibilities except to go in His name, but for many others God designed us to be wives, husbands, mothers and fathers, and when He did this, we must look at the whole Word of God to get our instructions.  Sometimes, our sufferings, or persecutions, come at the hand of those we are closest to, those we come into contact with on a daily or a weekly basis.  We must not let that become a distraction to what God has called us, individually, as a couple, or as a family, to do.

I must first see how God designed me as a woman, then look at what He has for me as a wife, and next what His plans are for mothers, and finally, I look at His entire Word for the principles HE laid out for me, as a woman, a wife, and a mother, and what His instructions and commands are in their entirety.  If men are husbands and fathers, they are to be the providers for their families, they are to be leaders and the heads of their households, teaching as they go, Deut 6.  Women, if God made you wives and mothers, your priorities, at this season of your life, are your husbands and your children, teaching where God put you, in the home, to teach, train, raise, discipline, and disciple those God gave you, and then to teach the "younger women" to do likewise.  "Teaching them to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible (discreet), pure (chaste), workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, SO THAT the word of God will not be dishonored (blasphemed or reviled)."  Titus 2:4-5

The Great Commission for some will be to go, if they have families, to go as a unit, for others, their mission field is in their backyard, their home, and most likely Wal-Mart :)  wherever God places you.  Wherever that is, you must look to God's Word to see His plan.  We can actually know His plans just by reading, searching and studying the Scriptures.  He has the guidelines to our lives laid out before us, we just have to look to see what those are.

Our pastor's sermon this past Sunday gave me a renewed vigor for what I am to do, and as Paul told Timothy, by following his teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions and sufferings, I am to continue in the things I have learned and, become convinced of, and have known the sacred writings which are able to give me the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  

ALL Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; SO THAT the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

I pray as Paul prayed for Ephesus, that you may know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:19-21

                        I will follow You...

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody

A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

Here is a post from over at the threemaidens blog, which belongs to my daughters.  I am so blessed and so very thankful for their heart of love, obedience, devotion, respect, kindness, and gratitude to our Father God, and to their family.  They are a picture of Godly young women, and search the heart of God for His will for their lives.  Read Julia's thoughts from God's Word on having a "gentle and quiet spirit."

Precious

"And let not your adornments be merely external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God."  ~ 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NASB)

I do not know about you other ladies, but this verse means a lot to me.  Every girl wants to be beautiful, to be told she is beautiful, to know she is beautiful.  Even the roughest tom-boy nurtures that desire to be told she is pretty-- and be able to believe it.  

Trust me.  I would know.

But what about that which is precious?

I confess, I long for these things: for beauty of form and face.  But how long does it last?  What happens when the delicate petals of youth fade and all that is left are the dry thorns and leaves?

What does the hidden person of your heart look like?  To tell the truth, I am afraid to look into that mirror.  The beauty I have sought is of this world, I know. 

A gentle and quiet spirit?  GENTLE AND QUIET?!!??  OF COURSE I AM GENTLE AND QUIET!!!!  Oh, how loud and boisterous we women can be!  Well, at least I can be.  And, personally, I have never once looked at another woman, much less myself, who is being particularly loud and boisterous and thought, "My, how precious she is!" 

Here, read this excerpt from So Much More by the Botkin sisters:

"We hear of 'free' spirits, fiery spirits, fiercely independent spirits, fighting spirits, proud spirits, revolutionary spirits, and just plain 'spiritedness' paraded as the essential virtues for the ideal woman.  Our culture views a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit as a pushover... A quiet and gentle spirit is not only imperishable; it is precious in the sight of God.  It's also one of the hardest qualities to cultivate.  Far from a sign of weakness, a gentle and quiet spirit is the sign of a woman who is strong in faith, mind, and character."

To be precious is to be "of great price or value; costly" and "beloved; dear". 

Biblical Womanhood is a precious thing, something we maidens have been learning alongside our family.  It is an important role that is ridiculed and mocked in this fallen world and, sadly, even in the church.  But, to God it is precious!  And God has been patiently teaching me it is far better to be considered beautiful and precious to Him, than to be thought "gorgeous" by those around me.

Yes, I will always dress my best and seek to make myself presentable, pleasing to my father and honoring to my Lord, but my focus will be on a higher beauty that will never dim.

Is the beauty you seek imperishable, or will it fade and leave you empty?  We maidens have chosen to follow after that which God considers precious.

Have you?

Blessings,

Catlia

(Julia)

I pray you will meditate on 1 Peter 3:3-4 and let the "hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit," be "precious in the sight of God."

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Draw Near

Are you staying warm on this cold day in January?  Is the cold able to seep through your doors and windows only?  Or, is the cold a matter of your heart?  I must admit at times the cold is as much in my heart as it is outside.  Negativity, a critical spirit, and a broken and contrite heart, I bring before our Father, and in Psalm 51:17, His Words say, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."  

Oh, what grace He gives to the very least, me, even me, He gives grace.  What promises we have in His Word to encourage us, to uphold us, and to continue on for Him.  His Word holds the promises, the commands; everything we need to know are in His Word, and His Word does not change.  It has not changed from the beginning of time until now, we have changed; we change when we know what's best, when we know the answers, when we fail to listen.  Yes, if only we would continually look to His Word. 

                      "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Heb. 4:1

Elyse Fitzpatrick in Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone, says, The worship of idols is the reason we're discontented, and it's why we disobey God.  Idolatry lies at the heart of every besetting sin we struggle with.  

Honoring God means that the Lord's pleasure and glory come first.  

Trusting God means having confidence in Him and obeying His commands, no matter what the cost."

Do we obey no matter the cost?  Do I obey no matter the cost?  When I read His Words, and know what He says, can I obey when the culture around me says the opposite?  Does it mean I stand alone?  Sometimes, yes.  Does our family stand alone?  Sometimes, yes.  Do we strive to live out fully His Words and what He has said to do and to be?  I pray our answer is yes, but so many times we fall prey to this world we live in, this earthly world that has no regard for the Christ who died for us, who came to give a life of eternal glory, who sacrificed His all for me, for us.

"We can rest today knowing that as we, by His grace, respond to our heavenly Father's command to surrender our idols, He'll bury them under a tree, the one at Golgotha's mount."  Idols of the Heart

The 1st commandment in Ex 20:3 says,

             "You shall have no other gods before me."

The Westminster Catechism gives the full intent of this commandment here:
"The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God and our God; and to worship and glorify Him accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of Him; believing him; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in Him; being zealous for Him; calling upon Him, giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to Him with the whole man; being careful in all things to please Him, and sorrowful when in anything He is offended; and walking humbly with Him."

Thinking about God.  Do I think of God continually or only infrequently?
Meditating on God.  Do I meditate on His character--His holiness, His goodness, His love?
Remembering God.  Do I remember Him in everything I do and say?
Esteeming God.  Am I highly esteeming Him, or do I highly esteem or value other things?
Idols of the Heart

As you meditate on the Lord this day, search your heart to see if there is anything you are setting before the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Messiah, Yahweh.  All you do should first be for Him, and everything that follows comes from your love and obedience to Him.  SEEK Christ this day, and let Him search your heart, soul, and mind for any idols you are placing before Him.

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Worry?

"Do not worry..."

"And why are you worried about clothing?

Observe how the lilies of the field grow;

they do not toil nor do they spin,

"yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory 

clothed himself like one of these."

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field,

which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,

will He not much more clothe you?

You of little faith!" 

"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things;

for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you."

So do not worry about tomorrow;

for tomorrow will care for itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:28-34

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the Lord, 

she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

Do you struggle with worry, having the right style of clothes, not getting every new gadget that comes out, making sure all the furniture in your house matches, wanting all the right landscaping so it "enhances" your home, check out the latest magazines, catalogs, and sale papers that come in the mail or in the check-out lines, trying to look a certain way whether it is hair, makeup, your body, abs, calves, arms, or a host of other vain ambitions?

Well, I Do!!!

I Do!!!

"Oh, if I could only see, really see, the lilies of the field and know God has my best in His plan, and I don't have or need to worry, by staying up late at night thinking, or seeing "perfect," (in our cultures eyes) beautiful ladies, (who probably has had surgeries, procedures, touch ups and devotes all their time to vain ambitions), wishing I could be them.  

Why not be content with who my God created me to be and how He loves me and only wants the absolute best for me.  Do I need to do more to be healthier?  Yes, so why struggle too much with things that really do not matter in the overall scheme of His plan.  

Our culture does everything it can to distract us from Who really matters, from the One who provides, Jehovah Jireh, and we fall into its trap, oh, so easily.  When we study God's Word we find our culture we are living in is at the opposite spectrum of what and how we are to live.  Are we to be wierd and live as castoffs?  No, but we are to be a peculiar people, so others may ask what it is you do differently; why do you live, look, or dress the way you do, and we can say with all authority that Jesus Christ lives in us and our desire is to reflect Him in ALL we do and say.  

Sounds easy enough, but oh, Jesus, how many times I have failed You and fall into the trap of living like everyone else.  We are imitators, just look in the magazines, or newpapers and see how pictures of groups of girls will all have the same hairstyle.  We should strive to "be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."  Eph. 5:1-2

My Jesus, the Lord and Savior of my life, the King who reigns supreme, Jehovah Jireh, my Provider,  please give me the strength I need to live close to You, as I listen to Your Word and Your Holy Spirit and You guide my EVERY step.  

I love You, Lord 

And I lift my voice

to worship You

O my soul, rejoice

Take joy my King

in what You hear

may it be a sweet, sweet sound 

in Your ear.

Always Experiencing Him,

Jody

Searcher of Hearts

Self-Knowledge

SEARCHER OF HEARTS,
It is a good day to me when thou givest me 
  a glimpse of myself;
Sin is my greatest evil,
  but thou art my greatest good;
I have cause to loathe myself,
  and not to seek self-honour,
  for no one desires to commend his own dunghill.
My country, family, church
  fare worse because of my sins,
  for sinners bring judgment in thinking
   sins are small,
  or that God is not angry with them.
Let me not take other good men as my example,
  and think I am good because I am like them,
For all good men are not so good as thou desirest,
  are not always consistent,
  do not always follow holiness,
  do not feel eternal good in sore affliction.
Show me how to know when a thing is evil
  which I think is right and good,
  how to know when what is lawful
  comes from an evil principle,
  such as desire for reputation or wealth by usury.
Give me grace to recall my needs,
  my lack of knowing thy will in Scripture,
   of wisdom to guide others,
   of daily repentance, want of which keeps thee at bay,
   of the spirit of prayer, having words
without love, 
   of zeal for thy glory, seeking my own ends,
   of joy in thee and thy will,
   of love to others.
And let me not lay my pipe 
  too short of the fountain,
  never touching the eternal spring,
  never drawing down water from above.


(The Valley of Vision)


Always Experiencing Him,
Jody