Loved

Psalm 126:5-6

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. Psalm 126:5-6

Tears for our unsaved loved ones. Tears for our church. Tears for our sins and the sins of others.

 These are precious seeds that we must sow. Just like a farmer that sows his seed that is so dear to him because he has little for his family, yet buries it with the expectation that he will receive it again with advantage. Ruth, Job, Joseph and many others had harvests of joy after sorrowful seasons. They kept their hope and trust in God and remained faithful to Him.

Sow in obedience.

Sow in repentance.

Sow faithfully.

“Sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping. If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. If we were never captives we could never lead our captivity captive. Our mouth had never been filled with holy laughter if it had not been first filled with the bitterness of grief.”  -Spurgeon

For the Single Ladies.

I came across this a while back and i truly feel it may speak to some of you. I loved it!

To my Beloved, 

I love you, Daughter.

You are so special to me, a unique child I made before there was time. I am proud of you, and the woman you have become, and the woman you are going to be. But so often you lose sight of what I have done for you. I hear the cries of your heart; I know the pains from your past, the broken relationships, your regrets, your fears, and I know them all. Let me fill the empty places and bless the pieces of your spirit that are longing to grow. Let me be your identity. Someday my child we will be together, but until that day, you must seek first my kingdom, I promise to care for you. Your life is carefully crafted within my hands; please don’t neglect this time I have given you as a single person. My vision is perfect, I seek clearly who you are, who you will be and who will enter or leave your life. But that is not to be on your shoulders, mine are strong enough. Let me guide those who are going to touch your life. I am working on your mate right now, molding him into something beautiful, and molding him into a man worthy of you. It is time to stop looking for the right person and it is time to start being the right person: the intricate and stunning woman I’ve created, the person I’ve written on another’s heart to cherish. Some days will be hard, some days you will pray and pray that he will notice you, love you, that he will show up, and that today you will know that he is the one.

And on those days, surrender your heart to me and rest in the fact that I have everything worked out. Center your identity, your person on me and I will never fail you. For I am your Abba Father, I am your perfect love, and I am the completeness of your heart. Return to me. Welcome me with the spirit that knows who I am and delights in it, as I delight in you. 

But as I delight and rejoice in the prism of majesty, that is the light in your eyes and the warmth of your heart, remember to put me first. Remember me on the days where your heart is bursting with joy; remember me on days where your heart is breaking. Remember that I am the only one who can fill your voids, who can take away your pains, who can be your all in all.

 It’s not enough to say that I am important to you. I want your heart; I want your devotion, your love, and your time.

I love every moment we get together, the songs you sing to me, the prayer you pray to me, and the conversations we have. Let go of the control you so often try to for on my carefully orchestrated plan for you. Can you see the end of the beginning? I can, and do, and it breaks my heart when you deny me the pleasure of bringing goodness and mercy in your life because you feel something is best. What happens if I want to bring something better? 

Love,

Your Father in Heaven 

Who keeps his promises!

True Beauty.

In a culture that idolizes physical beauty and physique, where do we find our personal worth? Upon what should our self-worth be based? What gives us value as human beings? How can we focus on inner beauty in a culture seemingly obsessed with physical beauty? 

A lot of women suffer from poor self-esteem in one major area: physical appearance. So many of us are obsessed about our weight, our hair, and how we dress for unhealthy reasons. We tell ourselves that guys, even Christian ones, are shallow and visually-stimulated, so we resign ourselves to trying to pull off the supermodel look, some even going to extreme measures to make ourselves and others happy with our looks. We are convinced that to accept ourselves as truly beautiful, we need to look like models on the cover of every magazine. 

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A Gentle and Quiet Spirit.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.” 1 Peter 3:3-5

I’ve loved these verses for a really long time. Peter is directing these verses at wives, instructing them to submit to their husbands, but they apply to single women as well. True beauty is the fruit of a gentle and quiet spirit and it only makes sense that a quiet spirit manifests itself in a quiet demeanor. The words completely contradict the world’s concept of beauty. They set forth God’s standard for his daughters. 

A meek and quiet spirit. Is it possible? I believe that it is, but we have to seek to cultivate it. Unfortunately, it won’t just happen because we are a Christian woman. I think that most of us carry around a definition of the phrase “gentle and quiet” that does not necessarily reflect what the Bible means.

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Knowledge, Wisdom, and Fearing the Lord.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Proverbs 31:30


For the past few months this verse has been stuck in my head. The last part of it made me think, what does it mean to actually “Fear the Lord” and what happens once you do? 

Some believe that fear of God means to respect Him. Respect is definitely included in the concept, but there is more to it than that. Its understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin, even in the life of a believer.

Fear is reverence of God.

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Waiting on the Lord.

Our timing and God’s timing are very different. I’ve been learning this the hard way the past few months. Often times, I lose my patience. I try to do things on my own. Whenever I do, it never works out. Never. I’m learning to truly trust God. We ask God for answers and we want them now. Although He hears us, He doesn’t always give the response we expect.

God has three different answers to our prayers: 

1. Yes. 
2. No. 
3. Wait. 

We don’t like to wait. 

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Have faith . Trust God . Stop Worrying .

I have spent a lot of time worrying. I worry about work, schedules, what college I want to go to, friendships, responsibilities, family, finances, and other people’s worries. I know a lot of people struggle with the same thing. And we need to stop.


Why?

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