Video: Fellowship with the Father

This is an excellent video of a man named Zac Poonen (who's from India and has planted many churches) speaking about Jesus's fellowship with the Father and His great love for us. This video has moved me and motivated me deeply. I highly recommend taking just 4 minutes out and watching it today. I don't think you'll be disappointed. :)

It's All About Love

Picture is from ChristianCrafts.net

My husband and I don't celebrate many holidays. We just aren't holiday people and we try to have fun together all the time. But as my children are getting older, I think we'll try to incorporate some holiday type ideas more often and try to use them as opportunities to teach our children principles.

Sometimes I think my 3 1/2 year old is too young to understand things. However, children will usually surprise you with just how much they do understand. Even if they're just copying you right now, you're laying foundations for the rest of their lives. So here's how I have been using Valentine's Day (a Hallmark promoted holiday) to teach my children.

1. First we talked about how today is a day to think about love and how we love people
2. We talked about how God loves everyone. We then played a "game" with me asking "Does God love..." and inserting a name of someone we know. She would enthusiastically say "Yes!"
3. I sang the John 3:16 song that we have on cd. My daughter sang along by singing "The bible tells me so." Different song, but it works too. :)
4. We talked about how we're going to color pictures and do things for Daddy to show him that we love him.
5. My daughter is at the innocent age where she will blurt out "I don't like..." a person she doesn't feel so loving towards. I explain to her that even if we don't like someone, we still need to love them because God does and He wants us to love them too.
6. We talked about how even when we're bad, God still loves us and the same goes for other people as well. Even when they do bad things, we still love them.
7. Although she's too little to do a lot of crafts for Valentine's Day, I did pick up a little candy heart necklace kit we'll do after lunch today. She loves crafts. :) We'll probably make valentines for people we know as well for a craft today.
8. We talked about how God loved us so much that He sent Jesus (His Son) to the world to be with us. She doesn't understand the weight and meaning of it, but it lays a strong foundation now that we can build on as she grows older. It's important for both children and adults to store the Word in their hearts so we have the truth to keep us strong and to fall back on.

So, even though she's young, I'm trying now to instill truth and love in her now. Children are little sponges and soak it all up to use later. I hope you all have a wonderful day in God's love today! Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?

Gratituesday: Wake Up Call

Photo by ZapTheDingbat

I am thankful that sometimes God will send us a wake up call. Last night, I received the rather painful messge that I've been letting things get out of balance and it's been hurting my famly. It has a lot to do with the computer. Oh, how easy it is to let computer time get out of hand!

I haven't been managing my time well, especially in regard to the computer and I'm so thankful that I wasn't allowed to just go my own way. However painful it was to hear and realize, I'm very glad I was conforted with it so that I can begin to make the changes I need to. I encourage you, don't shy away from confrontation or reproof. It hurts for a moment, but it make a huge difference in keeping you on the right path!

So.... I'm going to be working on managing my time better and making sure I have my priorities in line! What are you grateful for this week? Hop on over to Gratituesday for some inspiration!

Our Heavenly Calling

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudumomo/ / CC BY 2.0

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven
for our Lord God. We should acustom ourselves to think of our position and work
as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but
on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow."
Martin Luther

May God bless you today as you serve your family!

Mom Monday: What Kind of Mom Do I Want To Be?

I've been reading through Life as Mom's e-book "Organizing Life as Mom" recently and she posed this question: What kind of mom do I want to be?

That's an interesting question, isn't it? My first thought was "a good mom." That's kind of vague. As I thought about it, I realized that everyone's definition of a "good mom" is probably different. I think the concept of being a good mom is obscure and out of reach and creates an unachievable extreme that can cause frustration and failure.

So, maybe I don't want to be a good mom after all. Then what kind of mom do I want to be?

I think I want to be a mom that "loves her children." I want to be a mom whose children "rise up and call her blessed" because of her wisdom and steadfast service. I want my children to remember me as a mom who made mistakes, but was quick to ask forgiveness. I want my children to remember me as a mom who pointed them towards God, instead of trying to cling on to them. I want to be a mom that guides her children, instead of forcing them around.

At the end of my time on this earth as a mom, I want to be able to say that I choose to settle for being "just mom" instead of striving in my own strength to be "super mom." I don't want to try to be perfect, I want to allow God's strength to be made perfect in my weakness. I want to be "just mom" allowing the strength of God to work through me so that one day my children may rise up and call me blessed.

How about you? What kind of mom do you want to be?

Guilt-Trip Preaching

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudumomo/ / CC BY 2.0

This is an excellence article written by Zac Poonen of Christian Fellowship Church.

"God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it" (John 3:17 -Living)

When we preach God’s Word, we must NOT preach it in such a way that we make God’s people feel guilty and condemned.

The Bible tells us to "ENCOURAGE one another" - and to do it "DAILY", if we want to save God's people from "being HARDENED through the DECEITFULNESS of sin" (Heb.3:13). That means that EVERY day, in EVERY message we preach we must ENCOURAGE the believers we preach to. Only thus will we be able to save them from sin. But Satan deceives us into thinking that we can make believers more holy and more devoted to God by making them feel guilty through our preaching. That is a lie.

The Holy Spirit does indeed convict God's children through the preaching of the Word. But He encourages them at the same time too. As we just read, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world. And God did not send His Spirit into the church to condemn believers but to encourage them. God is a God of encouragement. He always lifts up our spirits and gives us HOPE (See Rom.15:5; and 2 Cor.1:3,4). A ministry of condemnation is "an old covenant ministry" that will only lead people to spiritual death (See 2 Cor.3:7-9). The new covenant ministry however is a ministry of life that will lead them to godliness.

It is easy to fall into the trap of exposing sin in such a way in our preaching, that believers feel condemned and guilty. Then we have FAILED in our ministry and sent people on a "guilt trip". Such man-induced guilt can become a prison from which people will find it very difficult to extricate themselves.

It is a common technique among preachers (especially when they are young, inexperienced and insecure, or when they feel inferior and want to impress people) that they preach a high, unrealistic standard of holiness and thus make everyone (except themselves!!) feel guilty. The level of life they preach will be something that is impossible to achieve. It will be a level that even Jesus and the apostles did not preach or ask others to live by. These preachers themselves do not live by the standards they preach. But weak-minded believers hear their sermons and feel condemned and guilty – and get discouraged.

Most of the challenges given to believers in Christian circles, to enter into "full-time" Christian service or missionary work are based on this "guilt-trip" method. The need in various parts of the world is stressed by the preacher to such an extent that the listeners feel guilty and some of them end up quitting their jobs in order to go out as missionaries. But Jesus and the apostles never used such techniques to send anyone into the harvest field of the world. Jesus told His apostles to go to every nation in the world and to make disciples. But He did not send them out by making them feel guilty by comparing their comfortable life in Israel with the poverty in other parts of the world. It is because of such "guilt-trip" methods adopted by preachers that there is so much of shallowness among most Christian workers today. Most of them went forth to “serve the Lord” because they felt guilty about remaining in their secular jobs, after hearing a missionary challenge. God had never called them to His service. But they went forth, propelled by feelings of guilt. Full-time Christian work is such a sacred task that we have no right to engage in it, if God Himself did not call us to it.

Most of the teaching on tithing and giving in Christendom today also follows this guilt-trip method. Believers are made to feel terribly guilty for not giving money for “God's work”. Thus they end up giving thousands of rupees of their hard-earned savings to covetous preachers for their "ministry". This is one of the worst evils being perpetrated by preachers today, on poor believers – and it is all being done "in the Name of Christ". We never find Jesus using such high-pressure methods at any time. His word was, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). He told Peter, "If you love Me more than everything else, then take care of my sheep and feed them" (John 21:15-17). God loves only those who obey Him cheerfully (2 Cor.9:7).
This is God's way in the new covenant - the way of free, voluntary, joyful service, without any soulish pressure being applied by any preacher. We must learn to distinguish between the soulish pressure that clever preachers put upon us and the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit. When demons possess people they take away their freedom of choice and control them totally. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, never possesses people. He fills them. The difference is that He never takes away their freedom of choice but gives them total freedom, even after He has filled them. The Holy Spirit will never take away our free will, nor will He pressurize us – as Satan and many preachers seek to do.

We must discern "guilt-trip" sermons immediately - and reject them in our minds at once, if we want to walk in the freedom of the Spirit.

In my younger days, when I did not understand what it was to be a new-covenant servant, I too did a lot of legalistic, “guilt-trip” preaching. But I repented of it and gave it up long ago. "When I was a child, I thought like a child and spoke like a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things" (1 Cor.13:11). The "guilt-trip" method of preaching will only bring people into bondage – whereas Jesus and the Holy Spirit have come to set people free.

Every preacher who adopts the guilt-trip method of preaching is a legalist. But he does not know this. The worst legalists are those who preach from the New Testament Scriptures, in the spirit of the old covenant. They imagine that they are preaching the new covenant, but they have been deceived by Satan to preach the letter of the new covenant without entering into the spirit of the new covenant. The new covenant is not a gospel of the letter but of the spirit. The words that Jesus spoke were "spirit and life" (John 6:63). The ministry of the Spirit is never one of compulsion or condemnation, but always one of encouragement and hope. God is the "lifter of our heads" (Psa.3:3), NOT the "lowerer of our heads". He never tries to shame us into obeying Him. School-teachers may try to shame their students into obedience. But loving fathers will never do that. They get their children to obey them cheerfully, by encouraging them (See 1 Cor.4:14,15). It is by our attitude to our flock in this area that we can discover whether we are teachers or fathers. Our churches do not need teachers. We need more fathers.

We need to distinguish between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the Law. Guilt-trip preaching leads people to be discouraged and to condemn themselves. Therefore, they cannot come into a life of freedom in the Spirit and become overcomers.

Whenever a preacher adopts this guilt-trip method, it indicates that he does not really know the Lord, or the ways of the Holy Spirit. It proves that his knowledge of the Bible is poor. And he is also dishonest - for he cannot possibly be living by the standards he preaches. Jesus DID first and THEN taught (Acts 1:1). But these preachers, like the Pharisees of old, "load you with impossible demands that they themselves don't even try to keep" (Matt.23:3,4-Living).

It is impossible to have genuine fellowship with a guilt-trip preacher, for he is not poor in spirit. "The poor in spirit’ are defined in the Amplified Bible as "those who rate themselves as insignificant" (Matt.5:3). I have met very few preachers in my life who would consider themselves as insignificant. The airs with which most preachers preach proclaims to everyone that they rate themselves as "very, very important people" compared to the ordinary believers in their congregations!! I always switch off inwardly, when listening to such men, for I know that I cannot receive anything of eternal value from such proud people. Such preachers are infected by the spirit of the Accuser and that is why their "guilt-trip" preaching consists mainly of accusing others of not measuring up to God’s standards. They imagine themselves to be "prophets", but they lack the compassion of genuine prophets. Such arrogant preachers cannot possess the kingdom of heaven (Matt.5:3). And so they cannot lead others into the freedom of the Spirit (that characterises the kingdom of heaven). Such preachers will never be able to build a brotherhood or a local expression of the Body of Christ anywhere. They will only be able to build congregations of their own "admirers". May God save us all from such a calamity.
I have noticed that it is usually young men who indulge in "guilt-trip preaching". But I have also seen that if such young men do not judge themselves and seek to grow in grace, they will remain unchanged even when they are old men and become elders of churches.

Let us therefore ensure that we NEVER use the "guilt-trip" method in our preaching to try and convict others of their failure to obey God. Let us never allow any preacher to send us on a guilt trip, through his preaching. Let us repent of being legalistic teachers and seek to be fathers instead. The glory of our Lord was seen in the fullness of GRACE and TRUTH that was manifested in His life and in His words - throughout His earthly days (John 1:14). May that glory be manifested through us too. Amen and Amen.

A Fresh Start

I just want to say a quick word to any of you who might be around today, with it being New Year's Eve and all. I've been thinking of how excited I am about the new year. It feels like a new beginning, a fresh start. I can put last year's troubles, problems and failures behind me and move on with expectation and determination into a new year.

But what's interesting to me is that as a Christian, I don't just get a fresh start once a year or once a month or once a week. It's every day. Well, every moment really, but for fluidity, let's say every day.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His
compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in Him. Lamentations 3:22-24

I often feel like a failure. I make mistakes often. I fall on my face, say things I regret, and hurt others. It would be so easy to wallow in that self loathing, frustration and failure because the enemy of my soul likes to remind me of it often. He is the accuser of the brethren.

Yet God says that we can have a fresh start. Not just once in our lifetimes at our salvation "moment." Not just once a year. But every day. Every day I can choose to move on from my past failures. Every day I can begin with a fresh slate. Every moment of every day I can repent and ask God for His forgiveness and every day, because of His great mercy and faithfulness I can have a fresh start. God's goodness brings tears to my eyes. That God could look at someone as small, insignificant and filled with self doubt and failures as I am and declare that He delights in me.

May you hve a very blessed new year and remember that God would like to give you a very precious gift: a fresh start.

Giveaway: Facing the Giants

I adore this movie, Facing the Giants. Seriously. My husband and I own this movie and we have an extra, brand new copy in plastic to giveaway to one of you! I'll try my best to get the giveaway going and closed and mailed in time for Christmas, but I can't make any guarantees.

To enter the giveaway you can do any of the following, leaving a separate comment for each:

1. Tell me what you plan to do with this movie
   
2. Become a follower/feed reader or tell me if you already do (left side of the blog)
3. Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link.
4. Become a subscriber or tell me if you already do (left side)
5. Follow me on twitter or tell me if you already do
6. Become a fan of the Christian Frugal Mama Facebook page or let me know if you already are!

That's 6 chances to win! The giveaway is open from now until Friday December 10th at 11PM EST when I will randomly pick a winner. I will email the winner (so make sure you leave a way for me to email you!) and the winner will have 48 hours to respond. If they don't, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!!

Mom Momday: Selfishness

I used to think I was a very mature person. Everyone thought I was older than really was and I was usually ahead of my peers when it came to practical things like finances and school. So, I thought I was mature and I was "ok."

Then I got married and had kids. And I still thought I was okay. I was even a little proud of how I gave up my plans for a career and plans I had for my life. I thought of myself as truly selfless.

I stood in front of the mirror the other day, pining over the loss of my pre-baby body when I had a revelation that hit me like a ton of bricks. Almost the entire 4 years of my marriage I have been selfish, self centered and immature. For someone who believed the exact opposite for so long, it took a minute for all this to set in.

I've finally realized that all these years I've been spiritually immature, complaining, focused on how much I gave up, constantly thinking "if only..." etc. and I am heartily ashamed. I am so very thankful that God's given me this understanding that I can learn and grow and work at becoming a mature, selfless person in the image of Christ.

I heard a message about loving the truth and the speaker talked about how we have to not only love the truth about God and others, but we have to love the truth about ourselves, even if it's painful. Loving the truth about ourselves will keep us walking towards God, becoming more like Christ everyday.

God desires to change the un-Christlike things in our lives, but we must first acknowledge them, repent of them and ask God to help us change. It is a process, day by day and it's usually not a fun process either. But it is most definitely a profitable one.

Thanks for letting me share my heart with you and I hope to encourage you to be open and honest with God and love the truth He reveals to you, even if it's not pleasant. May God bless you this week as you move closer to becoming transformed into the image of Christ!

God Delights in You

Did you just read that title, say "uh-huh" and move on? That's what I usually do. I often read things like that and think "oh, I know that already." But then I lay awake at the end of each day and think about all the ways I failed and didn't measure up (to my own standards) and I forget all about what I "know."

God delights in us so much that He sent His son, He died for us, and as if that weren't enough, He dwells with us and in us if we've accepted His loving delight.

Why? Because I've done all the right things and said the right things and been good? No, because He is good. Because He delights in me and calls me His own. And I break His heart when I turn away from His love and accept my own frustration and feelings of failure.

As I want to weep at my failure at night, in the dark, He stands beside me whispering "I'm with you." Never will my Bridegroom leave me or forsake me. I am the one that turns away. I am the one who forgets. I am the ant carrying a grain of rice on my back, thinking I am alone.

I have been encouraged today to remember that my God delights in me. He stands by me. He loves me. And no matter how my day has been, these are the things my mind should dwell on each night, for they are eternal and true, not the result of mistaken expectations or standards. These truths will help me stand against the trials of life, against the enemy of my soul and against the unrelenting judgments of myself. In the storm, I will chose to hear "I'm with you."

Contentment

Photo by hyku

When I read these words the other day (which I've read before many times) I was pierced through to my spirit:

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.1 Timothy 6:6-9

I realized I've slowly, bit by bit, allowed myself to be ensnared. I've longed for a house since we've been married and I allowed that longing to take over, stealing my joy and contentment. It happened so gradually I didn't even fully realize what was happening until I read those words. I thank God for His profitable Word.

This discontentment was slowly dragging me down, bit by bit, day by day and began to affect every part of my life. I've finally recognized it for what it is (sin) and am determined that with the grace of the Holy Spirit I can repent and move on and strive to be content in every area of my life. Part of that includes contentment with what God has allowed into my life at this time in my life as well as the possessions I have.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be working on something new for my blog that will be emphasizing being content with what we have. I hope that sharing my experience will be profitable for someone else and I encourage you invite God to search out your heart for any discontentment. It is a poison that can spread and affect many parts of your life. May God bless you with wisdom as we start a brand new week full of brand new opportunities!

Mom Monday: Nourishing

Children. The sure take a lot out of you, don't they? Day in and day out the role of a mother is to give, give, give and when she has nothing left to give, she somehow manages to scrape up a little more to dish out. It amazes me constantly how mothers are like the basket of bread and fish that Jesus used to feed the thousands. In Jesus' hands, a mother can be used to "feed" a multitude. But what about the mother? She needs to receive sometimes too!

That's how I've felt for the last several months, like I had nothing more I could possibly give. I was running on empty and I knew it. But what I didn't know was what to do about it. I was searching everything within my power, but I just couldn't find it. I was looking too hard.

My husband shared an article with me that had the answer and what a simple answer it was, indeed!

The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing I ought to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit. -George Muller"

He goes on to tell how he used to start everyday in prayer, but he found that his mind would wander or he'd spend a lot of time praying before he felt it had effect. Sound familiar? This was how I felt all the time! All this time, my "inner man" has needed nourishment!

George Muller went on the say that he changed his practice to first begin each day by meditating on the word of God. He read not for ministry, not for prayer, etc but for the sole purpose of profiting his own spirit. But the amazing thing is that God would bless him in this attitude and the meditation would very soon turn into confession, thanksgiving, intercession, supplication or so on.

George Muller simply switched from praying first to nourishing first (which led to prayer) and noticed a huge difference in his spiritual life. In nourishing himself first, he had more to give. His meditation often produced spiritual food not just for himself, but for others too!

Take note: he does make the distinction between "just reading" and the true meditation upon the Word. Don't just read for the sake of reading the words. Rather, read a verse, stop and contemplate it. What is happening. Why? Why are the characters struggling or overcoming? How is this similar to your own life?

Think you're too weak to meditate like this? Think you need to be some Bible scholar? On the contrary! George Muller addressed that too:

We may therefore profitably meditate, with God's blessing, though we are ever so weak spiritually; nay, the weaker we are, the more we need meditation for the strengthening of our inner man.

So give it a try! I'm NOT a morning person and have a very difficult time getting up early. But I've made the effort the last two mornings and have been so incredibly blessed but what God has revealed to me in His Word. It's amazing to me that I can find so much in my life that is similar to the story of Ruth. It has been a wonderful encouragement to me, so I just want to pass along the encouragement to you. Don't let your inner man weaken for lack of nourishment!

Zac Poonen: The Few Who Find the Way

Created to be His Help Meet: Chapter 4

Last time, I wrote about Chapter Three in the book "Created to Be His Help Meet: Discover How God Can Make Your Marriage Glorious" by Debi Pearl which was about having a thankful spirit. If you're just joining us, you can start at Chapter One and Chapter Two. Many of this book's topics aren't popular today and will require us to be serious with ourselves and God. If you're ready, let's go!

Chapter Four: Thanksgiving Produces Joy
Chapters 2, 3 and 4 are all very similar, talking about joy, peace and thankfulness. Debi Pearl writes:

Live with thanksgiving, forgiveness, and joy, and enjoy all your moments as if they were your last.... You have control over whether or not you and your husband will be "heirs together of the grace of life" (1 Peter 3:7) or partners together in the tension and stress of life. You have much more control than you know.

Debi then tells a story where she was given a chance to become angry and bitter toward her husband, but she instead chose to love and forgive and find joy in it. We're so used to responding in anger when we don't get our way or people act in a way we don't aprove of. How does that affect our relationships? We have to choose to be angry and bitter. Why not choose thankfulness and joy instead? When our husbands don't do what we want (like taking out the garbage), should we become bitter about it or should we learn to enjoy helping him with it (not nagging, but doing it ourselves)?

Debi emphasizes that we and our husbands are playmates in this life together. Look for ways to have FUN in life. So often we drag ourselves through life without joy, peace or thanksgiving. Why not look for ways to enjoy life with our spouses instead?

She encourages us to remember that we are his helper and one of the things he needs is a playmate. Someone to make life more enjoyable. Someday you could have a wonderful relationship, but not because he's perfect or does everything you want, not because you are perfect or nag him to "help" him be a better person. You could have a wonderful relationship if you chose to go through your life and marriage with an outlook of forgiveness, not taking offense, even when you have a right to and being thankful for each day you have. You can have goodwill and a merry heart towards each other, if you chose to.

Lastly, remember that it's never too late to start. You can begin a life of thankfulness and joy from this day forward. Though you may think too much bad has happened, remember that Jesus' love and forgiveness can reach you wherever you are and you can begin changing your own attitude right now. Remember: practice makes perfect. Try practicing have a merry, thankful heart and goodwill towards your husband, no matter what has happened between you. Forgive him. Remember, you will never have to forgive anyone more than Jesus has forgiven you and we are commanded to forgive, no strings attached. I know with God's help we can do it!

Questions to ponder this week:

• Am I my husband's playmate?
• Do I chose to forgive and forget regularly? Do I have goodwill towards my husband?
• Do I find joy and thankfulness in doing things my husband doesn't when I want him to or do I harbor bitterness in my heart?
• Am I willing to begin a life of forgiveness today, remember that Jesus first forgave me?
• What do I have to be thankful in my life?

Do you have a thought or post you'd like to share on marriage? Feel free to leave a comment and share with us!

Follow the Leader

I love some movies because of the way they speak to me. Recently, I was watching another of my favorite movies, The Nativity Story. Sure, they take some creative liberties, but overall I think they did an excellent job of portraying the events surrounding Christ's birth.

Every time I watch The Nativity Story, I'm reminded of just how real Jesus was and the struggles the people in the Bible really went through. It's so easy to read the Bible and only hear dry words without feeling the struggles, emotions and life experiences of the people in the stories.

This last time I watched The Nativity Story (while working out even!), a thought occurred to me. So often, Mary is looked at as an extremely faithful, godly, spiritual woman. I don't disagree. An angel came to her and told her she would bear the Son of God and she believed! But what stuck out to me this time was this:

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13

and this:

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Matthew 2:19-20

Mary had been spoken to by an angel before, so why didn't the angel speak to Mary again and tell her to flee with the child? I find it interesting that after Joseph and Mary were married, the angel spoke to Joseph about their direction as a family. I think it's because Joseph was recognized by God as the head of the family.

What would have happened if Mary had disagreed with Joseph? What if she had dragged her feet and refused to follow his leadership? The results could have been disastrous. Is it any less dangerous when we resist the God ordained leadership of our husbands? I believe it is very dangerous to resist our husband's leadership and I hope to linger over this lesson so it will stick with me the next time I am tempted to follow my own lead!

Dancing With God

"By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life." Psalm 42:8

I seriously like Evan Almighty. It's a cute movie, funny and silly, but has it's serious moments too. I wouldn't promote it as a "Christian" movie to be taken seriously doctrinally, but there are a few scenes that really move me.

One such scene is at the end, where "God" tells Evan it's time to do the dance. Evan asks if God would care to join him and then they proceed to dance and God laughs at Evan's silly moves. This brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it.

Before you think I'm crazy, hear me out. How often do we take time to enjoy God? To dance with Him? To remember that He's not against us as Christians, but rather is a loving, kind, good Father that takes delight in His children?

I often feel like God's against me, just waiting for me to mess up so He can punish or chastise me. I have a perfectionist nature which leads to a constant feeling of failure. I feel I never do enough, good enough, fast enough, often enough.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. Psalm 5:11

Let us rejoice today, dance with gladness and take heart that we have a Father that takes delight in us as His people!

Created to be His Help Meet: Chapter 3

Last time, I wrote about Chapter Two in the book "Created to Be His Help Meet: Discover How God Can Make Your Marriage Glorious" by Debi Pearl which was about having a merry heart. If you're just joining us, you can start at Chapter One. Many of this book's topics aren't popular today and will require us to be serious with ourselves and God. If you're ready, let's go!

Chapter Three: A Thankful Spirit
A thought from Debi Pearl:

A wise woman sets a joyful mood in her home. Through laughter, music, and happy times, she creates a positive attitude in her children. She knows that a lighthearted home relieves her husband of stress.

It can be difficult some days to have a thankful, merry heart (like we talked about last week). This chapter especially talks about discontentment-like when we don't have the money/lifestyle we think we should. "All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast" (Proverbs 15:15) Debi says that discontentment is not a product of our circumstances, but of our souls. If we choose to be content and joyful in our hearts, our lives and homes will reflect that.


"...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phillipians 4:11) It's funny how our mindset can change the course of our day and our relationships. You know the saying "when mom is happy..." It's true. And mom should be happy all the time. Not a situational, flimsy, selfish happy, but a true joy of God (because it is a fruit of the spirit) knowing that God has richly blessed us with not only salvation, but even worldly comforts (even if they aren't up to our own standards).

Some people may say that "I'm just not a naturally happy person." I would ask them if they are a natural cook (or whatever they are) or did they have to practice to become what they are now? The point is, joy, just like anything else, needs to be practiced. And when you fail, try again! Learn to be thankful. Learn to smile each day. Learn to enjoy you life!

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." (Colossians 3:15) Often, with joy comes peace. I wrote several of the verses Debi listed on joy and contentment on an idex card and put it on my dresser. I often read through them when I am dressing and such and Proverbs 15:15 is now becoming etched in my heart. I would encourage you to do the same!

Questions to ponder this week:

• Do you walk to joy most of the time? Some of the time? Rarely? Start where you're at and ask God to help you practice to become more joyful.
• Do your circumstances steal you joy, cause you stress or cause strife in your marriage? Would becoming content with your state give you and your family more peace and joy?
• How are your children's attitudes? Are they reflecting your attitude?

Do you have an encouraging thought to share on Wifehood? Tell us about it!

Mom Monday: Wisdom

One of my greatest struggles with raising my children right now is how much t.v. I allow my 3 year old to watch. We don't have cable, but we do allow her to get movies (like Dora, Blue Clues, etc) from the library, plus what we already own. I don't allow her to watch much, but I still struggle with how much is too much.

I believe the answer is different for every family and that's ok. It'll also differ day by day, situation by situation. Use your discretion, because God appointed YOU caretaker of your children. He'll also give you the wisdom to know what to do. All you need to do is ask.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

How are you doing with wisdom in loving your children and making decisions regarding them? Are there areas in which you feel you could use more of God's wisdom? I encourage you today, mothers, ask God what to do in these situations and He'll give you the wisdom to handle it!

Just wondering, how do you handle the t.v. in your home? And if you're interested, I am running a giveaway for 2 Boz the Bear Christian Preschooler DVDs, which make me feel a little better about allowing my daughter to watch t.v. :)

Faithfulness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kudumomo/ / CC BY 2.0

Prove yourself faithful in what you have to do today, in this moment, and then God will bring along opportunities when He decides that you're ready. It's so easy to try and jump ahead of ourselves. Rest in the fact that God knows all that you are able to bear and focus on moving forward tiny step by tiny little step.

Created to be His Help Meet: Chapter 2

Last time, I wrote about Chapter One in the book "Created to Be His Help Meet: Discover How God Can Make Your Marriage Glorious" by Debi Pearl which was about changing the way we think about ourselves in relation to our husbands. Many of these topics aren't popular today and will require us to be serious with ourselves and God. If you're ready, let's go!

Chapter 2: A Merry Heart
This week is pretty simple and straightforward. The topic for this chapter comes from the verse Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." The main message is self explanatory. A smile is contagious and infectiously spreads a good mood to all those around you. All people, including your husband, love a smiling woman with joy in her heart. Not only will smiling lift the mood of those around you, but it will be like medicine to your own heart as well.

Some days, a smile and joyful heart will take effort. A lot of effort. But you have to decide to have be joyful and make the effort for your husband. He and your marriage are worth the effort! Some days, you have to fight for your marriage.

I know that I often am tired and weary after a long day of dealing with two little ones and the last thing I want to do is make an effort to smile and be joyful. My husband has told me before that it can be difficult to want to be around me when I'm "in a mood." I know the Lord tells us to be filled with joy, so that is my goal to strive for. I'm not there yet, but I will keep on asking God to fill me, both for my marriage and for me!

Questions to ponder this week:

• When you and your husband first met, did you laugh a lot together? Do you still?
• Do you mope around and have a long face?
• Are you still your husband's sweet smiling lover and admirer?
• Do you bring a smile to his face when he looks at you or do you cause his joy to dry up?

Ask God to fill you with joy, one of the fruits of the spirit, and to be mindful to show it outwardly, especially to your husband. God gives abundantly to those who ask and believe! Do you have a thought to share on Wifehood? Leave us a comment!