Contentment

This months' study in Disciplines of a Godly Woman was on contentment. I liked how she evaluated contentment as godly discontent or ungodly. 

I want to have a godly discontentment with my relationship with God - always longing for more of Him, more time in His Word....

I want to stop and ask myself, why am I discontent? And if it's ungodly discontent with my circumstances or those around me, I want to throw it out the window in search of a stronger relationship with God!

"If contentment is found in a growing knowledge of God combined with trust in God regardless of your circumstances, what is missing from your Christian life when you are discontented - knowledge or trust?"

 As the deer pants for the water brooks, 
So my soul pants for You, O God. 
Psalm 42:1

Encouraging Article

I ran across this article and was so encouraged that I want to share it with a few friends....

What I Do with the Hard Things in My Life

(Written for the Gospel Women Study at College Church by Mary Duvel, published in Barbara Hughes 'Disciplines of a Godly Woman', pages 243-244.)

1. 
   
   
   Immerse myself in the Word of God. His divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3).
2. 
   
   
   Realise: a) He is in sovereign control of all that concerns me, His child. Everything is sifted through His fingers first. b) God has given each of us our own race to run. We are to keep our eyes fixed on Him and stay in our own lane, not comparing our lives or the life of someone we love to the lives of others (1 Cor 7:17, Heb 12:1-2). c) God does not give us grace for someone else's race. d) God does not ask us to understand His ways, but He asks us to trust Him implicitly. He sees the whole, eternal picture. e) My lack of faith does not nullify His faithfulness (Rom 3:3). f) I am not the point, He is. It is not about me getting out of suffocating pain; it is about His Son being revealed in me, about God's image being released in me. (This idea is from 'Finding God' by Larry Crabb.)
3. 
   
   
   Yield to the instrument of refinement He has chosen in my life. God cannot fulfill His purpose in me when I am kicking and screaming.
4. 
   
   
   Confess that I don't know how to yield, that I am helpless and angry. God is big enough to take it.
5. 
   
   
   Confirm that I am willing to be taught in the midst of this pain and difficulty.
6. 
   
   
   Ask in the disappointment, loss, isolation, and pain that the Holy Spirit will teach me through the Word to trust God and understand who God is in all His mercy and love.
7. 
   
   
   Seek to walk in obedience through the storm and not waste my energy fretting.
8. 
   
   
   Know that the secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances. (This thought is from 'Keep a Quiet Heart' by Elizabeth Elliot.)
9. 
   
   
   Remain hopeful that through all of life's changes, we are secure in the knowledge that we will see his face and be fully satisfied. (Psalm 17:15).
10. 
    
    
    Press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of us (Phil 3:12, Acts 20:24)!

Weight Loss

Really struggled with discipline in the area of eating over the weekend, which bled a bit into my week. Doing very well today, and want to exercise, but am EXHAUSTED as Mya has had a stuffy nose and cough and is not sleeping well at night. I might just have to take a nap!
Haven't lost more, but haven't gained. Down 5 pounds so far.

Hebrews

SOOOO looking forward to digging into the book of Hebrews for the next 6 weeks in our Word of Life Quiet Time! Here is a section of the introduction by Don Kelso:

The key word in Hebrews is "better": used 13 times. It literally means higher in rank; thus, more prominent. 'Better' is used in the Book of Hebrews to build a series of comparisons:
a. Christ is a better messenger than prophets or angels (1:1-2:18)
b. Christ is a better apostle than Moses (3:1-6)
c. Christ gives a better rest than Joshua (4:1-10)
d. Christ is a better priest than Aaron (4:14-7:28)
e. The New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant (8:1-9:28)
f. Christ is a better sacrifice than the OT sacrifices (10:1-18)
g. The Christian life of "faith" is a better way to live (10:32-12:29)

WOW!

Random thoughts from Bible Study

Just wanted to share some random thoughts from my Bible study, A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place, Member Book UPDATED.

Exodus 33
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way."

God was going to send an angel with them, win wars, fulfill His covenant, but He would not go with them. Moses said, PLEASE! If your presence does not go with us, do not lead us from here! Moses had experienced God's presence. Verse 11 tells us that "The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." Moses would rather not go to the promised land if it was going to cost Him the presence of God!

I want to have the same kind of passion. NOTHING on earth is worth risking separating myself from the presence of God! Sin keeps me from the presence of God. He is Holy and cannot tolerate sin! I want to ALWAYS view sin in that point of view! Of course I can't be perfect, but in my striving for self-discipline, I want to sin less, and have a short account with sin. I want to be sensitive and confess sin quickly, turning away from it.

Verse 16 says "Or wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." In other words, If you don't go with us, how will they know we're Your people?

I want people to know that I am God's because of the time I spend in His presence. As I spend time in His presence, I will become distinguishably His!

God, please transform my life. I want to be more like You. Please wash me with Your word, and do a work in my life that is immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine.