Godly feet

Pr. 7:11: “She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home.”. 

Being a stay-at-home mom, I can easily understand what this harlot should have been doing.  (Hang with me, men).  It says her feet would not stay home.

She had responsibilities she should have been home taking care of.  She had a husband that relied on her to be trustworthy while he was away.

She was loud and rebellious, not caring about what she ought to be doing.  No doubt the phrase, “I’m going to do what I want, when I want, and no on is going to stop me” was something she believed.

In Titus 2, Paul writes out some of the qualities of a sound church.  Older men are to be sober, reverent, temperate, and sound in faith, love, and patience.  In other words, men are expected to behave sensibly and respectfully.  They should be able to show restraint because of their faith.

Women are asked to also be reverent, not slanderers, not given to much wine, and to be teachers of good things.  They are also to be a good example for younger women, demonstrating how to love their husbands and children, how to be discreet and chaste, obedient, and how to be good homemakers.

Eeeeek!  This goes against so much that our society teaches right now.  I know.  I get it.  I’m sorry.

The thing is, though, the Word hasn’t changed.  God has not changed.  He still expects us to live lives that are godly and reverent, and that being honor and glory to Him.

The harlot in that verse wasn’t doing any of the things she should have been doing, and was, in fact, doing exactly what she shouldn’t.

When we serve the Lord, we cannot just act any way we want.  No, we aren’t going to be perfect, but that doesn’t give us the excuse to not even try to live a godly life.

When we choose to serve the Lord, we are expected to make some changes.  If our lives are to point others to Him and to glorify Him, we must make every effort to live as examples.

We need to keep our feet at home, which for us means we need to be about our own business and about the business of the Lord.  We also don’t need to be loud or rebellious, but instead we should be discreet, respectful, and submissive to the word of God.

Those things don’t make us weak or mindless, they make us strong, full of integrity, and influential for Christ.  And, contrary to what the world tells us, being influential for Christ is why we are here.  That is the goal.

Let’s be loud in our obedience to Christ, and be faithful in our example.

In charge of my feet,

jamie

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Month of Prayer, Day 19

Lord, truly, I would have perished in my affliction if it hadn’t been for You.  Your Word is what has given me life.  I praise You for this, Lord! You have saved me.  You have saved me in this life, and You have given me eternal salvation, as well.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Lord, help me to walk in integrity.  Keep foolishness and perversity far from me.  Let Your Word be what guides my steps.  Continue to grow in me the discretion that makes me slow to anger, overlooking transgressions and weaknesses.  Help me to see those around me through the lenses of  love and understanding.

Keep contentions and arguments far from me, so that I may be a prudent wife.  Help me not to allow laziness and idleness be my companions.  Let me give to those in need, chasten my children while they’re young, be careful of my ways, and continue in Your Word.

Let my ears be open to instruction and counsel, that I may be wise in my latter years.

Although the enemy waits to destroy, I trust You to keep evil far from me.  I know that You will not allow evil to overtake me.  I am Yours.  You love me like no other and You are the God who is in control.  Satan may have a loud roar, but Yours, O Lord, is louder!  You are the Alpha and Omega.  You are the King of Kings!  You are the Lord of Lords!  You are the Great I AM.  You are Lord of all.  And I praise You!

Thank You for choosing me, Lord.  I am happy to be called Yours.  Thank You for hearing my prayer.  You are a good, good God!

I love you,

jamie

Happy birthday, dad!

Pr. 4:1:  “Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding.”

Today is my dad’s birthday.  The most amazing thing about that is that about 14 years ago, doctor’s said he probably wouldn’t live 2 more years.  Yeah, dad!  That stubborn determination sure pays off sometimes, huh?  🙂

I am grateful today that, regardless of what medical science could prove, the Lord had different plans for my father.

I’m thinking of the instruction my father taught me over the years…of the things he wanted me to understand.

He let me dig up worms for our fishing trips when I was a kid.  He wanted me to understand how to be industrious and fearless.

He made me wear a shirt when we were working in our garden when I was six, even though all the guys had theirs off.  He wanted me to understand discretion.

He took time to play Weeble Wobbles with me when I was little.  He wanted me to understand that I was important to him.

He taught me how to drive when it was time, and although I wanted to drive like Dale Earnhardt, he wanted me to understand that safety was pretty important.

He took us to my cousin’s houses, to family events, and on family vacations.  He wanted me to understand how to enjoy life and family, and which investments would last longer than most.

He worked hard at church.  He wanted me to understand that the Lord’s house was worthy of our time and our respect.

In sickness, my dad’s perspective on life shifted a bit.  Little things that used to bother him or get him upset no longer seemed too big of a deal.  He began to appreciate family and the little blessings in life in a way he never had before.

Over and over since then, he has reminded me that there’s no need to get upset about little things in life.  He wants me to understand what’s really important and treat each day as a gift from God.

He texts me almost every morning, proclaiming that “this is the day the Lord has made,” or simply reminding me that it’s a blessing to have another day.  He reminds me every time we speak that he is blessed. He wants me to understand that it’s not possessions, perfect health, status, or any other worldly ideal that makes us blessed.  He wants me to understand that being a child of God is the true blessing.  He wants me to understand that each day we’re alive is one more opportunity to invest in what truly matters.

So, thanks, dad, for the instructions.  See?  I have been paying attention after all.  ha!  And I love you.  ❤

Blessed,

jamie

Not all traditions are bad

2 Thessalonians speaks of one who will come in deceit, proclaiming to be God.  Paul reminds the church that they were called by the gospel, for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He urges the church to stand fast and hold the traditions which we were taught, so as not to be deceived.

Religious traditions get a bad rap, and sometimes rightfully so.  God did not call us to ‘religion’, but to Him.  We can clearly read that Jesus didn’t care for men’s religious rules, but for true worship and belief.

On the other hand, some traditions are pivotal in keeping us as a true follower of Christ.  How can we follow someone we don’t know?  Reading our Bible opens our hearts and minds to truly know the Lord.  How can we have a relationship with someone with whom we don’t speak?  Praying keeps us humble before the mighty God, and open to asking for His own will in our lives.  Prayer reminds us who it is upon which we depend.

Pr. 1:3 reminds us that the traditions of prudence, knowledge, and discretion are located in God’s Word, and are also very beneficial to us.  “To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”

There are deceitful teachings around us that call discretion ‘out-dated’, prudence ‘old fashioned’, and knowledge of God’s Word ‘unnecessary and narrow-minded.’  The Lord reminds us through Paul; however, that some ‘traditional’ things will keep us from being deceived by one who is not the Living God.  We were called to believe in the truth, and traditions that enhance our belief are beneficial.

I’m not telling anyone to get busy keep man’s rules.  I’m encouraging us to hold tightly to the things remind us of the truth of God’s Word, and keep us close to Him.  Those are the things that just might save our lives.

Stand fast,

jamie

Walking safely

Pr. 3:23:  “Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble.”

After I got out of the vehicle at church last night, I promptly tripped.  Although there was nothing noticeable on the ground in my path, I stumbled, but thankfully didn’t fall.

In this chapter of Proverbs, Solomon tells us about the benefits of having wisdom.  One of the benefits of keeping sound wisdom and discretion close is that we will walk safely in our way, and our foot will not stumble.

God’s wisdom helps us to be more aware of the obstacles and roadblocks satan places in our paths.  When we have wisdom, we are more able to recognize those obstacles for what they really are:  temptations positioned to trip us up, cause us to fall, and cause us to lose our bearings.

Discretion allows us to prepare to purposefully avoid certain obstacles.  Instead of walking straight towards them, we are able to make choices that lead us away from or around them.

Unfortunately, there are times when we still make missteps over certain obstacles.  We may hesitate to choose God’s will over the flesh, or we might actually fall.  However, God gives us the wisdom to keep us from staying down.  He gives us discretion to help us put plans in action to keep from tripping over the same obstacles over and over.

As long as we are on this earth there will be stumbling blocks in our path.  If we want to walk as safely as possible, we must keep wisdom and discretion close.  They will enlighten the path before us, and lead us to those streets of gold.

Watching my step,

jamie

 

How ya sleeping?

Pr. 3:24:  “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.”

Solomon wrote that when we keep wisdom and discretion this will be one of the results.

I have nights where I awake in the middle of the night and am bombarded by terribly self-defeating thoughts.  I suppose that during the day I am more alert and ready to defend myself, but at night I am groggy and vulnerable.

This happened to me again last night.  As I was lying there being  attacked by thoughts of defeat, doubt, hopelessness, and despair, I heard these words come to the surface of my mind:

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

Christ alone is my Cornerstone.  On Him, the Solid Rock, I stand, and certainly all other ground is sinking sand.

Verse 2 says,  “When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace.”  How fitting for the middle of the night when my thoughts loomed so largely in the forefront of my mind.

Through wisdom, I was able to rest on His unchanging grace last night.  Through discretion, I was able to apply good judgment to which thoughts I would allow to take me captive and which I would no longer entertain.

Remembering on whom my hope is built brought me peace and I was able to rest sweetly the remainder of the night.

This is a good example of a reason we must have the Lord’s wisdom in our lives.  Satan loves to attack our thoughts with fear, deception, and lies.  Often he uses half truths to attack us, which is why we sometimes believe or give in.

If we know the Word, and His truth, we will be able to take up our shield of faith and withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one.  We will be able to remind ourselves that do not need to place our trust in “the sweetest frames,” but wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

If we know the Word, we can rest on the fact that our hope isn’t built on anything that will sink or corrode, but is on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and His righteousness.

We have all we need in Christ.  I pray that when thoughts to the contrary attempt to take you captive, you will remember this story, and be able to rest sweetly in the truth of the Word.  I pray I will, too.

Trusting in Him,

jamie

Lips dripping with knowledge

Pr. 5:2:  “That you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge.”

Canning is a beautiful art.  You can take fruit, vegetables, meat, and herbs in the height of their freshness and preserve the taste and beauty they hold.  You can eat delicious tomatoes in the middle of winter that are almost as lovely as those that were harvested fully ripe.  Grapes can be plucked right off the vine and turned into delicious jelly you can use any time the craving arises.  Fresh fish can be canned and stored to feed a family all winter when fishing is an impossibility.

Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine is.

The catch is this:  you cannot just throw some tomatoes in a jar, put them on a shelf, and expect them to remain preserved.  Bacteria can quickly grow in a jar of unsealed food, leaving the food dangerous and deadly.  Canning is a labor-intensive process that requires preparation, diligence, knowledge, and commitment.

So, it is with discretion.  We cannot just expect to preserve that within ourselves when surrounded by indiscretions.  We must diligently and knowledgeably commit ourselves to guarding discretion in our lives.  We cannot neglect the seeds of indiscretion that try to multiply in our lives through temptations, tv and movies, media, books, music, etc.

That is not to say that we cannot enjoy our lives, but keeping knowledge on our lips requires alertness and carefulness.  Sometimes it can be laborious.  Sometimes we may feel like we’re missing out on something.  It is a labor; however, that is worth the trouble.

If we want juicy fruits of the Spirit to drip from our lips, if we want to be filled with the tastes of wisdom and knowledge, if we want to enjoy fruit during the “off-season,” we must plan and pay attention to preserving those things.  We must continue to check that our seals are not allowing bacteria to seep in and grow.

Enjoy the fruits,

jamie

How to fight the giants

Pr. 2:10-11:  “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.” 

How do we get wisdom to enter our heart?  How does knowledge become pleasant our souls?  We read and meditate on the Word of God.  We spend time with our Lord in prayer.  We allow the sweet Holy Spirit to guide us and speak the deep things of God to us throughout our day.  If we simply spend time with God, His word will bore into our minds, hearts, and souls and discretion, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge will naturally come.

What I have found is that the more I have of God, the more I want.  The more I stay in His presence, the more I long for His presence in my life.  The more I allow His will to guide my decisions, the more I want His advice.  This is how knowledge becomes pleasant to our souls.

I remember reading how David longed for God, and for God’s presence.  David danced before the Lord with all of his might.  His trust was only in the Lord and He called out to the Lord when He needed anything.  He praised the Lord with harp, song, and word.  He meditated on the scriptures and made them a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path.  The Lord was the first thing on his mind when he awoke.  The Psalms are full of David’s heart being poured out before the Lord.  This is what happens when we truly get into His presence on a regular basis.  David sought the Lord, and the Lord showed Himself to David and protected Him.

David made mistakes, but God still called him a man after His own heart, because David truly loved and longed for God.  He wasn’t a perfect person, but His Savior was perfect beyond measure and David counted on the Lord to guide and keep Him.  David understood that he had no strength but God.

Ps. 93:4 says, “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.”  I’m not sure who wrote this Psalm, but I know that David knew this to be true.  Without the Lord, David was just a boy facing a giant that could not be defeated.  David, however, understood that the battle was the Lord’s and that he was simply the instrument the Lord was using to defeat the giant and bring glory to God.

When this kind of wisdom enters our heart, truly we will live in safety.  We understand that life is not about us, our weaknesses, or our strengths.  Knowledge of the Holy One will give us the pleasant truth that God is truly in control.  God will fight our giants.

We only get this knowledge in His presence.  David spent time with God, even time on his face worshiping the Lord who is mightier than the waves of the sea.  His life is a good example for us of how we should live our lives.  He’s not the only one allowed to live this way.  Let’s take a few notes from David today and allow the Lord to opportunity to preserve and keep us.

“Therefore I will play music before the Lord.  And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight.”  -David, 2 Sam. 6:21-22

jamie

Are you making your foolishness known?

Pr. 14:33:  “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known.”

When we have true wisdom, we do not need to parade it around, shout it from the rooftops, and make sure that everyone with whom we come into contact knows all about it.  True wisdom rests.  True wisdom is stored up in the soul waiting for the appropriate moment to arise.  When most needed, wisdom will pour forth from the heart of the one storing it up.

Not everyone needs to hear our “wisdom.”  Fools blurt out anything they know at any moment to any person.  Discretion and discernment are far from the heart of fools.

When I was young, I knew a girl who was one of the meanest people I have ever met.  I remember a moment when she was upset and crying and telling me over and over, “I am a nice person.”  I had heard her say that before, and as I sat there, just listening, all I could think was, “I think if you’re really a nice person you don’t have to tell people it is so.  They would just know.”

I think this verse describes wisdom the same way.  If we truly have wisdom, we don’t have to say so or make sure everyone knows about all the wisdom we think we have.  It will seep out calmly and naturally in conversation…or it won’t, it will come out in the exact moment when it’s needed, or it may surprise you.

1 Cor. 2 talks about a hidden wisdom that lies inside those who are led by the Holy Spirit.  He reveals to us the things of God.  We do not think them up on our own…in our own amazing wisdom.  In fact, it reminds us that to those without the Holy Spirit, the things of God seem like foolishness.

Let’s spend a season storing up wisdom in our hearts and let our mouths rest a bit.  The Holy Spirit will speak to you when you are in the Word and in prayer and reveal to you the things of God.  He will store up those things He reveals in your heart, if you allow it.  When the appropriate moment comes along, He will let you know to speak.  Instead of spouting off everything you know, wisdom will pour from your lips and will be the soothing balm or the exact word someone was needing.

Storing up,

jamie

Happy Mother’s Day to all you beautiful women of God!

Pr. 11:22 tells us that, “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.” 

Discretion is the ability to keep private things private, the ability to make wise choices about the words that come out of our mouth, and the ability to make wise judgments about how to behave and speak in certain situations.

Discretion is currently one of the most lacking abilities in our world.  Beauty and attention are 2 of the main priorities in our culture and beauty is worshiped, sought after, and is a billion dollar industry.  Regardless of how lovely we may look on the outside, The Lord says that if we have no discretion, we just look like a pig with a gold accessory.  If we have no discretion, we live and bathe in filth, we cause disease to our relationships and we love to feed on slop.  How unhealthy and unlovely that truly makes us.

Where does our true beauty lie?  Pr. 31:30 tells us that, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praise.”  There is no beauty product in the world that can shine brighter than Jesus within us.  If we set our eyes on the things above we will be able to see what’s real and what’s truly important.

As in everything else, we can gain wisdom and the ability to be discreet by simply asking The Lord for help and staying in God’s Word.  Without Him we can do nothing, but With Him…anything.  Help us, Lord, to love you and to love discretion so we can truly be the beautiful creations You made us to be.

Perfect song to accompany this post.  Enjoy.   “Captivate Us” by Watermark:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO6uyJcBclw

Come on, ladies!!  Let’s set a new trend.  🙂

jamie