Word FILLED Wednesday: His Likeness...

I sort of chant "slow to anger, abounding in love" to myself these days. My dear, Sweet Boobahs do not like to be told NO and made to obey...big surprise. Since having these children, I have discovered that my selfishness produces a very nasty anger problem. It makes me miserable.

Oh, I want to be like my Lord...slow to anger, abounding in love!

Do you chant any helpful verses to yourself during the day?

To check out all the other neat WFW posts head over to....PennyRaine....

Word FILLED Wednesday: Lent...

As many know, our family has enjoyed taking the entire month of December to celebrate Advent and teach our children (& remind ourselves) about Jesus' birth...and why He is THE special gift to us.

So, we were thinking that we would like to use the celebration of Lent to teach our children about Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. We want to take an entire month to reflect...

...because, as the verse above points out...without His raising from the dead...what is our faith but vain preachings anyway?

I know many consider this un-protestant of us. But I love the words of Samuel Johnson,
“The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected.” I am trying to take every opportunity to instill in my children the great truths of Christ...his coming, his horrible death for our sins, and his wonderful resurrection from the dead...as he conquered death; What HOPE it brings! I want to hear my Savior say, "Well done." I don't want to neglect teaching anything.

Many consider Easter (ahem...Resurrection Sunday) as the cornerstone of the Christian faith...but most only spend one day (a long day...starting with a sunrise service) celebrating it. I encourage you to try Lent with us this year. I hope you will be blessed. Consider it a new teachable moment.

Janna at Mustard Seeds has been kind enough to share ideas and literature with me...I hope it benefits you too. We will be using Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter.

If you'd like to join in WFW today...head over to Critty Joy!

Word FILLED Wednesday: Why NOT to be discouraged...

You know how those verses you've known forever sometimes just ZAP ya...in a different way. Lately, I've been wanting to remember that God is with me...and won't forsake me...and so I thought...ooo that'll be a good WFW...(Yes, I think in "blog")...

So, I looked it up...and set it up...and was ZAPPED with the last part...

DO NOT BE AFRAID...
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED.

Hmmm...ouch...I really haven't been acting like I believe MY GOD is with me...

Satan wins when I'm discouraged. Satan is a MASTER LIAR...

...He'll say to me, "You're so tired...there's no light at the end of that tunnel...life will always be hard...nothing will change..."

And the very moment I agree and wallow in my discouragement (or sin in any other way)...he rushes to God and accuses me...

..."Hey, check her out God...she says she loves You...that she wants a heart like Yours...that she would go anywhere and do anything for You...and yet...LOOK...when she doesn't get a shower, when her kids act like kids, when her husband has to work late...she forgets all about You and only worries about her. You really love this trash? She deserves to be with me...let me have her!"

AND there I stand...covered in my sin...Satan actually speaks the truth about me....

But thankfully, Jesus stands at God's right hand...standing up for me...saying, "No, she's mine...I died for her...her debt is paid" And rather than seeing my awful rottenness...He clothes me with his clean spotless righteousness...and encourages me to live for Him.

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.
And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. was standing by." Zech. 3

So, I'm humbled...there's nothing good in me...and without my Savior...I would and should be discouraged... I'm soooo thankful...that Jesus Loves Me! Where is my hope? My hope is in the LORD!

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Is. 40:31

To join WFW...link up HERE!

Word FILLED Wednesday: Light...

Jesus' death and resurrection offers resurrection from death for believers--plus a resurrected life for today!

I've been thinking lately of the power of the resurrection light. There are places in my life that I refuse to let it shine. Sometimes, it's my marriage or child rearing or service.

I don't know how long it's been since you've read the story in John 11...but it's short...so have a look. Jesus...the Light of the World...keeps us from stumbling in the span (twelve hours) of our life...when we see by the Light.

I wonder how Lazarus might have viewed life after his resurrection from the dead? Everything was new...the breeze, the rain...relationships...sharing Christ...

We are called to look at every day as a new life to live for God's glory! I heard today...that the glory of God is equal to God on display. WOW! Now, that's some serious light!!

Join WFW over with Critty Joy...

Word FILLED Wednesday: Megaphone...

I totally desire to hear God's voice. Okay, don't get all spooky and googly eyed on me...I don't mean an audible voice...but the awareness of His presence. The Holy Spirit indwells me...I better be listening and seeking His leading, right? Well, I heard a funny story yesterday...about a lady who said she wished God would use a MEGAPHONE when talking to her. I chuckled...and the more I thought about it...the more it struck me.

Rarely, if ever, do I feel God has spoken LOUDLY to me.

1 Kings 19:11-13 "The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Then I was thinking...How do we learn a voice? We all have those friends who call us and just start talking. Sometimes, it takes a while to figure out who's calling. (Yes, I don't have caller ID.) But, the voice I recognize first...is the voice I hear most often. WOW...so is God's voice (HIS WORD) what you hear most often. That just snapped me to attention...I need to spend time reading His Word...but also in memorizing it too. I want His voice to be on my mind and in my thoughts throughout the day.

Then, there comes the whole issue of responding to His voice. You know, that gentle nudging to get up and do what is right...or maybe to flee from what is evil... And that, my friends...is how you get your megaphone. I think that the more you respond to God's leading...the louder you hear it the next time. Unfortunately, the converse is true...when we ignore it we deaden ourselves to hearing it.

So, the solution...or the plan...BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER. There is no alternative. Safety comes from listening to Him, our Good Shepherd...and not to the thieves and robbers. Oh, you know them...the false shepherds...temptations

...computers, TVs

...maybe time, effort, $ for self interests. Ouch!

So, what voice speaks the loudest in your life? I don't know about you...but I want to turn up the volume!!

"Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supplies." Hudson Taylor

To join WWW...head over to Lori's...

Word FILLED Wednesday: Obedient Servant...

It is hard, perhaps especially for a mother of small children, not to feel squashed and put upon in the role of motherhood. It's all about being a SERVANT. Of course, I KNOW that there is nothing better in God's sight...

Matthew 20:25-28, "Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Some days...amid the laundry, and the needy whiners, and the million "hold you mommies"...sometimes it helps to think of this verse above. It helps me remember why I'm doing what I'm doing. It helps me remember who is OVER me...and yet comforts me.

Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,"

2 Cor. 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Obedience, in action and attitude...it's so instructive...and so hard. I think maybe Oswald Chambers expressed it best...

"There is only one golden rule for spiritual discernment, and that is obedience. We learn more by five minutes' obedience than by ten years' study."

WordFILLED Wednesday: Time in view of Eternity...

I've been dong a lot of thinking. The season suggests it...planning resolutions...organizing another year...hashing over the past...

He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in HIS TIME...

...God and His ways are unfathomable...and that's something to be in awe of...and to be grateful for...that He's in charge...and I am not!

Word Filled Wednesday: Living Word...

God's Word is certainly living and can apply to many (or every) area of our lives at the same time. God's just awesome like that!! I had been studying the verse above this week...in regard to respecting husbands...and then I read my Dad's post, Can Grouchy Be Godly?...and found it applied to me and this Christmas time very aptly! My prayer is that you would also be challenged to live humbly, kindhearted, brotherly lives...in harmony so that you may receive the blessings.

Join WFW over where Susan is Forever His!

Word FILLED Wednesday: Blinded by the Light!!!

Join us over with Critty Joy...

Hark the Herald Angels Sing - ...

WFW: God with us...

Today as the wind roars outside...it is so wonderful to ponder IMMANUEL...God with us...WOW!!  Join all the Word FILLED Wednesday over with Lori at all you have to give.

Word FILLED Wednesday: No Whips!

Sometimes Jesus' teachings are difficult. Not hard to understand necessarily...but hard to accept. His difficult teachings must be received for spiritual growth. We have to relinquish our own ideas. Where else can we go...but to Jesus.

Psalm 73:25-26, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Worship is a gift...not a chore. We are tied to Him with the bonds of love...not the whip of the law. Are you facing a difficult teaching right now? What does your response say about God in your life?

Join today's Word FILLED Wednesday's hostess here...PennyRaine

Word FILLED Wednesday: Yes, I'm the cow...

First off, I'm not much for the Living Bible version...but saw this on a friend's blog recently...and liked it. It touched what I feel for myself, God and my home. I want to walk a blameless path...but I really really really need God's help. I seem to need it especially in my home...where I long to act as I should. I'm modeling EVERYTHING for my sweet babes.

Next, I saw this picture...and loved it. What a wonderful mommy cow she is...protecting her little calf. Sidenote: corny joke for the day...
What do you call a cow after she's had her calf?

De-calf in ated!!!!

Get it!?? HAHAHA!!!

I once asked my Dad's dairy farming deacon that joke...and he thought I was serious. Boy, did I get him good. And he'll probably never let me forget it either. HA!

Anyhew, so I thought this picture could go with this verse cuz I'm like this mother cow...with her babies...protecting and teaching them. Yes, in this scenario...I am the cow. Call me crazy. Well, call me crazy...nicely!

Word FILLED Wednesday: Meaty Greek!

Until recently, I hadn't heard that substance could have a legal meaning in this verse.
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First a side note: I'm concerned that there is a growing movement among christians to shy away from the original texts of Greek and Hebrew. I've heard many say that it's uninviting or scares new people. I'll be honest, part of me finds that a bit shallow...but I truly desire to point out that a follower of Jesus Christ will not be "scared away" by big words, Greek or otherwise. However, my bigger point is that unless God changes the heart...everything in the Bible will be "foolishness" to them anyway.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor. 1:18

I just want to encourage believers to open their minds...and be brave. Maybe step out of your comfort zone a little. There comes a time to feed upon meat and not just milk. (1 Cor. 3) So, yeah...I'm preparing you for Greek words ahead...turn back now if they scare you!
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The Greek word for substance is hupostasis and refers to the underlying (hupo) state (stasis) of a thing. Similarly break down the English word “substance” and we find: sub (under) and stance (stand).

Substance is that which stands under a thing.

In Greek, the word hupostasis had a legal meaning which signified a foundational document, such as a title-deed. That is why Greek scholars Moulton and Milligan give this translation:

“Faith is the title-deed of things hoped for.”

If I have the title-deed to my car or house...I don't need to see them to know that they are mine... I have the title-deed that tells me so. SO, written another way we can say that faith is the title-deed of things we are expecting. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God...and faith believes all God's promises!

In a funny sense, you have the title-deed to a place in heaven!

Join WFW over at Critty Joy!

Word FILLED Wednesday: Greater love...

Take some time today and pray for our troops. Be thankful...truly thankful...for those who have served and are serving.

Freedom is not free!

Greater love...

Remember Jesus...giving his life...a perfect sacrifice for all our sins. He gave his life!!

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16"

If you'd like to read more WFW...join us over at Lori's...all you have to give...

Word FILLED Wednesday: Doing what He's prepared...

I love this picture of this Mom taking time with her little girl. No, she's not so little...and such times become rarer the more they hang off your lap. I want this verse and this picture to encourage all of the busy women out there (surely I'm not the only one...hahaha) to say no to some good things. Well, at least to check and make sure that they are the good things that GOD has prepared for them.

I'm a doer...and usually that's a great thing. However, it is easy for me to say yes too quickly. I'm able to do many things (praise God) and figure that's an "if, than" sort of situation. IF you can do it, THAN you should. Uh...of course, I end up over scheduled and stressed. When it comes down to it...I'm doing a lot of GOOD WORKS...but not necessarily the one's God's prepared in advance for me to do...just those that I thought were fun, or needed to be done, or that I could do better, or sort of fit in the cracks of my time schedule.

I heard recently this check list...and I'm anxious to apply it to my life. Before accepting any new thing into your life...

1. Pray...and ask if it is His plan for you.
2. Look in His Word...does it even line up with what the Bible says you should be doing...
3. Practical application...logistics...does it fit the schedule...
4. Ask your husband....does he see room in your life?
5. Have a good reason to say no...Don't just say no cuz it's not your plan...when it might be God's plan.
If you still have a nagging feeling...go through steps 1-4 again. Chances are if you've gone through those steps honestly...then you have a good reason for saying no.

I don't know about you...but I don't want to be busy doing a bunch of stuff that's not even what I'm supposed to be doing. I want to see the important God given roles of wife and mother for the opportunities they provide...and not see things that I'm capable of doing...as something I really have to be doing.

True satisfaction comes from doing God's will. Where do you look for satisfaction? What work has God given you to do? Is it the delight of your heart??

Word FILLED Wednesday: Are you a worker?

I was recently challenged about my attitude toward the unsaved. The challenge actually started in a discussion that pointed out that there is no genuine turning to Christ in faith without repentance. That would mean that you can't clean up your act before you come to Christ. Of course, you have no power. When talking with sinners the issue is not their present sin but their need of a Savior!

Think about the woman at the well...Jesus cuts right to the issue with her...he asks her a question that convicts her of her sin! Conviction is purely God's Work..followed by Contrition, a real sorrow for that sin...and Conversion, turning from that sin. We cannot allow ourselves to be offended by the world.

The question was asked, "Who have you ignored or disliked because you're offended by their worldliness? We cannot expect regenerate behavior from those who haven't yet been changed. We need to see their need for salvation from sins. We need to see their thirst that only the Living Water can quench! I love this quote from St. Augustine, "God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you."

I want to be a worker in His fields that sees the plentiful harvest...and isn't repelled by it...but runs to it with tools in hand to bring it into His storehouse!

Please join all the Word-filled folks at Susan's blog where she is....Forever His!

Word FILLED Wednesday: Dust Covered?

I heard something a few weeks back...and wanted to share it. I saw this picture...and knew it was another opportunity to completely confuse you...er, I mean to share something super neat!

I'm learning so much in the book of John...can't believe I'm only on chapter four this week. Way back in chapter one, we were studying the story of Jesus as he started to call his disciples. We noticed how John the Baptist pointed him out to his own disciples...and they saw the "lamb of God" and followed him. We saw how Jesus knew their hearts and asked them,"What do you want?"...when they expressed interest in him and where he was staying...he invited them to "follow him and come and see."

They called him rabbi. So, it was mentioned to me how the disciples of a rabbi would follow him about....from place to place and a literal cloud of dust would be kicked up. There were some interesting things said about this in the Mishnah, a collection of rabbinic thoughts on the law. One from the Sages of the Mishnah is summarized,

"May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi."

MISHNAH 4. Yose b. Yo'ezer (a man) of
Zeredah, and Yose b. Yohanan [a man] of
Jerusalem received [the oral tradition] from
them. Yose. b. Yo'ezer used to say: “Let your
house be a house of meeting for the sages
cover yourself with the dust of their feet, and
drink in their words with thirst.”

This encouraged the disciple to not just physically follow their rabbi but to really study the man...to accept his way of teaching the law...to emulate his mannerisms in dealing with God and people.

I am so challenged to consider whether I'm truly covered in the dust of my Rabbi... Jesus, the Christ! Do I study Him and His Word? Am I a good student? Do I copy His way of dealing with people (with children)? Do I give Him the respect He deserves? So, I'll pray for you...

"May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi."

Word FILLED Wednesday: Look for help!

I elaborated a bit over where I'm MomE and Loving It!!!

Word Filled Wednesday: Cucumber or Pickle?

No, I haven't lost my mind with the pickle picture. I just started a rather intense Bible study. I'm learning so much. It's thrilling! We are digging into the book of John. Today our speaker talked about the Greek word baptizo meaning complete immersion...complete change. Just like a cucumber is dunked into the pickling liquids and spices and comes out a pickle...we should be totally regenerated into new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

She said that following in obedience can only take place as we know the One that we follow. Admiration doesn't equal change! The challenge was: When you are confronted with truth, how do you respond? Do you change?

Word FILLED Wednesday: Knock, knock...