The Lord is doing AMAZING things in our lives and it has much to do with what I take away and try my best to apply on these nights.
Confession time. I used to somewhat dread Sundays. Why? Because Sunday marked the end of a weekend and I knew I would be dealing with "real life" again Monday. Life without much of Brett. A lot of moms can relate I am sure. I simply love Fridays. I tell the boys all day on Friday that Daddy is coming home and gets to be with us for two whole days. Such exciting news for our little family!
And although I still am a big fan of Fridays, I can now say the best two days of the week for us are Sundays and Mondays. Sundays because we fill our entire day with the Lord and nothing but Him. So although we may walk into church on a Sunday morning dragging in just the general stress of life with us, we never walk out the same way. The Lord always meets us and fills us. Then we purpose to spend our afternoon as a family. We know either Sunday night celebration, home groups or just a night that we spend with the Lord and each other is what we have to look forward to later that night. Communion with the Lord and fellowship with other believers.... Does it get any better than that? Not as far as I'm concerned.
I have a love/hate relationship now with Mondays. After spending so much intimate and focused time with the Lord on Sunday, it doesn't take long for my flesh to rear its ugly head in all of its wretchedness. I totally am getting what Paul spoke of in 1 Timothy...
1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Yep Paul, I hear ya.
Yep Paul, I hear ya.
I am prompted to write this entry based on an a baffling comment that I heard tonight from two women I greatly admire and respect. I was told that what they have seen transpire in me in the last several weeks has inspired them to spend more time in the Word and to purpose to rise early to spend time praying and reading alone and with their husbands. You have got to be kidding, right? My initial response. Those words blessed and encouraged me beyond belief. I don't think I have ever had anyone tell me that I inspired them to do anything Godly. And it's so cool that it has NOTHING to do with me. What these kind, amazing friends of mine did not know is that I spent one third of my day just trying to make it through today without displaying my emotions to my sweet boys.
What emotions? Geez, it depends on the hour really. This morning's emotions came from plowing through day 5 of my Wisdom for Mothers bible study, focusing this week on a wife's relationship with her husband. How am I doing? Poorly enough to make me hurt for the vast majority of the day. I honestly just never knew what exactly a Godly wife was to look like. It was never modeled to me growing up. And besides a book to refer to that someone once handed me by Elizabeth Elliot, I have never had someone to turn to for advice in that capacity. I love Elizabeth but I learn best by watching someone model to me as opposed to just reading words on a page. I need time with "older" Titus 2/Proverbs 31 women. I think a lot of young (ok, so I actually now fall on the older side of Athey demographics) women feel this need. I actually know so.
So I wanted to share that I had pretty much resolved to not go to my study tonight because my eyes were all puffy (heaven forbid!) from shedding some tears from the realization that I fall so short of the wife that the Lord wants me to be. Does He condemn me? Not a bit. Am I really as terrible as I think? Probably not. I just know that I have MUCH to learn.
These last couple of months have just marked the beginning of some major Spirit led renovations and restoration for me and don't think for a second that Spiritual work is ever easy. And I am really purposing to do anyway the things I know the Lord would have me do whether or not I feel like it.
Here's where I am going to let one of my most beloved devotionals currently, Streams In The Desert, do my speaking for me.
Let's start with the importance of waking early to spend time with the Lord. For me, this was a huge pivotal point in my life. The single sacrifice of my "precious" sleep has truly changed much.
Exodus 34:2-3 Be ready in the morning, and then come up...Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you.
The morning is a critically important time of day. You must never face the day until you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious, if you begin your day in your own strength alone.
Begin the work of every day after having been influenced by a few reflective, quiet moments between your heart and God.
Do not meet with others, even the members of your own family, until you have first met with the great Guest and honored Companion of your life - Jesus Christ.
Meet with Him alone and regularly, having His Book of counsel open before you. Then face the ordinary, and the unique, responsibilities of each day with the renewed influence and control of His character over all your actions.
Those who have accomplished the most for God in this world are those who have been found on their knees early in the morning
Rising at say, 5:00 instead of 7:00 is the equivalent of adding ten work years to your life in the span of 40 years.
My commentary: Sounds convincing to me :)
The next thing I now know all to well is this:
The morning is a critically important time of day. You must never face the day until you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious, if you begin your day in your own strength alone.
Begin the work of every day after having been influenced by a few reflective, quiet moments between your heart and God.
Do not meet with others, even the members of your own family, until you have first met with the great Guest and honored Companion of your life - Jesus Christ.
Meet with Him alone and regularly, having His Book of counsel open before you. Then face the ordinary, and the unique, responsibilities of each day with the renewed influence and control of His character over all your actions.
Those who have accomplished the most for God in this world are those who have been found on their knees early in the morning
Rising at say, 5:00 instead of 7:00 is the equivalent of adding ten work years to your life in the span of 40 years.
My commentary: Sounds convincing to me :)
The next thing I now know all to well is this:
Mark 9:26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.
Evil never surrenders its grasp without a tremendous fight. We never arrive at any spiritual inheritance through the enjoyment of a picnic but always through the fierce conflicts of the battlefield. And it is the same in the deep recesses of the soul. Every human capacity that wins its spiritual freedom does so at the cost of blood. Satan is not put to flight by our courteous request. He completely blocks our way , and our progress must be recorded in blood and tears. We need to remember this....
When we are born again , it is not into a soft and protected nursery but into the open countryside , where we actually draw our strength from the distress of the storm.
When we are born again , it is not into a soft and protected nursery but into the open countryside , where we actually draw our strength from the distress of the storm.
Acts 14:22 We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
My commentary? Yep.
Which leads me to this....
Which leads me to this....
Hebrews 6:12 Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
The biblical heroes of faith call to us from the heights they have won, encouraging us that what man once did, man can do again.
They remind us not only on the necessity of faith but also of the patience required for faith's work to be perfected. May we fear attempting to remove ourselves from the hands of our heavenly Guide, or missing even one lesson of His loving discipline due to our discouragement or doubt.
And old village blacksmith once said, "There is only thing I fear: being thrown onto the scrap heap. You see, in order to strengthen a piece of steel, I must first temper it. I heat it, hammer it, and then quickly plunge it into a bucket of cold water. Very soon I know whether it will accept the tempering process or simply fall to pieces. If, after one or two tests, I see it will not allow itself to be tempered, I throw it onto the scrap heap, only to later sell it to the junkman for a few cents per pound. I realize the Lord tests me in the same way: through fire, water, and heavy blows of His hammer. If I am unwilling to withstand the test, or prove to be unfit for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me onto the scrap heap."
When the fire in your life is the hottest, stand still, for "later on...it produces a harvest" (Heb. 12:11) of blessings. Then we will be able to say with Job, "When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10)
Sainthood finds its source in suffering. Remember, it requires eleven tons of pressure on a piano's strings for it to be tuned. And God will tune you to perfect harmony with heaven's theme if you will withstand the strain.
My commentary there? To be called a saint, to one day be told "Enter in, thou good and faithful servant." So worth it.
I am so thankful for those of you that are standing by me, encouraging me, praying for me and loving me through these days of tempering and restoration. You know who you are and I am so grateful for my sisters in Christ. Please know that I am here to do the same for you.
They remind us not only on the necessity of faith but also of the patience required for faith's work to be perfected. May we fear attempting to remove ourselves from the hands of our heavenly Guide, or missing even one lesson of His loving discipline due to our discouragement or doubt.
And old village blacksmith once said, "There is only thing I fear: being thrown onto the scrap heap. You see, in order to strengthen a piece of steel, I must first temper it. I heat it, hammer it, and then quickly plunge it into a bucket of cold water. Very soon I know whether it will accept the tempering process or simply fall to pieces. If, after one or two tests, I see it will not allow itself to be tempered, I throw it onto the scrap heap, only to later sell it to the junkman for a few cents per pound. I realize the Lord tests me in the same way: through fire, water, and heavy blows of His hammer. If I am unwilling to withstand the test, or prove to be unfit for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me onto the scrap heap."
When the fire in your life is the hottest, stand still, for "later on...it produces a harvest" (Heb. 12:11) of blessings. Then we will be able to say with Job, "When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10)
Sainthood finds its source in suffering. Remember, it requires eleven tons of pressure on a piano's strings for it to be tuned. And God will tune you to perfect harmony with heaven's theme if you will withstand the strain.
My commentary there? To be called a saint, to one day be told "Enter in, thou good and faithful servant." So worth it.
I am so thankful for those of you that are standing by me, encouraging me, praying for me and loving me through these days of tempering and restoration. You know who you are and I am so grateful for my sisters in Christ. Please know that I am here to do the same for you.
