Podcast: Play in new window | Download
We talk a little about Westboro Baptist and some of their atrocious actions, then move on into talking about giving an answer for the hope that we have.
What is the reason for your hope?
Comments off
I wonder why it has taken me 4+ years of marriage to figure out how to really love a person? Lately, I feel as if I have finally grasped what it means, and I have really started loving my husband.
It started with going back to church weeknights on a more regular basis. I really have been tuned into God and I’ve more than realized that when I put God first in my life and love Him first, it makes loving others so much easier. I’ve actually come to a place where I’m “in love” with my Savior. We talk about this all the time, but knowing it and experiencing it are INCREDIBLY different.
I want to do what makes Him happy, and I find so much joy and peace dwelling in His presence. To get here, you really have to give everything else over. It becomes reality when you get to the point of understanding God is the only one capable of loving you without any conditions. You recognize the flaws of others and accept them as they are, but then you strive to love like Jesus loves – and that covers over the inadequacies…
I have never loved my husband more than I do now because of this revelation! I’ve changed my expectations because of my internal grasp of what it means to Love like Jesus. I no longer think of what my husband’s love should provide me. Instead I look to God to fulfill my needs. A man cannot provide me what I need for joy and contentment. That kind of peacefulness ONLY comes from the Lord. And so I no longer see my husband as one who should make me happy, but as one who is deserving of all the love I can give because Jesus first loved me. My love has become a choice of unconditionally loving like Christ. It’s so unlike what the world teaches – but in practice it is truly astounding!
And even as I have experienced this love revelation in my life, I continue to find it strange – a mystery even. When you let God take over, be first and foremost in your life, living and loving others becomes easier. I am to that point where my emotions control me less, and my faith guides my decisions. My energy is no longer wasted on trying to control my circumstances, or holding out unrealistic expectations. I’m simply free to love. And that is an amazing feeling!
Comments off
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The ladies chat about e-readers (Kindle, specifically) and the prospect of reading God’s Word on them.
Have you tried an e-reader? Found any really fabulous copies of the Bible for them? Share with us!
Comments off
God has been really working on my heart this last month when it comes to being gracious. Certain family situations have changed causing there to be some, well…. let’s just say awkward situations. I think I can leave the explanation at that and still make my point.
When you are dealing with family members (or even friends, coworkers) that you don’t particularly get along with for whatever reason – you are faced with some very big challenges. I think lately I have been quick to judge in these awkward situations. It’s easy to do that when you feel you are being judged. It seems a part of human nature to find points of contention and use them as a barrier between us.
A really dear friend of mine – a woman who is very strong in the Lord – told me a while back that I should take this situation as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to be gracious. It’s a chance for me to extend my hand – to be welcoming, inviting, encouraging. She reminded me that I didn’t know the whole story of where this person was coming from. And if I took the time to be an ambassador to my family, I might gain a great friend. I might defeat the judgment coming from the other side, and I’d be acting in a very Godly manner. I could be the one to change this person’s position on certain issues of disagreement.
Why is it that I don’t listen to the advice of my wise friends?
Well, I do listen. Sort of. I HAVE been trying to make an effort. But I find myself having a negative attitude when I am home in the confidence of my husband. I can be very critical. And that’s NOT an appealing attitude for a Godly woman to have. So I’m trying very hard to make a conscious effort to be the ambassador for Christ I should be – and I’m working on the attitude in the privacy of my home. I’m working on changing this attitude within me so that being gracious is not a chore – something that I do because I feel I have to. But rather I want to be warm, welcoming, and accepting and not have it be forced. I can do this easily with the people I love, and even to people I don’t even know – so I should be able to get past this bone of contention and act the same way.
I think it really comes down to humbling myself. I may have more experience and more knowledge than this person. But I’m not any better. And God did not call me to be best friends with all, but I surely do need to show love…
Maybe this is something you are struggling with? Maybe you may face this in the future. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to share. I could really use some encouragement when it comes this this situation.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The ladies get together and talk about the trend toward extending adolescence. Is it healthy? How might it impact one’s spiritual life? Listen to our thoughts on the matter and weigh in with your own!
Comments off
If you remember my last post, I was feeling a tad ashamed for not having the words at the forefront of my brain to give a defense of the hope that is in me. But when I sat down and really just focused on this question, I found that the reasons came to me quickly.
I’d like to share with you the hope that is in me, and I pray that I will do so with meekness and fear as I am exhorted to do in 1Peter 3:15. And if you feel so led, I’d love to hear your defense as well.
When I think of why I believe and have hope, it is ultimately because I believe that God exists. I look at the world around me, and I cannot deny that all of creation was created. All things living and non-living are far to complicated in my understanding to have simply come together in a “Big Bang”. When I think about scientists who try to deny creation, it really makes me sad. Without being a braggart, I feel that God has created me with a good deal of intelligence. I am not the smartest person out there, but I recognize that some things are just beyond man’s ability to explain. Hence, God. I will stand firm to this until the day I die.
Knowing that there is a God, and having learned enough about other religions through my education, I come to my second conclusion. Jesus is God. He is who he says he is. He is the One that fulfills hundreds of prophesies. Who else can claim that? Who else is recorded in history as doing that? And this is not just Biblical accounting – extrabiblical sources also validate this.
And having accepted that Jesus is God – the Messiah who can transform lives and save souls – I have experienced first hand this truth of Jesus. Coming to Christ I did not really understand what I was doing. I was a teenager, but even in that teenage heart of mine, I knew I was missing something. I was compelled by something outside of myself that I needed Jesus. Growing in my faith and coming to a greater understanding of who Christ is through the scriptures, I have seen miracles! I have been pulled out of years of depression and sadness. I have purpose. I am certain, without any doubt that I am to worship God and serve Him by serving others. I have never been so certain about ANYTHING in my entire life. It’s amazing how God can do this.
Lest you think that I was brainwashed, take heed. I have made these decisions of my own accord against the status quos of my family. Is it not amazing that my own sister and I came to Christ without discussion on THE SAME DAY? I have never been one to fit in. I didn’t choose Christ to fit in. I chose Him because He is the ultimate truth in all of existence.
And lastly – though its not fun to dwell on – a reason for my hope in Jesus is a very REAL fear of Hell. If I believe in God and Jesus and the saving grace exerted on my life, then I must believe that Hell is real. The Bible speaks far too often on it to deny it. Thinking about Hell, quite frankly, scares the livin’ daylights out of me. I can’t fathom it. I don’t want to fathom it. What would it be like to live in Hell for all eternity? I get scared and emotionally upset just thinking about it. There is nothing good or funny about Hell, and I will not make jokes about it. Hell is real, and it is scary. So yes. Part of my hope and faith comes from fear. But in realizing this fear – there is hope. Because Jesus is the One who can save us from this. And all we have to do is make a choice. One simple, life-changing choice.
So, what do you have hope in? I pray that it is in Jesus Christ. If you are a believer and you have this hope, what is your defense? Feel free to share. I’d love to hear it, and it’ll give you practice in being ready to give account of the hope that is in you.
Comments off
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 1 Peter 3:15
This verse has been on my heart for the last week. I keep coming back to it each night during my quiet time. I feel sort of ashamed. For as strong as my faith is, I feel like I am not prepared, right now to give an answer with meekness and fear. I have been pondering what I might say, and how I might say it if I were asked. I think before I always relied on the Spirit to give me the right words to say.
But, as I go into this new year, I feel a pressing need for me to have this answer. So, I am going to pray on this, and come up with an answer this week. And I will return here to you with an answer that I pray will be shared with meekness and fear – because I do have a hope, and I need to be prepared to share it.
Come back soon if you want to know the reason for the hope that is in me!
GodlyGals™ is a ministry established in 2002 by young Christian women. We seek to maintain a community for gals seeking to live a more godly lifestyle. This is a place for women, created by women, featuring articles on the Christian faith, devotionals, reviews, reflections, and testimonies
Qwilm! Theme by oriol, css design by Lokesh Dhakar.
