Clean On The Outside, Messy On The Inside

1 Samuel 16:7
⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

On yesterday a friend came by to pick me up for lunch. When I got in her car, there was dog fur everywhere, from her sweet dog shedding his fur.  Please be clear, I am not sharing this with you, to be judgmental or gossipy.  This lady has a super busy schedule and I realize that. So I understood that she had been on the go so much lately, that she just had not had a chance to take her car in to be detailed.   In her defense, I must say that I know for a fact that she does have her car detailed from time to time because of her dog’s excessive shedding.

As we were riding, she decided to whip into a local car wash and have her car washed.  Afterwards, it was nice and shiny and it even looked brand new. It’s actually amazing what a little soap and water can do.  But what the other drivers passing by could not see when they saw her shinny cleaned car, was how dirty it was on the inside. I immediately thought that this was so much like life.  How many times do we see someone who is all put together, and we decide that everything in their life runs perfectly? They couldn’t possibly have any issues, because we are basing it on their outward appearance.  Only to find out that they are a hot mess on the inside. They may have low self-esteem, or they may be dealing with low self-worth.

It may be that their life is filled with sin. They may even have secret sins that only they and God know about.  We only see the gorgeous clothes, the flawless makeup, the perfect hair and the matching shoes and purse and we immediately decide that they have it all together.    I want to assure you that at some point, from time to time we all look like the inside of my friend’s car, a mess.  We look great on the outside but we are torn to shreds on the inside with fear, worry or doubt about something.

Today I want us to make a decision to love people where they are, remembering that we are not perfect either.  We are all a work in progress.  We have absolutely no authority to judge anyone.

| Let’s love as Christ loves, and that is unconditionally.
Let’s also commit to spending as much time focusing on our inner self as we do our outward appearance.   When that becomes our focus, I think our world will start to see a change. Have a blessed week my sisters!

³ Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
1 Peter 3:3-4

Holy Matrimony

This past weekend my family and I attended a beautiful wedding reception. The bride looked radiant as all brides do, and of course the groom was full of smiles.   I couldn’t help but hope that the joy they were experiencing at the reception would last a lifetime.   Those of us who have a few years of marriage under our belts, know that marriage is not always rainbows and kisses.  There are great days, and some not so great days.  There are ups and downs. There are twists and turns and there may even be some disappointments along the way.  It’s called life!

Whether you choose to marry or stay single, life is still going to happen to us all. When we marry someone, we are choosing the person that can be our lifelong partner to navigate the strong waves and currents of life.

We are making a  commitment to love that person unconditionally just as God loves us, no matter how hard the winds of life may blow.  Only death should be what separates us from our spouse.

So you may be thinking how is this even possible?

Here are 10 keys to a healthy marriage.

1. Only with the help of God, can we enjoy marriage in the way that God has purposed it to be.  Allow God to be the head of your marriage. Honor Him with your marriage and your marriage will be blessed.
2. It requires putting your spouse’s needs ahead of yourself at times.  It requires living a selfless life.
3. It means being willing to forgive offenses that may occur. Both partners should ask for forgiveness quickly and be willing to forgive quickly. Don’t let things fester.
4. Praying with your spouse is also a key component to a strong and healthy marriage.  Study God’s Word together and also worship together. Keep the enemy from your doorstep.
5. Communication is also key.  Share your feelings, wants, needs and desires with your mate.  Don’t leave them constantly guessing or trying to read your mind.
6. Keep dating.  Keep romance alive in your marriage.
7. Make important decisions together.
8. Speak to each other respectfully and honestly.  Even when you are upset try to choose your words wisely.  It may even be best to calm down first, before having a difficult         conversation. Another good thing to do is to pray together before having a difficult discussion.
9. Never publicly embarrass your mate.
10. When you hit a tough spot that you just cannot navigate your way through, pray together first.  And if it’s still hard to get on the same page,  go and see a  good Christian counselor.   Don’t allow too much water to get under the bridge that you are at a place of no return.
11. Set goals, live life with zest, enjoy one another

Genesis 2:18-25
¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam^[a] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
²³ The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Matthew 19:4-6
⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’^[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’^[b]? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Mark 10:9
⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
1 Peter 3:7
⁷ Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Ephesians 5:21-25
²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Colossians 3:18-19
¹⁸ Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Ephesians 4:2-3
⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Ephesians 5:28-33
²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^[a] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Ephesians 4:32
³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
1 Corinthians 7:2-5
² But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. ³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Romans 12:10
¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Who Will You Pour Into?

Most of us are where we are because of the kindness of someone else.  When you look back over your life, who would you say, has had the most impact on your life?   Some of you may say it was a parent or a teacher or even possibly a best friend.  Today I would like to challenge you to be that person in someone else’s life.   I challenge you to be a difference-maker.

Who do you know right now who could use some guidance, encouragement or mentoring?  I would start with getting with that person over a cup of coffee just to see how they are doing.  They may not necessarily need help, they may just enjoy having a friend initially, or they may just need to know that someone cares.   I can assure you that if you create an environment that feels safe to them, they will be willing to open up and share what’s going on in their life with you.

This gives you the perfect opportunity to be a blessing to them.  Sometimes being a blessing is just sitting and listening, and sometimes you may be asked your opinion because they are seeking guidance and direction.  Always be sure that you are being prayerful over the situation so that you are allowing God’s wisdom to be the guiding light.  As you share with them, always point them back to God and His Word as their source of wisdom and direction.

8 Questions To Consider When Mentoring Or Helping Others

1. Do you approach others with love instead of skepticism or judgement?
2. When you leave someone are they better off because you have been in their space?
3. Do you find it easy to encourage others?
4. Do you speak life into others?
5. Are you a motivator?
6. Are you willing to check in on those you are helping from time to time, to see how they are doing?
7. Are you willing to hold them accountable in a loving way to what they say they are going to do?
8.  Are you willing to be a great example first?

Let’s go out and be the hands and feet of Jesus.  So many need to know that someone cares for them. Let that be us!
1 Corinthians 11:1
11 ¹ Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Titus 2:7-8
⁷ In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Proverbs 9:9
⁹ Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
Proverbs 1:5
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,  and let the discerning get guidance—
Hebrews 10:24-25
²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Titus 2:3-4
³ Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children,
Proverbs 27:
⁹ Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice.
Philippians 4:9
⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Proverbs 1:8-9
⁸ Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
⁹ They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
Ephesians 6:4
⁴ Fathers,^[a] do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Free Indeed

On yesterday our country celebrated another July 4th Anniversary, or some would call it Independence Day.  This marked another year of our country living in freedom, which is one of the reasons it is considered to be the greatest country in the world to live in.

While thinking about this, I thought of the freedoms that we have in Christ.  Oh what a blessing to be free of the eternal death sentence that comes as a consequence of our sins. This is a yoke that Christ stepped in and chose to bear on our behalf.

As Christians we are also free of the guilt and shame of our sins, when we confess and repent of them.

Freedom in Christ means that we no longer have to fear dying, because we will have an eternal home with God.  This freedom also means that we can boldly approach God’s throne of grace and ask for His divine help for any situation we encounter.

Freedom in Christ means that we can move through life freely and without reservation or fear, knowing that God’s hand of protection is over us.  Freedom in Christ means that we can pursue our God given calling, knowing that God has already gone before us and opened any closed doors.

Because we are children, we are free!    Now that’s something to celebrate!

What Does God’s Word Say About Our Freedom

Galatians 5:1
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do
2 Corinthians 3:17
¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Acts 13:38-39
³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.
Ephesians 3:12
¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Psalms 119:45
⁴⁵ I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
1 Peter 2:1¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
Galatians 5:3-14
³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b

John 8:32
³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Romans 8:1-4
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you^[a] free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,^[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.^[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 6:2
²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
1 Corinthians 7:22
²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave
Isaiah 6:1
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Romans 6:14
¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Hebrews 2:14-15
¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.