A Breath of the Mouth

Proverbs 31:30 says, "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

In this culture, we hear a lot about this Proverbs 31 woman. She is the woman every Christian wants to be. And this verse is one of the verses that is quoted often because appearance is so elevated in our society. Christian blogs of all kinds tell us that life is not about beauty; it's about fearing the Lord. Motivational pictures  quoting this verse are the backgrounds on our phones. You may even have a sticky note of it on your bathroom mirror. Christian women are more than familiar with this verse.

But what is it really saying to us?

This is the question that has been plaguing my mind recently, so I decided to study this verse out on my own. I used this website to see what the words really mean.

Favour: charm, elegance, acceptance; to find favour in the eyes of someone, to be acceptable to him
Deceitful: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood

Favour is deceitful: The idea that we have found favor in someone's sight, that we are acceptable to him, is a lie. It's not true.

Beauty: beauty, gracefulness
Vain: a breath of the mouth, vapor

Beauty is vain: Breathe in. Now let it go. Our beauty and grace is gone just like that.

Feareth: reverence
Praised: to shine, to be clear, brilliant; glory, boast

A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised: The woman who reverences God, who gives Him the glory in her life, she in turn will shine, will be boasted of.

We often focus on the favor and beauty part of this verse, the part that we're not supposed to be focusing on. Don't wear too much makeup. Don't spend too much time in front of the mirror. Don't spend so much money on your appearance. Don't. Don't. Don't.

If you focus on what you're not supposed to be focusing on, aren't you focusing on the wrong thing?

So where should our emphasis be? Fearing the Lord. The acceptance that you receive from others because of your beauty isn't real. The beauty that you do possess is gone like a breath of the mouth. Why focus on things that are so...meaningless and quickly gone. The focus is on what you should do; not on what you shouldn't do. Focus on completely committing yourself to an unrelenting love and fear of God. A woman who is sold out for God, who holds Him above everything else in her life, she shall be praised.

Lethal Christian Living

I'd like to introduce you to a man named Phinehas, Aaron's grandson. This man has quite the interesting story. It's fascinating, actually. Being familiar with Old Testament stories, this isn't necessarily one of those that you heard in Sunday School growing up, but I think it is so very important, and we can apply it very practically in our lives. You can find this story in Number 25. Please take some time to read it for yourself. Here is my summary:

Israel was in a mess. Many had turned to worship other gods, specifically the gods of Moab. Men were marrying the daughters of Moab and allowing them to bring these gods into their households; before long, these gods were worshiped instead of and along with the One True God. God was so displeased, so angry that He commanded all that worshiped Baalpeor (Moabite god) to be killed. He sent a plague on Israel.

After this event, an Israelite man still had the audacity to bring a Moabite with him into the camp before those who were weeping; he walked in front of "Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel" (v. 6). He took this woman to the tent. And one man, Phinehas, stood up for God. The Bible describes a gruesome scene (probably why it isn't told often in Sunday School). Phinehas goes after the man and the woman with his javelin and kills them.

The result: "the plague was stayed" (v. 8). Why? Because "he was zealous for My sake" (v. 11).

Phinehas had to take an extreme stand for God. A deadly stand for God. He swiftly and soundly cut off the problem. He gave no excuses. He gave no explanation. He stopped the problem. He loved God enough that He would not allow His name to be dishonored.

How many of us have a sin problem in our lives that needs to be drastically killed? How many times have we dishonored God in front of others with obvious problems in our lives? Our life needs to be filled with lethal Christian living. I think that we could all admit that there are some things in our life that just need to go. If we would only have the courage of Phinehas to cut off the sin in our lives, think about how much God could be glorified.

So, what needs to go? I'm not going to give any specifics; you probably already know. It's funny how God points out exactly what we need to fix. Take courage. Ask God for His strength to help you get rid of sin and choose right.

A Teacher's Heart

For the last week and a half, I have had the great privilege to work alongside my first grade teacher in the classroom. I got the opportunity to see first hand why teaching is so important.

Yes, the education is important, but there's something even more pressing in a Christian school education. It's Christ's love.

Love is shown in many different ways in the classroom. It's shown by taking time to listen to a child's story even though he might raise his hand in the middle of the lesson. It's shown by correcting a student when she talks back. It's shown by getting a student's attention to make sure he is learning what he should be. It's shown by doing the best you can to understand a child's needs even when it may be difficult.

Most of you can probably think of a bad teacher. One who wasn't prepared. One who didn't care what you did. One who was too overbearing. But you can probably think of your favorite teacher too. It was probably someone who noticed you and loved you just for being you. You may not have realized what they were doing when you were in the class, but you know it now.

After this week, I can see what teaching is really all about because of my teacher's example. Teaching isn't necessarily about giving children the best education that they can in the classroom (even though this is what they are getting in this setting and this will be a goal for me personally). It's about showing my student's the love of Christ, that it will mold them and shape them into who they can and ought to be.

14 Things to Help You Enjoy 2014

I think we would all agree that we want to enjoy this year. Maybe you're off to a rough start already. Well, I've come up with a little list that will hopefully help you out. It's not going to cure all of your problems, but these are some things that I've found to help me enjoy life just a little more.

1. Spend time with God every day.

• Set aside some special time each day just to talk to God and read His Word. This is the most important thing you can do each and every day. Knowing God better will make your relationship with Him even more amazing. You'll find that when you start your day off with God, you're starting it off in the best possible way. 

2. Choose to have godly friends.

• Choose to be around people who are going to encourage you in your walk with God. They'll provide you with fun times, encouragement, and just general joy. 

3. Get involved in your local church.

• Whether it's watching the babies, teaching Sunday School, singing in choir, or whatever else you can do, get involved in church. Don't just sit there every Sunday. See what you can do to be an active member of your home church. You never know what a huge blessing it will be not to others but to you to serve. 

4. Spend your money wisely. 

• This is a great one, especially for me as a college student. You might be tempted to spend money on things you don't need, but save it for something in the future. You never know when life will bring you an unexpected surprise. It could be an emergency or something as simple as a birthday gift. You want to be prepared.

5. Get a planner and use it. 

• I am the queen of planners. I have one that's actually supposed to get here in the mail tomorrow, and I am so excited! Writing down everything you need to do in any given day will help you to get more accomplished. Write down those birthdays, anniversaries, your to-do lists, grocery lists, homework assignments. If there's a day for it, write it in!

6. Make a to do list each morning.

• One of the things that I do almost every day is I write down everything that needs to be done. I love to check off lists, so this is a great way for me to get things done. The feeling of marking something off that list is just wonderful! You should try it right now!

7. Choose a verse for the year. 

• Choose yourself a theme verse for this year. It could be a verse of encouragement. It could be a goal for the year. It could just be something that you want to remember throughout the day. I chose Philippians 1:27a, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ."

8. Choose someone and make a difference in her life this year.

• We probably all know someone who just needs a little more love. Do you have that person in mind? What can you do to be her friend? How can you make a difference in her life? It doesn't have to be through money or gifts. It might just be letting them know you care and showing it by the way you treat them. 

9. Eat healthier and drink more water.

• Now, this is one that I really struggle on because I love food. But at the end of last year, I finally began to choose some healthy food choices. It was nothing drastic; I didn't even go on a diet! I just chose to eat foods that were a little better for me. I found that I felt so much better! I think you will too.

10. Read. 

• Reading is quickly becoming a lost art. With all of the social media that we have, people simply don't enjoy reading as much any more. We spend all our time in front of the TV, stalking on Facebook, and pinning on Pinterest. Take some time to curl up with that old favorite book. Read something challenging. Learn something new. You'll broaden your imagination, vocabulary, and intelligence. Enjoy reading!

11. Make it a goal to memorize Scripture.

• Here's another struggle area for me. I'm not the best at memorizing Scripture frequently. In high school, I did a lot because I had to. But I quickly fell out of memorizing after I graduated. Psalm 119:11 tells us to hide God's Word in our hearts why? So that we won't sin against Him. When we are memorizing Scripture, we're building up our armory for Christ. Memorizing Scripture will help you to fight off temptations in your life, making your year that much more enjoyable!

12. Say "I Love You."

• Sometimes those who are closest to us miss out on our love. We live with them, or we see them every day. We think, "Oh, he knows I love him. She knows I love her." But we never tell them. You never know when it may be your last chance to say "I love you." 

13. Take pictures and get them printed.

• Capture those moments that you want to remember and print them out. A few days ago when my sister and I cleaned out our closet, we found tons of old pictures from when we were kids. It was so sweet looking back on all of those old times. With Facebook and Instagram, it's easy just to take a quick picture and upload it. But I want to challenge you to print it off and store it away. Having that picture to actually hold in your hands will be such a sweet moment one day. 

14. Don't waste time.

• If you're anything like me, there have been times in your life where you've looked back and wondered what you were doing with your life. Why did you waste all that time? It could have been years spent on a bad friendship, or it could just be that you sat in front of the computer for way too long. Don't waste your life. Think of something to do, and do it! 

Enjoy 2014!

No Devos, No Facebook

Consistency is one of the hardest challenges of the Christian life. Hypocrisy is something that many outside the church complain about. This is exactly why they don't want what we have. Our mouths say one thing, but our lives say another. We may not drink, smoke, or be caught up in some major sin, but what about all the little every day things, the things that people around us really notice?

Probably one of the most over-looked areas that Christians struggle with inconsistency is in their devotional life. It's easy when you have a routine. Wake up, do your devotions, get ready, eat breakfast, brush teeth, go to work, etc. But what happens when the routine changes? For me, I've been at school the last several months, and it was so easy to get into a routine! I had it all figured out, and I was able to spend time in God's Word and prayer. Now that I'm home, I have to develop a new routine. One that will keep my devotions in check. So, I decided to sit down and figure out how to do this.

Here is where you come in. I once was challenged to a “No Devos, No Breakfast” challenge. That didn't have much effect on me because at school I don't really eat breakfast (I know, not good). Needless to say, it didn't work very well, so I decided to change it to something that will affect me. For the next two weeks, I want to challenge you to with the “Consistency Challenge.” I have decided that for the next fourteen days I will take on the motto “No Devos, No Facebook.” If I don't have my devotions, I don't have Facebook that day. It may be something else that will work for you, Google+, Pinterest, or maybe your favorite TV show or hobby. I really think that if you accept the challenge with me, you and I will see God work in great ways! You'll see that the more you get to know God, the more you love Him. We often underestimate how amazing He really is.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” God wants us to seek Him. He wants to spend time with you! Let's not pass up the privilege we have to spend just a few minutes every day getting to know our Savior.

Are you up for the challenge?