Archive | September, 2007

Shopping for Time

By on September 28, 2007 in faith & womanhood, making a home


I have recently been reading, Shopping for Time by the Mahaney ladies from over at girltalk. An excellent 94 pages on learning how to balance your time and priorities by first rising early to sit at the feet of Jesus followed by the importance of planning and personal retreats. Very refreshing.

“We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune.”
~ Charles Spurgeon

Here are a few thought provoking questions that were included for personal evaluation:

  • How can I make my devotions more fruitful?
  • What is one area I can grow in godliness?
  • What is one family relationship I want to give more attention to this season?
  • Am I using my gifts to serve in my local church?

Their encouragement was to take a personal retreat on a regular basis: quarterly, annually, or with the changes of seasons in your life. I personally was at the beach for the weekend with my husband and it was perfect time to evaluate my walk with the Lord, my relationships, etc. Taking time away from the busyness of life is crucial for continuing to examine ourselves to see if we are walking in the truth.

I personally am striving to be more faithful in journaling during my devotion time. I find this so helpful to seal within my heart and mind any truth that God pokes me with. It is so refreshing to be able to go back and re-read all that God has taught me over time. Such good reminders.

I am also working on the area of contentment in our finances as one of the areas I can grow in godliness in this season of my life. I will be talking more about this in an upcoming post. For now, God has allowed me to pass the management of our finances over to my husband, so I can no longer worry over every little penny spent.

All in all this book has been a refreshing reminder to my soul. Are you continuing to grow in godliness? Being stagnant is not honoring to the Lord. Pretty soon we will dry up all together. Take the time today to do a little examination by the strength that God supplies.

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Preserved through childbearing

By on September 19, 2007 in bellies & babies, faith & womanhood

1 Tim. 2:15
“But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

God has purposefully designed women for the amazing ability to carry and bring forth children. The bearing and rearing of children brings about the beautiful work of sanctification in our lives. It is through them that we are pruned and grow in Christ-likeness. The word “preserved” here means “sanctified”. It does not mean we will escape all pain and trials in the process. It means that through this process, Christ will make us fit for His presence.

Secondly, it reveals the truth that being a wife and mother is the role God designed for women, and walking in that role we will find our fulfillment! Interesting to note: it says “children” in the plural. Are we limiting God’s design by taking the number of children we have into our own hands? It does not say, “women will be preserved through the bearing of a child”. Just a thought.

Lastly, we must walk in faith, love and self-restraint. I think God knew what areas women would struggle in the most. These seem to be them.

Faith – we must be fully reliant upon God with childlike trust and dependence. We must trust that the pain and struggles of child rearing are working a perfect work within us. Faith is trusting in God even when we cannot see the future, we cannot see the results of our labors. Worry and anxiety are the opposite of faith.

Love – sacrificial love. Rising in the middle of the night for a teething baby, making meal after meal for a hungry family, and washing one more load of laundry…each task must be done in love. Perfect love casts out all fear. Isn’t that interesting? Love ties in with faith.

Self-restraint – in my book this is self-control. Whether it be food, appearance, emotions…each area of our lives must be managed with self-control.

What a beautiful work God has created women to do!

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