Two Articles That Gave Me Food for Thought

This blog post, More on Modesty-Three Week Minded Men Walk Into a Church, challenged me today. It is a good reminder for me and made me think of the book, To Kill A Lion that I had read a couple of weeks back. Modesty is a heart issue and something that we deal with all around us. Kimberly had written an other blog post, Three Immodestly Dressed Women Walk into a Church, which also is a good read. If you go read these articles, I hope you walk away challenged and blessed, as I did!

Links:
Three Immodestly Dressed Women Walk into a Church and More on Modesty-Three Week Minded Men Walk Into a Church both written by Kimberly Suchta

Book Review: To Kill A Lion

"You're not born a winner or a loser-you are born a chooser!

-Unknown

To Kill a Lion by Bruce Lengeman

I read this book this summer and I highly recommend it. It is written more for guys/men but women can read it. I think it can apply to women as well as men. I don't want to say too much about it because I want you to go read it for yourself but it helped me see a lot of things differently. One thing I came to realize is that so many times things we are dealing with over and over again in our life can be pointed back to a root issue in our past that we never truly dealt with in the way should have. Sometimes that root issue we brought onto ourselves, other times it is came by way of someone else but we didn't deal with it properly. I learned so many things and I know I would read it again! If you have the chance, I would read this book, it just might change you life!

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

-1 Peter 2:20-23

Reflections

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

-Galatians 4:6-7

I read this in my devotions this morning and it stuck out to me. I have been listening to a chorus cd that has the song, "Can the World See Jesus?" that talks about the people around you being able to see Christ in the way you live and have been thinking a lot about whether those around me, Christians and non-Christians, can see Christ living in me. Then reading these verses made me think, not only can they see Christ living in me, does the way I live reflect that I am a daughter of God? Which, if I have Christ living in me also points back to the fact that I am a daughter of God.

 

I had to think of the body of water pictured above. See how the blue of the sky and the surrounding scenery is reflected in water. I have to think that is how our lives should be. We should reflect the fact that Christ is in our life as well as reflect with what kind of people we are surrounding ourselves. That is why it is so important to have a good group of friends around us, along with people we can reach out and minister to.

This next verse that I thought of that, can in a way, go along with the whole idea of reflecting Christ, gives us some areas that we are to be an examples of believers. I believe if we are able to exemplify Christ in each of these areas, those around us will be able to see Christ in us, and know we are a son or daughter of God!

 

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

-1 Timothy 4:12

 

Breaking each one of the areas we are to be an example in: 

In word. Meaning, does the way I talk and hold conversation make people think that I am a child of God or does the way I talk make them wonder. Also some commentaries would say this has to do with doctrine and teaching nothing but the truth of God. I think the two go hand in hand, teaching the truth of God and speaking.

In conversation: Conducting myself in every way of life that shows those around me for who I am living my life

In charity: In love to God and all men; show that this is my principle and motive in all my conduct

In spirit: In the way and attitude with which I do all things; How often do we do things that are holy and charitable with an unholy or uncharitable spirit? Then to us as the doer, work done in this spirit is unfruitful.

In faith: All the time, in any trial, show other believers around you, by your example, how they ought to keep an unshaken confidence in God

In purity: In chastity of body and mind, in opposition of impurity of the flesh; and it may also refer back to all the was said to before, purity in word, conversation, charity, spirit and faith

 

So my challenge to you is to look at your life and see if the way you are living is a reflection of being a child of God and having Christ living in you. My prayer is that Christ will shine through me, each and every day! May God bless you as you walk thru the rest of this week.

A Freeing but Growing Experience

 

I am reading a book called Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. I had just finished reading the book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris and then I asked my sister if I could read the book I got her for Christmas, Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. She didn't care that I did, so that is the book I picked up. It is so interesting to me how God seems to put these books in the order he wants me to read them and they somehow flow together...It has happened before. Reading the Do Hard Things book got me ready to do the hard things I needed to do while reading Authentic Beauty. :)

So far I have found Authentic Beauty to be a very good book. It is one that really makes you look at your spiritual life; where you are at in your walk with Christ as well as seeing how you can improve it. Personally for me, I saw some areas that I had sinned in way back when and never really taken care of those things. I believe that is probably part of the reason that I felt like I haven't been growing spiritually like I could have been. I have asked God to bring to mind any other areas that I haven't taken care of and as he does that I pray forgiveness for them and repent of them. It is a really freeing experience. I know there are some things that I still need to take care of but I am ok with it. God is walking with me thru this process and it is definitely worth the time and effort it takes.

It has been a growing experience for me so far and I am hoping that the more I read the book, that God will continue showing me things that I need to do. You might end up hearing more about this book as I read it. If you ever have a chance to read this book...do. It doesn't matter if you are older or younger I think it could help women of all ages :)

Here are some more links from The Christian Pundit about modesty:

http://thechristianpundit.org/2012/10/03/what-modesty-looks-like-12/

http://thechristianpundit.org/2012/10/04/how-christian-modesty-acts/

Doing Hard Things, Sexual Godliness, and It Matters Whom You Marry

I found this site, The Christian Pundit, today. This is the first post, It Matters Whom You Marry, I read on the site and after I read it I wanted to see what else they had. I have been reading some of the material on there and wow...very inspiring! If you have a chance go check it out. It is very worth the time it takes to read some of their stuff. I was checking out their posts under the Marriage section and they have a lot of good posts. The ones I read were about sexual godliness in two parts. Here are parts one and two. I am so glad I found this site.

Another site that is worth checking out is The Rebelution and the guy's book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. I just finished this book and it was a great book to read and I recommend any teen (and adult) to read it. My cousin told me about it and had lent it to me. It made me see that we teens (as well as me) sometimes think oh we can't do this or we can't do that because we are to young or to small, or any other excuse we can think up. The hard things are different for each person but that is the neat thing because we are all different but yet we can work together and often our differences compliment each other. Not always but often they do :) I really appreciated the message these guys brought out in their book and would definitely recommend it.