A book by Sara Horn "My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife" Review

In Exchange for a fair and honest review I was sent a copy of “My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife”. This book can be purchased from Sara Horn's website at: http://www.sarahorn.com/my-so-called-life-as-a-submissive-wife/.

I loved reading Sara's first book “My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife” not only because I found it chop full of humor but also because it inspired me to attempt my own Proverbs 31 experiment. Since I found Sara's Proverbs 31 book to be such a great and inspiring read, I was really excited to have the opportunity to review her latest, “My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife”.

The topic alone is intimidating because submission is not an easy trait to take on and personally, I find it hard to be submissive as a wife. My husband and I have always worked well from a 50/50 base, we each have equal say, we are each equal partners and all that. The 50/50 frame we work from isn't one of equal spilt as in he does ABC and I do XYZ but it is one were we come together and work side by side as equals in all areas of marriage, parenting and life A through Z. Reading a book on being a submissive wife was going to be challenging. When I told my husband, his honest reaction was laughter. He then told me I don't have a submissive bone in my body. Challenge accepted.

“My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife” is an interesting look at Sara (the author) down in the trenches of her own experiment being the submissive wife the Bible talks about. She wrote about this time in her marriage as she attempted to put her faith in God above all else and then place her husband second, only to the big man above, and herself last. Page after page of real life accounts on what being submissive was looking like in their marriage I loved seeing how her submission to her husband softened his heart toward her and she found freedom in submitting to a God fearing husband (which is IMPORTANT because I do not believe you can submit to any husband who is not God fearing).

There were big changes that happened with the Horn family as Sara worked on taking on a more submissive character as a wife, and then there were some small changes too – it goes to show, that really every little thing matters when it comes to our decisions and our actions. One example was when they were taking a trip to Disney World and there was a mild fanny pack debacle – was that funny! Another when a gecko dropped in for a visit – another moment that had me laughing. But, you'll have to read the book to get those funny stories, I won't be ruining any written pleasures from within that books pages here.

I found that although I didn't know where I stood on the submissive wife topic reading this book was not like finger nails dragging across a chalkboard (sorry to all who are now hearing the screech of that mental memory). Reading this book was great because Sara is so honest and open and down to earth in her writing and reading I feel as though I can relate, relate, relate! At the end of the book I thought, if she could do it and see positive changes, maybe (just maybe) I might try it too. But what it did do was have me pulling open my Bible and looking up all the passages about wives and submission to see what God does expect of me specifically on that topic and putting into action what I gathered from that.

I think if you get the “My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife” you should definitely get her book before that also, “My So-Called Life As A Proverbs 31 Wife” and go ahead and read them both back to back.

I would love to hear from you if you are reading, have read or plan to read either of these two completely awesome books! What did you think of them? How did you use them in your marriage?

#SaraHorn

#WifeLife

You Reap What You Sow

Recently I was given an opportunity to review the Abundant Harvest for Kids board game (ages 7 and up priced at $24.99), for a fair and honest review. I was really excited about this great opportunity because this seemed like just the kind of game I would love to play with my littles. As the Harvest Time Partners website outlines, this game was designed to:

• “create teachable moments for parents and educators” alike, and
• “the situations are presented and directed towards children who are learning the importance of making decisions that are based on principle”.

You can check out the games for yourselves at www.harvesttimepartners.com. Below is my opinion after having played the “Abundant Harvest for Kids” board game. (And even further below that, a quick mention of their “Face to Face Dinner Party Edition” game and my thoughts on that one – but you'll have to keep reading to get to that).

We are a homeschooling family that incorporates God and the study of His word into our daily lessons. I was at a point where I had started to think about new ways to focus on, encourage and strengthen Godly character – character development. After all we are to train our children up in the way they should go. Abundant Harvest for Kids seemed like a great way to do just that.

During our Thanksgiving holiday our family decided to break out our Abundant Harvest for Kids game and give it a go. We love gathering around the table to play games and this one was no exception, moments like these are what memories are made of. Question after question, my girls loved showing how they could make a good decisions. If I had asked the girls what their favorite part of the game was, I know their answer would be collecting the Abundant Harvest Dollars. Those dollars, unbeknownst to them, were a great tangible reward to positively reinforce their good choices to all of the games proposed situations.

As a parent, playing this game with my kids was great because I got to read the scenario cards and let them know how I would handle it and be able to share my wisdom before it was needed. Just like the military trains for war, parents train their children spiritually, to be biblically and morally sound – this game is something that can definitely be used for just that. Listening to the answers and hearing their wisdom speak volumes beyond their tender years was confidence building for me as a parent, I knew I had begun to raise little ones with a moral compass that pointed straight to the Holy Bible. Playing this game with them gave them and myself alike, the reassurance that no matter where life takes them, or what it throws at them, that they will be ready, and will be able to successfully navigate any of life's waters.

Honestly the game was a little hard for the girls to play all the way through because it was a little lackluster, the conversation cards were all serious and a little heavy without any lighthearted moments to it other than the moments we made. I think families with children that really haven't developed a solid christian moral compass could definitely benefit from playing this game despite that because of all the real world challenges it pitches for preparedness on how to tackle them from a good christian base – so if you're that family, I would highly suggest playing this game to help your children develop that despite it's lack of levity.

The only other downsides for us really were that the game was a little hard for us to relate to, maybe that's because we are a young homeschooling family – maybe for others who aren't homeschooled or maybe children who are even a little older than the game suggests, this game would be a better fit. There were cards that the children drew that I tweaked the scenario for to make more appropriate for their ages and some we skipped all together and drew another card for them in place of those I thought inappropriate. When either little landed on a parent space and had to answer a scenario as the parent, never having worn that hat –they were attempting to try on new shoes to answer those cards and as a homeschooling family things like bullying or cheating on a test is pretty foreign – however greek any of the un-relateable scenarios were, our girls still shined in knowing what the right thing to do would be and bless their hearts, they continued to show it turn after turn. That said, just like if you give a mouse a cookie – if you give a kid a soap box you might want to throw in a timer ;)

Overall, I would say this game was a fun time had by all. I am very thankful we took the time to play this game for the togetherness it brought but also for the opportunity to see the direction our little's moral compass was pointing (and the opportunity to recalibrate if needed). I think taking something like building good Biblically sound character and judgement and making it into a game so that teaching and learning can be done all while spending time bonding over a game is a fabulous thing to do.

Aside from the Abundant Harvest for Kids board came, my husband and I played the “Face to Face Dinner Party Edition”. This game has a deck of 96 cards and is priced at an affordable $12.49. There are other “Face to Face” card game sets aside from the dinner party edition such as the kid edition and teen edition. The dinner party edition is described on the Harvest Time Partners web page as:

• a conversation game “for ages 18 and up, adults, and parents”, and as having
• “scenarios encourage discussion between adults on issues in marriage, raising children, and the workplace”.

Exactly as described each scenario card was completely relatable and having experience in all topics covered it was really fun to play and explore the what would you do factor if this were a scenario you found yourself in.

We had roughly 400 miles of road time for Holiday travel and I had just the thing to distract us from all of that bumper to bumper. I pulled the “Face to Face Dinner Party Edition” out of the glove box and read the cards for us to take turns answering. Honestly, I loved it :) My husband said he did too, and really loved how they had a good Christian focus. We look forward to working our way (gradually – we can pace ourselves) through all of the games cards, but we will definitely be playing that game again – and if you invite us to dinner (or get stuck in traffic with us), you might find yourselves playing it right along with us. If you were to ask me if I thought was a game worth adding to your game repertoire, I would say definitely.

If this post has peaked your curiosity about any of the Harvest Time Partners games, hop on over to the Harvest Time Partners website, www.harvesttimepartners.com, or give them a call at (877) 786-4278 and see if there is a game there waiting for you. You too could be a moment away from your very own Abundant Harvest, after all – we reap what we sow. Happy sowing my friends!

Additional Harvest Time Partners Link Ups:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarvestTimePartnersInc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HarvestTimePartners

Twitter:     https://twitter.com/Stand4Character

To see what others thought of this and other games from Harvest Time Partners, check out these blogs below:

http://roomsofknowledge.com/abundant-harvest-kids-game-review/#sthash.gpUc24Nv.dpbs

http://thewatersparkles.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/face-to-face-game-review/

If you have played this or other games from Harvest time Partners let me know! I'd love to hear about it too:)

Cash that Check

Last week was a hard one to say the least. My husband and I were upstairs in our bedroom as I was nursing our littlest and our older two girls were playing. We received one frantic call after another before we could reach the phone. We looked at one another and just knew, something was up – and likely bad news was looming, there were too many calls in a row for it to be anything casual.

I only had to return one call before we received what was devastating his family. His nephew had died tragically much too soon in life. As I shared this with my husband we wept together for the loss that had just hit. Only moments later we were packing up in a windstorm-like frenzy so we could make our way to be with his sister, to help and comfort in any way we could. Thankfully my parents live along the way and we were able to have our girls stay with them so that they wouldn't have to know grief or see such pain at their tender young ages.

I have never been through anything of such gravity before that week and one of my most prevalent thoughts was of rushing home to wrap up my little ones and give them the biggest longest hug ever – in those days (and still to be honest) I just wanted to be able to wrap my arms around them for a hug that never ends. When I did see them I tried to do just that :) but bless their little hearts they could only stay squeezed up in my arms for a couple of minutes before trying to break free.

In that week and still my heart breaks for my sister-in-law, and I pray that God can bring her peace and comfort her.

Life is short, no matter how “long” we live, it's still short. This was a reality check for me in a way. This has made me think about all that goes on in life and realize so much of it is just little stuff, the day to day stuff. Life is to be lived and loved. I want to live every moment intentionally so that not a single moment is “wasted” or “idle” or spent poorly.

Each day we wake up, God is putting a check in our hand for LIFE. We should take that check and cash it in, don't set it on the dresser to get lost or put it in the bank for later, cash it in and LIVE IT and LOVE IT. We do not know when we will stop getting these “checks” from God so let us make the most of the ones we do get.

At the end of my life I want everyone I know to know how very much I loved them. I want everyone to see how much I truly lived. I want to make the most of all the time I have and I want bless the people in my life with my love and my time and my happiness and my heart …. with everything I have, I want to pour it out on each one of them holding nothing back, until it's all spent up.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1Timothy 6:7 [NIV].

The Parable of the Talents

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time the master of those sevants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five, 'Master,' he said 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share you master's happiness!”

“The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters's happiness!'

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed, So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

“His master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“ 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. Fore everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' “

-Matthew 25:24-30 [NIV]

Okay so this parable has a literal and a figurative translation, and I'm taking it here in a metaphorical sense that the talent represents life – it's not the only way this parable is used or applied, but this is how it spoke to me this morning.

Life has hit with some pretty hard blows, and I'm not usually one to start in with a “woe is me” attitude (and I'm still not) but I do live in reality and I do know that's also life. Hard blows will hit but God will always be there. Life will never be perfect, but we can live it to it's fullest. Times may get tough, but we can always try our hardest. We may tire, but God will always be our strength.

What a tragic, devastating, and sad thing that has happened and my heart hurts for the suffering and pain for that side of the family. I pray and will keep praying for them. I am driven by this with a new zest to have no regrets to live fully and love deeply and I will live intentionally because one day all too soon it will be cut short.

How do y'all plan to spend your talents?  What things do you feel lead to do with them? Let me know :)

May God Bless you all and may you also live and love to the fullest. Life is is full of blessings, enjoy them y'all ;)



Side note:  Here is a link to the memorial fund if anyone wants to make a contribution, feel free to do so but don't feel pressed or obligated.
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/kjm2/zachary-batt-memorial-fund

Focus on Forgiveness

Who hasn't had their toes stepped on. I know I have. What about a little more than that? Anyone have their heart broken, been lied to, betrayed? Those are all wounds that most of us have suffered at one point or another and so I'm sure we're all aware of how slowly they heal. Take a moment to think about why your hurts are healing up slowly. Is that something that can be fixed? Now there's a place to start! Forgiveness. Sometimes it means forgiving over and over again.

Anyone with children who takes a moment to watch them play can see how easily their feelings get hurt. (There is a reason parents, of all the hats they wear, moderator and referee is one of them). Have you ever witnessed what happens to the offended child once an apology is offered though? In my house, and in most cases, they once again become fast friends without a second thought to the hurt they had moments before felt. Wow! We really can learn a something from a child after all – if only they could tell us how they do it. Let's see, I'll ask … ok, apparently it's not easy for them either.

My six year old said that she forgives but that it isn't really easy she just does it because it's the only thing she can do. My four year old said that she forgives because of her heart (how precious) but she said that she still remembers. It works the same for us as adults when it comes to offenses and forgiveness. Something happens it's hard to forgive but we do because that is the right thing.

I have heard so many people quote “forgiven but not forgotten” or heard the instruction, “forgive but don't forget”. How unfortunate to hold fast to that as a rule. Those quotes wouldn't work in a marriage. I have heard a good one about forgiveness and marriage: “a good marriage is the union of two good forgivers”. Now there's one I like. If you can forget whatever is needing forgiveness, by all means LET IT GO. Why in the world hold on to something so it can hurt over and over again? Or worse to say you've forgiven but then continually hold whatever offense against the offender – is that any way to forgive? Not really.

True forgiveness isn't truly offered if you don't honestly try to forget it and it certainly isn't given if you still hold it against a person. God knows your heart, if you say you forgive but hold the bitterness of it in your heart still, he knows it's not the real thing. The best thing to do for yourself is to find a way to forgive. I have so struggled with this one! Guilty but redeemed – learning is occurring here, praise the Lord for with it comes peace. How beautiful and priceless peace can be.

Something to think about, is not only have we all been hurt, but we have all inadvertently hurt someone else at some point in our lives also. Not one of us is without sin. When it comes to forgiveness (and judging) the Bible does say this: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38 ESV. It sounds like forgiveness is not only something we give to someone else but a gift we can give ourselves also.

There are times though when, despite as hard as we try, as hard as we wish and as hard as we pray we are simply unable to bleat it out from our memories. In those moments if we've extended forgiveness, we get to practice the act of continual forgiveness. That means every time we are reminded, once again we must forgive it to move past it. Let me tell you, that is one hard thing to do! (But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that right).

May God bless you as you try to forgive all of the past hurts that have stuck with you and may the good Lord bless you as you try to forget those things as well so that you can lighten your load and not carry that around with you any longer. Turn to God and let him heal you as only he can. Let God carry the pain you may hold, tell him about it and then when it strikes out like a snake – pray for God to cast it away from you. Refuse to think about it. Do not entertain any thoughts on it (that's called a rabbit hole) – instead remind yourself you have forgiven, and forgive again and again, as many times necessary. It's not always easy, but most things that require effort are usually worth the effort they require.

Just a side note: In no way am I referring to forgiveness when it comes to an abuse or your own physical safety. I firmly believe if you find yourself in any sort of abusive situation that you find help to get yourself to safety. Safety first always!

Being A Blessing

Photo Property of C.K. Nelson not to be reproduced or copied

Being a Blessing

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being able to spend some time with, and visit my Grandparents. Our girls ran around the spacious country plot and did what I did there as a child, roll in laughter and make up adventures. It was amazing for me to watch a wonderful new memory being made while an old one was being recalled. Oh, how I loved my summers there.

As we were about to leave I noticed how there was four generations, right there, on that very porch. How blessed are we. Some friends of mine are already starting to lose parents to death, and here, we had not only our parents there, but our grandparents with us too. What a true gift from the Lord that most seem to take for granted.

I began to think about getting older, something most of us don't think too much on – understandably, what fun is there in that. I also thought about the role of parents and children and how they relate to the passing of time and growing in years.

My husband, often times, has joked with our children asking, “When I get older since I changed your diaper, are you gonna change mine?”. If you haven't guessed, his type of humor is the off the wall kind, and that's just what that question is, his humor coming out to play. That comment is a joke that leaves him laughing because the girls will then cringe and squeal at the thought of a poopy diaper. That's right. I said poop. Before parenthood it's a word seldom used, but as a parent it's in as frequent use, as air.

Here is the surprising part, not my husband actually asking this, after cringing about poop, the girls with all the love in their hearts say, “Don't worry Daddy. When you and Mommy are old we will take care of you, even if we have to change your diapers.” Let me just say, I love their blessed little four and six year old hearts! Here he was trying to pull their leg and they used that as an opportunity to show true love is as wide as it is deep as it it is tall.

I wanted to know, how many adults would show that same love to their aging parents? The answer, a surprising 20 million , which is over 80 percent of care, is provided by families, as seen here: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/lifechallenges/life_transitions/caring_for_ill_or_aging_parents.aspx. Wow! Keep up the good work for those who are already helping and for those who aren't let's change that!

Helping parents out as routine things become more complicated like mowing the yard, power washing the house, weeding the garden is something all family members should start to take on as these things no longer appear to be a luxury of capability for parents, yet they maintain the responsibility of accomplishing. Let us find ways to be a blessing to our parents.

Our parents have done their best to show us love, to provide for us and to help us. (This is care work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_work). As our parents age it IS our turn to show them love, and in ways to provide for and to help them. The love, support and help need not be equivalent to what they have given because it's not an exchange system. It is an expression of love, one that should be just as tall as it is wide as it is deep. Although it is not an exchange system, something worth noting is that our children WILL SEE how we treat our parents and care for them as they begin to depend upon us, and our response to our parents and what we do is how we will be teaching our children in turn, to treat us – let's be a good example and let us follow the direction given in the Bible:

1 Timothy 5:4 “...Children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+5%3A4&version=NIV . Pretty clear right? Now that we know, the next step is A-C-T-I-O-N.

I would love to hear back from you and hear about how your actions are blessing family members older than you.

Has this post in any way inspired you to helping out more? In what ways?

May God bless you as you bless others.

He Will Direct Your Paths

He Will Direct Your Paths 

Prov. 3:5-6

We have all probably heard the song that Carrie Underwood so eloquently sings, Jesus Take The Wheel. How many of us completely and utterly surrender ourselves to Him? Whether we understand the why or not, that is exactly what we are supposed to do. We will come to find that He works for the good of those who love Him. By surrendering ourselves to Him completely, we will come to find the many ways in which he is blessing us.

Recently my husband and I have decided to embark on a homeschool adventure. Our oldest daughter is at the age where she is to start kindergarten in the Fall. After prayerful consideration and studying the Holy Bible we feel completely lead to the decision we have come to – Homeschooling here we come!

His ways are not ours and ours are not His, I have read this verse many times but with this decision it smacked me right between the eyes. I retreated back into the think tank or more accurately my “prayer closet” and, began then to realize that public school would have been the spiritual death of the spiritual life we have taught them to live. Remember God isn't allowed in public school, and you know who that means is among our children roaming the halls. In addition to that with the no child left behind act, what sort of educational enrichment would they receive? Sharpening the dullest crayon in the crayon box does not make any of the other 63 any sharper.

Homeschooling began to enter our thoughts and we started asking ourselves, why don't we do that? As we tried to consider what the Lord would have us do, we put the specific question aside so we could examine what the Lord has told us to do, so that we could come back to our current question and tackle it from a biblical base.

In the Bible, very early on, we read how the Word of God is to be held in our hearts and practiced daily. His Word is supposed to be meditated on, talked about, shared and lived. His Words are the light unto our feet. How profound! In all things we are supposed to consider God and His Word. We are to weigh every choice and every decision with what we have received, His Holy Word. C.S. Lewis has been quoted saying, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance”.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 spoke so clearly to my heart in considering what to do about the decision we were making in regard to home vs. public school. Here is the NIV of it;

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

How can I expect to fulfill this part of scripture if I send my children off to public school for 6-8 hours a day. It's simple, I couldn't. I am certainly aware of how the public school system would not fulfill this part of scripture on my behalf if I were to entrust the care of my children to them during school hours.

The public school environment is like ground that is infertile and, we are not to cast our pearls before swine. God is being taken out of the pledge of allegiance and kids are not allowed to carry Bibles, let alone pray. Evolution is taught as truth despite that it was scientifically disproven decades ago. Children are no longer taught about morals and virtues but are instead counseled on being safe while being immoral, quite the oxymoron isn't it. It's the same as asking children to play with fire and telling them to not get burned. 

 Knowing this I could not in good conscience remain true to our faith and values and send our children into such an environment. It would be like seeking a babysitter only to find one who says they will come to your house but will not keep an eye on your children. In that context it would be more than foolish, it would be negligent to allow such a sitter to watch over your children and, in such a situation you had better head to the drawing board to find another solution, one that is viable. Take this analogy and remember the sitter in the scenario is public school. In light of this my husband and I found ourselves on our knees many times.

Homeschool on the other hand is a place where children can grow not only intellectually and socially but also spiritually and emotionally. Why should a parent ever be willing to sacrifice their child's spiritual growth for intellectual and social growth? I hope the answer is obvious, spiritual growth should never be sacrificed. The vine will bear no fruit unless it remains in the tree. By homeschooling children, they receive intellectual advancement beyond their public school counterparts because there is no such thing as the dullest crayon, there is only a lifelong love for learning and a quest to continuously seek and find. By homeschooling, there is intellectual growth with no ceiling. There is social enrichment where children are able to take field trips together, play together and enjoy other christian companionship without being told they are to sit in a room with their peers and remain eyes forward, seated and silent. 

 Most importantly, in addition to the academic and social benefits to homeschool the spiritual benefits are numerous to say the least. The homeschool day is conducive to God, prayer, and His Holy Word, it encourages children to continue walking in faith, training our children up in the way they should go as we are told to do in scripture. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord our God and, where he leads, we will follow.

In seeking His will for our family we have been lead in a direction that we had not previously considered and, in walking in faith we are putting God first. We are trusting in His perfect will. We are thrilled to begin our homeschooling adventure knowing God is at the wheel, for we can do all things through Him, who gives us strength. Just as God has brought us to this road, may He bless our path as we step out in faith and, begin our homeschooling journey.

Are you at a crossroad?  Are you currently trying to make a decision?  Unsure maybe of what to do or how to decide?  Commit yourself to reading the Bible, finding biblically supportive mentors and, seeking His will through prayer.  I pray God may be the lamp unto your feet and the light unto your path.

May God Bless You

The Question We All Seek; What is Christian Living

The Question We All Seek; What is Christian Living

I have seen so many articles voicing various opinions on Christian living. Each and every Christian is seeking to live a life pleasing to God, at least we should be and so it makes sense to be contemplative of the thoughts and actions that become the very fabric of our lives. Thankfully we are not left out in the cold on this one. The Holy Bible is an excellent place to start and reading through it we have laid out before us example after example of what is expected of us as Christians. If the examples aren't clear enough in the Old Testament, It is laid out before us in the New Testament. Thankfully, we are also blessed with His Holy Spirit. If there is a question we have and we seek an answer to, we have His Holy Spirit to help guide us. As long as we keep His word in our hearts and truly seek His will we can be sure He will guide us.

The first step in making a decision is to remember not to lean unto our own understanding but to let Him direct our paths. We must acknowledge His ways are not our ways and our ways not His. Understanding this helps when we must discern between the leadings of the Holy Spirit and the desire of our own hearts. How does one discern between the desire of one's heart and the leading of the Holy Spirit? The only way to do that is to spend time in prayer and reading the Bible to know Him. If we cannot take that time to truly digest our daily bread we cannot expect to receive spiritual nourishment nor the discernment we need.

When we are told to pick up our cross and follow Him. He meant for us to no longer walk in the flesh but to walk in the spirit. To live in the world but to not be of the world is what we are commanded. We must be reminded that wide is the path but narrow is the gate. Wow! Does that make a very clear and bold statement to anyone else? It certainly does me. I understand that statement to be that many people TRY to do the right thing or they think God won't care if abc or God never said anything about xyz. But think about that. That is the path that is wide – headed in the right direction but missing the mark, or should I say gate, altogether.

We must live in the Spirit and apply that to our daily lives to make sure that all of our thoughts, all of our actions glorify and honor our God. Living in the spirit is being the Light in an otherwise dark world. We are to be set apart but we are also to love one another as we love ourselves – we are to be light bearers of His Holy Spirit.

When moral controversies arise among Christians and the answer seems elusive, if you can't find within the Bible clear direction or resolve to your conundrum, if there is confusion between the desire of your heart and the Holy Spirit (and which is which), remember what it means to be a Christian to find your answer.

To be a Christian is to follow Christ. If we are to consider what is appropriate or inappropriate we can always ask of ourselves, What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD). That's right I just pulled the hackneyed WWJD we have all heard of, but how many of us actually take an extra moment to really ask ourselves, WWJD? When all else still leaves you without a clue, try it.

To come full circle, when it comes to the controversies of Christian living in truth there is always an answer and there is always only one. The differing opinions are a result of different degrees of closeness in our relationship with God or in some cases the degrees of separation between some and God. Various opinions on Christian living have little to do with there being multiple answers, because there are not, but has more to do with how tied one is to the Holy Spirit and how tied they are to the Flesh. Always remember two things; the path is wide but the gate is narrow and when making those decisions that will affect your walk with our Lord and Savior, aim for the narrow gate and we cannot serve two masters.

Scriptures Referenced and Suggested Reading:

• Proverbs 3:5-6
  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
• Isaiah 55:8
  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD”
• Matthew 16:24
  “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
• Romans 8:9
  “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”
• Romans 12:2
  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
• Matthew 7:13-14
  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
• John 15:4
  “Remain in me, and I will remain in you...”
• John 14:15-17
  “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.”
• 2 Corinthians 4:6
  “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
• 2 Corinthians 6:14
  “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
• Matthew 5:14-16
  “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
• Matthew 5:19
  “...love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Matthew 6:24
  “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:21
  “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.”

* A Prayer for Today *

Lord, thank you for your abounding love and thank you for your grace. Thank you Lord for the gift you have given us of the Holy Spirit.

Life is full of choices, and decisions must always be made. We pray Lord that you will continue to guide us and lead us so that we do not stumble upon the path. Please continue to lead us as we follow you Lord and please forgive us if we should stumble. Please help us to always do what is right, because we know it to be right. Lord, do not let our hearts be hardened by the world. We ask that you use the Holy Spirit to convict us within our hearts if we begin to falter, are doing wrong, or are being lead astray. Keep us close and be the lamp unto our feet and light our paths. Please Lord, as you lead us continue to purify us, to mold us, and to make us the Christians that you would have us be so that we may serve and glorify you Lord.

In Jesus' Name

Amen.

***

A few of the controversial topics I have heard in regard to Christian living are the following;

Books we read

Movies we watch

Television

God's marriage view and the new world view

Divorce

The clothes we wear and swimsuits

Religion being allowed in school

There are many more but these are a few of the ones that I have seen and heard being tossed around by Christians trying to find a Biblically ethical answer to the problems that the world in it's modern form poses. Hopefully each Christian faced with any moral, ethical or controversial dilemma, question or problem will seek God's will and direction for answers to these and other issues Christians face.

If any one has anything to add on the topic of Christian living ….. as always, I'm here :)

***

May God Bless you and be with you one and all.