"Dear God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I’ve thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear. Teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. And show me that through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant." George Matheson
"I long, I desire, I want to be a jewel that does not cringe if God chooses to give my soul a hard scrubbing every now and then. Now, I’m not glorifying the suffering it takes to polish my faith.
But, ladies, I am glorifying the God whose image is reflected on the surface of any smile—my smile—that might be hard fought for through pain or problems. Because if you want God’s glory to be your shine, girls, it will be on His terms, for His glory.
It will be the glow of His godliness in your life, His patience and perseverance, courage, and the conviction that the Father is worth trusting and obeying no matter how painful the trial. His terms call for you to be refined like silver and for me to be tested like gold. And that is something over 40 years in a wheelchair has shown me.” - Joni Eareckson Tada
"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" 2 Corinthians 4:17
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18
I am not a licensed therapist or a trained counselor. I did not attend a seminary or minister training school. And I do not live every day perfectly. But I know whom I have believed. And I am convinced that he is able to keep that which I've committed to Him. And... what you've committed to Him. It is said that "God does not call the "qualified", He qualifies the called." And we are all called, out of every circumstance of life:
to glorify Him.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
So glorify Him in the middle of a bunch of thorns. Roses do it all the time. So can we.
I'm so thankful for you. So many of you, and of your friends, do give glory to God, even without a word, by your perseverance in faith and patience in suffering. Please pray for me too.
... one of the ones I've thought of would be "The Un- Women's Bible Class". It is not meant to be used in a Bible class at all, where more than two or three are gathered together. Because we all know that where there are more than 4 women together, somebody is going to be in a totally different situation than the others, and whatever you say is going to "not apply", or at least, have to be applied from something else. Wouldn't it be better to have (or be) a personal trainer, to deal with specific people? Anybody ever seen an on the job training situation where the mechanic or technician or whoever has a room full of trainees all at once - and they all are actually learning? Or even more than three or four? What's best? One On One. Just like the best Bible studies of almost any kind. Where do most conversions occur? In a home Bible study, very often. In children of believers, it is very often not so much what they learn in Bible class, but what they see at home - a living gospel. Please don't argue with me on this one. I have seen the effects of kids who had the Bible classes with other kids their whole lives, even some taught by elders, who did not see a daily living out of the gospel by their parents. Maybe you have too. Now, what would be the effect on those women who are not your daughters who you take an interest in, not just during that once a month Bible class, but in your home, in their home, in your daily life of living the Gospel?
I've seen a few books for women on "mentoring". Yes, and then a group of women get together and read and discuss and answer the questions in a women's Bible class, and then when that book is done they get another book and still meet the same way. I'm not saying that this always happens. But I've been thinking a lot lately about the Titus 2 mandate. I know that I have always been more influenced by a discussion, an example, a personal call-me-aside-and-correct-privately time. Haven't you?
OK. Yes, I learn tons with the church family, even when it's about the role of preachers and elders, or employees, or those being physically persecuted - all of which I am not. If it is the Word of God, then of course I can learn from all of it. And in those situations where I learn about the Bible and its Truth, I also can encourage others of all kinds of backgrounds, I know, just by being there, to listen and talk for a few moments.
But the day to day Gospel... Read with me what Titus 2 says:
"as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine."
What is sound doctrine? What is good teaching? Listen to what follows immediately in Paul's teaching of the young preacher:
"Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,"
what is good? listen to what follows:
"and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."
What reviles the word of God? Not living the day to day submissive to Christ and others gospel. Can the word of God really change us? Do we really die to self and then live a new life "as unto the Lord"? Well, we should, right? Here's a quote I came across:
“Show me your redeemed life, and I might be inclined to believe in your Redeemer.”
If we would just live the Life. It is the list of things the Paul teaches Titus to teach others to teach that others will see. Another famous phrase goes, "I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day." Jesus said that others would know that we were His by our love for one another. The male/female roles are taught over and over for a reason - when we don't submit to our husbands, when they don't live sacrificially for us, then the "word of God may ... be reviled." (That word for "reviled" there comes from the same word as "blasphemed".)
I've heard young single women who don't want to attend women's Bible classes because it "doesn't apply". And though it really does apply - they are Christian women after all, and need to learn things like purity, submission and self-control - often times a class, a group of people, has to be bent to cover the needs of all at once. Unfortunately, like a large school or college classroom, someone will be overlooked. That doesn't happen when training is going on, one on one, in a home where a mother is training her own daughters, or in an "extended" home where an older woman is training a younger woman and helping her with her specific needs. How sad that young women are growing up career oriented, thinking that they and their husbands will be best friends (both of them thinking of the egalitarian roommate best friend that they live with in college), when the reality is that there are other roles to learn and understand, especially that downtrodden but God-made concept of submission. And this goes for those older women who "don't need" women's Bible classes anymore too. Everyone needs to keep growing and learning. Everyone can benefit from group assembling. And everyone definitely benefits, grows, is edified by one on one living and sharing of the renewed, self-controlled, pure, kind, day to day in the home submissive life.
I have no idea how to write this book. As with many other books I have thought of and not written, I hope that I can at least live out the ideas of my book so that others will learn from that. If you can't make a ladies' class or day or weekend and feel discouraged, then just call somebody and invite them over for an "un" women's-Bible-study. Just call it daily living. And that's what encourages and converts, anyway.
Well, that's my rambling for now anyway. Please, be encouraged. Oh, and if you're already doing all these things, please don't write and tell us about it. That's sometimes called "bragging" and makes those of us who are not doing as much feel more down on ourselves. We do see it, and we do think you're wonderful. Just, you don't need to point it out. :) Thanks for listening.
Always better to go 'man to man.' Maybe over a cup of coffee. A key is to be alert to those around us, sensing their needs, then being willing to take the time. Good thoughts.
May you be able to count many, many blessings, today and always!
"Thanksgiving has great curative power. The heart that is constantly overflowing with gratitude will be safe from those attacks of resentfulness and gloom that bother so many..."
I am a Violet
"You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."
What Flower Are You?
I'm a sunflower.
"When your friends think smile, they think of you. There is not a day that goes by that you can't find something good about the world and your fellow human."
I'm sorry to those who can't view videos online. But for those who can, I hope you find this little talk, from a woman, interesting and maybe educational too.
I love that! "You need to pray before you go shopping!" I can't tell you how many stores I have walked out of empty handed because I couldn't find anything modest to wear. Seek and I will find!
