A Little Break

Hello, Ladies!  I hope you have enjoyed the last couple of months here at the Fayette Flourish blog.  I hope you grew through the reading plan and posts and through the weekly inspiration provided by some of our sweet ladies at Fayette Baptist.

We know how busy these next few months can get - spring break, ending out the school year with parties and graduations, and then, of course, summer vacation!  Because of this, the womens' ministry team has decided to take a little break from the blog, as well, to enjoy this fun, crazy time in our lives!  We are hoping to possibly pick back up in August once school starts back and everyone is in a more "normal" routine (and if you are someone who ever experiences a "normal" routine, please catch me at some point and tell me what your secret is! ;)).

We hope and pray that you continue to take time out  of your day each morning to spend time with the Lord!  Even when our lives turn into a busy season, we still need to carve out that time and continue to grow our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

We can't wait to worship with you on Easter Sunday!

Cherish the men He has put in your lives

I am always so encouraged when I see or hear other women appreciating their husbands. This is something that my husband and I have really been focusing more on lately!  Life has so many distractions and a list of never ending expectations. It’s so easy to get caught up with all these things and forget to be GRATEFUL FOR EACH OTHER!

Have you thought lately about the things that you find valuable in your marriage? Not in life, work, children, but your marriage.

These verses help me to remember how important my marriage is and what a blessing marriage really is.

Matthew 19:6  

So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let not man separate.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Peter 4:8-9

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Proverbs 31:10-11

An excellent wife who can find?
    She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
    and he will have no lack of gain.

We all may be going through different things and be at different stages, (newlyweds, married for MANY years, new parents, just in a rut). But we need to remember that we ALWAYS can find something to be thankful for and something to appreciate about our husband. The same goes for husbands - I just don’t think they will be reading this. :) 

How can you show appreciation to your husband?! Maybe make it a game and see who can write down the most things they appreciate about their spouse in a certain amount of time! 

Now - don’t get upset if your husbands don’t catch on to the appreciation thing right away. If you want, have the discussion with him about wanting to show your appreciation more often. If you don’t feel it’s the right time for that, then you start the ball rolling! Verbally show appreciation to him as often as you can throughout the day.

I bet he might just be inspired to do the same!

Remember you are being obedient to God to selflessly love & serve the one HE gave you to live this crazy awesome life with!

So here’s my challenge for you today … send your husband email / text of appreciation right now! However he may respond to this please remember we do these things with the assurance that we have brought glory to God by choosing to cherish the men He has put in our lives.

Jesus Calling

Be still in my presence, even though countless tasks clamor for your attention.  Nothing is as important as spending time with Me.  While you wait in my Presence, I do My best work within you: transforming you by the renewing of your mind.  If you skimp in this time with me, you may plunge headlong into the wrong activities, missing the richness of what I gave planned for you.
Do not seek me primarily for what I can give you.  Remember that I, the Hiver, am infinitely greater than any gift I might impart to you.  Though I delight in blessing My children, I am deeply grieved when My blessings become idols in their hearts.  Anything can be an idol if it distracts you from Ms as your First Love.  When I am the ultimate Desire of your heart, you are safe from the danger of idolatry.  As you wait in My Preswnce, enjoy the greatest gift of all: Christ in you, the hope of Glory!

Romans 12:2
Revelation 2:4
Colossians 1:27

Stay At It!

One of my favorite verses is found in Galatians 6:9.

 "Be not weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap if we faint not." 

 With the month of April quickly approaching, my New Years resolutions from January seem like a distant memory. Can anyone relate?! Many times in life, we have so many good intentions to make sustained change in our life and live in a certain way. More time in God's word, more time in prayer, more time with our family, etc. However, life happens. Schedules, jobs and activities can quickly take over our time and cause us to forget all the good intentions and changes we wanted to make. For me, it can be things like more dinners around the table with my family, more time spent in prayer daily, or less time on my devices so I can have more quality time with my family. Whatever it may be, don't lose sight of those things God has shown you and told you to do. God has spoken to me many times over in the past year telling me to put my iphone, ipad and laptop down more often so I can use my time better. However, I can quickly become lazy after a long day and forget what God has revealed to me in the most intimate of times. Whatever the circumstance may be for you, my prayer is that you will meditate on this verse and be reminded not to be weary, not to get discouraged but to stay at it! Remember, it is work to persevere and live intentionally. In due season ladies, we will reap the rewards of living a life of intentionality and making those wise choices. Whatever God has been telling you to do, stay strong and stay at it!

Hebrews 12:1-2

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.

He > me

I am strong when I am in total dependence on the Lord.
I'm going through Psalms right now, and I am trying to truly meditate on God's Word. Seeking to truly be totally dependent on Him.  Sometimes I do okay at this total dependence thing, then at other times I fail miserably.
These are some passages I am meditating on.

Psalm 25:1-10
Unto thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Yea, let none that wait in thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Show me thy ways, O Lord: teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me:  for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Remember , O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindness; for they have been ever of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy remember thou me for they goodness' sake, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
The meek will he guide in judgement;  and the meek will he teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and this testimonies.

v, 12-15
What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease .................
The secret of  the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant .
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

v. 21
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.

Psalm 27: 14 
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart;  wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalm 27: 3-5
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;  though war should rise against me in this will I be confident.
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalm 27: 8-9
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face;  my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord will I seek.
Hide not thy face far from me;......

In these verses I see God  whom I am dependent on, My Stronghold.
As I study God's Word He is teaching me.  I am praising Him today for His LIVING WORD.  
Just as we need that physical food to grow physically, I need that spiritual food. I will not live in victory if I am not spending time with Him in His Word.
I can do nothing in my own strength and must die to my self daily.
 This is my prayer , that I will truly live daily in dependence on Jesus.

Angels Among Us!

        I feel led to share some verses with you this week regarding angels.  Many times they are mentioned in the Bible.  This past weekend my dad, my daughter, and I went to visit family in Purvis, Ms.  Sunday at church, the pastor gave his testimony.  He shared with us he was contemplating suicide at one point in his life and even had a plan to carry it out.  He was going to drive his truck off a cliff and then all of a sudden his truck had a blow out.  He then stopped and thanked God for sending his angels to save him from what the devil had convinced him was a good plan.  That night at dinner with my girlfriends, I shared this story with them.  We began sharing stories of our own accounts.  I don't know if you've ever been in a situation or knew of someone being in a situation and you felt a presence that changed the outcome of the situation? I know I certainly have and have questioned was I being protected by my guardian angel/angels?   Like for instance,  a friend of mine was driving in her car one night with her mother- in-law, and all of a sudden heard what she thought to be her mother-in-law, scream "stop!"  She slammed on breaks and several deer ran out in front of them!  Turns out, it was not her mother-in-law but she believes, a guardian angel.  I know many times my co-workers and I have discussed how we've checked on babies (patients) when it wasn't necessarily time, or have just been walking by, and a baby is silently choking in the nursery.  God watches out for those babies and for you and me!  I want to share with you this verse my cousin shared with me.  If you are ever in trouble or know someone who is remember (911) Psalm91:11. "For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
         Our conversations also reminded me of times when I've felt led to give, help, share with a stranger. Have you?  You never know what kind of impact you will have on someone or who you are impacting....God knows your heart....if you feel led just listen and obey!!! That's a hard thing for us to do, I know.  With this being said, I am reminded of this verse that I also wanted to share with you,  " Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.  Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2
          I don't know what you've experienced or where your thoughts are but would love to hear from you.  I pray someone is blessed by this message.  I just love these scriptures and how God's word is fresh and new every day and his love constant!!

Making Much Out Of Little

My kids absolutely love earning their own money and saving it up to go to the store to purchase something they have been really wanting. Lately it has been Lego friends. They absolutely love Lego friends and will work hard doing chores to earn some money to purchase new ones. Problem is, it seems like every time, one of my girls gets up to the counter and begins diligently counting her money out only to find that she does not have enough money for her new toy. I hate to see her so excited about her new toy only to find that her money earned is simply not enough. I often think about how this relates to us in our life. So many times, we want to give but feel like we simply don't have enough. Many times this causes us not to give at all. Not enough time to help others, not enough wisdom to share with others, not enough experience to help in this ministry or on this committee. Yes, many times it feels as though we simply aren't enough and don't have enough.

This week in my quite time, God brought this to my attention on two different occasions. When I am studying God's word and he shows me something several times, I know I need to listen a little closer! In Luke 9, we read of the story of the feeding of the five thousand people. The disciples tried to persuade Jesus to send the crowd away. In their eyes, they did not have the means to care for a crowd of this magnitude. But Jesus said to feed the people. He found a boy with five loaves and two fish.....so very little food for such a large number of hungry people. In reading the passage, we read that all five thousand were able to be fed. God took what was available, so very little, and made it MORE than enough. We see similar accounts like this in scripture on several occasions. God wants us to understand, if we are willing, He will make us able!

Ladies, God can take what we are willing to give, the very little time, wisdom, money, etc. and make much of it. We only have to be willing to be used, to give a little of our time or our resources and God can use them in a mighty way.

I pray each of us this week will look for opportunities to take what seems to be so little in our eyes and see what God can do with it.

Has there been a time in your life that you have had little to give but you have seen God use it in a mighty way? We would love for you to share in the comments below!

Katie

For such a time as this

I am reading through the book of Esther right now.  The book is about Esther, a Jewish woman, who becomes queen and risks her life to save her people.  She was an ordinary girl who ended up in some extraordinary circumstances. She became a heroine for her people.
She did not seek out this position.  However, clearly you can see as you read her story, God had a plan all along.
If you haven't read through the book of Esther, you should!
Esther had not allowed her ethnic background to be known.  When Haman made plans to destroy the Jews , no one suspected she would be included.

When Esther was told of what was happening she sent message to Mordecai.  He sent a message back telling her to go before the king to plead for her people.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            In Chapter 4 she replies in verse 11:
"All the king's servants and the people of the kings's provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live.  And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days" 

Mordecai's reply:
verse 13:  "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish.  And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"

Modecai apparently knew of the prophecies of the restoration of the captive Jews and their ultimate victories.  Confident enough in them and God to say " relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place" .  Mordecai was confident that even if Esther failed the challenge in front of her, God would still bring deliverance to His people.   God is not taken by surprise.
He would use Esther, but He could use anyone he wanted to.  Esther was hidden away , like Joseph when in prison, hidden away for God's purpose, and brought out in His timing to work out His plan.

Esther then tells him to assemble the Jews and to fast for 3 days and nights and that her and her servants would do the same.
(Interesting that she said her servants would too.  Had she had such a testimony with them that they wanted to follow her God?  I haven't studied this more, just made me wonder. )  

In the end of verse 16 she says "And thus I will go into the king, which is not according to the law;  and if I perish , I perish." 

My prayer is that I will be as brave as Esther.  Putting my full trust in my Lord and Savior .   I think of the 21 Egyptians recently in the news who were killed.  Sometimes doing what is right may mean we jeopardize our life.  Would I be able to say "If I perish , I perish" ?
I have become so accustomed to living in a free America, I may not realize what might lay ahead in my future or that of my children.
I think it might be a good thing for us to stop and ask " why has God allowed me to live now" ?
 (...for such a time as this?)
It may not mean giving up our life but our comfort, our money, our friends, or other things.
   Maybe we will not save a nation, but an orphan, or a family in need.    Are we truly ready to be brave like Esther?   Do whatever it takes to do what God is calling us to do??   Are we spending time with Him in His Word and prayer so that we would even be sensitive to the Spirit's leading?    He will use us for His plan, but only if we accept the call like Esther did.
I want to be ready for such a time as this.

Let go my soul and trust in Him

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding..." Proverbs 3:5

           My prayer lately has been that I will quickly obey the things I know God is calling me to do and that I will find JOY in every situation he has allowed me to be in. So this week in my quiet time God has been showing me many different verses that remind me that He is in control of all and already knows my next steps.

It's so easy in life to grow weary, complacent and even fearful of what your future holds; no matter what stage of life you may be in! In Joshua 1, God tells Joshua to lead over a million people over the Jordan in 3 days and 3 times God tells him to "Be strong and courageous for I am with you wherever you go." You don't see God telling him to stop, take his time, and think about what he said, or even to go pray about what he has commanded him to do. He clearly commands him to be obedient to just GO  and continue following Gods will! How powerful is that?!!

I pray that we can be obedient to his commands, to not be dismayed or grow weary to S I M P L Y 
OBEY & TRUST in his will. God doesn't tell us that we will understand his will but I know he does! He is with you WHEREVER YOU GO!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Worry Less Pray More

Philippians 4:6   Be anxious in nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

I'm naturally a worrier. In fact, if you looked at my junior yearbook, you would see a picture of me and underneath that, a caption saying, "Me worry? Never...." This is true and I was so far away from knowing The Lord. But even in my adult years, and having a relationship with Jesus Christ, I still find myself many days with much to worry about.

This past Sunday was an eye opener for me.  In our life group we discussed Abraham and his faithfulness to God.  And in our small groups, two people shared how they once were told that there is a difference between worry and concern.  To worry is to have little faith.  I once read that worrying is like being in a rocking chair, it will keep you busy but it will get you nowhere.  I could fill up many pages with "things" I worry about daily.  Most, if not all, are things that are out of my control.  I have allowed Satan to fill my mind with things to worry about. Instead, I should come to God first. He tells us with him, and only him, all things are possible. I know Sunday  when Pastor Drew preached on prayer and what it means to pray fervently....I looked at my own prayer life and didn't like what I see!! I've slipped along the way.   I know us as women wear many hats...we are daughters, sisters, mothers, wives and we have lots of people we take care of.  But are we taking good care of ourselves?? If we aren't, what good are we to the ones we love? And when I say taking good care of ourselves, I mean physically, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually! I strongly urge you, if you do not have an accountability partner ...find one!! This is someone who will hold you accountable and encourage you with your walk with Christ .  What are you worrying about today? Are you taking good care of yourself? Is your prayer life pleasing to God ?  I read yesterday in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (which is fab) "The Best defense is continual communication with Me, richly seasoned with Thanksgiving.  Awareness of my presence fills your mind with light and peace, leaving no room for fear." 

John 14:27  Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you,  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Matthew 11: 28-30 Come unto me, all ye that are labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

I have been so blessed by these messages, going back and reflecting on my notes from Sunday, my devotional, and God's word.  I pray also someone is blessed today

Tamatha

Abiding In Christ

Would you describe yourself as a victorious Christian who is living a life of joy or would you describe yourself as a struggling Christian trying to keep your head above the water? Many times in the past few years, I have found myself feeling as though I am just trying to make it from day to day in my walk with Christ. This is not what Christ has for us, ladies. He tells us in John 10 that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but he comes to give life.. and not just life, but ABUNDANT life! Ladies, He wants us to have that victorious Christian life. He also tells us in John 14 verse 15 that He will not leave us alone in this world. He has given us  the Holy Spirit, who is our helper! The Holy Spirit is Christ in us. While we may see some of our circumstances as too big to handle, God tells us in His word, He has given us all the help we need. Are you living today in your power OR  in the power of the Spirit? If you’re living in your own power trying to face it all, you will remain a defeated and worn out Christian.

In the past year, my husband and I have taken over a family business and now find ourselves owning a small business as well as raising three small children and being very involved with several church ministries. This is on top of so many other daily activities that we are involved in like extracurricular activities, time spent with friends and family, etc.  In the past few months, there have been many days that I realize I simply cannot do this all on my own. In the quiet moments of spending time with Him, I have been reminded, I am not intended to do all of this on my own. He has given me all the help I need. I simply need to ask for it and rely on Him and not my own strength, which will leave me feeling inadequate. I don’t know about you, but more than ever, when life gets busy, I feel a need to get alone and get quiet with God so I can really hear what he is trying to tell me. Today he is telling me this: 

 

John 15:4 “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. He who abides in me bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. “

 

No matter how busy your life is today or what stress you are currently under, don’t let it steal your joy. You were not intended to carry this load alone. Abide in Him. Get alone with Him and let His word encourage your soul.  Of ourselves we can do nothing, but when we abide in Him, we can do much!

Are you abiding?

 

Gideon

Hi ladies!
We hope you were blessed in some way with the reading plan we had for February.  
For the month of  March, we do not have a reading plan per say.  However, we will be posting the same amount of times each week in hopes to encourage you in your daily Bible reading.  
We will have a new reading plan for the month of April. 
Because each of us will be reading different Bible passages, each post will vary.  

  When I was a mother with only little ones I would read my Bible during nap times or at night.    I have found as I have gotten older that reading my Bible and having my prayer time first thing in the morning IS truly the best.   There is something about getting your day started off in God's Word and spending time with Him FIRST before the craziness of the day comes into play!   If you can, I really urge you to start off your day with first opening His Word and having that  Priority time with God!

In January , I started reading through the Bible.  I am using a commentary handbook that takes you through the entire Bible showing you how the Bible is not just random stories  in the same book.. but shows how the Bible is one book, one history, one story.   
I have read through the Bible several times and know all the "popular" Bible stories.  At least I think so and then I will see things I feel like I have never even seen before!!  God's Word is AMAZING like that!! 

I was reading in the book of Judges the other day.  I was reading about Gideon.  I've always loved this, but I saw something I don't think I've really noticed before. God had already done the fleece test for Gideon to reassure him.  Gideon had seen the angel of the Lord touch the sacrifice back in chapter 6, and fire came from the rock and consumed it!  
It was in Judges 7:9 where God tells Gideon to go to the camp saying "for I have given it into your hand" , then God says in verse 10: "but if you are afraid to go" .... and He tells him he can go up with his servant first and listen to what they are saying, so that it will strengthen him! 
God could have expected Gideon to just go!!  After all he's already shown him it would't seem wrong for God to say " Just trust me and GO!" 
Instead, it's like He knows Gideon wants to trust, I don't know, maybe he was a worry wart!  ( know anyone like that?)   
 This time when I read it  I saw how God was faithful to him and used him in spite of him needing all this in order to do what he was supposed to.  
Gideon is in the "hall of faith" in Hebrews! 
To see how tender God handles us.  Like: "This is what you need to do Gideon, but if you STILL need encouragement  ( something you can see with your own eyes or in this case hear with your own ears) .... I will give it to you"    Look what Gideon says after he hears what the men in the camp are saying:

 15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands. (now he can really trust God is in it)

It was like it wasn't that he had a lack of faith in God, but in himself maybe? I don't know, but God doesn't get angry with him that we see.  Instead, we see him help Gideon to see He is really in this!  

I don't know if that can encourage you like it did me.  I know I have a few friends who tend to be the worry warts.  After my reading on this day I had to text them and share what God had shown me.  Gideon was not perfect. He needed God to show him some extra grace, to add additional encouragement.  He needed a tender father to help guide him.  That is exactly what he got!  God used Gideon. Not because he was perfect , but because he was willing and faithful!   
I want to be like Gideon.  
I want to be found faithful. 

He's Alive! He's Alive!

The Empty Tomb is NOT The End.

We woke up this morning to another freezing morning [at least there was some real snow though!]. I am a warm weather type of girl so I am counting down to Spring! But my favorite thing about Spring is celebrating one of my favorite holidays.  Easter is coming - Which leads to our LAST 2 chapters in John!

After reading these last two chapters I couldn’t help but sing one of my favorite songs the rest of the day, “Christ is Risen” by Matt Maher.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death, Come awake! Come awake!

Come and rise up from the grave!

As I am singing this song – I am quickly reminded that I am supposed to be living AWAKE – not walking along as if I were dead. [[ just getting through my checklists each day and maybe adding in a few extra “nice deeds”]] It’s time to W A K E   U P!  And the song isn’t referring to Jesus waking up…. HE’s ALREADY AWAKE!  HE HAS RISEN!

Ladies it’s time for us to open our eyes and live!

In John 21 Jesus is talking with Peter, [Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”  Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”]

Jesus is very straightforward with Peter in v. 22, You follow Me. This is a clear message for us as well. It’s not our business what our peers / friends / family have, are doing, where they are going but to SIMPLY – FOLLOW HIM!

Come awake ladies; leave the darkness that fills your heart [worry, jealousy, unforgiveness, selfishness, etc.]

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. {John 20:21-22}

Jesus has sent us to do a job BUT he didn’t send us alone.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task he has called us each to do!

Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!

It may be winter now but Spring is coming! Let us live a life that is AWAKE and on fire for Jesus.

CHRIST IS READY TO USE US – ARE WE READY TO BE USED?

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us - Ephesians 3:20

True Joy In Christ

John 17:13
But now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have MY JOY fulfilled in themselves. 

Recently, when reading a study that was asked to a number of people in various stages of life, the question was asked, "What is the number 1 thing people are seeking in life?"
The overwhelming answer to this question was happiness. True happiness and joy may seem hard to attain to some people. We live in a world full of pain and disappointments. As a follower of Christ, God wants us to experience true joy through him. Outside of Christ, our circumstances in life may never allow us to experience a lifetime of true joy. We as Christians can have the power over our circumstances and live a life filled with joy. How is this possible? Through an intimate, daily relationship with Christ, who is the source of all our joy. Just a few chapters ago we read
that Jesus came that we may have an abundant life. This same verse also warns us that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. When life seems to give us circumstances that we feel like we can't rise above and be victorious over, we must draw closer to Him. As followers of Christ, we know that we will experience good and bad circumstances in our life. When the suffering and tragedy comes in life, try not to ask "Why me" and instead ask God to give you strength for the suffering and an insight into what He is trying to teach you through it. There is JOY in the Lord and knowing "He will never leave us or forsake us." Ladies, regardless of your circumstances today, ask God to give you full
joy and the ability to see past todays circumstances. When you are a woman filled with true joy, this is a testimony to the world of His goodness and victory in a believers life.

As we read in John 17 today, let's look closely at Jesus prayer and learn that though we are in a spiritual battle, we can experience joy in Him and Him alone! Ladies, no matter our circumstances, let's choose joy and speaking life. A favorite saying of mine is "Everything is a choice." When we experience negative things, we have a choice. Will we complain to all our friends or will we seek God in prayer about our circumstance? Will we look to the world to find answers to our problems or will we dig into Scripture to see what it says about our problems. We have the choice, will we be women of happiness that depends on our daily circumstances or will we be women filled with the joy of Christ regardless of our current circumstances?

We are only about a week away from finishing our reading in John. As we finish ladies, let's finish this study strong. The enemy will try all ways to keep us from our time spent in God's word growing closer to Him and learning more. If you have missed some of the reading, don't let this stop you from continuing. Jump back in with us where we are and continue studying and growing.

Katie

The Vine

Abiding in Christ.
It's the secret of the Christian life.
John 14:6
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Jesus is saying farewell to the disciples.  He knows He will go to the cross soon.  He tells them of the Holy Spirit coming.  My Bible says 'on the way to the garden' He talks about the Vine. (yes, the garden, the one where He prays right before He is taken to be crucified!) When something major is about to happen and you only have so much time to get something across to someone.. you choose your words careful , right?  what you say is bound to be pretty important, right?   I can't help but think Jesus said this with such urgency.. like, "please get this guys!!"  I know everything Jesus said was important.. but for some reason.. my sanctified imagination just makes me think so! =)
In John 15 Jesus compares himself to a vine and God to the vine dresser.  In order to bear fruit we must abide in the vine.  Abide in Christ.
 This is a picture of our life in Christ.  He's  trying to explain to the disciples how they are to live when He is gone.
 Jesus is the source of life.  If we remain in Christ as the branch remains in the vine we will bear fruit.    The branch cannot bear fruit unless it is getting its source of life from the vine! If the branch is cut off, it cannot bear fruit on its own.  It is nothing without the vine.
The branches that do not bear fruit are taken away and burned. The branches that do bear fruit are pruned so that they bear even more fruit.

To abide in Jesus is to keep His commandments.  If we love Him , we will keep His commandments. We will abide in Him.  We will grow in character to become more like Christ.

In John 15:5 it says apart from Him we can do NOTHING!
This is good news!  We don't have to be strong enough!   He provides the grace and strength we need!
We have to acknowledge we need Him in order to bear fruit.
Jesus says we are His friends ( let that sink in a minute) if we obey his commandments (15:14).  That commandment is fulfilled through abiding .  Because if we are abiding in Him we will Love as he tells us to!
Matthew 22:37-39 tells us to love the Lord God will all our being, and to even love our neighbor as ourselves.
Wednesday our post was about John 13 where Jesus says by our love people will know we are His disciples.
John 14:15.. "If you love me, keep my commandments".
By abiding in Christ we show we have a transformed heart.

My daughter Lucy does the same thing my other girls did when they were little.  She will pick a flower ( well, sometimes its just a weed or just a type of grass ) and bring it to me.  She is always taken back when she realizes that it will not continue to live.  She thinks it will just stay in that state of "beauty" that she sees forever!   I explain to her that because it is no longer connected to it's roots it cannot get all that it needs to continue living.  She would suggest to put it in the sunshine coming in the window or add more water to the vase. =)  She just turned 4 and I think she is finally understanding.
Just like that flower, we have to stay connected to the source = JESUS!   We have to remain in Him!  HE is our source of true life!!   Through Him we will produce fruit that remains.
If we are not abiding in Jesus (loving Him, obeying Him) then we will not produce any real fruit.

If we aren't spending daily time with Him we are not going to be producing the fruit God desires for us to produce.
 For it is through that daily time with Him He teaches us and we learn more about who God is and with that we will love Him more.
We love him because he first loved us!
 We draw even closer to Him.
 Because we love Him we will keep His commandments.
The more time we spend with Him the more we will want to spend time with Him.
   Do you see how abiding takes place?

Listen to what happens when we abide:
15:5 says we will bear much fruit
15:7 says our prayers will be answered
15:11 says we will experience fullness of joy

The Bible doesn't say being a Christ follower will always be easy.  Actually, in verse 18-19 Jesus tells his disciples we would be hated by the world just like the world hated Him.   I don't think he was trying to sugar coat it.
Even though it may not be easy.. It can be blessed.  God wants us to live a life abundantly full!          { John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly"}
That abundant life will only come as we abide in Him!

16:33 ends our reading for today:
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world."

If we are faithful to abide in Him He will give us the strength we need to face whatever this world sends our way. 

LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;

as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-45

As I read through John 13 I can't help but think of how Jesus was feeling and what was going through his mind. When Jesus spoke these words he knew that one of his followers would betray him, a close friend would deny him 3 times, and he soon would be crucified! And here we see Jesus preaching LOVE! 

LOVE, such a small word with a lot of meaning. Do we really understand the meaning of True Love as Jesus is commanding us to love!? I can say that I know the great love of my parents, family and friends. But True Love as Jesus speaks of love, how do we do that? 

In order to love like Jesus we need to understand how Jesus loves. We can look to the cross and see clearly as to what Jesus meant when he said love one another.  Jesus loved sacrificially! Jesus felt compassion when he saw us in our distress and he was moved to do something. This is how He loved us. 

So can we truly love sacrificially as Jesus loves? 

Our culture teaches us to put ourselves first - to look out for number one. Follow your dreams, do what makes you happy. So loving sacrificially is almost unheard of or a radical kind of love. Jesus isn't speaking of living one another when it's easy and beneficial. True Love is hard and sacrificing. It's forgiving when you've already had to forgive this person over and over, it's giving until it hurts, and serving even when you'd rather be somewhere else! It's giving up for others to gain. 

And this is where the verse really pierces my heart ... "By this everyone will know you are my disciples." 

Let’s ask ourselves a few questions:

If someone were to overhear us talking to our friends, would they hear forgiveness, grace, and love or would they have to listen to complaining, gossip, and slander?

Would they know by the things we say that we are Christ followers?

Would people see us in our homes sacrificially loving our family? 

If we are being completely honest, we know that it depends on the day (sometimes the hour). I know I have lots of room for improvement.

Thankfully, I don’t have to look far to find instructions on TRUE LOVE. I just have to open my Bible.

I truly want others to see Him, by how I show my love to others; through obediently sacrificially loving like Jesus.  We are all born broken and in desperate need of someone to show us, not just tell us, what grace and TRUE LOVE look like.  Let’s find that strength and courage to live out LOVE even when it costs everything, because we have a Savior that did just that for us! 

~ Jessica 

I Am His

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 

"And I know them".... Do you believe that? Do you believe that God knows you?? Sometimes it is hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that He knows ME! He knows me in an intimate and loving relationship. He not only knows me but He also goes on to tell us that once we know Him, we can never be taken away from Him {verse 28: And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish: neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.} Ladies, in a fallen world with so many hurts and dissapointments, this is the ultimate good news!! Once we come to Christ, we are HIS and no one and nothing can change that! 

Many days, I look around me at all the pain and hurt in the world and I begin to feel discouraged but in the scriptures we are reading today, we see HOPE! We read that He is our Shepard and that He loved us enough to lay down His life for us. In John 10:11, Jesus contrasts the Shepard to the hireling {the hired help.} the hireling tends the sheep for money and when trouble comes, he flees. The Shepard tends the sheep because He loves them and is committed to them. What a beautiful picture of how He loves us and cares for is. Oh how he loves us and is committed to us. Do you fully grasp that love that He has for you? 

As we read today, let's thank Him for His never ending love for us and that we are given such an opportunity to be known by Him and to hear His voice and follow Him. 

FREE

  

Chapter 8 

In reading this I wondered what Jesus was writing on the ground when he "FREED" the woman accused of  adultery.  I wonder.

 ( that's really a side note.. but have you ever wondered?)  =)

I see Him show grace and forgiveness, while still calling sin for what it is.  

 I can learn through this passage that my job is not to condemn others.. but to point them to Jesus.

That is always a good reminder for us  who "know" this .......but   (cough cough)                    don't always live it out! 

Here is what really stuck out to me  in reading through this part of John this time around:

                      v.31~ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

v.32~ And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

These were Jews who we see in verse 30 started to believe.. .. He told them If they continued in His word  it meant they truly were His disciples and that then they would know the TRUTH and the TRUTH would set them free!

Then as I read  down further I saw verse 36:

"Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you. Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 

And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever.  

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

When we sin we become slaves to that sin. Jesus is the only way to be set free!     

JESUS=SON=TRUTH

When we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior we become a child of the King. We are bought with the blood of Jesus.  He bought us to set us free! 

It's only by our faith and trust in Him that we can be free. 

I look at my sin and feel the failure.  But Jesus is saying  

YOU ARE FORGIVEN.

 YOU ARE SET FREE.

Yes, there is a punishment for sin but John 3:17 tells us that Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn it, but so that the world through Him might be saved!

Thank you Jesus for the cross! Thank you for paying for my sin debt!   It is because of YOU I am free!  I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was a preteen. Therefore I know my debt is paid.  I have been set free!   

That Impresses Me!

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the 

Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; 

and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:40

I may have to say John 6 is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible.  It amazes me thinking about what Jesus does here!

Let's just paraphrase what happens:

By this point, word has spread that Jesus heals people so MANY people start following him. At the beginning of John 6, Jesus has over 5,000 people that have followed him out to the side of a mountain where He and his disciples are. Jesus looks out over the crowd and then says to his disciples, "Where are we going to get bread to feed all of these people?" The disciples find one young boy with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. After Jesus gave thanks miraculously there was enough bread & fish for EVERY.BODY.  That’s right.  There were even leftovers.

But that’s not what impresses me the most. 

When people saw what Jesus had done they were all ready to force him to be their king!  Jesus knew this, so he decided to get away from them. He withdrew alone to the mountain.

That night, the 12 disciples got on a boat to cross the sea. As the disciples are crossing the sea it became very windy. They look up and become frightened as they see Jesus WALKING on water. Jesus says to them, “It is I, do not be afraid.” Scripture then says in verse 21, “Then they willingly received him into the boat, and IMMEDIATELY the boat was at the land where they were going.”

But that’s not what impresses me.

The next morning, the crowd woke up wondering where Jesus went. So they got in boats and found him on the other side of the sea.  What does Jesus do next?
He gives this speech about how he knows they want him just for what he can give them and not because he is who he is.  In fact, they don’t even realize that He is God himself.  They didn't quite understand what Jesus was saying so he says again:  “You need to eat my flesh and drink my blood.  I am the bread of life.”  This confused them even more.  He kept saying this over and over again. How can we eat you and drink your blood?? – – They didn't get it.

Eventually, many of the people went back home and left Jesus.
Jesus was not afraid to get rid of the fake people.  Jesus was not afraid to speak up to get rid of the selfish. Jesus only wanted true followers, he didn't care about big numbers.  

THIS. IMPRESSES. ME.
 
THEN, Jesus turns to his closest 12 and asks them:  “Do you also want to go away?”And then there’s Simon Peter’s beautiful honest response:  “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life…You are the Holy One.” The disciples knew this, they believed this!  There is no one else!
 
I want this to be my response to Jesus every. day.  I don’t want to be a follower of Jesus just to what blessing I can receive, or to feel better about myself.  In fact, the longer I follow Jesus, the worse I feel about myself, but the better I feel about Him. 

The crowd in John 6 was not ready to go all in.  They wanted to stay on the sidelines and benefit from the flying candy as if they were at a parade.

John 6 is definitely a favorite.   Following Jesus for who HE is is much more satisfying than just hanging out on the side to feel good about myself for “doing the right thing.”
                                                 
Taste Him and see that He is life and he IS the Holy One of God.  And once you see Jesus and not his stuff, you will find that there is nowhere else you’d rather be because nothing at all makes sense outside of Him.
 Jessica