Self-Help or Freedom?

So how good are we?

"The fool has said in his heart,

'There is no God.'

They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;

There is none who does good.

God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

Every one of them has turned aside;

They have together become corrupt;

There is none who does good,

No, not one."

Psalm 53:1-3

"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Romans 3:23

According to Scripture, none of us is good! HOWEVER:

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

Psalm 18:1

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."

Psalm 143:10

God is good! Salvation in Jesus Christ means we are covered by His righteousness and freed from bondage to sin:

"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin."

Romans 6:5-7

Hallelujah! Freedom from sin means we can do good; because of His power and by His grace, we can do good.

Does that look like self-help to you?

Nope. It's a whole lot more substantial and freeing, friends.

Written by Amy Parsons.

Making Time for Word-Filled Ministry

Question: How can we make time for word-filled ministry in the midst of our busy lives? 

Answer: First of all, there is plenty of grace for busy seasons of life. The needs of our families and churches and jobs ebb and flow and sometimes we’re consumed by different projects or newborn babies. Every season is unique in regard to how much time we have available to study the Word. 

With that said, however, if we desire to grow in our Christian faith or if we are women in Christian leadership, then we must strive and exert ourselves to prioritize Bible study. Spiritual maturity will not happen on the margins of life. Further, leaders must be prepared and out ahead of those whom they serve—not to be puffed up or perfect by any means, but leaders lead and they are, by definition, ahead. 

1. Whether you and I are single, married, or moms, of first importance is making some foundational and difficult decisions about how we’re going to spend ourselves—our time, our energy, our money, and more. It’s helpful to think ahead a decade or 30 or 50 years. What kind of woman and Christ-follower do you want to be? What will it take to get there? 

If we endeavor to know Christ deeply, then we must make time for study. In the US, we have so many options for how we might spend our time—sports, clubs, hobbies, good causes, and on and on. Buffets of options abound and if we want to stay sane, healthy, and not burned out, we must choose wisely. My encouragement to singles and families alike is to limit your activities to just one or two (or whatever number is necessary) so that you can make space for plenty of time at home to be still and in the scriptures.

2. After we’ve setup some strict boundaries about how we’re going to spend our lives, we must make the most of the opportunities we do have to get into the Word. 

For personal absorption during an especially taxing season (new baby, geographic transition, new job), I find it helpful to not only read the Bible, but to also listen to it. I like the ESV Bible app and listening to Scripture set to songs, such as Hidden In My Heart or Seeds Family Worship. Why not let the Word of God dwell in you while you’re driving or cleaning or putting the kids to bed?

If you’re finding it hard to do Bible study because you have kids, consider doing it with them. Teaching your kids is a great way to get the Word into yourself. Take time to share Bible stories or read chunks of scripture together at meals, bedtime, or snack time after school. Some helpful resources are The Bible Project, Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God, The Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith, The New City Catechism: 52 Questions and Answers for Our Hearts and Minds, and Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids. 

If you’re tempted to skip personal Bible study altogether because you feel overwhelmed, look for ways to integrate at least small portions of Scripture into your day—everyday doesn’t have to be an in-depth, inductive day! 

Other helpful tools include podcasts such as RisenMotherhood, Help Me Teach The Bible with Nancy Guthrie, Revive Our Hearts, or Flower Mound Women’s Bible Study. Or look for Bible study workbooks you can do alone or with a group. Or simply grab a friend and read a chapter together, share reflections, and pray together. 

3. For those who teach/facilitate Word-filled women’s ministry, we really must put in the time for our own study. We have to do whatever it takes to make it happen! Ignore the house, put on a video for the kids, buy frozen pizza. As leaders we cannot compromise on this. Or, simply, as women of God, there really are no shortcuts for meditating on the Word and letting it dwell in us richly. 

4. Hosting is, in my experience, the best way to stay consistent, year in and year out. If you host women’s Bible study in your own home, then you will never miss it! If ladies are coming to your home and expecting you to lead, you will be prepared! It works like a charm. 

5. Let’s be human and walk in our finiteness. Take a Sabbath. Get good sleep. Cut other things out of life to make room for the Word (rather than cut the Word out to make time for the other things). In the end, we really will do that which we want to do. 

6. Finally, let’s pray that God would increase our desire for his Word! During dry seasons I myself have prayed, Lord, you know I just don’t feel like reading your Word today (or abiding in you or praying to you, etc). I feel lazy/discouraged/distracted/whatever. Please help me want to want to draw near to you. Amen. 

May you and I remember that we toil to make Christ known with all his energy in us (Colossians 1:28-29). For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus for good works, so let’s walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Originally written by Jen Oshman: wife, mom of four girls, missionary, writer. Used with permission.

Finances and Contentment

I have always considered myself a relatively content person…until it came to finances.

My dad is a pharmacist, which means after he got his doctorate we were financially secure. My parents were very “Larry Burkett” with their money, so it’s not like we grew up lavishly surrounded with every material possession we desired, but money wasn’t something I had to think about.

That changed when I married my beloved fuzzy mountain man. He runs his small family flooring business, and as all contractors know in summer we “feast” and in winter we “famine”.

To be honest, that has been pretty difficult for me to get used to. The first winter of our marriage it was just my husband and I, starving was no problem (not literally starving, just tightening the belts a bit). But our second year, I had a newborn to think about and all my mothering protective instincts were out in full force. God had to show me in miraculous ways (if you’ve read the second issue of 2018’s Strength and Song magazine you will remember the article I wrote about that) that He is my provider, and my security needs to lie in Him, not my material wealth.

This lesson has been hard to accept, especially when others around me seem to be flowing with financial stability and everything their heart’s desire. Being “poor” isn’t something you can openly talk about in our culture – for some reason, it has a shameful stigma that just shows how deeply Americans place value and self-worth in money and financial prosperity. For my husband and I, we are called to a path in life that will NEVER reap wealth that can be measured with a dollar sign. We see others around us invest in the perfect house, the perfect car, the perfect hair and clothes, and we know that will NEVER be us. Not because any of that is evil (it isn’t), but because God has made it clear in the greater plan He has for our life that we can’t put down roots right now.

My mom and I recently went through some Bible verses that helped to open my perspective to a biblical view of finances, and I want to share them with you.

Contentment and Material Wealth

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1 Timothy 6:7-10

What a convicting passage! How can I hold on to discontent after reading that?

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11-13

We say the phrase “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” all the time, in every context. But did you realize it was written specifically in context of contentment despite your material circumstances? It carries a whole new meaning in that light.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

Is that promise from Jesus enough? Is the knowledge that He will never leave or forsake you enough for you, friend? It should be! What is in the way of you believing that to be true?

True Wealth

Okay, so if not monetarily, how should we determine value? What is wealth according to God’s standards?

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

James 2:5

Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.

Proverbs 8:10-11

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life.

Proverbs 22:4

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19-20

I could share more, but I hope you get the point. True wealth is fearing God and placing your faith in Him. Why do we strive for all the things here on earth to the neglect of storing up treasures in heaven? May God open our eyes to an eternal perspective when it comes to our finances. May we place our budgets and paychecks before Him and seek His will on any changes that need to be made. May we rejoice in His provision, no matter the figures we make.

Originally written by Natalya Brown for Ordinary Life - in His Timing. Used with permission.

The Bigger Picture

Is it paying off?

Am I really bearing fruit?

Are my kids getting it?

Is God getting glory from my life?

Have you asked these questions too? It can be hard to keep going sometimes, not knowing if all your labor is worth it. If it’s even making a difference.

Did you know? Abraham never saw the generations promised to him. They certainly came, and the number of his descendants is increasing - but he didn’t live to see it. Neither did Isaac, or Jacob; they all lived with the belief that this particular promise from God would be fulfilled - yet they never saw it in their lifetimes.

They did see forward motion. Progress. But they were each only a part of God’s big picture.

So it is with us, friends. We each are only part of God’s big picture. There may be things in this life that He places before us and calls us to, that we never see to completion. Someone else may continue our ministry and see the more abundant fruit; one of our kids or grandkids may pick up the baton of a certain discipline and perfect it.

What matters is our faithfulness. We must remain faithful to what He puts in front of us, whether we see the results or not. He desires our obedience and trust. This life is so much bigger than just us! He knows what He’s doing. He has plans that involve people, time, places, and things; He works all these things together in His perfect way and timing.

Look for fruit as a mark that you’re in the right direction, to see what the Lord is doing - but focus on faithfulness. Trust that He has a plan, and you are a part of it. Thank Him you are a part!

In Him,

Amy Parsons