We switched schools this year. My oldest daughter did her first year of school at a charter school in town last year. I chose that school because it is a great school. This school year my husband said he would really rather our kids (now 1st grade and kindergarten) go to our local public school.
I've turned over in my head the idea of homeschooling but my husband said no to that. I'd love to send my kid's to private school if we could afford it but we can't, so that eliminated that. The next best thing, besides homeschooling, for me would be a charter school. They tend to be smaller schools with higher academic achievements and without a lot of the liberal agenda (yup, I said it!) that public schools have.
It was REALLY hard, I mean REALLY REALLY hard to submit to my husband in the area of school for our children. Probably harder than any other situation. These are my kids we are talking about. I want the best for them. I got on my high horse and stated that, obviously, I knew better seeing as I'm with them all day. I felt that he was just being stingy with money and trying to save a buck at the cost of our children's future. Are you laughing at me yet? It's OK, I'm laughing as I write it. But I really felt that way at that time. I brought up the subject often with my husband to try and get him to see my side. His stand was that lots of kids go to public school and turn out fine. To me that just wasn't a good enough argument. Lots of kids grow up in poverty struck homes or abusive homes and turn out fine. Again, feel free to laugh at how emotional and ridiculous I was being.
So the next thing I did was to pray that God would change my husband to see my side. Go ahead, keep laughing at me. Do you think God changed HIS mind? If you know me personally, you'd know that my kids were enrolled in the local public school, so no, God didn't change my husband's mind. Instead, God changed my mind and heart.
My conversation with God went something like this:
God- Whose kids are these anyway? Didn't you dedicate them to me?
Me- Gee, God, when you put it that way.... the kids belong to you. But don't you want the best for them too, like me?
God- What if this is the best for you kids? Did you stop to think that maybe I know what I'm doing? That I have a great plan in all of this?
Me- Not really, no. How can public school be the best for my kids? I want them to grow up to be Godly people. To do good things like serve other, tell other's about you, be a light to the world when they grow up.
God- Why do they have to wait until they grow up to do those things?
Me- OK true. They can be a light to the world now. Probably even in their school. But what about all the ugly stuff they will see? More kids means more influences on them. I feel like I'm going to have to spend what little time I have with them each day counteracting all the negative they got at school.
God- Just a small part will be negative. Which they will face at some point in their life anyway. It's better for them to deal with those things now when they have your influence and guidance instead of when they are grown and need to make those choices on their own. They will be better prepared for being a teen and adult.
Me- sure. But, it's such a big change. I feel lost in the shuffle. Out of control really. Can you help me have peace about this?
God- Of course. I'm going to make sure you have great families around you who also send their kids to that school. Did you happen to notice how awesome those kids are?
Me- I DO think all those kids are awesome. And they have been in public school for years. Even the kids that are now in Jr. High and went to that public school are on fire for you and are great kids! Thank you Lord for helping me see that my kids are exactly where YOU want them to be. Thank you Lord for settling my heart about all this. I should probably go apologize to my husband huh?
God- Ya think?
Since that conversation with God I have been abundantly blessed with other moms who have sent their kids to the same school coming along side me and answering all of my questions.
I've been praying that God would use my kids in that school to show the other students God's love. The second day of school my daughter told her 1st grade class that God loves them, that He is everywhere and that they should come to our church. God really has a plan. It REALLY is great than our own. Trust in God's plan for your life. You will not regret it.
************Please do not leave me comments about why homeschooling or private school or whatever kind of school is better. There is good and bad about all schools. I would encourage each set of parents to pray about the decision and make sure that is what God wants for you kids. I know many of my friend that have done that and none of them are all in private or all home schooled or all public. Each situation and each child is different because God has a unique plan for each child's life. For us it's public school. And we really are loving it and seeing God's hand in it.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Me, God or satan? In that order.
I've been trying to be acutely aware of God's hand on my life. In trying to keep that perspective daily, I've realized a few things.
1. We do A LOT to ruin God's plans for our lives.
2. Satan plays a part in all this. Read Job 1:1-12
3. God has His hands on a lot more than we give Him credit for.
So I've come up with a great question that we need to ask ourselves if we are trying to see God's hand in our lives. That question is "Me, God or Satan?"
First we need to look to see if we are the ones causing the problems. For example, if I were speeding in my car and I got pulled over by a police officer. Satan did not cause the police officer to give me a ticket, I DID. Right?
How often would we like to blame things going wrong on Satan? I'd love to say that Satan is the cause of every time I lose my temper and yell at my kids. But that is really just my fault.
Another situation in which we would like to blame Satan is when things break. My car broke last week and the first thing I did was blame Satan. See, I had just gotten done with a whole day of learning how to be a great leader at my church. I got the opportunity to worship God and make plans to start a new ministry at our church for our community. So my first reaction was to blame Satan when my car broke. He was trying to ruin this wonderful day for me. But then I stopped and thought, did I have anything to do with this? The answer was yes. I ignored the rattling sound in my car. To be honest, even the check engine light was on. So was it really Satan trying to steal my joy or me not taking care of the maintenance of my vehicle?
On the other hand, there was one evening when my family was sitting down to dinner. I had been praying for God to help show Himself to me and an amazing thing happened. At dinner each night we go around the table and each say a prayer. Youngest to oldest. Most of the time my 3 year old just says the word "amen" and then we move on to my 5 year old. But this night, my 3 year old started to thank God clearly and correctly for several things. Then it was my 5 year old's turn. That boy usually has such sweet prayers that melt my heart but tonight it was even sweeter. He was praising God! It went on for a few minutes and then my 6 year old daughter who's prayers mostly consist of "Thank you Lord for this food, amen" started to praise God also. I was already in tears by the time it was my turn and how could I do anything but thank our Creator for this moment and everything else? It continued with my husband. While he was saying his prayer I strongly felt the Holy Spirit there with us. God answered my prayers to see Him that night. Absolutely. Right after dinner, however, our freezer and refrigerator broke. It was not our fault, It definitely wasn't God's fault. I truly believe that Satan tried to ruin our special family moment. But my husband and I were aware of that and praised God out loud while rushing around trying to save our frozen and refrigerated food.
I believe that every good thing is from God. But, sometimes I believe that God does things that seem bad to us which turn out to be blessings. Take for example the other day. My husband leaves town for several days often. So it was not a big surprise that he had to leave town this week. But we still didn't have my car or refrigerator completely fixed (yup, both my fridge and car broke the same week). My husband is great at fixing things so he tried to fix both. He thought he had the car running enough to drive it to his uncle's car shop where they could finish the job that week while he was gone. He decided to take the greyhound bus to save money (and leave me with his truck) so we could buy the part for the fridge that we needed. That morning, the car wouldn't start again. So I had to load the kids and his stuff into the truck and drive him to the bus station which was suppose to be right around the corner from his uncle's shop. But the station was closed down. If he had driven to his uncle's shop and then walked (in 100 degree heat) to the bus station only to find out that it was shut down, he wouldn't have made the bus in time. I believe that God made sure that my car did not start that morning, knowing that my husband wouldn't have made it in time to get to the new location (even if I drove down to pick him up and drive him there). Because I drove him to the station and then to the new location, he made it in plently of time to depart. By the way, he said he loved taking the bus. He slept half the way and then played traveling games with the other passengers. How great is God?!
God DOES take care of us. He has provided us with a friend who stored my freezer food until another friend of ours could lend us his extra refrigerator. He provided us with friends who will trailer my car down to our uncle's shop where they will fix it. Everything will be taken care of and most importantly, God will be glorified for what He did for us.
Lord, I pray that you open our eyes to see every little detail that you do for us daily. I pray that we remember to praise you in every situation. Help us to cry out to you when we need to. And to take responsibility for our wrongs when we are the cause. Help us to clearly see Satan's tricks to steal our joy. Thank you Lord for this day. Amen.
1. We do A LOT to ruin God's plans for our lives.
2. Satan plays a part in all this. Read Job 1:1-12
3. God has His hands on a lot more than we give Him credit for.
So I've come up with a great question that we need to ask ourselves if we are trying to see God's hand in our lives. That question is "Me, God or Satan?"
First we need to look to see if we are the ones causing the problems. For example, if I were speeding in my car and I got pulled over by a police officer. Satan did not cause the police officer to give me a ticket, I DID. Right?
How often would we like to blame things going wrong on Satan? I'd love to say that Satan is the cause of every time I lose my temper and yell at my kids. But that is really just my fault.
Another situation in which we would like to blame Satan is when things break. My car broke last week and the first thing I did was blame Satan. See, I had just gotten done with a whole day of learning how to be a great leader at my church. I got the opportunity to worship God and make plans to start a new ministry at our church for our community. So my first reaction was to blame Satan when my car broke. He was trying to ruin this wonderful day for me. But then I stopped and thought, did I have anything to do with this? The answer was yes. I ignored the rattling sound in my car. To be honest, even the check engine light was on. So was it really Satan trying to steal my joy or me not taking care of the maintenance of my vehicle?
On the other hand, there was one evening when my family was sitting down to dinner. I had been praying for God to help show Himself to me and an amazing thing happened. At dinner each night we go around the table and each say a prayer. Youngest to oldest. Most of the time my 3 year old just says the word "amen" and then we move on to my 5 year old. But this night, my 3 year old started to thank God clearly and correctly for several things. Then it was my 5 year old's turn. That boy usually has such sweet prayers that melt my heart but tonight it was even sweeter. He was praising God! It went on for a few minutes and then my 6 year old daughter who's prayers mostly consist of "Thank you Lord for this food, amen" started to praise God also. I was already in tears by the time it was my turn and how could I do anything but thank our Creator for this moment and everything else? It continued with my husband. While he was saying his prayer I strongly felt the Holy Spirit there with us. God answered my prayers to see Him that night. Absolutely. Right after dinner, however, our freezer and refrigerator broke. It was not our fault, It definitely wasn't God's fault. I truly believe that Satan tried to ruin our special family moment. But my husband and I were aware of that and praised God out loud while rushing around trying to save our frozen and refrigerated food.
I believe that every good thing is from God. But, sometimes I believe that God does things that seem bad to us which turn out to be blessings. Take for example the other day. My husband leaves town for several days often. So it was not a big surprise that he had to leave town this week. But we still didn't have my car or refrigerator completely fixed (yup, both my fridge and car broke the same week). My husband is great at fixing things so he tried to fix both. He thought he had the car running enough to drive it to his uncle's car shop where they could finish the job that week while he was gone. He decided to take the greyhound bus to save money (and leave me with his truck) so we could buy the part for the fridge that we needed. That morning, the car wouldn't start again. So I had to load the kids and his stuff into the truck and drive him to the bus station which was suppose to be right around the corner from his uncle's shop. But the station was closed down. If he had driven to his uncle's shop and then walked (in 100 degree heat) to the bus station only to find out that it was shut down, he wouldn't have made the bus in time. I believe that God made sure that my car did not start that morning, knowing that my husband wouldn't have made it in time to get to the new location (even if I drove down to pick him up and drive him there). Because I drove him to the station and then to the new location, he made it in plently of time to depart. By the way, he said he loved taking the bus. He slept half the way and then played traveling games with the other passengers. How great is God?!
God DOES take care of us. He has provided us with a friend who stored my freezer food until another friend of ours could lend us his extra refrigerator. He provided us with friends who will trailer my car down to our uncle's shop where they will fix it. Everything will be taken care of and most importantly, God will be glorified for what He did for us.
Lord, I pray that you open our eyes to see every little detail that you do for us daily. I pray that we remember to praise you in every situation. Help us to cry out to you when we need to. And to take responsibility for our wrongs when we are the cause. Help us to clearly see Satan's tricks to steal our joy. Thank you Lord for this day. Amen.
Monday, August 6, 2012
I am loved by my Savior!
I had to take time off from blogging because it was getting in the way of my family life and quiet time with God. I was getting so wrapped up in "the will of God" that I was loosing sight of just being with Him. Being able to pray to my Savior and feel His love surround me is a feeling that I crave. Yes, I want to dive into all the different aspects of being a Follower of Christ. But I need Him as my friend more. I need to take the time out of everything else and focus completely on praising Him, thanking and acknowledging Him for all my blessings and reading about all He has done for me on the cross.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Christ loves us. What more do we need in this life? Do I REALLY need to be a biblical scholler to be a Christ follower? Do I need to know the bible backwards and forwards? Or can I just stop and feel loved by my Savior?
This next week is going to be hectic. My 2 older children are starting school and my church is hosting the Global Leadership Summit on telecast. We can get wrapped up in just making sure we are spending our required 10 minutes a day in prayer and reading the bible, not retaining any of it and go on to the more "important things".
I pray that this week, BECAUSE it is hectic, I spend more time in the word, more time celebrating the blessings that God has given me and remember to show Christ's love to others.
My Gorgeous Family
Lord God, I want to thank you for my beautiful family. That I live in an amazing town with amazing friends and family there. That I have an incredible church filled with Christians who know what it means to walk with You daily. I pray that you strengthen their walk with You and show them your unconditional love this week. Amen.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Christ loves us. What more do we need in this life? Do I REALLY need to be a biblical scholler to be a Christ follower? Do I need to know the bible backwards and forwards? Or can I just stop and feel loved by my Savior?
This next week is going to be hectic. My 2 older children are starting school and my church is hosting the Global Leadership Summit on telecast. We can get wrapped up in just making sure we are spending our required 10 minutes a day in prayer and reading the bible, not retaining any of it and go on to the more "important things".
I pray that this week, BECAUSE it is hectic, I spend more time in the word, more time celebrating the blessings that God has given me and remember to show Christ's love to others.
My Fun Parents and Siblings
Lord God, I want to thank you for my beautiful family. That I live in an amazing town with amazing friends and family there. That I have an incredible church filled with Christians who know what it means to walk with You daily. I pray that you strengthen their walk with You and show them your unconditional love this week. Amen.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Not choosing sides yet
For the purpose of this journey, I am trying to be very careful not to choose sides yet. I can see why people each believe their side is correct. I would like to just look at this debate from scripture and see where that leads us.
Again, Eisegisis is when you try to import a subjective, preconceived meaning in a text and exegesis is an attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively.
The next verse I'd like to dissect today is in Ephesians. Paul is writting to a church and says a few different time "God's will". This particular passage is talking about spiritual gifts which is something I'm very interested in right now. Using an exagesis look at this passage, lets see what we come up with.....
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 2:1-14 NIV
I felt it was important to include all those verses together because it would be easy for us to change the meaning of just the verses that talk about God's will if taken out of context.
From these passages it's easy to see that it was God's will for us to be His children. It's also easy to see that Paul is telling them that God in fact does show us what His will for us is suppose to be. He does have a plan for us.
The last section I want to dissect here is found in the second paragraph which is verses 11 and 12. I want to look at a different version to see what it says
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory." New King James V.
"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." The Message V.
Normally, I'm not one to run to The Message version. But I really like how this one is stated. We were made for the praise of His glory (NIV & NKJV), we were made with the overall purpose for His workings (Mess.). That's so cool!
So now I ask, is this going to happen on it's own and we should just keep on keeping on with the way we like to do things and God will work everything out for His glory? Or do we need to seek out God's "designs on us for glorious living"? I'll keep seaking that answer out.
Well, it says we were made to praise Him. So lets make sure we take some time to do that today, and every day!
http://youtube/novUqj3rfE4
Again, Eisegisis is when you try to import a subjective, preconceived meaning in a text and exegesis is an attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively.
The next verse I'd like to dissect today is in Ephesians. Paul is writting to a church and says a few different time "God's will". This particular passage is talking about spiritual gifts which is something I'm very interested in right now. Using an exagesis look at this passage, lets see what we come up with.....
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 2:1-14 NIV
I felt it was important to include all those verses together because it would be easy for us to change the meaning of just the verses that talk about God's will if taken out of context.
From these passages it's easy to see that it was God's will for us to be His children. It's also easy to see that Paul is telling them that God in fact does show us what His will for us is suppose to be. He does have a plan for us.
The last section I want to dissect here is found in the second paragraph which is verses 11 and 12. I want to look at a different version to see what it says
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory." New King James V.
"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." The Message V.
Normally, I'm not one to run to The Message version. But I really like how this one is stated. We were made for the praise of His glory (NIV & NKJV), we were made with the overall purpose for His workings (Mess.). That's so cool!
So now I ask, is this going to happen on it's own and we should just keep on keeping on with the way we like to do things and God will work everything out for His glory? Or do we need to seek out God's "designs on us for glorious living"? I'll keep seaking that answer out.
Well, it says we were made to praise Him. So lets make sure we take some time to do that today, and every day!
http://youtube/novUqj3rfE4
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
God using you VS. God's will for you
I had a great conversation with a friend yesterday about God's will for our lives versus God using you where you are or where you choose to be.
Some people believe that you should just go out and make good choices and that God will bless you for those good choices. While others believe that we should first pray, fast, and allow God to show us where He wants us to go do good things at.
Well which is the right way? As I looked into what the bible says that God's will is I realized there was a lot more than I had originally thought. Which has sparked another series idea for me. So we will now look into the different facets of God's will as it is found in the bible.
First, I'm reminded of the verse in Romans 8:28 that says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
God will use you where you are and where you choose to be in life. It's amazing how God can use a "mistake" in our lives and turn it into something beautiful. He's really good at that.
Does that work in all situations though? Is it saying that you can continue to go about your life previous to being a Christian and that God will still use you? Well, yes. God will use your choices for good. Are you living up to the potential that God wants for you? Obviously not. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!". And then in 1 John 2:15-17 it says "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
You can use this debate for every situation in life. Your career choice, your family size, where you live, what church you attend, what type school you want for your kids, ministry, material purchases. The list goes on. So how do we know if what we want for our own lives is what God would choose for our lives if He had free reign to makes those choices for us? You tell me.
I will continue to look at what the bible says about God's will for our lives in a series that I will start now. Not sure how long this series will be because I've just begun to research this. I hope you will join me and comment about your thoughts or verses that have spoken to you on this subject.
Some people believe that you should just go out and make good choices and that God will bless you for those good choices. While others believe that we should first pray, fast, and allow God to show us where He wants us to go do good things at.
Well which is the right way? As I looked into what the bible says that God's will is I realized there was a lot more than I had originally thought. Which has sparked another series idea for me. So we will now look into the different facets of God's will as it is found in the bible.
First, I'm reminded of the verse in Romans 8:28 that says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
God will use you where you are and where you choose to be in life. It's amazing how God can use a "mistake" in our lives and turn it into something beautiful. He's really good at that.
Does that work in all situations though? Is it saying that you can continue to go about your life previous to being a Christian and that God will still use you? Well, yes. God will use your choices for good. Are you living up to the potential that God wants for you? Obviously not. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!". And then in 1 John 2:15-17 it says "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
You can use this debate for every situation in life. Your career choice, your family size, where you live, what church you attend, what type school you want for your kids, ministry, material purchases. The list goes on. So how do we know if what we want for our own lives is what God would choose for our lives if He had free reign to makes those choices for us? You tell me.
I will continue to look at what the bible says about God's will for our lives in a series that I will start now. Not sure how long this series will be because I've just begun to research this. I hope you will join me and comment about your thoughts or verses that have spoken to you on this subject.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Summing up Titus 2 woman with a song...
I was trying to think of a post that would sum up the whole Titus 2 woman journey we have been on. As you can already tell, I am not eloquent when it comes to things like that. Nor am I a great speller. So the only thing that came to my mind that seems to fit is a children's song I learned in church many many years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqFrXwpTI-w&feature=colike
Next week I turn 30 and yet this song still applies to me today.
I hope you are encouraged by this song today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqFrXwpTI-w&feature=colike
Next week I turn 30 and yet this song still applies to me today.
I hope you are encouraged by this song today.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
That the Word of God may not be blasphemed
Titus 2:3-5-"the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." NKJV
We are at the end of our Titus 2 Woman journey. It's been great. The last part is "that the word of God may not be blasphemed."
We definitely do not want our actions to be showing something different than what our words are. It makes me think of those people who cut other drivers off on the road and drive kind of crazy while having a "I <3 Jesus" bumper sticker on their car.
It also makes me think of James 2:24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. We do not want to be a hypocritical Christian. And as unfairly as it may be, we are looked at and judged by the world much more closely when we call ourselves Christians. Of course we are going to stumble and make mistakes but those mistakes and stumbles will be used against us at times. So we have to be careful that we follow all the Titus 2 guidelines as best we can so that others will see Christ lifted up, which should be our ultimate goal anyways.
The other thing it makes me think of is our blasphemous words. Cuss words, swear words, using God's name in vain.
"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name". Exodus 20:7
I'm very guilty of doing this. I can blame the Army for making it a comfortable place to use curse words regularly but if I am to be in the world and not of it, this simple command should not be overlooked or made into an excuse. It's plainly written that we should not do it. So why is it so hard? Maybe it isn't hard for some of you. But I am often around people who cuss and when you are around something often, over time you become complacent.
So I'm going to try harder to be careful of my words because I do not want to cause others to stumble so the words of God will not be blasphemed.
I think this post was more for myself than for you guys today. If I'm wrong, let me know.
We are at the end of our Titus 2 Woman journey. It's been great. The last part is "that the word of God may not be blasphemed."
We definitely do not want our actions to be showing something different than what our words are. It makes me think of those people who cut other drivers off on the road and drive kind of crazy while having a "I <3 Jesus" bumper sticker on their car.
It also makes me think of James 2:24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. We do not want to be a hypocritical Christian. And as unfairly as it may be, we are looked at and judged by the world much more closely when we call ourselves Christians. Of course we are going to stumble and make mistakes but those mistakes and stumbles will be used against us at times. So we have to be careful that we follow all the Titus 2 guidelines as best we can so that others will see Christ lifted up, which should be our ultimate goal anyways.
The other thing it makes me think of is our blasphemous words. Cuss words, swear words, using God's name in vain.
"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name". Exodus 20:7
I'm very guilty of doing this. I can blame the Army for making it a comfortable place to use curse words regularly but if I am to be in the world and not of it, this simple command should not be overlooked or made into an excuse. It's plainly written that we should not do it. So why is it so hard? Maybe it isn't hard for some of you. But I am often around people who cuss and when you are around something often, over time you become complacent.
So I'm going to try harder to be careful of my words because I do not want to cause others to stumble so the words of God will not be blasphemed.
I think this post was more for myself than for you guys today. If I'm wrong, let me know.
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