{a walk through} psalm 12

Starting January 2013, I decided to take a little step into a semi big blog commitment. I'm going to walk through the Psalms on my blog. Until the book is done, I'll post a verse or two in a photo every single Tuesday and Thursday. The heart of this series is for me to be looking into the word and being intentional to post HIS words here. Sometimes it'll just be the one photo as a blog post, sometimes I'll share what the words in the verse meant to me as I read it, and sometimes I'll have a post going on that day that speaks of other things. Thanks for joining me in this Psalm walk through.

I've mentioned this before, how the Gospel constantly moves me, and how I love the Scriptures because they are filled with all that I need to know, but it bears constant repeating.


When I read through the Gospels, I always feel God exposing parts of me that I wasn't aware of. He teaches me how to live for Him, how to be obedient, how to serve well, how to love more, and so much more.

I can't speak for you, but I've probably never owned anything that was purified seven times.

And yet I do own something that pure.
I have God's HOLY words.

They are the purest words I have ever heard.

What have you read in Scripture lately that reminded you that the words of God are pure and true? If you haven't thought about that lately, or struggle with the idea, what causes you to question the validity of His words?

Pizza is better

Guaranteed, any day of my life, if you ask me what I want to eat, my most honest (though probably not always what I'll say) answer is pizza (or Kraft Dinner).

What's yours?

{a walk through} psalm 11

Starting January 2013, I decided to take a little step into a semi big blog commitment. I'm going to walk through the Psalms on my blog. Until the book is done, I'll post a verse or two in a photo every single Tuesday and Thursday. The heart of this series is for me to be looking into the word and being intentional to post HIS words here. Sometimes it'll just be the one photo as a blog post, sometimes I'll share what the words in the verse meant to me as I read it, and sometimes I'll have a post going on that day that speaks of other things. Thanks for joining me in this Psalm walk through.

This has probably been the hardest Psalm in the series for me to take a verse from and focus on. I'm all for boldness but not really one for controversy. Yet I look through scripture and see a God who hates wickedness and loves righteousness. I can't just go through this series and pick the kindest verse and reflect on it. I have been doing that, but I can't continue. If the point (and this is the point of the series) is to be intentional to post truth here, well, I've got to post truth here. I can't avoid verses.

One of the reasons I respect the church that I attend, is that we go through entire books of the Bible. When you read through Romans (as we are now), you can't avoid the fact that God is hard on sin. It's unavoidable. I never want to paint God as different than He is.

What do you think? How do YOU reconcile the love and wrath of God? I wouldn't necessarily say I struggle with this in my own personal life, but I tend to struggle with articulating it in a way that gives good Glory to God. Thoughts?

From the Perspective of a Single Girl: How to Honour your (future) Husband

SO! I am so very excited and honoured (little note about all these "u"'s that I use in my writing. I'm Canadian so I write like a Canadian - okay? cooooool. I write things like colour, honour, favourite, and the like. Some of my sweet twitter friends have mocked me for it, but I stand firm in my "u"sage. hahaha, I'm so funny right? Also, this little note is getting long . . . whoa) to be a part of a beautiful thing happening this month, and truly, this year! Jac of babEblessings heard a call from the Lord to host a series over 2013 called Godly Wife, and I get to be a writer this month. I'm so excited. Over the past few weeks as I've prayed and tried to discern what to share, I've already learned much. I love how God is always ready to teach me more.

So for this month, the word is Honour.

Now, hold up, wait a minute (put a little . . .), why oh why am I being featured in a Godly Wife series? I'm single!

Yes.

And so I have decided to call all of my sweet readers to fast and pray until I get a husband.

Just kidding. (but if you feel called to do so, I won't stop you)

Jac asked me to share on how I am working to honour my future husband. What am I doing now for then, if then arrives?

So. Honouring my future husband.

If you've been around here for a while, you've probably caught on to this fact that I'm a sinner. At least I hope so. If I'm not pointing out my total depravity of salvation, I'll never rightly point to Jesus.

I sin today, and everyday, and my past is littered with sin. I can truly, only look forward, because like I shared recently, I was in a situation a bit ago when I was rejected because of my past sins.

I can't honour my future husband with my past, other than to walk in freedom from the chains that once held me.

Honour means a lot. I see honour as respect, love, and as one definition I saw read, allegiance. I want to be an ally with my future spouse. In order to be their ally in the future, I need to ready my heart for that.

Part of that comes in praying for him now. I pray for him often; for his purity, for his safety, for his faith, for opportunity for him to speak much of Jesus. I pray that if he does not yet know Jesus, that he will soon. I pray for his work; that he works hard and finds joy in what he does. I pray for his love; that he will love much and that he will be ready to love me. I know that my personality requires a husband who loves my words, because I love to talk, so I pray that he is patient, a good listener, and that he is ready to challenge me to love Jesus more each day.

I also pray for the marriages around me. I don't know the challenges they face, but I pray often. I figure that way, if someday I do get to face those challenges, I'll be able to ask them for wisdom. And God will have aided them to confidently walk me through the things they faced.

I make my best attempt to live with modesty. I know this looks different for everyone, but I try to cover my body more than I want to. Mostly because  I want to save all of myself for him. My past sins took away a lot of my purity, but I have opportunity to walk forward in purity. I dated a guy who said something that has always stayed with me: "I don't want to take anything from you that is your husbands". He didn't know if he would be my husband, and when our relationship ended, we both were able to walk away with pure hands. We were honouring our future spouses by honouring each other.

I wasn't go to add this, but then I read this article and just felt like I really needed to. I don't pray for this potential dude every single (pun intended) day. Sometimes I go weeks (and probably even months) without even thinking about him. And that is a very good thing. I don't know if God has a future husband for me. And even if God does, I want to live in the now. I heard a very convicting sermon when I was in grade 12 with one very strong phrase that has stuck with me throughout all seasons. BE PRESENT. The future is fun to consider, but TODAY is where God has me. That doesn't mean that I get to stop honouring my future husband or God for that matter. That means that I'm faithful in whatever God has for me.

I truly think that the best way I can honour my potential future husband is to faithfully live in the now, not constantly dwelling on the maybe of tomorrow.

Maybe you're thinking, because as I added this portion I had to ask myself if this was true: This seems to be in opposition with what the initial idea of this post seems to be.

But they don't contradict each other. They compliment.

Faithfulness for forever paired with faithfulness for the now.

This is truly just a start. There is much more I could do and probably should do. I'm excited to pray much this month and listen faithfully to what I hear from God.




How do you honour your husband, your future husband, or simply the people who are in your life? If you're single, what are you doing to prepare for the future and to be present in the now? If you're married, what did you do prepare your heart for the future and how do you look forward (to children, new jobs, moving somewhere with your husband, planting a church, whatever it is) and yet remain present in what God has you in now? Share your hearts. I'm truly looking forward to hearing varied perspectives.

I can't sit still

I was reading recently in Philippians and was so encouraged and excited, spurred on, challenged, and so many things as I read these verses.

    So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
     Philippians 2:1-11

I don't have to wonder if God is okay with me comparing and me wanting to be first.

He isn't okay with it and He doesn't want me to seek firstness.

I love the Gospel so much that I want to be changed. I want to be stretched. I never ever simply want to sit back and let things happen.

What is the Gospel pushing you forward into, or pulling you out of? I can't be the only one feeling these things. Share your story with me below or put a link in the comments to something you've written about being changed by the Gospel.