Titus 2:4-6 "These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God."
Do you have a person younger than you that your pour into? I know that in my life there have been so many wonderful women who were older than me, that had such a massive part in shaping who I am. I can think of so many sweet women who had a willingness to mentor me.
God shows several examples of the older mentoring the younger, this is just a few examples: Jesus mentored the 12 disciples. Jethro mentored Moses, Moses mentored Joshua, and Joshua mentored the other remaining leaders of his army. Mordecai mentored Esther, Esther mentored King Artaxerxes, this relationship led to the liberation of the Jewish people. Paul mentored Titus, Timothy and many others.
Today I encourage to let the Lord lead you to a person younger than you, so that you can share with them the wisdom that God has given you.
Make yourself available: The response I hear on this subject often is a fear that you won't know what to say. But that's just is you won't know what to say always. Don't be afraid of not having all of the answers, tell the person that your mentoring that you don't know the answer, but you will ask God and search the Bible for an answer. Don't be afraid of failure.
Be an example: Mentoring is not something to turn on and off. You need to be intentional to be the person that your portraying yourself to be. A mentor needs to be able to demonstrate their love for the Lord, but they also have to stand by that and live in such a manor. Trustworthiness follows when a mentor truly lives in the way that they illustrate.
Respond: Why are you hesitant to enter into a mentor relationship? Have you have someone pour into your life? If you have or haven't, how has this changed you?
Proverbs 27:17-"Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens another."
Monday, December 23, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Devotion Of The Day: Future
Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
One of my biggest struggles is worrying about what might happen in the future. I worry about scenarios that will likely never see the light of day. Seems like a waste of time, right? It is. Every time I worry about something, even in the present, I'm saying " God, I don't believe that you can handle this, so I'm going to worry about it."
As Christmas approaches our eyes are turned to the story of Christ's birth. I want to focus in on Mary and the attitude that she had when she received the news that they would be the mother of Christ. Luke 1:30-38 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and in the midst of this ,Mary, supposed to be a virgin, is found to be pregnant. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. Joseph knew the child was not his own, and Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried grave possibilities. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, but under Jewish law Joseph could have had her put to death by stoning.
Mary knew of these possibilities when the angel Gabriel disclosed the Lord's plan for her. She knew the Jewish law, and she knew the fate that could await her. Instead of arguing or worrying about her fate she simply said in verse 38 “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” But the story doesn't stop here, because God was faithful to Mary and her future. Matthew 1: 19-25 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. All of those things that could have happened to Mary, death and disgrace, God took care of. God never created a mess and left Mary without hope, He simply did His will. His will brought the savior into the world. His will changed Joseph's heart. He provided for Mary, she simply trusted God with her future and gave Him her life.
Respond: Armed with the knowledge that no circumstance is too big for God, how can you cast your worries upon the Lord? Would letting God handle your future create more worry or less worry? Is God capable of handling your future without your help? Is God faithful?
Reflect: 1 Peter 5:7 "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
Matthew 19:26 " And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew :-26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
One of my biggest struggles is worrying about what might happen in the future. I worry about scenarios that will likely never see the light of day. Seems like a waste of time, right? It is. Every time I worry about something, even in the present, I'm saying " God, I don't believe that you can handle this, so I'm going to worry about it."
As Christmas approaches our eyes are turned to the story of Christ's birth. I want to focus in on Mary and the attitude that she had when she received the news that they would be the mother of Christ. Luke 1:30-38 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, and in the midst of this ,Mary, supposed to be a virgin, is found to be pregnant. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. Joseph knew the child was not his own, and Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried grave possibilities. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, but under Jewish law Joseph could have had her put to death by stoning.
Mary knew of these possibilities when the angel Gabriel disclosed the Lord's plan for her. She knew the Jewish law, and she knew the fate that could await her. Instead of arguing or worrying about her fate she simply said in verse 38 “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” But the story doesn't stop here, because God was faithful to Mary and her future. Matthew 1: 19-25 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. All of those things that could have happened to Mary, death and disgrace, God took care of. God never created a mess and left Mary without hope, He simply did His will. His will brought the savior into the world. His will changed Joseph's heart. He provided for Mary, she simply trusted God with her future and gave Him her life.
Respond: Armed with the knowledge that no circumstance is too big for God, how can you cast your worries upon the Lord? Would letting God handle your future create more worry or less worry? Is God capable of handling your future without your help? Is God faithful?
Reflect: 1 Peter 5:7 "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
Matthew 19:26 " And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew :-26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Devotion Of The Day: Covered
James 4:14 " Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."
Has God ever changed you future plans in a day? I know in my life He has! Weather it's something small, like not getting to where you need to be, or something large, God has a way of changing plans! James 4:14 puts this perfectly, God has not created our earthly lives to be eternal, meetings, school, and pain are all temporary.
This truth runs so deeply to me, I've made so many plans that God has changed- for the better. While I hardly never see that God is changing things for good, I can often look back and see how God has used failure and pain. He has it covered. When God changes your path, He gives you a better one. The end results of the change may be the same, but God wants you to obtain the the end through different means.
God wants the very best for you, He uses fire to refine, He uses pain to reveal Himself, He breaks so that He can mend us properly, He takes away so He can disclose who he is. God doesn't promise the absence of pain during life. But He does promise to reconstruct your pain for a deeper reason.
Respond:Can you look back and see how God has used your changed circumstances? Could you see the positive when your in the midst of pain?
Reflect: Matthew 6:27 " And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"
Hebrews 13:5 "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
Has God ever changed you future plans in a day? I know in my life He has! Weather it's something small, like not getting to where you need to be, or something large, God has a way of changing plans! James 4:14 puts this perfectly, God has not created our earthly lives to be eternal, meetings, school, and pain are all temporary.
This truth runs so deeply to me, I've made so many plans that God has changed- for the better. While I hardly never see that God is changing things for good, I can often look back and see how God has used failure and pain. He has it covered. When God changes your path, He gives you a better one. The end results of the change may be the same, but God wants you to obtain the the end through different means.
God wants the very best for you, He uses fire to refine, He uses pain to reveal Himself, He breaks so that He can mend us properly, He takes away so He can disclose who he is. God doesn't promise the absence of pain during life. But He does promise to reconstruct your pain for a deeper reason.
Respond:Can you look back and see how God has used your changed circumstances? Could you see the positive when your in the midst of pain?
Reflect: Matthew 6:27 " And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"
Hebrews 13:5 "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Devotion of The Day: Battles
2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
God has given us the power to fight battles. But how often do you find that your fighting a battle against God? Weather it's not wanting to follow His will by thinking that you know better, or being scared that He will lead you in a way that you don't wish to go, we often fight against God. We miss out on the bigger picture when we focus in on what we might lose or how we might be effected by God's will.
Too frequently I fight against God because I don't want to do what He is calling me to. But whenever I submit to God, the closeness that I feel from my submission suddenly outweighs the battle I fought trying distance myself from Him. Suddenly I understand more clearly why He wanted me to follow His plan in the first place.
Respond: Think of ways that God has used you when you fought with Him instead of against Him. How did you feel once you gave into Him through submission? Did you feel like you no longer had to fight? Were you glad that you allowed God to work through you?
Reflect: Philippians 2:4, “Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.”
God has given us the power to fight battles. But how often do you find that your fighting a battle against God? Weather it's not wanting to follow His will by thinking that you know better, or being scared that He will lead you in a way that you don't wish to go, we often fight against God. We miss out on the bigger picture when we focus in on what we might lose or how we might be effected by God's will.
Too frequently I fight against God because I don't want to do what He is calling me to. But whenever I submit to God, the closeness that I feel from my submission suddenly outweighs the battle I fought trying distance myself from Him. Suddenly I understand more clearly why He wanted me to follow His plan in the first place.
Respond: Think of ways that God has used you when you fought with Him instead of against Him. How did you feel once you gave into Him through submission? Did you feel like you no longer had to fight? Were you glad that you allowed God to work through you?
Reflect: Philippians 2:4, “Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.”
Devotion Of The Day: Make Time
Psalm 86:11 "Teach me Your way, O Lord;I will walk in Your truth;Unite my heart to fear Your name."
Do you ever just feel like you don't have time to stop and breathe? I know I do! Being in college full time I often feel like I don't have the time for God. Isn't that an awful thing to say? " I don't have time for God." For me this thought often comes from the fact that I can't see God, but I can see the mounds of schoolwork in front of me. Whenever I do stop to spend time with Him though, I notice something. I have time for everything else that surrounds me, and not just that but the stuff that I " have " to get done doesn't seem as important.
I open my Bible and take in what He's trying to teach me. When I do this God takes away the lies that the world tries to hound me with. God's voice becomes evident, and my anxieties pass away. My time with Him gives me the perspective that I need throughout the day. He provides me what I need to handle the day that lies before Him, by living through His life.
Respond: Take time today to focus on what God wants to show you. Do you feel afterwords that you are empowered to do what lies before you? Do your other " responsibilities" become easier? Are you much more open to what God wants to do through you?
Reflect: Mark 1:35 "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there."
Devotion of The day: Water Works
John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
Several years ago I became sick, and as a result I also became severely dehydrated. I was passing out, and I could hardly remember my name, so my family took me to the ER. After about five hours,and two bags of fluids, I felt as thought I had never been sick. Strange how much we need water, right? In my case water changed my attitude, and my actions. I became a different person than I had previously been.
God tells us that all we need to never thirst again is water. Sound simple, doesn't it? It is! God wants to give us an abundant life, so much so that He gave Christ as the perfect sacrifice so that we can fellowship with Him. Unfortunately, all too often we never use the fellowship that He gives us. We get caught up in life and forget to cultivate a relationship with the Giver of Life.
Respond:Why do you not let God take control of what He has already given you? What do you hope to accomplish when you don't let Him change your heart? How has God revealed Himself to you when you do let Him work in you from the inside out?
Reflect: John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water."
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
Several years ago I became sick, and as a result I also became severely dehydrated. I was passing out, and I could hardly remember my name, so my family took me to the ER. After about five hours,and two bags of fluids, I felt as thought I had never been sick. Strange how much we need water, right? In my case water changed my attitude, and my actions. I became a different person than I had previously been.
God tells us that all we need to never thirst again is water. Sound simple, doesn't it? It is! God wants to give us an abundant life, so much so that He gave Christ as the perfect sacrifice so that we can fellowship with Him. Unfortunately, all too often we never use the fellowship that He gives us. We get caught up in life and forget to cultivate a relationship with the Giver of Life.
God desires your heart, He desires time with you. Do you notice how in John 4:14 it says " but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." God changes you from the inside out. He starts with the issues inside of your heart(pain, bitterness, desperation...) and He begins to change your attitudes. God wants to do this in your life! He wants to make your behavior more like Christ! Believe that God, and only God, can create a clean and holy heart inside of you.
Reflect: John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water."
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
Saturday, December 14, 2013
DIY: Redo
This week I'm starting my room redo! Right now my room looks like a tornado came through, but ( hopefully ) in a month it will look completely different! The room I'm basing my bedroom off of is by Urrutia Design
Decorpad.com
The color on the walls, according to the designer, is called Gray Mirage, by Benjamin Moore, I've already painted part of my room with it and it's a gorgeous greenish/gray color!
Benjaminmoore.com
I've also already gotten started in my room design, this is what the finished room will look like...If I don't change anything.
made using roomstyler.com
So far I'm happy with how the design is going, I've got a lot to do before I'm done though!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)