Thursday, November 29, 2007

Trading Shadows For Substance


“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of men, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:11, 12

THE great and distinctive truth thus so broadly, emphatically, and impressively stated is the divinity of the gospel—a truth, in the firm and practical belief of which the Church of God needs to be established. The gospel is the master-work of Jehovah, presenting the greatest display of His manifold wisdom, and the most costly exhibition of the riches of His grace. In constructing it He would seem to have summoned to His aid all the resources of His own infinity; His fathomless mind, His boundless love, His illimitable grace, His infinite power, His spotless holiness—all contributed their glory, and conspired to present it to the universe as the most consummate piece of Divine workmanship. It carries with it its own evidence. The revelations it makes, the facts it records, the doctrines it propounds, the effects is produces, speak it to be no “cunningly devised fable,” of human invention and fraud, but what it truly is, the “revelation of Jesus Christ,” the “glorious gospel of the blessed God.” What but a heart of infinite love could have conceived the desire of saving sinners? And by what but an infinite mind could the expedient have been devised of saving them in such a way—the incarnation, obedience, and death of His own beloved Son? Salvation from first to last is of the Lord. Here we occupy high vantage ground. Our feet stand upon an everlasting rock. We feel that we press to our heart that which is truth—that we have staked our souls upon that which is divine—that Deity is the basis on which we build: and that the hope which the belief of the truth has inspired will never make ashamed. Oh, how comforting, how sanctifying is the conviction that the Bible is God’s word, that the gospel is Christ’s revelation, and that all that it declares is as true as Jehovah Himself is true! What a stable foundation for our souls is this! We live encircled by shadows. Our friends are shadows, our comforts are shadows, our defenses are shadows, our pursuits are shadows, and we ourselves are shadows passing away. But in the precious gospel we have substance, we have reality, we have that which remains with us when all other things disappear, leaving the soul desolate, the heart bleeding, and the spirit bowed in sorrow to the dust. It peoples our lonely way, because it points us to a “cloud of witnesses.” It guides our perplexities, because it is a “lamp to our feet.” It mitigates our grief, sanctifies our sorrow, heals our wounds, dries our tears, because it leads us to the love, the tenderness, the sympathy, the grace of Jesus. The gospel reveals Jesus, speaks mainly of Jesus, leads simply to Jesus, and this makes it what it is, “glad tidings of great joy,” to a poor, lost, ruined, tried, and tempted sinner.
~Octavius Winslow~

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Spiritual Warriors

An area in my life that the Lord has really been helping me understand, concerns my fight against sin and what is pleasing to Him. This has been an exciting and convicting topic to go through! I've been struggling with the feeling of despair over my sinfulness and have sinfully been making my sin bigger than what Christ accomplished on the cross for me. I can often take a legalistic stance of abstaining from sin and forget to take action in pursuing righteousness. But God is so kind to speak to me when I need it most and yesterday He used an article titled, "The Beautiful Fight" by Gary Thomas, to help me. In this article, Mr. Thomas, is speaking about how Christians can often be so wrapped up in not sinning, that they forget to walk in what God has called them to do. We are living our lives on the defense and not on the offense. Warriors don't just fend of the enemy. To win the war they must be offensive as well. And a key part of their victory is to follow their commander. If they stay back out of the reach of danger and don't move forward when their commander says to march, they will most likely be overtaken. As Christians we can't just stay out of the reach of sin and sit idly back. We must pursue the victory of righteousness that God is calling us to.

*"I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.- Acts 13:22"
*"I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.- John 17:4"
*"I have not been disobedient to the vision given me from heaven.- Acts 26:19"


Mr. Thomas says that if we spend all our energy on avoiding what the Bible says we will do, which is that we will sin, than we are fighting a losing battle. That's not to say that we should stop fighting against sinful temptation, but by offensively striving toward righteousness, we will be fighting against sin. Thomas uses a great example of how we sometimes think of holiness. "One great weakness (out of many) of the spiritual pacifism approach is that it fosters, at best, an uneasy neutrality. Look at it this way: From the perspective of a spiritual pacifist, we could create "instant holiness" by putting every believer in a coma. In that state, we won't lust. We won't curse. We won't steal. We won't lie. But will we be truly holy?"

This topic has also caused me to think about the scripture in the Bible where it says that David was a man after God's own heart. For whatever reason I've always interpreted this scripture as meaning that God held David in high regard, but I think there is another side to this as well. "David was a man after God's own heart." David was striving after the heart of God. He wanted to have a holy heart. In the Psalms he prays to love what God loves and hate what he hates. He knows that the best way to grow in his sanctification is to pursue the heart of God. And by doing that, our desire to sin will become less and less. By choosing righteousness, we are fighting against sin. But we are doing it by becoming more like Christ. We need to go farther than just not sinning. "In the same way, I can focus on not listening to vile music. Fair enough; there's no reason to poison my mind. But why stop there? Why not pray, 'Lord, how do I offer up my ears to hear your voice in the midst of the din? How can I learn to hear what others are truly saying? How can my ears become your servants?'-G.T." In essence Thomas is saying that growing in our sanctification doesn't require perfection, but it does require progression.

~Holy Father, there is none Holier than You and as long as I'm on earth I will never be able to attain perfection. But help me to pursue righteousness in a way that is pleasing to You. May I strive after Your heart as David did. May I always pursue righteousness through Your strength, for I know that I cannot do it on my own. May You be glorified.Amen~

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Praise & Thanksgiving



"O My God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow. When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness. I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barrens soil; for the body thou has given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing sense to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding; for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly. I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures. Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity."
-The Valley Of Vision-

Monday, November 19, 2007

In Prayer I See Myself As Nothing



This prayer from "The Valley of Vision" made my heart long all the more to invest in the sweet communion that comes from spending time with our Heavenly Father. It is so true that when I'm in the presence of the Lord, all the amusements of this world never seem so inconsiderate! This is my prayer today. For myself and for others.

"O Lord, in prayer I launch far out into the eternal world, and on that broad ocean my soul triumphs over all evils on the shores of mortality. Time, with its gay amusements and cruel disappointments never appears so inconsiderate as then.

In prayer I see myself as nothing; I find my heart going after Thee with intensity, and long with vehement thirst to live to Thee. Blessed be the strong gales of the Spirit that speed me on my way to the New Jerusalem.

In prayer all things here below vanish, and nothing seems important but holiness of heart and the salvation of others.

In prayer all my worldly cares, fears, anxieties disappear, and are of as little significance as a puff of wind.

In prayer my soul inwardly exults with lively thoughts at what Thou art doing for Thy church, and I long that Thou shouldest get Thyself a great name from sinners returning to Zion.

In prayer I am lifted above the frowns and flatteries of life, and taste heavenly joys; entering into the eternal world I can give myself to Thee with all my heart, to be Thine for ever.

In prayer I can place all my concerns in Thy hands, to be entirely at Thy disposal, having no will or interest of my own.

In prayer I can intercede for my friends, ministers, sinners, the church, Thy kingdom to come, with greatest freedom, ardent hopes, as a son to his father, as a lover to the beloved.

Help me to be all prayer and never to cease praying."

~The Valley of Vision~

Friday, November 16, 2007

Something About Not Letting Girls Drive

I thought this was really funny and am thankful that I haven't had to take my car myself to get my oil changed. =)Have a great weekend everyone!


True Greatness

This morning I felt the Lord lay on my heart the importance of continuing to cultivate humility. It is a constant and ever evolving process. One we will need to aggressively pursue for the rest of our lives. CJ Mahaney defines humility this way;

"Humility is honestly evaluating ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. John Owen wrote, “Two things are needed to humble us. First let us consider God in his greatness, glory, holiness, power, majesty, and authority. Second, let us consider ourselves in our mean, abject, and sinful condition.”

In order to even be able to evaluate myself in light of God's holiness and my sinfulness, I see the crucial importance of studying both of those topics so that can know what I'm evaluating. The opposite of humility is obviously pride, but what does that look like?

"Pride is an attitude of self sufficiency in relation to God and self righteousness in relation to others. My favorite definition and description of pride is from the pen of the Puritan Charles Bridges: Pride lifts up the heart against God. It contends for the supremacy with him. How unseemly moreover is this sin. A creature so utterly dependent, so fearfully guilty, yet proud in heart." - CJ Mahaney

In our Savior's eyes, true greatness is when we serve others for His glory. It's when we put other's needs before our own. True humility was displayed in full glory the day Christ died on the cross. True humility was displayed in full glory the day Christ died on the cross. The passage in Philippians describes what true humility is better than I ever could.

"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 made himself nothing, 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." - Philippians 2:3-8

~O Lord, may this be my heart as well. May I serve others in a way that brings You glory. The best way for me to cultivate humility, is to put others needs above my own. Thank you for the humility You displayed on the cross. Thank You for refusing to choose pride, so that we might be saved. You are truly great!~

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Rely On What Is True

"But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose." - Galatians 2: 17-21

This verse in Galatians gives me a joy and assurance that I cannot adequately describe. To be confident that even though I sin, I am still redeemed is amazing! I have hope knowing that the law of sin no longer has power over me. I might lose hope if I thought that it was up to me to continue this walk of faith, but this verse tells us that, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me". We are justified in Christ...forever! Now we need to "rely" on that truth.

Reliance

My Father, When thou art angry towards me for my wrongs I try to pacify thee by abstaining from future sin; But teach me that cannot satisfy thy law, that this effort is a resting in my righteousness, that only Christ's righteousness, ready made, already finished, is fit for that purpose; that thy chastising me for my sin is not that I should try to reform, but only that I may be more humbled, afflicted, and separated from sin, by being reconciled, and made righteous in Christ by faith; that a sense of my sufficiency and ability in him is one means of my being immovable; that I can never be so by resting on my own faith, but by trusting in thee as my only support, by faith; that if I cast away my faith I cast away thee, for by faith I apprehend thee, and as thou art very precious, so is my faith very precious to me; that I fall short of the purity thou requirest, because in thinking I am holy I do not seek holiness, or, believing I am impotent, I do no more. Humble me for not being as holy as I should be, or as holy as I might be through Christ, for thou art all, and to possess thee is to possess all. But to make the creature something is to make it stand between thee and me, so that I do not walk humbly and holily. Lord, forgive me for this.

~The Valley Of Vision~

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Of His Work I Do Sing

Singing is a great thing! It is one of the ways I can preach the Gospel to myself. It seems like the Lord is showing me a common theme each morning in needed to preach the Gospel to myself. He has been instructing my heart on this subject through friends, His word and music over the past couple of days. This morning I couldn't stop the tears from falling as I heard the sweet words from Jeremy Riddle's song "Sweetly Broken".

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing
.
For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

The truth of these words are so amazing that it made me just want to go find a quiet room somewhere and worship God for who He is and what He has done. On my own I would definitely never be prompted to go and do that, but I know the Lord was graciously drawing my heart to Him this morning. I am hoping that everyday the picture of the world in my eyes becomes dimmer and the picture of Christ and an eternity spent with Him becomes brighter.


"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen"- 2 Peter 3:18

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Deep Views Of Sin

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7 - LET not the reader be satisfied to rest upon the mere surface of the truth, that Christ has made an atonement for sin; this may be believed, and yet the full blessedness, peace, and sanctification of it not enjoyed. Any why? Because he enters not fully into the experience of the truth. Shall we not say, too, because his views of sin rest but on the surface of sin’s exceeding sinfulness? Deep views of sin will ever result in deep views of the Sacrifice for sin; inadequate knowledge of sin, inadequate knowledge of Christ; low views of self, high views of Christ. Be satisfied, then, not to rest upon the surface of this wondrous truth. The completeness of Christ’s atonement arises from the infinite dignity of His Person: His Godhead forms the basis of His perfect work. It guarantees, so to speak, the glorious result of His atonement. It was this that gave perfection to His obedience, and virtue to His atonement: it was this that made the blood He shed efficacious in the pardon of sin, and the righteousness He wrought out complete in the justification of the soul. His entire work would have been wanting but for His Godhead." - Octavius Winslow

My friend, Mrs. Glick, told me about the website full of devotionals by Octavius Winslow. I had just been at a conference where they referenced many of O.W.'s deep and profound quotes and was excited to find a personal library of them! The above entry was just what I needed to preach the Gospel to myself this morning. I have sometimes tried to find the right balance in not feeling condemned by my sin, but also feeling the grief over it that is right. Sadly I think I've been erring on the side of trivializing it as of late, but Mr. Winslow makes a profound point when he said, "Deep views of sin will ever result in deep views of the Sacrifice for sin; inadequate knowledge of sin, inadequate knowledge of Christ; low views of self, high views of Christ." It is so true that the more I consider how sinful and wretched I am, the more beautiful Christ' sacrifice on my behalf becomes to me!

~Lord, forgive me for not adequately deepening my views of sin in order to grow more in love with You and what You accomplished for me. May I never be satisfied with the meager knowledge I have, but always seek to go deeper into the glories of Calvary. Thank you that Your atonement is perfect and everlasting. Continue to sustain my passion and desire for You and Your glory. Be near Oh God, and be glorified. Amen~

Monday, November 12, 2007

It's Not About How I Feel

"1I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.3Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. -8Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!" - Psalm 34:1-5 & 8

As I drove to work this morning, tired from the weeks busy days and late hours, I was still refreshed as I considered all that the Lord has done for me. How gracious of God to allow me to come into His presence each day. The really exciting part about that is that we don't have to wait in line or take a number to be near Him, but we can approach His throne of grace anytime throughout the day and as many times as we want! We don't ever have to worry about Him turning us away or our interrupting Him. He desires us to come to Him and spend time at His feet. The Lord used the to words to the song below, to speak to my tired heart this morning and remember that in light of who He is and all He has done, He deserves my enthusiastic and passionate praise. How great is our God?!

~EVEN WHEN~
This week, I prayed, one time
My phone, it rang, I put You on the other line
And now my thoughts they drift around
My knees remain unacquainted with the ground
Unless my faith is put to the test and I am forced to bow
Although I'm in this flesh it doesn't mean
You shouldn't have the best from me, from me

Even when my eyes are dry
even when my soul is tired
even when my hands are heavy,
I will lift them up to You
It's not about how I feel, oh Lord
I exist for you

I close my eyes but all I see
Is a background of black, bouncy squiggly lines
And this week's mistakes coming back to mind but
I will lift my voice and make a joyful sound
Forget about me, I only get me down
Although I cannot see it doesn't mean
I shouldn't sing to You, to You

You've given me Your life and have held mine together yet I find
Excuses to slouch in my pew
But when glory divine
Is sitting in my very presence, the least that I can do
Is give my all to You, give my all to You

Even when my eyes are dry
even when my soul is tired
even when my hands are heavy,
I will lift them up to You
It's not about how I feel, oh Lord
I exist for you

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Graven On His Hands

It was pretty ironic that right after I had written about having joy yesterday, I was faced with a situation to practice my words. The result was that I failed miserably. Not only did I not choose joy, but I chose pride and anger. I was quickly losing ground in my fight for joy. I guess I had prepared my heart to respond the right way in certain situations, but when this one hit me in the face out of nowhere, I reacted sinfully. I am thankful it happened in one sense, because it helped me to see that I still have a long way to go in growing to be more like Christ. And like my dad said last night, our lives are an ever evolving circle. We will always be on the go, making plans, trying them out, adjusting them, taking action and starting all over. We will never reach a level of godliness where we'll plateau and live in a perfect state. That will only happen when we are taken home to be with God. That will only happen when we have no more sin hindering our progress. That CAN only happen as a result of God sending His precious Son to be a ransom for us all. God is never unaware about the joys and the trials we are facing. When I become anxious or upset about something that is going on in my life, that is me telling God that I am not trusting him to take care of me. After all that he went through and accomplished so that I might be saved, how can I even doubt that he will take care of the little things in my life? He is faithful and can be trusted. How securing to be held in the palm of his hands. The very hands that were pierced for us. The hands that have our names graven upon them!
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Isaiah 49:16. The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me. How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; he cries, How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh? O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people. He keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. -C.H.S."

I was so excited when I read this this morning and was overwhelmed by God's kindness to speak to me where I needed it! Here is the conclusion to Spurgeon's thoughts on this matter.

"Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of his hands. I have graven thee.It does not say, Thy name. The name is there, but that is not all: I have graven thee. See the fullness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when he has graven thee upon his own palms?-C.H.S."

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Sea Receives The Streams


As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord. - Colossians 2:6

"The life of faith is represented as receiving--an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night accepts light from the stars, so we, giving nothing, partake freely of the grace of God. The saints are not, by nature, wells, or streams, they are but cisterns into which the living water flows; they are empty vessels into which God pours his salvation."

The above words written by Charles Spurgeon, helped to inform my heart this morning. How amazing is the truth that God has given me the gift of salvation! I was as dry and barren as a desert. Just like a desert has no power to water itself and bring back to life its dead body, neither could I do that for myself. But God in His great mercy and kindness poured out His living water into me. He poured out His salvation. As I drove to work this morning, the realization of what I have been saved from and what I have been saved to, was so real to me. I pray that as I walk through my day in this temporal world, I will be able to demonstrate the kind of joy that is an appropriate response to all that I know. (The rest of Charles Spurgeon's thoughts below)

"The idea of receiving implies a sense of realization, making the matter a reality. One cannot very well receive a shadow; we receive that which is substantial: so is it in the life of faith, Christ becomes real to us. While we are without faith, Jesus is a mere name to us--a person who lived a long while ago, so long ago that his life is only a history to us now! By an act of faith Jesus becomes a real person in the consciousness of our heart. But receiving also means grasping or getting possession of. The thing which I receive becomes my own: I appropriate to myself that which is given. When I receive Jesus, he becomes my Saviour, so mine that neither life nor death shall be able to rob me of him. All this is to receive Christ--to take him as God's free gift; to realize him in my heart, and to appropriate him as mine.Salvation may be described as the blind receiving sight, the deaf receiving hearing, the dead receiving life; but we have not only received these blessings, we have received Christ Jesus himself. It is true that he gave us life from the dead. He gave us pardon of sin; he gave us imputed righteousness. These are all precious things, but we are not content with them; we have received Christ himself. The Son of God has been poured into us, and we have received him, and appropriated him. What a heartful Jesus must be, for heaven itself cannot contain him!"

Monday, November 5, 2007

Jane Austen Icon Contest


Okay, so I don't normally make pitches for things like this, but my sweet brother helped make me an icon to submit to win a new book titled "A Walk With Jane Austen" and I thought it would be fun to enter. His icon was selected as a finalist and the winner will be chosen next Sun or Mon? The winner is decided by how many votes it gets over the next week. Each person that votes can vote once everyday for the next week. So, if you think about it, go to http://janitesonthejames.blogspot.com/ and vote under the November 5th post for the icon titled "Jane and Candles". You can also find a link to the site by going through http://www.followingausten.com/ Landon did such a good job on the icon so it would be so cool if we won! Thanks!

What Is Man?

While reading these words, I am pointedly aware of all the Christ accomplished for me! I'm so thankful that I had to do nothing to make my salvation complete, but that Christ took care of it all!

The Founder of Salvation - Hebrews 2:1-18

5Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?7You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8putting everything in subjection under his feet."

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." 13And again, "I will put my trust in him."

And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me."
14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

I Know This Looks Long, But...


I thought it would be fun to do a post for the ladies. I guess it could be for the guys too, but I suppose I'm "dedicating it to the girls. There is so much that is relevant to us and somethings are a quite funny as well! So, I thought I'd start by posting an excerpt from GirlTalk. They are doing a series with writer John Ensor, the author of "Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart". We all remember the lively and humorous discussions we have had about what it actually means to "rustling leaves and snapping twigs", but here is John Ensor opinion. My motive in posting this, is to encourage us how we can better honor God in our lives, because that is really what his point is.
***

In context, I meant to stress the need for men to take initiative. The metaphor was my way to burn it into the brothers’ minds that they need to be the initial risk takers; to be pursuers, like a hunter in the woods. The metaphorical corollary was for women to crack twigs and rustle leaves so we know where to find them. When CJ read this quote at the Na Conference, it launched a thousand discussions.

I mostly meant, “Show up in the places where godly men can interact with you and just be yourself. Be natural.” Most metaphors break down when you ask them to carry more than the initial point. But the readers were right, it does raise the practical question, “What is appropriate behavior for attracting male attention?”

According to one’s maturity, sensitivity, good judgment, confidence and personality, every woman eventually comes up with a specific list of dos and don’ts. Such things should be much talked about in homes and with friends and in various women’s groups and blogs. A little iron sharpening iron here is good. My contribution would be to remember the following three points when deciding.

1. A godly spirit is twig-crackingly attractive.
This seems to me the first and heaviest emphasis of Scripture and the point I was trying to make in chapter 12 “He displays integrity…She, an inner beauty.” Trust God on this! Physical beauty is the most relied upon, sure-fire, quick-work approach to attracting male attention. It does catch his eye and arouse his passions. But what works initially and works out well over the long haul is not the same. So we read in Proverbs 31:30, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Here is a warning to reject the worldly approach and remember that godly men are attracted to holy women.

1 Peter 3:3 calls women out plainly: Reject the trendy, sultry hair styles, attention-grabbing jewelry and clothes designed to arouse male passion. Adorn yourself with a strong faith and hope in God and you will be clothed with a quiet and gentle spirit that is winsomely attractive to men. In context the point is that this is powerfully attractive to even unbelieving husbands. But I can assure all young women that godly men find this twig-crackingly attractive.

2. A neighbor-loving outlook on life is twig-crackingly attractive.
This is in contrast to women who are self-centered, self-focused, self-absorbed. Such women do tend to put a lot of effort into appearances. But they are like manna; initially satisfying; but try to hold on to them and soon the relationship spoils. Men find it powerfully attractive when a woman’s general orientation toward life is outward and rooted in serving others. As Proverbs 31 points such women are healthy, dignified, hard-working, challenged, fulfilled, less prone to insecurities and depression, (see the book page 153). They are generally more enjoyable to be around; because loving our neighbors is the Great Work of the Gospel that God designed us for and along these paths of service, powerful friendships are born that naturally lead to more romantic interests.

Among the attractive traits of the woman in Proverbs 31, we read, “she opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy” (31:20). This is her orientation; serving the needs of others in this fallen and painful world. In 1 Timothy 5:10 it is called “Having a reputation for good works.” In 6:18, this outlook, along with the inherent vibrancy it creates is described as “ being rich in goodworks…so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” See that? Here is what the book, The Secret, should have been about; Here is the pathway to life that is really life! Yesterday I was reading in Romans and came across another hint of this general outlook. Paul says those who are “patient in well-doing…will inherit eternal life” (2:7). Why? Because steady and unwavering well-doing in this fallen world, flowing from gospel love, is the very fragrance of life. And my point is that this fragrance is twig-crackingly attractive to men.
My daughter is 24, single, godly and would love to be found by a soul mate and get married. In the meantime, I know she is active in the body-life of her Church, pursues a strong interest in missions, tutors some struggling kids on Saturdays, helps occasionally with the pregnancy help clinic in her area, and co-teaches a class of young girls on Sundays. If there is a husband in her future, I think she has resolved to be spotted by him along the pathways of living out a fulfilled single life of kingdom expanding, neighbor-loving service.

3. A healthy body is twig-crackingly attractive.
I have chosen to use the prism of health rather than beauty because it seems to me to be more in line with what the Bible would permit (rather than oppose) in terms of physical beauty and adornment. It appears to me that women should strive to be healthy in body and form and to highlight their natural beauty by their fashion and stop there. Looking our best is not the same as looking sexy.

The thing to remember is that how we dress and present ourselves in public is a form of communication. So discerning what is fitting and proper in terms of magnifying your natural beauty comes down to what message you are trying to give when you go out among male company. “I am modest” is not a message sent with words, but with clothing. Cleavage on parade is, “I am sexy.” A butch haircut on a woman and a pony tail on a man usually are by design and to make a statement. The culture defines these things and so they change all the time; but we generally know what means what, though sometimes we are not sure. For women in Paul’s day, wearing a hair-covering in worship sent one message, not wearing one sent another. Basically the Bible teaches us to honor the cultural cues in our dress and make-up and presentation and stick with those things that convey our life’s priorities and purposes (point 1 and 2 above).

If I show up to speak in a church unshaven or with a big gold chain around my neck, or wearing a blouse, it would provoke intense reaction as people tried to figure out who I was and what message I was sending. When our son, Elliot, was a teenager, he once came home with a ring in his eyebrow! Kristen was shocked and deeply upset. Honestly, I was scared for him. We took it as a cue that it was time to probe, what does this mean? What’s the message? Who are you? What is going on inside you that you want to say on the outside? At first he tried to say it was nothing. But fashion is always a statement of something.

On the other hand, several years ago, I had my teeth worked on by an aesthetic dentist. My teeth were cracked and crooked and I felt it was time to fix them. This was purely physical. But I felt liberty of spirit to do it. So by good health and natural beauty, I mean to acknowledge the reasonableness of presenting ourselves in public at our best, staying in good shape as best we can, and dressing and presenting ourselves appropriately as fits the cultural expectations, and that which is consistent with godliness.

My grandmother had scoliosis as a child, which resulted in a curved spine and hump back. Not too attractive. My grandfather was very tall, rugged and clearly had no regard for dentists. Yet he found in this shrunken little woman a beauty, a fire-cracker wife that he loved dearly till her passing, one month short of their 50th anniversary. So I go back to the beginning. Trust God and be yourself. Don’t worry too much about how to crack the twigs. God will snap his fingers at the right moment.
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Also, here is something that I thought was funny. They are quotes from an 1800's propriety and etiquette book.

"Many young ladies indulge in very nonsensical opinions, or
should I rather say, notions, concerning love. They foolishly
fancy themselves bound to be 'smitten', to 'fall in love', to be
'love sick', with almost every silly idler who wears a
fashionable coat, is tolerably good-looking, and pays them
particular attention. Reason, judgement, deliberation,
according to their fancies, have nothing to do with their
love...Their lovers use flattering words, and like silly moths
fluttering around the fatal lamp, they allow themselves to be
charmed into certain misery. Readers, beware of such
example; eschew such false notions!"

"Even when a lady knows and speaks with more than one
man, it is improper for her to take the arm of two men
flanking her at the same time. Single ladies do not take the
arm of a gentleman in the 'daytime' unless they are willing to
acknowledge an engagement."

"Ladies walk in a measured gait, taking small gliding steps.
If it is necessary for her to raise her skirt to avoid a puddle,
she is to raise them only slightly, and on one side. Using both
hands and exposing more than an ankle is considered vulgar."

"A lady should never be neglected. Gentlemen should help a
lady with her coat, cloak, shawl in order to be more
comfortable in the room. Offer to fetch refreshments for
a lady is refreshments are available."