Women of Promise

       At all ages of childhood, from infanthood to the teen years, one major challenge of parenting comes in shepherding a child's emotions. As an infant, they really are incapable of controlling their emotions.  Everything they feel is expressed through their emotions.  By looking at a baby, it is pretty clear to see if they are upset by something, or content and happy. Crying or laughing becomes their primary communication. However, as a child grows they gain control over their emotions. A toddler does not have the same control as a teenager, and, generally, a teenager is still much more emotional than an adult.       Emotions are given to us by God.  They are part of our humanity.  God demonstrates many emotional traits and we are made in His image. We are made to experience love, sadness, fear, anger, and joy.  Conversely, God is not a God of uncontrolled emotions and learning to experience emotions without being rule...

       There is not much that feels better than to scrub something that is dirty and make it shiny and clean, is there?  Scrubbing a toilet or shower, mopping a floor, washing dishes  -- the process is tedious and even annoying, but the end result is so satisfying, right? A clean vessel is ready for use and it reflects the care and vision of the owner.       This example is what I see when I read Titus 2:11-14.     For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,  teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,   looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,   who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.     Jumping to the end of that l...

       Have you ever read through all the laws that God gave in the Old Testament? How incredibly detailed and thorough our God is.  Most of us can't even imagine attempting to keep even half of the prescribed rules for daily life laid out in in the first five books of our Bible.  We kinda skim over these precise directions and breathe a sigh of relief that we were born after the time of Jesus -- all is under grace now, right?  We don't have to worry ourselves with all that --right?     Recently, I am beginning to catch a glimpse of the blessing we may be missing by glossing over the Law of God too glibly.  Did God's Law just become obsolete, just because Jesus fulfilled it perfectly and paid the penalty for our breaking of the Law?  Is it just an interesting part of history?  No. It is far more.  Over and over again in Leviticus, God states that "this statute will last forever" or "you shall keep this commandment always."...

Image source: biblecartoons.co.uk      What is the last thing you pick up as you get prepared to face the day?  After you have clothed your body, what is the last thing you grab as you head out the door?  Your purse, your wallet, your phone, your keys, your lunch....?   The Roman soldier grabbed his sword.  This is how Ephesians 6 closes out the section describing the armor we need to stand against the attacks of sin and darkness that are sent our way.   "Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17     Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians from prison.  No wonder he was very familiar with the pieces of armor used by a Roman soldier!  No doubt he had stared down the shank of a daunting weapon:  the double edged sword.  Romans typically used a sword sharpened on both sides and so incredibly sharp that it could pierce a metal shield!   This was both an offensive a...

  Image source:  biblecartoons.org           As a young girl in Pennsylvania where my family lived for a short time, I can remember building a snow fortress in the winter.  My siblings and I, along with the neighborhood children would pick teams and each build the best snow wall we could before engaging in an epic snowball fight.  As long as I was hunkered down close to that snow wall, the snowballs would sail past me or hit the front of the wall and I was safe from the missiles that could sting just a little before splattering to the ground.  I imagine the shield of faith to be something like that snow wall that sheltered me from the onslaught.        In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Ephesians 6:16     This shield of faith is the more mobile piece of the armor of God.  In other words, a soldi...

source: biblecartoons.co.uk      I rode my bike as a child all over our small town without a helmet.  Up hills, down hills, speeding around curves, across streets.... everywhere!  I was totally oblivious to the potential dangers I was opening myself up for.  Today, I wouldn't think of letting my kids ride their bikes in those same areas without a helmet.    We could list a multitude of sporting events that require head protection. Laws require helmets while riding on motorcycles or ATVs.  Construction zones often have areas that require a hard hat.        What's the big deal with helmets? Of course, we know the reason!  The head is important!  The head houses our brain....

image source: biblecartoons.com   Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...Ephesians 6:14 NIV    God gives us armor to "wear" as we enter into battle against sin.  Sin, with all of its many, ugly faces wreaked havoc on God's beautiful, perfect Earth way back in the Garden of Eden.  To rectify this, God set in motion His perfect redemption plan to return things to this first state of perfection.  Sending His only Son to Earth to die the most humiliating death possible provided the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.  Accepting this precious gift of redemption returns our hearts to a place of purity (provided by Jesus), restoring that perfect fellowship that was experienced between God and man prior to the fall.        However, sin and the effects of sin are still wreaking havoc on our world.  God has provided us an armor that allows us to...