Butterflies are a marvel not because they've done anything in themselves that is particularly noble or praiseworthy, but in their existence and in their fluttering of wings they bring joy and beauty. They live for a short time with seemingly insignificant lives and matters that are too tiny to be counted. 

And how much higher is our creator to us than we are to butterflies.

Like these small bugs we are by design a showcase of God's creative work. Not because of anything we have done holding special worth, but by our being we declare the glory of God. We make up so many matters and worries out of trivialities that will soon pass away to things of eternal value.

And so as I momentarily find myself captive to the image of a very small and marvelous creature, I take pause to rest and even indulge in its simple beauty.

I will hope to live as a butterfly, making visible the goodness of God and trusting Him when my small matters feel too impossible to understand.

I wish there was a way to not be weak, a solution for the persistent problem that we are continually and painfully made aware of.  But when we look to God for an answer, we see that God does not look at our weakness as a problem that needs to be solved. He uses our weakness so that we rely on Him. He uses it to force us to relinquish the pride that we cling to so fiercely. He uses it much longer than we would like in order to grow our patience and endurance. Paul pleads for a weakness to be taken a way and this is God’s response:

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I’ve been thinking about this verse a lot the last few days since Steve’s sermon on Sunday, that I tried to catch pieces of even though I was struggling physically. God, I’m pretty sure I could get more out of sermons if I wasn’t fighting to stay conscious. My grace is sufficient. God, I wish I didn’t have to collapse on the kitchen floor so many times a day. My grace is sufficient. God I’m so sure I could be more effective for ministry both to my family and to others if I wasn’t chronically ill. My grace is sufficient for you. God, I know you can heal, that you can do more than we ask or imagine, I know you can take this away. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. 

We most often want God to be glorified by giving us strength to compensate for our weaknesses, instead of leaving us in them. Maybe it’s because we’re too focused on achieving, but maybe it’s just because we’re too focused on ourselves, and how we think our lives should look. It is our sinful pride that leads us to think that we have a better idea of what our part in God’s kingdom should look like than God’s idea. He will accomplish His purposes according to His perfect wisdom, and generally chooses to use willing and weak people rather than the strong, important ones. With both Sarah and Rebekah, years of barrenness must have felt like a crippling weakness and an impossible barrier to God’s plan to make them into a great nation. Abraham and Sarah even gave up, turning to Hagar instead of trusting God’s plan and timing. But God knew what he was doing, and His timing was perfect with Isaac, as it was with Esau and Jacob. We may have to wait many long years for God to work in, through, or around our weakness, but He can and will work. It won’t often be in the way that we expect or hope for, but it will be good.

I ran across an Elizabeth Elliot quote recently that spoke to me:

He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark. He makes us walk when we want to run, sit when we want to walk, for He has things to do in our souls that we are not interested in. “Secure in the Everlasting Arms”

I would encourage you to use the emphasis on prayer these next couple of days to come to God in the midst of your weakness, confess the pride that wants to remove that weakness, and trust and rest in who God is and what He will do.  Let Him know your cares, then set them aside and pray for others. Pray for renewal. Pray for His Spirit to change us, to lift our weary, inadequate selves and look to Him. Praise Him that His grace is sufficient. Ask to find joy in Him. And come home eager to walk in weakness by God’s grace and for His glory.

In January we will begin a new series on the Promises of God during our Sovereign Grace Women’s meetings. One of the most precious promises we have is God’s presence with us. If we take time to notice, the whole Christmas story is wrapped up in this promise. The incarnation is about God putting on human flesh – becoming one of us to be with us. Jesus is the most amazing gift we could ever receive. If you’ve looked in the prayer room lately you have seen the beautiful visual of this that Amanda Fowler created. A dramatic display of God’s light breaking through the darkness and the veil that separated us from God’s presence torn in two from the top, initiated and accomplished by God through Jesus, to the bottom, down to where we are. God’s intention from before the creation of the world was to have a people for himself that he would dwell with forever. Christmas can be a wonderful time to ponder the depths of meaning in the birth of Jesus. He truly is the most remarkable gift we have ever been given.

If you just aren’t really feeling it or if you are finding it hard to slow down, I want to encourage you to carve out some time. I saw an idea the other day that I am personally implementing. No phone during waiting in December. The idea is simple. How often do we pick up our phones while we are waiting for something? Waiting on a friend at a coffee shop. Waiting for our water to boil. Waiting in line at the grocery store. Waiting at a stoplight. We have a lot of minutes of waiting every day. What if, instead of picking up our phones or thinking about something else, we asked God to help us fix our eyes on him? How many minutes of our days could be redeemed for what Jesus told Martha was the good part that could not be taken from Mary?

Luke 10:40- 42  But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

You might try this in those few moments of waiting instead. Breathe in and pray, “Christmas is Jesus, he is my greatest need” and breathe out, “help me to experience his presence and know his joy.”

We have more time than we think no matter what stage of life we are in. I am praying for us all that we will quiet our hearts and minds at the feet of Jesus this Christmas season and trade in our weariness or spiritual dullness for his peace and joy. This is what "Merry Christmas" is all about!

It makes sense in some ways. First, can you blame people for rejecting a book that they associate with hateful behavior or have seen used as a justification to abuse? Second, we do have an enemy who is seeking to steal faith and what better way to do it than to get people to question the book that says they need a Savior, a very specific one at that – Jesus Christ otherwise they will be judged as guilty.  Third, Jesus himself spoke of a persecution that would come from following him. If you look at church history you will see many periods of time when God’s people were mocked, discredited, unjustly treated, or even killed for the sake of Christ. Why should our time be any different?  

There are many directions I could take time to speak about, but I only have one purpose in this blog post. I feel compelled to speak, again,  of the importance for God’s people, those who have been redeemed by him, to really read their Bibles, to not be content with skimming, or just taking someone else’s word about it, but to get to know God in a primary way in which he has revealed himself. The result of letting the word of God dwell in you should be increasing in love for, and trust in, him which should result in lives that reflect his heart to redeem a people for himself. It’s a long haul not a short journey. There should be things that you wrestle with as you read God’s word; his ways are not our ways, and it can be difficult to grasp this immeasurable God and our minds can never fully understand everything about God and his ways. But there is a lot we can know and it is so worth it to keep pressing in. His Spirit leads us into truth. We need his help to press on, to grasp concepts that are supernatural, to delight in truth.  

I’ve been walking with God in some manner for 50 years now and have a decent amount of history of engaging God’s word. It’s a myth to think that we ever come to a place of arrival where we can’t be tempted to distrust God. We will always need him. We are saved by him and kept by him and his word presses this point on our hearts. Rather than causing us to rest on our personal history it should cause us to abide in our vine (John 15:1-11) and seek him more.

This Saturday, at our Sovereign Grace Women’s event, I will be sharing some ways that God’s word has affected my life, and we will be walking through a Psalm together in a simple way that you can continue on your own going forward. I feel very passionate about this because, next to salvation, this area of my life – engaging with God’s word – is the number one way God has worked in me. I know several of you have plans already but if you can spare a couple hours in the morning, I hope you will consider joining us as we explore a tiny fraction of God’s word together and take yet one more step to love God and each other more as women in this specific church body. 

Saturday, September 16th at the church from 9:30-11:30. A light breakfast is included, as well as some giveaways, not the least of these being a new watercolor scripture print made by Jackie Benefield. 

Let’s take a look at a few verses where we are told this is true. First is Deuteronomy 6:24 which says, “and the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day”. The second place we will look at is 1 John 5:3 which states, “for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome”.

What do these verses tell us about the character of God? They tell us that He is good and gentle and lowly. In other words, God does not give what burdens but what liberates. He is a God who desires our safety. He is also a jealous God, who requires that we worship Him and only Him. Thus, He’s placed commandments and rules for living in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27). Truly loving God means we fear Him.--We see Him as worthy of all praise and worship. We see ourselves as unworthy and in need of Him.--Thus, we fear Him. “Fear” here does not mean that we are frightened by Him or scared of Him, rather it means that we stand in awe of Him and respect and honor Him. And because the Father has shown His love to us by sending His Son, Jesus, to sacrifice His life for us in order to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness, we love Him (1 John 4:19).

Ever heard a teenager say that their parents are “taking their life away”? This can be our thought when reading the life that God calls us to live in His Word. But, God, our loving Father, does not give us commands so that we lose out on the “fun” things in life. In fact, Ecclesiastes informs us of the fact that God desires us to enjoy life (Ecclesiastes 8:15; 9:7-9). Deuteronomy 6:24 also tells us that He gives us commandments so that we might have our life preserved, not taken away. In other words, his commands are life-giving. We find true freedom in being in Christ. So, if being in Christ means we are called to live in a particular way, it means that particular way to live is a freeing way to live. Thus, John in 1 John 5:3 reminds us that God gives us commands that are not burdensome, but for our good. He does not restrict our lives, but instead gives them real meaning and purpose. It is one thing to do something enjoyable, but the enjoyment of something is generally taken to a new level when it is enjoyable and purposeful and good!

As christian women, we might look very different from the world. Being a college student who strives to follow the Lord and His commandments, I live a life that looks much different than many other college girls. I had a friend who was at a different college, living a different lifestyle, and interested in learning more about christianity, ask me once if I ever felt like I am “missing out on life” because I don’t drink until I’m drunk, do drugs, or go to parties and find new boys. My answer to her was “not at all”. The reason for my answer? I know there may be temporary “fun” there, but the permanency of the joy that can be found in living the life commanded by God and the pain endured when living my own way far exceeds the temporary thrills. That lifestyle does not give life. I don’t feel like I’m missing out, but in fact told her that she was the one who is missing out because there is true enjoyment in life when Christ is the center of her life and following God’s commands becomes a delight (Psalm 119:14, 16, 24, 32, 35, 47-48, 97, 113).

So let us strive together to be women of the word and women of the commandments and let us show the younger girls and other women watching us that we miss out on nothing when we follow the Lord’s commands. In fact, there is ultimate joy found in following the Lord’s commandments because they are for our good and not burdensome. May we say with the Psalmist, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end” (Psalm 119:111-112).

Here's some good news, though. He is at work in me and through me. He always has been. I can trace his hand throughout my life, beginning with my earliest memories. Though I often want to give up, my gracious, merciful Father; precious, loving redeemer, and wise, guiding Spirit urges me on, buoys me up, and — in my darkness — often gives a spark of hope in him that floods my life with light. 

What does this have to do with mothering? you might wonder. I am a mom and have been for 30 years. But first and foremost, I am a person — a whole person. I have complexities, deficiencies, scars, even doubts at times, and I bring all of this into mothering. This is true even today as I interact with my adult children — but it was also true when they lived in my home. I am also a whole person with gifts, experiences, and wisdom who has been sovereignly given by God specific people to mother.

You are also a whole person with a history and a unique mix of personality, giftings, and weaknesses, and you bring all of that into mothering the specific people God has given you, biological or not. This is true for every mother since Eve. God sees and knows, and according to his word, has even planned it to be so. 

Maybe you don’t have children of your own. Please don’t underestimate the impact that your interactions with the children in your life makes. You may have nieces and nephews, but even if you don’t, there is an abundance of children in our church that you will naturally bump into — often quite literally!  You have a unique opportunity to model God’s love to the children around you. This is truly important.

As Steve and I looked at various parenting resources and are currently leading a series focused on parenting, I am excited about the things we are all learning together. We certainly are not and never will be parenting experts. (Side note — it’s not too late to jump in these last two weeks and to email Steve for a password to the videos you’ve missed.)

The foundation of the framework that we are sharing with the church is to make sure that children feel safe with us. First and foremost, in families — that children feel safe with their parents — but also in the context of our church as we all rub shoulders with them. In one session, the video described a fight or flight reaction that children have when they experience fear. The same is true for adults. I realized a while ago that many of my negative reactions as a mom came when I was fearing something. I would fear something I saw in a child and project a fear-based outcome and then decide I’d better do something to control it. I would almost compulsively instruct/correct out of fear of failure — theirs or mine (fight). Or I would long for escape, in some seasons even hide in my closet and cry, or worse yet, ignore constructively dealing with the issue (flight).

I’ve been privileged to hear a lot of good teaching through the years. I’ve sat under solid theology. I know a lot of truth about God, and yet, sometimes even the simple thought that he loves me as I am still shocks me. I don’t love me as I am. It’s hard to believe God would. This is one of many reasons why I love his word. The message that God is abounding in steadfast love is all over its pages, and sometimes it peeks out at me when I least expect it. Opening his word and finding that God not only loves me but is for me is astonishing to someone prone to pessimism who is not even for herself some days.

I naturally look back at my 30 years of parenting and think of all the times I wish I had done better. But, as someone who remembers that God is for me and always has been, I look back and see the countless moments when I instructed my children out of faith, when I listened to them, when I extended grace, when I sought to encourage each one in their uniqueness, when I modeled to them what it looks like to depend on the gospel and guided them towards doing that for themselves. 

I suspect that my own upbringing had a hand in shaping my thoughts about myself and the world. Why do I constantly feel that God is displeased with my behavior and that his love and acceptance depend on me getting things right? Well, that was the main message I heard as a child, even if my parents didn’t intend that to be so. I am 54 and am learning that my story is not over. I am still growing and changing. I am still endeavoring to “be transformed by the renewal of my mind, that by testing I may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). I’m still asking God to work in me by his Spirit. I can still grow in learning how to mother my adult children and interact with my grandchildren as well as children in our church (I mean, let’s be honest — adults too!), and I’m striving to do that in humility rather than assuming that what’s done is done and that I can’t change.

I have faith that God is leading me onward in this mothering journey. I have faith that he is leading you onward in your journey as well. The story is not over for you or your children or the children that you encounter in various settings. So, give them a squeeze and tell them how much you love them or are glad to know them, write them a note if they are grown and express your affection for them. It’s never too late to say you’re sorry and ask forgiveness if you need to. It’s never too late or too early to embrace your calling with new faith and joy, no matter your personality, back story, or current struggles.

God is for you as a mother. God is for you as a woman. He will never leave you to fend for yourself because he is the perfect parent, and you are safe with him as his beloved daughter.

A main idea that seems to be put forth throughout the Bible is the fact that we truly never are our own. We, as humans, are always influenced and are under some kind of authority. Negatively, we are influenced by the flesh, the evil one, and the world. Without Christ, we are under the “authority” of sin and the evil one who tell us we are condemned and who enslave us to an eternity without God. Once we are in Christ (that is once we believe and trust in His life, death, and resurrection on our behalf and completely surrender our life to Him), we are free from the chains of sin and the evil one (John 8:32-36; Romans 6:6, 17; 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17). So what does being freely bound actually mean and look like

1. We are free to love and serve Christ, resulting in striving to follow His commands

Because of Christ, we’re totally free to act how we desire without the chains of sin and evil desire, right? No, not exactly. But this is not an “unfortunately, no” type of deal, rather it is a “fortunately, no” type of deal. We have been freed from sin, but for whom or what purpose?

Several passages in Scripture answer this question. Paul, in Romans 6:17-19, states it very bluntly (a very Paul thing to do) when he says,

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness…For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification (Romans 6:17-19).

The sense that Paul is communicating is that salvation has a particular purpose. That is: freedom from sin is not abstracted from the personal work of Christ. We are freed from a poor master for the very purpose of coming under the loving lordship of the master who we were always meant to love and serve gladly. We were once slaves to sin and are now slaves to righteousness. Just as we once were tied to sin (impurity and lawlessness as Paul words it), we are now tied to Christ and to righteousness. Our identity is no longer tied to sin, but tied wholly to Christ. Paul calls us to action by telling us to pursue righteousness and sanctification in the same way we previously pursued our fleshly desires. Let’s look deeper at what this means, starting in 1 Peter 2:16:

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God (1 Peter 2:16).

We have the ability now to use that freedom to voluntarily follow Christ and submit ourselves to Him fully. We are freely bound to Christ. We are able to use our freedom to live “as servants of God,” as 1 Peter says, rather than using it to continue enjoying our sin and “pretending” we are free by abusing grace and discrediting the gift grace truly is.

2. We are free to love and serve others, resulting in viewing them as more significant than ourselves (Phil. 2:3-4)

Another Scripture which is closely tied to 1 Peter 2:16 is Galatians 5:13:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another (Galatians 5:13).

What does this verse add to our understanding of freedom in Christ? Well, here we are again called to be careful not to use our freedom to continue serving ourselves and fulfilling our evil desires but instead to serve others. The phrase “opportunity for the flesh” means to have the “opportunity to follow your fallen, sinful desires and act contrary to God’s moral laws” (ESV Global Study Bible). Here, the focus is on serving others rather than explicitly on serving Christ, but, remember, that which we do to others is what we do to Christ (Matthew 25:31-40). We are free people with the ability now to use that freedom to voluntarily serve our brothers and sisters and commit ourselves to honor others. We are “freely bound” to others.

We were created to have relationship and to have an authority rule over us. Thus, we will always find those through something, whether it’s the right place or not. We find a sort of relationship in sin and darkness. We find authority by looking within ourselves (autonomy) or by listening to the voices of the world. Since we’ve been set free, now we can find real relationship with God (which is the ultimate relationship we were made to have) and with other believers. We can find authority in the one sovereign and gracious God - who is our real and ultimate authority whether we live like it or not. We are “freely bound” to Christ and this should produce joy in us and cause us to act in certain ways.

3. We are free to align our actions with that which we were created for since we can now freely pursue our purpose (Eph 2:10)

What are we truly free from through Christ?

1. You are free from sin
2. You are free from shame (1 John 1:9)
3. You are free from condemnation (Romans 8:1)
4. You are free from worry (Phil. 4:6)
5. You are free from people-pleasing (Gal. 1:10)
6. You are free from fear (1 John 4:18)
7. You are free from death (1 Cor. 15:55-57)
8. You are free from a “wasted life” (Prov. 16:9)
9. You are free from the Law (Rom. 7:6)
10. You are free from earning righteousness (Gal. 5:4)

Live a life that is clearly different from those around you who are not in Christ. Maybe that means you will feel uncomfortable or lose friends, but that is the sacrifice that we are called to when we are told to live as “servants of Christ.” Being a servant never sounds easy, but the one we serve is a gracious, loving, and caring master who desires our good.

Practically living “freely bound” looks like stewarding your finances in order to serve others and not be mastered by money. It looks like speaking truth and calling out sin. It looks like worrying about what Christ has called you to do rather than what people think of you. Being “freely bound” means you are courageous and bold in the face of something trying or scary because you know Christ is your master who protects you and cares for you. You are freed to enjoy God and doing that alongside fellow believers.

We were given freedom so that we could freely pursue the purpose for which we were made. Paul tells us in Ephesians that we were created for good works (Eph. 2:10). So here we are, free and in Christ - what a joyous truth worth celebrating! We were created for more than being enslaved to sin and darkness. Let’s not take advantage of that, but instead pursue living “freely bound” to Christ and the higher calling He has placed on our lives.

In the days of being a student, it can seem like your life is totally and completely defined by your school, professors, and rules. As if everything you do is determined by another person, a syllabus, and your running list of assignments to complete. It feels like you will never have enough time to truly do everything you should and would like to do in such a season of life. When will you feel free? When will you have more time for things outside of school? Is life just waiting on the other side of the stage after you receive your diploma?

In the days of having little ones run around the house, I imagine it might seem like your life is totally and completely defined by them. As if everything you do is determined by their lives, needs, wants, and mood. Perhaps it feels like you are slowly losing your own individuality and are being reinvented by your kids. You might be asking, “when will it feel like I have my own life again? When the kids are 18 and officially adults? When they are married and living on their own?”

What does your life mean outside of what you do? Colossians 3 holds the answer. Colossians 3:3-4 says, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory”.

Let’s start from the beginning with the phrase “for you have died.” Back in Colossians 2:20, Paul says, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world…” and in Romans 6:2 he states, “how can we who died to sin still live in it?” Thus, when he speaks in 3:3 and says, “for you have died,” he is speaking about the way believers have been united to Christ in His death that conquered sin. Believers already have to choose to ‘die’ to sin, self, and the things of the world in order to follow Christ.

Paul then goes on in Colossians 3:3 to say that through this death, your life is hidden in God. The stark contrast of death and life here gives a clear distinction. Death to the world means real life - life in Christ! So, to answer the question of “when will I have your own life again”? The comfort here is that your life was never your own to begin with! Your life was always Christ’s (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Not only that, but this life is hidden in Christ. Think about that! Your life is held in the arms of Jesus. He presents you to the Father hidden in Himself. Therefore, you are presented as perfect and holy to the Father as Christ is! But what else does ‘hidden’ mean? It means ‘safe’ or ‘secure’. Your life is hidden, safe, secure in Christ. And where is Christ? In heaven, seated at the right hand of God (Col. 3:1) - the safest place in the universe. Thus, your life cannot be defined by what you do, because your life is defined in Christ.

Paul then reminds his readers in verse 4 of the future hope and glory they have. When Christ appears, you will be with Him in glory! Why will you be with Him? Because He is your life. You’re not just a mom or just a student. You are, however, a Christian, which means you’re Christ’s. Your kids aren’t your life. Your husband isn’t your life. Your work isn’t your life. Your school isn’t your life. Your hobbies aren’t your life. While those things are good gifts to you and those around you through you, they are not what ultimately defines your life - Christ does! Your care for your kids is a real, practical way you get to die to yourself every day and choose to live in Christ (Gal. 2:20). Your time spent studying is a gift in which you can grow your mind in a disciplined way, choosing to die to self and live in Christ by stewarding what He’s given you (John 3:27; Col. 3:23).

You can take joy in the fact that nothing you do ultimately defines your life. Your life is defined by Christ and that definition cannot shift or change because you are hidden in Christ!

Let’s take a look at Psalm 1…

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

This Psalm is strategically placed at the front of the Psalter, and for good reason. Psalm 1 is frequently called the “gateway Psalm” because it introduces themes that are carried out throughout the rest of the Psalter, such as blessing, wisdom, and the Law of the Lord.

Psalm 1 begins with the words “blessed is the man…” (v. 1), which should catch our attention. We all want to be blessed, right? But what does it really mean? The word for “blessed” in the original language (Hebrew) is constantly used throughout Scripture with the meaning of “being happy” or “happiness.” Thus, we could rephrase Psalm 1:1 to say, “How happy is the man…”.

So where does this blessing and happiness come from? The Psalm goes on to describe the type of man who is called blessed: “who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers,” but it does not stop there. It’s not just a list of things not to do, but a list of what to do. The man who is happy “delights in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night” (v. 2). This list in verse 2 is what the man does in order to keep from doing what is listed in verse 1. He delights in the Word of God and meditates on it day and night. To meditate means to “moan, growl, utter, speak, muse.” Seems like a strange meaning, right? In the context of the Word of God, to meditate means to constantly be speaking it, whether that is out loud or in your head. Meditating day and night means the words are always on your tongue, from sunrise to sunset. It might not mean that you are literally speaking it at every moment, but that the Scriptures are what guide you in your day and as you think about your circumstances.

This is where the blessed man receives his blessing from - his delight and meditation on the Word of God. Joshua 1:7-8 also lays this out when it says,

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (c.f., Deut. 28:1-2; 30:16)

Blessing comes from meditating on Scripture, and not only that but Joshua says that following the law of the Lord leads to good success. So not only should we meditate on the Word of God, but we should meditate on it in order to know it and follow it. Meditating and following the law leads to good success because it produces wisdom in us. We will become steadfast, unmovable, and rooted. Let’s continue on to see what the verse 3 has to say:

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The man who meditates on and delights in the law of the Lord is not only blessed or happy, but is also firmly rooted. He is like a fruit-bearing tree planted by streams. He is able to produce fruit and be successful because his blessing and happiness come from an underlying source (“streams of water”), not from himself. His source is the Word of God. Thus, in whatever he does, he prospers - just like Joshua told us he would!

May this drive us to read and study the Word of God more. May it challenge us to memorize more Scripture. May it move us to talk about the Lord and His Word more in our day to day conversations. Find joy and happiness in the Lord and what He has said in His Word for you rather than what the world promotes as providing joy and happiness. Delight yourself by thanking God for the blessing of parenting (Ps. 127:3), amid the many struggles that tend to lead your heart towards complaint (Phil. 2:14). Delight yourself by viewing your body the way God does (made in His image and good [Gen. 1:27, 31]), amid the temptation of trying to become what the world defines a “perfect body” as (Rom. 12:2). Meditate on and internalize God’s words rather than the words of the evil one, who is the father of lies, or the world, who does not understand the blessing of the Lord’s words.

Let us become women who delight in and meditate on the Word of God so that we may come to know the Lord more and become more like Him - having wisdom and happiness beyond what the world has to offer. May the world see us and see that we are indeed “blessed,” but in a much greater regard than what the world might define blessing as. May we be firmly planted in the Word of God so that when the wind comes, we are not blown away (Psalm 1:4; c.f., Job 21:18) but instead are bearing fruit of wisdom and prospering in our ways. Blessing comes from delighting in the Words of the Lord because He alone is where delight is found. May you be blessed all the days of your life.

I wanted to take just a few moments to introduce you to a new blog for the women of SGC Dayton that is meant to simply be an encouragement. I know, we are inundated with information, aren't we? Perhaps you are saying, "ummm, yes....so why another blog that is going to just lay out more information?" Well, that's a good question. Here is my best shot at a few reasons...

1. Peter, in his first letter, tells the under-shepherds (pastors) of the church to... "shepherd the flock of God among you" (1 Peter 5:1b). While there is so much good information and teaching "out there" we value the gifts that are in our local church and want to hear from one another, learn from one another, and grow together. There is something beautiful about the local body that stems from the reality of growing in knowing each other ever increasingly and being able to address, then, specific areas that we need help in at SGC Dayton.
2. We'd like to have a venue for some among us who are uniquely gifted in writing/teaching to be able to utilize those gifts for the common good of the church. 
3. It would be wonderful to have a growing "file cabinet" on this blog of resources that could be easily retrieved in order that the ladies of the church might be personally encouraged, strengthened, and equipped for every good work.

These posts will be relatively brief, 1-2 times per week, and are meant to not add busyness to your lives, but encouragement amid the busyness. I know that with all the information that many are already ingesting that this blog might get lost and forgotten. But I would like to exhort you to make it a priority in your "blog/podcast/social media" ingestion to consider what those from among us who are writing have been given to write to you - with YOU in their mind's eye (and their heart for that matter).

Initially, you will be hearing from Joy - mostly from the book she "published" a number of years ago for the women of this church family (8 years ago). That little book was filled with brief blog posts she wrote during a period of time in our lives when kids were home, many things felt uncertain, faith was questioned and faith grew through joy, difficulty, pain, and wonder. From time to time, Joy may also write something that the Spirit lays on her heart.

You'll also be hearing from Jana Croyts each week (each Wednesday, in fact). Jana is in her final year at Cedarville University as a Biblical Studies student. She is involved in an internship with us here at SGC Dayton this semester. Part of this internship includes serving opportunities, discipleship opportunities (both in meeting weekly with a mentor and her meeting as a mentor with a younger gal), and teaching opportunities. She will be sharing from the word of God at the Women's Gathering in March, but she will also be writing these weekly blogs for your encouragement. Please welcome Jana to this internship among us and please be in prayer for her.

If you would like to possibly be a contributor to this blog or if there are specific topics you'd like to hear about, please send an email to women@sgcdayton.org and share the what and why of that topic and we will be in touch with you.

Thank you for prioritizing the church, ladies. We have so much (SO MUCH) respect for you and we give thanks to God for you. May this blog truly serve to be an encouragement to you.

With Grateful Affection,

Pastor Steve