The Difference Between Being Helpful, and Unhelpful

As Christians, we are told all throughout the Bible that we are to teach to everyone because everyone makes mistakes. And we should. We should also make sure that we're not in the wrong too though of course, as mentioned in Matthew 7:3, but in trying to be helpful, sometimes we can actually be unhelpful. In Proverbs 15:1 it says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Sometimes, it is very easy when we are studying with or teaching someone to forget that you are teaching them because you already know what you're teaching, and they don't. You have to remember to have patience when helping someone, because they may not always see how it's helping at first.

Think about it this way, would you be more willing to clean your room if your parents asked you to, or if the first time they asked you they started yelling at you and making you feel bad about how messy it is? Well, I don't know about you, but I'd much rather clean my room if my parents just asked me to. I would be much more willing to. The same goes when you're teaching. If you just tell the person you're teaching how wrong they are, then they won't be very willing to listen to you. This is why we have to have patience. Because if you speak harshly toward someone and try to make them feel bad, then they'll just get angry and not listen. So please remember, next time you talk to someone about the Bible, or anything really, to be patient because you had to learn, and still have to learn as well. Thank you for reading. :)

Trust in God

     In our lives, there are all kinds of people. There are nice people, and mean people. There are people who believe in God, and those who don't. Also, there are people who you can trust, and people who you can't. Sometimes, it's hard to tell who the people you can trust are, and it can be very easy to trust the wrong people. Some people (and I'm not at all saying everyone, just some people) aren't trustworthy. But no matter what happens, no matter what kind of people are in your life, you can trust God to always fulfill His promises.

     All throughout the Bible, God makes several promises. He promised Abraham that he would have as many children as there are stars in the sky, He promised the Israelites that if they marched around Jericho seven times then the walls would crumble, and He promised Noah and his family that He would never flood the whole earth again, and He made several other promises that He kept. We have to remember that no matter what happens, that no matter what we go through, God always keeps His promises. The good, and the bad. My mom once mentioned at a ladies day that when she was younger, she used to wish that God would change His mind and go back on His promise so that everyone could get into heaven. Then she said that as she grew older, she was so thankful that He never would, because if He went back on His promises, then we would probably be doomed. We can look through the Bible, and find numerous stories about all the times that God kept His promises. So when you're having a hard time with something, remember that God will always keep His promises, and that we can always trust Him. Thank you for reading. :)

Is It The End If The World As We Know It?

     As I'm sure you're aware, tomorrow is predicted to be the end of the world. Again. But is it really? In 2 Peter 3:10, it says "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." Do you really think that a thief would put it on a calendar that they would break into your house? Probably not. He would be a pretty lousy thief. So even if He did come tomorrow, we wouldn't know!

     Also, the reason that some think that the world will end tomorrow, is that a Mayan calendar ran out of room on 12/21/12. So, I mean, they had to stop somewhere, but that doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. Also, wasn't the end predicted to end last year as well? And several other times before that? We can see clearly that we have absolutely no idea when the end will happen, no matter how many predictions are made. It could happen within the next 200 seconds, or the next 200 years. God didn't tell us because He doesn't want us to just live however we want until the end of the world, and turn around at the last minute. He wants us to dedicate our whole lives to worshiping Him.

     But what if the world were to end? What if God had told us that the world would end tomorrow? How would our lives be different? Well, for starters, most people probably wouldn't care about buying things, or having money, because it'll all be gone in a day anyway! It would be much easier to be generous and kind, because we would want to make sure that we make it into heaven, and everything would be gone anyway, so why not?! This is how God wants us to live. He didn't tell us when because He wants us to live like the world is about to end all the time. He wants our lives to be dedicated to Him, so we can be prepared for the end, whether it's tomorrow, or in 100 years, we should always live like the end is near, because that is how God commanded us to live, always doing our best to serve Him. Thank you for reading. :)

Photo of the Week

This outfit is modest; it's knee length, it's not too tight. So, why am I even showing it to you guys? Good question. Although the skirt is knee length, and it comes with an underskirt attatched to it, the underskirt is ridiculously slick. It slides up when I sit down, which causes the top skirt to slide up... it's very irritating. Also, I get cold very easy. So, how did I fix this? I put tights on! Woo hoo! Easy fix. This keeps my legs warm, and the tights keep my skirt from slipping and sliding around.

Inner Beauty

I know lots of girls. I know girls with blond hair, brown hair, red hair. I know tall girls, and short girls. Most of them are gorgeous, because God has made them that way. Even without makeup, girls can be and are pretty.

However, no matter how much make up you use, or natural beauty you've been blessed with, nothing can disguise an ugly personality.

If you treat people badly, they won't think you're pretty. If you never smile, people won't see a beautiful face, only an unhappy and bitter person. If you don't shine the light of Christ, then you won't be beautiful to God, and that's especially important.

One thing we all need to improve on, no matter how old we are, is inner beauty. Especially as Christians, we need to be beautiful on the inside, where it matters. In 1 Peter 3:4 it says, "but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

Make sure you're beautiful inside before you work on your outer beauty.
~Sarah

Forgiveness

     There are several verses in the Bible that talk about how we need to ask forgiveness for our sins. And we do! But we also need to remember to forgive others. I'm sure most of you have heard of the parable of the unforgiving servant, found in Matthew 18:21-35, where Jesus is telling Peter that we should always forgive others, up to 70 times 7, in verse 22. Now, this isn't literally saying that we should only forgive someone 490 times, this is just a figure of speech, God forgives us several more times than that, and we need to keep that in mind and do the same.

     Let's look at verses 34-35 of the same book and chapter. It says, "And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." This is saying that we not only have to tell them that they're forgiven, but we actually have to mean it, even if it's hard. We have to remember that no one is perfect, and we have to have patience with people. I remember once when I was in kindergarten, I was still in public school, and during recess one day, I overheard my teacher telling one of her students to apologies for calling someone names. And I remember the strangest thing, because after the kid apologized , the other said that it was okay, and the teacher exclaimed, "No! No it's not okay!" She wasn't allowing the one who had been called names to forgive the other. We need to forgive others, even if it's difficult to, and even if we have to do it 490 times. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that if we don't forgive others for wronging us, then we are wronging them, and God. So next time someone says that they're sorry for something, remember all those times that God forgave you, and it might be a little bit easier to forgive that person. :)

Necessities

It's December, and Christmas is coming up in just a few days (8 to be exact) and everyone is excited to celebrate the holiday by giving and receiving gifts, seeing family members, and my personal favorite, eating lots and lots of food. :) During thanksgiving, I talked about thankfulness, and I think that now would be a good time to talk about what we actually need in our lives, instead of what we WANT in our lives.

First of all, I'll be talking about what we want. For Christmas, as I'm sure a lot of people do, I have a list of things that I want. Like a new hoodie because I outgrew my old one, some socks, and a few other small things that I've found over the year that I think would be really cool to have. Now, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with getting things, unless you're greedy about it. But do I really need these things? Of course not! There is not one thing on this earth besides a Bible, and forgiveness from our sins that we actually need. These are the real necessities.

Think about it this way: do you really think that it will be important to your kids, or your grand kids, or our great grand kids what you got for Christmas in 2012? Probably not. But do you think that it will be important to them that you were a Christian? Yes! Of course it is! Because if you become a Christian, then chances are, so will they. Being a Christian is our only necessity, because it's even more important than living, in fact, it's so important, that Jesus died for it. So this Christmas, as you're putting together your Christmas list, please remember what your real necessity is, which is following God. Thank you for reading. :)

Entertainment Choices

     Tonight, my family and Sarah and her family are going to see the Hobbit because honestly, we're all nerds who love a good movie. So I thought that this would be a good opportunity to talk about the entertainment choices that we make. In Philippians 4:8 it says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

     Now, I'm sure you're thinking, "What does this have to do with our entertainment choices?" Well, I'm glad you asked! How are we to keep our minds pure, if we constantly surround ourselves with movies that have impure things? And with recent movies, it can be very difficult to find good, clean movies! Now, unless it's an old Pixar or Disney movie like "A Bug's Life" or "Toy Story 1", then you're probably not going to find a good, clean, no cuss words, awesome movie. So what I like to do, is i have TV Guardian, so I can still watch those movies, but it's clean.

     It's really hard, like I said, to find good movies that don't have any cuss words in it, but we need to keep our minds pure (I did an article on it if you want to read it: http://marvelouslymodest.blogspot.com/2012/11/pure-in-our-own-minds.html ) and in Titus 12:11 it says, "knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." This is saying that, if we see, and don't care that what we're watching is wrong, then we are doing wrong too, because aren't keeping these things out of our minds as much as we can. Now, it's a bit difficult to not see sin, I mean, we're human, and live around humans, but hearing and seeing these things intentionally is certainly wrong. So next time you pick out a movie, or TV show, or even a book, make sure that it's clean, because we should always make sure that we keep our minds and hearts pure. :)

Photo of the Week

This is a REALLY low shirt. This is easily fixed by putting an 
undershirt beneath it, but to give it a different look, I'm going to put it over a dress.

I put this over a jewel toned dress, because the shape of the dress and the shape of the shirt go together well. The only warning I have to give to you about this is that the dress beneath the shirt is thick enough to not show the shape or color of your undergarments. And you're set!

















~Sarah

A Book With a Modest Cover

     I spend a lot of time around books. That’s probably because I’m a nerd, and I read books for fun. Also, since I’m homeschooled, I spend a lot of time at the library getting books for school. I check out five or six books at a time, and the most disappointing section of the library is by far the “young adult” section. I guess we could more appropriately call it “the Twilight/ Hunger Games rip off section,” because everyone has run out of original ideas (however, that’s a whole other topic into which I shall not go). Since the storylines are kind of weak, one technique that publishers use to get people to read their books is to make the covers look really appealing. Usually, this involves pretty ball gowns and fancy fonts and glitter. And I admittedly fall for it – I pick up a book because I think it’s pretty, and then I don’t finish reading it because it’s lame.

     I know you’ve heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” many times. It’s most commonly used to mean, “Don’t judge somebody by how they look,” but let’s look at it from another angle. If you see a book with dogs on the cover, is it safe to assume that the book is about dogs, or at least has a dog somewhere in the storyline, right? If you see a book with two people kissing on the front, you can immediately tell that it’s a romance, right?

     This is the same with people. If you see someone wearing a basketball uniform, are you going to assume that they play basketball? Yes. If you see someone wearing a ring on their left ring finger, are you going to assume that they’re engaged or married? Yes. If you see someone wearing a t-shirt that says “Math Camp 2011” are you going to assume that they went to math camp in 2011? Yes.

     People make quick assumptions based on what you’re wearing, and how you act. The way you dress is very important, because that’s how people perceive you. Be careful of how you dress, because people don’t see the inside of the book immediately – they see the cover.  
~Sarah

Taking Advice

     In my daily Bible reading, I have been reading in Proverbs, and in proverbs, you'll notice, was written so you won't forget a word of it. In just about every chapter there is at least one verse that was, or will be, mentioned in another chapter, but they're all phrased differently. Today, we'll be talking about Proverbs 15:32, which is talking about how we need to listen to others, and admit when we're wrong.

     In Proverbs 15:32, it says, "Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence." This is saying that, if you don't listen to advice, and you become arrogant, and prideful, and don't try to understand what they're saying, then you're only hurting yourself. Now, not all advice is good advice, so you need to read the Bible so you can see what advice is good, and what advice is bad. Sometimes, I can be very stubborn, and don't want to listen to any advice at all. But I know that if I don't then I'm not going to help myself in any way by not listening, and it'll come back to haunt me in the future. This is one of the reasons why we need to choose our friends wisely, so we can receive good advise, instead of bad.

     In the second part of this verse, is says that he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. Now, I don't know about you, but I want to be smart, and one of the things that I've learned is that you can't lean anything from yourself, because you already know what you're about to say. Now, you can think about things and put two and two together, but you have to have two and two first in order to put them together. So next time someone who you can trust (make sure you can trust them first) gives you advice, take it, and apply it, because sometimes, it is so easy to be stubborn, that you don't want to listen, and you end up only hurting yourself. Thank you for reading. :)

Priorities

     Imagine you're about to get married. You wake up early that morning, and make sure everything goes as planned, but when you get ready to leave your house, you realize that you forgot to buy your dress. It's pretty hard to imagine, because, I don't know if that has ever happened. Ever. It says in Jeremiah 2:32. "Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number."

     A lot of times, we get so wrapped up in our own lives, and we forget who our top priority should be. Sometimes, it is so easy to forget who we serve, and get wrapped up in our own lives, that we forget about God, and His importance in our lives. Sometimes, it's very easy to forget that if it weren't for Him, then we wouldn't even be here, not to mention the forgiveness of sins we receive once we're baptized. I'm not saying that everyone does this all the time, or that we should only ever think about God. We need time for ourselves too. Even Jesus had to rest, but what we shouldn't do, is forget who we serve, and put other things in front of obeying Him, which should never be the case.

     So, if a bride can't forget her wedding dress, then we should't forget God. We should always take time and remember who He is, and to pray to Him, and study His word, so we don't forget Him. So I encourage you, so you don't forget about God, to read at least a chapter of your Bible a day, and to really study it, and to set aside a certain time during the day to pray. You'd be surprised how good you'll feel when you're done, and, it's an easy way to remember who you serve. :)

Looking Pretty

Most of the time, as teenage girls, we hear A LOT about modesty, and why we should be modest, and how to be modest. This is a very necessary topic, no doubt. Most girls have not been taught how to be modest, or why it’s important, and they do need to be taught. However, I’ve grown up being taught this information, and I know many girls who also have been trained. It does, admittedly, get a little boring hearing the same topic over and over, so let’s try something new.

Let’s talk about being pretty.

     It’s ok to want to make yourself look nice. You can look pretty and lovely without being immodest. Depending on how you’re dressed, you can make yourself look nice without making your Christian brothers stumble over your appearance.

     Jayla has already posted this quote on her blog, but it ties in very well to what I’m trying to say to you today: “Your dress should be tight enough to show you’re a woman, and loose enough to show you’re a lady.” What does this mean? It means that you can be pretty and accentuate the beauty that God gave you without being sinful.

     For instance, it’s ok to put a belt around your dress to define your waist. It’ll make a too big dress seem just the right size (depending on the dress) and as long as it’s not too tight, nobody‘s going to find you immodest. Looking dumpy is not good, because it makes you look like you don’t care about how you look, or what people think of you. If you’re a Christian who’s trying to influence the people around you for good, you can’t look like you don’t care enough to put on an outfit that is flattering. What’s not ok is wearing a dress that’s so tight you can see your every curve and all of your ribs. There’s a fine balance, and though it takes a while to learn, you can do it! It’s not instinctive, it’s something you learn.

     Please don’t think I’m saying that you need to show off your body. Absolutely not! Please don’t think that. There is no excuse for dressing immodestly in public, ever.

     What I’m trying to tell you today is that you don’t have to look corny or dumpy or old-fashioned to be modest. You don’t have to sew your own clothes, or wear a potato sack, or a head covering. We’re not supposed to feel punished for obeying God. His words are not a burden, and we should not treat them as such. You can look really cute and show off your natural beauty, without masking your inner beauty or making your brothers in Christ stumble, and maintaining your purity.

Don't Forget to Pray

     Everyone has hard times. Everyone has good times. Everyone should pray, but not very many do. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, that we are to pray without ceasing. As we can see in Proverbs 1, in verses 23-28, you can see that God won't hear your prayers if you refuse to follow His Word. If you only pray to Him when you need something, instead of giving thanks. If you only do what He wants you to do when it's convenient for you, in verse 28, it says, "Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me." If you want to be blessed, you have to be consistent.

     One of the things that I like to do, is every night, before I go to bed, I pray. I don't usually do it in the morning because I'm so tired in the mornings I'm afraid I'll fall asleep, but I know that if I pray at night, I won't fall asleep in the middle of it, because I usually can't fall asleep anyway, and, I know I won't be interrupted/ I suggest you do just that. Take some time out of the day, when it's quiet, and you know you won't be interrupted, and just pray. It doesn't have to be long, but it has to be sincere, or God won't hear it. It says in Matthew 6:7, "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words." We need to make sure that when we pray, we are thanking God, and not just making ourselves feel better about ourselves.

     Another thing we need to do, is have patience. There are 3 ways God answers prayers. "Yes", "No", and "Wait". Sometimes, the thing that we want wouldn't be good for us, so God sees that, and doesn't give it to you, because he knows what's best for you. Other times, He just wants you to wait for the right time. Also, we have to make sure and not only talk to Him, but let Him talk to us, by reading His word, so we can have a better understanding. Thank you for reading. :)

Pure in Our Own Minds

     Before, I have talked about keeping the minds of others pure by dressing modestly. Well today, I'll be talking about keeping our minds pure, which is just as important.

     In Philippians 4:8, it says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." This is saying that we should fill our mind with only good, and pure thoughts. This is one of the reasons you should be around only good things, because you will always think about what's around us. Now, we don't have to live in a bubble or anything, we are told to go out into the world, and teach people the truth, and to let our light shine, which is something that we can't do if there's no darkness to shine in. But we shouldn't let the things of the world influence our minds.

     Everyone knows that gossiping is wrong. But so is thinking mean things about others. How would you like it if you found put that someone thought badly of you? You probably wouldn't like it. This verse is saying that we should only think of good, and pure things. You should be the same person on the inside, as you are on the outside. Because, unlike us humans, God knows what we're thinking. God hears us, even if we don't say anything. So be careful what you think, because God is our eternal judge, and he sees if our hearts, and our minds are pure or not. Thank you for reading. :)

Kindness

To open today's article, let's look at Matthew 5:44-45 together.

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

You probably understand what the verse is saying, because it's a very simple concept. However, let's look at it deeply.

A way to interpret this verse is that God blesses and curses both good and bad people in due time. However, both sun and rain are blessings. Having lived in Texas my entire life, rain doesn't always come when it's needed. Last year there was a terrible drought, and we had to conserve water and even electricity at one point. Rain is a blessing, because it quenches the thirst of the earth and the animals that God made.

Now, just like the rain, we are supposed to be good to good and bad people. There's no glory gained if we're nice to those who are nice to us. That's so easy even bad guys do that (Matthew 5:46-47). Think of it this way: our kind acts are blue paint, and we only paint the objects that are all ready blue. What's the point in that? But, if we paint the black objects, or the brown objects, or even the red objects, then it makes a difference.

So, today, be nice to someone mean to you. To you, it might not be saying the words that your tongue is wishing to fling. If you show kindness to someone who is unkind, it might alter their life completely. Or, it might not. You never know. It's not your place to know. Jesus simply told us to be kind to those who are unkind to us.

And that includes our big or little brothers :)
~Sarah

::)

Picture Time!

PICTURE TIME.

Picture One: We got this dress for $13 at a thrift store. The cool thing about it is that it's from Banana Republic, so that was a great deal. The only thing is that it's a little big on me, and it's very low up top. I usually just wear a shirt under it and a sweater over it, but I decided to mix things up.

Picture Two: There are endless ways to make an outfit modest, just by using items you all ready own, and are hanging up in your closet. I put a nice t-shirt over the dress, and since the dress was a little big, I put a belt on so that way I had a defined waist.

Tip:
-Colors have to match
-Shirt has to be darker than the dress below it. It would defeat the point to put a white shirt over a neon orange dress.
-If the dress is bigger than the shirt, put a really snug undershirt on beneath the t-shirt, but over the dress, to reduce visible wrinkles and lines.

Influence

     Whether you like it or not, you are an influence to someone. There's always that cute little girl who wants to be just like you when they grow up, and always wants to give you a hug (which is just adorable). And then there are those other people who watch you too (especially if you're the preacher's kid). You need to show these people who you are, and who you represent. How are we supposed to let our light shine if we don't show others that you belong to God? I mean, no one is perfect, but we at least have to show others who we belong to in our daily lives.

     I love little kids. I mean, they're all so cute! Especially the ones I'm teaching in Bible class! And once, one of my students wanted to sit by me in church. And really, how could I say no to him? I mean, this little guy is quite adorable. So, as we're sitting there, my teacher instincts turned on, and I realized that I had to be a good influence on him, because I knew he looked up to me. And you know what, as soon as I pulled out my Bible, he started using his, and I started teaching him how to look up scriptures, and he was paying attention. But suppose that I didn't look up the scriptures in front of him (I usually do anyway, but sometimes I prefer to just listen, or take notes) and I started goofing around with my friend sitting on the other side of me? Do you think that he'd start paying attention to sermons and Bible class after that? Probably not. We need to let our light shine, and not just to little kids either. We also need to be influences to our friends. I have some very close friends, and I've noticed that, me being around them has influenced them, especially considering I'm older than most of them. And I have to be very careful around them, because it's so easy to forget, and become a bad influence.

     We can also apply this to how we dress. I have a friend who didn't have a very conservative dress code when I met her. Then one year, she went to Bible camp with me, and had to follow the dress code there. And now, she only ever follows that, because she saw that we should dress modestly. We need to have a good influence on others, even though it's hard, because whether we like it or not, we're still influencing them.

     Thank you for reading. :)

Why We Should Evangelize.

     I have heard a lot of people saying that there's almost no use in evangelizing, because people just aren't very interested in worshiping God anymore. There are so few people that actually care, then why should we even try, if we won't get anywhere? Well, today, I'll be talking about just that. I'll be talking about why we at least need to try.

     Yesterday, in my dad's sermon, he used an illustration of starfish on a beach. There was a little boy, who was on the beach, when he saw a bunch of starfish that had been washed up on the shore. The boy started picking up the starfish, and throwing them out, back into the ocean. He threw one after the other. After a while of this, a man went up to the boy and asked him why he even tried, because he couldn't make much of a difference anyway. The boy picked up a starfish, and said, "Well, it makes a difference to this one." and threw it out into the ocean.

     A lot of times, we start thinking that no matter how many people we convert, we're not going to make much of a difference anyway. But the thing is, sometimes we only count people by the tens, or maybe even hundreds, but we should have patience, and count people one at a time, and see that even though we're not making a difference in very many people's lives, it's still some. So no matter how hard it may be, at least talking to someone about the Bible is a good start. Just changing one life is still changing a life.

     Thank you for reading. :)

Assuming

                On Saturday night I babysat a couple of kids. They were really sweet, and it was a lot of fun. The little girl and I played Candyland together, which was fun because Candyland doesn’t require any talent, just luck. Well, the little girl thought that Queen Frostine was beautiful and she kept looking at the Queen Frostine card. “Oh, she’s wonderful!” she said (which was adorable, because she has a sweet little girl voice). As she and I were playing Candyland, I got to a point in the game where I was about to win. I was near the finish line when she told me, “Here! I want to pick out a card for you!” I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but little kids are cheaters. They cheat unabashedly, even when you call them out on it. When the little girl told me that she was going to pick out a card for me, I knew that it would send me back so she could win, so I groaned when she handed me the Queen Frostine card. And then she asked me why I was sad, because Queen Frostine was pretty. I then realized that she had given me that card, not because she wanted me to lose, but because Queen Frostine was her favorite.

                This leads me to the point I’m trying to make. Do not assume. Don’t assume that someone is trying to be mean, don’t assume that someone is trying to embarrass you. People just don’t think about what they say sometimes. We’re not responsible for what others say, only for how we react and speak back to them. The next time someone says something that makes you angry, try and see if they were actually being mean, or if they just misspoke. It will make your life easier.

A Lesson on Happiness

The other day, I was reading in Proverbs 15, and I came across verse 15, which said, "All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast." At first, I thought, "Well, duh." and then I realized what it meant.

There are two kinds of people. Those who are happy, and those who aren't. Everyone has a bad life. There is no perfect life, only those who choose to be content with the one they have. If you spend your whole life dwelling on your problems, then you're not going to be a very happy person. But if you choose to accept the fact that your life could be worse, and you are thankful for what you have, then life will be a whole lot easier. I know some people who have everything they could ever need, or want. They have a pretty decent life, but they choose to dwell on those things that keep their life from being perfect, and are very unhappy people. Then there are others, who don't have the best lives, but you'd never know it because they are always happy.

So, let's look at this verse again, "All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast." It's a very true verse. If you choose to be happy, and content, then you will have a continual feast. But if you let the bad things get to you, you won't live the best life.

Thank you for reading. :)

Forgiveness: Should We Forgive Others Even If They Don't Ask it of Us?

     All the time, you'll hear people saying that we should forgive others, even if they don't ask us to. But should we? Are these man's views, or God's? Today, I am going to be talking about this great question that is on a lot of people's minds.

     Well, in Matthew 6:15, it says "but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." And, I know I use this one a lot, but in John 3:3,5 it talks about how, unless we're born again, we won't even see Heaven, and in Acts 2:38, it says that Baptism is forgiveness of sins. So what does this have to do with the topic of this article? Well, this shows us that, if we aren't baptized, then we aren't forgiven. Unless we ask forgiveness for our sins, we don't receive it. So if God doesn't even forgive others unless they ask of it, then we shouldn't either. Even though we are to forgive others, we don't need to forgive them if they don't ask for it. We don't have to hate them, by no means should we hate them, but that doesn't mean that we should forgive them necessarily.

     Yes, I know this was a very short article, but I felt that it was a very important subject to cover anyway. So thank you for reading, and please keep this in mind. :)

Age Is Just a Number

     I want to talk to you about something that I don’t think gets talked about very often, which is a shame. Older women are supposed to teach the younger women (Titus 2:3-5). In the church, I don’t see this as often as I should. The older women don’t have very strong relationships with the teenagers or even the little girls, and so the age groups in a congregation are divided, and there’s no intermingling. This is wrong. 


     When you were little, didn’t it make you feel nice when a girl older than you hugged you or said something nice to you? Doesn’t it still make you happy to be praised or complimented by someone you admire? Imagine the impact you could have on even just one little girl in your congregation just by asking them to sit with you on Sunday mornings, or giving them a little gift. Even if you just said, “Hi! How are you? I like your dress!” you would make their day. Little girls want to be noticed by the big girls. 


     We need to get over the age divide in the church, and reach out and be friends with everyone, no matter if they’re your age or not. Some of my dearest friends are in their sixties, or they’re still in pre-school. Everybody has something interesting and unique about them that they can offer to the church, but if no one is including them in, their talents are going to waste.
So, since tonight is Wednesday, if you’re a christian you’re probably going to Bible Class tonight. I’m challenging you to make one little girl’s night awesome by starting to forge a relationship with her. If you’re friends with her, then when she needs help later on, she’ll come to you, because she knows she can trust you. And believe me, it’s a lot of fun. Little kids are awesome.
~Sarah

Photo of the Week

Picture One:
This is a tricky dress to make modest, because, to be honest, it looks like an apron. It's not even much of a dress, really. It's more like a top. It comes four inches above my knee, it doesn't cover very much up top, and it's a halter top, so I have a knot on the back of my neck, which looks like it's going to untie any minute. However, the ruffle on the neckline are cute, and the pattern is condusive for winter, so let's look at how I would go about modestifying this.

Picture Two:
What I did here was I put the dress on over a black skirt and a black shirt. The dark colors underneath not only match the dress, but it also makes it stand out, and become the focal point of the outfit. Also, if the skirt is too much longer than the dress, it's all right to roll the skirt underneath up a little bit. It'll make it look more layered.

Helpful Hints:
-Putting jeans under a dress or skirt does make it modest. However, it does dress down the article of clothing considerably. Keep that in mind.
-If the dress or skirt is way too short, putting a long skirt underneath it will look kind of silly. Try using a medium length skirt in between the short and long skirts, to make it balance.
-MAKE SURE THE SEASONS MATCH! Don't wear a winter skirt with a spring skirt. It'll look odd.

~Sarah

Laziness

     Proverbs 6:6-10, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest," Now, this doesn't mean that we have to do nothing but work all the time, because then we'll get burned out, which is never a good thing. But we have to make sure that we're not lazy.

     Living in a world of computers, and Apple products, you pretty much just have to sit there, and do nothing all day. You can do something, by doing nothing! Like, this blog for instance. In order to teach young women from all around the world, all I have to do is get on, and start typing! It's that easy! I don't have to go through much preparation, and even that I do on my iPod touch! In fact, the other day, I did an entire brainstorming session in about five minutes. I'm not saying that it's wrong to have these things, but we still have to be careful in how we spend our time. I have a very difficult time with it sometimes. But we are called to be workers for God. How are we to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19)  if we're lazy? I was reading Little Women a few weeks ago, and they did an experiment. The four girls decided to spend a week of their summer doing absolutely nothing but what they enjoyed, to see if they liked it. They enjoyed it for a little while, but then everything started getting chaotic, and by the end of the week, they were very glad it was over.

     Everyone has to have their rest, but we have to be like the ants. We have to keep busy with God's work. A lot of times, it's easy to let other people do, but it doesn't say to let everyone else do the work in Matthew 28:19. It's talking to all Christians. I know this was a short article, but please keep it in mind, and thank you for reading. :)

     

When Others Are Immodest

 We've talked about the importance of modesty, and we've talked about how to be modest. We haven't yet talked about what to do when someone else is immodest, and that's what we're going to do today. You've probably seen lots of immodest girls in your life. Sadly, we've grown used to short shorts, tight dresses, and low shirts in today's society. They're everywhere, even in the winter (depending on where you live. I live in Texas, so this is a problem due to our warm weather). We've all run across people who dress immodestly, even if it's on accident. How do we approach them about this?

First, you have to be dressed modestly. You can't tell someone that what they're wearing is wrong if you're dressed the same way. That doesn't make any sense at all.

Second, you have to be gentle about it. Most of the time, immodesty stems from a lack of education. The girl probably genuinely does not know it's wrong, usually because her parents haven't taught her about modesty. Making her feel guilty or ashamed is not effective. If she's not a Christian, that could drive her away from Christ. If she is a Christian, she deserves to know the information to help her be a better Christian. In no way should you use harsh words.

Third, offer an alternative, or a solution. Usually, it's not helpful to just tell someone that they're in error, and leave them on their own. Be prepared to help her out. Offer her your sweater if her shirt's too low, or ask if she wants to borrow something of yours. Depending on the situation, you might be able to help or not.

Finally, make sure you have the authority. What do I mean by that? In Titus 2, we're told that older women are supposed to teach the younger women. If you're thirteen years old, do you have the right to tell a thirty-five year old that she's dressed immodestly? No, not really. If you're fifteen., do you have the right to tell a twelve year old that her clothes are too revealing? Yes, you do.

Again, just be careful about how you do it. Tell the truth in love.

~Sarah  

"Count Your Blessings"

     It's November. The month that holds Thanksgiving. A lot of times, it's easy to get discouraged, or impatient. It's easy to think that we have nothing to be thankful for, especially when things aren't going our way. But the best thing you could possibly do, is count your blessings. But, take my advise, and never count them before you go to bed, because you'll never sleep. Ever.

     Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in our own lives, that we forget to count our blessings, even though we have plenty to be thankful for. Usually, when I get started on the list, it's hard to think of things at first, but the more I go, the more I realize how blessed I am. Colossians 3:15, "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."

     Once you realize how blessed you are, you'll be very happy usually. It's also a way to keep us content. Hebrews 13:5, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" You have no idea what you have, until you're thankful for it. Here are some things you can be thankful for:

1.) A Bible! God blessed us by giving us His word, so we can know and understand what he wants of us so that we can make it into Heaven!
2.) A Heavenly Father. What is better than being a child of God?
3.) A Savior, who has opened up a way to get us into heaven, by sacrificing Himself for us. That's definitely something to be thankful about! 
4.) A bed to sleep in at night- I know this is something simple, but there are some people who don't have this privilege.
5.) A house, which not everyone has.

These are just some of the things that we can be thankful for. So go ahead, please, I encourage you to take a piece of paper and a pen, and try writing down all f your blessings. Thank you for reading. :)

Love One Another

    1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away." Matthew 22:39, "And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

     All throughout the Bible, we hear about love, how we should love each other, and how God loves those who loves others as you see in Matthew 25. As a human being, it is very difficult to love some people. Sometimes, I'll be talking to someone and think, "Wow, you are one of the most lovable people in the universe!"  But, in Matthew 25:40 says, "And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" This is saying that we have to love even the most difficult people, not just the easiest. Luke 6:32-37, "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."

     We have to do what is one of the hardest things about being a Christian; we have to love everyone. There are some people who, every time I talk to them, it seems like the only joy they find is life is making me want to hurt them. These are the kind of people that Jesus was talking about. And we need to love them as well. It may be difficult, but if getting to Heaven was easy, then what would be the point of it? Most of the time, the hard thing to do is the right thing to do.

Acting Like a Lady

 Girls are different than boys. I know that, you know that, the whole world knows that. Even little kids who have trouble counting to ten know that.

God made girls to be different from boys. He made us to not only look and think differently, but to act differently.

There are two ways we as girls can act nowadays: God’s way or society’s way. Quite often girls act the way society dictates. What society tells girls nowadays is that guys are not as smart as girls (for instance, commercials. Have you seen many commercials where the husband is right and the wife is wrong? I haven’t). It tells us that girls don’t need guys; girls need jobs, so they can be independent and take care of themselves. It tells us to speak everything that’s on our mind, and to stand up to everyone who tries to walk all over you.

But alongside the independent woman ideal they push, they also objectify women at the same time. Singers and actresses are put in skimpy clothes and paid millions of dollars to sing and dance provocatively. Television shows and movies tell girls that all they need to be happy is a boyfriend. It’s very contradicting, and confusing, isn’t it? How can you be independent at the same time you’re chasing boys? How can you say you don’t need anyone when you’re dressing to attract male attention?

God’s women are different, however. God’s women are gentle (I Peter 3:4), modest (I Peter 3:3-4; I Timothy 2:9), submissive (Ephesians 5:22-24; Ephesians 6:1). They take care of their families (Proverbs 31; Titus 2:5) and are quiet (I Timothy 2:12). It’s quite different, isn’t it?

Now, if you’re a teenager, then you’re probably not married right now. Though you don’t have a husband to submit to, you do have a father. And if you don’t have a strong, Christian father, then you do have a Heavenly Father. We should always obey our fathers. Until the moment you say “I do” your father has authority over you, and he will lead you and guide you to make the right decisions in life.

Before I end this, I just want to say that society’s woman is not stronger than a Godly woman. For example, which is harder: controlling your tongue or lashing out at someone who annoys you? Controlling your tongue, by far! It takes great strength of mind and heart to not say the words itching to get out of your mouth. Which is harder: obeying your parents or disobeying and doing what you want? Obeying is. It takes a much stronger person to control herself, don’t you think?

Here are some ways you can act more ladylike… God’s way:

• Don’t yell. Yelling brings a lot of attention to yourself, which is immodest, and most of the time it’s rude, because it disrupts people around you. Speak softly (but don’t mumble! People want to hear what you’re saying!)
• Practice walking gracefully. Though I frequently fall over and trip, I do try to walk elegantly.
• Grow your hair out long. This is just a suggestion. I’m not saying this is mandatory, but it does help you feel pretty, and you can do girly things with it. Plus, the Bible says it’s an honor to have long hair (I Corinthians 11:15).

• Embrace feminine activities. Learn how to do something that will benefit other people, like sewing baby clothes, crocheting blankets for other people, or baking cookies. It’s a great way to do good works!
• Embrace feminine clothing. It’s all right for a girl to wear skirts, or dresses, or pink hair bows! Looking girly isn’t stupid or weird if you’re a girl. Don’t be afraid to dress up every now and then (just remember I Peter 3:3-4!)
• Read. There are so many books with strong, feminine characters that behave themselves and act like true women. Besides the Bible (read about Esther, for sure!), I recommend Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, for starters. See if you can identify a godly woman from a societal woman. Besides, reading is just fun, if you read the right books!
• Let boys get the door for you. This is really easy and it helps boys step up to act like men. They will act like gentlemen if you will act like a lady.

This is not exhaustive, but it’ll give you somewhere to start. Don’t forget to pray without ceasing and study!

~Sarah

Building up the Kingdom

     Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" Yesterday, I talked about following the footprints of Jesus, and today, I'm going to be talking about why, and how we are need to build up the kingdom.

     First of all, I'm going to talk about the "why?" First of all, it's a commandment, as you can see in the verse I quoted earlier. It isn't a suggestion, but a commandment. Jesus didn't say, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, if you really feel like it. I mean, come on, it isn't exactly easy." It's not a suggestion. Now, it's not wrong if everyone we try to convert doesn't obey the Gospel. That is the one part we have no control over. But, we at least have to try. Matthew 9:37-38, (37) "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; (38)therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" This is saying that we not only have to make disciples, but we also have to teach them to go out, and convert others as well.

     Also, John 3:3,5 (3)"Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" (5)"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" Do we really want to pass up the opportunity to warn people that they are in danger? And that if they don't change now then they will parish. And in John 3:16, "'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.'" What is stopping us from sharing that wonderful news with others?

     Now I'm going to get on to the "How?" How can we build up the kingdom? The only way to do that, is to talk to people. You have to step outside of your comfort zone a little bit, and talk to someone about it, because most of the time, people won't just ask you about it. You have to tell them. Whether it's a friend at school, or just some random person you know that you have no idea how you met, you have to at least try. I have a very difficult time with this too. But there is honestly no excuse. Once, my dad went to the store with someone, and they split up to get their things, and met back up at the car. My dad's friend, while he was shopping, had set up two Bible studies. There are always people. Now, you may be young, and have a hard time teaching, which is why you start studying the Bible when you're young, so that you can have this knowledge for when you do start converting people. At the very least, let your light shine through example, and show people what being a Christian is, not just saying that you are. Matthew 7:21, "'Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.'"

     Thank you for reading. :)

"Footprints of Jesus"

     I'm sure most of you have heard the song, "Footprints of Jesus". Today, I am going to be discussing some of its lyrics. "Footprints of Jesus, that make the pathway glow; we will follow the steps of Jesus where'er they go." When we sing this song, do we really mean it? Are we really prepared to follow the footsteps of Jesus? It sounds really simple, until we realize that Jesus was persecuted for His faith. Are we really prepared to be persecuted, or do we just sing this song out of habit?

     Not all of life following God is a difficult one, but if you are alive, then you will go through hard times. Either you have already have, are right now, or will in the future, you will face hard times in your life. I'm not saying this to discourage you, or to scare you, but to show you that if you follow the footprints of Jesus, you can't just do the easy things. You have to be in it for the long haul. I know of so many people who will go to church on Sunday mornings, if they feel like it, and that's all that they ever do. They're those pew warmers that I talked about in my article, "Living By Faith" (here's the link to it if you want to read:http://marvelouslymodest.blogspot.com/2012/10/living-by-faith.html). If you are going to follow the footprints of Jesus, you have to make it apply to your life. Now, I'm not saying that you have to spend 6 hours on a cross, but you still have to live life like He did. We're not expected to be perfect, but we're expected to do what God says. If we were expected to be perfect, then there would be no reason for Jesus to die for our sins.

     I'm not saying any of this to scare you. Yes, you will be persecuted in your Christianity, but you will if you're a Christian or not. And, it's worth it if you're a Christian. John 3:3, "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" and again in verse 5 of the same book and chapter, "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" If you're a Christian, and follow the Bible, yes, you will be persecuted, but it'll be worth it. But you have to follow all of it, not just some of it. Matthew 6:24, "'No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.'" You have to follow God all the time.

     So when you sing, "Footprints of Jesus", do you mean it? Do you really, fully understand what that means? It means that you're not just a Christian on Sunday mornings, and you live your life following God's word. But the great thing is, even though we go through hard times just like Jesus, we'll also go into Heaven, just like Jesus. But that means that we have to live it, not just say it.

     Thank you for reading, and please keep this in mind. :)

Writing in the Dirt

     I'm sure you're all wondering, "How on Earth does writing in the dirt have anything to do with the Bible?" Well, in John 8:1-11 it says, "(1)but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. (2)Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. (3)The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst (4)they said to him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. (5)Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?' (6)This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. (7)And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' (8)And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. (9)But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. (10)Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, (11)'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'"

     Sometimes, the best thing we can do, is stop, and think. One of the hardest things about being a girl, is your speech. Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Sometimes, I'll be talking to someone, and they're being a little rude, and all I want to do is to say something right back. And it's all I can do not to. James 3:5, "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!" One of the easiest things to do, is to just let your mouth run. James 3:2-6, "(2)For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. (3)If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. (4)Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. (5)So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! (6)And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."

     If we can tame our tongues, then we can pretty much do everything else with ease. Sometimes, the best thing to do, is to stop, take a deep breath, and think about what you're about to say. The hardest, but the best thing you can do, is to have patience, and to "write in the dirt", before you speak. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." is one of the biggest lies I have ever heard. I always try to keep Proverbs 15:1 in my head before I say something because that is probably the best advise you're ever going to hear.

     Thank you for reading, and please remember, "Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"

"Living By Faith"

     In yesterday's article, I mentioned about how we don't have to have blind faith. Today, I will be expanding on that thought, and will be talking about how we need to have faith, but we don't need to lie on that faith, alone.

     One of the arguments I hear a lot, is that you have to live by faith alone. But, if you look in James 2:17-19 says, "(17)So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (18)But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (19)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" You do not have to have only faith. In fact, this is showing us that we have to have works also. In John 3:3 states clearly, "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" and again, in verse 5 of the same chapter, "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" We need to not only have faith to get into Heaven, but we also have to have our works.

     Now, I'm not at all saying that we shouldn't have faith, it states clearly in Mark 11:22, "And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God.'" But even if we have faith, that doesn't mean that we're saved.  James 2:24, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." We need to have faith, but we need to have works as well.

     Another thing is, we don't have to have blind faith. I mean, just look outside. God doesn't want us to have blind faith. That is why He wants us to study the Bible, so that we can know and understand exactly who He is. And, if you look at science, the more you look at it, the more God is proven to you. Last year in science, I was studying about evolution and creation. And the more I studied about evolution, the more confused I got. None of it made sense to me! But when I studied creation, it all made sense. The reason it made sense, is because God planned a perfect world.

     Just look at the human body. Everything works together perfectly. There's order. If you look at the odds of the Big Bang actually happening, it's impossible. If you just look outside, you see how everything just perfectly fits together. How on Earth do we have to live by blind faith, if God is proven to us every time we inhale? The more you read the Bible, and the more you study, the more you fully understand that we are following the true God. Thank you for reading. :)

Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

     Proverbs 2:7, "he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity," Not long ago, I wrote an article about knowing the truth (here's a link to it if you want to read it: http://marvelouslymodest.blogspot.com/2012/09/knowing-truth.html) today's article kinda goes hand-in-hand with it. About a week ago, I was in Bible class, and we were reading in Proverbs. One of the things that came up was about how some people are afraid to know the truth, because they're afraid of responsibility. Is ignorance really bliss? Proverbs 1:22, " “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?" This is saying that we should arm ourselves with knowledge, and not try to be ignorant.

     What a lot of people don't understand is that, even if you don't know what you're supposed to do, you will still face the consequences that you would if you  had known about it. John 3:5, "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" Arm yourself with knowledge because this goes for everyone. Not just those who choose to read the Bible. Now, this does seem unfair, because some people don't have to opportunity to hear God's word. But, in Matthew 28:19, it says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," This is showing us that we should go out, and find those who do not know God, and teach them the truth. Their blood is on our hands if we see someone stumbling, and refuse to help them. Now, I'm not saying that everyone has to me missionaries, but the least you can do is talk to a friend about God.

     How are we supposed to teach God's word, if we refuse to learn? If you are ignorant of something, it can be a luxury, but at the same time, we should arm ourselves with knowledge. How are we to follow God, if we don't even know what we're following? We don't have to have blind faith, because God has shown us, on several occasions, that He is alive. If you don't believe me, just look outside. What are the odds that that happened by accident?! We don't have to be ignorant. In fact, we shouldn't. How are we supposed to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11) if we refuse to use our swords? And even if we do have our swords, how are we supposed to go into battle, if we don't sharpen our swords? Is ignorance really bliss? In the end, ignorance will get you nowhere. Thank you for reading. :)

Compromise

     When we compromise with the world, what are we doing? According to Matthew 6:24, "“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other...." So, when we compromise, what we're trying to do, is make everyone happy, but what we're really doing is straying from the path that leads to Heaven. 

     Let's use this line, for example. This is the line of where you are in relation to God. The closer you are to being part of the world, the further you are from God. 

Now, let's say that you start out here, right next to God:

Then, someone comes to you, and wants you to do something for them that would get you here:

But you refuse, but tell them that you'd only go to here:

You are still further away from God than you were when you first started, and you are still closer than the world. Pretty soon, before you know it if you continue compromising, you'll be here:

     Never compromise. When you compromise, you are only moving further away from God. You cannot serve two gods. One of the wonderful things about our God is that, like the prodigal son, we can always go back to God. But when we compromise with the world, we give in to it, and we are no longer even sort of following God. If we are going to call ourselves Christians, we cannot have anything to do with the world. Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,..." This verse is showing us that we cannot be of this world, unless we are away from God. A lot of people, I've seen do this with modesty. "Well, I won't dress immodestly, unless I'm at the beach, then it's okay for me to wear a bikini." There is no compromise without sin. So please, when you get dressed, or do anything really, remember that when you aren't dressing modestly, you're dressing immodestly. You should never compromise with the world. 

~Jayla

Make Time for God

Today, I will be talking about why we need to make time for God. One of the hardest parts of being a human being, is that it is very easy to get wrapped up in our own lives, and forget about making time for our heavenly Father.

One thing that I like to do, is set apart some time during the day, and study the Bible. Not just read it, but study it. There is a big difference between studying the Bible, and reading out of it. When you read out of the Bible, you get tons of wonderful information. If you read the Bible like a book, every time you read it, you'll learn something new about it. But, if you study, you make connections, you study the words, their meanings, and typically, you get a lot more out of it. But, doing both is deffinately recommended. :)

Let's say you're on a deserted island, all alone, and only have a survival guide. Do you think that you're going to want to know that thing backwards and forwards? Of course you are! You're going to want to know everything you have to do to survive. Earth is that deserted island, and the Bible is our guide. We're not going to make it to Heaven, if we don't fully understand how to get there. You can go to church, every Sunday, and Wednesday, sit there in the pew, and still not have a full understanding of the Bible. In my family, we call those people "pew warmers". They don't make time for God, and they're just there They feel like, now that they're baptized, they've got their ticket punched, and now they just have to sit back, relax, and can do whatever they want because they followed God enough, and that's all they need. Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Titus 3:5, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit," This is saying that, no, just because we were baptized does not mean that we did all we were supposed to do, and that we just have to wait to go to heaven now. This is saying that, because we do what God says, He is merciful, and has allowed us to go into heaven with him. It's not what you have done for God, it's what God has done for you.

Once, my dad was doing a sermon, and in it he said that, if we follow God's rules, that's it. I mean, you didn't really do anything special, you only didn't defy Him. You followed orders. That doesn't mean that we deserve anything, just because we did what we were told to do, because we should have done it whether we were reworded or not. It's like, if your parents asked you to set the table. If you disobeyed, obviously, you would be punished. But if you did what they asked you, you shouldn't expect anything, because all you did was what they asked you. You can't do more than what God asks of you, without doing something He doesn't want you to.

This is why, we need to make time for God. So we can do His will, and we can know what we are supposed to do. It's difficult to go to battle without orders. The Bible is our orders. Romans 15:14, "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another." We can't know everything, but we should at least strive to know everything about the Bible as we can. So please, remember, you're in God's army, and you need a sword to fight. Ephesians 6:17, "and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"