Jesus, Our Only All-Consuming Delight

I am reading a wonderful book called "Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart" by John Ensor. It's a short book, packed full of good insights about relationships. It's written for men and women, but parts of it are directed at one or the other.

I found a great part recently that ministered so powerfully to me, that I just had to share. It basically says, Jesus must be our Prince Charming.

When it comes to doing things right in matters of the heart, the first right thing we can ever do, the one right thing we must do, in order to get all the other things right, is to give our hearts to God. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). If you ask me how to love God, I say, "Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" (1 Chronicles 16:11). "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!" (Psalm 29:2). "Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!" (1 Chronicles 16:10). "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act" (Psalm 37:5). "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him" (Psalm 62:8). "Sing praises to God, sing praises!" (Psalm 47:6).  "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live" (Isaiah 55:3). This and more is what it means to love God.  Loving God first as a matter of the heart puts all our other loves in their rightful place and in their right proportion. (P.46)

Also, "To look to any man to be your all-consuming delight is to set him up for failure, and then you will hate him for disappointing you. You will find what you are seeking only in Christ." (P.49)

Wow!

From Feminist to Feminine

I recently listened to some wonderful conference sessions of "The Northbrook Conference for Women" in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Their speaker was Carolyn McCulley, and as described by the conference page:

"Our speaker, Carolyn McCulley, is a former feminist who now accepts the biblical distinctions between men and women. During Friday night and Saturday sessions, she presented material from her recent book - Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World. She describes it as the book she wishes someone had given her when she was a new Christian seeking to understand the Bible's teachings about womanhood, sexuality, marriage, family, and children."

I have visited Carolyn's blog several times over the past year, and find her to be an intelligent, compassionate, and engaging woman of God, someone I would want to be friends with. I was thrilled when a friend sent me the link to this conference, and I promptly listened to all three sessions (approximately one hour each). 

It is well worth your time to check out this conference, and Carolyn's blog. I even ran out last night and bought her book (on which her talks are based).

If you want a condensed, intelligent, and fascinating view of womanhood, listen to the conference. If you want more of the same, visit Carolyn's blog, and read her book!

Keep up the good work, Carolyn! 

Good Ol' Song, Good Ol' Words

Remember The Imperials?
Recently a friend shared with me some lyrics from one of their songs, originally released in 1979.
Still relevant, still fresh today--much like any timeless truth...

                     Be Still My Soul

Surrounded by the cares of life,
Situations rise, they press against my soul.
Desperate thoughts have blocked me in,
Feels like I may lose control.

A voice from somewhere inside me,
Brings comfort, fills my heart with courage.
  He lets me know
that everything will be all right.

I hear him say… Be still my soul and know that he is God,
He is God… Stand quietly, He is The Lord.

If God is for me who can be against me?
He is God…Be still my soul, He is The Lord.

Teach me Lord, to stay in you,
When my emotions try to rule me,
Remind me Lord, of whose I am,
And show me what you want me to be.

There is great strength, and confidence,
Knowing that You are with me,
I’m not afraid of tomorrow,
What waits ahead.

I hear him say… Be still my soul and know that he is God,
He is God… Stand quietly, He is The Lord.
If God is for me who can be against me?
He is God…Be still my soul, He is The Lord.

Be still my soul

He is The Lord.

He is The Lord.

Radically Trustworthy Bible

I believe that one cannot live a vital, growing Christian life unless one believes in the inerrancy of the scriptures. If you are not convinced that your faith is based on a solid, unmovable foundation, how can you survive life's difficult days when you, and others, question your faith?

As the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy states: "Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God's written Word."

As Dr. Wayne Grudem remarks in his book, Systematic Theology, "If we are to  trust and obey God absolutely we must have a collection of words that we are certain are God's own words to us. If there are any sections of scripture about which we have doubts whether they are God's words or not, we will not consider them to have absolute divine authority and we will not trust them as much as we would trust God himself." (p. 54)

My own opinion: If I am going to call myself by the name of 'Christian', do I not owe it to myself to learn as much as possible about this Christian book - and then believe and follow it? If I am willing to stake my life, here and hereafter, on the teachings of this book, then I must ascertain if those teachings are trustworthy. If they are found to be so, then I am compelled to absorb and follow every word written therein.

In Transition...

Please bear with me... I am transitioning my blog from an eclectic mix of work assignments, personal life, and spiritual observations, to a more focused theme: the journey of a woman drawing closer to her God.

Check back later for more insights from this girl's heart and brain...

Book Review: Feminine Appeal

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney (2004, Crossway Books) is the best book I’ve read on biblical womanhood. Her words are relevant and heartening for today’s woman who is trying, often in vain, to succeed in all the roles into which she is thrust. Life has become increasingly complex for women, and expectations on us are overwhelming. While we strive to be the best wives, mothers, employees, Scout leaders, Sunday School teachers, Bible study participants, students, friends, etc., etc., etc., we excel at none of these. It is all we can do to sustain adequacy in each area—never mind excellence! We collapse in an exhausted jumble at day’s end, thankful that this one is over, and resolving to be worthy of the next.

            The last book I wanted to read was another one telling me how to be a good Christian woman. But, I was pleasantly surprised by Carolyn’s sympathetic, hopeful, and even liberating words!

Her main premise is based on Titus 2:3-5.

Chapter headings are:

1. Transformed By Titus 2

2. The Delight of Loving My Husband

3. The Blessing of Loving My Children

4. The Safety of Self-Control

5. The Pleasure of Purity

6. The Honor of Working at Home

7. The Rewards of Kindness

8. The Beauty of Submission

9. Margaret’s Story (a woman who exemplifies Titus 2—with a surprise ending!)

            Mahaney crams each chapter with practical ideas, affirmations of what we are already doing well, and encouraging ideas for improvement. Her book does not thrash the reader or make her feel even more inadequate. Rather, she boldly considers topics that have been abused in some, even church, circles, and balances them with God’s Word. This she does with realism, honesty, and unpretentious grace.

            Christian woman, do not be afraid to read this book. Taken to heart, its words will release you from your self-doubt and unnecessary guilt. Reading it was a refreshing delight!

(photo courtesy of Flickr.com)