Month: October 2010

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A Work in Progress

I’m sure I’ve written about this in the past, but it seems as though we as humans need to be reminded that we are a work in progress. Well not only do we need to be reminded of that, but we also need reminding that we are His work in progress.

Let’s take a look at a few scriptures to help remind us of this.

Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:23-24, Amplified)

We hear much about examining our hearts, knowing our hearts, changing our hearts, but God through the words of His servant David shows us clearly that this is not a process we have to do alone. As a matter of fact, I don’t believe anyone can be very successful with this process apart from Him and without His help.

A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes… (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Amplified)

He put a new heart and a new spirit within us. And it is by His Spirit that we will walk in His statutes.

…Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6, KJV)

Have you tried to change by your might and by your power? Have you been very successful? Let His Spirit work in you.

Now may the God of peace… strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ… (Hebrews 13:20, 21; Amplified)

…O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand. (Jeremiah 64:8, Amplified)

Here I am Lord. Make me what I ought to be, in Jesus’ Name amen.

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How Interesting

I woke up this morning with a particular scripture on my heart and even before I opened my eyes, a word floated into my thoughts along with a whole view of my recent actions and what they ought to have been.

Here is the scripture:

…let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. (Ephesians 5:33, Amplified)

In my Bible, this scripture references another in First Peter. Let’s take a look at that one too.

In like manner, you married women, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them], so that even if any do not obey the Word [of God], they may be won over not by discussion but by the [godly] lives of their wives, when they observe the pure and modest way in which you conduct yourselves, together with your reverence [for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him-to honor, esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love, and enjoy your husband]. (1 Peter 3:1-2, Amplified)

These two scripture are filled with powerful words that describe how we, as godly wives, can love our husbands. I heard yet another word this morning in connection with the first scripture. I heard the word ‘interest’.

I don’t recall where I read or heard this word in connection with this scripture but I knew when I heard it that love is supposed to show interest in others. Wives are supposed to show interest in their husbands.

We recently moved. We are still living out of boxes. I wake early each morning and begin unpacking. I unpack all day and unpack one last box before going to bed each night. I am very interested in getting all our stuff out of boxes and where it belongs.

Yesterday my husband came home from work excited about something and began talking to me about it, as I unpacked yet another box. As he spoke, I wondered where to put this knickknack I had just unpacked. Would it look good here? Would it look good there?

I then remembered an area I had decorated earlier and interrupted my husband and said to him, “Come look at this!”

Sounds bad I know. I didn’t even realize I did it until I woke up this morning with a scripture and a word that shined a light on my behavior.

It gets worse. Then as he tried to share again, I realized just how tired and hungry I was. When you are unpacking a whole house you sometimes forget to eat and forget what time it is. I then interrupted him again to find out where he was taking me for dinner. (I hadn’t found the box with my pots and pans yet.)

I cringe just thinking about it now. Thank God for His mercy and for His forgiveness by the cleansing blood of Jesus. If my husband is reading this before I get a chance to speak to him. Thank you for your mercy. Please forgive me.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not rude or unmannerly. It does not act unbecomingly. Love  seeketh not her own. She does not insist on her own rights or her own way, for love is not self-seeking. I’d like to add that love shows interest in others.