Category Archives: Scripture_Snapshots

Walking the Christian Life

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Walking is not that simple. It takes practice.

Walking like the world… that looks easy.
You create your own truth
and then you live by your own standards
always trying to choke back guilt.

Walking like a nominal Christian… that is not so easy.
You choose what to believe from the Truth,
and then you live by your own
standards most of the times trying to suffocate the Truth.

Walking like a Christian… that is not easy.
You don’t get to define Truth,
and then you are called to live by its standards
and proclaim Truth, never drown it.

I think of my children when they were little, and how their brains and legs knew how to walk. I loved to be there to hold their hands, and push them a little bit, and  hug them happily whenever they took a step. I was there too when they were insecure and fell, and cried, and were afraid to take a new step. And this is how our Christian life is.

We, Christians, are born of the Spirit. We can walk in Truth, our new nature is built for that, but it is also true that we need help and encouragement, someone to hold our hand and teach us. Someone who will hold us tight when we want to avoid the Truth. Someone who will pray with us whenever we are afraid to take another step.

Our Father in his goodness provides us with relationships that help us walk this Christian life; but more importantly, He has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to teach us and encourage us to walk in the Faith.

Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave us some instructions on how our walking should look like. As I read his epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, I marked down these verses, and I encourage you to read the whole epistles (not only the verses! That would be like cheating 🙂 ) to find them, meditate on them, pray about them, and put all diligence to walk in them:

Ephesians 2:1-2; 2:10; 4:1-3; 4:17; 5:1-2; 5:8-10; 5:15
Philippians 3:17
Colossians 1:10; 2:6-7; 4:5
I Thessalonians 4:10

Today is Saturday and maybe it is a good time to do this; read the epistles in one sitting, just like your favorite book, that one that is hard to put down, and find your delight in abiding in the Word.

I will be digging in the rest of the epistles this weekend to search more about how this walking in the Lord should look like.

We must be ready, this walk is not always easy, let us hold tight to the Father’s hand and depend on Him.

“Growth in grace is to know more of Christ, His excellence, preciousness, and fullness, through the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Growth in grace is to know more of our wretched, lost condition, our helplessness and unworthiness.” Mary Winslow

Have a most blessed weekend,

Becky

How to Be Persuasive with our Words

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Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 16: 20-24

Not one harsh word, not raising my voice, not many words…. Help me, Lord.

Becky

Clinging to Christ’s Word

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One of my favorite authors, Octavius Winslow (1860) said,

 

“Oh, cling to Christ’s Word, as the mariner to the plank, as the mother to her infant, yes, as a humble believer in that divine and gracious Savior who has said, “Him that comes unto me I will in no wise” literally, “I will never, no, never, cast out.”

And when I don’t know
what is the best advice to give,
what to say or
how to pray;
I meditate on Christ’s Word,
I cling to it.
I repeat it to myself;
because O, how much I need to hear it,
to drink from it,
to be established on it.
There is no other way
to build my trust in Him,
unless I cling to His Word.
Source
Source
Source

Today cling to the Word of God, hold fast to it, embrace it and don’t let it go…

Becky

How to Close the Day With God -Part 1-

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I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:
for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

 

“If God lift up the light of his countenance upon us, as it fills us with a holy joy, it puts gladness into the heart more than they have whose corn and wine increaseth, so it fixed us in a holy rest, I will now lay me down and sleep. God is my God, and I am pleased, I am satisfied, I look no further, I desire no more, I dwell in safety: Or in confidence; while I walk in the light of the Lord, as I want no good, nor am I sensible of any deficiency, so I fear no evil, nor am I apprehensive of any danger. The Lord God is to me both a sun and a shield; a sun to enlighten and comfort me, a shield to protect me and defend me.

A holy serenity is one blessed fruit of God’s favour; I will now lay me down in peace and sleep. While we are under God’s displeasure, or in doubt concerning his favour, how can we have any enjoyment of ourselves! while this great concern is unsettled, the souls cannot but be unsatisfied. Hath God a controversy with thee? Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eye-lids, until thou hast got the controversy taken up; Go humble thyself, and make sure thy friend, thy best friend (Prov. 6:3)… Are thy sins pardoned? Hast thou interest in Christ’s meditation? Doth God now in him accept thy works? Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thine wine with a merry heart (Eccl.9:7). Let this still every storm and command, and create a calm in thy soul.

Having God to be our God in covenant, we have enough, we have all; and though the gracious soul still desires more of God, it never desires more than God; in Him it reposeth itself with a perfect complacency; in him it is at home, it is at rest, if we be but satisfied of his loving kindness; abundantly satisfied: There is enough in this to satiate the weary soul, and to replenish every sorrowful soul (Jer. 31:25), to fill even the hungry with good things, with the best things; and being filled, they should be at rest, at rest for ever, and their sleep here should be sweet.”

*Excerpt from Matthew Henry’s, A Method for Prayer, Third Discourse. (emphasis mine)

Good night, my friends.

Becky

Next Article in the Series:

How to Close the Day with God -Part 2-

>When Living in the Moment may Distract you from Living for the Eternal

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It has been some years now that with the help of the Lord, I have been learning how to live fully every day, every minute. I remember when my children were little and we were in that season of our lives when we ran all day to all those extra classes. We used to live under the pressure of the clock, the constant tic-tac that steals away moments of joy.

But living in the moment, enjoying the minutes, living fully each one of them, is not necessarily a godly thing to do. Actually, it may keep us from seeing beyond the minute and into eternity.

When our children were little I had to teach them about time, time-lines were hanging all over our walls, and we had to teach them about the calendar, the months, days, hours, minutes. Now they are older and we must teach them to live with their eyes fixed on what is not in that time-line. We are teaching them that what matters the most is not the moment, per se, but eternity.

Before I keep on going, please don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that how we live every minute counts. I believe that our lives are made of minutes, and for the life we live in that sequence of minutes we will give an account to God.

But when we live only with eyes for the moment, we may find ourselves believing that we are the main character in God’s story.

Remember Martha and Mary and how they responded when their brother Lazarus was ill and then died (John 11 please read it all.). They were living in the moment, and for a moment they thought that because they were Jesus’ friends, and Jesus loved their brother, they were the main character in the story and Jesus had to come and help them. But Jesus didn’t live for the moment, He lived with His eyes fixed on eternity, on his Heavenly Father; He says on verse 4:

“This illness does not lead to death, It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”

Having this goal in mind “when he, {Jesus}, heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was”. 

Michael Horton says,

“In terms of the unfolding plot, Lazarus is a character in Jesus’ story, not vice versa. The glorification of the Son as the Messiah is the real “show” here, as was the case with all of the miracles. They are signs, not ends in themselves.”

“Lazarus had to die in order for the greater miracle to occur. There is something more important than the healing of his friend. Jesus knew the great work he would accomplish in the power of the Spirit when he came finally to Bethany. It is like Elijah pouring water on the fire pit, just to make sure God’s glorious power will be obvious. As the greater Elijah, Jesus was engaged in a cosmic contest between Yahweh and the serpent. That was the larger story behind all these other stories. “

How many times do we live “in the moment”, forgetting that each one of those moments, good or bad, are not an end on themselves? All those moments are part of a larger story that has not been unveiled before our eyes, a story that ultimately will bring glory to our Triune God. He is the main character of the story.

When I give thanks for the little things that make up my day, when I see a beautiful sunset, or beautiful bees playing in a fountain; when I see my sister carrying a baby in her womb, and my son coming from behind to kiss me; when I see how my husband loves me every minute, and how blessed I am to have a full pantry, I need to raise my eyes and look beyond the moment, beyond the time-line and remind myself that all these blessings come to me, not because I am the main character, but because in all these, God will be glorified. It all happens “so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”.

And the same is true, when the moments we are going through are more like those moments that Martha and Mary went through, moments of confusion, pain, uncertainty. When we expect Jesus  to come because He is our Lord, our Saviour, our friend, and He doesn’t and we don’t know what to think. Let us keep in mind, sisters, that those moments are only part of a whole story that is beyond our sight, beyond our minutes. Those moments are part of God’s grand plan to bring all things subject to Him, and to bring glory to His name. We are not the main character. Our moments, our times are in His hand.

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 119: 1-8-

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Psalm 119

Aleph

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!

Lord, it amazes me how you have blessed my life.
How you have called me blessed when I deserved nothing but death.
You have blessed me by setting my feet to walk on the narrow way.
By forgiving all my sins.
It is a miracle.
It is the greatest blessing any woman could have.
I hated your ways, even today, my ways are not blameless;
yet you give me your Word to guide my steps,
to cleanse me.

Lord, help me walk in your ways,
blameless…
yes, blameless.
That is my heart’s desire.
Help me, Lord,  to keep your testimonies,
in a world that is twisted and calls my name.
Lord, that I may seek you with my whole heart.
Every day, every minute, wholeheartedly.
Deliver me from all unbelief,
from my own heart.

 

4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!

Father, I thank you, that through the power of the Holy Spirit in me
I can walk diligently in your ways.
Thank you that through the atonement of Jesus,
I have been delivered from the bondage of sin,
and can walk freely, keeping your statutes!

 

6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

Father, hear my prayer today,
when the evildoers come against me,
when temptation finds me,
help me that I may not be put to shame,
but that I may stand firm;
fixed my eyes on all your commandments;
praising you with an upright heart.

Lord, help me to study your Word,
to abide in it.
To learn your righteouss rules,
and love and keep your statutes.

Father, hear me!
Do not utterly forsake me!
Be with me as I grow in grace
in a world that hates You.

This I pray,
in the name of my Mediator,
Jesus Christ,

Amen

Becky