Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts

TRUE CHARACTER (Part 1)

SCRIPTURE

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (NLT)

THOUGHTS

The other day, I was looking at the new badge picture that I got at work. I remember the day I got it. Rather than the picture I took when I first hired in, this one was a “professional” picture! So I wore my best suit, had my hair done, and gave the best smile I could. I got the photo back and I had to look twice. “Is that me?” I looked like I could be a supermodel. No blemishes, perfect skin, even the earring that was stuck out, was now nicely tucked under my ear. The magic of technology lets anyone look like a model with enough tweaking, just like the devil can make things look like the right way to go. 
Men and Women today have a distorted concept of who they are supposed to be and what their greatest lure[asset] is. God gave us distinct roles and traits designed to work together in harmony. So let’s talk about what these lures are.

TRUE CHARACTER (Part 1)

Ladies first. What does the world say a woman’s greatest lure is? Well that badge picture the I was talking about earlier, beauty, is what the world says makes a woman, a woman. The more beautiful you are, the easier it is supposed to be to find a man, get respect, and have success. So women are constantly comparing themselves to the computer edited, makeup covered perfect women of magazines, and TV. But is this what God looks at? No, as the verse says God looks at the heart, and the heartly traits that He looks at is HER CHARACTER, not her LOOKS. The woman who demonstrates this the most is Ruth… so lets see what traits her Character was defined by:
1.       Hard Work
 “So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.”  ~ Ruth 2:3 (NLT)Ruth went and worked in the field even knowing the dangers of doing so for a widow in those days. And she worked hard. Notice in verses 5 and 6, Boaz immediately notices her and her hard work is noted.
 5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?” 6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.” (NLT)
2.       Humility and Gratefulness
10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.” ~Ruth 2:10 (NLT)Throughout her time with the harvesters she remained humble and respectful. She wasn’t prideful or selfish.
3.       Willingness to help others.
Ruth did what she did to help Naomi, in Naomi darkest hour. Her concern was never for herself but of others.
4.       Trust in God
 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” Ruth 1:16-17 (NLT)Ruth had an unwavering trust in God even when Naomi told her to turn back to the gods of her people. She had a personal relationship with God and she wasn’t going to let it go, no matter what was going on around her.
These defined her Godly Character, and it was this that attracted Boaz, not her looks, as the world depicts.  11 Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. Ruth 3:11 (NLT)
It is these traits that define a woman who is after God’s own heart and is defined more in Proverbs 31. Are you being or seeking a virtuous woman… or are you seeking/being a woman of the world?

PRAYER

Dear Lord we ask that you open our eyes more fully to see each other as you see them, and not be blinded by what the world offers us. We know that you look at the inside rather than the outside. We also know that sometimes it becomes easier for us to look at and fix what is on the outside thinking we can hide what is going on inside. Lord touch us and guide us, filling our hearts with the traits we should have. Let our hearts and minds be open to you. Amen

Note: This is a two part series and it doesn't dive as deep as I'd like (devotions need to be short) but if you want me to make the series longer let me know :)
Till Next Time
God Bless
Amanda of Astrialegends

3:02 PM | Category: , , , , | 7 comments

FINDING REAL JOY

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
1 Chronicles 16:26-28 NLT

Thoughts:

We all want to have happy lives; we all want to feel fulfilled and joyful. Unfortunately life tends to throw us unplanned curve balls or leave us with only barely enough to sustain. Because of this we can fall into depression, sorrow and lose our hope. But, we have to realize that the world cannot give us true JOY. Sure, there are things that the world gives us that make us happy, but many times that happiness is only temporary, just like the changing weather. True JOY comes from a righteous way of thinking, putting all things in their proper priority.

JOY

So let us break down JOY. The first letter that makes up joy is J… which means our FIRST priority should be JESUS. Sometimes we have to be reminded that only Christ can give us the EVERLASTING Joy that we need to deal with life. Though we are children of God, He does not shield us from problems, trials, and tribulations, instead He gives us His strength, comfort through the Holy Spirit, and JOY through Jesus, so that we can face whatever life brings. For what God freely gives us, the world cannot take away. No matter what happens in life we must remember to keep Christ first in our lives, allowing Him to guide our footsteps, make our ways clear, and show us all that we need to do. It is only when we keep our eyes on Jesus, will we be truly blessed with a JOY that goes beyond all understanding.

The second letter is ‘O’ which means our next priority should be OTHERS. Remember that the angels rejoice anytime ONE soul is saved! So how much more should we be compassionate and willing to do what it takes to save more souls? When we use our time to help others, God sends others to help us (and our loved ones). You never know who He will use to touch you, or who you will touch. So we always have to be alert and willing to show the love of Christ. This also means doing our best in all of our obligations, from work, to ministry, to prayer, to any of our day to day activities. Everything we do, when done with our very best can be used by God to reach someone else. Remember, people are always watching us.

The final letter is ‘Y’ so lastly you can look to ‘YOURSELF”. We must keep ourselves last so that we always remain humble, and do not let ‘self’ come before God. While we are keeping our eyes on the J, and tending to the O, we are allowing God to deal with the Y, without letting ourselves get in the way. What greater JOY can there be then seeing God work through our lives for others and to turn back to our own lives only to see that all the things that we would have spent so much time worrying about, being depressed about or weighing us down, have been miraculously taken care of by our loving Father.

PRAYER

Lord we come to you today, praying that if our lives have veered in any way from your JOYful way of thinking, that you re-shape our minds and our hearts to line up with you. Let Your wonderful Will be done both in our lives and through our lives. We know that You desire so many great and mighty things in our lives but we can only receive it with a right heart and humble mind. Let your everlasting JOY pour through us and fill us where we were empty, and let nothing take it away from us. AMEN.

~~~~~~~~~~~
God Bless
Till Next Time
Amanda of Astrialegends

6:04 PM | Category: , , | 10 comments