Struggles

An Attitude Adjustment

1 Comment / August 4, 2026

I was discontent. I didn’t want to do this certain thing. Okay, I’ll just be honest with you as to what was frustrating me. It was cooking. I didn’t want to have to do the work of cooking dinner. I have never really enjoyed it all that much, using a number of excuses as to why this is not my favorite duty.

And then one day (rather recently), as I stood at my counter working on dinner, I was so very convicted about my attitude. This was my job. It is what I signed up to do all those years ago when I got married. Instead of trying to “get it over with”, why not enjoy it?

And so, since then, I have begun to view it a bit differently. And it has totally changed my attitude.

I began to learn about cooking through videos. I poured over some of the cookbooks I own (which generally just sit on my shelf) and picked out some recipes to try.

Rather than just defaulting to easy meals or getting takeout (which used to be our standard…after all, there are only two of us…), I am trying to think outside the box and feed my husband and myself in a healthier way. My husband has been a good sport about my efforts and is also honest in his critiques, which I appreciate. (Yes, the potatoes were too hard in that chowder! Lesson learned!)

When you were used to cooking for six and now you only cook for two, you can grow lackadaisical in this area. Well, at least I did.

But my point is this: Whatever we have on our “to-do” list that has to be done is not the “dreaded” but, rather, a privilege. It’s a privilege to cook, to do laundry, to stick to a budget, to wait on tables, to take inventory at work…you fill in the blank for whatever duty it is that you find yourself having a bad attitude about.

Instead of having an attitude of “working for the weekend”(getting a chore past so we can do something we enjoy more), why not bring the joy of the Lord to the chore itself?

We live in a lazy, self-centered, entertainment-loving culture, and I am afraid this has seeped into my own life more than I care to admit. I am thankful to God for opening my eyes to this.

Unfortunately, I’d rather guess that I’ll fall back into laziness and discontentedness again at some point, but I am so thankful that God reminded me, yet again, that this is not how it should be. He is so faithful.

Outside on my back porch are two hanging Boston Ferns. The porch is shaded and it’s a great place to hang ferns. But sometimes I forget to water them. If I forget for too long (which thankfully, doesn’t happen too often), the edges of their leaves begin to turn brown and dry.

They still look green from a distance but when you look up close, you can see the stress.

I feel like my approach to cooking or any chore I don’t “love” has been like a fern with dry, brown leaves. I look good from a distance because I don’t really complain about it out loud (most of the time) but, inside, where God can see, my attitude has not been right.

And I realize that the joy of the Lord should water all of my day. And that when I bring that joy to anything, my whole attitude changes.

I am not sure if anyone else can relate to this or not. But I thought I’d share what God has been teaching me, just in case someone else would benefit by it.

I want to be someone who does everything for the glory of God and stops getting caught up in the lie that work is something to be gotten out of the way to get to the things we enjoy. Instead, I want to bring the joy of the Lord to whatever the Lord has for me.

And I’d rather guess that if you are still hanging around here, you want to do the same. 

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
~
Colossians 3:17

Revolutionizing and Restoring Relationships

3 Comments / July 29, 2026

I’ve been thinking about something for a while now. Something about which the Lord has been both convicting me and teaching me. I am not sure I’ll be able to write it all out very well, but I’m going to give it a try.

Once upon a time, there was a person I knew (going to be vague purposely) who left many different people with some pretty bad memories when they left this earth. Things were never made right and the harmony and love that was hoped for was never realized.

I spent quite a few years very upset about this. Not necessarily for my sake but for others that I love very much. My opinion about that person was extremely negative for many years.

And then one day, not that long ago, I had a good memory come to mind of that person. A really good memory of a time shared together. And when I remembered that, other good memories started to surface. They had been deeply buried underneath all the hurt and angst that surrounded their last years.

And these memories taught me something: People just aren’t a “cut and dried” good or bad, like we’d like them to be. We tend to assign labels (even if it’s in our own minds) as to what we believe them to be. But it’s just not that simple.

Some are worse than others. We cannot deny that. Some are more challenging than others to love, for sure. But we can’t control them, can we? We can only control our own thoughts and actions. And that’s what today’s post is about.

We want people to be a certain way. And when they aren’t, we tend to write them off. Or we fight with them. Or we are discontent and we complain. There are many ways we show that we are not happy with the way someone is.

But I am beginning to understand the importance of accepting people where they are.

This doesn’t mean we don’t pray for them. It doesn’t mean we stop trying to make our relationships better. It doesn’t mean we do not confront sin or worldliness because of our love for someone.

What it does mean is that we love them despite their faults. We stop nitpicking and fussing. We lower our expectations and we stop basing our love for someone on those expectations (which are often impossible for someone to fully meet).

It means we stop trying to change them. Rather, we pray for them and, instead of harsh criticism, our conversations of confrontation are filled with our love for them.

And…we stop allowing our peace to be destroyed by them. Because our peace is to come from Jesus, not from people.

And I have had to think…if God would have only offered His love and salvation to me when I was perfect, I would not be saved today. Instead, God reached out to me while I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8). We love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19).

Perhaps it is time that we start following God’s example in His love towards us. It’s time to eliminate the conditions. It’s time to stop getting so offended. It’s time to stop trying to fix people.

Instead we need to love them right where they are at, as God has demonstrated for us.

After all, am I that easy to love? Are you? If we are honest, we all will admit that we aren’t.

People just aren’t cut and dried. None of us are.

So instead of focusing on the things that drive us crazy, why not focus on the positive things we appreciate? The good memories rather than the bad memories?

Most people in our lives have some qualities for which we can be thankful. Why do we so easily focus on the negative??

Over the course of the past years, I have learned so much about having grace for others. And I have grown in this area. But God has been showing me lately that it’s not just having outward grace, while inwardly being annoyed or frustrated. It’s about both outward and inward grace towards those whom I don’t understand; Towards those that act in ways that frustrate or confuse me.

Everyone is shaped by so many things. My life experience is not your life experience. We often do things for reasons even we don’t understand. And so does everyone else.

People just aren’t always going to be how you want them to be. For example…I will always talk too much. I don’t want to and I try to work on it. But, so often, I go home from church or some event and I think…now why can’t I just be quiet?

But the people that are annoyed by my “over-talking” have no idea that I am actually annoyed with myself, too!

I need so much grace… I’d rather guess you do, too. So why not offer that same grace we need to the people around us?

People are struggling with sin issues and going through hard things, just as we are. They, too are responding or reacting in a certain way because it’s simply a personality trait they struggle with; or perhaps it’s due to a sin (which they may or may not be aware of yet) and God will show them eventually, just as He faithfully reveals our sin to us; It may be that they have had an experience in life that is causing their response; or any number of other things that affect how someone talks and acts. Just like us.

We all have different struggles and challenges. We all have blind spots. We all, if we are sincere believers, desire to be more like Christ. Unfortunately, we do it so pathetically imperfectly. That flesh is a real foe for most of us.

So perhaps it is time that we stop being annoyed and frustrated and just accept people where they are. Perhaps it is past time to offer genuine grace to others—the same grace that God offers to us and that we desire from others towards ourself.

The person I spoke about above chose not to reconcile with those that loved them so dearly. The situation felt utterly impossible. And there will always be great sorrow surrounding the whole thing. But in the midst of this, God brought to mind something that was good.

I want to be a person that can understand that life just can’t be broken down into “good” or “bad”. It’s so much more complex than that.

And that people aren’t all good or all bad. We are all a mumble jumble of both. (FYI: Yes, I do believe we are all depraved sinners in need of a Savior. I am referring here to the average person, both saved and unsaved to which God, through His amazing “common grace”, grants positive personality traits that are beneficial to humankind.)

I used strong words in the title of this post. Revolutionize and Restore are both words that bring to mind big change. I used those words because I believe if we begin to approach our relationships with an attitude of acceptance, rather than an attitude of dissatisfaction, it will revolutionize and restore our relationships.

I believe if we begin to love someone without condition, instead of waiting for them to love us according to our expectations, it will revolutionize and restore that relationship.

According to scripture, we are to live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1-2). It really is this that sets us apart from the unsaved in this day-to-day world. And one of the ways we can live according to the Spirit is by becoming more like God in how we approach our relationships.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

The Greatness of His Power

1 Comment / June 23, 2026

Imagine you are a tiny, insignificant ant. One of thousands in a specific colony of ants. Just a few yards from you on all sides are other colonies, totaling millions of ants.

As you look up one day, you see a large shadow. It is the shadow of a human being, gigantic and awesome in its size. Capable of squishing you and dozens of your friends in a single footstep.

Now imagine the audacity (and silliness) of you stamping your six feet in indignation at this human being when he doesn’t do what you want him to do. Imagine the audacity (and silliness) of demanding something specific from this human being as one single ant in the midst of millions of ants.

It’s a silly, ridiculous scene, impossible to fathom.

And yet…

Aren’t we doing the same thing, when we shake our fists at God and demand our own ways?

As we contemplate the analogy, we can recognize that our situation is quite different in two very critical ways…

—we have an AWESOME God who actually cares about us personally. This is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!

—the difference between ants and people would be as nothing when compared to the infinite difference between people and God.

One of the things I love in the *Prayer Journal I created recently is the last section, where there are Bible passages to pray for my family. This morning, I reached the passage from Ephesians 1, which reads—

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:15-23)

As I was praying through this passage this morning, I had to think about “the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe”.

If God chooses not to work in the way we want, it’s not because He can’t.

Rather, it’s because He can see what we can’t see.

We are like that ant, on the ground, with a very small, short-sighted view of the world around us.

Our perspectives are skewed by our sin, our environments, our pasts, our fleshly desires, and, yes, our human limitations.

We cannot begin to understand the fullness of God’s love or the intricacies of God’s plans. It’s impossible because He is so great and we are so small.

There are some amazing things to consider as we reflect on our likeness to the ant.

First, as mentioned above, the fact that we have a God that cares for His own redeemed children to such a personal extent is simply amazing. I never cease to be in awe over this.

Second, when I consider the arrogance I must have when I get angry or sulky at God for not giving me my way, I am ashamed.

Third, when I consider the worry and anxiety that can sometimes overwhelm me and then remember that I am personally cared for by this wonderful and loving Heavenly Father, I am stymied. Why would I be worried or anxious, when Almighty God is looking out for me?

This passage from Ephesians, chapter 1, not only gives us wonderful things to pray for our families and others that we love, but it serves as a powerful reminder that our loving God has all power to do anything for us.

If He chooses not to, it is because He knows what we don’t know. It is because He sees the pasts, presents, and futures of ALL people in the minutest detail. He sees that what might seem beneficial to us will hurt someone else. Or that the future will be changed irreversibly and terribly should we get our heart’s desire at this very moment.

Just as a person can see so much more than an ant, God can see infinitely more than a person.

I think that sometimes, in our efforts to define Jesus as our friend, we forget how great He really is. In the normalcy of our culture’s self-absorption, we forget that God doesn’t exist to serve me and my wants but I exist to serve Him.

Just some things I was thinking about this morning…

*I published a prayer journal earlier this year. If you are interesting in checking it out, you can find it at this link.

A Merry Heart

2 Comments / June 15, 2026

Finding joy in the midst of life’s trials or even in the midst of all that is happening in this darkening world can be challenging. We are constantly barraged with negative news stories. We are daily facing things we never thought we’d have to face. We wish things were different in so many ways. It can be so much to process…

And yet, in scripture we read that a merry heart is good for us—like medicine.

The depression/anxiety connection to bad health is so interesting, but yet makes so much sense when one considers this verse in Proverbs—

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:
but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

A merry heart will be like medicine to us in this dark, troublesome world. A broken, hopeless spirit will make things so much worse.

As I was struggling to find joy this morning, this verse reminded me that joy is a choice. We don’t just automatically have a “merry heart”. Well, perhaps some people do.

But for those of you, who like me, tend to over-analyze and think a lot about a lot of things, it’s easy to fall into the broken spirit category. Whether it’s about this world, about our own sin, about things going on in our own little worlds—a broken spirit comes more naturally to some of us than others.

But choosing to have a merry heart will not only be like medicine to our souls, it will also be like medicine to our relationships. It will always be the best choice.

We may not be able to choose our circumstances. We may not be able to go back to the “way things were”. We can’t change this world’s direction. But we can change our own hearts and minds. We can choose to have a merry heart.

Not a naive “merry” that is unaware of the seriousness of trials and happenings. But a “merry” that is based on the truth of scripture, despite the trials and happenings. We understand that we serve a sovereign God who knows exactly what is happening in all areas of this world—down to the tiniest corners of our hearts. We not only serve Him but He has saved us from eternal death.

Our choice to have a merry heart is not based on fairy tales and lies, but on this truth: My God loves me and has saved me for all eternity. And nothing can take that away.

Do you, like me, so easily lose sight of this truth in the midst of all that is happening in life? Do you, like me, sometimes struggle to have a merry heart as you live day-to-day?

I hope this verse encourages someone today as it encouraged me.

The Allure of a Lie

4 Comments / February 19, 2026

There is one particular thing that I’ve encountered over and over again as I seek God through His Word and compare what I see in the world to what I read in the Bible.

And that being: An unwillingness of certain people to even have a thoughtful discussion.

So many people toss out something you’ve studied at length with a quick word given with ridicule. In fact, “study” has become a word that is viewed with disdain in a lot of ways. Particularly if it comes to the Bible and comparing what it says, both for our lives today and for what it says regarding the future, to the things we are encountering in the world around us—particular the world that calls itself “Christian” or “evangelical”.

A pastor by the name of David Nelson (1793-1844) wrote a book back in the early 1800s that addresses this unwillingness to study for oneself:

We do suppose that of all the scoffers who were to come in the last day and who were to be wilfully ignorant, there is scarce, one but would be willing to receive historic knowledge, at least, provided an angel could just grasp it in his hand, and throw it into his brain, without any exertion on his part. But the toil of research he never encounters. He may snatch at some plausible objection to truth, as he hears it repeated: but to impartial investigation he is an utter stranger.

As Pastor Nelson implies, we do find that people who are unwilling to study for themselves, are, however, eager to grab on to and repeat a lie that promotes what they want to believe.

I say “they”. But, honestly, we can all be in danger of this, including myself. It is so much easier and alluring to believe an appealing lie than to face an unpleasant truth.

David Nelson goes on to say this about the one who would prefer to believe a lie—

still it is true, that one small cunningly devised falsehood will influence him further than one hundred plain and forcible arguments in favour of Revelation.

It is true, isn’t it? A cleverly devised falsehood will be most influential in the one who does not love the truth, and a mountain of Bible verses, facts, or documentation given as proof that his belief is not true will not change the mind of one who does not love the truth.

I’ve been thinking a lot about 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 over thee past few months, in regards to this:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This is speaking specifically to the day when the world will fall for the deception of the antichrist. But there is a lesson for us all in these verses: If we do not love the truth, we will be vulnerable to deception.

A genuine love for truth is the only thing that will protect us.

And this genuine love for truth will only be developed in the one who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, takes the time to pray and study the Bible. Not just read it, but study it.

Horatius Bonar has the best wisdom about our own personal study of God’s Word—

The Word must be studied in all its fullness. Over its whole length and breadth we must spread ourselves. Above all theologies, creeds, catechisms, books and hymns, the Word must be meditated on, that we may grow in the knowledge of all its parts, and in assimilation to its models.

Our souls must be steeped in it, not in certain favourite parts of it, but in the whole. We must know it, not from the report of others, but from our own experience and vision, else will our life be but an imitation, our religion second-hand, and therefore second-rate.

Another cannot breathe the air for us, nor eat for us, nor drink for us. We must do these for ourselves. So no one can do our religion for us, nor infuse into us the life of truth which he may possess. These are not things of proxy or merchandise, or human impartation. Out of the Book of God and by the Spirit of God must each one of us be taught, else we learn in vain. Hence the exceeding danger of human influence or authority.

Just like another cannot breathe the air for us, nor eat for us, nor drink for us, so no one can do our religion for us nor infuse into us the life of truth.

Oh, how many Christians rely on others for their growth? I used to do this myself, to be honest. I’ve shared that here often. I feel like my Christian life was status quo and without vigor until I picked up God’s Word for myself and began to study it on a regular basis.

I am a testimony of its power working to steadfastly transform an undeserved, sinful woman into the image of Christ, little by little.

This doesn’t mean we won’t continue to have blind spots that keep us from seeing ourselves as we really are. It doesn’t mean we will be perfect or that we will never fight sin or worldliness again.

What it does mean is that God, through our daily study of His Word and time spent in prayer, will open our blind eyes and then enable us to fight against the sin and worldliness that He has revealed to us. That’s it. All glory to God.

I want to be careful here. I have not “arrived”, by any stretch of the imagination (just ask my family!!) I am serious when I say any change in me is by God’s grace. But the Word is changing me. And it will do the same for you.

But it is only through our daily study of God’s Word that we will be filled with a love for the truth and be transformed into the image of Christ.

And this can only happen if we are willing to see ourselves as we really are. It can only happen if we are willing to see the people we love, the people we struggle to love, the world, and all that is happening in the world around us as they really are.

If we hold tightly to a lie—to our own reality that doesn’t represent truth—well, then, we will never change. And we will never be all that we can be for God’s Kingdom.

Oh, to be believers that love God’s Word—all of it in its entirety. Oh, to be believers that study the Bible, all of it—not just the parts that we like or find comforting. Oh, to be believers that will keep ourselves from deception and delusion because we dearly love the truth.

A Look Back

Leave a Comment / January 13, 2026

The other day, while searching for something on Amazon Prime, a movie was suggested on the screen that we had watched years ago. We wouldn’t watch that movie today as God has so kindly been gradually convicting us of the things we set before our eyes since that time. There are many things I “used to watch” that I wouldn’t choose to watch today.

Sometimes I can find myself thinking even today, “oh, it probably wasn’t that bad” and turn something on for nostalgia’s sake. However, I almost always end up turning the movie or show off because I realize now that it simply doesn’t please the Lord. Sometimes it’s hard to turn something off. Mostly, I don’t miss my old entertainment but I need to be honest with you—sometimes it’s hard.

But when we saw that specific movie on the screen, my husband and I started talking about some friends that had encouraged us to watch it along with other things that were simply not beneficial to any believer. We had a period of time where we watched a lot of popular tv and movies and the reason for this was because of these friends, as we had mostly avoided it earlier in our lives.

When we started to drift apart from these friends, we were very, very sad. We had appreciated our friendship with them. However, we got used to life without them in it and moved on.

It wasn’t until we saw the movie pop up on the screen the other evening that we realized that God took something that was sad and hurtful to us, which certainly didn’t seem “good” to us at the time, and He used it to protect us and to move us away from something that was hurting us spiritually. We never really thought of that before.

And I have been thinking of two things to consider from this look back at our lives…

First, it’s a vivid reminder that God really does work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). But it doesn’t always feel good. And it doesn’t always seem good. And we might not know for years and years later of any good that came from it. Perhaps we may never find out. But we need to trust Him. We need to trust that God is good and that He will fulfill His promise: If we love Him, then all things will work for our good.

Second, it’s a convicting reminder to be the kind of friend that encourages and builds up our friends in the Lord, rather than the kind of friend that leads people towards worldliness and sin.

It’s not just about entertainment—although that is a sadly overlooked problem among those who profess Christ. It IS a big deal and it changes us, whether we believe it does or doesn’t.

I can’t even begin to express how much difference it made in my walk with God as I intentionally began to remove worldly entertainment filled with bad language, sexual immorality, violence, and vain humanistic philosophies (the most subtle of all! and found in even the most innocuous entertainment) from my life. Not that I ever watched, listened to, or read really bad stuff. We can always rationalize, can’t we?

Even today, I can still catch myself trying to rationalize. Thankfully, I am now at least aware that I need to really pay attention to what I am allowing in my mind. I really encourage you to do the same.

Entertainment of all kinds—what we watch, listen to, and read—is a big old open door for Satan to implant his philosophies and perspectives in our minds. It’s just so dangerous. NONE of us are so spiritually strong that we can withstand the barrage of wickedness that comes through entertainment. There will be some kind of collateral spiritual harm. There always is, whether we are willing to admit it to ourselves or not.

But, it’s not just entertainment. We can also, if we aren’t careful, lead people in things like gossip, anger, and grudges; in encouraging people in humanistic and psychological philosophies; we can be a stumbling block by drinking alcohol; we women can tempt a man to lust by wearing immodest, revealing clothing.

Another very common way we lead people towards the world is by only discussing the temporal things of this life—the news, work or career, sports, our children and their doings, fashion, celebrities, etc. There is nothing innately wrong with discussing these things but when God and His Word rarely, or never, come up in our conversations or when these things are not discussed in light of God and His Word, it shows something about where our hearts are and it leads people towards the world, rather than towards Christ.

There are a lot of ways we can lead people away from Christ instead of towards Him.

Honest self-examination is the first step to determining if we are helping God’s kingdom or hindering it.

Of course, none of us will help 100% of the time. That’s never the goal because it’s not even possible.

But may our lives, as a rule, lead people towards Christ. Jesus says we are His friends if we do what He commands (John 15:14). May we be shining examples of leading a life of submission and obedience to God and His Word, rather than leading a life of “doing just enough to get by”, while clinging to the world or our sin.

And so there are two things I’ve been reflecting upon as I have been thinking about those cherished friendships that simply…disappeared. I have no idea where those friends are today and how the Lord has led them in the area of entertainment. Perhaps He has led them on a similar journey.

One thing we can be sure of—the Lord will lovingly and faithfully lead anyone who seeks Him. One step at a time, He will conform us into His image and use all things for our good and His glory.

May we be faithfully examining ourselves and seeking to humbly obey Him as we take the path of growing in Christ.

Liberty to Love

1 Comment / November 19, 2025

Galatians 5 has always been a favorite chapter of mine. Paul has spent the preceding four chapters explaining that we can never be justified by the law and that Jesus Christ is enough. And then in chapter five, he starts off with—

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

We are to stand fast in the liberty that we are given through Christ. Paul then spends the rest of the book showing us what that looks like.

Does it mean we can immerse ourselves in worldliness and sinful behavior, knowing we are forgiven?

He answers this clearly in verse 13–

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Clearly the answer to that question is no. We are not saved so that we have the liberty to sin and embrace the world.

We are saved and given the liberty to love. To love and serve God. To love and serve one another.

Our new life in Christ has changed our WHY.

We don’t do the right things because we “have” to. We don’t do them to merit favor with God.

We do them because we have finally been given the liberty to love.

Most of us are very familiar with verses 22-23 of chapter 5, where we are given a list of the fruits of the Spirit. Can you remember what they are?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

But the next verse is probably not as familiar to us—

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Vs 24)

Those that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts. This is a description of every believer. It should describe us. We have crucified (or are actively trying to crucify) our flesh.

Crucify— to subdue (conquer; bring into subjection; overcome; repress)

Flesh—our old man; our human nature

So, rather than fulfilling our desires for the world and to sin, we are to live with intention and be turning away from them. Crucifying them.

Crucify is such a strong word, isn’t it? We see Paul has used it earlier in this book, when he says in chapter 2:20–

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So we aren’t crucifying our flesh for no purpose. As we crucify our flesh more and more, we make more and more room for Christ to live in us. As we live for Christ, we, through Him, love God and others.

This is reflected in our lives in all areas. It’s not just about “being nice” to people. It goes far deeper…it is reflected in how we love others when no one is watching—how we treat our spouses every day; how we respond when someone irritates us; it is reflected in how freely we forgive and the amount of grace we offer to others. It’s also reflected in how much we love God—shown clearly by what we put before our eyes on the tv, the Internet, or books (do we love Him enough to turn our eyes from the things He hates?) It is reflected in how we spend our money and time (do we consider His will as we make these decisions?) And it is reflected in how we respond when we face a trial, large or small (do we really trust Him?)

This topic is probably one of the most difficult things to navigate as a believer in our current culture. As soon as we raise the topic, cries of legalism rent the air.

But the liberty to love and then to live our lives in response to that love (for God and for others) is in direct opposition to legalism.

This verse has really been on my mind and so I thought I’d share what I’ve been thinking about. Hope it encourages you to also ponder our liberty to love and instills in you the same desire it has in me: To love God more and to love myself less. To turn from my fleshly desires and to fill the void with Christ.

May I seek God’s glory instead of my own. May I seek God’s approval rather than man’s. May I seek to submit and to obey God rather than to fulfill the desires and lusts of my flesh that insistently (and sometimes so very LOUDLY) call out to me each and every day.

We will never do this perfectly, but, by His grace, we will do it more and more with each passing day.

Who’s Really Inside?

1 Comment / October 28, 2025

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to spend the weekend with my parents at the beach. It was extra fun, as the kind couple who allowed us to use their beach house had a street-legal golf cart that they said we could use. And so off we set on our adventure of exploring our favorite beach town from a golf cart!

Traveling down streets unknown to us before, we came across beautiful new houses, as well as small cottages that had been there for a long, long time. Most houses were beautifully cared for, while just a few sat a bit forlorn, needing a new coat of paint or some landscaping.

At one point, we went around a corner and we saw a brand new—rather large—building. It was cream-colored with black shutters and looked rather like a hotel…but not quite. As we traveled the block, the building became one story and stretched out the entire block. Curious to see what the building was, we turned the corner to find out as we came to the end of the block.

Lo and behold, what we saw surprised us all. For right behind the single story “building” (which ended up being only about two feet wide) sat the town’s electrical plant. None of us had even noticed the wires and towers behind the one story building.

We drove off and then I told my husband to turn around so I could take a photo (see below). I had been reading about the Pharisees and I knew that what we were seeing was a little like the Pharisees. They looked all nice and proper on the outside but they were downright ugly inside. Jesus called them whitened sepulchres (or whitewashed tombs)—

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27)

We often hear stories of pastors or celebrities that “fall into sin” but these things do not happen in a vacuum. Many people put on an act and pretend to be something they are not. This is not unusual.

Oftentimes, the ugliest sins are hidden behind a “Christian” facade.

So many pretenders. So many liars. So many wolves in sheep’s clothing. They come as angels of light but they seek to starve your soul and take your eyes off the true God, the real Jesus, and the Bible.

But you know, these aren’t the only pretenders. I thought it was interesting to read this morning—

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:42-43)

Here we see chief rulers pretending not to believe on Jesus Christ because they loved the praise of men more than they loved God.

What an indictment! May this never be said of us.

Some people pretend to be something they aren’t because they lack courage and they love themselves and the praise of men more than they love God and the truth.

So how does this apply to us? Those of us who have been saved by faith in Christ alone are new creatures. And so what is inside of us should be consistent with what is outside of us.

There should be no hypocrisy in the life of a believer.

I remember years ago, someone using that verse about God looking on the heart, while man looks on the outside (I Samuel 16:7) as a reason to look and live like the world.

But that isn’t what that verse means at all. We can know this by reading this verse in the context of the rest of scripture.

God expects our outside to match our inside. We cannot be a new creature inside without looking like a new creature on the outside. All throughout the New Testament we are given the description of the true believer. We are told what God wants us to look like.

We will never be able to match that description perfectly, of course. But, through examining ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), by proving all things and holding fast to what is good (I Thess. 5:21), and by being diligent to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10-11) we will be sure to continue moving in the right direction.

Remember: It’s about direction, not perfection.

These things we are called to aren’t meant to be burdensome. We know that because Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

If we are feeling burdened; if these things we are called to do not feel easy or light, well, then, perhaps we are a little like those chief priests—loving the praise of men more than we love the Lord. Having our souls entrenched in the things of this world, we struggle to turn from things that are not building us up in the faith. Loving the world and loving our sin keep us from growing as we should.

As we become less enamored with the things of this world and as our hatred for sin grows, the heavy burden we were feeling about holiness, turning from the world, and living for Jesus grows lighter and lighter.

And just to be honest, this only began to change for me when I began to read the Word—to really study it—for myself personally.

If we genuinely want to grow but the burden feels so heavy, then we must pray that God will give us that desire and open our eyes to what is keeping us fettered and imprisoned. What is keeping us from feeling the freedom we have in Christ to live a righteous life for God?

By the way—not to get too off topic—however, I feel like it is important to mention—

We are free to live righteously. We are not free to sin and we are not free to love the world and be like the world. This is so clear all throughout scripture but Romans 6 is a great place to start if you want to know more.

Life is full of challenges and one of those challenges is to be real and authentic. To be a godly person on the inside and the outside. Wherever this is not taking place, there is hypocrisy. God hates hypocrisy.

May we be those who shine the genuine light of Christ and may those who see that light find in us an example of consistency. May we be the same person both inside and out.

The facade that hides the electrical plant

He Shall Direct Thy Paths

2 Comments / May 27, 2025

Proverbs 3:5-6 are probably two of the most-loved verses in all of scripture. They remind us to trust the Lord, to lean not on our own understanding, and promise us God’s direction. But as I was reading this chapter this morning, I realized that these two little verses must be taken in context. They are surrounded by some other pretty important nuggets of wisdom that can’t be overlooked if we long to trust the Lord and have Him direct our paths.

Such as…

(Vs. 1-2) we dare not forget God’s law and we must work diligently to keep His commandments. We are even told that, as a rule, doing this will give us a long life and peace. Of course, there are legitimate exceptions to this due to God’s sovereign will, but we can see how living a moral, upright life will keep us from a lot of harm.

(Vs. 3) Do not forsake mercy and truth. Can we overestimate the value of mercy and truth in the life of a believer?

Truth keeps us on the straight and narrow path and keeps us from deception. Our only hope of protection and a victorious Christian life is to love the truth of God’s Word more than we love anything else. This is easy to write but hard to live. We all have areas in which we are tempted to ignore, bypass, or outright reject the truth of scripture because the cost is so much higher than we are willing to pay. It is so important that we ask the Lord to give us courage and steadfastness and the willingness to submit to and obey His Word, no matter the cost.

Mercy is what will keep us humble as we seek to follow the truth. My grandfather used to say that “pride is a handle that fits any tool” and there is no tool that it fits better than trying to do what’s morally right and obeying God’s commands. But mercy will keep us from turning up our noses at others and will fill us with humility as we recognize that all genuine believers have victories and we all struggle—just in different ways. Mercy and grace abound in humility of heart and live in perfect harmony with Truth.

(Vs. 7) And then this most important verse after verse 6. This verse explains how we are practically able to execute verses 5 and 6.

First, we are not to be wise in our own eyes. Here we go back to pride again. Pride will keep us from submission to the Lord, it will keep us leaning on our own understanding instead of the Lord’s, it will cause us to stray from the narrow path, AND it will destroy our relationships.

Second, we are to fear the Lord. What does this mean? That we are “scared” of Him? No, of course not. The fear of the Lord means having the proper, reverential, submissive attitude towards the Lord. It means we live our lives with God at the center, instead of ourselves, holding Him in awe and recognizing His greatness, omnipotence, and glory. Earlier in this book, we read that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7). That’s how important it is that we fear the Lord.

Third, we are to depart from evil. We cannot expect the Lord to direct our paths if we are purposely walking outside His will in sin or worldliness. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes and, through our study of God’s Word, we soon begin to understand that we have far too narrow view of this word. It goes far beyond the “awful stuff” we tend to put in its category and encompasses but is not limited to: Wicked entertainment that goes against God both morally and philosophically; immodest dress and other ways we draw attention to ourselves; an unforgiving and unloving spirit; selfishness; rebellion against God’s laws; and passion for the world’s wealth and status (just to name a few!) If we are honest with ourselves, we all have something that tempts us to do evil. This is why it is so important that we be examining our hearts and our lives on a regular basis.

(Vs. 8) Doing these three things will not only help us to trust the Lord, lean not our understanding, and help us discern God’s direction for our path; but they will also make us healthy spiritually. They will enable us to live a victorious Christian life.

Sometimes we can oversimplify the words of God. And, while loving just two verses we pull out of scripture isn’t necessarily bad, it is so important that we study our favorite passages in the context which they are given. We will get so much more from God’s Word when we take the time to meditate upon our favorite verses in their proper context.

𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘸;
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴:
𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘦.
𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘦:
𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬;
𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵:
𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯.
𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵;
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴.
𝘉𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴:
𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭.
𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴.
* Proverbs 3:1-8 *

It is Good to Seek the Lord and to Wait on Him (But it’s Not Always Easy!)

1 Comment / April 1, 2025

A long time ago now, I found myself faced with a dilemma. After some time and a bit of rather flippant prayer, a solution presented itself that looked perfect. I didn’t even hesitate but went right on ahead, assuming this was from the Lord.

And, while I do believe the Lord was in control and knew exactly what He was doing, the decision didn’t turn out to be anything like I planned and life become a bit rocky for awhile there. I believe learning through this careless decision was part of God’s purpose and I did learn some hard lessons through the process.

This situation was brought to mind this morning as I read I Samuel 8. The Israelites think they want a king. And, while Samuel assures them they most certainly should not want this, predicting all the negative changes that will come to their lives—they insist.

Because they thought they knew best.

Just like the Israelites, I was desperate for a solution and thought I knew best. Rather than lean on the Lord and wait on His timing, I went right ahead and did what I thought looked right and would ease my burden.

But when we move ahead without God, our burdens aren’t eased. They are multiplied. As we move further on into Samuel, we will find that Israel moving on without God’s approval was costly. Just as I found out the same thing.

Making decisions and solving problems can be a difficult thing in this life. But I am learning that I need to submit myself to God’s will and wait on Him when I am faced with a dilemma. I am still learning to pray more comprehensively and more deeply about things; to pray with a more eternal perspective rather than a desperate “make my life easier” plea.

Israel wanted a quick fix and they thought that quick fix was a King. I wanted a quick fix and thought I knew what that was.

Both Israel and myself paid when we went that route. It’s a good reminder that we must seek the Lord and wait on Him. What does He desire for us?

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

It’s good to seek the Lord and it’s good to wait on Him but this is NOT always an easy thing to do. Especially for those of us who just want resolution. The waiting is so hard and the temptation to just jump ahead with our own solution is a great one.

Oh, that we may continue to learn to seek the Lord and to wait on His timing. I have a feeling it will be a lifelong challenge to fully learn this important truth!

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