Come Apart and Rest a While

Mt. Ibuki in Japan

My husband and I serve in Japan.  Christmas is not a national holiday here, but it is our biggest ministry time of the year.  Many people do not know what Christmas is, but they know it has something to do with the church.  From the time we celebrate American Thanksgiving with family and friends until New Year’s Day, life is a whirlwind.  I heard a missionary say once that from Thanksgiving to Christmas she felt like a train picking up speed and that on New Year’s Day, she was going to crash.  HA!  I think of that every year as I feel like I am on a run away train.  

New Year’s Day is the biggest holiday event of the year here in Japan.  That day is spent quietly with family.  We are not usually a part of the day with anyone.  Occasionally we may have a New Year’s breakfast at church depending on the day of the week it falls on. I make our traditional American New Year's meal.  This year it was a dinner for two.  The holiday season generally lasts from the first through the fifth.  I love those days.  Everything is quiet.  A lot of places are closed.  This year I declared it as a time for personal retreat.  

During this personal retreat time, I didn’t do any work other than what was required in order to survive.  I didn't set an alarm clock for five days.  I rested.  I spent time in the Word.  I read.  I planned out some things for the next year.  I joked with my husband about being on “staycation.”  Except I wasn’t really joking…

This was such a wonderful time.  I am hoping to make it an annual event.  I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I was half-way through it.  It was somewhat easy for me to do this since I am an empty-nester.  If you have a houseful to care for, you may need to get some help from the outside to help make this happen.  If your children are old enough to share some of the load, get them to help you.  Offer them a reward of some kind at the end of your retreat time for a job well done.

How about it, dear missionary woman?  Will you take time to be refreshed?  Or are you like so many, myself included, that just keeps going and going until our battery is dead?  No matter what month of the year it is, will you set some time aside to be refreshed?  You will be so glad that you did!

“Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while…” 

~Mark 6:31

Brownies

What do you think of when I say 

Warm 

Chewy 

Gooey 

Chocolatey

Shiny 

Delicious

Yes! Correct! Brownies! I knew we were kindred spirits! 

Brownies have to be one of the first desserts most kids learn to make, and I'm sure are a favorite to many people! How can you go wrong with brownies? Especially when there is a shiny crust on the top? And chocolate chips that are half melted in the middle? You can't! 

When I first joined the BMW Facebook group, somebody had just asked if anybody had a brownie recipe that made brownies with a shiny crust. I saw that, and started doing research to find out what exactly gives brownies a shiny crust! There are many theories out there, but after trying some of the recipes that swore would result in a shiny crust, but yielded flat crusts, I gave up on trying to figure it out. If you know the secret, please let me know! Not everybody has access to boxed brownie mix, and not everybody is a fan of putting ingredients in their body that they can't pronounce. After several batches of brownies, much experimentation, and lots of suffering (trust me, you can't eat a plateful of brownies without getting a stomach ache!), I have found a recipe that doesn't call for weird ingredients, and has a shiny crust. 

What you'll need:

1 3/4 cups sugar 

5 eggs - separated (if eggs are smaller, use 6-7) 

10 oz semi sweet chocolate (melted) 

3/4 cup melted butter 

2 1/2 cups flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Extract (optional)

With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar to the ribbon stage. (Mixture will become light yellow, and very silky).

Melt butter on the stove or in a microwave. Melt chocolate on the stove or in a microwave. Combine melted butter and chocolate. 

Pour chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture. Beat till combined. If you're adding extract, add now. (My favorite is a teaspoon of coconut or almond.) In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly mix the flour with the batter. Make sure your batter is smooth. Once this has been achieved, pour batter into a greased 9X13 pan. If you would like to have chocolate chips or nuts in your brownies, sprinkle them on the top of your batter. Don't worry about mixing them in, the chocolate chips or nuts will partially sink in. This will make your brownies look and taste amazing! Bake in 350 degree oven. Bake until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 

Cool slightly, and enjoy! 

Amber Wells

Papua New Guinea

Her Story Silhouettes {#20 Priscilla Studd / "Hur" Story}

Go to www.sharihouse.com to read more "Her Story Silhouettes"

Hey there, I'm Shari. One of my favorite things to do is read about or study the lives of ordinary women who have done extraordinary things for the Lord.

Their stories challenge me, encourage me, and teach me. My hope is that these "silhouettes" or glimpses of their lives will do the same for you.  

Each silhouette contains a small synopsis of a lady’s service to the Lord, a particular story from her everyday life that resonated with my own, and a short Bible study about a truth that I learned from it. I hope that as you read these posts you might be challenged to find out more about these great ladies, that you might find something that speaks to your heart or helps you in your own ministry, and that ultimately you will be encouraged to remain faithful to your calling.

So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy, and let me tell you about her story.

Silhouette:     

Priscilla Stewart was born on August 28, 1864, in Lisburn, Ireland and grew up among the wealthy. It was said of her that she was Irish both in her looks and in her spirit. She wanted nothing to do with religious people and had no fear about where she would spend eternity. She even boasted that she would have a wonderful time in hell with her friends. However, one night she had a vivid dream where she saw Jesus hanging on the cross and she heard Him say, “With my stripes are ye healed.” The dream was unsettling, and she couldn’t get the image out of her head. She trusted Christ as her Savior a short while later, and not long after that she committed to go to China as a missionary. Hudson Taylor had been spreading the word about the great need for missionaries in China and had already organized the China Inland Mission. Taylor had organized the departure of the popular “Cambridge Seven” in 1885, and Priscilla joined the cause as one of “The Hundred” that arrived in Shanghai, China in 1887. Those joining the mission went through a specific course of study and examination to become a missionary. Six months initial training covered Chinese language, geography, government, etiquette, religion and the communication of the Gospel. Trainees were then posted to an inland station where they were supervised by a senior missionary. After two years, successful candidates became junior missionaries and after five years took responsibility for a station. Priscilla along with three other women were assigned to the inland station in the city of TaKuTang.

The following year in 1888 Priscilla became acquainted with C.T. Studd, the successful, wealthy English cricketer who was one of the famous “Cambridge Seven.” She had no plans of marrying as she was fiercely dedicated to the work the Lord had called her to do. Charles on the other hand, was quite convinced they were meant for each other and told her, ‘You have neither the mind of God nor the will of God on the matter, but I have. And I intend to marry you whether you will or not so you’d better make up your mind and accept the situation!” Eventually Priscilla consented to marry him, and on their wedding day she wore a sash that said, “United for fight for Jesus.”

Both Priscilla and her husband took to heart Matthew 19:21, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Before Charles left for China, he gave away most all of his inheritance, amounting to over 40,000£ ($4.4 million in today’s value), to D.L. Moody, George Muller, and various other ministries. What was left, about $500,000 in today’s value, he offered to Priscilla as a wedding gift. She responded with “Charlie, what did the Lord tell the rich young man to do?” “Sell all.” “Well then, we will start clear with the Lord at our wedding.” And with that they gave the rest of the money away to the Lord’s work.

After they were married, Priscilla and Charles moved to the inland city of LungangFu to work. They endured many hardships, but together they faced them with the full belief that they could reach the people of China for Christ. Some of these hardships included their bed becoming infested with scorpions, starvation, and having their neighbors greet them with curses whenever they left the house . . . every day. . . for five years. Eventually the power of the Gospel began to do a work in the hearts of the people and the persecution the Studds had borne for five years began producing Christians who were also willing to bear persecution for the cause of Christ. Here is a case in point:

One Chinaman they witnessed to many times said, ‘I am a murderer and adulterer. I have broken all the laws of God again and again. I am also a confirmed opium smoker. He cannot save me.” The Studds continued to preach Christ to him and he accepted Him as his Savior. The Chinaman said, “I must go to the town where I have done all this evil and sin, and in that very place tell the Good News.” He did just that and was arrested. His punishment was 2,000 lashes with a bamboo cane. After a stay in the hospital he went straight back to the town to preach again. Embarrassed to flog him again, they instead sent him to prison. Crowds came daily to listened to him preach through the small open windows and holes in the wall. Eventually, they set him free because he preached more inside the prison than out. This man is just one of dozens of examples of the lasting mark that Priscilla and her husband left in China.

Priscilla and Charles were both forced to return home to England shortly after that in 1894 because of poor health. They brought with them their four daughters (Grace, Dorothy, Edith, and Pauline) and left behind two sons who had died in infancy. After a period of time of recuperation, they spent the next two years touring English and American universities recruiting missionaries. They then served in Ootacamund, South India from 1900-1906. Once again, ill health forced them to return home. Priscilla did not know it at the time, but she would never return to serve on the field.

In 1913 Charles’ heart was stirred by the great need in Africa. Because the doctors would not give their consent, his financial backers stopped their support. He decided to go anyway but thought it would be better for Priscilla to stay behind with their daughters much to her great disappointment. She took up the cause for missions on the home front, though, and headed up an organization called Worldwide Evangelization Crusade (WEC) that not only raised the funds that kept her husband on the field, but also raised awareness of the needs for more missionaries to go to unreached areas all over the world.

Priscilla died on January 29, 1929 at the age of 64 after living a lifetime on and off the mission field for the cause of Christ. She is truly a woman of whom it can be said, “She hath done what she could”!

Her Story/My Story:  

As a wife, mother, and missionary, Priscilla’s life took many turns, but the one she was least prepared for was when her husband decided she should stay home with the children while he pursued missionary work in Africa. Charles saw this separation from his family as just one more thing he was willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ, but Priscilla struggled with feelings of rejection, loneliness, and loss of her calling. She eventually came to terms with her feelings and realized, although her life’s plans had changed, there was still a part she could play in missions. She had decided that if she couldn’t be on the field anymore and no one was willing to support the work her husband was trying to do, that she would make it happen. And so, she threw herself wholeheartedly into raising support for her husband and recruiting new missionaries to join in the work by heading up the WEC. Priscilla lived the last 16 years of her married life apart from her husband except for a brief 13-day visit to the Congo a year before she passed away.

Priscilla’s life did not turn out at all like she had planned when she left her home as a single missionary to serve the Lord in China. Life is often like that. It takes twists and turns, sometimes caused by our actions, and sometimes caused by the actions of others. The beauty of staying faithful to the Lord, though, even when your life doesn’t look like the one you planned, is that often the Lord allows you to see your hopes and dreams come to fruition in the lives of your children and grandchildren. Priscilla lived long enough to see two of her daughters go to the mission field with their husbands to continue on with the work that she and her husband had given their lives to.

My grandmother on my father’s side got saved as a teenager during an old-fashioned revival meeting. From that point on she desired to serve the Lord with her life, and she surrendered to be a missionary. She met my grandfather, a blue-collar worker, and they were married. They were faithful Christians in their church, but my grandmother never lost her desire to become a missionary. As time went on, she realized it might not be in God’s plan for her life. She had only one child, my father, and my grandma began praying that the Lord might call her son to the mission field. My father grew up and became a business man and served the Lord as a faithful layman in church until he became an assistant pastor. When myself and my siblings came on the scene, she began praying that the Lord would call one of her grandchildren to the mission field.

Although I was never aware of my grandmother’s prayers concerning the mission field, she often quoted to me this poem that she had written:

A Christian brave is what I want to be.

More like Jesus, Who walked the shores of Galilee.

I want to be a soldier of the cross,

To help some soul to find their way that’s lost.

I want to live my life in such a way.

That a stumbling block for others, I’ll never be.

A Christian more like Jesus, is what I want to be.

I remember the day in October 1993, when I told my grandma that I was going to go to the mission field. There were tears, but not the kind I was expecting . . . the kind that most grandmas might have when their granddaughter tells them that they are committing to live a life on the other side of the world. Instead, they were tears of joy at answered prayer and fulfillment of a life-long dream.

From the time I left for Nigeria until her death 12 years later, I only got home to see her a few times, but never once when we spoke on the phone did she not at some point say, “Shari, God love you, I pray for you every day, many times a day.” Every letter she sent me was filled with the same sentiments. My grandmother was upholding me on the field with her prayers. It is true that my grandmother never made it to the mission field, but I know it is also true that I would have never made it on the mission field if it were not for her faithful prayers. She never did get to be a “Joshua” on the front lines of the battle, but she was a faithful “Hur” her entire life.

Bible Study:  "Hur" Story

We first find Hur mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 17:8-13 where the Israelites were fighting in the Battle of Rephidim. As per Moses’ direction, Joshua and his chosen men went out to fight the Amalekites while Moses went up to the top of the hill overlooking the battlefield for the purpose of holding up the rod of God. The Bible tells us that Aaron and Hur went up with him. When they saw that Moses was getting tired, they found a rock for him to sit on. Then they noticed that when Moses’ arms lowered under the weight of the rod, the Israelites began to lose the battle. Aaron and Hur stood on either side of Moses for the duration of the battle and steadied his arms until the evening came and the Israelites were victorious.

Moses, Aaron, and Joshua are familiar characters that play important roles in Israel’s history and the Bible has much to say about their lives. Hur on the other hand seems to come on the scene quietly with no backstory of his life given, although Jewish tradition says he was Miriam’s son. He wasn’t Israel’s great leader . . . that was Moses. He wasn’t Israel’s great speaker . . . that was Aaron. He wasn’t Israel’s great general . . . that was Joshua. He wasn’t one of Israel’s great warriors fighting the battle on the field either. He was, however, one of Israel’s faithful men who served the Lord as he could. He was the one who met the physical needs of Moses when he was tired. He was the one who used his strength to help Aaron keep Moses’ hands lifted in the air during the battle. He was the one who kept a watchful, and no doubt prayerful, eye on Joshua and the warriors as they labored in the fight . . . and in so doing, he did his part and helped the Israelites win a great victory.

The only other time Hur is mentioned in the Bible apart from a few genealogies is in Exodus 24:14 where God has called Moses up to Mount Sinai to speak with him. Hur must have been a man of some wisdom and leadership because Moses leaves him, along with Aaron, in charge of all the Israelites while he is gone, and he instructs the elders to bring to them any matters that need attention. It is interesting to note that as the days progressed, and Moses tarried on the mount, Hur is not named with Aaron when the golden calf was fashioned to be worshipped. Jewish tradition says that he is was not present because he was killed by the people while trying to prevent them from carrying out this wickedness.

We know nothing more of Hur’s story, but in Exodus 31 and subsequent chapters we find that Bezaleel, Hur’s grandson, was called and equipped by God for the great honor of building the Tabernacle and all its intricate parts including the Ark of the Covenant. It is easy to conclude that, although the Bible doesn’t give us a large narrative of Hur’s life, he most likely was a man who led his family spiritually by example and helped raise up future generations for the Lord and His work.

Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;”

Your faithfulness to the roles and tasks, whether great or small, that God gives you in your life makes an indelible mark on those that come after you for generations to come. Sometimes your greatest contribution to the Lord's work comes not by being a "Moses" or an "Aaron" or a "Joshua". . . but by being a "Hur."

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Copyright 2019 www.sharihouse.com

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*Disclaimer:

I have chosen to highlight the life of these ladies because of what they have accomplished for the Lord not because I agree with their doctrinal beliefs.  As with all study of man, our focus should be on the character traits they bestowed in their lives that allowed the Lord to use them, how the Lord used them, the methods of ministry they incorporated that allowed them to be effective, etc.  We do not study man to get our doctrine.  Our doctrinal beliefs should only come from the Bible.  To that end you may find you don’t agree with the doctrine of a particular person that I write about, but I believe there is still much wisdom we can gain from studying their lives.

Missionary Quotes - Saint

Homeschool Helps

I'm not one of the veteran home school moms who can give you the best advice on how to make home school work, but I am a newbie missionary and home school mom who has figured out what works for us, at this time, in this place.  So, this month, I'd love to share a few things we've done to make life and ministry a little easier. 

You may be wondering, "Why January?  We're already halfway through the school year, for many of us." Because I love "boosts"in the middle of the year.  Some of us may already be finished and gearing up for next school year...that would not be me... Others of us may be wearily beginning the next long haul until summer.  I hope to just encourage you to keep on keeping on.  Some days the days are very, very long and frustrating; but those truly are becoming farther and fewer between.  Here are some things that have made homeschooling a little more enjoyable for all of us. 

Organization
I always love seeing the home school rooms/spaces at the beginning of the school year.  Some of us are truly blessed with large school rooms specifically dedicated to home school; some of us have a box under our bed or in our camper; and others of us are somewhere in between.  Whatever space is available, organization is a key in enjoying the home school adventure (and, believe me, it's an adventure!)

We have one very large, open room that is our living room, dining room, kitchen, and home school area.  I love my little area to study, plan, and organize.  It's a great space to display the kids' schoolwork (thanks to my handyman husband) and space for the kids to do any computer work they may have for the day.  Their favorite "computer work" is art class: they use youtube videos for art tutorials to draw different things.  They could spend all afternoon doing this if I'd let them.  This has been a great spot for so many different tasks.

I have two children I home school: one in sixth grade and the other in 4K.  Each child has a box with their school stuff in it for the week.  This has been a life saver when traveling.  We've been in several different states and two countries trying to home school since beginning in August.  I can pick up the box and go. Just this past week, we traveled to a church almost two hours away.  It's great that I can pick up their box and have everything we need to do school wherever we're serving that day.

I have a son who very much likes a to-do list--he may be a tad like his mother ;-)
So, this has also been a life-saver for me.  My first year homeschooling him, I had notebooks for different subjects.  This more simple, condensed way of organizing our week has proven to be more effective for us.  He has an accordion folder with a tab for each day of the week and one for weekly worksheets.  He gets out the work for that day and checks it off as it's completed.  Everything is one place and his need to check off the list has been met.

`

Communication

 My son has to know the plans for today...yesterday.  Every single morning, he'd wake up and ask me what we were doing.  So, a few months ago, I decided to create a weekly calendar and hang it on the fridge.  Some days, life takes over and can't control things not on the calendar, but it has helped with his need to know what's supposed to happen.  It's been great for both of us. There's a pencil handy, so if there's been a change in plans, it can be easily adjusted. This also reminds both of us planners in the family: Proverbs 16:9, Ä man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps." We can plan as much as possible, but the Lord is the One in control.  Those moments my son and I may think are interruptions are actually divine appointments.  But, I do much better when I have a heads up as much as possible, so my husband has been great about adding new events/responsibilities to the calendar as a way to keep me informed too.

Flexibility
This one is honestly a very difficult one for me.  I'm a rigid planner.  I have a plan for the day and I expect that plan to be carried out.  When it's not, I can get a little frustrated...okay, maybe a lot frustrated.  But, I'm learning.  God is teaching me that flexibility is the key to not only surviving, but thriving, in homeschooling and on the mission field.  So, I've tried to be more low-key and allow "school" to happen anywhere.  So, here a few of the ways the kids do their work:

 One morning in January was supposed to be the first day back to school after break.  I had so many lofty ideas and plans for that day.  But, when the kids ate breakfast and saw what a beautiful day it was, outside they ran.  Brother and sister played together for a solid three hours outside: riding bikes, swinging, playing chase, etc.  This sight was not to be interrupted: (1) because they were actually playing..nicely...together.  and (2) because they needed to get out all of that energy those two fireballs have in them.  So, the morning was cancelled and "school" took place after lunch.

Involvement
When I first decided on a new curriculum for us this year, I was very nervous about how much parental involvement was expected.  Not that I don't want to spend time with my kids...but, I'm good with some of their own independent work too!  I've tweaked the curriculum to work for us so that my son does have more independent work so I can focus at times on my preschooler, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the time I've been able to spend learning with both of them.  And Pinterest has been another great tool to use to supplement arts/crafts and extra learning for my little one. 

When learning about nature and plants, we went outside to gather sticks and leaves to create our garden.

Ethan and I enjoyed learning about crystallization by watching the crystals form over time.

I hope these few insights into what has worked for us has helped to encourage you: wife, mom, teacher, missionary.  I've heard the saying many times and it has really stuck with me: "The days are long, but the years are short." Some days are very long, but it's truly been a joy to walk these days with these two precious treasures God has given me to nurture, love, and grow in Him.  If you have any ideas, please feel free to comment and let me know what has worked for your family!  God bless you as you walk this path and invest in your children in this way.

Missionary Quotes - Studd

A Light in the Window

It was a typical January morning in the arctic. We were busy with our normal morning routines. I had just put hot-rollers in my hair (I know, I'm stuck in the '90's). Then, just as I was opening my makeup drawer, the power went out.  It was dark. This felt like one of the ten plagues dark.  I couldn't see anything. My son hollered down, "It's the whole town, not just our street!"  Thankfully this doesn't happen often here in Iceland.

I took the rollers out, fingered through the curls, and decided to head to the church early to fix my makeup.  I used my handy pocket-sized self-defense flashlight to find my coat and keys. As I drove down my street, I noticed several things.

1. There is no dark like middle-of-the-winter arctic dark when the cloud cover blocks the moon and stars and the lights go out.

2. The gray building at the end of my street that I have mostly ignored for twenty years has battery operated emergency lights in one of its windows.

3. One of my neighbors has a flashlight. 

4. I am very thankful for electric lights.

5. I really, really hate the dark.

6. Light and mirrors are essential to hair dressing and makeup.

We had been studying Proverbs 31 in our ladies' Bible study.  This virtuous and industrious woman has a candle that does not go out by night.  I had been pondering what that meant.  I know that commentaries can give me cultural and historical meanings about that candle, but I had been thinking about what that meant to me.  Does this woman stay up all night?  I doubt it. Everybody has to sleep sometime, even this super woman in Proverbs 31. Why did her candle stay lit?

Suddenly, as I was driving down the very dark, dim, road, while half-expecting Poe's Raven to tap on my car door, it came to me. "Her candle goeth not out by night." She has a light in the window for the people in the dark. She doesn't hide her light or put it out at home. That light cries, "Welcome! There is shelter from the cold here! There is no need to be out in the dark, alone and afraid!"

One candle may not seem like much, but if everything is dark, that light means everything. 

As I pulled into the church, where there was power, I noticed the cross that a friend of our ministry had made with the lights put around it by my husband.  This is a candle in the window.

May I be a light in the dark.

Patrick and Vicki Weimer in Iceland since 1999

fbkiceland.com

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Soft Pretzels, my mom’s favorite! She loves dipping them in warm nacho cheese!  My brother loves them with a bit of hot English mustard. My favorite way to eat them is fresh out of the oven with some butter! However you like them, and with whatever topping, these taste amazing! Surprisingly, they are easy to make! 

You can whip up a batch of these in a little over an hour! You can make your pretzels smaller than I made mine. We like ours thick and big, but you may like them thinner. Make them however you like! 

What you’ll need 

4 cups flour 

1 TBS yeast 

1 1/2 cup water 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon salt 

Boiling Water 

2 TBS baking soda 

1 egg 

Coarse salt 

What to do:

Combine half of the flour, the yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in warm water. Add the rest of the flour and knead dough until smooth. Allow to rise for 20 minutes. Cut dough and divide into four or five or six pieces ...this is when you decide how big you want your pretzels. Roll each piece of divided dough into a snake. Make a loop with half of the snake, and cross of the loop with the other half of the snake making the criss-cross traditional pretzel shape. In my video I show you three ways my family likes them shaped. Have some fun and experiment and find a shape you like! 

Let the pretzels rise for 10 minutes. Broil or bake in an oven for 10 minutes, or until a skin forms on the pretzels. While pretzels are broiling, bring some water to a boil in a sauce pan. The water should be deep enough to allow your pretzels to float. Add baking soda to the water once it comes to a boil.  Remove pretzels from oven, and boil in the baking soda water for 45 seconds to one minute on both sides, depending on the size of the pretzel. Remove from water, drain, and place on a well oiled cookie sheet and bake until done. 

Try to be patient! You’re gonna wanna dig into these as soon as they come out of the oven. But don’t! Wait at least 15 minutes before you start to enjoy the pretzels. If you eat them right out of the oven, the pretzels will seem doughy. That’s not very enjoyable! 

I hope you try this recipe out! If you do, let me know how it worked and what your family thought of the pretzels! 

Amber Wells 

Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 

Stay in the Word

Christian, stay in the Word!
Leader, stay in the Word!
Missionary, please, STAY IN THE WORD!

There really is no other way. This week I was reminded of this great truth.

Over the years, I have counselled many young women. Today, some of those women are faithfully following God. Some, sadly, are not. What's the difference? The Word.

Take a look at Deuteronomy 17:14-20:
"When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel."
(emphasis mine)

Here is a passage dealing with the law of the Israelite kings. They were given instruction and guidelines for their ruling: basic things, about obtaining horses for personal gain, wives/concubines, riches... all usual issues for kings. These would be "normal" human pitfalls. Eventually, most of these laws were broken by one king or another.

Yet God had given a remedy to keep them from succumbing to these pitfalls... His Word. Each king was to write his own copy of the law and keep it before him constantly. This would help him to fear and obey God, to stay humble, and to prolong his days.

Now, I know we are far removed from being a king of Israel, but perhaps this passage gives us the key to staying faithfully on the path of righteousness. Especially as ladies in positions of leadership, we too need to fear and obey God, stay humble, and prolong our days.

I find great encouragement in writing out verses from the Word of God. It helps with meditation, memorization, and application. However, there are many other ideas for staying in the Word. It matters not how much or little you read, but rather that you are in the Word daily, seeking the face of God. This is how God changes our hearts and lives to be more like Him.

Long day? Stay in the Word.
Family trouble? Stay in the Word.
Financial difficulty? Stay in the Word.
Wrongly treated? Stay in the Word.
Facing pain, illness, and/or death? Stay in the Word.

There are so many stories of Christians who were in leadership falling away into a life of corruption. Ladies, we cannot afford to leave off our Bibles. This is basic, yes, but it is the ONLY prevention from becoming a casualty in the war of the work.

"Sanctify them by thy truth: thy word is truth."
John 17:17

...The Keeping of Your Souls...

In missions, we often hear talk of sacrifice.  I suppose there are some things that folks have sacrificed to serve God on the foreign field.  However, when I analyze my own life in comparison with what others of generations gone by have sacrificed, I can’t say that I’ve really made all that many.

  

We are, however, called as Christians to suffering. (Acts 9:16; I Corinthians 12:26; II Thessalonians 1:5; II Timothy 1:12; II Timothy 2:12; I Peter 2:20; 3:14, 17)

Philippians 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

I Peter 4:19 “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

I’m a bit of a word nerd. Recently, I did a word study of this verse in I Peter 4, that I am going to try to share with you.

The word suffer here is translated from the Greek word pascho.  It is defined as follows: to be affected, to feel, to have a sensible experience, or to undergo.  Many things come to mind here.  We all have been affected by the choice we made to be obedient to the call of God on our lives.  We’ve all felt multitudes of emotional roller-coasters.  There are many trials, rocks, and hard places we have undergone. This is the fellowship of His sufferings.  This has been given to us on the behalf of Christ.

Peter encourages us to commit the keeping of our souls to God in well doing.  The word keeping is translated from the Greek word paratithemi, which is defined as follows: to place beside or before, i.e. food placed on a table.  The word soul here is translated from the Greek word psyche, which is defined as follows: the rational and immortal soul, life, mind, soul, or heart.  When this word is used to describe plants it refers to their vitality.  ‘In well doing’ is translated from the Greek word agathopoiia, which is defined as follows: a course of right action, well doing, or virtue.  Faithful is used to describe our Creator to Whom we can commit our souls.  That word comes from the Greek word pistos, which is defined as follows: trusty, faithful, of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, to be relied upon, sure, or true.  

So here is my takeaway:

1.     Suffering is an honorable service when endured on the behalf of Christ.

2.    We must commit the care of our souls to God.

3.    God will nourish our souls – our psyche – in the same way that we as a host wait on a guest.

4.    God will keep us on a course of right action.

5.    God is faithful.