Give

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Happy Valentine's Day:

It's hard to believe that today is Joy-givers FIRST anniversary. (link here) The journey here has been an interesting one. God has continue to grow and use us through our blogs. I'm so glad that Sara has continue to blog. They have made a difference in my life and can't wait to read the next one! Here is her blog link: http://www.aboutthecross.com/.

So, back to blog, I've been thinking about this day and what it means as a Christian, wife, and mother. What does Valentine's day, "the day of love", mean?

On Sunday in church, what will your friends typically ask you? 

• "What did your husband do for you?"
• "What did your kids do for you?"
• "What did your friends do for you?"

As I scroll through Facebook, many wives have posted pictures of the gifts they received from their husbands with the quote "My husband is the best ever".

What is marriage about?

"Well, I know my husband loves me, because he helps around the house." 
"My husband shows me his love by buying me awesome gifts."

My husband did gave me a great gift for Valentine's Day. He got me an Ipad Mini! I love it. :D I'm so thankful for a thoughtful and wonderful husband. Isn't it the best Valentine day ever?

The Wrong Perspective:

Let me be honest though, I failed Valentine's Day. I didn't buy my husband any gift nor did I do anything special for him. 

What is Love? It's not the things we receive....... rather it's what we give.

~What did you do for your husband today?
~What do you do for him every day?
~What do you do for your children?
~What do you do for others?... Today? Everyday?

" It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts. 20:35

God Gave First:

For God so loved the world, that He gave. God loved us so much that He gave His Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life. He has given us the greatest gift we could receive... well, actually two gifts. 

LIFE and ETERNAL LIFE.

"Freely you have received, freely give." Matt. 10:8

~Love gives.~

Her Advice

"With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding." Job 12:12

The Pastor's Wife:

My last post talked about a special pastor's wife that I consider very dear to me. You can read more about her here and found out who she is. I will try to share more of her stories of faith and persecution soon. 

My husband and I serve at our church and are being used of the Lord. I have noticed our ministries has been growing.... and I have begun to fear failure, rejection, and even not being a success for the Lord. So I had this deep desire to talk to her and discover what she learned from being a pastor's wife through some of her greatest challenges and over many years of service. 

Here is her advice to me as a woman in the ministry.

#1 Fear God

Psalm 64:9-10 "And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory."

God is mighty. God is all-powerful. He is holy, pure, and just. He is the creator of all things. He made you and me. (Revelation 4:11) When we read God's Word and discover what how majestic is the Lord our God, we cannot help but humble ourselves and plead for forgives for our fifthly rags. (Luke 18:13, 1 Peter 5:6)

One of my favorite accounts of God is Revelation 4. It describes the throne and majesty of the God. Read the description and imagine being there in front of Him.

Now, this may surprise you, but God wants a personal relationship with each of us. The Creator of all, the Great "I AM" cares to know you personally. First, He sent His only son to died for your sins and redeem you so you could be saved and have eternal life. WOW! (John 3) He knows everything about you and how you were made, even the hairs on your head have been counted. (Psalm 139:13-19, Matt. 10:30) He holds your tears in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8)

#2 Keep your Heart Right

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23 We need to keep our heart and thoughts right before God. We need to stay humble and have a submissive teachable spirit. We need to watch out for gossip and strife against each other. We need to forgive immediately and not hold grudges.

Keep reading the Bible and growing in your relationship with God. Keep making changes for the better. Keep praying for yourself and others. Keep your focus on Christ. :D

(Luke 6:45, Luke 22:24, Psalm 34:18, Phil. 2:3, Matt. 6:14-15) 

#3 Pay No Attention to Critics

1 Timothy 4:11 "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." This verse says it best. God will reveal to you His will for your life in His Word. Do what God has commanded you to do. He has a specific plan and purpose for you. He is your ultimate authority. Be steadfast and unmovable in your actions. (1 Cor. 15:58) Better to wait than to rush and be destroyed (Psalm 27:14, Prov. 14:29) Ignore those who criticize you along the way. Rather than say "what does so-so think of this", we ought to say "what does God think of this?". (1 Tim. 5:13) Focus on your own walk with God. 

Hope you enjoyed this advice and it was an encouragement to you as it was to me. Such excellent thoughts for a woman in ministry from a pastor's wife. :D

A Pastor's Wife

"That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God." Psalm 78:6-8

Her Story:

Saturday, I had the opportunity to talk to a pastor's wife. This woman has a very interesting history. She was born in a place where the common man did not have access to the Bible and most people in her town were illiterate. Her parents were Catholic and intellectual. Praise God, her mother received a Bible and could read it. She trained her daughter to read the Bible and study it for herself. As this pastor's wife grow up, she faced many persecutions for her faith. She was a child that went to school and the police were there monitoring everything. She feared being taken away from her family. Her faith continued to grow and be refined by fires. 

She got married and had seven children. Her husband become the a Baptist pastor of their town. During the time of his ministry, the family continued to face spiritual persecution. Twice, her husband stayed in prison because of his faith (five years total). Whenever there was a baptism, it was done at night in a cold lake in the woods. There were times that their house was searched for Bibles and literature, but God protected what they had and blinded the eyes of the police. The stories I have heard have strengthened my own faith.

Late in life, she faced one of her greatest trials, someone deeply hurt her. That person confessed the fault and sought forgiveness. (Romans 5:8, Matthew 6:14, John 8:6-11) God had changed that person's life completely and taught the pastor's wife some important lessons spiritually. (2 Cor. 5:17)

Who is this woman you ask? She is my grandmother.

My next blog will share the advice she gave me.... (as I grow in the ministry and serve the Lord).

"For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried." Psalm 66:10

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:14