Monday SHINE....
Reading plan for week of 9/10-9/14:
Happy Monday, SHINE sisters!
Oh man, 1 Corinthians is packing a punch! Would you agree? I love Paul. I will say it again and again:
I LOVE PAUL! I LOVE PAUL! I LOVE PAUL! I LOVE PAUL!
Okay, you get the picture.
Two themes that the Lord keeps showing me over and over again in our reading is Grace and Humility.
It's spilled all over 1 Corinthians. I just want to sop it up with my spongy heart, don't you?
Just last week, I had one very rotten day. Some things were going on and I was hurt, I was angry and I was sad all at the same time. A lot of emotions going on. (surprised?)
I was driving to get the kids from school and I was just about to pick up the phone to call my Mom or my sister to vent. The Lord stopped me dead in my tracks. I clearly heard Him tell me not to call anyone, but to go to Him with these emotions.
It was HARD. I had to fight against my flesh. My flesh was screaming for validation of my feelings being hurt.
The Lord knew this. He knew I needed only Him.
Against every fiber (and I do mean every fiber) of my flesh I submitted and I put down the phone. I went straight to Him in prayer. I confessed my frustration and hurt to Him. Over and over I spilled my heart out to Him right there in my car.
After praying, I needed a word from Him. Anything. I just needed something from Him.
Since I was driving, I could not read my bible. So, instead, at the next light I turned the Bible app on my phone on and without looking scrolled to find a chapter and a verse to read. I prayed as I scrolled and asked the Lord to speak to me. I needed Him.
The light turned green and I hit play. The man on the bible app started reading from 1 Peter 3. Oh boy.
It was about submission to husbands and stuff like that. I was a little puzzled because I thought I was actually doing pretty good in that department. (that week anyway)
I continued to listen, and then the brick hit me over the head.
- Monday 9/10: 1 Corinthians 4
- Tuesday 9/11: 1 Corinthians 5
- Wednesday 9/12: 1 Corinthians 6
- Thursday 9/13: 1 Corinthians 7
- Friday 9/14: 1 Corinthians 8
Happy Monday, SHINE sisters!
Oh man, 1 Corinthians is packing a punch! Would you agree? I love Paul. I will say it again and again:
I LOVE PAUL! I LOVE PAUL! I LOVE PAUL! I LOVE PAUL!
Okay, you get the picture.
Two themes that the Lord keeps showing me over and over again in our reading is Grace and Humility.
It's spilled all over 1 Corinthians. I just want to sop it up with my spongy heart, don't you?
Just last week, I had one very rotten day. Some things were going on and I was hurt, I was angry and I was sad all at the same time. A lot of emotions going on. (surprised?)
I was driving to get the kids from school and I was just about to pick up the phone to call my Mom or my sister to vent. The Lord stopped me dead in my tracks. I clearly heard Him tell me not to call anyone, but to go to Him with these emotions.
It was HARD. I had to fight against my flesh. My flesh was screaming for validation of my feelings being hurt.
The Lord knew this. He knew I needed only Him.
Against every fiber (and I do mean every fiber) of my flesh I submitted and I put down the phone. I went straight to Him in prayer. I confessed my frustration and hurt to Him. Over and over I spilled my heart out to Him right there in my car.
After praying, I needed a word from Him. Anything. I just needed something from Him.
Since I was driving, I could not read my bible. So, instead, at the next light I turned the Bible app on my phone on and without looking scrolled to find a chapter and a verse to read. I prayed as I scrolled and asked the Lord to speak to me. I needed Him.
The light turned green and I hit play. The man on the bible app started reading from 1 Peter 3. Oh boy.
It was about submission to husbands and stuff like that. I was a little puzzled because I thought I was actually doing pretty good in that department. (that week anyway)
I continued to listen, and then the brick hit me over the head.
"Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."
Okay, stick with me here.
God was telling me to close my mouth (don't call my mom or my sister or anyone), and keep quiet.
Loud and clear, I was hearing the call to be quiet. (this is not easy!)
To top it off, as I continued to listen, the scripture goes into living in unity and harmony with one another.
"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."
So, bottom line: God was telling me to be quiet, keep my mouth shut, and love this person. Not only love this person, but to bless them.
Not exactly what I was looking to hear from Him.
What does it take, girls, to be quiet? Humility.
How do we get this Humility? His Grace.
Right?
To make it even clearer, listen to what we are reading today in 1 Corinthians 4:
"When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
when we are slandered, we answer kindly."
1 Corinthians 4:12-13
Are you seeing a theme hear? Oh snap. Me too.
Humility is not for the weak, sweet girls. Oh no. It's for the strong--the strong in Christ.
Only by His Grace do we have the power to humble ourselves and love anyway when we have been hurt, slandered, talked about, put down, rejected, or judged.
We must trust Him in our pain. Completely.
Oh, so much more to come in our reading girls. Hang on tight. We are in for a roller coaster ride. A life changing one!
white knuckled.,
jill
