Ah. . .At this moment I am really enjoying a good cup o’ coffee (topped, of course, with some whip cream) and reflecting on the wisdom and power of the Lord. How good Jesus Christ is! Our Savior is also our Brother, Friend, and Husband--a loving and ever-faithful LORD and Master. Recently, the Lord has been teaching me with Romans 6. There is so much in this chapter, but here are a few verses which have begun to mean the world to me.
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
. . .
7For he that is dead is freed from sin.
. . .
11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Dear sisters, I was once a servant to sin; I literally was in bondage to various sins and no matter how hard I tried I fell short of the glory of God. Since I became a Christian, the Lord has done much in my life. But, I did not realize the work that He did in me. I would fall into sin and often battle with temptation not realizing that the work has already been done! When I became a child of God, He became my new Master. . .by His blood He bought me. This does not mean that temptation and sin will never happen, but it does mean that I now have the power to to yield myself to holiness instead of as “instruments of unrighteousness.” Isn’t God good? His grace is sufficient for us! Let us choose to obey the Lord and His Word.
♥ ♥ ♥
On a separate note, all is well on the home front. :) I truly miss Mum and Bub. The house seems so quiet with half of my family missing, but I’ve been enjoying being the little “keeper of the home.” On Tuesday I prepared several croissant rolls (which are oh so yummy!) and yesterday I used left over spaghetti sauce to make two little lasagnas. I also got some mopping done! And so, I am a happy camper simply resting. :o) I praise the Lord for allowing me to learn a few basic things at home (such as mopping. . . ) I also praise Him for wisely giving me a mother who took the time to teach and instruct me! I LOVE you Mommy! Tonight at church we quickly discussed Proverbs 11:16 which reads,
“A gracious woman retaineth honour; and strong men retain riches.”
the NIV version reads the following,
“A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.”
I so appreciated discussing this verse because I have never understood it! I normally use KJV, but some fellow Christians read from the NIV. I was so blessed to see that a kind woman gains respect. That makes sense! :o) How often do we admire and desire to imitate kindhearted ladies? One other thing I found interesting were the words “retaineth” and “retain".” I have heard that “eth” signals that it is a constant thing, something that is done more that once. So, a gracious/kindhearted woman constantly or often retains honour. But a strong/ruthless man will retain riches once. Isn’t that interesting? And it is true too!
Well, I had best retire. :o) May the Lord bless you as you continue seeking Him! His way Is the way, the truth, and the life!
With much love (honest, truly),
Frannie
Picture credit: "Gathering Roses" was painted by Daniel Ridgway Knight. You may find at this link!
