Micah 6:8

Sometimes I’d like an exact list of what I need to do. I can go down the list and check things off as I go. I look at most things very black and white, and literal. It’s just how I’m wired. When I feel overwhelmed and have too much to do, this verse puts it all in perspective for me. Maybe it will for you as well.

And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

To make it really easy:

  1. Be just
  2. Be merciful
  3. Be humble

Just: based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.
Mercy: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone who you could punish or harm
Humble: having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance (opposite of prideful)

These are things we can do every day to honor God. They are free and there are no laws against them. If you don’t like the way you are feeling today, try to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Talk to Him and let him know how you feel. It isn’t a secret, He already knows anyway, so you might as well get things out in the open and discuss it with Him. You’ll feel much better. I promise.

No More Worries!

This Bible verse really helps me remember not to worry. I tend to worry about every little thing and this reminds me that I don’t need to do that. I can spend my time doing more constructive things!

Philippians 4:6

Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

Be Grateful To Your Husband

Here are a few more verses to help you show love to your husband. Tiny things make the difference in life. Don’t be discouraged if your husband doesn’t notice everything you do. He will notice eventually and he will love you all the more. 🙂

Be grateful to your husband by . . .

  • keeping your house clean (1 Corinthians 14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.)
    Notes: You’d be surprised how good a clean, organized, uncluttered house makes you feel. It makes your husband and children feel good as well.
  • keeping yourself attractive (1 Peter 3:1 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, 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.)
    Notes: Being attractive actually doesn’t all rely on appearance. A big part of being attractive is your attitude. No matter how beautiful you are on the outside, if you are a nagging bitter grouch, you aren’t attractive. 🙁
  • being genuinely thankful for everything your husband does (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.)
    Notes: Fill your heart with gratitude and there won’t be room for much else! 🙂
  • encouraging your husband (1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.)
    Notes: Encouraging is prompting others with an uplifting, cheerful call to worthwhile accomplishment. Always be your husband’s #1 cheerleader!

All Bible references are from The NIV Study Bible, 1995, The Zondervan Corporation.

Love Your Husband

There are many verses in the Bible that teach wives to show love to their husbands. Your husband is the head of your household. This is important to remember, and easy to forget in life’s chaos. If your husband isn’t a believer in God, keep praying for him. Don’t give up.

Here are a few ways to show love to your husband.

  • Accept your husband as the leader of your family. (Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church)
    Notes: This is hard to do sometimes, especially in today’s society when people are taught the opposite.
  • Learn to be content with basic provisions that he can provide for you. (1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing our of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.)
    Notes: When it says “food and clothing” that doesn’t mean going out to eat every day and buying every item of clothing available. Moderation is the key here 🙂
  • Help your children build loyalty and respect to their dad by keeping a good attitude toward him when he’s home and during the time he’s at work. Don’t complain about things he hasn’t done or finished yet and don’t voice your worries about things that might happen or he might do.  Help your children honor you and their father. (Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.)
    Notes: Your children are never to young to learn respect. This is so important in the world we live in today!

 

All Bible references are from The NIV Study Bible, 1995, The Zondervan Corporation.

 

The Ten Commandments

Of course you already know the Ten Commandments. But you might need a refresher 🙂 I know I do.

Exodus 20 (NKJV)

And God spoke all these words, saying:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image —any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holySix days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that isin them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Here is a picture of the Ten Commandments straight out of my Bible. (NKJV)

For a simple review, remember these:

  1. Put God first
  2. Worship Him only
  3. Don’t use the name of God in anger or joking
  4. Work 6 days, rest 1
  5. Obey your parents
  6. Harm no one
  7. Don’t cheat on your spouse or have sex outside of your marriage
  8. If it’s not yours, don’t take it
  9. Tell the truth, don’t lie
  10. Don’t be jealous of other people’s stuff

Good Plans for You

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Notes: Appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the Lord has not forgotten his people. God is the ultimate source of prosperity. (The NIV Study Bible, 1995 The Zondervan Corporation)

 

Whatever you are going through, God has not forgotten you. He has big plans for you. Good plans. This is one of my favorite verses and helped me through some tough times. It will help you as well.

Faith, Hope and Love

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


Notes: These remain now and forever. Because God is love and has communicated his love to us and commands us to love one another. Love supersedes the gifts because it outlasts them all. Long after these sought-after [spiritual] gifts are no longer necessary, love will still be the governing principle that controls all that God and his redeemed people are and do. (The NIV Study Bible, 1995, The Zondervan Corporation)

Faith Without Sight

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

2 Corinthians 5:7
We live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Notes: The experiences and circumstances of this present life, often painful and perplexing, are what is visible to the Christian, but these are merely phenomena in the passing parade of our fallen age and are therefore temporary and fleeting. To fix our eyes on these visible things would cause us to lose heart. By contrast the unseen realities, which are no less real for being invisible are eternal and imperishable. Accordingly, we look up and away from the impermanent appearances of this present world scene. (The NIV Study Bible, 1995 The Zondervan Corporation.)

Faith, hope, and love are all unseen. We may not see them, but we feel them. We know they are there. Remember to dwell on the unseen, rather than worry about the things we see. 🙂Pink Tulip Flower-03