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Check out this encouraging post about Doing the Next Thing over at Kindred Grace!

Michaela shared a definition of REAL WOMEN.

Read about 5 Reasons We are Crippled by INDECISIVENESS...

Ponder THIS thought for a little while!

Pretty Is As Pretty Does

Jesus heals a leper. 

Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law.

Jesus calms the winds and the sea.

Jesus heals a man with palsy.

Jesus offers rest for the heavy laden.

Jesus has compassion on the two blind men.

Jesus raises the Ruler's daughter from the dead.

Jesus blesses the children.

   

   Jesus. Such was his ministry; Healing. Calming. Giving. Showing compassion. Teaching. Loving. All through the four gospels, over and over again, we are led through the ministry of Christ. His teachings, his work, his ever-present love for the disciples and the people of the New Testament. He preached to them the gospel, and showed them how they should live. And how we, over 2,000 years later, should live as well. 

     I see so many Christians today who seem to have their own version of Christianity. They go about their lives, working, doing their *own thing*, living life the way they want, instead of the way a true Christian is taught to live. Christ was the living example of how we, His followers should be. We should be a living, breathing example of everything He is. His love, His compassion for others, His calming, giving spirit that always reaches out to others with genuine concern for the them is what we ought to reflect. 

     Some girls, myself included even, seem to have trouble with this concept. As girls, we love to be noticed. To be looked at, and admired. We like to feel beautiful, and many times, we unknowingly focus on impressing others with that outward beauty more than reflecting the beauty of Christ from within. We need to examine ourselves sometimes, and make sure that, while we apply our makeup and choose our clothes for the day, we are not merely attempting to show others our outside beauty, but also doing our best to let the beauty of Christ and all that He is shine through us. In our actions, in our words, and in the way we treat others. I read once, that a pretty girl means nothing if she has an ugly heart. 

Real beauty comes from within. Can others see Christ in you?

   

you.

~Holley Gerth

He Thinks I'm to Die For

"And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her."

Genesis 29:20

   How sweet is that? I was reading through the book of Genesis a while back, and I stumbled upon this verse, nestled quietly amidst the story of Jacob. Though I have read Jacob's story in the book of Genesis many times, and can say he was greatly used of The Lord, I wouldn't exactly call him a prime example of a man of God. He was a liar, a deceiver, a cheater, and he seemed to be a rather selfish, manipulative man. But, despite these bad qualities, he did know how to go after a girl and conquer her heart. The Bible tells us that Jacob loved Rachel so much, that he ultimately dedicated 14 years of his life to proving that love to her and her father. That's pretty intense, isn't it? I mean, what girl wouldn't want to be loved and wanted that much? 

      I witness so many girls who would give anything to be pursued like that. To be wanted, to be loved, and to feel like they are worth enough to be sought after without reserve. They seem desperate, even. Society constantly bombards them with unrealistic expectations of what it thinks they should be, and how it thinks they should be, and if they do not conform themselves to this low excuse for standard, they are labeled as fat, ugly, abnormal, strange, stupid. They are beaten down, made to feel worthless and inadequate. This makes them feel as if they must snatch up any chance to feel wanted and accepted, even if it is from the wrong source, for the wrong reasons. Most times, it costs them more than they ever dreamed it would. Girls will enter a relationship, looking for this acceptance, craving that special kind of love that makes them feel "good enough", the kind that makes them feel cherished, the kind that makes them feel like they are worth the whole world... The kind of love only one person can give them. 

      Jacob was only a man. He wasn't perfect. Did he love Rachel? Oh, very much so. But he failed her. Perhaps more times than we know. His love wasn't perfect as no one's love is perfect. No one will ever love you the way you need to be loved, the way you want desperately to be loved. No one, that is, but Jesus. He loves you enough, that he felt you were to die for. After everything you might have done to hurt him, yet He still thought you were worth enough to die for. So He did. He died for you. And all you must do is accept that fact. Accept it, and admit that, on your own, you aren't anything. On your own, everything you will ever do is for naught. Why? Because He already did everything for you. In Him, you are complete. In Him, you have all that you could ever want. Won't you simply trust Him today?

 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

{Romans 8:38-39}

Be a Light.

     So many people are hurting in this world today. So many Christians are too busy with work, school, church, and entertainment, to take a moment and offer a little bit of encouragement to someone. Stop and listen for a while. Smile at the cashier. Offer help to the lady at the grocery store. There are so many opportunities to be a blessing to others. You never know what a little sunshine might do for someone's rainy day. 

Be a Light.

beauty from the heart

this is what I shared with the girls last night for cabin devotions at camp. I hadnt really prepared anything, but the Lord laid these thoughts on my heart!  <3 Hannah

______________________________________________________________________

What is THE most beautiful thing you have ever seen?

Last night I got a lot of answers to that question... the Grand Canyon, the countryside in France, newborn babies, nature, trees, the human body, etc...

  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: 

but a woman that feareth the LORD, 

she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

God made every single one of us beautiful in our own way. He made us exactly how he wanted, and in HIS eyes, each of us are perfect and beautiful. If someone doesn't like us, then they don't like what God made.

Beauty comes from the heart. Someone who has all the money in the world, the most "beautiful clothes", and tons of make up on is not truly beautiful unless their heart is beautiful.

For our heart to be beautiful we must not fill it with garbage, instead we must focus on having godly character...

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, 

and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, 

in that which is not corruptible, 

even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 

which is in the sight of God of great price.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Its not wrong for us to spend time looking nice, but we should be focused on making sure that our character is what God wants it to be!

Beauty comes from the heart! <3

*Each Sunday we are going to post a short devotional like this one, and I'd like to encourage each of you to memorize the main verse<Proverbs 31:30> and meditate on it throughout the week!