Where does the heart lead?

"Follow your heart." This saying is so familiar. You find it in books, people tell you to do it, and it is sung in songs. But is it really good advice?

God's word says that the "heart is deceitful above all things." hmm... it doesn't sound as though I can trust my heart.

So what is our "heart?" The heart is considered the center of emotions. (You've heard of loving someone with "all your heart.") The problem with emotions is that they can't be trusted. Emotions can shift with the weather - really!! Have you ever felt a little down, and later realize that a major storm is coming? Emotions can also shift according to how we feel physically or mentally. If you are tired, you are less likely to feel happy. Sounds like a lot of ups and downs, huh?

If the emotions are always changing, the heart cannot be trusted. If the heart is allowed to guide you through life, there will be a lot of frustrations, disappointments, and wrong choices.

On the other hand, we can allow God's word to guide our hearts. We can chose to set our hearts in God's will. Deut. 11:16 warns us to take care that our heart isn't deceived. If we hide God's word in our hearts, we can live a life free of sin. ( Psalm 119:11 ) The important thing is choosing to guide the heart, not be guided by the whims of emotions.

It is important not to make choices in life based purely on emotions. "If it feels good, do it." is an old mantra, but not a reliable one. Something may feel "good" at that moment, but have serious negative effects for the rest of a person's life.

Pharoah chose to set his heart against God's way ( Exodus 9:34 )and suffered the consequences. On the other hand, Ezra prepared his heart to seek God's law ( Ezra 7:10 ) and became a great leader of God's people. What will you chose for your heart?


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What is Truth?

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. John 18:37-38


So many people today are on a quest for truth. They want to know what is real. Unfortunately, many of them don't believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth. They feel that all things are relative. Jesus said that He is the Truth. (John 14:6) If we don't seek Him as the source for truth, we aren't going to find truth at all.

Pilate wanted to know the truth. However, he didn't even stay around long enough to let Jesus answer his question "What is truth?" I believe many people are afraid of the truth. Maybe Pilate didn't want Jesus to tell him what truth was, because then Pilate would be held accountable. If there is Truth, than nothing is relative. Pilate would be held to a standard other than his own. Many people today are the same way, they may want to know what is true, but are afraid of Truth. Knowing the Truth might change their way of life. Truth might require them to hold to Someone else's standard - God's.

When we seek truth, from the Source of truth, we will find it. Jesus said, in the verse above, that His purpose in coming to earth was to bring Truth. Not only was Jesus on trial in Pilate's hall, but so was truth. The fact is that truth remains on trial today. Many people aren't willing to commit to the truth.

As we pause on this Good Friday, let us be grateful for Jesus's sacrifice that we might have salvation and be brought into the Truth.

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Modesty - What is and What isn't?

Modesty has become a rather hot topic in the blog world. I have seen several blogs that address the topic, and a couple of blogs that ran a series on it. The confusing part is that each person has their own definition of what is modest and what isn't. So how do we know?

Well, like many other bloggers, I have my own definition of modesty. I am going to "stick my neck out" and let you know where I stand. You may or may not agree with me on certain aspects, but I hope what you read here will give you something to think about, and that you will be open to what standard God places on your heart. I am not posting this to start a debate, or to offend anyone, just stating where I stand - where I have stood for years.

First off, the most important fact about modesty, is that it must come from the heart. If you click the modesty label, you will see that I have spent several posts on this. If you are modest because that is the way people want you to dress, whether it be your parents or your church rules or the crowd you hang out with, your standards may be subject to change. Our standards on anything should be convictions based on God's Word. While you are young, study and ask those in authority or those you trust, to help you learn how to be modest. The important thing is to pray for God to reveal His standard. Those of us that are older, should really do the same thing! There is always room for more learning.

So here are some of my basic guidelines for modesty:

1. Modesty for all
Biblical Principal: In Genesis 3, we read the story of the fall and the entrance of sin to mankind. As a result of sin, man realized that he was immodest. He made an attempt at modesty, but his attempt wasn't good enough. Adam only made an apron, God made them garments or coats of skins.
Application: God's principals of modesty apply to both men and women. God's design of modesty is for the body to be covered. Man's definition of modesty isn't good enough. This is why it is important to ask God's help in setting your standard of modesty.2. The torso is to be covered
Biblical Principal: Back to Genesis 3. What does an apron cover? Not much. But the coat that God made for Adam and Eve can be defined as a tunic or long shirt-like garment. (reference) The same word for coat used in Gen. 3:21 is also used in Job 30:18.
Application: God commands that our torso be covered. This principal deals with the part of the body from the waist to the neckline. Though God's principal applies to both men and women, it is more difficult for women for obvious reasons, and thus it is important to women to take particular care in this area. Clothing that is to tight and shows the form is not concealing the torso and therefore can't be modest. Personally, to aid in covering my torso, I wear sleeves that are long enough so that when I raise my arms or move about, I am not uncovering my torso. A top that is too low is revealing the torso. If when you bend over your torso is uncovered, you need to consider adding another layer or wearing another top.

3. The thigh is to be covered
Biblical Principal: Exodus 28:42 The Old Testament priests were given standards of modesty. This verse tells of the breeches that they would wear that covered their "nakedness" - from the hips to the knees.
Application: God's principal of modesty is that our thighs should be covered. This doesn't just mean when we are standing in front of a bedroom or fitting room mirror. Modesty means in whatever position you are in - standing or sitting, running or walking.

4. Men dress as men, Women dress as women.
Biblical Principal: Deuteronomy 22:5 This verse states that men are to wear men's clothing and women to wear women's clothing.
Application: There is much debate over what consists of women's clothing. (Funny, everyone generally seems to agree on what is men's clothing.) Of course, this is defined by culture. Although cultures have their own styles of dress, there is always a difference in the styles worn by women and men. I have always lived in a western culture, as many of you have, I'm sure. In our culture, you don't have to go far to figure out what defines women's clothing. As a woman, I am going to pick the public restroom with a dress on the door. It has only been in the past 60 to 70 years that women have chosen to wear pants publically as a norm. (I won't go into the history here, but pants did't used to be the norm for women.) Just because most women wear pants, doesn't mean I should dress any less femine to simply "fit in." This is why I choose to wear dresses and skirts for clothing. To me, it is just that straightforward.

The purpose of clothing is to conceal, not to draw attention to our body. Just like all other areas of life, we should choose to honor God in the way we dress. As a woman, I want to dress modestly to honor God, and also to respect my husband. I do not wish to be a stumbling block for others, or to draw undue attention to myself by dressing outlandishly or immodestly. I hope this post has been helpful for someone. If you don't agree with me, that is fine. I am not posting to condemn anyone, or to be controversial. This is something I have felt I needed to address for some time, and it has been a more difficult post to construct. My prayer is that it will lead you to ask God what His standard is for you.

Many blessings!

Charity
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For more information on Biblical Modesty, you may want to read the series of notes linked to on this website. The information shared there is written by Dr. Phillip Brown II, an instructor at God's Bible School and College.

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Construction Zone

For the past three weeks or so, my husband and I have been living on a dirt road. We live out in the country, but not that far! Three weeks ago the road crews started work. They scraped up the old pot-holed asphalt, scraped a little more than left. We were excited! Finally we were getting road improvements! Then we waited....
and waited....

and waited...
For almost two weeks. nothing.

Then Monday they were back! They scraped and scraped. When I left the house Monday afternoon I thought the road would be done when I got home. "What a surprise for Mark!" But no - they just scraped.

Tuesday, they scraped more then poured some stinky oily dirt and scraped some more.

Wednesday, more stinky oily dirt and more scraping. Although I know they probably have a method for what they are doing - they've built more roads than I have, I still wonder why they don't just scrape once and get it over with? By the time they finished Wednesday we had the smoothest dirt road imaginable! But still dirt - I don't know at what point we actually get asphalt back!

Although the methods seem repetitive and sometimes fruitless, I know these road construction engineers have a plan. So it is with God.

Sometimes our lives seem so torn up like my road. Sometimes it seems God starts to work and then we wait and wait...
and wait.
We feel like we're getting no where, like nothing is happening.
Then maybe God starts scraping again and again
and again.
We wonder why we have to keep going through things. After all we learned the lesson the first time through, right? But on He goes, because He knows what He's doing even when I can't see it. After all - I've never "built" a Christian before.

The main objective in front of my house is a road - a solid one that won't wash away with the first drops of rain. One that won't have a bunch of potholes after the first then cars have driven over it.

God's objective is to create us into His image. I don't konw when the road outside will be finished, but I know that it will be finished long before God teaches me all He wants me to learn - that process will take a lifetime!

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Time to Eat!

Ever been really HUNGRY? A few evenings ago I was really hungry. We ha d been on the road most of the day and I hadn’t eaten the normal big meals – you know the ones, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, supper and snack. (Ok, minus so many snacks!) :) While traveling, I like to snack. (There’s that word again!) The problem is that all these little snacks keep me from being really hungry, you know – when you feel like you could eat anything even brussel sprouts. Wait… I wouldn’t go quite that far! Unfortunately, I tend to eat this way most of the time, thus my list of “meals” above. I’ve heard it’s best to eat more, smaller meals 0 but they need to be healthy and I don’t always make the right choices, but I try!I never thought of it until recently, but I tend to be the same way with my spiritual food. I get just enough satisfaction from church and my daily Bible and devotional reading that I don’t “hunger” after God’s Word as I ought to. While a hungry person will seek whole-heartedly for something to eat, the person who has had just enough doesn’t crave the food as much. My challenge to myself and to you is that we seek to become hungrier for God and His Word. Not by starving ourselves of church and daily devotionals, but by asking God to give us a sincere hungering.

Paul scolds the Corinthians for not having a good appetite in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. He tells them that he had to feed them milk instead of meat or solid food. They were not ready to receive solid food because they were still “fleshly.” The Corinthians needed an increase in their appetite as well as maturity.

When a person is hungry enough, he will eat anything! Proverbs 27:7b (NASB) says, “A sated [full] man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.”

Matthew 6:33 says that those who seek God’s Kingdom first and all these things will be added unto you. When we seek to have all God wants for us, He will fill us up! He wants to give us all that we can handle to grow in Him.

A sated man doesn’t seek. He’s no longer hungry. He’s satisfied and not willing to search. But a starved man will eat burnt toast. He’s seeking, he’s hungry. Have you ever noticed how fragile spiritual hunger is? One little delight and we’re good for a while. We don’t stay hungry for long.

These verses are talking about real hunger – craving, pursuing, seeking. Empty-belly hunger. That’s the kind of hunger God is looking for. Content in Him certainly. Content in who He is, and in the way He provides for our every need, but not satisfied. Not feeling so full that we no longer crave the knowledge and presence of God.”
~~~Lori Wick from the book Cassidy, Harvest House Publishers 2007.~~~

Thank you to Mrs. Wick for the inspiration and conclusion for this post! Many times the good fiction I read inspires me to deeper thought – hmm… that sounds like a whole other post to me!

Until then, here's to a healthy appetite!

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