Author: mary

In this Christian life, it is extremely critical that we share the Good News of the gospel with the world around us. If we keep it to ourselves, then people will never hear. Romans 10:13-14 says, “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” The world will not hear the gospel unless we bring it to them. So how can you be a part of the mission work going on in your own community, nation, and other areas of the world?

First, become educated about mission work, whether that is home or in other countries. If your church takes part in missions, then learn about what God is doing so you can be an active part of it. If they are not, then do some research to find out about organizations and ministries taking part in the world. You can also look and see what types of ministries are taking place in your own community. Second, commit to praying for the work. Pray specifically for people that are ministering and for the work that is being done. Last, pray about how you can be an active participant, whether that is serving in or their communities, states, or nations, or organizing prayer partners to pray for the work being done or committing to pray daily for those who are in the mission field.

Now is the time to focus on missions. The gospel is ripe and the harvest is plentiful, so join what God is doing!

Childhood is the most important stage of a person’s life. During that time they are learning right from wrong, good versus evil, and shaping their ideas and beliefs about God and the world. Parents have a significant role to play in this important process. There is a fine line between discipline and abuse of authority. The Bible tells us in Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not be so hard on your children that they will give up trying to do what is right.” It sounds like a complete change from other verses we read about discipline in the Bible.

Why would the Bible include this verse? As important as it is for children to obey their parents, it is just as important for parents to build relationships and train their children up in the Lord. When you respect your children and show them what love and grace look like, they will learn more from your actions than your words. Children are always watching to see how you will react, how you treat others, and how you live in general. So if your actions and lifestyle do not match your words, then that is what you teach them.

They must learn grace and forgiveness, and the only way for them to learn that is if they receive it as well. It is still important to have expectations and standards, but when your children don’t meet those, use it as a teaching moment instead of discouraging them. Then you will get to see what the Lord is doing in their lives.

Discipline can be very difficult and seem impossible at times, but it is necessary for raising children to be God-seekers. Proverbs 29:17 says, “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.”

Discipline starts when children are young, but can often be a puzzle for new parents to figure out. They really only have the model that their parents set, whether that is good or bad. Many people seek advice from others or even read parenting books before becoming a parent, but it still doesn’t necessarily prepare you for the difficult, new journey ahead. The best place to seek advice for parenting is from the Bible and godly parents whether that is your own or a godly couple you know. This verse gives some of the best advice you can follow. Don’t shy away from discipline, but be consistent, for if you discipline, you will find peace and joy. This verse is not talking about discipline as we see the world discipline, which can oftentimes either be too harsh or not enough. This is a godly type of discipline as the Father God disciplines His children. This discipline guides, teaches, extends grace and forgiveness, and perseveres.

Discipline is not as much about how you do it, but who you follow. Just as this verse states, it can bring peace and joy when you follow after the Lord and His Word.

Love conquers all, as 1 Peter 4:8 states. When you love others deeply, that love will cover a multitude of sins. So what does this mean in marriage and how do we live as a people who love deeply?

We must love as God loves and not how man loves. God’s Word must be our source for examples of love. 1 John 4 gives us a picture of what love really is. Verse 19 says that we only know how to love because He first loved us. Verse 9 tells us that “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” God loved us so much that He sent His son to die on a cross for our sins; He paid the ultimate sacrifice out of His love for us. This verse calls this great act of love “real love.” Loving as God loves doesn’t necessarily mean laying down our life for someone else, but it does mean that we put others before ourselves just as God did for us. We live with their best interest in mind. Everyday we show them our love for them by the way we speak and act. If we loved our spouses in this way, marriages would be saved and not just survive, but really thrive. Relationships would be healed and restored.

The world will tell you the opposite of what the Bible says about love. We must take our advice from the Bible and Biblical counsel so that we can live as people who love deeply and seek reconciliation and redemption.

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Proverbs 31:10 tells us. It can be difficult to find people of noble character today. Everywhere you look, you see people of dishonorable character: ugly divorces, politicians name calling and tearing down others’ character, people committing crimes against others, debates turning into heated discussions. Turn on the news and you will see examples everyday. Unfortunately, we can see examples in our homes and churches as well. Disagreements turn to disunity, disunity and discord give way to division in the church. So how can we be a people of unity and noble character so our homes and churches are a light to the world?

Why would there be an entire chapter in Proverbs devoted to describing a wife of noble character? Perhaps unity begins in the home between the husband and wife. The wife can sew love and respect in her home just by the way she treats her husband and children. Her attitude can affect how others in the household act as well. While this verse is focusing on the wife only, we can still relate it to marriage, the home, churches, and godly people in general. When husbands and wives love and respect each other, they will become one accord in their marriage. If the church is made up of people who are unified in their marriages and people seeking the Lord, then there will be unity in the church. And if there’s unity in the church, then we can be a unified front and take our light into this dark world!

So seek to become a wife or husband of noble character. Pray and ask your Creator to give you peace and patience with your spouse, so that your marriage will radiate nobility and unity.