Wow! Can I just say PRAISE THE LORD! Tyler just called me. He was downtown and had to go into a building. Outside the building there was a fenced in "play area" with toys, it was obviously a daycare outside of his high rise building. I know exactly where it is. There was a section with kids that were toddlers and walking. Those kids were just playing. Then there was another fenced in area with babies who couldn't walk. Babies from 6 weeks old.... babies Tyler Jr's age. Tyler told me that as he walked past, he saw a quick glimpse of a scenario. He saw a baby, about Tyler Jr's age laying on the floor crying. His pacifier was laying on the floor and had fallen out of his mouth. He laid there and just cried. The day care worker, with another baby in her arms, walked over to the crying baby and put the pacifier back in his mouth. It had been on the dirty floor, people's shoes tracking through the area. Clean, right!?! Yah! Tyler said he walked into the building and just started crying. When he called me, I just started crying too as he painted the picture of what had happened. As Tyler cried in the building, he just thanked God, "Not my boy. Not my boy." That Tyler Jr doesn't ever cry for too long without his mama coming to him to love on him. It just gave me a more clear why! Yes, we own our own business, and it has afforded me the privilege and the blessing to stay home. To be a wife & mama. It just reminded me of one of my "WHY's". I know there are other Mama's out there who don't want to be at work. They want to be a Mama! They don't want to leave their child at the day care. They would cry to see their child laying on the floor, crying, with no arms to pick them up. Or behind bars of a play yard.
Sure, not all parents have a desire to stay home and raise there kids, and that is OK. But for those that do, it reminds me of my Why. Why we have a business. To help & serve people. To help Mama's come home to do what I believe has been the most important thing I have done, raise up a godly Warrior who will usher the next generation of Christian leaders! To help daddy's come home from corporate America to be daddy's. Praise the LORD! If I could go pick up that baby on the floor, I would just want to pick him up and hold him. Stop his cry. Make his tears go away. And if or when I meet his mommy or daddy, I'm going to offer them an opportunity. A solution to not having to leave their son there. How your heart changes when you have children. Tyler Jr has made my heart so much bigger. So much more full of love.
Well... with that long intro, let's get started....
Lamp. What do we know of the word "lamp" in the Bible. What are some of the spiritual connotations or references for this word? The first we probably think of is this: The Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Ps 119:105) We think of the Word "lamp" and we automatically think: Word of God, Bible, something that gives light, direction, vision.
SOOOOO..... if the loose woman... who at one point has seen the light, has lost SIGHT, what has happened? The LAMP is no longer in front of her. The Bible, the Word has passed from her life. The Word is no longer in front of her, guiding her. If she once was reading it daily, things have gotten in the way. One day of missing the Word, led to 2 days, which led to "I'll get to it tomorrow." Then, tomorrow, led to tomorrow. Then that tomorrow led to, "I'll do it one day when I get time." Then that "one day" never came and the lamp got further and further away. Subtle other things began to draw attention. Subtle other things became fun, or felt good. Things slowly drawing her away from the lamp, the Word of God. What she one day SAW (because it refers to her LOSING SIGHT, so we know she at one point SAW it), has now faded into the dark distance. She got away from the Word. Her daily study, her quiet time has slipped away and we see what happens in Proverbs 5:23: He/she will die for lack of discipline & instruction, and in the greatness of his/her folly he/she will go astray and be lost.
She has strayed from the light. The result of sin is death. In this case, the result of lack of discipline is death. The loose woman has left a life of discipline.
The Proverbs 31 woman KEEPS the LAMP, KEEPS the WORD in front of her at ALL times! It says that her LAMP does not go out. She is steady. She is disciplined. She is not going to steer of the path that leads to aimlessness. To wandering with no cause or direction. Our Proverbs 31 friend is not walking down the road that leads to death. THE LAMP IS ON and the LAMP IS HER GUIDE! ALWAYS!
What does that mean to you? What does that mean to me? Well... I have to admit, I recently just dropped the ball on this! Granted, I pray and talk to the Holy Spirit a lot throughout my day. But when we were in Hilton Head, I went THREE days without being in the Word! I went THREE days without seeking out God's Word! I could come up with many excuses, but there are none that are good enough to allow myself to slowly stray from the LAMP, from the Word.
When is it MOST important to be on your guard? When is it EASIEST to stray from your LAMP? During a time of CHANGE. Are you going on vacation? Are you moving? Are you changing jobs? Are you changing schedules at work? Are you changing school schedules? Did you just begin a new activity? Do you have out of town guests coming in? Is it a Holiday? Times of CHANGE invite a perfect opportunity for the enemy to come in and cause a distraction, a diversion, the ability to get you away from the Word. To begin that process of "straying" from the LAMP.
Is change getting ready to occur in your life? BE ON GUARD! Are there any "subtle things" in your life that are creeping in like what happened to the loose woman? Are there "subtle things"?
Let's make a resolution to be consistent. To be in the Word. To not miss our Quiet Time! Not even for one day. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, let's keep the LAMP, the WORD on ALL THE TIME!
Well... with that long intro, let's get started....
Proverbs 5:6 - She loses sight of and walks not in the path of life; her ways wind about aimlessly, and you cannot know them.
Proverbs 31:18 (NIV) - She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.So, Proverbs 5 talks about the loose woman. The woman, quite opposite from our Proverbs 31 friend. Today, I saw something that I never have seen before. WOW! "She loses sight of and walks not in the path of life..." This leads me to believe that at one point in time, this "loose woman" may actually been on the path of life! She may actually have had SIGHT. Real, true sight! Without blinders, without scales. But true sight that revealed the one, true way of Jesus Christ. But, her life took a turn, and now her way is winding and she is going about aimlessly.
Lamp. What do we know of the word "lamp" in the Bible. What are some of the spiritual connotations or references for this word? The first we probably think of is this: The Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Ps 119:105) We think of the Word "lamp" and we automatically think: Word of God, Bible, something that gives light, direction, vision.
SOOOOO..... if the loose woman... who at one point has seen the light, has lost SIGHT, what has happened? The LAMP is no longer in front of her. The Bible, the Word has passed from her life. The Word is no longer in front of her, guiding her. If she once was reading it daily, things have gotten in the way. One day of missing the Word, led to 2 days, which led to "I'll get to it tomorrow." Then, tomorrow, led to tomorrow. Then that tomorrow led to, "I'll do it one day when I get time." Then that "one day" never came and the lamp got further and further away. Subtle other things began to draw attention. Subtle other things became fun, or felt good. Things slowly drawing her away from the lamp, the Word of God. What she one day SAW (because it refers to her LOSING SIGHT, so we know she at one point SAW it), has now faded into the dark distance. She got away from the Word. Her daily study, her quiet time has slipped away and we see what happens in Proverbs 5:23: He/she will die for lack of discipline & instruction, and in the greatness of his/her folly he/she will go astray and be lost.
She has strayed from the light. The result of sin is death. In this case, the result of lack of discipline is death. The loose woman has left a life of discipline.
The Proverbs 31 woman KEEPS the LAMP, KEEPS the WORD in front of her at ALL times! It says that her LAMP does not go out. She is steady. She is disciplined. She is not going to steer of the path that leads to aimlessness. To wandering with no cause or direction. Our Proverbs 31 friend is not walking down the road that leads to death. THE LAMP IS ON and the LAMP IS HER GUIDE! ALWAYS!
What does that mean to you? What does that mean to me? Well... I have to admit, I recently just dropped the ball on this! Granted, I pray and talk to the Holy Spirit a lot throughout my day. But when we were in Hilton Head, I went THREE days without being in the Word! I went THREE days without seeking out God's Word! I could come up with many excuses, but there are none that are good enough to allow myself to slowly stray from the LAMP, from the Word.
When is it MOST important to be on your guard? When is it EASIEST to stray from your LAMP? During a time of CHANGE. Are you going on vacation? Are you moving? Are you changing jobs? Are you changing schedules at work? Are you changing school schedules? Did you just begin a new activity? Do you have out of town guests coming in? Is it a Holiday? Times of CHANGE invite a perfect opportunity for the enemy to come in and cause a distraction, a diversion, the ability to get you away from the Word. To begin that process of "straying" from the LAMP.
Is change getting ready to occur in your life? BE ON GUARD! Are there any "subtle things" in your life that are creeping in like what happened to the loose woman? Are there "subtle things"?
Let's make a resolution to be consistent. To be in the Word. To not miss our Quiet Time! Not even for one day. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, let's keep the LAMP, the WORD on ALL THE TIME!
4 comments:
Having a really busy week - not unlike every other week now that I think of it. Busy weeks piling on top of the previous busy one. I have come to see your blog as comforting when I take the time to read it. Funny, it occurs to me that as insightful as your comments are, its probably actually the Word that I get from it that is what's making me hungry and reminding me what I am missing in my life. While reading your blog is great stuff - today's post of yours reminded me that I need to get back into the Word myself - because that is where my comfort really lies - and that is what will focus and refine my everyday goals so perhaps the "busy" weeks will become more productive and peaceful with God's blessing and guidance.
Amen Kristi! Well, and you are such a Bible Scholar already! You could be writing this and we would all be gaining huge insights!!! But, that is awesome and what is most important, that the WORD is what is compelling you forward, drawing you in. It sure does have a way of doing that, huh! :) God is good! Well, I pray that in the midst of your busyness, you will find that time each day that it can just be you, your Bible & your God. May He bless you in that time. May you grow. May God take you to a place you have never been and reveal is Word to you in ways you have never experienced. May God draw you closer and closer to Him. I know He has huge plans for your life and the best is yet to come!
Xoxo! Great to hear from you coz! :)
Amy
Amy...this is JUST what I needed today!!! We just got back from the Dells...and we're continuing our vacation at the lake for the weekend. I'm feeling SUPER stressed with only ONE WEEK until school starting...all the changes...I've been anxious. This is EXACTLY what I need.
Have you ever thought about putting a prayer at the end of your blog entries?? You know, like Stormie Omartian does in her books?? Just wondered. :o)
Great Kimmi! I'm glad it helped! AND, I thought your idea was great so I applied it today!! :)
XOXO! Love you!
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