Good morning! Well... I must say, I have had an enjoyable morning. I am on cup of coffee #2, so that in itself is exciting! The majority of my pregnancy thus far, even the smell of coffee has been yucky to me, but my taste for it is back! Yippee!!! I have always enjoyed this part of my morning, my blond, yummy coffee, prepared especially for me by my husband. It's a highlight of my morning. :) Aside from that, this morning I am thankful for a screened in porch. Why? You know the sound of a fly, buzzing? Well, I've heard that sound several times this morning and noticed a really large fly. I'm excited because he just buzzes away without getting near me. Thank you screened in porch! Random... I'm hungry, so we need to get moving so I can go eat! Ha!
Both in Proverbs 31 and 1 Timothy, they reference 2 of the fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23, kindness & love. As a goal of becoming the Proverbs 31 woman, we see that she is operating in the fruit of the Spirit. What is fruit? How do you get fruit? Fruit can not come until something is planted. I'm no farmer, but I know this much, if you don't plant an apple seed, you will never have apples. As believers, if you don't PLANT God's Word in your life by READING it, meditating on it, consistently studying it, you cannot produce the FRUIT of the Spirit. To have fruit, you have to plant!
TIP #1 - PLANT THE WORD! Study the Word. Meditate on the Word!
As we see in 1 Timothy, their purpose comes from one specific fruit of the Spirit, love. They are charged by love to help people avoid minor and major shipwrecks. Their purpose is love! Their instruction stems from love! What comes out of their mouth, the actions that they do, come from what they have planted. They have planted the Word, and the fruit comes out which is kindness (Proverbs 31 woman) and love (Paul & Timothy)!
The cause of shipwrecks? What went wrong? Why did the boat sink? Why did believers wander away from the faith? Why did people "miss the mark?" It most likely began with subtleties, even what seems innocent & harmless, but ultimately it remains what it is, gossip. Idle chatter. Vain arguments. Purposeless talk. What seemed harmless at first, led ultimately to a shipwreck.
I mentioned that today's devotion may not be for everyone, but it is really for a specific few. Why? The Holy Spirit said that their are some people who are rowing in REAL rocky waters. You are treading thin and heading for destruction if you don't change coarse. He said you still have time! You can still make adjustments. There is time to re-steer your ship and head a different direction, a direction that isn't headed straight into the rocks. IF corrections are not made, that is when one "misses the mark," "wanders away from the faith," that is when one SHIPWRECKS. Let the warning be out that I received. "Words specifically can get people into a lot of trouble. If they would just STOP talking at MY prompting. They will sense Me telling them to be quiet. Tell them to LISTEN to My Voice."
TIP #2 - LISTEN to the PROMPTING of the Holy Spirit. When you feel that uneasy sense deep inside you that maybe you shouldn't be talking, LISTEN! ZIP your lips and STOP TALKING!
TIP #3 - AVOID gossip, purposeless talk, & vain arguments.
So... avoid shipwrecks. The damage can be extensive & expensive. Is it really worth it to keep talking?
Proverbs 31:26-27 - She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction]. She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.
1 Timothy 1:5-6 - ... the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith. 6But certain individuals have missed the mark on this very matter [and] have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk.
1 Timothy 1:19b - ... some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith.First of all... I hear you already. "Amy, are we on this verse again? It seems like you have been talking about Proverbs 31:26-27 a lot lately. Let's move on already, I've got it." It's amazing to me how the Holy Spirit is going to get His point made. He may come at things 100 different ways, but He is going to drive HIS point home to help US as believers avoid shipwrecks. His desire is to help US avoid destruction that that may come from sin or being too quick to speak. Today's Word is for a few, not for everyone, but DEFINITELY for a select few. A warning to avoid danger, sadness and inconveniences.
Both in Proverbs 31 and 1 Timothy, they reference 2 of the fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23, kindness & love. As a goal of becoming the Proverbs 31 woman, we see that she is operating in the fruit of the Spirit. What is fruit? How do you get fruit? Fruit can not come until something is planted. I'm no farmer, but I know this much, if you don't plant an apple seed, you will never have apples. As believers, if you don't PLANT God's Word in your life by READING it, meditating on it, consistently studying it, you cannot produce the FRUIT of the Spirit. To have fruit, you have to plant!
TIP #1 - PLANT THE WORD! Study the Word. Meditate on the Word!
As we see in 1 Timothy, their purpose comes from one specific fruit of the Spirit, love. They are charged by love to help people avoid minor and major shipwrecks. Their purpose is love! Their instruction stems from love! What comes out of their mouth, the actions that they do, come from what they have planted. They have planted the Word, and the fruit comes out which is kindness (Proverbs 31 woman) and love (Paul & Timothy)!
The cause of shipwrecks? What went wrong? Why did the boat sink? Why did believers wander away from the faith? Why did people "miss the mark?" It most likely began with subtleties, even what seems innocent & harmless, but ultimately it remains what it is, gossip. Idle chatter. Vain arguments. Purposeless talk. What seemed harmless at first, led ultimately to a shipwreck.
I mentioned that today's devotion may not be for everyone, but it is really for a specific few. Why? The Holy Spirit said that their are some people who are rowing in REAL rocky waters. You are treading thin and heading for destruction if you don't change coarse. He said you still have time! You can still make adjustments. There is time to re-steer your ship and head a different direction, a direction that isn't headed straight into the rocks. IF corrections are not made, that is when one "misses the mark," "wanders away from the faith," that is when one SHIPWRECKS. Let the warning be out that I received. "Words specifically can get people into a lot of trouble. If they would just STOP talking at MY prompting. They will sense Me telling them to be quiet. Tell them to LISTEN to My Voice."
TIP #2 - LISTEN to the PROMPTING of the Holy Spirit. When you feel that uneasy sense deep inside you that maybe you shouldn't be talking, LISTEN! ZIP your lips and STOP TALKING!
TIP #3 - AVOID gossip, purposeless talk, & vain arguments.
So... avoid shipwrecks. The damage can be extensive & expensive. Is it really worth it to keep talking?
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