The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. 1 Cor. 7:3

This duty for the wife is oftentimes easier in the early years of marriage when our bodies are at their prime and before our home is filled with children and added responsibilities. Our desires seem to come naturally without much thought of actually setting our wills to obey this command. But, as our homes are filled with more children and the strength of our bodies weaken, we may come to a place in our marriage when we must choose to obey  God’s Word while denying ourselves.

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23

 My life laid down for my husband’s… just as Christ laid His own life down for mine. This principle is to be lived out daily in our homes as we die to our feelings  in order to obey God’s Word.

As we seek to be obedient to what God commands in this area of intimacy we must seek to do it in an attitude of love.  It’s easy to just go ‘through the motion’ while having a resentful spirit because we see our husband’s request as just one more thing added to our already long ‘to do’ list. “Doesn’t he KNOW everything I need to be doing? Doesn’t he CARE that I’m tired or that I have a headache?”  This attitude profits nothing. Love does not seek it’s own….love bears all things…love endures all things… love never fails! 1 Cor. 13:1-8

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Phil. 2:4

Easy? Heavens no! But, the reward is great!

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you SERVE THE LORD CHRIST. Col. 3:23-24

We are blessed with another grandson to love, serve and train to walk in the Lord’s ways! Yeah! Our newest sweet pea was born to our daughter yesterday morning with no complications… thanks be to our Lord! He weighed in at 8 pounds 1 1/2 ounces and was 20 inches long. He has a sweet round face and is the nearly exact image of his oldest brother (who reminds me of my daughter). I took both the boys back to see their newest brother several hours after my daughter had given birth and they were SO proud! This little guy brings our total of grand ‘peapods’ to 6 boys and 3 girls! We are praising God for His mercy and protection!

Meanwhile, I’ll be busy this coming week at my daughter’s house helping watch the children, keeping house and making meals. She had a C-Section so she won’t be running any relays this week. I  have 4 meals ready to take to her home in my freezer. We made a months worth of meals a while back but we hope to not touch those so she’ll have meals when no one is there to help. I’m pretty much caught up with housework so yesterday I was able to swim with the children and play baseball. Grammy’s a  pretty good pitcher!

Just a quick note that I finally finished my study on WORRY & ANXIETY and it’s on the webpage. If you go to the top of the blog and click to the right on our other website it will take you there. Scroll down just a bit to Biblical Counseling and then to YOUR PROBLEMS & GODS ANSWERS and then click on the page for Anxiety and Worry. I also put another page up right beneath that page called Scriptures on Knowing God! Learning more about God and His character and attributes has done more to increase my faith and love for Him than any other study. Let me know what you think about the pages. Okay? 

Love to all! I apologize for not visiting you more recently but we’ve been so busy preparing for this new baby. I’ll be a bit distracted in the coming weeks but things should slow down towards the middle of June. My daughter has a computer so I hope to check in late in the evenings when things settle down and post when I can.

Blessings to all!

Georgene (a.k.a. Grammy, Grandma and Mimi)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.   Matt 22:37-39

I know that each of us recognize this Scripture applies to us personally. But, have you ever thought about OUR responsibility to make ourselves ‘easy to love’ so that our  husbands (children, neighbors, employer, parents) can obey this command?  

I not only sin against God when I am easily angered and respond harshly but I also tempt my loved one to sin against me. My harsh words can stir up anger in someone else.

             A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Prov 15:1

If I speak harshly to a loved one then I become a stumbling block in their obedience to love me!!

We owe it to our loved ones to be as  loving, gentle and kind as we can possibly be. That is true love! 

           Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another;
for he who loves his neighbor has  fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:8

May the Lord give us His grace to obey His Word and to truly keep our thoughts focused on loving others instead of pleasing ourself and our sinful desires.

No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. 1 Timothy 5:9-10

This Scripture is one of my ‘life Scriptures’. I read it regularly and try to live my days accordingly. It may seem strange that someone who is NOT a widow would use this Scripture as a guideline for her life. Let me share the reason why. Widows, during the time of the apostles, were not given government assistant. They were dependent on their families to support them. If their family would not support them then the church would put them on a list to feed them. But, ONLY if they had led godly lives patterned after the Scripture above. The time for a widow to prepare for her later years was NOT when she became a widow but when she was younger and raising her children.  So, I believe the time to prepare for the future is today. 

I regularly need to be asking myself if I am…

… being faithful to my husband

KNOWN for good deeds such as

….bringing up children

… showing hospitality

…washing the feet of the saints

…helping those in trouble

…devoting myself to all kinds of good deeds

Living this out daily sometimes comes down to opening my eyes to who is living in my own neighborhood.

We moved to a small little rural town nearly 2 years ago. I’ve never lived in a small town before. It kind of reminds me a little of Mayberry in Andy Griffith. There is a small little group of older people who have known each other for years. They’ve raised their families together… lost children and husbands together… and survived many years together as friends.

The oldest living person in our little town lives right across the field from our home.  She will be 94 years old this year and has lived here since she first married in her 20′s. Everyone seems to know Doris and adores her. She is just a wisp of a thing. She laughs and says that she’s never been able to climb over a 100 pounds no matter how much she eats. She made patchwork quilts for her family members up until last year but still continues to make potholders for Christmas gifts. I own two of these little gems and use them nearly every day while cooking.

 Doris loves to have company stop in for a chat.

The days must be long for Doris. She lost her husband years ago and lives alone. Her daughter calls her daily and picks up groceries for her. She lost another daughter to cancer when she was in her early 50′s and her son in a car crash 18 years ago.  She still keeps her own home and cooks her own meals. You can set the clock by the time she opens her curtains in the morning and closes them at night as she heads to her bedroom to watch Jeopardy (which is the only tv show she watches).

I wave to Doris as I drive by and occasionally stop for a chat but I always feel as if I need to do more. My days are so busy and something is always pressing for my attention. But, someday Doris will be gone and so will my opportunity to minister to her and show her God’s love.

Is there is a ‘Doris’ in your neighborhood?

A guaranteed road to marital misery is to focus on your own needs and desires instead of how you can serve and minister to your husband.

If you are always thinking about the things he is NOT doing instead of what you CAN DO for him …

If you compare him to other husbands and he always comes out looking worst …

If you dwell on how unhappy you are because your husband doesn’t romance you….

If you’re miserable because your husband doesn’t give you enough affection….

If you’re miserable because your husband wants too much of YOUR affection…

If you read romance novels…

If you think about how great your life would be without your husband….

then beware that your marriage is headed for trouble.

BUT…

If you daily die to your own needs and desires and put your effort into how you can bless and serve your husband….

If you listen … really listen to what bothers him and what pleases him… and then adapt yourself to him…

If you think of ways to be more affectionate…

If you concentrate on his good points ….

If you pray for him, encourage him in the things of the Lord and obey God’s commands for a godly wife…

If you serve him the way you would serve the Lord…

then your marriage will be truly blessed.

Does that mean that it will line up with the romantic version that Hollywood portrays of a marriage? Most likely NOT. But, you will have the peace of conscience knowing that you are doing what you can to obey God’s commands. The results must remain with the Lord. Our eyes must be kept on OUR duty.

Phil 2:3-8

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

We’re having Mother’s Day dinner at my home tomorrow. I’m so blessed to still have my Mother on this earth with me and in good health. I know many who do not have Mother’s to celebrate the day with.

I have been also blessed with a wonderful Mother. My home was like “Leave it to Beaver” except that my Mother went back to work as a school teacher when I went to school. Our home was kept neat and clean. My Sister and I were loved and well-cared for. We never wanted for anything we really needed. We never feared our parents would get a divorce. We never feared being abused. We never feared our parents hurting one another. I’ve often thanked God that He chose such loving parents for me. I’m also thankful that my Mother took me to church throughout my younger years and helped to nurture a love for God within my soul. I did nothing to deserve this wonderful Mother given to me. It is one of God’s true blessings in my life.

So tomorrow I will be given the privilege to honor my Mother along with my Sister, daughter and daughter in love. I am equally as thankful that God has given my son a wife who loves my grandchildren and consistently trains them to be responsible and mannerly.  I’m thankful for my daughter who is kind and loving to her children and gives up a lot to take care of their needs. Thank you God for each of these mercies that come directly from Your hand!

*~*~*

I made 5 strawberry pies today for tomorrow’s dinner. I thought I’d share this easy but yummy recipe .

STRAWBERRY PIES

2 boxes of strawberries. Cut up one box, quartered and put into a baked pie shell. Smash the other box of strawberries in a separate bowl. Add one cup of sugar along with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in the smashed strawberries. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. You want the mixture to become clear looking. Put one package of unflavored gelatin in a small amount of warm water in a cup and dissolve it. Stir into strawberries and cook for a few more minutes to thicken. Pour over cut strawberries in pie crust. Refrigerate. Serve with whipping cream. These are easy, fast and wonderful! Make sure your strawberries are ripe and not green and hard.  

I also made 30 pounds of chicken. I seasoned it, baked it for about 40 minutes and have it waiting until 30 minutes before dinner. I’ll make a glaze out of a bottle of Russian dressing, 1 jar of apricot jam and a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix. This will be spread over the chicken and then baked at 350 for 30 minutes. Easy and yummy!

Enjoy!

Titus 2:4 – Older women likewise are to…. love their children.

My husband’s Aunt and family flew in for a visit on Saturday. We all headed to a family member’s house for a family reunion.

One prevailing theme resinated as I left the reunion……. Aunt Florene loves children.

Aunt Florene is nearing 80 years old but continues to teach in the nursery at her church. The ages range from infant to 2 years old. She refused to just ‘babysit’ but insists on TEACHING these children God’s Word. I do not personally know another  woman who is still teaching children at nearly 80 years old. Do you?

I’ve always had a high level of respect for my husband’s Aunt. We’ve visited her home several times throughout the course of our marriage. She is a great down home cook. I best remember her for her homemade biscuits and pear honey, which was really more of a jam than honey.  Her home was very cozy and she always enjoyed making crafts, a  talent she acquired from her own Mother. She has always been a homemaker and never worked outside of the home. Her relationship with her husband was very traditional and biblical in the sense that she enjoyed cooking … cleaning… ironing… and basically just serving him.

But, what stands out to me the most is her love for children.  We had a LOT of children at the family reunion.  Anytime a crying child would come in from playing outside she would gently go to them and try to bring them comfort. I knew she must be tired from her long flight yet she chose to serve rather than sit back and relax.  While everyone was eating dinner she sat on the couch and held her grandson so that her granddaughter could eat without wrangling a baby.

This is not a common character trait in our society. Children are not seen as a blessing (sometimes even in the church) but an inconvenience.  I’ve seen older women in church move from a certain pew so that they wouldn’t have to sit next to children.

Ps. 127:3 – Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth. HAPPY is the man that hath his quiver full of them…

 Aunt Florene (in the red shirt) and her daughter.

I love learning about the character of God! The knowledge of God brings peace. (2 Pet 1:2)

So, this Sunday I wanted to share one of God’s attributes. Please leave a note if you’d like to see a new attribute each Sunday. Maybe a blog is not the place for this?

Attribute: Infinity

God is limitless!

Ephesians 1:23 – He fills all in all.

1 Kings 8:27 – Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him, much less a house on earth.

Jer. 23:24 – He fills the heavens and the earth.

Our God is an awesome God!

Perfect Peace

by Arthur W. Pink

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee” (Isa. 26:3). What is signified by a mind “stayed on” the Lord? At least three things. First, to make the Lord the Portion of my soul. All around us are those vainly seeking contentment in things: such as money, and what it can buy, social prestige, fame, pleasures, etc.—all of which are broken cisterns which hold no water. Only the One who made us can satisfy the heart; only as our affection is set upon “things above” do we drink of the Fountain of living waters. Just in proportion as “Delight thyself also in the LORD” (Psa. 37:4) will “perfect peace” be mine now.

Second, to receive from God’s hand whatsoever enters my life. I need to cultivate the habit of looking beyond all secondary causes, all intermediary agents and human instruments, recognising that “of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are ALL things” (Rom. 11:36). “Cease ye from man” (Isa. 2:22); conclude no more it is Satan who is seeking to disturb your rest; but say, “The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it!” (John 18:11). Just in proportion as we are enabled to say from the heart “It is the LORD: let Him do what seemeth Him good” (1 Sam. 3:18) will “perfect peace” be ours in this world of sin and turmoil.

Third, to leave the future entirely with God. And why not? Are not my “times” in His hand (Psa. 31:15)? Has He not graciously cared for me and faithfully supplied my every need hitherto? Then why be fearful of what lies ahead? Has He not promised never to leave nor forsake me! Just in proportion as I live a day at a time, and “Take therefore no anxious thought for the morrow” (Matt. 6:34) will “perfect peace” be mine even now. But each of these three things is dependent upon the exercise of FAITH; as the text says “because he trusteth in Thee.” O to know more of this experimentally.

As I wrote the title of this blog  it made me want to break out in the rest of the song!

I’ve been ‘munching’ on God’s Word this morning. Yum! I’m continuing my study on the biblical remedy for worry and anxiety. I’ve been gathering Scriptures on WHO GOD IS, for the Scriptures teach that peace is multiplied in KNOWING GOD and as we OBEY Him we gain peace!

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord … 2 Pet 1:2

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Phil 4:6-7

I’ve been studying God’s attribute of omnipotence which means God’s power and ability.

It brings such peace to know that this all powerful, sovereign ruler who is holy, just and loving wisely determines

- my next breath ( Gen. 2:7,Is. 42:5, Job 12:10, Acts 17:25 )

- when I would be born and when I will die (Ps. 139:13-17,Job 14:5)

- where I would live (Acts 17:26)

- initiated my salvation (Jn. 15:16,Eph 1:4, Rm 8:29-30)

- gives me eternal life (1 Jn. 5:11, Rm 6:23)

- secures my salvation (Jn. 10:28-29,1 Pt. 1:5)

God is able (has the power) to feed even the sparrows… does He not care more for me? Matt. 6: 25,26

We know, that we have come to know God, …..  if we keep His commandment not to worry!

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.  I Jn 2:3

Knowing God is in control has become a ‘pillow’ for my soul!