I think I posted this a long time ago but I was needing to read it again for myself. This is one of those devotionals that I have copied and saved because it has ministered to me so much through the years. I find it so true that the ‘enemy of my soul’ constantly seeks to keep my focus on myself, (whether it’s my failures, weaknesses, sins), and off of Christ’s finished work.

Enjoy!

 

Looking unto Jesus.”
–Hebrews 12:2

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus.” All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument–it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.

“My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus blood and righteousness: I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus name.”

---

Entry taken from Morning and Evening, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892).

I find that there is a mindset I must fight against regularly when I’m in the ‘frugal mode’. It’s the selfish mindset of hoarding instead of blessing. When the money is ‘flowing’ it’s easy to give to the Lord’s work and to bless others but when the finances are challenged we can find that we are clutching every saved penny to our chest not knowing what may come up next.

While I must be wise in my giving I’m still commanded in scripture to be generous and to share with others who are in need. Sometimes I don’t feel like I have anything to give but that is because I live in America and I have the American mindset that there are certain things I can’t live without! Just think about how many things our generation view as a necessity compared the stay-at-home Mom who lived in the 50′s! Cell phones, more than one TV, chewing gum, mini-pad liners, going out to eat after church, a second car, more than one phone in our house, 3 or more bedrooms, more than one bathroom and a house that is over 1000 square feet… oh the list would go on forever.  I wonder how much we could save if we just gave up one of our little luxuries and put it into a ‘giving’ account for the Lord’s work?

There is also the challenge of gift giving this time of year. This time of year there is a flood of graduations, wedding and baby showers and birthdays. I miss being able to give really nice gifts but for now it’s not the Lord’s will because of our finances. But, I can always give something! Laine from Laine’s Letters really expanded my vision on this! She said that sometimes she only has $3.00 to spend on a gift. Imagine that! She will pray as she enters the stores and asks that the “Lord gives her eyes to see” and He always provides. I read just the other day that she only had $20.00 for Christmas one year so they had a ‘second hand’ Christmas with finds from the Goodwill Stores. (Most of us would have just put it on the charge card. ) She said they had so much fun shopping this way and so much fun seeing what everyone had found on Christmas.

Here are a few scriptures I’ve been thinking about this morning along with a great quote from an old reprint on the home.

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:3

“Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your bountiful gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So, let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is ABLE to make all GRACE ABOUND toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an ABUNDANCE for every good work. 2 Cor. 9:5-8 (the next few verses are great,too)

Here is that great quote…

“But, in inculcating economy, we must be careful not to drive the mind into covetousness; hence it is of consequence, that with all our endeavors to cherish frugality, we should be no less assiduous to encourage generosity; and to impress them the idea, that the end of saving, is not to hoard, but to distribute to the wants of others.”   A Help to Domestic Happiness by James

 

 

 

 

 

This post is in response to Pamela’s questions and comments in my last post. I was going to just post it as an answer but it was so long that I decided to write a new entry. Here goes…

Hi Pamela,

I haven’t been able to find any direct commands in the New Testament showing that it’s a sin for a wife to work outside the home. But, I have found quite a few principles that have guided my decision (along with my husbands) to remain in the home, if at all possible.

Wives are commanded to be a ‘keeper/worker at home’ in Titus 2:3-5 and then in 1 Timothy 5:14 we’re told that we are to ‘manage the home’. These are direct commands. Both passages say that a woman can bring reproach on Christ if they do not fulfill this duty.

Here is what each of those terms mean in the Greek language:

Titus 2:3-5 – “Workers at home”

Oikouros: “Oikos“- home “ouros”- keeper at home, a guard. One who looks after domestic affairs with prudence and care.

1 Tim. 5:14 – “Manage the house”

oikodespoteo – “oikos”- house “despoteo”- to govern

To govern or manage the domestic affairs of a family

(Husband is the ruler, she does the ‘ruling’).

My hesitation with working outside the home has always been… how do I keep the above commands (along with all the other many commands given to women and Christians in general) and take on a job, too? For me, personally, I could not find the time or strength to fulfill them all and take on a part/fulltime job. Something would be lacking. Do I want the lack to be found in God’s direct commands? Or in an area that He has not commanded? Here is just a FEW of His direct commands I’ve found in the New Testament:

- Bringing up children (1 Tim. 5:10)
- Showing hospitality ( 1 Tim. 5:10)
- Washing the feet of the saints (what would be the equivalent to this today? What things could a godly woman do in her home to make a person comfortable when they enter her house?) 1 Tim. 5:10
- Helping those in trouble ( 1 Tim. 5:10)
- Help widows in her family (1 Tim. 5:16)
- Feed the hungry (Matt. 25:35)
- Give drink to the thirsty (Matt. 25:35)
- Take in strangers (Matt. 25:35)
- Clothe the naked (matt. 25:36)
- Visit the sick (Matt. 25:36)
- Visit those in prison (Matt. 25:36)

Honestly, as a stay-at-home wife, I find myself lacking in these areas WITHOUT a part/fulltime job outside the home.

This is not to say that there may be times of extreme necessity when a woman is asked by her husband to go to work to meet the basic needs of the family. Of course, she is not bound by Scripture not to. But, personally, over the years I’ve rarely seen this be the case in America. Generally, the woman goes to work to provide for the extras (vacation, nicer home, nicer furniture, updates, etc.) because she is not willing to work harder in the home or cut back on her spending or do without.

The ‘extras’ to me do not make up for what I feel my lack of presence in the home would lose. I don’t personally feel that having extra money to go on vacation or buy nice things makes up for me not being available to minister/ help my husband or my grown children or my church when they need me. The extra things don’t make up for the time lost to minister to those in my neighborhood or even my extended family.

What about God’s command to not love the things of this world that are passing away? (1 John 2:15-17) Where is the contentment that Paul displayed? He learned to live with much AND little. He counted everything , including the loss of all things, to be nothing in order to gain Christ. (Phil. 3:8) This conviction is rarely seen in American Christian homes. Bigger and better is the motto today.. even for the Christian and I’m just as much to blame. Gaining ‘stuff’ has been the goal of many a Christian home which is so opposite of the Christian we see in the New Testament times.

This is not to say that there may not be times of extreme necessity when a woman is asked by her husband to go to work to meet basic expenses. Of course, she is not bound by Scripture not to. But, personally, over the years I’ve rarely seen this be the case in America. Generally, the woman goes to work to provide for the extras (vacation, nicer home, nicer furniture, updates, extra money, etc.). Which, there is no law against! She is free to do so if her husband commands it. But, at what cost?

Laine from Laine’s Letters is a perfect example of what a woman can do on a limited income (I think I read that her husband makes 26,000 a year). Is this easy? Nope! But, I see her life as saying … ‘ God has providentially supplied our family, through my husbands labor, with a certain amount of money. I will work hard to make do and be content with what He has provided.’

If my husband commanded me to go to work I would submit! But, I would be praying feverishly for a way out. My children are grown and so the loss would be less … although I still believe there would be loss.

Biggest of hugs!
Georgene

 

 

 

We have a contingency offer on our house so I’m trying to use my spare time to clean out files. We, mostly likely, will be moving to a smaller home and I’ll have less office space. So, I decided to condense a few of my bible study note file boxes so that I can fit them in the drawers in one of my desks.

I came across this quote and remember how much I enjoyed it a few years back. I copied it for my daughter and she placed it on her refrigerator for a long time.  I found that I was needing the encouragement again. It seems there is always the temptation, when times are tougher financially, to think that the woman needs to find a job. Rarely, from what I have seen and experiece, does this really help a family. Much more money seems to be lost in extra meals eaten out due to her exhaustion, a nicer wardrobe or child care. Not to mention what may be lost in the communication, instruction and relationships in the home. Some women have no choice in the situation but are commanded by their husbands to work but more times than not this is not the case.

I’m finding that there is SO much more I could be doing in my home to save money. It just takes a little elbow grease and time.

Charles Spurgeon once said that the wife “is not the bread-winner, but the bread-maker. She earns more at home than any wages she can get abroad. He has his money best spent who has the best wife. The husband may earn money, but only the wife can save it.”  

” For to me, to LIVE is Christ, and to DIE is gain.” Philippians 1:21

I’ve been studying the book of Philippians the past few weeks. I’ve been going over the scripture above and thinking a lot about what it would mean to live my life in such a way that I could boldly say that my LIFE was about Christ and that I found that dying would be gain!

Immediately, I think of leaving my husband, children, grandchildren, mother and loved ones. A sadness swells up in me when I think about leaving them… even temporarily. Did Paul have loved ones? Were there those that he longed for? Apparently, the answer is yes, because in the first chapter of Philippians he says in verse 8 that he greatly longed for them (the Philippian brethren) with all the affection of Jesus Christ. Yet, he saw death as gain for He would be with Christ.

Paul determines later in that chapter that it’s more needful for him to remain in the flesh for THEIR sakes. Verse 25 is the key… “And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all FOR YOUR PROGRESS and JOY OF FAITH.”

Here is where I always want my heart to be for my family and loved ones … that my time remaining should be for THEIR PROGRESS and JOY OF FAITH. I wonder if we would change the way we order the time in our homes if we used this as our ‘divine plumb line’? What would we do differently? What would we give up in order to redeem the time for the progress and joy of faith in those we love?

It’s got me thinking…. How about you?

“According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20

A Call to Older Women by Elisabeth Elliot

In 1948 when I had been at Prairie Bible Institute (a very stark set of wooden buildings on a very bleak prairie in Alberta) for only a few weeks, I was feeling a bit displaced and lonesome one afternoon when there came a knock on my door. I opened it to find a beautiful rosy-cheeked face framed by white hair. She spoke with a charming Scottish burr.

“You don’t know me, but I know you. I’ve been prraying for you, Betty dearr. I’m Mrs. Cunningham. If everr you’d like a cup of tea and a Scottish scone, just pop down to my little aparrtment.”

She told me where she lived and went on to say that my name had been mentioned in a staff meeting (she never said how–was I thought of as a misfit at PBI? I wonder) and the Lord had given her a burden for me. Many were the wintry afternoons when I availed myself of her gracious offer and we sat together in her tiny but very cozy basement apartment while she poured tea for me and I poured my soul out to her. Her radiant face was full of sympathy, love, and understanding as she listened. She would be quiet for a little, then she would pray and, looking up, cheer and strengthen me with words from God. During and after my missionary years she wrote to me until she died. Only God knows what I owe to “the four Katharines”–Katharine Cunningham, Katharine Gillingham Howard (my own mother), Katherine Cumming (my house mother when I was in college), and Katherine Morgan. These and several others have not only shown me what godliness looks like (many have done that), but have significantly graced my life by obeying God’s special call to older women.

The apostle Paul tells Titus that older women ought to “school the younger women to be loving wives and mothers, temperate, chaste, and kind, busy at home, respecting the authority of their own husbands” (Titus 2:4-5, NEB). My dear “Mom Cunningham” schooled me–not in a class or seminar, or even primarily by her words. It was what she was that taught me. It was her availability to God when He sent her to my door. It was the surrender of her time, an offering to Him for my sake. It was her readiness to “get involved,” to lay down her life for one anxious Bible school girl. Above all, she herself, a simple Scottish woman, was the message.

I think of the vast number of older women today. The Statistical Abstract of the United States for 1980 says that 19.5 percent of the population was between ages 45-65, but by 2000 it will be 22.9 percent. Assuming that half of those people are women, what a pool of energy and power for God they might be. We live longer now than we did forty years ago (the same volume says that the over-sixty-fives will increase from 11.3 percent to 13 percent). There is more mobility, more money around, more leisure, more health and strength–resources which, if put at God’s disposal, might bless younger women. But there are also many more ways to spend those resources, so we find it very easy to occupy ourselves selfishly. Where are the women, single or married, willing to hear God’s call to spiritual motherhood, taking spiritual daughters under their wings to school them as Mom Cunningham did me? She had no training the world would recognize. She had no thought of such. She simply loved God and was willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for His sake. Retirement never crossed her mind.

If some of my readers are willing to hear this call but hardly know how to begin, may I suggest to you:

1. Pray about it. Ask God to show you whom, what, how.

2. Consider writing notes to or telephoning some younger woman who needs encouragement in the areas Paul mentioned.

3. Ask a young mother if you may do her ironing, take the children out, babysit so she can go out, make a cake or a casserole for her.

4. Do what Mom C. did for me–invite somebody to tea, find out what she’d like you to pray for (I asked her to pray that God would bring Jim Elliot and me together!)–and pray with her.

5. Start a little prayer group of two or three whom you can cheer and help. You’ll be cheered and helped too!

6. Organize a volunteer housecleaning pool to go out every other week or once a month to somebody who needs you.

7. Have a lending library of books of real spiritual food.

8. Be the first of a group in your church to be known as the WOTT’s (Women of Titus Two), and see what happens (something will).

“Say not you cannot gladden, elevate, and set free; that you have nothing of the grace of influence; that all you have to give is at the most only common bread and water. Give yourself to your Lord for the service of men with what you have. Cannot He change water into wine? Cannot He make stammering words to be instinct [imbued, filled, charged] with saving power? Cannot He change trembling efforts to help into deeds of strength? Cannot He still, as of old, enable you in all your personal poverty ‘to make many rich?’ God has need of thee for the service of thy fellow men. He has a work for thee to do. To find out what it is, and then to do it, is at once thy supremist duty and thy highest wisdom. ‘Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.’” (Canon George Body, b. 1840).

Mother’s Day will be busy this year with church and then our family gathering. So, I thought I would put my Mother’s Day post on early lest I forget.

Happy Mother’s Day to my dear Mother. The Lord gave me these words to honor you on this Mother’s Day. I pray you will always know how much your example has meant to me throughout the years.

 

Many a daughter has given a review

Of the grandness of her mother

Her accomplishments not few.

But, stand back daughters because I’m here to say.

My mother is the grandest on this Mother’s Day.

She did all the things that a mother should do

She cooked and she cleaned and she tied my shoe.

But the one that means most is she took me to church.

Taught me the commandments and didn’t let me off the hook.

 

She took me to church when I was just small

She made sure I learned the book of the law

She taught me my prayers and we prayed each night

As she tucked me in bed and then turned out the lights.

 

She instilled a fear of the Lord in my young heart

And told me to obey Him for this would be smart.

I listened and learned and those words drew me near,

To a God that I will love all through my years.

 

She read me the stories from the Bible you see

Moses and Adam and Noah were only three.

Lessons were learned from the pages she read

As we prayed and knelt on our knees near the bed.

 

The day finally came when I had my own three

Following Mama’s example I’d teach them you see

To train them all up in the ways of the book,

And make sure each Sunday we’d take them to church.

 

Later came grandchildren, nine to this day.

Now the lessons once taught are given their way.

Flannel board stories and bedtime ones, too.

Mama’s example is now training a whole crew.

 

So, today I thank God for the mother He gave.

I appreciate her more and more each day.

May the Lord bless you Mama in this coming year.

And may your love for Him grow more dear and dear.

                                                                    

                                                          Georgene  ….. May 13, 2007

Luke 16:10-13 - ”One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.  If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?   And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?  No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

I really can’t say that I have LITTLE, as it’s referring to in the verse above! I live in America! Who can say they have LITTLE in America! I’m blessed above and beyond what my Christian sisters in other countries have. Yet, because of the fact that I DO live in America, I have the perpetual ‘Jones’ with their  never ending examples of the American Dream taunting and pulling at my  fleshly desires saying… you really NEED this one new thing or just look how much easier your life will be if you bought this … or … you MUST live in this size home and it must look updated or others will look down on you. These are temptations each of us probably fight in one way or another if we are choosing to serve Christ rather than money.

So, I’m seeking to be faithful in unrighteous wealth so that I can be trusted with eternal riches. I know cutting back is not the only thing involved here but it’s something I’ve been working on. Living like a Christian in America when it comes to our finances is very challenging!

One main principle that has been revolutionary in my finances is SHOPPING AT HOME FIRST. I’m taking Cindy’s (Cindy’s Porch) idea and trying to SHOP AT HOME FIRST before I hit the stores.

1. I ran out of face wash so I’m using an old bottle of  Mr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap (Trader Joes’)            instead of buying my preferred brand from Bath and Body Works. This decision saved me about 18.00 which is what it costs for my favorite face wash.

2. We use fragrance free laundry detergent due to skin allergies. I was blessed with a large bottle of laundry detergent that is not fragrance-free. So, I’m using the fragrance detergent for my towels and anything else that is not clothing.

3. I’m still hanging my clothes on drying racks inside my laundry room or on my clothes line outside. This saves me at least 10.00 a month off my PG & E. I ‘fluff’ them for less than 10 minutes to take out wrinkles and soften them.

4. I experimented with washing dishes by hand and air drying them vs.using  my dishwasher without using the dryer. I don’t run hot water to prewash them in before I put them in the dishwasher. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference on my electric bill. So, guess which one I’m continuing to use.  

5. My goal this month is to spend $100.00 less on groceries. So far it looks like I’m going to reach this goal and even possible hit below it.

6. I’ve been making  Kool-aid (to replace sodas) for hubbins with stevia instead of sugar. This is cutting down on the sodas which is saving money.

7. I went through my clothes closet and packed away my winter clothes and unpacked my summer clothes. I don’t care for a lot of my clothes but I’m going to make them do and try to not spend too much money on clothes for this summer. I’ve visited our Goodwill store and found some great bargains. It’s amazing how many articles of clothing you can get for under $15.00.  

8. I’m using the library instead of purchasing books. My Vet recommended a book for training puppies. I was so tempted to purchase the copy he had in his office but instead I waited and  found it at my local library. We are blessed to have a Christian library in the next big town so whenever I visit my children I’ll stop by and check out books and tapes for free.

9. I’m still carrying a phone book in my car so that I don’t have to use 411 on my cell phone. This is saving me money.

10. Interest rates are dropping so I checked this past week to see if we could save money on our mortgage if we refinanced.

11. I printed out a freezer inventory sheet from The Organized Home. I plan on making a list of everything I have in the freezer. I’ll plan my meals around what I already have before I buy any new packages of meat.

12. I FINALLY made a batch of homemade laundry detergent. I’ve been reading about gals who have made it for quite a few years. I read great reviews so I finally decided to try it. I can’t believe how easy it was! It took me less than 10 minutes to make and was SO easy. I see no difference in my clothes. But, remember, it’s not highly perfumed so if you are used to using a fragrance soap you might want to add some essential oil drops to it. I didn’t have Fels Naptha soap so I used a bar of Ivory soap. I found the borax at Walmart and the washing soda at Food Max and the Fels Naptha at a local grocery store. I’m sure the larger chains would carry all three. I read you can use it in the new top loading machines since it doesn’t have a high volume of suds. Here is the recipe:

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Crystal, from Homesteading Happenings, calculated the cost and it came to .01 a load. Here is her link where you can even find pictures with by step directions.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder 

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

 Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

13. I’ve been trying to go back to the way I used to cook when the children were living at home by cooking from scratch. I made Laine’s (Laine’s Letters) mother-in-love’s tortilla recipe and plan on using the one her son, Quincy makes called Jen’s Tortillas, this Sunday for Mother’s Day. We’re having mexican food. I also made her MIL’s beans and then refried them. I froze them and pull them out when I need refried beans, pop them in a skillet and reheat  them by frying them with a little oil. I’ve also started making my own salad dressings.

14. My husband has a favorite meal he likes to eat at a local restaurant. We used to eat there every Sunday but since we’ve cut back I oftentimes make his favorite meal at home the day before. It’s called Camorones (spelling?) Mojo De Ajo which means shrimp in garlic. I searched the internet for similar recipes and the owner of the restaurant also gave me some tips. I’ll do as much of the prep work on Sat. so that all I have to do is fry the shrimp with the garlic and butter (already sauteed) when I come home from church. I have several batches of refried beans and spanish rice wrapped individually in the freezer so I just take one out to defrost in the fridge the day before. This has saved me over $45.00 a month.

15. We’ve cut back in a lot of other areas, too. My husband likes to watch tv but allowed me to cut his cable programs back to the minimum package. This has been a great learner because we were forced to search for different programs to watch that we might not have watched before. We found a great program about two missionaries who travel to different cities called The Traveled Road. We also watch the Food Network and Animal Planet. We never watch the preacher’s on TBN but have found that in the evenings they will sometimes run great Christian and family movies. I hope we never go back to the bigger package. There is not much worth watching on tv these days. 

16. My white tennis shoes seem to turn ‘brown’ within a short period of time since we live in the country. I only try to wear them for good but they still get to looking dirty fairly quick. I started taking them into the shower with me and I use a scrub brush and scrub them with liquid soap. They don’t look like they did when I first bought them but BOY are they better than before.

17. I have some pantyhose that were given to me (yes, I still wear panty hose!! My legs are WHITE!*S*) that are black. I don’t care for  the color  and they have sat in my drawer for a while. I decided to wear them instead of buying a new pair.

18. The hot summer months create a challenge for keeping my home cool. I’m changing my morning schedule to accommodate. Before I do any work in the house I go outside and get my outside work done first. (I get sick in the heat!) Then once my basic chores are done in the house I start my dinner. The house just heats up too quickly when I run the oven and stove in the late afternoon. It’s nice, too, to have all my dishes cleaned and out of the way.

So, that is a little clip of a few things I’ve been trying to do in my home to cut expenses. I’d love to hear if you have any new things you are doing to cut back on expenses in your home.

 

  (This is taken from Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s 30 Day Encouragement Challenge. http://reviveourhearts.com/challenge/  )

“Seek peace, and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14b)

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Before you consider whether these verses describe your husband, consider your own presence in the home. Do you promote an atmosphere of peace, or do critical words often flow from your mouth? Do you struggle with anger? If so, before you continue with this challenge, confess these sinful habits to the Lord, and determine to speak words of peace to your family today.

Does your husband bring an atmosphere of peace into your home? Is his presence a calming influence? Does he bring music, entertainment, books, or people into your home that build a sense of serenity? Let him know how much you appreciate this wonderful quality, and support his choices.

If, on the other hand, he is quickly angered or he creates chaos rather than calm, ask God to give you an abundance of the kind of peace that will speak to his heart. Be patient and loving. Create an inviting atmosphere of peace, as much as possible.