The Thin Place - The Thin Place, Where We Experience the Sufficiency of Grace

August 16, 2018

I’m #Blessed Are The Peacemakers, But What Does That Mean?

Peace like a river. That was the song I sang as a child. I’ve got peace like a river I’ve got peace like a river I’ve got peace like a river in my soul. Deep in my soul, I wanted this peace. Peace has been an ever-moving target at many points in my life. But I don’t just want to feel the peace, down in my soul, I want to be a peace-giver, a peacemaker. And as believers, this is what God has called you and I to do. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9, ESV In a world of shouting, in a world of proving rightness and superiority, what would it look like if we stepped out as peacemakers? Instead of taking sure all men knew we were right, what if we made sure everything was right between us and all men? What if we were dedicated to not just living rooted in the Prince of Peace, but to truly being peacemakers, we need be willing to sacrifice ourselves to the same, hard peacemaking road that Christ exemplified. Because peace, it doesn’t look like flowery conversations, but like a bloody cross. Wrongdoings don’t disappear simply because we wish they would – they are absorbed. On the Cross, Christ did not simply ignore or gloss over our sin, He engaged with it in the most personally painful way possible. Instead of showing us our error and His superiority as a way of shutting us up, He showed us our error and His perfect holiness then offering up His holiness on our behalf to restore our relationship with Him. That is the hard work of peacemaking. Peacemaking is caring more about making right than being right, even, or perhaps most of all, when it hurts us. Being a peacemaker means we are really to actually engage with the problem. True peacemakers don’t seek artificial peace, but engage with genuine problems. We need to confront sin and seek to restore broken relationships. Instead of doing this out of selfish desire, we need to humbly seek to restore truly, Biblical relationships. Biblical relationships that are modeled after Christ are relationships that seek to serve, rather than to be served. Peacemakers do not ignore problems by pretending they aren’t there, but by acknowledging them and seeking to forgive and reconcile. Peacemakers sacrifice themselves for true peace. …

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August 12, 2018

How To Strengthen Your Marriage By Praying With Your Spouse

We know we need to pray. Spending personal time seeking after the Lord is not a foreign concept to most of us, even if it is a struggle. Setting aside a bit of our life to align our heart and soul with our Heavenly Father is crucial to our spiritual health. If I neglect to seek God and to fill my mind with His truth, I and my family suffer. I know this to be true. Even though it’s a struggle, I recognize and aim to make this my daily goal. But too often, I neglect to grow spiritually with my husband. At the end of the day, we fall into bed, forgetting to even pray together, forget about sharing what God is impressing on our hearts. Friends, I am foolish. If my marriage is to survive, much less thrive, the Lord must take the center. Growing together as a married unit is not isolated from our spiritual growth. If two are to become one, we must become one with Him. Praying Together Unites You in Purpose When you are pouring your hearts before the Father, you are not fighting, you’re joining together. Praying together aligns your hearts with one another as you seek to align them with God. When we are in a rough patch, hearing my husband pray for reconciliation and unity reminds me that, even if we aren’t seeing eye to eye, we are seeking the same goal. Praying for myself and my husband lets him hear my love and passion for him being expressed to God. When we pray together, we see that we are in this life together, not as individuals seeking our own paths but as a couple whom God has united, moving forward with His plan for us. During the seasons where big decisions loom, praying together shows that we are moving forward in this decision together. Despite our personal opinions, we are seeking God and honoring Him together in the life we are creating. Praying Together Put Your Marriage in the Context of Something Bigger My marriage is not the end goal. At the end of my life, Jesus says that my marriage will be dissolved and both my husband and I, along with the rest of the Church, will be the bride of Christ. Praying with my husband reminds me of this. When we pray together, we humble ourselves and remember…

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August 8, 2018

I’m #Blessed When I’m Pure In Heart (So I Confess My Sin)

When if purity doesn’t always look like an idyllic young girl in a field of white flowers? Because, let’s be real, that’s the image of purity that tended to blanket the cover of every evangelical book on purity – Purity in appearance. Modesty was painted as the ultimate measurement of purity and inner beauty was exalted. But when Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount, He wasn’t concerned with how we look or what people thought of us, He was concerned with purity of heart. But this isn’t the type of purity that we all look at and marvel over, because purity of heart means digging into the messy, broken state of our soul and letting God to the work of rooting our the filth and restoring us to the state He intended. Purity of heart is something we should all aspire towards, but it’s something none of us can achieve alone. We need soul-carrying, sin-bearing, help. Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, our hearts have been battered by the effects. The pure hearts God gave us were wreaked. Our desires became disordered and we longed for simple things more than they deserved and for holy things less than we needed them. And our hearts became clouded and busted and impure. To be pure in heart, we must let Christ do the work of rooting out these disordered desires and replacing them with a heart like His own. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8, ESV If we want to be pure in heart, if we want to be counted among those who shall see God, we need new hearts. And that starts by confessing that our current hearts are corrupt. When we think of pure hearts, we think of those never tainted by sin. But all of us are fallen. Even the most saintly human is corrupt and impure in heart. We need to hold ourselves accountable to the standard God has set but give ourselves the grace to recognize that even the most saintly saint has fallen short. They fell short and we will fall short. It doesn’t mean that we are beyond repair, but simply in need of the Blood of Jesus to fill our hearts and bring them back to true life. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and…

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August 8, 2018

I’m Looking For Imperfect Friends

I’m writing this week on Her View from Home about wanting friends. Real, imperfect friends. Here’s an excerpt: Is anyone else as sick of the facade as I am? Because on social media, everyone seems to have their crap together. But I sure don’t. Scrolling through my feeds leaves me feeling inadequate and lonely, desperately lonely. I know social media is only the high points. I know there is always more going on behind the scenes that I don’t know about. But at the end of the day, I just feel like there’s no one who would want to be friends with little, imperfect, insignificant, me. A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24, ESV So, I’m placing an ad. Wanted: Imperfect Friends A kind, but quirky, woman is in search of imperfect friends. . . continue reading here. Read the full ad here on Her View From Home and comment below with one quality you always look for in a friend. You Might Also Like: 4 Ways to Be a Kick-Butt Friend Why Your Tribe Needs to Include Women Who Don’t Know the Tribe Trend What To Do When Other People’s Words Leave You Feeling Bad Hospitality: 3 Compelling Reasons Why You Need To Make Opening Your Home A Priority

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August 5, 2018

13 Ways To Be A Proverbs 31 Women Today

The Proverbs 31 woman sets a high standard for all women. While many people would like to follow in her footsteps, looking at her life as a whole can be a little overwhelming. But when we take a minute to step back, look at the whole, and break her attributes into small characteristics, it’s easier to look at ways to be a modern Proverbs 31 woman. There are 13 principles I see laid out that we can all implement today to help us demonstrate the qualities laid out for us to emulate. Psst: Don’t forget to check out the Strengthen in Scripture Giveaway at the bottom of the post! 1. Prioritize Others The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:11-12, ESV The Proverbs 31 woman is first singled out because she is trusted by her husband because she does good. If we are to be women worthy of this title, we must put others before ourselves. Instead of being women who seek our self-interest, we need to be known for outdoing others in showing honor to those around us. 2. Work Hard She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. Proverbs 31:13, ESV Instead of being known for protecting herself or keeping the clean hands of the “traditional womanhood” we tend to idolize, the Proverbs 31 woman is anxious to do the work the Lord has given her. She doesn’t busy herself with tasks that aren’t hers, but she fully dedicates herself to the work she’d been given 3. Don’t Settle She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. Proverbs 31: 14, ESV If we want to act like the Proverbs 31 woman, we need to hunt for what is best instead of settling for what’s in front of us. She seeks out the best for her family and brings in what is needed from afar. One way to model the Proverbs 31 woman is to act in a resourceful. Don’t settle for easy, settle for what is best. 4. Rise Early She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. Proverbs 31:15, ESV This one makes some of us cringe and others rejoice but rising early, preparing for the day to take full…

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