Hard Work and Dedication

By Bethany Lashbrook

This Week’s Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (NIV)

When I was in high school, I had posters in my room of all the latest models. I liked their flat bellies. I wanted a flat belly like them. So, I worked hard at doing sit-ups and off and on during high school I was able to get a flat belly out of it! But, it came with a price. Each night before going to bed, I would find myself doing hundreds of sit-ups.

Most great things come with a price. When I started attending a new church as a young woman, I looked up to women that I believed maintained the model Christian life. I believed they had it all together – lovely family, nice smile on their face, willing to help others, loving unconditionally. I believed that this came natural for a fine Christian woman.

I have since learned this: it takes work. It all does. These women don’t just rise and shine to a smile on their face (okay – maybe some women do, but not all). They have to do certain things to make it happen. I’m sure they read the bible daily, pray daily, and choose to walk with God daily.

It takes sit-ups to get a flat belly. It takes hours and hours behind the wheel to become a safe driver. It takes reading many books to become intellectual in a subject. It takes many mistakes to become a good parent.

So, why would I think that it wouldn’t take a lot of hard work to become a model Christian woman?

It takes hard work and dedication to read the bible daily. It takes practice to become a good prayer warrior. It takes LOTS AND LOTS of encouragement to proclaim Christ to others. It takes holding of the tongue on many occasions. It takes discipline to remain faithful to Jesus and his teachings.

My husband and I have this saying “it takes time or money”. It seems like everything in this world either takes more time, or more money. I can’t buy Christianity, so why didn’t I think that it would take more time to become a good Christian?

Becoming a disciplined Christian means more than Sunday morning church. It means learning to live life as a Christian every day of the week and every moment of the day. It is a discipline, but a good one!

Dear Father, thank you for giving us your word so we may learn more about you, and try to become the way Jesus was – caring, loving, forgiving, full of joy, and peace. Help me to show the fruits of the Spirit so others may see You in me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Application: *Are there women that might be looking up to you, watching you, wanting what you have? Make sure to share what you know about FAITH with them. We need to be on-call 24/7 for others who want to know more about what we have that they might not have.

*Do you find yourself wanting what someone else has that you just can’t quite get? Well, ask her how she got there. Ask her about her study habits and disciplines she has picked up through the years. Most women would love to share her story of how that smile got on her face!

Power Verses:

1 Thessalonians 5:12 “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.” (NLT)

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV)

Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” (NASB)

Confessions

by Bethany Lashbrook

This Week’s Verse: Genesis 1:27, "Then God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (NLT)

Devotion:
I have a confession to make (and know that this is very hard for me to admit). I am uncomfortable with my body. It has just been in the last several years that I have maintained this attitude. I am unhappy with my weight, my thighs, my belly, and anything that gravity has taken over. I would say that lately, the only things I have been happy with are the things that haven’t changed such as my eye color, my eyelashes, my hands and my feet.

I have been struggling with any attempts to ask God to help me correct this. I just want to go back to my glory high school days and be thin again. This past week I finally gave in and asked God what I could do to have a better image of myself…after all we are made in His likeness. At no surprise to me, God indirectly gave me the answers. They were tough to digest, and this will definitely be a work in progress, but he reminded me of how beautiful I am to Him.

I have read two separate books this week, both on completely different topics, and they both managed to touch the subject of self-worth. I will give you the take home messages of what I read. The first book explained how until we are truly comfortable in our bodies, we will never be happy. We will never thank God for our glorious bodies, but instead be jealous of others for their bodies. We will be ungrateful and therefore unkind to our Lord for what He has chosen to give us.

The second book talked about how in our culture, self-hatred is so common that we just assume it to be true. Other cultures can’t even imagine self-hatred because there is so much self-love. Self-what??? In a culture that tells us that eating nothing is “in” and being a bit on the heavier side is “out” – no wonder we all our so unhappy. Have you looked in a magazine lately? Beyond a certain brand of underwear, I don’t think I have seen one model that is even remotely close to my size.

After reading these two books God helped me understand two things. One, I was comparing my body to others. And two, I didn’t love my body like I should. So, setting out on a new adventure of this “self-love”, I am going to try to love my body. I am going to try to love me like God loves me.

I will set out today to the gym, a place where beautiful bodies walk through the door every couple of minutes. But, today is going to be a new day. One of those beautiful bodies is going to be mine. And I will be proud of what my Glorious and Massive God can do…make me in His likeness and in His image.

Thank you, Lord, for creating me like you. Forgive me for not appreciating my appearance as I should. Forgive me for yearning to have what others have. Forgive me for thinking that you should have made me different. I know you have a plan for my life, and I couldn’t do it without my body and my mind being the exact way that it is. Please help me to appreciate and understand all that I am with your eyes, Lord. Amen.

Application: Do you struggle with your image? Do you have any other struggles? Do you compare your house, car, and possessions to others? If so, thank God today for what He gave you. Ask Him to show you why he has given you these things and not others. Ask Him why He has asked you to struggle in certain areas of your life. He may not answer today, or it may not be the answer you were ready to hear, but He will answer.

Power Verses:
Psalm 86:4, "Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you." (NLT)
Ephesians 4:23-24, "And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness." (AMP)
1 Corinthians 12:18, "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be."(NIV)