duties

du·ty

noun

1.

something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.

I finished scrubbing the pot and lifted it out of the water to rinse it. I looked around. Nobody else was there. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I'm the only one doing the dishes... again. Where is everyone? Now I'm going to have to wash the dishes and dry them." I picked up the towel with a snap and started drying the pot. "And of course no one will even thank me for it," I continued to myself, as I placed the pot impatiently in its place. Suddenly a thought came to me. Ahem... Abby? Isn't washing dishes what you are supposed to do? Your duty?

Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, "Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’
Luke 17:7-10

What are your duties? They may be washing dishes, or feeding the dog, or doing school, or babysitting. It's interesting how Jesus reminds us that a master doesn't thank a servant. After all, that's what the servant is there for, right? So we should be with our duties. Since it is what we are supposed to be doing, why do we expect praise and thanks when we do some simple thing? I must constantly remind myself of this when I am doing my duties. God gives us duties for good reasons... to sanctify us, to get things done that must be done, etc. We all have things that must be done. Jesus tells us that we should do our duties not expecting thanks or praise or rewards. 


Grace be with you,

Abby :D

ps. this is a post I wrote back in 2013. it was languishing in the draft folder and I thought, hey, why let it languish any longer? I might (maybe maybe) post some more soon, but I've been pretty busy (including getting my wisdom teeth out), so maybe not. how have you been lately? have any summer plans?

Studying {Nehemiah 7-13}

Nehemiah 7-13

All the exiles from Judah are named. Ezra reads the law to the people. They weep, because they realize their sins. Nehemiah tells them to be happy and to feast, because it's a sacred day. The people tell God of their sin and repent of. The people sign an agreement to obey God's law. They cast lots to decide who will live in Jerusalem. It lists the names of everyone chosen. The wall is dedicated. All the people of foreign descendants are excluded from God's assembly. Tobiah's son-in-law, a priest, gives Tobiah a storeroom. Nehemiah, who has gone back to serve the king, returns and takes all Tobiah's possessions. Then he purifies the room and puts back what belong in it. He also rebukes the priests and Levites for neglecting the house of God, rebukes the people for selling and buying on the Sabbath, and rebukes some of the men for taking foreign wives. He also throws out Sanballat's son-in-law. He asks God to remember his deeds.

What I learned:
-God cares about each and every one of his people, as shown by the list of captives freed. The list also shows God's mercy in setting sinners free.
- The Israelites wept, grieved, and were repentant when told of their sins. This is the attitude we should have when faced with our sins.
-Nehemiah was an extremely faithful servant of God. We need to do our duties the way Nehemiah did his: faithfully and diligently.
-When Nehemiah was serving the king again, the people began to disobey and do wicked deeds. Without a leader, they went astray. The same with us. When we do not follow our Leader, Jesus Christ, we constantly steer crookedly and step off the path, but only when we keep our eyes on Jesus do we stay on the straight and narrow path.

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Studying {Nehemiah 4-6}

Here is another installment of... the book of Nehemiah. Here is the link to this passage: Nehemiah 4-6.

Summary:
The Jews' enemies insult them. Nehemiah asks that God remember their insults. They continue rebuilding. News of their enemies plotting an attack reaches the Jews. This is discouraging, as well, as their fellow Jews telling them to stop building. They begin to carry weapons with them as they build. Nehemiah encourages them. The poor people begin to complain about their taxes and interest . Nehemiah rebukes the richer people for taking interest from and selling the poor as slaves. They listen and do what he tells them. Nehemiah explains that he became governor, and that the former leaders took advantage of the people. He does not. There are letters from their enemies distracting from the wall building. A man tries to get Nehemiah to hide from the enemies and ruin his reputation. The wall is completed, and there are people in Judah telling Nehemiah of Tobiah's (the enemy) good deeds and reporting back to Tobiah what his replies were.

What I learned:
-When the enemies were plotting against the Jews, and the other Jews were discouraging them, it reminded me of a situation where perhaps God calls you to do something that sounds crazy, and your family and friends start to discourage you. If this happened, you would need to keep working diligently. This happened in Bruce Olson's life (Bruchko).

-The situation of the poor sounds like our own economic situation in the US. The only way to get out of it is to follow God's way.

-When Nehemiah refused to hide, he proved that he trusted God in even dangerous situations. May God grant us this sort of trust!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Examples...

Amy Carmichael ~~~ Saved children in India from Hindu temples.

Jim Elliot ~~~ Died by the hands of the Auca Indians, trying to share the Gospel.

Gladys Aylward ~~~ Helped and took in orphans from China, risking her life many times.

Apostle Paul ~~~ Traveled all over the world sharing the Gospel, often coming close to death.

David Livingstone ~~~ Was a missionary and explorer in Africa for many years.

Hudson Taylor ~~~ Went to China as a missionary and spread the Gospel there.



I'm sure these men and women are familiar to you. You've probably read their stories many times. What do all of these people have in common?

Of course you know. They are all great missionaries. Men and women of God, doing things for God's glory. Have you every said to yourself, "Why can't I be like Paul?" or "I'll never be able to be like Amy Carmichael. She was amazing." I know I have. But here's the thing. God made those men and women like that. He gave them their talents, passions, and ideas so that He could be glorified. Sure, they used them in amazing ways, but they listened to God when He told them how. They were ordinary people, just like you, who followed God's voice when they heard Him talking. Grace was abundant in their lives.

Also, when we get caught up in thinking about how they used their gifts, and wishing we were more like them, we miss the whole point. Those people were imitating Jesus.

Hebrews 4:15
  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

All the most wonderful missionaries in the world, the ones with the best missions or the most converts, were all sinners. All of them had weaknesses, and struggles, and sins. They were tempted every day, just like you.
And just like Jesus. Except Jesus-- didn't sin. He was perfect. Even though He went through everything, all the sins and temptations, that we go through, He didn't sin. Jesus is our High Priest, our role model.

Hebrews 5:1-3
 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

Even the high priests of the temples in Jesus' day had sins, and they were the ones you went to for offering sacrifices so that your sins could be removed. They had to offer sacrifices for their own sins. And the great missionaries of our day aren't any better. Jesus is God's high priest, because He went through temptations as a human, and didn't sin. He was perfect. 

So don't you think, that when we look at missionary's lives, instead of looking at what they did as their own work and strengths, we should look in the background at God's grace to them? And look at Jesus Christ, our perfect High Priest, as our example in all of life?
 

the sometimes days

 (uh oh, blogging has taken the back burner again. I'm trying, really I am!)

In my life, usually, everything goes pretty well. School is challenging, but not frustrating. Music practice goes well. I have some extra free time to do with what I wish. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. I know that Jesus died on the cross to save me, and I know that God loves me. Everything goes right.

But sometimes...

There are those days. School is absolutely awful, I've been dawdling too long and I know it. I have no free time yet I've somehow managed to spend way too much time on the internet. I'm grumpy to everybody, I feel like sitting down and screaming. I know that God is looking down at me frowning, but I just can't seem to get out of this slump.

Can you relate? I really hope you can. Because I know I post these kinds of posts a lot, but I like looking back on them when I'm feeling bad. If you have the same 'sometimes' days that I have, you know the feeling.

One Bible verse that's good for days like these is:

...the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6

So He won't forsake you... even on your bad days? Yes, even then.

Here's another one I like.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

Even when we're feeling grumpy and not so great, we can still remember that God truly loves us, and He sent His son to die for us. He is our help in trouble, and He won't leave you or forsake you. 

 Remember that on your next 'sometimes' day.

Grace be with you,

Abby :D 

p.s. sorry for no pictures. i just can't seem to find the time to upload one!

Approval

It's funny how everything seems to revolve around approval. Humans are social creatures. We need others' approval to feel liked and wanted.

"I just love the dress you're wearing!"

"Why do you have to act so childish?"

"Wow, these look great! You're so talented!"

Comments like these lift us up and dash us down. They make us smile, cry, and go through a whole range of emotions. I love getting a nice comment on my hair or outfit, because it makes me feel likable. Especially on blogging, you want to know people are reading and liking your blog, your words. Can you relate?

Our pastor recently preached a sermon in Galatians. One of the verses was Galatians 1:10.

 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
 Galatians 1:10

Of course, in this verse Paul is talking about how the Galatians were deserting the Gospel, and telling them to get back to it. But still, this is a valuable verse for us. I'll bet Paul didn't care much if people liked him and his beliefs, in fact he got a lot of rejection and disapproval. He didn't care what people thought about him, but God. And that's how we should be. It's so hard, though, not to care what others think of you! 
Even so, we should be thinking about what God thinks of us. We should ask Him to help us not to care what others think. Instead of, "I wonder if everyone liked the outfit I had on?", we should ask, "I wonder how I can please God today?"

Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Have you heard...

...what my God did for me? He sent His son down to me, to be my Savior.
For me, He came down to this earth and became a little baby.
For me, He grew up to be a man.
For me, He somehow resisted the temptation of sin.
For me, He was silent during his trial.
For me, He carried His cross.
For me, He died on that horrible day.
For me, He bore the wrath of a righteous God, so that I could go to heaven.
He did something that I didn't deserve, that I didn't earn.
He loves me. He conquered death and hell for me.
He did it for you, too.
He loves you and me, more than a fear of death and hell can shake.
I love Him, enough to live and die for Him.
Have you heard about Jesus? He paid the ultimate price and faced a just God's wrath. For you and me. For everyone.


♫♪ Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.♫♪

To cover, or not to cover, that is the question.

First off, I want to remind everyone to pray for all the people being affected by Hurricane Irene. According to weather.com, there will be major damage from this hurricane. But, we have to leave it all in God's hands. All we can do is pray!


Head coverings. What a subject! I have been thinking more about wearing one as I get older and closer to God.

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.  For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God. 
 1 Corinthians 11: 2-16


Judging from those verses, every Christian woman should be wearing a head covering. But why don't we? Maybe most think it's weird, unnecessary, or that long hair is enough. In the Bible Commentary I read, it said that because woman was made for man, man is the head of woman. Man was made for God, so God is the head of man. If man wears a head covering or long hair, he is dishonoring his head (God). A woman would wear a head covering to show her submission to man, her head. So if she does not wear a covering, she would dishonor her head (man). Thoughts on that?

I'm really not sure of my outlook on head coverings. I'm not totally opposed to it. Maybe I should wear one just for prayer and during the church service. What are your thoughts on this subject?


Grace be with you,
Abby :D

ps. For more insight, I asked the same question on Preparing To Be A Help Meet's website, here. Click to see.
pps. the above picture is from Google images. If it is yours, and you don't want it on here, just comment. Thanks!

Psalm 1

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I love this psalm. I think it describes how a righteous man should live. I've been reading in the Psalms, but I still think that my favorite is either this one or Psalm 23.

What is your favorite psalm?

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

My friend Nehemiah is starting a writing blog and was wondering if anyone would like to join. Check out his post here.

Hated

I want the world to hate me.


If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
John 15: 18-19



I want to be the complete opposite of the world. I want to stand out, apart from the world's ways, be hated by their systems, glorify God in everything I do. I want to be hated by the world. To be persecuted just like Jesus. And while I don't exactly want to be hated (after all, who does?), I want to be like Jesus. I want to be chosen out of the world. I want to be a child of the Most High.

Your thoughts?

Grace be with you,

Abby

I'm a sinner.

Sometimes I feel totally and completely worthless, and a 100% failure. And I wonder "Why?" Perhaps it's because I feel frightened at the thought of witnessing. Maybe it's because I get angry too easily. Because I'm not patient. Because I don't like housekeeping (and I want to be a homemaker someday). Because I'm doing poorly in Algebra 1. Because I am a sinner. I know God loves us and forgives our sins, yet I want to ask, "How long can He keep forgiving? How could He love me?" I keep messing up. Keep failing. Keep on sinning.

 But then I remind myself of Paul. He was a sinner. He even persecuted God's people. Yet he was saved, forgiven, and loved by the Most High King, the God who knows our hearts, yet loves us in spite of it. And I wonder how this mood could come on, when I know He loves me, He is my master, my King, my God.

~Praise to the Almighty, the King of all nations, who was, and is, and is to come!~

Grace be with you, and keep on the straight and narrow path!


Abby :D

(I just had to share this song. It seemed to fit the mood, and the words are beautiful, just beautiful)

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great high Priest whose Name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.


When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.


Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

Horrifying, isn't it?

 I found this on Johanna's blog, and it horrified me. This sign, that is on car bumper stickers, billboards, TV, and even our clothing! is not a Christian symbol. In fact it is the opposite. Read on for her post (her words are in italics).




Today, as I was reading a new post on one of my favorite blogs From the Inside Out, I found something out -- something that sickened my soul. I pray that you will now take the time to read what I discovered --

Almost everywhere I go, I see this sign~

More often then not, we see it attached to the word "love"~

But I had no idea, that the peace sign itself was a sign of Satanism -- anything but related to love.

I have never, ever been 'into' the peace sign. I can't really say why, part of it was because I didn't like the attitude that always went with it. But I thank the Lord that I have never worn it before, because today, I found that behind the peace sign, there was something much more sickening, and terrible then a bad attitude.

"Known as the 'peace sign' throughout the 1960's and into the present day, this symbol is the Teutonic rune of death. 1950's peace advocate Gerald Holtom may have been commissioned by communist sympathiser Bertrand Russell to design a symbol to unite leftist peace marchers in 1958. It is clear that either Holtom or Russell deemed the Teutonic (Neronic) cross as the appropriate symbol for their cause.

"Throughout the last 2,000 years this symbol has designated hatred of Christians. Nero, who despised Christians, crucified the Apostle Peter on a cross head downward. This hideous event resembled the Teutonic cross and became a popular pagan insignia of the day. Thereafter, this sign became known as the 'Neronic cross.'

"The symbol's origin in history proves it to be the visual mystic character for 'Aum' (the split 'Y'). This is the sacred word to the Hindu. Chanting 'Aum' is supposed to help awaken 'the serpent power of Brahma' at the base of the human spine. Occultist Albert Pike also identifies this symbol as mystical in his book on Freemasonry Morals and Dogma.

The peace symbol (also called the "broken cross," "crow's foot," "witch's foot," "Nero Cross," "sign of the 'broken Jew,'" and the "symbol of the 'anti-Christ''') is actually a cross with the arms broken. It also signifies the "gesture of despair," and the "death of man.''

The above I read from this website. I want to say though, I did not read the entirety of the article, since I saw that it was getting more in depth then I really wanted to even ponder. So, if you visit the above link, beware, as I am not sure if the article contains more truths that wouldn't be necessary to dwell upon. But from the little I did read, I was thoroughly sickened.

Just look around you, this sign is EVERYWHERE you go! Think about that for a moment.... the sign of the "Antichrist" everywhere we go-- on posters, on clothing, on jewelry, car decals, etc. It is almost like a campaign for the Antichrist....
Before, I was so sick of everywhere I went, seeing the this symbol. It always reminded me of a hippie.... now, it turns my stomach because I now know who it really stands for.....

I feel a greater depth of sadness when I see Christians wearing it.

Up until now, I thought the sign was just a thing of my generation, the trend. But now, to see my brothers and sisters in Christ wearing it, not even knowing what symbol they are wearing.... it breaks my heart. I don't believe most people know the true meaning of the peace sign, and that is why everyone is OK with it. But they need to know.... They need to know that the supposed "peace" symbol is a cross with broken arms.

That is why I am writing this post. I pray that your eyes may be opened to the horrible meaning behind the "Peace" sign, and that you will have the strength to stop supporting it...

This sign is the devil's work. It is full of everything evil. I, too, will pray that this abominable corruption will be stopped. (not to mention the skull. More on that later)

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

                                                                                                                          

Monday's Scripture

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16


This verse is always good if you need a boost in life. It was one of the first that I memorized. I love it!

Another Verse

This is also one of my favorite verses:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9 (king james)