Being eager for NOBLE things

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Acts 17 : 11

They eagerly received the word and examined the Scriptures daily. Can that be said of you? God has a love letter for you and it's the Bible. Are you reading it everyday and receiving what it says? Are you listening to your pastor and examining the Scriptures to see if what he says is true? Are you letting others speak truth into your life? Do you study the Bible so that you know what is true? If you can answer yes to these questions, you are more noble than most. Be eager. Be studying. Be noble!

Lord, help me to be noble and desire to eagerly study your Word. May it shape into who You want me to be.

You can't be AVAILABLE if you're not ready

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 Timothy 4 : 2

Be ready in season and out of season. Be ready all the time. For what? For God to use you. He will. If you're ready, you're available for Him to use you. You can't be available to Him if you're not ready.

Lord, help me to be ready and available for you to use me to spread your Word.

The inheritance of the MEEK

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5 : 5

Inherit the earth? I'm not sure that was on my wish list. What does it mean to inherit the earth? I think of a room of relatives sitting in a lawyer's office waiting for the terms of a will to be revealed (as seen on TV, of course since I've never been present when this was actually done). I can almost imagine the smug relative who explodes upon finding out they've been left out of the will. Shut out. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. How does that feel? Not good, I'm sure. But the others can rejoice in what they've received. The meek are the ones who inherit the earth. Not left out of the will. Remembered lovingly by He who made them heirs. Not the nasty, self-entitled ones. No, the ones who are gentle, humble, and meek. They're not left out of the will - they get it all!

Lord, help me to be mild, humble, gentle and meek. You promise blessings for the meek. Help me to be worthy of that blessing.

Jesus was OBEDIENT

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2 : 8

I've always loved this passage. Jesus was humble and obedient. The King of kings was humble and obedient. The creator of the universe was humble and obedient. Mindblowing! Marvelous! Obedience requires humility. When we are submitting our will to someone else, it takes humility. Humility begets obedience. When we consider others higher than ourselves, it's easier to be obedient to what God wants of us. When we recognize that God's will is better than our will, we need to obey His will. When we consider His will, we can't ask how much we have to obey. Jesus was obedient to death. Can we obey even if it means death?

Heavenly Father, if Jesus can be obedient even when faced with death, help me to be Christlike and be obedient - even in lesser things.

Give me a WILLING mind

...know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

1 Chronicles 28 : 9

The Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. In other words, you can't hide from Him. He knows what is best and He knows my heart. I don't want to be cast off forever, I want to follow Him. So, I will seek Him knowing that He will be found by me. But even when my heart is the right place, I need to make sure that my mind is also in the right place and that my mind is willing. I need to stop thinking that I know better and trust that He knows better. A willing mind - it's hard for me, but I will seek Him and ask that my mind be transformed to a willing mind.

Lord, grant me a willing mind. Help me to seek You out and know Your will so that my plans are of You. When my mind can't grasp how You will accomplish your plan, help me to be willing to still go forward with it.

Thinking of NOBLE things

But the noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.

Isaiah 32 : 8

What are your plans? What are you standing on? Are you planning on spending the weekend watching tv and goofing off? Or, are you planning on making something of the weekend? When we stand on noble things - things which God has declared to be good - we should be making our plans based on what God wants for us. Will you make noble plans with me?

Lord, help me to be inclined, willing, generous, and noble. Help me to put off lowly and foolish things. Help me to stand on and plan on noble things so that you will be glorified in my life.

I Am AVAILABLE

And I heard the voice of The Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."

Isaiah 6 : 8

No, this post is not my biography for a dating website. I know that God has a plan for me and I want to be used of him. I don't want to be shy and hide in the back when God is looking for volunteers. I don't want to be the last kid picked for the team. When God is looking for someone to use, I want to jump to the front say "pick me!"

Lord, help me to be bold and to step up and let you use me. Give me opportunities to be used by you.

The MEEK Shall Enjoy Fresh Joy

The meek shall obtain fresh joy in The Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 29 : 19

Meek is not one of those works I use a lot. I looked up the definition and the first part of it really struck me: Humbly patient. I like that. It's hard some times to be humble. It's hard sometimes to be patient. When things are spiraling out of control and I want to scream and take control, I need to ask myself "should I be humbly patient?" The promise in this Scripture is a great one - fresh joy. By being humble and patient and letting God have His way, I can have fresh joy. I think I can deal with that!

Father help me to be humble and meek. Help me not to think too highly of myself but subject myself to your will. Help me to know that by lowering myself and subjecting myself to your will, that you will raise me up and give me fresh joy in you.

Becoming OBEDIENT

But thanks be to God, that while you who were once slaves to sin have become obedient to the heart of the standard of teaching to which you were committed

Romans 6 : 17

You who were once slaves to sin... Slaves to sin. We had no choice but to obey our sinful natures. But now we have become obedient to the heart of the standard of teaching from God's Word. Isn't that amazing! He has left us instructions on what we expects of us so that we can live the lives He wants for us. We must be obedient to what's on His heart, what's revealed in His Word. To be after His own heart, we should be obedient, not because we are slaves, but because He has made us FREE!

Heavenly Father, help me to be obedient to all that you have laid on my heart through your Word. Help me as I read it daily to respond to it, not just as words on a page, but as direction for my life.

If She Is WILLING

But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.

Genesis 24 : 8

The servant was sent to find a wife for his master's son. If he found a suitable woman, he was to bring her back to his master's house. The obvious concern was would she be willing to come? Would she be willing to leave her family behind? Would she be willing to follow God's plan?
God is laying on my heart a new adventure. Am I willing to trust Him and follow Him?

Father, help me be willing to leave behind whatever is necessary to follow you and become who you want me to be.

An Introduction

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What do I know of being a woman of God? Perhaps not much. Or perhaps more than I think. What you are reading here is not meant to be a comprehensive look at being woman of God. I have started with an acrostic to help me focus on traits that as they develop more and more, I will become more Christlike and become what I long to be - a woman after God’s own heart.

My acrostic that I am using is
Willing
Obedient
Meek
Available and
Noble

I plan to do a short devotional on one of these character traits each weekday.  It is my hope that as I continue to reflect on each of these traits, I will see more evidence of them in my life. I will start posting the devotionals next Monday!