Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Thank you, Honey

In honor of my husband, who for the last two weeks has held me up and kept me going when I wanted to curl up and give up. I hope that I am an example of this devotional. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to say how grateful I am that he has been there for me. Thank you, Honey. I am honored to be your Wife.




Words Can Captivate Your Man

Sharon Jaynes

(In honor of Valentine's Day, Sharon's February devotions will focus on marriage.)

Today's Truth
"A good wife is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds" (Proverbs 31:10, The Message).

Friend To Friend
Today, I want you to use your imagination. I want you to imagine your husband sitting at his desk or at a quiet place at work. Imagine him lost in thought about how blessed he is to have you as his wife. He holds your framed picture in his hand and moisture begins to pool in his eyes. He is captivated.

All the riches in the world are not to be compared with the jewel I have in this woman, he muses. What did I ever do to deserve her? God has given me such a gift. All our married life, she has done nothing but love me, bring out the best in me, and look out for my best interest. All the guys at the office are envious of our relationship. I see the way their eyes soften when she comes by just to tell me hello, grabs my hand when we're at office functions, or pecks me on the cheek for no apparent reason. I notice that her loving words to me are in stark contrast to some of the cutting remarks of other wives...and so do my friends. I look around at the accomplishments of my life, but having this woman as my wife is my greatest. Oh sure, there are many women out there in the world who are accomplishing great feats, but my wife...well, she surpasses them all.

What a picture! That's the woman I want to be, don't you? And amazingly my words can be the determining factor as to whether this scenario is possible or not. Did you know that there are words your husband longs to hear? Did you know that there are words we should never say? Let me give you a few from my book, The Power of a Woman's Words.

Words to Never Say to Your Husband

1. I told you so.

2. You just don't think.

3. It's your fault.

4. What's wrong with you?

5. I can't do anything to please you.

6. All you care about is yourself.

7. You never listen to me.

8. I don't know why I put up with you.

9. What do you want now?

10. How many times do I have to tell you?

Words Your Husband Longs to Hear

  1. I've been thinking about you all day.
  2. What can I do for you today?
  3. How can I pray for you today?
  4. The best part of my day is when you come home.
  5. You are one of God's most precious gifts to me.
  6. You are so wonderful.
  7. You look so handsome today.
  8. I don't feel complete without you.
  9. I will always love you.
  10. I trust your decisions.

Today, be aware of the words you say to your husband. Do they build him up or tear him down? Do they make him glad he came home, or wish he hadn't?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Sitting at His feet

I often wonder...what are You teaching me, Lord? In all of this, what is my lesson?

As I have struggled the last two weeks with injury and illness, I have tried to see what my lesson might be. I long to have plans, structure, to know what is on the schedule and be ready to take it all in stride.....as long as it goes according to plan. Well, the injury was not a planned thing, really neither was the surgery. It had been planned later, but not now! So I am finding that the Lord is teaching me, that it isn't about MY schedule but HIS. I am able to sit at his feet and learn from Him, right here, right now....in this unplanned stage of my life. May I honor Him in all I say and do. This is a portion of my devotion this morning, it really spoke to my heart. Maybe it will speak to yours.


He is Waiting for You

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"Now as they went on their way, He entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home" (Luke 10:38, NIV).

Seeking God begins with recognizing who He is and then inviting Him into our life as Lord and Savior. If He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all. For some of us, the problem is not that we lack a personal relationship with God. Our problem is that we are not "making room" for that relationship. Balance comes when we yield to His plan in the everyday moments of life.

Mary's home revealed a world very different from mine and an uncommonly simplistic lifestyle I desperately longed to experience. The house was sparsely furnished with only the necessities but Mary described her life and daily routine with words like "calm, uncomplicated, peaceful and serene." When I asked why she had chosen such a lifestyle she sweetly responded with words of wisdom I will never forget, "I have discovered that when my life and my heart get too crowded there is not enough room for God." Exactly!

An unbalanced life is too crowded for God. It is so easy to relegate our spirituality to religious activity when all He really wants is to spend time with us. When the tears fall, He wants to wipe them away, collecting each one so that He can pour them back into our lives as a refreshing rain of restoration. God longs for us to forever run into His arms, sharing every hurt and rejoicing in every victory. The Father yearns to wrap His strong arms around us, bringing the peace and balance we so desperately need.

Instead, we often relinquish control of our life to unworthy demands dictated by a world that operates in "urgent" gear. We forget what is really important. The important rarely barges in while the urgent is always an offensive intruder. The important waits patiently while the urgent demands its own way, creating bedlam and imbalance. Certainly, there are times when the important is also urgent - but we must learn to discern between the two. We wrongly conclude that a busy life is automatically a productive life and think that a full schedule will surely produce a full heart.

I have great news! He loves who you are more than He loves what you do. Seek Him today. Make room for Him. He is waiting.