The Treasure of a Godly Woman

We search, we try hard, we seek.  We feel overworked and overwhelmed.  Life is exhausting, but it shouldn't be defeating.

Each woman possesses a treasure, but few unlock the chest it's contained in.  This is not about a quick or temporary fix.  It's real.  It's lasting.  it can be yours.  Just watch out for pirates.

We can find this buried treasure of beauty within ourselves by knowing

1. Where to dig

2. What to look for

3. Protecting ourselves against pirates.

What are the three words any woman wants to hear?

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

We as women love affirmation and encouragement.  If I asked you to look at a photo of yourself at a young age what would you tell yourself?

Would you tell her all the things you say when you look in the mirror? 

a. You're too fat

b. You're ugly

c. You're stupid

d. You can't do anything right

What would you tell this girl?

You would hug her and tell her that she IS beautiful, that she CAN do anything she sets her mind to

Phil $:13 

For I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me (NLT)  Nothing is impossible when we turn to God.

You would also tell this girl that God created her.  

Isaiah 44:2 says  "This is the word of the Lord your Maker who formed you from the womb.  Not only has he created you,  He has created you in His own image!  Gen 1:27 " God created man in his own image; He created him in the image  of God; 

Ladies, God does not make mistakes!  If we don't like our image what are we saying about God?  Honestly, how many of us are at peace with our image?  Can you look in the mirror and like what you see?

I used to avoid looking in the mirror as much as possible, I was a person who didn't like having her picture taken.  What changed my thoughts?   It was when I looked at the pictures of my beautiful girls and realized how much they looked at me and how beautiful they are.   How can I tell them that they are beautiful if I keep rejecting the fact that God created me in His image?  What am I teaching my girls? Am I teaching them to do the same?

Worldly Beauty - Where not to look.

So what defines beauty?

According to Webster's Dictionary beautiful is defined as having qualities of beauty: exciting, aesthetic pleasure.

We can look around us every day and see this, it is in advertising, magazines and on television, social media and billboards. 

The world would love to tell us

How we should act

What to wear

and How to look.

Let's face it everywhere we look, whether online or in person at stores we are bombarded with anti-wrinkle products, hair products and showing us the clothing we SHOULD be wearing.  This leaves us wanting more and making us feel we are not good enough.  The world is self-serving and prideful.  The world wants us to believe it's all about ME.  We see women being obsessed bt a self-image that fits the world's view; pushing them to a never-ending" pursuit on an elusive goal that leads them to a breaking point.  They are robbed of the true joy of being the woman God created them to be.   They eventually suffer from low self-esteem because they can't keep up with the world's expectations.

The Bible tells us not to conform to the world

RRomans 12:1-2 "Therefore , brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God."

We are to alter our thinking, by meditating on God's word and "renewing" our minds.  We can do this by constantly being in the Word, reading our Bibles.

Biblical or Godly Beauty Where Should We Look

How does the Bible look at beauty?

1 Peter 3:3 says  " Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  

Peter certainly said a mouthful here.  If we investigate the culture of the time, a husband's wealth was defined by how elaborate their wives hair was, braiding gold and jewels into their hair and displaying how expensive their clothing was.  Basically, the women were "one-upping" each other.  Keeping up with the Jones's so to speak.  Now, this doesn't mean that we can't wear jewelry or get our hair done oe Wear nice clothes,  God wants us to look after ourselves and have a tidy appearance.  Just do everything in moderation! At times we tend to substitute external things for the right behavior or attitude.  What Peter wants us to focus on is our inward character as he points out in the following verse:  1 Peter 3:4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious to God.  

What is this gentle and quiet spirit?

Gentle means not isnsestent one's own rights' or not pushy, not selfishly assertive, not demanding one's own way.

Matthew Henry says "the finest ornament of Christian women is a meek and quiet spirit, a tractable easy temper of mind, void of passion, pride and immoderate anger, discovering itself in a quiet obliging behavior toward their husbands and families."  

Look at Sari/ Sarah, in Gen 12, she followed Abraham into the desert, was taken into the haram of  Pharoah all without any complaint!

scripture says a woman that has an internal heart attitude of meekness or gentleness and a quiet spirit has a beauty that is imperishable.

It's a beauty that will never fade away.

It's a beauty that you don't have to go through all kinds of cosmetic surgery or makeup routines to preserve.  It's something that gets sweeter and richer and more beautiful as you age.  

A woman who is gentle understands at the deepest level God is in control.  She doesn't have to be anxious about her circumstances because she knows God loves her.  She has the incorruptible, never fading beauty that beautifies the soul, that is, the graces and virtues of God's Holy Spirit.

The Hidden Gems

Gal 5:22  "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  There is no law against these things"  NLT

What are the hidden gems of Galatians 5:22?  Diamonds in the rough are geodes, just a normal looking rock until you break it open... inside is the real beauty of the rock!

You are defined by  your cut, color, carat, and clarity... you are the diamond in the making, and that requires time, heat and pressure.   God uses the time, heat and pressures of life to refine us and shape us.  Every little trouble, every hard day, every irritable person we deal with is a refining process for us.

Diamonds are beautiful and are the hardest known naturally occurring mineral.  However, what most of us like best about the mineral is the way it sparkles.  When we are the Christian women God intended us to be, we can sparkle and shine.  Diamonds don't start out beautiful, they are formed deep in the earth.  It's just like when we come to Christ for salvation.  We come from deep within sin.  Ask any jeweler and they will tell you that one of the characteristics of a diamond is clarity.  This is whether there is the presence of any impurities or inclusions in the diamond.  As a Christian, others may not see our impurities or our sins because it may not be visible with the naked eye, but we must remember that for us to really sparkle for Christ we must allow Him to reflect through us. 

There is another precious gem, the pearl.  God takes a grain of sand and changes it into a pearl.  Peals come from oysters, what God does is he places the sand in the oyster and the sand becomes an irritant to the oyster.  The oyster than forms a protective coating around the sand and the pearl is formed.  God works the same way to build our characters into a beautiful precious gem!  And, we are more precious than any pearl.

Inside of us are some very precious gems: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  In Galatians 5:19-21, we see the carnal, worldly attributes of human nature:  " When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these".NLT

We must believe in Jesus, that He died and rose again to take our sins away, to have the indwelling of the Holdy Spirit.  It's the Holy Spirit within us that produces the fruit we need for living a life that reflects these precious gems in our life.

Gentleness characterizes godly women.

When Peter speaks specifically to women about the need for gentleness, exhorting us to have "gentle and quiet spirits", he is warning women particularly against seeking beauty in outward appearance. Gentleness for women means trusting God for the things in life that can lead to fear, including the fear that comes with the comparison.  When our outward appearance, whether physical beauty or social behaviors. begins to consume our thoughts, we are trusting in ourselves to produce attraction, friendship, respect an approval.

In God's sight, the woman who trusts Him fully and rests in Him is full of precious gems and is eternally beautiful!

Yare a chosen and valuable treasure!

You are valuable to God

we 

Col. 3:12 says "We are God's chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience". Just like God creates the pearls, diamonds and makes them precious gems we are even more valuable to God.  He has chosen us from the beginning, He knew us before we were formed.   God loves us,  He has chosen us to bring out those hidden treasures to those around us, to be outfitted and adorned with the precious gems of compassion and kindness.   That means we truly care about everyone, we show them the love and mercy that God shows us.  Like the clear and sparkling diamond, we are reflection our savior and all His glory for everyone to see.  

we are to be humble, not thinking ourselves better than the next person.

You are a diamond in the making, and that requires, time, heat and pressure...God will use the trials, blessings, joys, and sadness of life to refine us and shape us into a precious gem.

Satan's Liehe

Remember those pirates I mentioned?  The pirates are the lies we believe.  Paul put it this way "When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.  But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power".  Satan is the ruler of this world and he would love nothing more than to make us feel unworthy and unloved.

How many times have you lost your temper?

Your self-control?

Your patience?

It's an ongoing process, isn't it?  Thankfully we have the love of our heavenly Father that keeps us on track.  If we keep in His word every day, and pray, (prayer is a very strong weapon against our enemy)  we can defeat our foe.

The Bible tells you the war has already been won, yet some days you simply feel undone.  The struggle is real!  The enemy of your soul wants you to feel out of control, overwhelmed, outwitted and under-resourced.  When you listen to the lies the enemy, he tries to weave those lies into your marriage, your finances, your relationships, and your health.   Through this, Satan can wreak havoc, steal your joy, kill your hope.  Satan's claim is not to just dull, but to destroy the power of God in your life.

We've all fallen and been banged up by life, we are all broken and flawed.  But, we are still "precious gems" and incredibly valuable because God designed and created us.  On every page, every chapter, and in every book of His Word, God tells you He loves you.  Like a diamond, reflect His light into a dark world in need of a Savior.  The love of God is bigger than your brokenness.  It's stronger than your past regrets and deeper than any failure or fear you may feel.

Let Him love you the way you are.  

Your life may not be perfect, but like the pearl, His love will coat over the irritating sands of life and make a beautiful pearl in your heart.  Remember, it is His love that makes you a lovely precious gem in His sight.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

In this world, we are bombarded by the things that Satan wants us to believe; we need to look a certain way, act a certain way, dress a certain way, eat certain foods.  Sometimes we are even told how to live our lives. But, here it comes the big but, this is the way the world thinks and acts but does the world really know what their purpose is?  The answer is no, because they are always searching for something, and don't realize that what they are searching for is truth.  They are searching for God and the joy He brings into our lives, but instead, they keep buying things, living the way they are told to live, and just keep on searching.   How many of us as Christians feel lost and empty sometimes.  We as women can be overwhelmed by all the media and forget that as it says in Psalms 139:14 that we are wonderfully made by God.  We should not worry about how the world perceives our lives, the way we dress, which should be modest.  We must learn to love ourselves the way God loves us, to accept who we are, and not try to change our ways to the ways of the world.  Remember Romans 12:1-2?  We are not to conform to the world, but to live apart from all the sin.  The most important point I want to make is that we need to be content with ourselves, who we are, and what we look like.  God made us the way we are for a reason.  God never makes a mistake, so He did not make a mistake when He created you or me.  Many of us deal with the inferiority complex.  We feel we are not good enough, or pretty, or look good.  This is Satan talking, it's definitely not from God.  So please remember that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. There is no need to compare ourselves to others, but to be comfortable with who we are.

 Psalm 119:4

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,

Looking to the Light

When I was released from rehab, we had promised Joshua that he could pick out a pet, as he had been wanting one for some time and this seemed like  the perfect time.    We went into PETCO and right there was the pet of the week - Garfield the cat’s twin.   With the love and compassion, we gave Bently, it took him a week of hiding from us, but he finally came around to trust all of us. Just like Joshua went to great lengths to make Bently feel safe, and protected, Mark did so much for me when I was in the hospital and rehab.  There wasn’t a day when he didn’t show up, or made sure I had all the medical attention I needed; … That the nurses didn’t ignore my needs..    He even went out of his way to bring me special snacks!  He w-a-s there for me!  Mark was there encouraging me, making sure I wasn’t lonely….   It was costly to do this, there were hotel bills, as there wasn’t going back and forth from the island every day due to ferry schedules and the bay being frozen over.

As much as Mark did so many things to protect and care for me as safe as I was   - G-O-D - gives even more protection, care and safety to His children….

It is amazing that God loves us so much.  We have done nothing to deserve His care, but did you know that He wants to be a strength for us and provide a place of safety? When I was younger I was shy and uncomfortable around people  – I didn’t have that safe person in my life.  But God wants to be that place of safety for me.  Do you desire a safe place?  I think we all do.  And sometimes I think as women we have the feeling, “ I just want someone to protect me.”  Someone who cares for us more than anything else – someone who is strong who can make a difference.  Have you ever felt that way?  I certainly have.

  Today I’m going to share about Looking to the Light – We will see why we should look to God as our light because He is our Strong Tower and He is the Compassionate One.                                             


                                 It is reassuring knowing that we have someone strong to turn to as we see in proverbs 18:10…

I.                  Strong Tower

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.  Proverbs 18:10

 I love this verse and the promise that when I run to the Lord, I … am …. safe!

A.    Safety

Strong Tower is one of the many names of God, but is specifically used here to mean of a place of refuge, - shelter -  or sanctuary.  A safe place.   When the storms of life get tough we need a place where we can go and feel safe.  Back home on Smith Island one of the Islanders favorite hymns is “Til the Storm Passes By.  It reflects how God keeps us safe during life’s fierce storms, by giving us a safe place or refuge in the “hollow” of His hand.  We know that God will put the walls of safety around us and protect us until the storm or trial is finished, when we look to Him for refuge or shelter.

A Simple Definition of safety is freedom from harm or danger; state of being safe; a place that is free from harm or danger.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

As I read this verse, I picture a small child running to a parent, when they are afraid or hurting and the child finding comfort and the feeling of being safe in their parent’s arms.  Do you remember this feeling?   -  As believers we do the same when we turn to God during our life’s trials and storms.  The word righteous here refers to the ones who know Him; those who are worthy (justified and blameless by God. We must have a relationship with God and trust that Jesus died on the cross for us in order to be able to be able to take advantage of this safety.  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.  If you haven’t already accepted Christ as savior, I ask  you to do this today, you can talk to any one of the ladies here, the staff at FSB, or your pastor to help you do this.

Psalm 4:8

 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

 for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Even though the storms of life may come upon us we know that God is with us.  We know that we can withstand the storm and make it to the “bright peaceful shore”.  Until our storm has ended. We see this in Joshua 1:9

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

This is amazing to me, that God is with me all the time, it gives me so much comfort knowing this.  What storms are you facing today?  Are you going through them alone?  Do you fear the future?  Are you wondering if your school bill will get paid?  Are you thinking about where God is leading you?  About conflicts with family or friends?

We all have had or are having storms in our lives, and We should remember that when these storms come, we will become stronger in character and refined by our storm.  I remember that when I was going through my rough storm, that took me through surgery, having my head shaved, 5 months of rehab, learning to walk, and the cognitive therapy, my refuge was with God, turning to the scriptures every day.

So we learned that safety is the state of being safe, and now we can see that God keeps us safe by protecting us.

B.    Protection

When you think of wild ponies, where do you picture them? In a field? In a valley? Well, how about on a beach?   These ponies live on an island in Maryland, not far from Tylerton, Maryland where we call home.  It’s a place we love to go and visit whenever we can.    It seems that they came to be on Assateague Island because of a shipwreck off it’s coast.  This is a very unusual place for ponies to live, but they’ve been there for 100’s of years and are now protected by the federal government and cared for by skilled veterinarians.

What does it mean to be protected?  It’s the action of protecting someone or something, or the state of being protected – guarded, shielded. 

These ponies are protected.  As God’s children are we protected?  Just as parents protect their children, YES -  G- o-d  protects us.  Can you think of a time when something bad should have happened but didn’t?

 I know in my life there have been many times when God has put that wall around my family and kept us from harm, one time that comes to mind is when we were working for the camp in New Brunswick, Canada.   Mark was assistant Director, and I was in charge of the horses….  We were to pick up two mules that were donated to the camp, and were traveling to Nova Scotia, the weather got bad, the roads were slick; a typical Canadian winter day.   A minivan thought that they should pass us, and as they did it begun to spin out.  How that van missed our bumper I will never know, but God had put up that wall, and wrapped us in safety,

In

Psalm 91:4 it reads

He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Have you ever seen a hen, gather up her chicks and bring them in under her wings, all tucked in, neat and safe; can’t you just feel the safety that those little chicks have?    This is exactly what God did for my family and can do for you too!

 That is only one of many examples I could give you where God has wrapped us in protection.

Not only does God, our Strong Tower, give us safety and protection, but He also is our Compassionate One.

II.               Compassion

Compassion is the sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.  The word compassion in the Hebrew is the same word as mercy and is interchangeable.

Psalm 103:8 says:

The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

(NASB, Holman both say compassionate)

Did you get that?   He is s-lo-w to anger!  He is a--b-o-u-n-d-i-n-g (overflowing, generous,) in steadfast (committed, steady, reliable (dependable) love.

We could say that God has steadfast love galore!

Don’t you want someone in your life who doesn’t become angry with you?  Someone who is overflowing with their love toward you?   God Himself offers this kind of love and compassion – He wants to be your Someone.

Mercy

We all feel compassion, it may be felt toward a helpless pet at an animal shelter, it could be our elderly neighbor, most cases it is someone or something less fortunate than ourselves.

God has compassion for us, He created us and he loves us. (John 3:16) If He did not have compassion for us, I imagine He would have squished us like a bug long ago, just like we do to mosquitos and other biting pests that annoy us and cause us misery.  I know that God had compassion for my family when I got the brain infection 15 months ago, He knew that Mark needed his wife, that Emma and Josh weren’t ready to be without their mother, and baby Jude really needed to know his grandmother.  So instead of taking me home, He healed me and gave me more time to serve Him.  That is compassion and love!

1.     Forgiveness

In October 2006, after the shooting of 10 young schoolgirls in a one-room Amish school, reporters from throughout the world invaded Lancaster County, PA to cover the story.  In the hours and days following the shooting a different, an unexpected story developed.

In the midst of their grief over this shocking loss, the Amish community didn't cast blame, they didn't point fingers, they didn't hold a press conference with attorneys at their sides. Instead, they reached out with grace and compassion toward the killer's family.

The afternoon of the shooting an Amish grandfather of one of the girls who was killed expressed forgiveness toward the killer, Charles Roberts. That same day Amish neighbors visited the Roberts family to comfort them in their sorrow and pain.

After Charles Roberts cold-bloodedly shot 10 innocent Amish school girls, the Amish essentially  wnd immediately forgave him and showed compassion toward his family.

In a world at war and in a society that often points fingers and blames others, this reaction was u-n-h-e-a-r-d- o-f. Many reporters and fascinated followers of the story asked, "How could they forgive such a terrible, unprovoked act of violence against innocent lives?"   The answer to that is the Amish culture closely follows the teachings of Jesus, who taught his followers to forgive one another, to place the needs of others before themselves, and to rest in the knowledge that God is still in control and can bring good out of any situation. Love and compassion toward others is to be life's principle. Vengeance and revenge is to be left to God.    

I just gave you an example of how we should respond with compassion and forgiveness.  The amazing thing is, is that God does this for us, His compassion leads to forgiveness and we need to show it to others.  Look at some passages with me regarding Biblical forgiveness and love toward others and we will better understand how the Amish were able to forgive.

Psalm 103:10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

This verse shows us God’s compassion, forgiveness and love toward us.   Satan loves to tell us otherwise as we see in our hymn “Til The Storm Passes By”   

 Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try,

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies.

Have you ever just wanted to give up?  This is what Satan is trying to get us to do here, but we know as we look at  psalm 103

V 9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

God will not, blame us,  or reprimand us, he just wants us to look to Him, and worship Him.

Psalm 103:11-12

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us

If we have accepted what Christ did on the cross for us, all of our sins are forgiven and forgotten.  God doesn’t keep coming back and reminding us of all our wrong doings; that is Satan who does that.  Once forgiven always forgiven.  

t of love and compassion, has forgiven us.  We stand righteous before him, and having sin nature if we do fall, all we have to do is what it says in

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God loves us, and He wants us to be in fellowship with Him, he loves to hear our prayers, and wants nothing more than us to worship Him, the one who created us.

Conclusion

If you’ve ever seen a shipwreck map of the mid Atlantic coastline, then you know that there were a remarkable number of shipwrecks. Before modern navigation, ships used lighthouses and the stars to navigate at night. This worked well until a bad storm came up or heavy fog set in which impaired visibility. This caused ships to get off course and hit sandbars along the coast. This would usually occur during a storm and the large waves would beat the wooden ship apart. It is very likely that original ponies got to Assateague from one of these shipwrecks.  The sailors vision was blocked by fog and storms and they did not see the lighthouse their “Strong Tower”.   We need to “look to the light” beyond the storms and see that God is guiding us and protecting us to lead us through the storms to safety.

 We should look to God as our light because He is our strong tower and compassionate one.  

I know that when times get rough for me, I want to find a safe place to run and hide.  How about you? Do you want to plow through on your own – with the attitude “I Can Do this!”  “I’ll find a way.  I can make this work!”  or do you see that place of safety?  I want that place of safety and I imagine you do too.   But where do we look for it?   Are we looking to people to give us a safe haven – maybe a close friend, a boyfriend or husband? Or what about security – do we seek financial gain thinking it will deep us safe?   I challenge us all today to determine to look to T-H-E- true light – to purpose to seek the Lord and allow Him the total control of our life knowing we are safe and protected under His wings.

I challenge us to get to know the Lord more personally through His Word and really begin to understand what He is like.  When we are convinced of God’s amazing love and care for us it is easy to submit to His safe place and protection.

Remember what God has already done through His Son Jesus – there has never been a greater gift.

Remember that it is God alone who makes us dwell in safety.

Don’t we all need compassion?  Do we always deserve compassion?  No, I do many things wrong every    day – I don’t always deserve it.  But that’s one of the things I cherish most about God is that His compassions are new every morning!  I am frail and human and I am always in need of God’s forgiveness and mercy.  What about you?  Do you feel in need of God’s compassion?

To keep your eyes on the light we must  r-e-m-em-b-e-r that God is merciful, gracious. Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.

When we make the wrong choices – hen we totally mess up – do we run from the Lord?  Do we allow a fog, so to speak, surround us and keep us from looking to the light?  What we need is forgiveness and mercy, but often we run because we think we are so undeserving.  We ARE undeserving – but that’s why God’s compassion is so incredible – the way the very nature of mercy and forgiveness is for the undeserving.  Choose to focus on who God is and not allow a fog to hinder you.

Let’s commit to keep our eyes on the Light BECAUSE God is the compassionate one.  Let’s determine not to run from God during our times of failure, but to run to Him for His mercy and compassion that He so willingly gives.

God IS the compassionate one.  I plead with you to allow Him to be this for you.

                                                 
                                                                            

Hello

Thank you for dropping by.  I intend to start a Bible study,and I want to start with the book of Ruth, so please come back soon.