Self-Exams are Good for You!

Church Chicks,  don't you dislike going for mammograms?  One friend described it to me as "putting you in one room and your breast in another room."  Ouch!  Routinely doing self-exams can be very helpful in discovering problems before they get out of control.  Today's Church Chick Word for the Day talks about doing "spiritual self-exams" which can assist us in being more of the light and salt that God's Word calls us to be:  Influencers of culture and not influenced by the culture around us.
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.  Cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widows."  Isaiah 1:16
Self-examination is so important in the Christian walk.  We need to examine our lives closely each day for any unChristlike actions, thoughts, and motives that could be displeasing to God.  We need to promote and do the right thing and step in and help those who need a hand up such as the fatherless and the widows around us. 
Lord, help us today to be more focused on Your ways and desires and not on our own.  Help us to reach out to others as influencers of our culture and to do it for Your glory and not our own.  Show us someone around us who needs and encouraging word or hand and let us tell them that we are doing so to show Your love to them in a practical way.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Keeping it Clean and Smelling Good :)

"Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor.  So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor."  Ecclesiastes 10:1
If we are helping others find the Lord and grow in His ways, we need to always be aware of the way our actions and words are being observed by others.  We do not have the freedom to be silly and foolish in our walk with the Lord.  Choosing our words and actions wisely and living lives of honor before the Lord will help us and others take spiritual growth more seriously.  As we rise up the ladder of influence in our spiritual and secular lives, our freedom of doing our "own thing" lessens.  Let's commit to keeping our lives clean of things that can "fly" in our minds and lives that are not of God and to walk with integrity before our Lord. 
Lord, help us to only bring honor to Your name so that we will encourage and not discourage others in their walk toward You.  Keep us clean and smelling good for Your glory alone.  In Jesus' name we commit our hearts, Amen.  Have a blessed day, Church Chicks!

Appreciating Others in Our Lives

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls for he has no one to help him up."  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Having friends and companions to do life with is so important to our own success.  We can balance each other if we get out of focus or into unhealthy choices.  Those who are alone in life don't have others to bounce their thoughts and plans off of to be sure they are staying in line with God's Word and good health.  When those who have chosen to "go it alone" get into trouble, they haven't built the stability around them they will fall further and faster than those who have linked arms with Christian friends and family.  When we see those around us going through life alone, we should reach out to them and help them get connected to God's family in their area of need at that time.  Be aware of the support groups your church has to offer and help those around you get connected.  You can go with them for their first session of Divorce Care, Grief Share, or Celebrate Recovery.  Helping them meet and get connected with others who are working through their difficulties of life in a positive way is an awesome thing for us to do.  And helping them find the Lord's help in their time of need is the greatest thing we can do for others.  Lift up others around you today, Church Chicks! 

What Matters Most in Life

"There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after."  Ecclesiastes 1:11
Solomon, the king of Israel who is listed in the Bible as the wisest man who ever lived, coined the phrase "there is nothing new under the sun."  It may seem like new ideas or behaviors are unique for our lifetime, but are they?  What in this life is truly important and will be passed on into eternity?  Only those things that touch eternity:  sharing our faith and helping others find an eternal relationship with God through Jesus.  Very few people's contributions in life will stand through time.  It's important to put our efforts and time into spiritual pursuits daily.  Daily devotions, Bible studies, Small Groups, serving others in ministry, sharing our faith - these will stand the test of time and eternity.

Lord, help us place the most importance of my days in this life in doing Your will and business.  Impress us with Your will, empower us with Your strength, let us live in the Light of eternity in this life and the next.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  Have a blessed, eternal day, Church Chicks!  Go light your world :)

Women Who Follow the Lord are Beautiful!

Church Chicks, let's commit together to love the Lord more and serve Him better in 2012.  Being sensitive to the Lord when He speaks or impresses His will on us and following His direction from His Word brings beauty and praise from others into our lives and leaves less stress marks.  "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."  Proverbs 31:30
True beauty, as the Lord tells it in this verse, is not what the world promotes as beauty.  The world would have us focus on a beauty that is skin deep, but the Lord would have us see beauty as being spiritually in tune with Him.  As a woman fears the Lord and follows His voice and Word, not only will she be blessed, but others will benefit from her walk with the Lord and praise His work being done through her.
Lord, thank You for caring about us so much that You direct and discipline us daily.  Help us to desire Your way and beauty above our own desires or others' desires for us and our time.  We will focus on You and be beautiful in Your eyes.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  Have a blessed day, Church Chicks, and look for someone the Lord tells you to bless in some way today :)

What Say Others About You?

The times of life where we feel the heat being turned up on us are used by the Lord to improve or refine our character.  The heat causes impurities to rise to the top so we can notice them and deal with them.  Anger, lack of self-control, and jealousy, are a few examples of attributes that can remain hidden until triggered by certain people, places, or things.  They have to be dealt with by asking for God's forgiveness and the forgiveness of others when recognized and confessed.  The result is that we become more usable by God and more of a blessing to others as we have victory and pass on to them what God has done within us.  When we bless others and do good to them no matter how they treat us, people speak positive of us and give God glory.  "The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, and a man is valued by what others say of him."  Proverbs 27:21 
Lord, help us not to get discouraged when we go through times of pressure and difficulties.  You are using them to purify us and to make us more like You.  We want your character to be evident in our lives.  Burn out anything that is not of You and help us see difficulties as opportunities for growth.  Help us use the story of what You are doing in our lives to bless and encourage others.  In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.
Turn up the heat, Lord.  (And we wouldn't mind the heat temperature either :)  Stay warm, Church Chicks!