A Picture of Set-Apartness

"They say there is a young lady...who is beloved of that Great Being who made and rules the world. They say that He fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything except to meditate on Him. If you present the world to her, with the riches of its treasures, she disregards it. She is unmindful of any pain or affliction. She has a singular purity in her affections. You could not persuade her to compromise her true Love even if you would give her all the world. She possesses a wonderful sweetness, calmness, and kindness to those around her. She will sometimes go about from place to place, singing sweetly. She seems to be always full of joy and pleasure, and no one knows exactly why. She loves to be alone, walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have Someone invisible always conversing with her."
-Written of Sara Edwards by Jonathan Edwards, her future husband. 
(from Marriage to a Difficult Man by Elizabeth Dudd)

only to be Yours

“Only when self moves out of the way can His spectacular glory come cascading through your life. When Jesus is in His rightful place, all insecurity will fade away and His lasting loveliness will become the mark of your life.”
― Leslie Ludy, The Lost Art of True Beauty

 

favorite quotes by amy carmichael

"Nothing could ever matter to me again but the things that were eternal."

“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires which He creates”

"'Father, I'm not soaring today. Help me.'

     'Daughter, soaring is not always flying high above the world. Sometimes one is soaring only two feet above the ground, just enough to keep you from getting tangled in the thorns and crashing against the rocks."'

"We are not here to be overcome; but to rise unvanquished after every knockout blow, and laugh the laugh of faith, not fear."

~Amy Carmichael~

enjoying God anew

I am loving Ruth Myers' book "31 Days of Praise: Enjoying God Anew". It seems that when I open up the book and read the prayer of praise that is for that day, it always applies to how I am feeling or what I am going through. Each and every day of praise uses the perfect words to help you express just how grateful and thankful you are for what God has done and who He is.

This is the one I read today. It pretty much pulled the thoughts and feelings straight from my heart and put them into words.

     "I choose to thank You for my weaknesses, my infirmities, my inadequacies (physical, mental, emotional, relational)......for the ways I fall short of what people view as ideal...for my feelings of helplessness and inferiority, and even my pain and distresses. What a comfort it is to know that You understand the feeling of my weaknesses!....and that in Your infinite wisdom You have allowed these in my life so that they may contribute to Your high purposes for me. 
     Thank You that many a time my weaknesses cut through my pride and help me walk humbly with You...and then, as You've promised, You give me more grace- You help and bless and strengthen me. Thank You for all the ways I'm inadequate for they prod me to trust in You and not in myself....and I'm grateful that my adequacy comes form You, the all-sufficient God who is enough!
     Thank You that I can trust You to remove or change any of my weaknesses and handicaps and shortcomings the moment they are no longer needed for Your glory, and for my good, and for the good of other people....and that in the meantime, Your grace is sufficient for me, for Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. Amen."

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

the confidence of Christ

 "The most beautiful women I've ever observed are those that have exchanged a self-focused life for a Christ-focused one. They are confident, but not in themselves. Instead of self-confidence, they radiate with Christ confidence."
~Leslie Ludy

 

a good day

 

Hello everybody. I hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday. Here where I live, it such a beautiful day today. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are chirping, and the temperature is just perfect. It would be a perfect day to go on a hike or a nice long bicycle ride but alas, I cannot. Instead, my day is going to consist of writing papers, taking quizzes, studying for tests, and reading chapters and chapters in my text books. As you can see.......

 

.............I'm not too thrilled. But you know what? Sometimes you just have to make the best of it. Sure there are things I would rather be doing, but today is actually a great day for some homework. Right now I am sitting at my desk in my room, with beams of sunlight shining through my window, Lady Antebellum blasting from my speakers, and a cup of chai tea setting next to me. Hey, it could be worse! It all has to do with your mindset. If you feel like your day isn't going too well or you aren't very thrilled about the way you have to spend your day just keep repeating these sayings in your head.