HelpMEET

I wanted to share a short devotion that I gave to Whitney (my newest sister) before her and Ryan's (my brother) wedding!

Genesis 2:18,21-22

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him...So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept, then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man...

I found this poem years ago and have no idea the author...

Woman was made of a rib our of the side of Adam. Not the head to rule over him. Nor his feet to be trampled upon by him. But out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him!

So, How can we be helpmeets to our husbands?

I. Dedicated to YOUR God. Col. 4:2

Commit all your energies, all your thoughts to a single purpose... Your relationship with YOUR Savior. Have a quiet time. Make time for Jesus in your life.

"Devote yourselves to Prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving... "

II. Devoted to YOUR Husband Ruth 1:16-17

"for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die..."

III. Diligent to YOUR Finances I Cor. 4:2

Diligent is making a constant effort to accomplish something... Set goals, have a plan! Be faithful.

A Controlled Woman

Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from trouble...

A controlled woman is recognized by her sound speech. She understands that there is tremendous power in what she says. There is self control when it comes to speaking to others. Because of this, she guards her soul from trouble in this life. Which of these references best describes you?

prov 25:15 a gentle tongue

prov. 25:23 a backbiting tongue

prov. 6:17, 26:28 a lying tongue

prov. 6:24, 26:28 a flattering tongue

prov. 10:31 a righteous tongue

prov. 31:26 a kind tongue

prov. 12:18,15:4,18:21 the tongue has the power to bring destruction or life

prov. 15:2 the tongue is an indicator of one's spiritual state and character

What kind of speech would characterize your life? Do you seek God's grace to control what you say? Are you speaking gentle words of kindness and grace, giving life to those who hear?

Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE

A friend of mine recently had this on their Facebook "We are blessed so that we may be a blessing" and I just keep thinking about it in my mind. It is a funny thing how the Lord will impress something upon your heart and then for the next few days you keep seeing things that relate to that very idea! That has been me... Facebook, church, veggie tales, quiet times...

Most generally people tend to bless people financially... which is a wonderful thing! This is not the only way to bless others. This week of Thanksgiving, as I am reflecting on all that I am thankful for, I am thinking about how I can use the blessings that we have received to bless others! Not everyone can bless someone with monetary gifts, but we can all bless others by using the gifts God has blessed us with! How have you been blessed and how can you use that blessing to bless someone else?

Last week I was reading in James 5:1-5 ...the misuses of "stuff" and we had just watched the veggie tell of Madam Blueberry and all her "stuff". Things we have will not last. It is not in the accumulation of "stuff" that is wrong. It is in the pride we allow to creep in as we take our focus off Jesus and put it on ourselves and the things that we have. This morning in my QT as I read Proverbs, 21:13-22, I was again reminded of the importance of using our "stuff" for eternal purposes and not internal pleasures. V. 20 says that there is precious "treasure" in the dwelling of the wise. This person may have earthly materials but they understand how to use them for the Glory of God. The true value in life does not come from the possession of "stuff" but in the wisdom to handle those possessions wisely. Matt 6:19-20 Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. Is it time for a heart check?

Three areas that we, the Hartzler's, have been blessed beyond measure is our home, our children and our marriage. God has impressed upon my heart to use these as a blessing to others! Our home, the things we possess should and can be used as a blessing to others. God has blessed us with a beautiful home, and we want to use it to be a blessing to others. What are some ways you can use your home to Bless? We are blessed so that we may be a blessing...

The treasures in my home are my children. WOW! We certainly have been blessed beyond measure in this area :) How can we as a family, ALL 8 of us bless others? We want to teach our children to be a blessing too! What are some ways that even the little children can be a blessing to those around us? What are some ways that a family with young children can serve? Do not let the excuse of "little" ones keep you from being a blessing!

Lastly, a wise man understands how to live within his means and handle his possessions wisely. Corey and I have learned much over the years. Wealth has no lasting value without the wisdom to know how to use it for the glory of God! Many people ask us how we do it, how can we do the things we do, and have the things we have... with such a large family and being in the military. We have been blessed beyond measure by friends who have shared with us Dave Ramsey :) We are debt free, aside from the house, and save what we can... there is not much left over with a large family of 8 :) but when an emergency arises, we are not surprised! We do not have to scramble to find the funds. We have been able to bless others by sharing how we have learned to live a debt free life and how it has changed everything we had ever thought about money. There are many ways to stretch the dollar! Any suggestions?

How have you been blessed? There are so many ways to be a blessing to someone.. Prayer, Hand written notes, play dates, watching a child for an hour for someone, taking a meal to someone, saying hi to a new neighbor.... add to the list! How will you turn your blessing into a blessing for others?

Ezra 7:10 Principles to Live by

Ezra had Set his Heart to STUDY the law of the Lord, and to PRACTICE it, and to TEACH His statutes and ordinances in Israel…(Fill in your name…. and Angel and set in her heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and to teach His Word in our home…)

Set your Heart on the things above and not on this earth! 2 Cor 4:18 Look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal.

What have we set our heart on these days… always needing to reevaluate the things we are participating in, the shows we are watching, the acquaintances we share…. Set your heart on Him, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him with all of your heart! Is there anything taking up your “time” that is not pleasing to the Lord? Is our hearts set on His kingdom and His righteousness? Matt. 6:33

Study Are you studying the Word? Oh how I want to be in a bible study right now.. Esther sounds wonderful! My ever grateful heart is so privileged to finally realize that I can study at home. There are seasons when I will not be in a bible study but there is never a time when I can not be studying God’s Word. It took me some time to get to this point! I LOVE studying the Bible with my kids!!! We are learning of the life of David and now of his rebellious son Absolom… What a joy to study right alongside of my children! 2 Timothy 6:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.

Practice.. oh how i mess up everyday…. but we have to be practicing what we are learning, applying God’s truths to our lives. I love the verse a friend reminded me in Proverbs 6:16-19 What a great verse we can practice everyday!! (read it)

Joel’s big word these days is “obvious” We are going to be focusing on 1John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are OBVIOUS… anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not LOVE his brother…. Now I know my kids “love” each other… but my goodness sometimes we we are not showing it at all, especially my boys!! We are going to be working on this… My kids say they know Jesus personally…. these are the kind of things that should be beginning to show in their walk with the Lord. Let is be OBVIOUS that we Love Jesus! Let it be OBVIOUS that we are different from this world!.. Be praying for our kids… praying that they would know, love and serve Jesus with all of their hearts!!!! Be Obvious to all those around you!

Teach…We are teaching everyday. Every circumstance is an opportunity to teach Jesus. Are we teaching them righteousness by what we are practicing? Are we teaching them holiness? Not only are we teaching our children but we are teaching each other.

This is a great thought in accountability. I am thankful for those of you in my life that hold me accountable. I pray that any of you reading this also has that type of relationship with someone. If you don’t begin to pray for it! Let us continue to spur each other on to a deeper level in our Christian Walk. Teach one another. 1 Thes 5:11

Spice it UP! James 4:6-10

The definition of spice... to vitalize, put some life into, enliven, electrify...There is NEVER a dull moment as we are walking in the Will of God...

S- Submit my ENTIRE being to GOD! He is in control, not my will but HIS

P- Purify my heart... the hidden areas that only He can know. Get rid of the filth...

I - Inhale, breathe HIM in... Draw near to HIM! He will draw near to me!

C- Cleanse my hands... of outward disobedience...more cleaning out...

E- Endure- Resist the Devil...Endure, Stand against this world and the things it has to offer.. James 1:8