Buy Up the Time by Reading This Dynamic Little Book

This morning I read a portion from a small book that I've found to be most encouraging - Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney and her three daughters. The premise of the book is founded on the text in Ephesians 5:15-16, which says, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

Carolyn writes about this verse, "This phrase, 'making the best' means to 'buy up, rescue from loss, or improve' the use of time. It is a metaphor taken from the merchants and traders of the ancient Near East, who aggressively pursued the best deals when they would buy, sell, or trade." Hence the idea of shopping for time.

The book's subtitle is How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed. But really, the book focuses on how to have a vibrant time daily with the Lord. I have been convicted, encouraged, enlightened and exhorted through this little dynamo of a book that is less than one-hundred pages long.

I've posted about using a Bible reading plan in order to have direction in God's word on a day-to-day basis and even though I follow a specific reading plan on the days when I am not preparing to teach the womens' Bible study that I lead, there are times when I just do not "connect" with the Lord. I may have been in the word and prayer for an hour, yet I walk away with an emptiness.

In Shopping for Time, Carolyn takes it one step beyond the reading plan. For your encouragement here is an excerpt from Shopping for Time regarding getting the most from God's word and the time you spend with the Lord daily:

...take time to listen - meditate - on the words in front of you. One simple method is to write down two sentences, one beginning with "God" and the other starting with "I". To complete your "God" sentence, ask yourself, "What do these verses reveal about God? For your "I" sentence, you can ask two questions: "What do I learn about myself in relation to God from these verses?" and "What do I resolve to do in response to God's revelation of Himself in these verses?" Oh, and you're not limited to one "God" and "I" sentence each - write as many as you like!

Then spend time in prayer. Worship God for the aspects of His character that He's revealed in the verses you've just read. Thank Him for the many facets of His grace you've glimpsed in the passage. Ask for His assistance to respond in obedience to His word. And likewise, pray for others.

 Hope you've been as encouraged as I was. I plan to start tomorrow morning with the three questions as I look into God's word.

How do you deal with those times when you just can't seem to "connect" with the Lord? Do you have a tip for vibrant Bible study that you could pass along? 

Posted by Sharon Kaufman

Buy Up the Time by Reading This Dynamic Little Book

on May 26, 2010 2 comments

Don't Be A Shrew!

Robert brought my attention to this video of The Animals. It was posted on Ray Ortland's blog along with the words. This group came into popularity when I was a teenager. I must have listened to this song hundreds of times, but never really paid attention to the lyrics too much until this morning. 

These guys are really communicating a Biblical message concerning the respect a wife owes her husband. I was quite stunned as I read the lyrics. Respect and submission from a wife to her husband are commanded in Ephesians 5:22-24, 33 and again in Colossians 3:18. Wives are also commanded to love their husbands in Titus 2:4. Of course, we need the power of the Spirit of God to do this with the mind of Christ, as He submitted Himself to the will of His Heavenly Father.

When you complain and criticize

I feel I’m nothing in your eyes
It makes me feel like giving up
Because my best just ain’t good enough
Girl, I want to provide for you
And do all the things you want me to

But Oh, Oh no, don’t bring me down
I’m beggin’ you darling
Oh, Oh no, don’t bring me down

Sacrifices I will make
I’m ready to give as well as take
One thing I need is your respect
One thing I can’t take is your neglect
Girl, I want your tender love
Then troubles are easy to rise above

Here I would like to interject a few brief thoughts about submission.

What Submission is Not

Submission is not subjugation. It does not mean that you are inferior to your husband. It is not laying down your life in order to be a doormat. Submitting to your husband does not mean that you can never speak to offer your opinions or ideas. And if your husband is asking you to sin, you had best not submit to him. We obey God rather than man. Nor does submission ever mean that you should "just take" being physically abused. In that case, there are laws to protect you from such brutality. Such a man should be turned over to the authorities.

 

What Submission Is

Submission is part of a dignified role that God has given to the woman as part of what it means to be the man's helper. God created man and woman to be equals with different roles - the man leads and the woman helps. And by the way, equality has nothing at all to do with the role we were created to fulfill. Equality has to do with the essence of what/who we are. God created both man and woman in His image, and to be human. In essence, we are both human beings. We are not two different kinds of beings, one a human and one some kind of creature less than human. No, we are both of the same essences and that is where our equality lies.

Why Submission?
Since no institution can survive without order, God created order in the marriage by creating roles. The man leads and the woman helps him lead. And that leading does not only apply in the home, but also in the church in the and world (where it is appropriate).

But for some odd reason (because of the Fall), women have always contended for the same role as the man in marriage. This is where the 50/50 marriage idea comes in - where both the man and the woman lead 50% of the time. Problem is, when does he lead and when is it her turn and who keeps score? Imagine if employees did that at the workplace? Total anarchy and chaos would ensue, just as it has in marriage.

So I offer you the following excerpt from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, which really says it like it is. I am always convicted when I read it. Just a suggestion as you read...do not take exception to the first few lines. Rather think of your husband in these roles as your earthly head (your "lord" with a small L for instance), for indeed he is.

The Taming of the Shrew

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labor, both by sea and land;
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou lie'st warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedience - 
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince,
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And not obedient to his honest will, 
What is she but a foul contending rebel,
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I, ashamed that women are so simple
To offer war where they should kneel for peace,
Or seek rule, supremacy or sway,
When they are bound to serve, love and obey
Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth,
Unapt to to toil and trouble in the world
But that our soft conditions and our hearts
Should well agree with our external parts?

In what ways do you support your husband? How do you help him? What little things do you do that he really appreciates? In what areas do you find it difficult to submit and be respectful?

Posted by Sharon Kaufman

Don't Be A Shrew!

on April 08, 2010 2 comments

He Restoreth My Soul - Some Passionate Honesty

A Dry Spell in the Desert
We all struggle in like manner as Christian women. As for me, I have just come from a very long trek in the desert - a spiritual desert that often had me wondering if I was even God's child. It felt like the "valley of the shadow of death".

We have all had these kinds of wrestlings, I know. That is why I am going to be completely transparent in this post...for the encouragement of those who are currently in the desert for a time of testing. This is not unusual. What we must remember is that it is God's Spirit who leads us into the wilderness and and it is He who will bring us out. Even Jesus underwent a season of testing, being led by the Spirit into the wilderness for this very purpose (Matthew 4:1-11).

A Need for Restored Love
For sometime now I have felt so defeated in my walk with the Lord. I think the bottom line is that I had lost my First Love for the Lord Jesus. Consider what Revelation 2:2-6 says, "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.  I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."

Just like the saints at the church on Ephesus, by God's grace, I had not dropped out of ministry. Every opportunity was taken to minister God's word to the women in my Bible study and on other occasions (though I had no desire to teach). I was working for His name's sake. And God always blessed His word to my heart and to the women. But there was no joy and I felt like such a phony, such a hypocrite, all because of that lost love for Christ.

Freedom to be Honest
The women's study I chose for this year was Seeking Him - Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. God put it in my hand as a tool for my own restoration. From the start, I told the women in the study that I was the one in need of that work. I finally had the freedom to be honest with them and with God and no longer felt like a phony.

But still, like I mentioned, the joy just wasn't there. The only reason I opened God's word was either out of guilt or to study for teaching. If I did actually crack open God's word in between the women's Bible studies, I felt so empty after reading, like God was just not in it. I simply had no desire to read, though I really wanted that desire. How I longed to regain the joy of His salvation, which was King David's desire also, and to sit again at Jesus' feet, like Mary of Bethany. "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit." (Psalm 51:12) was my constant prayer.

Things Got Worse - Distractions, Cynicism, and Hidden Sins
For years past, I had tasted of the goodness and tenderness of the Lord on a daily basis - so connected to Him for so long. I thought that nothing would ever change that. I so wanted that back. But then the Lord impressed upon me that I should not want to go back, I should want a walk with Him that was even better than the majority of years I had been so close to Him. This is what I kept asking Him for, but things didn't get better. They got worse.

At one point I remembered that we had John Piper's book When I Don't Desire God. I thought about reading it but couldn't work up the desire. Sounds funny, but there I was caught in that spiritual-oxymoron. I wanted God, but I didn't. It made me frustrated and angry that He would not disclose Himself to me.

As this all progressed I began to discover many "good distractions". Blogging, digital photography and scrapbooking were some, etc. I actually preferred the distractions. I knew this was nothing short of idolatry, but I could not seem to escape.

An ugly cynicism kept rearing its head as well as other sinful attitudes. I continued to confess these known sins, but I knew there must be hidden sins that I was unaware of. I began to plead with God that He would expose those to me. One hidden sin He had revealed - a distrustful attitude toward a spiritual leader - but that had been several years back and I had repented and dealt with it. I knew that there must be more because God only disciplines for good reason. He does not enjoy my sorrow in the midst of it, but He knows it will result in righteousness and peace for me. 

During the horrific recovery from my knee surgery, I knew exactly what God was doing, though I was still in the dark about those sins that I was unaware of. I would weep, knowing that the pain was given to drive me to Him and it did.

Layers Peeled Away
But it wasn't until my mom died suddenly in November, after the infection and pain were relieved in my knee, that the Lord really began to show me more hidden sins. As each was revealed and I repented I would wonder if this was the restoration I had been waiting and yearning for. There was immediate joy, but it would fade within days and I was right back where I began, or so it seemed. (Just so you know, there were three things that the Lord showed me that I had not seen at all before - attitudes that I had held onto that did not glorify Him. Of course wrong attitudes also manifest outwardly. But I was not out in the world living in gross sin, so to speak, though my sin was gross to God and also to me once He had uncovered it for me.)

I knew God was peeling away the dead outer layers of sin  - like I peel an onion to make it ready to use. But nevertheless, I felt so defeated. I told God that I simply could not be holy as He commanded and asked Him why He expected it of me. "I have no desire to read Your word, so how can I live as I ought without that joyful input that I need? Lord, I am starving spiritually and You are not reviving me. How long, O Lord, how long will you wait?"

Confidence in God's Faithfulness
And then the Lord reminded me to be confident that "He who began a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). So I placed my trust in Him, "Lord, my confidence is in You. I trust you to sanctify me and conform me to Your Son. You will give me back the desire for Your word; You will restore me; You will revive my joy in You; You will rekindle my First Love." I reminded myself of that truth (Philippians 4:8) every time my heart began to sink back in to despair. Just resting in Him this way brought such peace to my soul.

Choose
On this past January 31st the Lord did restore me. I knew immediately that the struggle was over. What had been so difficult for me (no, it was impossible), God did in an instant. It started early that morning, just before a morning shower, when He, through an email from a dear sister, brought to my attention part of Joshua 24:15, "...choose for yourself today whom you will serve..."

As I showered, I contemplated the verse, but not as it applied to me, rather as I thought it applied to someone else who, in my wise opinion, needed to take a stand on something. So as I was praying that verse for that other person, the Lord abruptly interrupted me and impressed upon me my need for the application of Joshua 24:15. He spoke to me, "Be still, daughter. Don't you realize that it is you who needs to decide today, this very day and each day beyond today, who you will serve? Will you choose to serve Me or yourself?"

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters
WOW!!! What a cleansing shower that was. I hadn't been that clean in a while and that was even before I started to lather up.

What a simple yet powerful word "choose" is. So I asked the Lord to put that one little word on my heart and in my mind every morning when I woke. And He has. He made it so simple. Now every morning I make my choice, the only sane choice. Like Joshua said, "...as for me...I will serve the Lord."

This has been so refreshing, so motivating, so restorative. I am once again absolutely delighting in the Lord and in His precious word. I am again sitting at my Savior's feet and hearing Him speak to me through His word. He has restored my joy in Him. He has given me back my First Love. He, as my Shepherd, has has led me to green pastures and quiet waters for a repast that is plentiful and rich. It is even better than before for one of the hidden sins God revealed had long been gripping me, even when I had walked so closely with Him, before He led me into the desert. Now nothing seems impossible.

My Encouragement to You
Please do not give up if you are living in the desert of joylessness. Here are some practical ways you can begin to be guided through that valley of the shadow of death and into God's green pastures:

1. Keep asking God to restore you.

2. There may be sin that you are unaware of. Ask Him as David did, "See if there is any wicked way in me and lead in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:24). Be honest with God when He reveals those things and repent. Be prepared to let Him reveal more also. Also, ask Him to grant you repentance. (Romans 2:4; II Timothy 2:25)

3. Stay in ministry for it is often through ministry that you will be restored. God did it that way for me. Ministry forced me to remain connected to the body of Christ, kept me going back to the word and ultimately drove me to be honest with the women I taught, with God and with myself.

4. Be confident that the Lord works to restore His precious child through discipline. Do not fight against it. Give yourself to it. (Hebrews 12:5-6, 11)

5. Finally, place your trust in the Lord and in His faithfulness to restore you. You cannot do it, but He is more than able. "He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:3).

God not only restored me but also gave me a sonnet (it can be sung to the tune of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing) about His work of restoration:

Lord, Restore Me

How I’ve wandered, Lord restore me,

To the One who loves my soul.

How I long again to praise Thee;

Come, O Savior, make me whole.

(Chorus 1)

Chorus 1:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart, oh take and heal it.

Glorify Your name above.

Long it’s been since joy departed;

Far too long I’ve gone astray.

Lord, revive my love whole-hearted.

Do this work in me today.

(Repeat Chorus 1)

Make me holy, help me seek Thee.

Lord, in You I put my trust.

I am weak, O God, renew me;

You are able, I am dust.

(Chorus 2)

Chorus 2:

Please forgive and, Lord, restore me

To my first and only Love.

Give me passion to adore Thee;

Ardor for Thy courts above.

Lord, each day I’ll choose to serve Thee.

You are worthy of my life.

By Your grace You have restored me;

And my joy, You have revived.

(Chorus 3)

Chorus 3:

Grace to love you, yes! I feel it.

Grace to cleave unto my Lord.

Here’s my heart, oh take and keep it,

Keep it now and evermore.

Copyright 2010 Sharon Kaufman

(Words in bold italics from original hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, by Robert Robinson)

Posted by Sharon Kaufman

He Restoreth My Soul - Some Passionate Honesty

on February 20, 2010 8 comments

Some Thoughts on Holiness

 

Since holiness is all about our state of spiritual cleanliness before the Lord, I thought this piece by Mary Cassatt depicted that condition well. Here is a child who is basically clean, but as she walks about during the day, she gets her feet dirty. Her kind mother is assisting her in washing her feet.

Jesus told His disciples when He stooped to wash their feet, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean..." (meaning that they had been restored to a relationship with God through their faith in who the Christ was). In speaking about the fact that they needed to have their "feet washed" Jesus referred to their personal sin on a daily basis, being cleansed from it and restored to fellowship with God.

So it is with holiness. Those who know Christ as their redeemer and Lord, by faith in His work on the cross whereby He bore the penalty of their sins, have been washed by His blood and have a righteous standing before God the Father. We are clothed in Christ's righteousness and that can never change.

We have been cleansed and our Heavenly Father now sees His Son when He looks at us. This is called positional holiness. It is our eternal position before God the Father and it will never change.
But we walk in this world and often get dirty. Living in the world, we do succumb to sin and need to have our feet washed, so to speak. Practical holiness is the working out of our positional holiness, evidenced by the way we live and think or the practice of holiness day-to-day. Though our position before God never changes, our working out of that holiness is not perfect as we live here below, and sometimes we fall, get soiled by sin and need a good foot bath.

How thankful I am for the promise of 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." With the confession of sin, we are restored to fellowship and practical holiness. Our tender and compassionate Father does just what the loving parent in the picture does. He takes us onto His lap and He cleanses us with His own holiness. He is always ready (faithful) to assist us when we come to His cleansing basin through the confession of our sin.

These are just some musings that came to mind when I looked at Mary Cassatt's painting above in regard to holiness. But what does practical holiness look like? Here are some thoughts on holiness from others who have said it much better than I ever could:

Definition of holiness from J. C. Ryle:

Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment - hating what He hates - loving what He loves - and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word. He who most entirely agrees with God, he is the most holy man.

Jonathan Edwards:

Holiness is a most beautiful and lovely thing. We drink in strange notions of holiness from our childhood, as if it were a melancholy, morose, sour and unpleasant thing; but there is nothing in it but what is sweet and ravishingly lovely.

Thomas Brooks:

Man's holiness is now his greatest happiness, and in heaven, man's greatest happiness will be his perfect holiness.

Gary Thomas:

Sin tastes sweet but turns bitter in our stomachs. Holiness often tastes bitter but turns sweet in our stomachs.

C. H. Spurgeon:

Those who tolerate sin in what they think to be little things, will soon indulge it in greater matters.

F. F. Bruce:

Christian holiness is not a matter of painstaking conformity to the individual precepts of an external law code; it is rather a question of the Holy Spirit's producing His fruit in the life, reproducing those graces which were seen in perfection in the life of Christ.

Though we often have this skewed idea of a kind of down-in-the-mouth way of living when we think of holiness, a dull keep-all-the-rules existence, that is not what holiness is about at all. When we live holy lives, we are being imitators of Christ. His Spirit is producing the fruit of Christ-likeness in us.

So when you think of holiness, think "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). This is the fruitful life of Christ in us. This is holiness!

And when you blow it - get angry instead of exhibiting patience, for instance - God's Word instructs the believer to confess that sin and be cleansed (1 John 1:9). Remember that confessing your sin of anger before your kind and faithful Heavenly Father is also an act of holiness, since "measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word", is part of what it means to be holy. And the promise is that He will "wash your feet", He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

And, by the way...a foot bath - I mean, a real foot bath - you know, when someone else cleanses and massages your feet...would you not agree that it is a most refreshing and delightful thing? This is what we find when we confess our sin. Why would we put off something so sweet? If you've been waiting, go to Him now and be cleansed by His perfect holiness!

Posted by Sharon Kaufman

Some Thoughts on Holiness

on February 03, 2010 1 comments

Glorifying God Midst the Brevity of Life

Tomorrow is the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. In light of that, please watch the following video about little Elliot Mooney and how his life, a life that could very well have been snuffed out because of Roe v. Wade, has done much for God's glory.


Life is short - a vapor James says. As Christians, we do well to remember that we are here ever so briefly. I just turned 70 recently and thoughts of my parents came to mind, remembering that my they didn't live long past their own 70th year. My father died at age 80 and my mom at 82. It was quite sobering to think that I may not even be here as long as they were. 
But it's good to consider our mortality. To help with that, Tim Challies wrote a post entitled "Ponder the Brevity of Life". You can find his article here. 

Posted by Sharon Kaufman

Glorifying God Midst the Brevity of Life

on January 21, 2010 0 comments

Aprons for My Girls

• 

For Christmas, I made aprons for my granddaughters. From left to right: Melissa, Courtney, Isabella and Joy.

Several years ago I also made aprons for my daughters, out of a surplus of pink and white ticking I had on hand. With so much of that fabric leftover even after making my daughters' aprons, I went ahead and made aprons for my four granddaughters for this Christmas. Each one had a different companion print for pockets and trim that complimented the pink and white ticking, as you can see in the photo. I choose those prints according to the girls favorite colors and personalities.

They looked so cute all lined up ready to bake. The photo just does not do the girls justice. Well, being a somewhat partial grandmother, I don't think there ever could be a photo that did capture their charm and character.

Anyway, a friend of mine recently sent me a little blurb about aprons. I also wrote a poem about the lowly apron when I gave my daughters theirs. I offer these two pieces below. First the salute to aprons from my friend. Thanks Jann!

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few and it was easier to wash aprons than dresses. Aprons used less material also.

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying childrens' tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I never caught anything from an apron but love!!!!!

 And now for the poem I gave to my daughters along with their aprons:

 The Humble Apron

I wear my apron – it’s a friend,
To help me cook and clean and tend.
It takes the brunt of splats and stains
And saves my clothes from laundry pains.
It helps me sense my duty clear,
To cook and clean for loved ones dear.

Yes, in my apron I become
A servant to the ones I love.
Yet under all the apron’s stains
My clothing bright and clean remains.
Then when removed it hangs unseen,
And I am crowned the household queen.

 SKK

Hail to the humble, protective and useful apron! Melissa, Courtney, Isabella and Joy...may you wear your aprons in good health and good heart. 

Posted by Sharon Kaufman

Aprons for My Girls

on January 18, 2010 6 comments