Thursday, January 17, 2013
Hannah- Faith in prayer and in God
Hannah was married to Elkanah who also had another wife Peninnah. Peninnah had several children while Hannah had none.
Each year Elkanah would take his family to Shiloh and give a sacrifice to the Lord for both of his wives and children. For Peninnah he'd give one portion but for Hannah he'd give double portions because he loved her and the Lord had closed her womb. Because she didn't have children Peninnah would provoke her and cause her to become so upset that she wouldn't even eat!
Hannah would cry and pray:
"Oh Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever used on his head." (Samuel 1:11)
After so much prayer, she conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Samuel. After he was born Elkanah went to offer his annual sacrifice to the Lord but Hannah didn't go saying:
"After the boy is weaned I will take him and present him before the Lord and he will live there always"
When he was weaned she took him to Shiloh and presented him to the Lord and that's where he stayed. Hannah would see Samuel yearly when they went to offer their sacrifice where she would give him a robe.
Hannah was blessed with more children and Samuel became one of the greatest prophets in Israel.
Hannah had faith in God and after praying she finally had a son. She had faith in her prayers. Hannah was so faithful to God that she gave him her son! She only saw him one time a year! That's the ultimate sacrifice. I couldn't imagine only seeing my son once a year.
Prayer is the most powerful tool we have. So use it! Talk to God because he listens to us! Even when you think he isn't, he really is. He may not answer every single prayer right away but he'll answer. Our God is that amazing! He may not give you everything you want, but he'll bless you far more then ever imaginable. Always pray and have faith in the Lord, like Hannah. She prayed for a son and she got a son plus more children. And don't forget to ALWAYS thank him. He has already given us the ultimate gift which was Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Do you have children? Take a moment to think, could you let your child die for other people? Can you imagine how difficult that would be?? Thank him everyday for that. The Lord we serve is awesome.
*Please note that I use NIV.
**I'm adding in a different post Hannah's prayer, which can be found in 1 Samuel Chapter 2.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Through Generations
Lois and Eunice
I'll let you know now they aren't mentioned too much and only mentioned by name one time in the Bible. However, after you read this you'll realize why I chose to add them to my list!
Lois was Eunice's mother and Eunice was Timothy's mother. Eunice was a Jew and Timothy's father was a Greek. She was a believer and since he was Greek he probably wasn't (back in those times). There is nothing else said about his father. Since nothing else was said about his father some believe that Lois was a single mother and that these two women raised him themselves!
2 Timothy 1:5 Paul says in his letter to Timothy "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and I am persuaded now lives in you also.
According to Paul's letters to Timothy, he had an amazing faith from a young child which was likely passed from these two Godly women. They shared their love of God with him and made Timothy the man he was.
Where do we get our qualities from (or where are we supposed to?) Our parents. They should instill their love of God in their children like Lois did to Eunice and Eunice did to Timothy.
Children should be brought up with this kind of faith. It is our job as mothers (parents) to teach them and show them the beauty of our Lord. Give your child this love for God. Have teaching skills such as these two amazing women did. If your parents taught you about God give them a "Thank you" because I honestly don't even want to think about what my life would be like without the love of God. :)
I'll let you know now they aren't mentioned too much and only mentioned by name one time in the Bible. However, after you read this you'll realize why I chose to add them to my list!
Lois was Eunice's mother and Eunice was Timothy's mother. Eunice was a Jew and Timothy's father was a Greek. She was a believer and since he was Greek he probably wasn't (back in those times). There is nothing else said about his father. Since nothing else was said about his father some believe that Lois was a single mother and that these two women raised him themselves!
2 Timothy 1:5 Paul says in his letter to Timothy "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and I am persuaded now lives in you also.
According to Paul's letters to Timothy, he had an amazing faith from a young child which was likely passed from these two Godly women. They shared their love of God with him and made Timothy the man he was.
Where do we get our qualities from (or where are we supposed to?) Our parents. They should instill their love of God in their children like Lois did to Eunice and Eunice did to Timothy.
Children should be brought up with this kind of faith. It is our job as mothers (parents) to teach them and show them the beauty of our Lord. Give your child this love for God. Have teaching skills such as these two amazing women did. If your parents taught you about God give them a "Thank you" because I honestly don't even want to think about what my life would be like without the love of God. :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Mary Magdalene -She was always there
She's one of my favorite women!! Really.
Jesus made seven demons that possessed her come out. She then became a devoted follower.
She and other women followed Jesus to Galilee to the cross to care for his needs. When Jesus was nailed to the cross guess what... She was there!
She was there when Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus after his death and put it in the tomb.
She and Mary (mother of Jesus) went to the tomb the day of his ressurection. It was empty except for two angels. She cried and they told her Jesus had risen. She turned and saw Jesus but because a case of mistaken identity made her think it was a gardener. When she realized it was Jesus he told her to go tell the others. -John 20: 1-10
So, from all I have read about Mary Magdalene is simple. She was there in an important part in Jesus' life and death. She was possessed with demons yet when they were gone, she travelled with Jesus.
No matter what you did in your past, in your present and future you have the chance to believe and ask forgiveness. So that one day you too can see Jesus in Heaven. I mean, how amazing is it that Jesus talked to Mary. Face to Face. Something none of us can do at the moment.
This is why I like Mary Magdalene. She was the kind of woman we could all be like. A devoted follower.
I'd like to suggest a book as well. This book is called Maggie's Story. It's based on what the life of Mary Magdalene would have been like if she lived in current times.
Hope you've enjoyed my first two blogs on women in the Bible!
http://www.amazon.com/Maggies-Story-Dandi-Daley-Mackall/dp/1414309783
Jesus made seven demons that possessed her come out. She then became a devoted follower.
She and other women followed Jesus to Galilee to the cross to care for his needs. When Jesus was nailed to the cross guess what... She was there!
She was there when Joseph wrapped the body of Jesus after his death and put it in the tomb.
She and Mary (mother of Jesus) went to the tomb the day of his ressurection. It was empty except for two angels. She cried and they told her Jesus had risen. She turned and saw Jesus but because a case of mistaken identity made her think it was a gardener. When she realized it was Jesus he told her to go tell the others. -John 20: 1-10
So, from all I have read about Mary Magdalene is simple. She was there in an important part in Jesus' life and death. She was possessed with demons yet when they were gone, she travelled with Jesus.
No matter what you did in your past, in your present and future you have the chance to believe and ask forgiveness. So that one day you too can see Jesus in Heaven. I mean, how amazing is it that Jesus talked to Mary. Face to Face. Something none of us can do at the moment.
This is why I like Mary Magdalene. She was the kind of woman we could all be like. A devoted follower.
I'd like to suggest a book as well. This book is called Maggie's Story. It's based on what the life of Mary Magdalene would have been like if she lived in current times.
Hope you've enjoyed my first two blogs on women in the Bible!
http://www.amazon.com/Maggies-Story-Dandi-Daley-Mackall/dp/1414309783
Monday, January 14, 2013
A woman named Ruth
I'm going to start first with Ruth because her kindness and loyalty captured me.
There was a family which included a man, his wife (Naomi), and their two sons. The man died and Naomi and the sons were left. Eventually, they both married and then died so Naomi was then left without her sons as well. They were living in Moab when they got word that the Lord was providing food for them so they started home to Judah. Naomi told the girls to go back home. Orpah (daughter in law) eventually decided to return to her family but seeing as how Naomi had lost both of her sons and her husband Ruth stayed with Naomi despite her protests.
They setteled in Bethlehem and a man named Boaz heard of Ruth's compassion. They became friends and built a strong foundation. Naomi encouraged Ruth to become Boaz's wife. Ruth trusted God and he rewarded her faithfulness by giving her a husband, a son, a grandson and a great- great grandson (David, the King of Isael)
God changed Ruth's life. In Moab she'd been a Pagen but once she knew God she became a testimony and completely faithful to him. He blessed her in many ways and she believed God was faithful to his children and that he'd work his plan in their lives. She's even in the lineage of Jesus.
Ruth's compassion, strength, loyalty and faith are some of the things that appealed to me and made me list her as one of the Strong Women of God.
Hebrews 11:6 says: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
There was a family which included a man, his wife (Naomi), and their two sons. The man died and Naomi and the sons were left. Eventually, they both married and then died so Naomi was then left without her sons as well. They were living in Moab when they got word that the Lord was providing food for them so they started home to Judah. Naomi told the girls to go back home. Orpah (daughter in law) eventually decided to return to her family but seeing as how Naomi had lost both of her sons and her husband Ruth stayed with Naomi despite her protests.
They setteled in Bethlehem and a man named Boaz heard of Ruth's compassion. They became friends and built a strong foundation. Naomi encouraged Ruth to become Boaz's wife. Ruth trusted God and he rewarded her faithfulness by giving her a husband, a son, a grandson and a great- great grandson (David, the King of Isael)
God changed Ruth's life. In Moab she'd been a Pagen but once she knew God she became a testimony and completely faithful to him. He blessed her in many ways and she believed God was faithful to his children and that he'd work his plan in their lives. She's even in the lineage of Jesus.
Ruth's compassion, strength, loyalty and faith are some of the things that appealed to me and made me list her as one of the Strong Women of God.
Hebrews 11:6 says: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Strong Women of Faith in the Bible
This week my devotions are going to be about strong, faithful women in the Bible. By doing this I hope to strengthen my own faith in God. I will be posting the things I read in here. I'm very excited about it because while there are some women I know the stories of:
- Mary
- Mary Magdalene
- Esther
- Sarah
- Deborah
- Miriam
- Ruth
Friday, January 4, 2013
ACTS prayer bookmark (print)
This goes along with ACTS: An ACTS prayer bookmark. It'd be cute to print off and stick in bibles. Especially if your children are learning about ACTS.
Pray the Christian Prayer
ACTS
Growing up I was taught to pray the ACTS prayer. No, it's not the book in the bible which I first thought. It's steps on praying. ACTS is an acronym for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. I never really hear about it anymore but that's how I've always tried to pray.
Start with A- Adoration. Praise God. Tell him what a mighty wonderful God he is. :)
C- Confession. Confess your sins
T- Thanksgiving. Tell God all you are thankful for.
S- Supplication. Ask for prayer for you and others
Growing up I was taught to pray the ACTS prayer. No, it's not the book in the bible which I first thought. It's steps on praying. ACTS is an acronym for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. I never really hear about it anymore but that's how I've always tried to pray.
Start with A- Adoration. Praise God. Tell him what a mighty wonderful God he is. :)
C- Confession. Confess your sins
T- Thanksgiving. Tell God all you are thankful for.
S- Supplication. Ask for prayer for you and others
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