What do you do when you get tired of waiting? 

Waiting is beneficial!

Be strengthened by focusing on the Lord. 

Meditate on His promises.

Waiting is His way of preparing us for what's ahead.  We need physical rest and a spiritual time of replenishment in His Word and in His presence through prayer.  We can't see the future, but He does and He knows what we need to be ready.

Waiting is sometimes His way of slowing us down.  Our day to day lives are so busy that we forsake Him.  We forget all about Him until we get ourselves into trouble.  Be in an attitude of expectancy.  He wants to spend time with us, building and growing our relationship with Him.

Waiting is often used as a means of redirecting us.  While we wait, we need to assess where we are and what we are doing.  Prayer can reveal a new direction that He has for us. 

Waiting can be a time where He is protecting us from something. 

Waiting breaks bad habits and patterns of behavior that He finds displeasing. 

Allowing our Lord to have His will in our lives ensures our happiness.  We can be at rest as we meditate upon His promises.  Our trust grows as we accept waiting as part of His plan for us.  We must get our hearts and minds set on pleasing Him.

Our strength isn't sufficient to carry us through our trials, but His strength is.  Strength to cope and overcome troubles and trials comes from trusting Him.  Let us not forget to build our strength by waiting on Him.  While waiting, let us be strengthened by reading our Bible, fasting and praying, and taking physical rest.

Jesus hasn't left us in the lurch.  His silence is not an indicator of departure from us.  His love is faithful and true, and ever present. 

When we seek Him with our whole heart and mind, He will be found.  As you wait upon Him, your course of action will be made clear.

What's a woman to do?  With pressing economic times upon us, many women who are in the home are weighing their options to help out the family finances.  I believe the Bible gives us a clear plan that we can follow without apology or guilt.  We will see that while we have responsibilities within the home, we also have the authority to earn income for our families within the home environment.  We will look at the examples of several women entrepreneurs in the Bible.  These women can inspire us to use our knowledge, skills, and talents to bring in that extra income we might need. 

Let's begin by looking at God's best plan for women, found in Titus 2:1-5

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 

She is like the merchant ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 

She considereth a field, and buyeth it:  with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:  her candle goeth not out by night.

She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household:  for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.  She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

 

The Proverbs 31 Woman:  It is exciting to note that the Proverbs 31 woman was not only a "keeper at home", but she was also a successful entrepreneur!  She was involved with buying and selling merchandise, real estate, agriculture, and selling cloth and clothing.  She pursued her work with confidence, skill, and wisdom.  While this is a pretty exhaustive list of responsibilities,  it is understood that her primary responsibility of course is to care for the children.  A woman at home is in charge of her household and oversees and performs the duties that go with maintaining a home and a family.  Her godly character motivates her to excellence in all she undertakes.  She is not slack in performing her duties, but sets herself to her work with a willing and glad heart.  She looks to the needs of every member of her household.  While busy with a full schedule, she does not forsake caring for herself, lest her husband become ashamed and embarrassed by her.  Her compassion extends beyond her household to the poor and needy. 

Anna:  She was a woman who had been widowed for eighty-four years.  She found her place of service in the temple where she is called a prophetess.  While she was not in the business of making money, she too found a way to use her knowledge, skills, and talents in the temple.  (Luke 2:36) Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills and to hone unused ones.  Many rewards can be found in working in ministry to help others.

The Prophet's Widow:  This dear lady was a widow with two sons who owed a sum of money to her dead husband's creditors. Without a means of support, she was at her wit's end, for the creditors were going to take away her sons to be bondmen.  Without her sons to work and care for the household, she would be reduced to the mercy of others for her sustenance.  So she takes her case to the prophet Elisha, desperate for a solution.  He asks her what resources she had available.  She tells him that she has nothing but a little pot of oil.   Elisha had a solution.  He tells her to gather empty vessels from her neighbors, and to shut herself into her home with her sons. Then she was to take the little pot of oil  and pour it into the empty vessels.  With such a little pot of oil and a house full of empty containers, she must have thought he had lost his mind.  When one is desperate, one does not argue!  She began to pour the oil into the containers.  Miraculously, the oil did not run out until each empty was filled.  When she told Elisha the outcome, he told her to sell the oil to pay her debt and to live off the remaining money.  (2 Kings 4:1-7)  From this account we can learn that a woman doing business was not frowned upon in Bible days.  We must not judge those whose circumstances deem they must work.  God honors our labor and will reward that labor.

Lydia:  Lydia lived in Thyatira, a city in Asia Minor, known for its indigo dye and textile trade.  Lydia was a seller of the highly valued purple cloth.  In fact, she had grown quite wealthy as a result of her business efforts.  While in Philippi, she heard Paul speak and was converted.  Later her home served as a refuge for Paul and Silas as they made their escape from Philippi.  (Acts 16:12-15)  Lydia's wealth had enabled her to provide a comfortable place for Paul and Silas.  Our wealth is not always for our own use, but to help others who have need.  Let us always use our resources for God's glory.

If you have a hobby, a skill, or talent, you too have the ability to begin your own home-based business or cottage industry.  Before you decide what you want to do, pray.  Seek the Lord's direction and His guidance in formulating a plan. 

A note of warning:  Be cautious about allowing your family to become dependent on your new found income.  If you raise your standard of living, you may find that the mission of the home is forgotten among the vanities of pursuing wealth.  Let "just enough" be your motto.  Let us work with excellence as a testimony of our submission to Jesus Christ, as good stewards.  Remember to tithe your earnings to receive His many blessings. 

by Joanne Lowe

Have you ever seen a balloon that has been punctured by a fingernail or object? It only takes one little hole in the balloon to deflate it. It may take a while for it to completely deflate but eventually all the air goes out. You may try to patch it with something and it might help for a while but it doesn't last.

It is the same with our hearts. When someone says something negative to us, a sarcastic remark, a discouraging word, or something that pulls us down, that is all it takes. It only takes one discouraging or sarcastic remark to put the hole in our hearts. That is why it is so important to choose your friends wisely.

People can try to encourage us and tell us not to listen to those people who delight in putting us down, but the hole is already there and nothing anybody says or does can take the hole out of our hearts. Jesus is the only one who can take the pain away and heal our hearts.

Someone told me that I had written something in a writing that I had already put in another writing. I was unaware of it, but I think the reason I used the same illustration is first of all, when I write I have no idea what I am saying until I read it back.

Second, God probably inspired me to use the same illustration because of what a pastor said in a sermon I heard years ago. He said, " I've had a lot of people ask me why I preach almost the same message Sunday after Sunday. It is because God told me to preach it until you grasp it and employ it in your daily lives."

Please don't say things to discourage people. Joyce Landorf, a speaker and author says on one of her teaching tapes: "Men and women are leaving full time ministry in droves because we have not encouraged them." I urge you to be an encourager of others. Let's start building people up instead of putting them down.

THOUGHT PROVOKERS