I WAS MADE A CHRISTIAN WOMAN

I was made a Christian woman when the Lord had to my mother the seed given,
Being born as one of God’s dear children destined to be an heir of the Lord’s kingdom in heaven.
In the name of Christians everywhere, I will give the Lord His glory now.

And forever remember the words of my baptismal vow.
.
I must, like a good Christian woman, shun all the devil’s evil ways,
As a good Christian woman, I must keep my faith in Jesus, serving Him for all of my days.
Having been called to be a good Christian woman, I must praise the Lord.
I will forever seek His assistance so that I can keep my solemn word.
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There are many Christian blessings, and I will claim as being mine;
And that will also include Holy work, worship, and fellowship divine.
Dear Father, Son, and Spirit, kindly give me your holy grace that I,
May my life as a Christian woman keep on living and as a devoted Christian woman die.

NOTE: This poem was inspired by the Christian hymn, “I Was Made a Christian.

A TESTIMONY TO OUR LORD and SAVIOR

Forgetting for a moment that I am a 73-year-old faith-driven Christian woman, if there is one thing that I desire at my age, it would have to be to possess consistency in my life. This is why I am grateful for being the woman I have become during the past four years of my journey ever since I began simply trying to be a good Christian woman, for I now have the Lord as a vital, consistent segment of my life.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” HEBREWS 13:8 – NKJV

I am and will forever be grateful and thankful to our Lord and Savior, Jesus, for never changing but for His remaining the same yesterday, today, and forever, for the Lord has forever been faithful in my eyes, regardless of the changes that have occurred in my life. I have always depended on Him to love me and my family steadfastly and without any reservations, and I depend on His grace to be sufficient for our needs.

Given this, we have always cherished His love and grace. As a family, we present ourselves before the Lord, coming meekly before Him with our hearts laden with the worry and burdens we are carrying continuously. Because of this, as a family, we have finally decided to let go so He can unburden us. As we surrender everything to the Lord, we will receive His ever-present peace and freedom. Our hope in our Lord and Savior is overflowing in us as we remain wholeheartedly connected to Him and place our trust in Him completely for all that we need all the days of our lives. We are free by having Christ as a vital part of our existence.

Have a BLESSED WEEK, my dear sisters-in-Christ, in whatever you have planned on doing with your loving families, especially if it is something for our Lord and Savior from me and my dear OH of the past 30 years !!! 😊😊😊

LOOSING A FRIENDSHIP__DEVOTION #6

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

PSALM 30:11 [NLT]

Throughout my life, I have experienced difficult periods of time regarding my friends. As a teenager, I found keeping a sense of joy in my heart to be quite incapacitating, especially when I believed them to be with me in my life for all times. It would be one thing if they had died; otherwise, it left me pondering what went wrong in our relationship, especially if there had been no closure to what might have happened.

Losing a friend, particularly a good friend, left me rather upset and questioning the Lord as to why she had left being part of my life. Looking back as the 73-year-old faith-driven Christian woman I have become, I now know the Lord could have been trying to shield me from being physically, psychologically, emotionally, or even spiritually harmed in some way.

My young sisters-in-Christ, I want you to realize that it is okay to question and ask the Lord why a certain individual has been taken out of your life so unexpectedly. It will be helpful if you realize that the answer you are seeking might not come at the moment you’re asking this, for the Lord might be waiting for you to feel better about your loss as you move on in your life without that individual being part of it. Patience is a virtue, for the Lord might be providing you with new and better friends. These new friends, from my experience, will leave you ready to start singing and dancing instead of continuing your mourning and weeping about your loss of a former friend. These newly acquired friends will soon fill your life with a natural joy that would be difficult to explain.

This is why I am leaving each of you with this grandmotherly advice, which is that this would be when you realize that this joy could have only come from the Lord himself.

So, being faith-driven, I would suggest that if you should ever have to go through any difficult times with a friend, you offer a prayer like this to the Lord.

“Lord, I ask for your kind assistance in helping me find new and truer friends who could have only been sent by you to become part of the life you desire for me to live. I am thankful that you are filling my life with joy, a joy that is difficult to explain.

WORK HARD AND BE NICE // CHRISTIAN WOMEN AT WORK #9

This is a reposting from:

https://www.christianwomenatwork.com/post/work-hard-and-be-nice-4-min-read

By Christian Woman 05/02/21

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)

As I look back on my childhood, I am reminded of the values my parents instilled in me. Values which I have carried into my professional life. “Work hard” and “be nice” are principles they modeled as I was growing up that I try to bring with me to work. “Work hard” is not about being perfect; it is about doing my best. “Be nice” is not about being superficial. It is about caring for others in a sincere, gracious, and respectful manner. Just as I bring principles to work I have learned from my father and mother, I also strive to bring principles to work I have learned from my Heavenly Father.

To learn how to conduct myself in a way that honors my parents and blesses others, I needed to spend time with them and learn from them. I saw in them what they hoped to develop in me. It is the same as I strive to live God’s principles at work.

I see the values in God that He wants to help me develop. However, I need to spend time with Him to learn what they are, why they are important, and how to apply them. This only comes from time in His Presence and in His Word. There is no other way to have God’s values instilled in us than by learning more about Him, watching His faithfulness and love in all situations, and putting these principles in place. This is how we bring our faith to work.

Today, many people believe they cannot bring their faith to work. But I would say, “How can we not bring our faith to work?” Our faith involves what we say and do, how we make decisions, how we treat others, how we spend our time, and how we handle tough situations. Our reactions and actions are always based upon something. As Christian Women in the workplace, we want these to be based on our faith and what we believe.

There is no better way to know what to do than to learn from the One who knows what is right and what is best for us and others.

“Work hard” is a biblical principle. Working hard is one way of bringing your faith to work. Consider what the Lord says in His Word about how to work:

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

“And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” (Titus 2:7-8)

“Be nice” is also a biblical principle and another way of bringing your faith to work. Consider what the Lord says in His Word on how to treat others:

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6: 31)

“The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)

As you see the above verses, be confident that these are only a few of the principles God shares in His Word about how to work and how to treat others. The more we spend time in His Presence, and the more we read His Word, the more we will see His love, direction, wisdom, and encouragement on how we can live His principles at work. In this way, we bring our faith to work in a way that blesses others and honors God.

This week, as you read His Word, consider the beauty, wisdom, and applicability at work. Take at least one of those principles to work. Perhaps it is about communication, decision-making, or dealing with a conflict. Whatever you anticipate dealing with, take your Heavenly Father and His principles to work.

Have a blessed week!

OUR BEAUTY//CHRISTIAN WOMAN DISCUSSION #10

My dear sisters-in-Christ, let us be truthful; one of the main things that many of the things that we are concerned about deals with our vanity and how beautiful we look when we present ourselves to others. But, given the Christian women that we are, shouldn’t we realize that this is of no intrinsic value when it comes to the eyes of the Lord, but possessing a sense of humility is? We can find this written about when we read 1 PETER 3:3-4 [NKJV]:

[3] “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—”

[4] “rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

About humility, we need to recall that we are told of the following in PROVERBS 22:4 [NKJV]:

“By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.”

And in our desire to become like a PROVERBS 31 woman, we must remember and keep in our minds the words of VERSE 30 [NKJV]:

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Being a 73-year-old faith-driven Christian woman, one of the best descriptions I know in scripture regarding how the Lord looks at us as the women we are can be found in reading 1 SAMUEL 16:7 [NKJV]:

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

My dear sisters-in-Christ, have a BLESSED WEDNESDAY in whatever you’re going to be doing, especially if it involves doing something in the Lord’s name, as you try to be the best you can be in His eyes !!! 😊😊😊

Your comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

SAYING THINGS YOU WILL LATER REGRET__DEVOTION #5

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” ROMANS 12:18-19

Given this, you, my young Christian girls, are probably asking yourselves the following question:

Who in my life do I need to live at peace with?

As a Christian teenage girl, I had pondered this question time and time again, as I constantly thought and believed that it would be impossible to live in harmony with those around me each day. Living in manner when considering everyone around can be fraught with ongoing complications. There were times when things reached a boiling point, and I couldn’t take it any longer, I like you, would simply snap, saying things I would later regret. Which would too often leave us going through the thought process and wondering:

Why the heck did I say what I did in the manner I said it? This gets followed by the feeling of regret, because you probably didn’t mean it and the realization you had really hurt their feelings, and you repeatedly saying to yourself “I didn’t intend on doing this.”

The good news is, the Lord provides you with ways to live at peace with everyone in your life. He even says, “if it is possible,” because He knows you won’t be able to live at peace with everyone in your life at all times. He desires that you will be nice as possible to everyone and let the little things go that are upsetting you. If there should ever be something that needs to be discussed with someone else, you need to calmly try explaining how you feel what is happening. You should never ever seek revenge against anyone who wronged you because as young Christian teenage girls you need to remember what is written in ROMANS 12:19 [NKJV]:

“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”

You need to do your best to live in peace and harmony with everyone, even when it’s complicated. And if you should ever feel the urge to lose your cool, I would consider saying something like this to yourself:

“Please remind me Lord, that I need to live in peace with everyone regardless of the circumstances.”

CHRISTIAN WOMAN’S GUIDE TO LIFE #1 – FEAR

Being a 73-year-old faith-driven Christian woman, and despite the fact that my dear OH and I weren’t blessed with any children, primarily due to my having a genetic condition that I didn’t want to pass on to any child, especially if it would have been a daughter, I find myself wanting all of my younger sisters-in-Christ to see themselves as the Lord sees them. While I am posting affirmations elsewhere on my blog so they can be the best they can be in the eyes of the Lord. I want the posts I am doing here to serve as a CHRISTIAN WOMAN’s GUIDE TO LIFE.

I want each of you reading this to realize that the Lord has never given any of us the essence of trepidation in any form, which is why we aren’t afraid of anything except, perhaps, the Lord himself, due to our devoted relationship. Through my experiences during my secular days, I knew that whenever I allowed fear to enter my existence, I found myself being restricted in my ability to do things I loved doing.

Being a faith-driven Christian woman, I know that we are told the following about this in 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 [NLT]:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

I want for us to remember that the Lord has given each of us the spirit of power, love, and self–discipline. Being the Lord’s child, we possess the power to overcome our fears. Because we possess the Lord’s love, we possess a support system of love that renders the tasks we need to handle less overwhelming. With the Lord providing our lives with self-discipline, we possess the mindset of being able to do almost anything, which happens to include surmounting the fears we might possess.

As Christian women, let us make the following affirmation:

We can conquer all of our fears.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BARRIERS TO TIME MANAGEMENT // CHRISTIAN WOMEN AT WORK #8

This is a reposting from:

https://www.christianwomenatwork.com/post/internal-and-external-barriers-to-time-management-3-min-read

By Chistian Woman 04/26/21

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

People I work with are accustomed to my saying, “It is a process.” When we start a new initiative or try to improve a procedure, there is usually a learning curve. There may be some unexpected things that occur, and we work through them as we learn what works well and what does not. We may not fully understand the impact of some things until they are in progress. We do not automatically become better at something until we start initiating it or practicing it. It is the same with successful time management.

Even with the best time management, however, things can happen that overload us. It is reasonable to expect this may occasionally happen, but it should never become the norm for you. Continue to:

* set your priorities on what needs to be done

* set timelines,

*stay focused,

*bring in extra help as needed, and

*complete what you need to complete.

A prime example of being overloaded with new priorities has been COVID-19. This is something which has occurred to us outside of our control and has certainly affected our time management with its changes and new priorities. This major impact on our time was not in our control yet needed to be dealt with.

The good news is there are many things within our control which make a huge difference in effective time management. You can control things such as:

1.What you say “yes” or “no” to

2.How many tasks or special projects you are going to be involved in

3.What priorities you decide upon

4.When and who you delegate to

5.Staying focused on the task at hand

6.Determining when you have done your best job

One of the factors within our control is whether we say “yes” or “no” to requests. Have you ever said “yes” with a smile, but your heart and mind were saying a loud “no!”? This has certainly happened to all of us. And it is ok if it happens occasionally, but it cannot be an on-going issue. If it is, then it is time to turn to God to ask for His wisdom and insight into why you cannot say “no”. It may be fear of letting someone down or it could be not knowing how to say no without feeling guilty. I often say to people that “yes means no.” There is a cost when we say yes. Saying “yes” to another project may mean “no” to time with your family, as you need to spend extra time on the project. Saying “yes” to a volunteer opportunity may mean saying “no” to doing what you feel the Lord really wants you to use your time and gifts. Perhaps it is really an opportunity for someone else to use their gifts.

The next time you are asked to do something, do not be quick to answer. Rather:

tell the person you will get back to them
pray about it
discuss it with family and friends, and
see where your peace lies

None of us can say “yes” to everything, so we need to be making wise choices.

If you are someone who has tended to always say “yes,” then this will be a process. It is helpful to read a good book on this common area of concern or spend time talking to a trusted advisor on why it is difficult for you to say “no”. Remember, it will be a process as you develop your own understanding of your reasons for saying yes or no, and your own style of communicating your decisions. Remember, God wants you to have peace and joy as you spend time doing His Will in His Way.

This Week’s Prayer:

Lord, You are an awesome and loving God who wants the best for me, Your child. I do not believe it is Your will for me to be hurried, anxious, busy, stressed. Because then, I cannot hear Your voice, recognize people’s needs, see opportunities to serve, have time to serve and love You & others. Help me to be in Your will, know Your plans for me, rest & be still in You, and to be disciplined.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This week, be prayerfully conscious of when you say “yes” and when you say “no”. May God richly bless you as you honor Him with your gift of time.

Have a wonderful week.

Bonny, Christian Women at Work

BROKENHEARTED // CHRISTIAN WOMAN DISCUSSION #9

Growing up as a child of the 1950s, I can remember loving listening to The Bee Gees singing “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” in 1971. However, being a 73-year-old faith-driven Christian woman, the song has taken on a somewhat different meaning, a meaning that is fraught with scripture.

Putting the topic of this discussion of possessing a broken heart in its simplest terms, for us as a Christian woman, it happens whenever a loved one has gone home to be with the Lord or after an occurrence has caused massive grief in an individual’s life. However, as Christians, we should have come to realize that the Bible is fraught with verses that are capable of reassuring and moving the brokenhearted.

Using PSALM 34:18 [NLT] as the starting point for this week’s discussion, we get told that:

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

As a Christian woman, we must remember two things about the Lord in regards to a broken heart:

[1] “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” PSALM 145:18 [NKJV],

and more importantly:

[2] “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” PSALM 147:3 [NLT]

As Christian women, we are reminded of the following by reading JEREMIAH 29:11 [NLT]:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

If this is the case, then the feeling of us possessing a broken heart might be part and parcel of the Lord’s divine plans He has for each one of us. Furthermore, we get reminded that for “everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven” ECCLESIASTES 3:1 [NKJV], which then goes into specifics in verses 2-8.

As I stated in the beginning, as a Christian woman, we should have come to realize that the Bible is fraught with verses that are capable of reassuring and moving the brokenhearted; we are further reminded of the following regarding the Lord in JOHN 14:27 [NLT]:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Being a faith-driven Christian woman, my dear sisters-in-Christ, I would like to share a few additional verses connected to our Lord healing those of us who get inflicted with a broken heart. We get reminded of the following when we read MATTHEW 11:28 [NLT]:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

We get reminded in attempting to mend our broken hearts that we should never do the following when we read PROVERBS 3:5 [NLT]:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”

In PSALM 55:22 [NKJV], we get promised the following:

“Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”

Let us say AMEN as we reflect on today’s discussion of scripture.

Have a BLESSED DAY, my dear sisters-in-Christ, as you try to be the best you can be in the eyes of the Lord !!! 😊 😊 😊

Your feedback and comments will be most welcomed.

Please feel free to share this with your sisters-in-Christ. THANKS

TEMPTATION TO GOSSIP__DEVOTION #4

“Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!” PSALM 34:13 [NLT]

Begs the question of how can I keep my mouth from spreading lies and keep my tongue from evil?

Growing up as a Christian teenage girl going to a secular school, I can remember how my peers would always be on the lookout for the gossip tidbit regarding another girl regardless of which group was involved, which I never really got engaged with being a part of. The reason for this was because of what my mother told me about her teenage years.

So, allow me to give you, my young sisters-in-Christ, the following grandmotherly advice. The next time you hear one of the other girls say something mean about someone else, girl or boy, don’t get involved with the ensuing conversation. I want you to think about how you would feel if someone would say horrific things about you, whether or not there was any truth. Mere words can cause a great deal of harm, for once they have been spoken, they can never be taken back. The only resolution for the harm is forgiveness.

From my teenage experience, I have seen whenever someone gossips about another individual, it can do irreparable harm to that individual’s reputation. A popular individual at school can overnight become someone who needs to be avoided at any cost.

Malicious intended words can easily harm the victim of the gossip psychologically and emotionally and, at times, even cause them to be harmed spiritually as well as physically.

You need to remember that the Lord has warned you through His words to keep your tongue away from evil and your lips from spreading lies. Being a grandmotherly Christian woman, I want you to know that this means that you must always be aware of who you’re hanging out with and alert to what you happen to hear.

In other words, when you get down to the bottom line, it means being astute with what you’re saying in front of others. If find yourself beginning to engage in gossiping about someone, instantly stop and go away from the developing situation before you hurt someone with your words. And then, turn to the Lord for His assistance in guarding your tongue and thinking before you utter another word.

So, take this grandmotherly advice from me: Whenever you sense the temptation to gossip beginning to raise its head, say something, like the words of this brief prayer:

“My Lord and Savior, I ask that you guard my tongue from all evil, and my lips from the utterance of all falsehoods. And may my soul be silent to anyone who desires to insult me.”