Women of Worth Worldwide

Just a Closer Walk with God

by Beth Fore

“Who is wise and understanding
among you? Let him show it
by his good life, by deeds done
in the humility that comes from
wisdom. But if you harbor bitter
envy and selfish ambition in your
hearts, do not boast about it or deny
the truth. Such “wisdom” does not
come down from heaven but is
earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For
where you have envy and selfish
ambition, there you find disorder
and every evil practice. But the
wisdom that comes from heaven
is first of all pure; then peace-
loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow
in peace raise a harvest
of righteousness“

(James 3:13-18 New International Version).

Just A Closer Walk with God

Father, as I meditate on Your Word today,
I understand that You alone know the path I will take.
I ask for Your wisdom, insight, and discernment
as I submit my will to Yours in the decisions I make.

Give me complete trust and faith in You, Father,
as You walk with me on this journey today.
Give me Your power, strength, and faithfulness
as Your Holy Spirit guides me to follow Your Way.

Help me to live this life as an exciting adventure
looking forward to the delights and sorrows that lie ahead.
Help me to live life fearlessly and expectantly
as I submit wholly to You and follow where I am led.

Keep my eyes and mind focused on You, Father,
so that Satan’s deceitful lies don’t lead me astray.
Transform me into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus,
so that in every thought and deed I will seek to obey.

Use me as Your vessel to bring honor and glory to You,
so that others will know You and offer you praise.
Shower me with Your spiritual blessings, Father,
and walk closely beside me for all of my days.

written by Beth Fore

A wise person demonstrates wisdom by living a good life and by doing good deeds which are done in humility.

A wise person lives a good life and says and does good deeds for others in humility. Humility is a trait that pleases God very much, though it is not often esteemed by mankind. The desire to good for other people without being recognized, praised, or rewarded for it is a sign of an humble person. A Christian lives his life so that he can bring honor, glory, and praise to God, not to himself.

A humble person serves God and other people for their benefit, not for his own benefit. He recognizes that the gifts and material things he has come from God, and he is grateful and thankful to God for them. So, a wise person is not seeking acclaim, or fame, or attention when he does kind deeds for others. He wants to be sure that Almighty God receives the honor and glory for any good that he may do to other people.

A wise person understands that the most important relationship he will ever have is with God, and he will seek to draw closer to God through prayer, studying the Bible, listening to the voice of God, and trusting in Him completely.

“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 NIV).

A person who desires to have an intimate relationship with God asks God for wisdom, understanding, and discernment. He wants to trust God and rely on Him to determine what is good for his life. He asks for God’s power, strength, and faithfulness and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help him do God’s will.

He desires to live a life of adventure, delighting in the surprises God has in store for his life. He asks God to be with him as he walks in the valleys, on the plains, and upward to the mountaintops.

The person desiring a good relationship with God wants to stay focused on Christ and to become more like him each day. He wants to be good like Christ, live like Christ, and be a light and beacon to the people living in sin and darkness.

Peacemakers please God, and they enjoy a much happier relationship with God and with other people than those people who sow discord.

God calls his children to be peacemakers in the world. When we maintain peace and harmony with other people, everyone is happier and kinder and more like Christ. The fruit that comes from sowing peace is a fruitful crop of goodness and righteousness. God blesses the peacemakers.

APPLICATIONS

Examine yourself and your motives for doing good things for other people. Is your motive to give God the honor and glory, or do you desire the praise and recognition for yourself?
Spend time studying, meditating, and praying about humility. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you look for ways to give honor and glory to God for the good things you do for others.
Write down a list of things you may already do, or that you can begin doing, to show that you are really giving the decisions and choices of your life over to God, rather than worrying over them yourself.
Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker? How can you improve your behavior toward others so that they think of you as a peacemaker?

If you want to learn more about how to become a Christian, click this link: https://wowwnlbi.wordpress.com/what-it-means-to-follow-jesus-how-to-become-a-christian/

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

Today is the Day

by Anna Beth Fore

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
    let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing,
    let them sing for joy before the Lord,
    for he comes to judge the earth.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever”

(1 Chronicles 16:31-34 New International Version).

Today is the Day

This is the day that You have made
and You want me to rejoice and be glad.
Regardless of my circumstances, Lord,
help me rejoice in You and not be sad.

This is the day that You have made,
and it may be that it is my last.
Help me be present in every moment,
to slow down and not move so fast.

This is the day that You have made,
and You have prepared it for me.
Open my ears to hear Your voice,
and open my eyes so that I will see.

This is the day that You have made,
and You give me new opportunity.
Help me seek Your guidance and lead
and surrender to You in humility.

This is the day that You have made,
and it is unique, unlike any other.
Give me a heart of love and compassion,
so that I will treat every one as my brother.

This is the day that You have made, Lord,
and You shower me with blessings today.
Open my heart to Your Spirit and Your will.
Let me cherish the blessings You send my way.

written by Anna Beth Fore

Almighty God created the heavens and the earth and everything and everyone in them.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 NIV).

As human beings, we are in awe as we look at the mighty ocean and hear the roar of the crashing waves on the rocks. We marvel at the beauty and majesty and vastness of the heavens at night. We see the different phases of the moon, the myriad of stars, the planets, and all the clouds in the heavens; and we cannot fathom the creativity, the power, the Sovereignty of the One who made these beautiful things that surround us.

All of nature acknowledges and worships God as the creator, the King of kings, and the Lord over all!

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29 NIV).

It is absolutely amazing that the heavens rejoice, the earth is glad, the sea and everything in it resound, the fields are jubilant, the trees in the forest sing, and all of them will sing for joy before the Lord! What a marvelous picture! All of these things are creations of God, and all of these things choose to praise God, their Creator, by singing “The Lord reigns,” with great joy and thanksgiving!

Please notice that there is no mention of nature complaining or moaning about anything. Rather, the focus is on God and the joy and gratitude they have for “being” the creation of such a good, loving, and wonderful God. They acknowledge that God’s goodness and love is infinite and forever. God loved them when He created them. He loved them when they sang praises to Him. He will love them for eternity.

We, too, are creations of God, and He wants us to rejoice and be glad in Him.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NIV).

God desires that mankind will rejoice and be joyful that He has created them, and He delights when human beings shout for joy with, “The Lord reigns.” Regardless of what is going on in our lives, whether it is good or bad, our Creator wants us to shout our joy, our thanksgiving, our praises to Him. God has a plan for our lives, and everything that we do or say is supposed to bring honor and glory to Almighty God.

Let us begin each day of our lives thanking God for creating us, for caring and providing for us, for loving us enough to sacrifice His son for us, and for giving us hope for eternal life with Him. Let us seek His guidance and leadership in our lives, and let us open our minds and hearts to hear His Spirit speak to us and show His will for our lives, and encourage us to be obedient, willing servants of God Almighty, who created us, sustains us, saves us, and loves us like no other being can!

APPLICATION

Name some specific blessings in your life right now, and then pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
Look for some specific scriptures that tell us how we can praise God. Write these down, and say them as part of your praise prayer of thanksgiving in the morning.
What are some things you can do when your circumstances are difficult and challenging and you feel alone and discouraged?
What is one thing you can think of to do each day to encourage yourself and someone else who may be facing difficult challenges?
Offer up a prayer to God asking Him to give you the joy of His Holy Spirit each day, so that you can be joyful and thankful every day despite your circumstances in life.

If you want to learn more about how to become a Christian, click this link: https://wowwnlbi.wordpress.com/what-it-means-to-follow-jesus-how-to-become-a-christian/

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

Daily Bread

Are we satisfied with God’s provision and the timing of that provision?

In Luke 11:3 when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He included the prayer “Give us each day our daily bread” (New International Version).

He did not teach us to pray, “Give us today everything we will need for the year,” or “Give us today all that we want,” or “Give us today everything we think we need.” He taught us to depend on Him for everything we need and to ask Him for it.

This mindset of depending on God daily is challenging for me sometimes. I have been taught to think ahead, plan ahead and save money. While these are wise principles, they do not build trust in God IF I believe that I am my provider instead of God.

Yet He proves Himself faithful. When I needed a loan to finish college, God provided the loan as well as the money to pay it back on time. When my husband and I wanted to become missionaries, He provided a church that partnered with us. When we lost our jobs at the same time years later, God provided for us. I simply need to remember these testimonies in times of temptation.

When we go to the Father and ask for immediate needs only, we begin to rely on Him more. Perhaps if we had everything we need for an extended period of time, we would not trust Him. Perhaps we would not give Him the glory or the thanks for His provision.

He is our Provider. Each day. And each day we are called to trust Him.

-Jo Umberger, Vice President, NLBI

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

Jesus Is With Us Always . . . to the End!

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”)” (Matthew 1:23 New International Version).

At this season of the year, we often hear about Jesus’ birth, including the passage above, which tells us that God is with us. Here are Scriptures to help us demonstrate our belief in His continual presence, which also helps give us peace.

Reassurance that He is with us always

Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teach them to obey everything He commanded them. Then he reassured them they would not be alone but that He would be with them to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

He is with us. Every hour. Every day. In easy times and tough times. To the very end of the age.

How many of us realize that we are NEVER ALONE?! Even in the midst of trouble, He reassures us that we can have peace and that He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

What can you do to help you remember that God is always with you?

No reason to fear

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 New King James Version).

Since a spirit of fear does not come from God, we know it is from our enemy, the devil. Our good Father, on the other hand, has given us a spirit of power. This power is strong enough to overcome the temptation to fear.

He has given us a spirit of love and of a sound mind. Let us focus on how we can demonstrate God’s love and to think soberly rather than focusing on things that can make us fearful!

Is there something that you fear this day? Pray about it, giving it to Him.

Mercy and grace to help us

We need these most precious gifts of mercy and grace from God. He promises them to us “in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV) if we approach His throne with confidence.

When we ask with confidence, we can be assured that He will provide mercy and grace for us when we need it. We need to realize that He is with us and will help us if we will ask in confidence, trusting Him and that “his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2 NIV) shall be accomplished.

What do you need to ask of God in confidence?

Let us remember that our God is with us always, that we have no reason to fear and that He will provide grace to help us. By doing these things, we are demonstrating our trust in His Word, our trust that Jesus truly is Immanuel.

– Jo Umberger, VP, NLBI

SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS