Yoke (Part 2)

The bible speaks about Yoke.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

~Matthew 11:28-30

                  In the previous blog I wrote about how we are not supposed to be yoked with non-believers.  Now I am talking about the yoke of fellowship we have with Jesus.    The scripture I quoted above is written in red, therefore it is the words of Jesus.  The yoke of Jesus can be a symbol of a wooden yoke.  A wooden yoke is a yoke of submission.  When we submit to Christ, we are freed from the bondage of sin.   We are able to dwell in the peace and love that a right relationship with Jesus give us.   What a beautiful image~ rest for the soul. 

“This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of Iron.”

~Jeremiah 28:13

                  People who are unbelievers or who reject the gift of Christ are still wearing a yoke.  Their yoke is not a wooden yoke of submission, but rather a yoke of iron.   An iron yoke is the yoke of slavery.   They are slaves to sin and bondage.

“Jesus replied: I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son set you free, you are free indeed.”

~John 8: 34-36

                  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of Slavery.”

~Galatians 5:1

                  Don’t be stuck in the bondage of sin (iron yoke).. Take up the yoke of submission and be submissive to GOD and his word.

~Sunny :D

Cars and Compromise

My beloved pick-up truck of 10 years died.     There were a lot of memories tied to that vehicle and to have it die so suddenly was very difficult for me.      I was hoping to get another year out of my truck but I had been doing research on vehicles for months.  I decided to purchase something different than a truck.  I purchased a Honda Fit.  They were great on fuel, had fabulous reviews and let’s face it.. They are totally cute!  (See picture).

I spent nearly a year choosing a car.  I choose one with power windows, a sun roof, Bluetooth and a place to hook up my Iphone.   

I was picky.  I got what I wanted.

 I am going to take twice as long when choosing a potential husband.  I am not going to compromise.   I don’t struggle with loneliness.  I don’t struggle with lust.  I am financially secure.  I have no reason to get married to someone unless I think he is the one I am supposed to be with. 

I am going to be picky.  I am going to wait for what I want.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with that!

~Sunny :D

VBS

                  VBS was this week.   Our theme this year was “Weird Animals”.    The week was amazing!  I was asked to lead the worship this week and I was honored and humbled to do so.    Leading 500+ children in singing praises to GOD was honestly the best place for me.    I love how each person seems to be placed in a spot that is best for them.  

              I asked a friend of mine what they were doing for VBS and they said: “Pre-School Crafts.” And I said “Voluntarily?!?!”    In my mind I could not understand why anyone would voluntarily do anything with preschool.  And she was doing CRAFTS.. Glitter, glue, cotton balls, sequins, crying.... Yuck!  Then this same women watched me on the stage.  I was wearing a bright costume, singing and dancing with a wireless microphone attached to my face.  She said “how do you have the courage to do that?”

                  Leading the children in Worship was second nature to me.  I am a music teacher and I have had experience in show choirs, and doing musical theater.   I was told by many people that they could never have the bravery to do what I did that week.   However, due to my previous experience it was the only place I felt comfortable.

“But in fact GOD has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but only one body.”

 ~ 1 Corinthians 12: 13-20

                  The church is the body of Christ.   Each member of the body has different gifts and talents.  Some people are great with Preschool (not me) and some people are better with teens (also not me).  If everyone in the body of Christ had the same gifts and talents then how would we grow as a body? How could we serve each other if we were all identical?

This brings me to the next thought

 “ For we are GOD’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which GOD prepared in advance for us to do.”

 ~Ephesians 2:10

                  Each member of the body of Christ has different gifts and talents.  Gifts and talents are cultivated by the believer throughout their life.   I am fantastic with kids and very talented in music.   My experiences growing up have prepared me to serve in the church in the capacity I am suited best.  I find immense joy serving the LORD in Children’s Ministry and Children’s Worship.   Other members of the body are suited for other areas and that’s ok.

 We are all created different.  This is another reason GOD is Awesome..

~Sunny :D

Men Only!

Amazing women of GOD are waiting for you.  Scripture is very clear that our job is to wait and your job is to pursue.   However, you need to make sure you are ready and worthy of an amazing women of GOD before you begin to pursue her.

What are we looking for?

           

“Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man, and the head of Christ is GOD.” ~1 Corinthians 11:3.   “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.” ~Ephesians 5:22.   You are supposed to be the head of the household.   Godly women are looking for a guy they can respect and look up to.  We want a guy who is so in love with GOD that the woman feels safe trusting the decisions of her husband in regards to her life.  If you do not have a strong walk with the LORD we can’t consider you.   

           

“If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” ~1 Timothy 5:8.  We are looking for men who can provide.   We are looking for a man who has a good, stable job.  We are looking for a guy who is a good steward with his money and will offer us a stable life.    Yes, it is 2014 and most women have careers and will financially contribute to the income.  However, we DO NOT want to be the bread- winners.   

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you life with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” ~1 Peter 3:7.   We are looking for guys who earnestly care about us and will treat us with dignity.    We are looking for the guy who is attentive to our needs and thoughtful toward us.   If you are rude or unkind a Godly woman who knows her worth will not consider you.

             “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”~ Ephesians 5:25.   Love us.  I know this sounds simple but you need to love us as much as you love yourself.  We are looking for a guy who is considerate and will put our best interests at heart.   We are looking for guys who are willing to do things we enjoy doing.  Take an interest in things that matter to us. 

            Men….  I am asking you to please be mature before you pursue us.  Please remember that we want to get married but at the same time we know the things we are giving up to become your wife.  We are trading in our freedom, control over our finances, our last name and our bodies (if we have kids) to become your wife.   A woman who knows her worth is not going to trade that all in for any old guy.  “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” ~Proverbs 18:22. 

Love GOD, get a good job and prove yourself worthy of us.

~Sunny :D

Ladies Only!

Ok ladies, let’s admit the reality.  Godly men are scare in our churches.  I am sure you know the expression: “The good ones are taken.”  Unless you attend a Christian college or are a member of a mega church, you will realize the options are slim.

            How are we supposed to stand out when we outnumber the guys?   How do we get noticed to gain the attention of a Godly man when they have so many available options?

The answers are in Proverbs.

 “Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.” ~Proverbs 19:14.   The word Prudent can be defined as: wise, practical, or sensible.   Godly men are looking for such a women.   A prudent woman will be practical and will not spend money on things they can’t afford.  A prudent woman will be wise with how they spend their time and money.   She will be sensible when making decisions for her life and will run the affairs of her home in a way that honors GOD.

            “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown.”~ Proverbs 12:4.   A woman who has noble character is honorable and virtuous.    She is moral and will not compromise her walk with GOD.   She will make decisions for her life based off of the word of GOD and she will earnestly seek him in all that she does.   The word crown can signify a trophy or a prize.   So this scripture is stating that a righteous woman is a prize in her husband’s eyes.   What woman would not want to be treated like a prize?

            “A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.” ~Proverbs 31:1.    In other words, there are not very many women who have this noble character.   To be a women who rests in the LORD and is fully devoted to him will make you very valuable to a Godly man.  

            “HE who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.” ~Proverbs 18:22.   Ladies, a true man after GOD’s heart is looking for YOU.  He is looking for an amazing woman of GOD who can be his “trophy”.      Woman like this are hard to find and a Godly man will wait until he finds her.

            What should we do while we wait for GOD to bring us a guy like this?  We should fall I love with the LORD.  We should spend time learning about him and reading his word.  Work on spiritual disciplines such as prayer and meditation.   If you want an AMAZING man of GOD to find you, you need to become the woman that guy would be attracted to.

~Sunny :D