It’s true. Whether or not you like it, or whether or not you are even aware of it, YOU are being watched. Which means, of course, that you are setting an example. The question is, what kind of example are you setting? As Christians, we need to be sure that we are being a good testimony to the world. That way, our unsaved neighbors, relatives, or acquaintances won’t look at us and say, “They say that they’re Christians, but look at what they do!” This is probably one of the easier and more obvious areas in which we are to be an example.

I walked into the health foods store and saw a young ‘earthy-looking’ employee in the produce section. It was a normal outing to the store, but then the thought, “Why don’t you witness to her?” Me: “Oh…no…well…what would I say? I can’t just walk up to her and say Jesus died for her sins!” That would be quite the first impression! God had been working in my heart to be bold in witnessing, but…Here? Now? What if I say the wrong thing? God’s grace prevailed and I found myself in front of this unsuspecting worker asking, “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would go?” I waited for her reaction…she actually was looking very contemplative; she wasn’t even yelling angry words at me! She replied to my strange question by listing off several exotic countries that she would really like to visit before she died!  Surprised by her answer, I said, “Actually, I meant, where do you think you would go after you died?” This time she looked very contemplative. She did not know what happens after this life, and I had the opportunity to explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  She did not fall on the ground in repentance or even seem very responsive, but I had obeyed, and I walked away with a great sense of joy and fulfillment.

“My soul thirsteth after Thee.”—Psalm 143:6
 
I smiled to myself as I watched my six-year old brother read his Bible. I had to help him with the big words and hardly got time for my own Bible study, but still enjoyed watching him as he completed his first book of the Bible—Philemon by name—since he got the Bible for Christmas.

It’s that time of the year again when we give thanks to our gracious Lord and Savior for all that He has done in our lives! Need some scrumptious recipes? Need a craft idea? What about a new tradition to start each Thanksgiving? Maybe these are some help to you! :)

Dear Virtuous Daughters,

​One thing God has been teaching me lately is to apply Galatians 6:2 to my life. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” It is easy to go on with life and only think about ourselves, but I have been trying to think about others instead. Sometimes I don’t want to “bear one another’s burdens,” but then I remember Galatians 6:2 and do it. After all, you can’t argue the Bible!

My sons have developed the business of buying ATVs and fixing and selling them. It has been an eye-opening endeavor. When purchasing ATVs, my sons have seen every imaginable trick in the book by slick sellers trying to make their 4-wheelers appear something they are not. The deceptions are many. There are the cosmetic tricks, painting over blemishes, pumping up flat tires, and putting stickers or such over broken plastics. There are the motor tricks, hiding a knock with thicker oil, JB welding (gluing) together a broken part, and promising it only needs a small adjustment to run when it is blown up. Then there are the identity tricks, saying it has a title, but never producing it, giving the wrong title intentionally, or worse, having no title at all. Sometimes people are so sincere and genuine-looking that they are easy to believe, but my sons have found that the Bible's words, “all men are liars” are true. In fact, the outer appearance of many of these machines isn't always an accurate reflection of what is “under the hood.” They have become quite adept now at spotting the fakes, the tricks, and the deceptions, but it took many trials and mistakes to get to this point.

​Quads are one thing, but later my sons will make a much bigger choice. I often wonder when they go to pick a wife, if this experience will serve them well and give them wisdom to avoid a much greater pitfall. You see, women have their bag of tricks too. There are fake words and feigned smiles that can cover a sour spirit. There are charm and personality that can deceive and hide a selfish, unthankful, lazy, or prideful pattern. And there are beauty and style, all made up into a perfect little package, that can draw attention away from a shallow character or a worldly mind. Even smooth words and flattery fool one who is unsuspecting and willing to ignore wise counsel. ​

Proverbs 31:12 states that the Virtuous Woman will do her husband good and not evil all the days of her life.
 
Many young girls reading this verse think perhaps this sounds like a very easy task. They imagine a sort of knight in shining armor who comes to sweep them off their feet and whisk them to a wonderful land of romance and togetherness where they only desire to do this brave, kind man good and never evil….or maybe they just expect a good Christian young man to come calling, and that since they both love Christ, doing him good will sort of just come naturally.

Society has hammered away at the role of a woman and the definition of fulfillment, success, and strength as they pertain to women for decades. The picture is painted with the brushes of independence, autonomy, freedom, aggressive determination, goal achievement, liberation, and recognition among other strokes and colors which dazzle the viewer—much like dime store glitter—and draw one into the philosophy they expound. Many well-meaning and not so well-meaning religious groups have their own brushes as well and they paint away, defining women in yet another way—with brushes of fear, rules, inferiority, and other various trappings.     

With all this information and misinformation confronting us on every side, where does a woman turn to find a true model of a strong woman of virtue? As with all of life’s great questions and quests, there is only one secure, trustworthy place where we can turn and be certain to find truth—God’s Word. God Himself indeed gave us a wonderful place to look to find insight into this very question.