Darling Virtuous Daughters,
  
​As the beginning of the new year is generally a time when we all do a good clean up, I thought of some tips to help us clean up our spiritual lives as well...

Sometime ago, the Lord impressed upon me how wonderful it would be to spend a whole day focused on Him. Life is so busy. I make time for eating, sleeping, exercising, even shopping and vacations. But could I take a whole day off from my normal responsibilities and focus totally on the Lord?
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I told my family about the idea and they were very excited. It occurred to them, that if I was very sick for a day, they would all manage without me. They liked the idea so much, they even offered to deliver meals and snacks upstairs to my bedroom!

The other day when I started chapter 11 of Hebrews, (I was having my quiet time), I immediately recognized the first verses. My brother was memorizing them for a program he’s in. I had asked him for the passage a little while before because I had decided I wanted to type a letter on faith using that verse. I rushed to my laptop and started typing.

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.

Quiet time with the Lord is so important. Yet sometimes, at least for me, it can be a chore instead of an opportunity. At times I wake up and think about what I need to do that day, and think “I’ll just read one Psalm, and that will be my Bible reading.” :( This special time with our heavenly Father is supposed to be an opportunity, not a chore to get through the day. Our hearts must be in the right place! 

Thy Word is like a garden, Lord,
With flowers bright and fair;
And every one who seeks may pluck
A lovely cluster there.
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine;
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths
For every searcher there.
 
Thy Word is like a starry host:
A thousand rays of light
Are seen to guide the traveler,
And make his pathway bright.
Thy Word is like an armory,
Where soldiers may repair;
And find for life’s long battle-day
All needful weapons there.
 
O, may I love Thy precious Word,
May I explore the mine,
May I its fragrant flowers glean,
May light upon me shine!
O, may I find my armor there!
Thy Word my trusty sword,
I’ll learn to fight with every foe
The battle of the Lord.
 
(a hymn by Edwin Hodder)
 
As seen in the words to this hymn, the Bible can be likened to many things. In Psalm 19, we are told that God’s Word is “more to be desired than gold” and “sweeter than honey.” Job said he esteemed God’s Word more than his necessary food. We know that the Bible is inspired and preserved by God, free from any error. It is a powerful “sword” for spiritual battles. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts will help to keep us from sinning. The Word of God produces faith, which is necessary for salvation. As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 tells us, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
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Darling Virtuous Daughters,
 
I wanted to encourage you in the area of Bible reading. I know that it may seem impossible at times to have a daily quiet time, but oh how important it is! The more time we spend in the Word, the more we realize how much we need it in every area of our lives. Just as our physical food nourishes our physical body and keeps it alive and growing, the Bible is our spiritual food that keeps us nourished and growing in Christ. Our heavenly Father wants us to be utterly dependent on Him, and to depend on Him, we must know Him, and to know Him, we must read His Word. If it is a struggle for you to get this habit formed, you might try this: have someone hold you accountable. Ask someone to ask you every day if you had your quiet time that day. Or another way is to tell yourself in the morning that you must have your spiritual food before you have your physical food (breakfast). Another thing to remember, girls, is that when we pray, it is a way to talk to God, and when we read His Word it is a way to listen to God. May the Lord bless each of you as you learn many things in His Word.

• ​Read your Bible every day.
• Read in a quiet place.
• Pray and ask the Lord to open His Word to you.
• Read a variety of passages.
• Don’t always read out of one book.
• Read more than 15 minutes a day.

    
Grow in the Lord!

Recently our internet connection was down for five days. Five LONG days. I am embarrassed to admit how much frustration this caused certain family members, myself included. The first day wasn’t too bad. Oh, okay, the internet is down—we will be back online soon. The second day, hmmm . . . what’s wrong here? The third day, man this is crazy, what’s wrong with this company? Whose fault is this anyway? This is costing us money!! That is because my husband receives his work assignments via computer, and he missed out on some work that would have been worth $1,000 to our family. The fourth and fifth day, we just went around moaning, openly admitting how much we felt “disconnected.” And then joy of joys, the internet reappeared, and we again felt “connected” to the outside world, and balance was restored!