by Lydia from Virtuous Daughters, November 2009~Volume 9, Number 9 I cannot think of anything more damaging to the inward and outward beauty of a girl, than bitterness. It is a seed, that once planted, begins to choke out the grace and sweetness of a young maiden and is terribly hard to get rid of. The plant grows rapidly, and sends out new shoots that produce more seeds and can easily spread to others. Let me tell you about some ways this seed is planted, how it spreads, and what you must do to get rid of it.
by Maggie from Virtuous Daughters, April/May 2020~Volume 20, Number 1 What a privilege it is to serve the living God! All through the Scriptures, there are stories in abundance of God's faithfulness, His protection, His provision, His conviction, His salvation, and His awesome love.
Over and over in my life, I have witnesses His goodness with my own eyes...my dad's job, my older brother's miraculous healing, His saving us from many wrecks, so many answered prayers, His patient, loving teaching--and the salvation of Jesus for a soul such as me! So, why is it that I would ever find myself in the middle of overwhelm? Mind whirling, heart anxious, weighed down with worries... This past fall, I experienced this in a very real way when my family's safe, steady, comfortable little world seemed threatened by so much change all at once! I do not like change, yet it surrounded us on many levels. I felt frustrated--I couldn't do anything to STOP IT--and so I worried. I literally felt panicked. Even though I prayed and prayed to trust God with those circumstances, I had a difficult time letting the worry go. by Jennifer from Virtuous Daughters, April 2013~Volume 13, Number 1 Last time, we unpacked the glorious promise of Jeremiah 31:14, realizing that God wants to satiate our souls with living water and soak our lives in His all-sufficient presence. This is a wonderful truth to apply to our lives; but most of us fall short of living it as we should. We know that our Lord is all we truly need—that He alone can bring lasting satisfaction—but we focus our energies on earthly things as if they will fulfill and complete us. We convince ourselves that “if only” we could have this thing or reach that place or become this different person, we would finally be happy; and instead, we wind up empty and miserable. Our gracious Heavenly Father wants much more for us than this! He wants us to know true satisfaction, to walk through each day with joy, and to showcase His glory before an empty, miserable world. His vision for His children is not merely to survive the daily grind, but to thrive in the midst of its challenges. Here is a description of the life He wants for us. The last verse is one you will recognize. “. . . [A]nd they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord . . . [T]heir life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. . . . I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will [satiate] the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord” (Jer. 31:12-14 ESV – emphasis added; same for the following verses).
by Jennifer from Virtuous Daughters, March 2013~Volume 12, Number 12 We finished last time with the reminder that believers are “a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9), separated unto God for holy purposes. A wonderful promise comes with this separation. God spoke it to the tribe of Levi in Leviticus 18:2: “Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.” God Himself wants to be our inheritance, our portion! No thing(s) He could ever give us would be equal to the gift of Himself. He said this to Abraham in Genesis 15:1b: “. . . Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” In Him alone is all we really need and more than we could ever want. No one else in all the universe has the ability to satisfy us fully; but our all-sufficient God can and will. Here is His promise to us: “And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness [abundance], and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD” (Jer. 31:14). Let's explore a little bit of what this promise means.
by Jennifer from Virtuous Daughters, February 2013~Volume 12, Number 11 God's family is diverse yet unified. He draws people with different gifts and experiences and melds them into one body, the head of which is Christ (Eph. 5:23). Members of the body may have unique functions (1 Cor. 12), but all of us share the same calling—the same identity and purpose in Christ. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
by Candace from Virtuous Daughters, October 2010~Volume 10, Number 7 “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”—2 Timothy 2:22 A few weeks ago, I was pondering this verse, and hope that what I learned may be helpful to all of you.
"Waiting on the Lord" Series by Elisha from Virtuous Daughters, January 2016~Volume 15, Number 10 “Brrrrring!” As the phone echoed through the house, there was a clatter of feet on the stairs, and within seconds an enthusiastic little voice was calling, “Margaret! It’s for you!”
Laying down the napkins she’d been folding, Margaret hurried over. “Thanks, Joseph,” she smiled, before saying into the phone, “Hello, this is Margaret.” Her face lit up with pleasure as she recognized the voice of her friend Jennifer—a phone call from her was a once-or-twice-a-year affair. For perhaps fifteen minutes, the girls talked about the various little events since their last chat some months before, but Margaret could tell that something was on her friend’s mind. At last, Jennifer burst out: “My sister Annie is engaged to Thomas Craddock from church!” "Waiting on the Lord" Series by Amy from Virtuous Daughters, June 2016~Volume 16, Number 3 In this world that we live, society screams out that we are to be given what we think will make us happy now. There is no thought of waiting until the time is right, until you have enough money saved, or until the Lord brings it to pass. We must help out. The flesh desires and wants it now. There is no encouragement in anything to be content where you are and wait. This life misses out on the blessings we have, worrying about what the future holds. "But godliness with contentment is great gain." (1 Timothy 6:6)
"Waiting on the Lord" Series by Sarah B. from Virtuous Daughters, April 2017~Volume 17, Number 1 “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)
True words indeed! The shattered remains of once-beautiful hopes...the memories of things past...the crushing grief of an arrow that pierced our tenderest and dearest desire (Lamentations 3:12). The path seems so painful and narrow that we can barely breath (Lamentations 3:7). Will the pain of this dark night ever pass? |
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