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by Emily from Virtuous Daughters, July 2013~Volume 13, Number 4 When William Carey, known as “The Father of Modern Missions,” left for India, one of his friends observed that his departure could be likened to someone being lowered into a deep, unexplored mine. For someone to be safely sent into the mine and enabled to begin mining for souls, others were needed to “hold the ropes” that lowered him down into it. As William Carey and his friends stood at the brink of decisions, considering this venture into India, William volunteered to go—if his friends would faithfully support him as he went. His mission would not be successful if they did not do their parts in “holding the ropes.” Though missionaries ultimately depend on God for their every need, we can be the human instruments that God uses to support and help them in their endeavors. Here are some practical ways that we can do this:
by Tiffany S. from Virtuous Daughters, May 2013~Volume 13, Number 2 "I love the LORD,
because He hath heard my voice and my supplications." —Psalm 116:1 by Tiffany S. from Virtuous Daughters, April 2013~Volume 13, Number 1 I was sorting some paperwork and ran across my sermon notes from a series of messages preached by my pastor about “Five Crossroads of the Christian Life.” One of those crossroads was Satisfaction—Giving Thanks. I thought perhaps the following thoughts from the sermon would be an encouragement:
by Naomi B. from Virtuous Daughters, February 2013~Volume 12, Number 11 “A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong; which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.” (anonymous)
We all make mistakes—maybe it’s saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, letting the supper burn, sewing without thread, etc.! However, we can learn from those mistakes. For example, if you forget to set the timer and supper burns, you will learn from your mistake to set the timer next time! by Candace M. from Virtuous Daughters, August 2013~Volume 13, Number 5 Recently, our family was reading through Luke 9, and verse 41 was particularly striking: “And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.” In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus had given His disciples power and authority over all devils and power to cure diseases. He then sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Not long after their return (at least 10 days), a man brought his son to Jesus—a son who was possessed by a devil that the disciples were unable to cast out. This father cried to Jesus for help. Jesus’ answer (above) indicates a rebuke for the lack of faith the disciples exhibited. These were His own disciples: they had seen Him perform so many miracles, had been given power, and had healed people on this recent trip. And yet they were termed “faithless” and thus lacked power to do the work of God.
by Kristin from Virtuous Daughters, August 2013~Volume 13, Number 5 Sometimes standing alone can be, well...lonely. I guess that’s obvious, but it’s also good to know and consider. There are different types of standing alone. There is the kind that we all expect; the difference between us believers and the rest of the world. And then there is the other kind of standing alone, the kind that can easily leave us very discouraged and disillusioned. I’m talking about when folks you’ve been close to take other paths, or when folks you trusted ended up proving untrustworthy. Maybe you’ve shared glorious fellowship with them, and you felt such a close bond with them. It was like a little piece of heaven. You held discussions on your common convictions, and they encouraged you in what you both mutually believed.
Then things changed one day. You realized that you were no longer walking the same path. You were standing alone. by Sarah from Virtuous Daughters, December 2013~Volume 13, Number 9 “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” {Isaiah 30:21}
Dear Sisters, Have you ever had your hearing tested? Do you ever wonder if you need to have it tested—like when you keep forgetting what your mom told you to do this morning—or didn’t even hear her tell you to do it? We all have a problem at times with our listening skills, but I think for most of us it is not because we cannot physically hear, but because we do not turn our minds “on” when our parents are speaking to us. 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 Sarah from Virtuous Daughters, July 2013~Volume 13, Number 4 At the end of the day, I was contemplating what I had done that day. God prompted a thought on my heart. How many times do I look into the mirror each day? I realized I look at myself quite a lot, and many times there are subconscious thoughts, such as, “Don’t I look adorable?” Other times, the mirror brings discouraging thoughts to mind, “Oh! That piece of hair just won’t stay put. I wish my hair looked like others girls’.”
by Naomi from Virtuous Daughters, November 2013~Volume 13, Number 8 Habits are an important part of life. They can be good or bad! We want to acquire good habits. But how would we get habits in the first place?
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"Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all."~Proverbs 31:29