Still keeping the light on

She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.  Proverbs 31:17,18



We've established that we need to be strong in order to keep our lights shining, to not burn out, to have a life message for the world and the next generation. We've seen that such strength is not merely physical, but also from our soul.Even if we become limited in physical strength, we can always increase in soul and spirit strength - those are the most important!
 And in the last post we learned how to strengthen our soul.

Now - how to strengthen our spirit...



The image given in this passage of Scripture gives us is of a lamp.  Lamps in Bible times were not like what we use today. No battery or electrical cord to supply the power. No handy little switch to turn it on. No incandescent bulb to burn out and need changing. Picture something more like this
 The lamp the writer of Proverbs had in mind used oil and a wick. Bible scholars tells us it looked something like this

A clay pot filled with oil and a strip of cloth or bundle of rope that would draw up the liquid and burn. Each part was vital or the lamp didn't provide light.

What does this show us? What  does it tells us about strengthening our spirit?

First, the oil - In Scripture, oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This is the source of power, the supply of energy, that which enables the light to burn. Without the oil, there is no light.

We can easily understand the clay pot to be our own selves, our life. And the wick, perhaps, is our willingness to draw upon the Holy Spirit as our source of power, to connect with Him, to live in a state of dependence upon Him.  
So, how do we do this in real life, not just symbolism?

We first of all must be aware of our need for Him. We must realize that we are powerless without Him.  Acts 1: 8 tells us "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth"

We know from Ephesians 5:18 that God commands us to be filled with His Holy Spirit (And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit).

We also know from the Greek construction of the sentence and the tense of the verb "be filled", that this indicates continual filling, an action that is to be repeated over and over. So it is not a "one time filling" but rather a daily (hourly!) one, as we realize our need to be emptied of ourselves and filled (controlled) by Him.

How to do that? 

We already established that the first step is to be aware of our need.
Then we need to ask Him. 
All through the day, calling on Him for wisdom and power and strength. Knowing we cannot rely on our own but instead casting ourselves on Him.
Praying continuously.
Saturating ourselves in His Word. 

Just a final practical application - one way to immerse ourselves in His Spirit and His Word is through music. Begin your day with good, solid, Truth-filled music that will encourage your spirit in Him.  And listen to the same in your car, in your home, at your work (if possible). All day, soaking up His Spirit, even singing with the tunes!

I got this idea from Scripture :)  Read verse 19 of Ephesians 5!!

Keeping the light on...

She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.



In the previous post, we established what it means for our lamp to not go out at night, that in the dark times of life, our light - our message to the world - keeps shining.

And this requires strength.

Three different kinds.

First, is physical. While it is sometimes overemphasized or pursued from a wrong motivation, we need to realize that our physical health is an important factor in our being able to keep the light on in the dark times of life.

I hope you took the chance to visit Transfit https://www.transfitathens.com/ and get some ideas for strengthening your body. Now let's see how we can strengthen our soul ...




Soul strengthening comes from speaking Truth to ourselves. Not just talking to ourselves but rather carefully speaking TRUTH. We can believe a lot of lies and not even realize it.

For instance, how many times have we said, either aloud or to our own hearts something like this:
"I can't take it anymore"
"I am all alone"
"I deserve some 'me' time"
"I can't help how I feel"
"This situation is horrible and hopeless"
"God doesn't love me/He won't help me"

These might seem like normal, harmless feelings but they are actually lies that will put out our lights in the nights.

So how do we do this thing?
We replace the lies with Truth...by speaking His word to ourselves, over and over and over.

Instead of "I can't take it anymore" - we say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) He will help me do whatever He sets before me.
Instead of "I am all alone" - "He says 'I will never leave you or forsake you' " ( Hebrews 13:5) I am not alone.
Instead of  "I deserve some 'me' time" - "I am not my own, I have been bought with a price, therefore I will glorify God in my body" (I Corinthians 6:19,20) I will lay down my life for others like He did.
Instead of "I can't help how I feel", - Feelings follow thinking  "As a (wo)man thinks in her heart, so she is" (Proverbs 23:7)
Instead of "This situation is horrible and hopeless" - "I know that God promises to work all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  And He, the God of all hope, is able to make all hope abound in my life".( Romans 8:28, 15:13)
Instead of "God doesn't love me/He won't help me" -" Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate me from His love. And He promises that He has provided all the help I need already. " (Romans 8:38,39/John 14:16,17)

Our feelings are not truth.  But because they are truly real, we have to deal with them. And we deal with them by ferreting out the lies and replacing them with Truth.  Just like we strengthen ourselves physically by repetitions, the same is true with our soul-strength.

To keep our lamp burning in the night, let's strengthen our bodies and especially our souls.  Speak the Truth of God's Word over and over and over to our selves. Instead of listening to what our souls have to speak!



Keeping the light on for you

I am studying the Proverbs 31 Woman with a great group of gals. We are having a wonderful time learning not to resent or be intimidated by Scripture's portrayal of this woman but rather to glean from God's Word how He wants to manifest these Truths in our own lives.

As always, His Word is rich and deep...and life-changing.

We recently examined verses 17 & 18. I want to share with you what we found...

She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.


First we learned that the last phrase does not mean that she never sleeps - thank goodness! Although we Moms admit there are plenty of nights our light stays on because we are dealing with stomach viruses, scary dreams, or sleep training a newborn!

This word in the original Hebrew language does mean "light" but it conveys a more figurative than literal definition. It means "instruction, progeny"...we might use the word "legacy".

So verse 18 is saying that this woman's legacy, her message to the world, her lamp, is not diminished in the darknesses of life.

And her light keeps shining during these times because she has strength.

Notice that her strength is not only physical - the "and" in the first phrase lets us know this is not a repetitive thought but rather an additional one. So, physical strength is indicated in "makes her arms strong" and we need to know that keeping ourselves fit & healthy is one of the ways we keep our lamp burning in the nights of life.

But that is not the only goal nor the main source of strength. (And, also note that our motivation for physical strength/fitness needs to be one of strength for our light --- not attention for our bodies!)

What other aspects of strength are we to pursue?

Since Scripture tells us that we are a three part being (I Thessalonians 5:23 - body, soul, spirit), we realize that we need strength in all three parts of ourselves.

How do we strengthen our souls and our spirits?

Let's look at that together over the next few days. But for today, let's think about the need to keep ourselves physically strong in order that our lamp can keep burning. Our physical fitness/health plays a significant role in our being able to victoriously handle the "nights" of life, the times when our circumstances are dark. I am quick to point out that it is easy to focus too heavily on this or to pursue it from selfish motives but I do want to urge us all to take care of the bodies God has given us, the temples of His Holy Spirit while we are on earth.

It's certainly good stewardship but physical fitness also brings great benefits to our mental/emotional and spiritual health. Strength in one aspect of our being positively impacts the other parts.

And vice versa.

What is one thing you can do that will be a step towards greater physical health?

If you need ideas, check out my friend Caroline's website  https://www.transfitathens.com/
She has some great encouragement there!





Update: Operation Declutter

Dining room - done.  It was honestly easy - not too much clutter gets stuck in there.  Although I did manage to clear out some Christmas pieces from the hutch.  And some linens.

Now I need to take care of the laundry room.  This will be the last of the easier rooms.  The others are going to be a challenge.  I need some motivation. Can y'all send me some tips that keep you going? How's your progress?  I know several of you are doing the same thing - how're you doing?

After the laundry room, I think I will take a break.  The very idea of cleaning out the storage room is causing me to break out in hives. So I need to get myself prepared for that.

Laundry room - here I come.  And I want to get you done by Valentine's Day.

Then I will reward myself with candy.

The Refugee Crisis: A Biblical Response

If your social media outlets are like mine, they are absolutely blowing up with opinions on the refugee crisis. Some are informative, but others are so toxic that I have considered disconnecting. I am all for open dialogue but let's be civil, please!

I digress.

That's not the point of this post.

What should our response be to this crisis? As followers of Christ.


I have very strong opinions about it. But I'll not share those so much. Instead, I have some recommendations for action.

And it's not to contact your Senator.

Let's look at some of the more popular passages that are currently trending on social media:

Matthew 25:34-46 - focusing on this: For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in....Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even to the least of them, you did it to Me.

Leviticus 19:33-34When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.  The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

What does obedience to these verses look like? What IS the Biblical response?

Like me, you are probably not in a position to affect what goes on with immigrants and refugees on the national level. This does not mean we can't do anything.

There are alot of "refugees" right in our own zip codes. People who are in need of compassion and assistance. People whose problems YOU can help solve.

In the Athens/Oconee area, there are numerous organizations that need help. Let's be mindful of taking care of the problems right here around us. You can donate money and/or your services and it can make a big difference. Here are some of the ones that I know of personally and can recommend you support:

The Sparrow's Nest      kimberlysbunting@gmail.com/www.sparrowsnestmission.org

Mercy Health Center  http://mercyhealthcenter.net/

Downtown Academy   http://downtownacademy.org/volunteer.html

Athens Pregnancy Center   http://www.athenspregnancycenter.org/volunteer/

Chosen for Life Ministries    http://www.chosenforlifeathens.com/volunteer/

Snows Mill Guest House   http://www.missionarycareministry.org/volunteer/

International  Friends  http://www.athensenglishclasses.com/