Tuesday, August 25, 2009

True Woman Tuesday-Week 10

True Woman Tuesday
We are into week 10 of our True Woman Tuesday Bible Study with Tammi from Valley Girl.It's our last lesson. I've really learned a lot from these lessons and I appreciate Tammi at Valley Girl for hosting our study!

The first part of the lesson deals with sound thinking. Nancy Leigh DeMoss says "If we have sound doctrine, then that will result in sound thinking about all of life—wise, discreet, sensible, self-controlled, sound thinking about all of life. That will result in sound living." We have to be able to control our thoughts and actions. Because if we can't do that, then we won't be able to respond to our husbands and children in a kind, loving manner. Let's face it, our kids especially try our patience sometimes and I definitely don't always respond as I should. I need to put my thinking into actions and deeds.

Nancy listed some of what a woman who does not have sound thinking is, I'll include some of the ones I have problems with:
  • is impulsive
  • has emotions controlled by circumstances
  • says whatever she thinks without thinking first
  • has unpredictable behavior
  • procrastinates
  • is given to extremes
  • is easily distracted
  • enjoys mindless entertainment
  • thinks about the short-term rather than the long-term
  • fritters away time
I guess we can see why I have such a problem putting things into action now. It's because I lack sound thinking. I do have to say though, the more I have listened to Nancy and read, the easier it is to try and put these ideas into action.

The next part is The Beauty of Holiness. Our society is bombarded with vulgar programming, women who dress and act provocatively, and lewd music. It's a very sinful time we are living in. But, Christians should be an example for the world as to what a pure and godly person is and does.

Nancy says "It shouldn't be difficult for people to know whether someone is really a Christian. The unbelieving world is characterized by impurity, and believers of Christ are supposed to be pure." But, it can be hard to tell who really is a Christian. Sometimes people pretend to be something in public, but in private they can be very different.

We can also never think that could happen to us. Nancy says " You can never let down your guard. You never get to the point—I don't care how old you are, how mature you are in Christ, how long you've walked with the Lord—you never get to the point where you don't need the grace of God to protect and safeguard your heart and keep you from sin." We have to be diligent with our thoughts and actions.

She asks if impurity bothers us? It should, but I think we've become immune to a lot of it. It takes a lot to shock us these days.

We need to have Christ's light in our hearts and it should show through to our actions. People should be able to tell we're Christians. We are to be witnesses for Christ.

The last section is on A Lasting Kindness. If you are truly good "You have a good or kind heart but you don’t just keep it in your heart. You do something about it. It comes out. " So, if we're truly good people will be able to tell by our kind actions.

Jerry Bridges says “Kindness is the inner disposition created by the Holy Spirit that causes us to be sensitive to the needs of others, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. Goodness is kindness in action, words, and deeds.”

We need to be serving with joy, with a kind heart. Like Nancy said, if you've only been married a month you probably enjoy doing your husband's laundry and making him dinner and keeping the home. But, after 10 or 15 years, you're probably not loving it so much anymore. That's because we're being selfish and thinking about what "I" want or what "I" feel, and not what our husband's or children want or need.

It's true that we're more polite to guests in our homes and we'll ask them what we can do to make them more comfortable. But, do we ever ask our husband this?

We are supposed to show kindness to everyone-our family, our friends, our neighbors, the poor, and our enemies. Ouch, that one is hard, extremely hard. I am struggling with showing kindness to people who habitually do wrong to me. Nancy says "When we as God’s children are kind to those who don’t deserve it, we show people what God is like." I do want to be a light for Him! I pray that I can overcome my selfish desires to be more like the servant He wants me to be!

To read what others thought of this week's lesson, please visit Valley Girl.

2 comments:

tammi said...

I like how the last lesson kinda brought us full-circle ~ back to the Proverbs 31 woman, where we started. There really is so much room for improvement, but I think we've stumbled onto an incredible resource that offers daily wisdom and encouragement! I know I'll need it!!!

Thanks so much for joining me on this makeover! It's been great getting to know you a little better!!

Tammy said...

Our desire to improve and to be able to shine Jesus to those around us, combined with the insights from these studies, and the grace and strength of God - it's unbeatable!

I've appreciated your openness, honesty and vulnerability in these studies. We need to humbly admit our faults in order to truly get the makeover we need. You are on track!!