THRIVING ON LESS


Today I'm simply sharing the availability of a free ebook, called, "Thriving on Less." My quiet times lately have resulted in a spree of reducing, eliminating and trimming of "fat" around the house. I haven't read this ebook yet, but I downloaded it, and the table of contents looks like it will help me declutter even more.

Here's the Table of Contents

Introduction
1. A Simple Lifestyle
2. Focus on the Essentials
3. Thriving on Less, Not Struggling
4. Focusing on Enough, Not More
5. Make Small Financial Changes First
6. Look at Large Expenses for the Long Term
7. Changing Your Spending Habits
8. A Guide to Getting Out of Debt
9. Tools for a Frugal Life
10. Resources

Debt is not my problem, but nevertheless there are some chapters that hold promise for me. I am also reading a book on de-cluttering, by the way, which has been useful. I'll talk more about that soon.
Why am I focusing on cleaning when this blog is supposed to be "devotional?"
Because having a neat and orderly environment helps me focus on other things, including God. I just find it easier to pray when I'm not distracted or weighted down by a cluttered room. An added bonus is that I've recently discovered a thrift shop whose mission is to support other missions. Therefore, my giving results in helping missionaries whose call is to spread the gospel. That's what I call a win-win situation~!

(Today's post is from John Piper's "Desiring God" blog. This topic is important to really understanding much of Scripture; as Piper says, it's a "principle." I think it's a vital one.)

One of the Most Important Principles in Reading the Bible

October 27, 2009 | By: John Piper | Category: Commentary

Sometimes readers of the Bible see the conditions that God lays down for his blessing and they conclude from these conditions that our action is first and decisive, then God responds to bless us.

That is not right.

There are indeed real conditions that God often commands. We must meet them for the promised blessing to come. But that does not mean that we are left to ourselves to meet the conditions or that our action is first and decisive.

Here is one example to show what I mean.

In Jeremiah 29:13 God says to the exiles in Babylon, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” So there is a condition: When you seek me with all your heart, then you will find me. So we must seek the Lord. That is the condition of finding him.

True.

But does that mean that we are left to ourselves to seek the Lord? Does it mean that our action of seeking him is first and decisive? Does it mean that God only acts after our seeking?

No.

Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 24:7 to those same exiles in Babylon: “I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”

So the people will meet the condition of returning to God with their whole heart. God will respond by being their God in the fullest blessing. But the reason they returned with their whole heart is that God gave them a heart to know him. His action was first and decisive.

So now connect that with Jeremiah 29:13. The condition there was that they seek the Lord with their whole heart. Then God will be found by them. But now we see that the promise in Jeremiah 24:7 is that God himself will give them such a heart so that they will return to him with their whole heart.

This is one of the most basic things people need to see about the Bible. It is full of conditions we must meet for God’s blessings. But God does not leave us to meet them on our own. The first and decisive work before and in our willing is God’s prior grace. Without this insight, hundreds of conditional statements in the Bible will lead us astray.

Let this be the key to all Biblical conditions and commands: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13). Yes, we work. But our work is not first or decisive. God’s is. “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Hearing From God

"A wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 12:15

How are you at taking advice? Could there possibly be anyone more qualified to give it than the One who made us? Yet, many Christians are wary of trying to hear God's voice for themselves.

Reading the Bible is the single most important way to hear from God. Since it is God's WORD, it follows that when you read and live accordingly, you are listening in the sense of obeying. When you "hear" the Word come alive in your heart, you are doubly "listening"--letting it speak to you at the core of who you are. However, there is still another way to listen to God, which is, during prayer and quiet Bible reading time to actually listen for God's whispers--personal promptings and urgings which you won't find elsewhere.

There are Christians who have been earnest believers for decades but have never experienced hearing just such a "God-whisper." Are you one of them? Admittedly, it takes faith. And, if you aren't already familiar with God and His Word, you can mistake your own wishes for the voice of God, so it's not surprising that some choose not to even try and hear a personal word for themselves. Generally, however, people who do not "hear" the whisper of God (and it may not be an audible voice), do not hear it because they do not listen for it. There are a few main reasons which prevent some from doing so:

A: They don't believe they can hear from God. If you simply don't believe that God can inspire your thoughts with his own, or yes, "whisper" to your heart, then you are very unlikely to have it happen. God in his sovereignty can choose for it to occur, but it's far more likely to happen in the life of a believer who lives in expectation of it. Faith ushers in the fact of occurrence.

B: They've never experienced it before. Just as people laughed at Noah when he said it was going to rain because it had never yet rained on the earth, some people scoff at the idea of listening to God simply because they've never heard him for themselves and don't think it's possible to. Often in life, we get what we expect; conversely, we don't get what we don't expect. We miss what others see, simply because they have conditioned their minds to be open to it; Which brings us to the third reason some people never will hear God's whisper:

C: They're secretly afraid to. What if God tells them to go be a missionary to Africa? On a less extreme note, what if God simply tells them to do something they don't want to do? What if their nice, ordered world is disturbed? If this is you, you are likely rushing through Bible reading and prayer, without getting still before the Lord. "Be still and know that I am God," is not one of your favorite verses. In a similar vein, some are afraid they will 'mis-hear,' and perhaps make a terrible mistake in life due to the misguided notion that "GOD SAID."

It is a good idea to be aware that this has happened to many well-meaning people. That's why the Lord also instructs us to consult "a multitude of counselors" on important matters. If your pastor, your godly friends, your spouse, or even your own inner voice is shouting "NO!" then it is unlikely you are following the voice of God, in a path that is controversial. Likewise, knowing the teachings of Christ and the Bible is a a safeguard against mis-guided ideas of your own invention.

Actually, the Lord is much more likely to gently encourage you in baby steps of growth that will lead you to become more like Him, rather than sending you straight off to Africa. Often, he wants to encouragie us in ways to use the gifts he has given us, things that will improve our lives and the lives of others; He may help you to focus on an important issue you've been ignoring or putting on the back burner too long. Another day, He may remind you of a relationship that needs healing, a step you need to take to initiate it.

Do some people abuse the notion that God speaks to his people? Absolutely. The person who constantly says, "God told me this," or, "God said that," (who wears green socks instead of black because "God" told him to) is likely mistaken. Great errors have been made based on someone's mistaken idea that "God" told him or her to do something. This is why a knowledge of scripture is vital for listening. The Lord will never direct anyone to do something outside of his revealed will in His Word!

The best way I know to "listen" for God's voice is to keep a pen and notebook with me during prayer and Bible study time. It is during those quiet times with the Lord that I get thoughts for the devotions I write. God is giving me the lesson, and I simply share it with you. So try it. Keep a pen and paper handy. Jot down the names of people the Lord brings to your mind while you pray, or during your reading. Be willing to stray from your own prayer list as the Holy Spirit reminds you of other needs. Often, I am reminded of unfinished business with a person, and sometimes I stop right there and then to shoot off an overdue email, or pick out the right card to send to someone later. I do this trusting that the Lord knows the important from the urgent, whereas I often confuse the two.

"Wise men store up knowledge." Proverbs 10:14a.

Action Step

Next time you pray and read the Word, have a pen and paper with you. Make an effort to "listen" by asking the Lord to speak to your heart, and keeping an open mind. Then, see what happens! Use a notebook just for this purpose, and soon you'll be storing up knowledge-right from the mouth of God!

This article was first published on the devotional blog "Inner Fulfillment" by Linore Rose Burkard. "Inner Fulfillment" offers daily short devotions for Christians, by a group of talented writers.

WHAT DO YOU CRAVE FOR?
(NEW BOOK TO READ)

I just added this to my to-be-read list. [CRAVE: by Chris Tomlinson] I love reading about how other Christians experience God, as I compare/contrast their experience with my own. It's also encouraging and uplifting to see how the Lord works with other people in ways that can be at once both similar and unlike the ways He works with me. God is so cool in that He is knows us each so intimately that he tailors His dealings with us according to who we are, and our level of understanding. I just can't get enough of Him--which I guess amounts to a craving. What about you?
Do you have God in your life today? Got cravings?

Watch the trailer for the book (Click Here)

Today I hope to remind myself that when cravings for ANYTHING hit, the real need of my life is for more of God.
It's the real need of your life, too.
Have you reached that decision, yet? If not, consider getting this book. You have to start somewhere to explore the possibility that God is calling you, that He is real, and that He really speaks to His people. Not only is He 'out there,' but He wants to use each and every craving and need in your life to point you to Himself.
I pray you take the opportunity to read Crave for yourself, and let the Lord fill you up.

For more info on Crave you can also click on the book cover. For special music today, I couldn't figure out how to get songs by Chris Tomlin (the singer/musician who does such beautiful worship CDs) onto this blog, so here's a link to listen. Hear Chris Tomlin: Not the same guy as the author.

What Jane Austen and Thomas Aquinas Have In Common

This past weekend I gave a presentation for a local chapter of JASNA (The Jane Austen Society of North America) on the theme of "The Faith of Jane Austen." I don't wish to recap all of my points here, but I came across a statement by (St.)Thomas Aquinas which summed up perfectly what Austen's attitude about faith was, as expressed (0r not expressed, I should say) in her books:

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." Aquinas

The first half of this statement was particularly true for Jane when it came to writing her books. She mostly sidesteps the issue of religion, operating on the assumption that most of her audience were members of the Anglican church, just as she was. Being an Anglican in her day meant that you had familiarity with (and implicit agreement with) the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Faith, which school children had to study. Certainly, all of the genteel class, like the Austen family themselves, would have been thoroughly familiar with the articles, (which summarize the beliefs of the church). Children, in fact, were supposed to memorize it in whole or in part, including some of the psalms and collects from the Book of Common Prayer--the primary book of reading for adherents. Anglicanism was the "Church of England," the state religion, and so of course Jane
assumed that most of her readers were familiar with its teachings.

Jane's thrust in her books was to go beyond mere "religion," mere elemental outward tokens of an assumed faith, to sift the motives of her characters. Like Christ, she examines the heart.

Religion was necessary, and church is mentioned in passing often enough so that we know, for instance, that Mr. Darcy attended services, as indeed, all of her sympathetic characters do. Even the ones she is critical of are assumed to do the same. Additionally, these issues didn't present challenges for her personally--Austen doesn't bother with elemental faith issues because they were settled for her (she was devout), but also because she didn't feel an explanation was necessary. The important thing was to know how deeply people were, or were not, living the virtues of a life based on that faith, on their religion.

She was not afraid to poke fun at clergymen or others who were hypocrites, as she had no fears of such undermining the validity of her beliefs. Such people were moral failures in one way or another, and Jane was particularly able to spot them, for she grew up surrounded by models of what true churchman were. She knew better than most, what a proper clergyman was; she had a father and two brothers who served as models; she had cousins and uncles in the profession; she had neighbours and friends of the clergy. She was surrounded by models, both good and bad, and she knew how to show both types in her fiction.

No less than three of her six major works have clergymen as their heroes.The other three have men who are as morally developed as a clergyman should be, at least by the end of the novel (Darcy, Ferrers) if not at the beginning (Knightley). (Edward Ferrers is not yet fully developed in his social manners, but he has behaved with undeniably heroic virtue.)

Every sentence I've written here could be expounded upon at length, and I wish I had the time to do it! But right now I don't. However, let me add that for most of her life, Jane did not like or approve of evangelicals, another reason her works are singularly NOT evangelistic in nature; but she had no less a sincerity of faith than they; and by the end of her life, she reassessed her position, saying,

"I am by no means convinced that we ought not all to be evangelicals, and am at least persuaded that they who are so from reason and feeling must be happiest and safest."

Note that "reason" and "feeling" are keywords in Austen. Reason and feeling=sense and sensibility, and only a balance of the two can make a person fully moral and actualized. One of Austen's themes is that decisions or behaviour based ONLY upon reason, or ONLY upon feelings, can be unfortunate at best, or disastrous at worst.
However, the person who acts upon a proper balance of both, (and with an implicit moral understanding based on their knowledge of God) will be acting wisely, and will get the best results in life.

During my presentation, I discussed how Austen always shows her sympathetic characters questioning their behavior (manners) based not on a modern idea of asking "Who am I?" but on the basis of who they are in society. This is an enormous distinction. In a sense it is, "to whom much is given, much is required." If you are truly noble, it is not your title that will determine it but your manners and actions. If you are truly Christian, it is not your outward vocation, but your motives and actions that will prove it.

I find myself thinking that Austen, in this light, has much to teach us today about the way we should live. Much to teach me. Who we are in society--our society, our personal circles of family, friends, and co-workers, should in large part determine how we behave. For example, are you a mother? Take care of your children. A wife? See to your husband. A manager? Treat those under you with compassion and mercy. The values in Austen's books will always be with us and always be relevant: they come from the Judeo-Christian ethic, the Bible.

This has been a jumble of thoughts about themes that I enjoy exploring in Jane Austen. There is much more to be said on any of them, of course. What about you? Care to comment? Have you found that the "manners and morals" of Austen have spoken to you in your life? I'd love to hear about it.

Charge to Young Women
Note from Linore: Today's post comes from fellow writer Bryan Davis, which he shared on facebook. Be sure to read it all, as it gets better as it goes. : )

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By Bryan Davis (http://www.dragonsinourmidst.com/ChargetoYoungWomen.pdf)

She is born with a passion to uplift, empower, and support. She is the mainstay and sail for the captain’s ship. She is the heat in the warrior’s resolve and the salve that heals his wounds. She is the heart that pumps vitality to every joint and sinew. Yes, she is a woman.

Every girl in existence has been lovingly fashioned—from her caring and sensitive brain, to her tender and compassionate hands, to her tireless feet—to be a pillar of strength and resolve. While she might not be a warrior who draws a sword, she is the healer who strengthens the warrior’s hands and heart. Without her, every weapon would drop in futility, every muscular arm would wilt, and every pair of tired legs would shuffle home in defeat, for the heart that drives the warrior forward has stopped beating.

Some young women choose to take up the sword themselves, to step out alone in the midst of darkness to carry a lantern to the lost, to battle oppression and bring relief to the abused and neglected, or to transport life-giving supplies to the destitute wherever they may be. Their partner is the Spirit of Christ, and their sword is His word. They must know Him well if they hope to shine His light and pierce the darkness without the help of an intimate human partner.

Speak the truth. Live the truth. Be the truth. Never let the faithless ones persuade you to abandon any of those three principles. Remember that you are an oracle of fire, as is every faithful follower of our Lord. For all true disciples possess the pure silver, purged of all dross, and the fire of God’s love burns within, an everlasting flame that others, even those who give lip-service to the truth, will never comprehend until you are able to pass along that fire from heart to heart.

Many girls will choose to partner with another in this pursuit, hoping to be the light, the energy, and the drive that pulses within the breast of another. Yet, some never discover what it means to be such a heart. They never learn the secret of the captain’s sail or the recipe of the healing salve. Why? Because they listen to a counterfeit call, a trumpet blaring a falsehood—that their beauty is a lure to capture rather than an inspiration to set free. The inner desire to help and support becomes a lust to take and own. The hope to hear words of affirmation that she has been a good and faithful helpmate transforms into a hopeless search for eyes that admire and lips that speak words of appreciation for her outward appearance rather than for the beauty of her soul. And such a search never ends in true satisfaction.

You, however, are listening to your creator’s call, a gentle voice within that whispers reminders of how you were really fashioned, to be a woman of virtue, of inner beauty, of priceless value. The trumpet announces your need to strut, expose, and seduce, while the inner voice sings of ways to dress your soul in virtue—to feed the hungry, cover those laid bare, infuse encouragement into the hearts of the downtrodden, and nurture the victims of poverty, disease, and abandonment.

As a young woman of virtue, you understand what will happen if you heed the trumpet’s call to lure with flesh and flair. You will draw attention, but from whom? Someone who values face and form but not the heart. He will take, use, and abuse. His desire is for his own benefit, because what his eyes perceive is a girl who offers to fulfill the cravings of his body, and he responds, not with love, but with lust for his own satisfaction. And when your flower of youth fades, he will not perceive value in your soul, and you will never achieve the holy union of hearts for which you were created.

If you listen to the creator’s call, you will suffer temporary loss. When you pour out compassion and pity instead of skin and superficiality, you will be considered old-fashioned, out-of-touch, a prude. Yet, within the fair bosom you are saving for a true warrior, you will be nurturing a heart of unspoiled beauty, for it has not been taken at a cheap price. It has not been hardened by a wolf who captures, abuses, and leaves. And with such a heart, you will be able to reach out and be the captain’s sail, the warrior’s reason for drawing his sword, and the soothing salve for hearts less whole than your own.

The heart of a woman is more precious than pearls, and a man of worth sees it as a priceless treasure. He knows that she is the energy that drives his purpose, and without her, the pursuit of his vision for God’s purpose will be sluggish indeed. For the honor of taking that heart to join with him in fulfilling that vision, he will give his life, his heart, and his soul. The woman who has prepared her heart for that adventure will never regret the small price she paid. Scorn fades, and satisfaction blossoms. Contempt crumbles to dust, and contentment rises in its place. Ridicule is forgotten, while refreshment of the soul lives for as long as the heart pumps its life-giving energy.

Whether you take up the sword yourself or choose to unite with a warrior, now is the time to live according to this standard. It might seem that you are walking the path alone, yet, you are never alone. The One who planted the heart within you will never leave your side, and He will continue to sing the song that fashioned you as a woman of virtue. Listen. It is there. You will have to tune out the surrounding noise, but the sounds of love and virtue will never be silenced, if only you know the Singer and His song.

What Single Women Should Remember

Ariana Forsythe, the heroine in my first two books, (Before the Season Ends, and, The House in Grosvenor Square) is not the typical regency miss when it comes to the "marriage mart"; Why? Because she is not satisfied to look for a husband who is merely wealthy or titled, attractive or agreeable. Instead, like the authentic young woman of faith that she is, she bases her discrimination of "husband material" on 2 Cor. 6:14.
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers."

This one thing sets her apart from the vast majority of single women, not only then, during the regency, but today.

In the first book, the above verse is recalled numerous times, but I had no opportunity to really delve into the reasoning behind it, the reasons why God instructs his people to be separate, to marry only fellow believers. It is not prejudice, or whim; it is not because God wants to make life difficult for his people: No! Quite the contrary. Note the following reasons, all of which are given in the context of that injunction: Why should Christians only marry fellow Christians?

• Partnership "For what partnership have righeousness and lawlessness?" (2Cor.6:14b)
• Fellowship "Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (Ibid)
• Harmony "Or what harmony has Christ with Belial? (2Cor.6:15a)
• Commonality "Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?" (2Cor.6:15b)
• Agreement "Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God." (2Cor.6:16)

Wow. Read those words again: Partnership, fellowship, harmony, commonality, and agreement. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want to enter a marriage that was lacking in any of these areas FROM THE GET GO. In other words, before you even have a chance to disagree on something, you are in disagreement. You are coming from opposite camps, as it were, and the degree of partnership is forever limited, forever handicapped, if your spirits are not both in the Lord.

Christian, you are a temple of God. You have the enormous privilege of being called into the fold of the redeemed. There are many, many differences to face in marriage, differences of temperament, of habits, of viewpoints in many things. What a tragedy if all of the natural differences we bring to marriage are compounded by the irreconcilable difference of SPIRITS!
According to this passage, when a Chrisitan marries, they bring into that marriage the Holy Spirit in them (they are a temple of God); the unbeliever also has a spirit, but it does not contain God. (In fact, according to today's verse, it is the spirit of Belial.)

Some that will argue that the person they are dating is so nice, so "good," even if they are unbelievers, that they must be acceptable partners. However, unless they know Christ, according to GOD, there can be no real partnership. Do you chafe against this? Do you yearn for marriage apart from God's revealed will (the Word)?

Trust him, my sister. He will bring the right mate for you in His time.
Trust!