Femininity is in tatters. The family has been split apart. Churches worldwide are weakening. What must be done to regain the purity of a life that seeks to honour Jesus? How can we re-capture the depth of His love for us? How can femininity and true beauty be regained?

It starts with the Gospel. It starts with an almighty, sovereign God who “did not spare His own Son,” a Saviour who “for the joy set before Him endured the Cross,” a Holy Spirit “who is in you,” empowering you to do His will.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ

He came, He gave
He is mighty to save
To all who will repent and believe

This blog is dedicated to re-capturing femininity; femininity as God designed it. Femininity in our culture is desperately lost. Scripture testifies of this in Proverbs 31. “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.” A wife of excellence is more rare that precious gems. In the 21st century, this is sadly apparent.

So let us raise the bar to a level of excellence that is rare and mysterious. Let us live our growing years with patience, our single years with dedication, our waiting years with service, our longing years with purity, our married years with faithfulness, and our entire lives under the blessings of our eternal covenant with the Prince of our souls, Jesus Christ.

May He have all the glory!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Gladly Would I Leave Behind Me

The Lord has been gently pressing me to continually surrender everything to Him. Whether it is the desire for that godly husband, that longing for a little one of your very own to rest in your arms, to be rid of that health issue that keeps resurfacing in your life, to be a wife and mother rather than to still be single, whatever your place in life is right now (and all those things I listed are good things!) remember that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Every season is His plan. (Ps. 139:16b) Every trial is filtered through His fingers of love. Maybe He has you single; then immerse yourself in studying His Word and in prayer, for oneday, if you are married, those precious times may be hard to come by. If He has you married, praise Him for the husband He has given you and glorify Him in this season of marriage. If He has caused you to become sick (yes, He does cause these things! Lamentations 3:37-38; Isa. 45:5-7; Amos 3:6, Job 2:10, Deut. 32:39), then rejoice that He also is our Healer!

Jesus Christ is a jealous Husband, my sisters! He has chosen us and called us. (Romans 8:29-30) He has laid His life down for us, and now He is changing us into His very image! (2 Cor. 3:18)

I believe Mr. Spurgeon put it piercingly well when he wrote,
“The Lord Jesus Christ, of whom I now speak, is very jealous of your love, O believer. Did he not choose you? He cannot bear that you should choose another. Did he not buy you with his own blood? He cannot endure that you should think you are your own, or that you belong to this world. He loved you with such a love that he could not stop in heaven without you; he would sooner die than that you should perish; he stripped himself to nakedness that he might clothe you with beauty; he bowed his face to shame and spitting that he might lift you up to honor and glory, and he cannot endure that you should love the world, and the things of the world. His love is strong as death towards you, and therefore will be cruel as the grave. He will be as a cruel one towards you if you do not love him with a perfect heart. He will take away that husband; he will smite that child; he will bring you from riches to poverty, from health to sickness, even to the gates of the grave, because he loves you so much that he cannot endure that anything should stand between your heart’s love and him. Be careful, Christians, you that are married to Christ; remember, you are married to a jealous husband.”
So, my sisters in Christ, cling to Him. Be devoted to Him. Seek His face, His presence. Be in His Word. Be fallen on your face in prayer to Him. He is jealous for your love, and He will increase that love, making the things of this world grow dim and worthless in the light of His awesome beauty!

Ask Jesus Christ to be your all so that you may say with the Psalmist in Psalm 73:25-26,

"Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
And my portion forever."

"Gladly Would I Leave Behind Me"

VERSE 1
Gladly would I leave behind me
All the pleasure I have known
To pursue surpassing treasures
At the throne of God the Son
Worthy of unending worship
Love and loveliness is He
By His precious death were millions
From the jaws of death set free

VERSE 2
Gladly would I give to Jesus
All affection, everything
For the washing of His mercy
Makes my ransomed heart to sing
“Holy, holy!” is the chorus
Rising up from those who see
Christ exalted, bright and burning
Full of pow’r and purity

CHORUS
Where else can I go?
Jesus, You’re the One
That I was made to know
What else can I do?
Jesus, You’re my all
I gladly run to You

VERSE 3
Gladly would I flee temptations
For their troubles fill my life
Turn and seek my God and Savior
For His goodness satisfies
Earthly treasures, all are passing
Thieves break in and rust destroys
But in God are awesome splendor
Love, and everlasting joys

TAG
Gladly would I give to Jesus
All affection, everything
For the washing of His mercy
Makes my ransomed heart to sing


Credits:
Verse one by Ann Griffiths (1805), music and additional words by Doug Plank
© 2012 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)

credits

from From Age to Age, released 10 April 2012
Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. NinaMay 8, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    Wow... thanks for sharing this, Sarah! I'm just being overwhelmed with the gospel this morning... truly His mercies are new every morning! Great is His faithfulness... <3

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)