Elizabeth Krueger’s Lesson of the Day

Thanks again Debbie!

You CAN Change Your Emotions
Yes, you CAN change your emotions. You are not a helpless victim of hurt feelings, irritability, and anger. We can and must learn to alter our tempers and deny our feelings, when necessary, and teach our children to do likewise.

Colossians 3:8 (NAS) tells us: “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, {and} abusive speech from your mouth.” Since here and many places elsewhere in scripture, we are commanded to control our emotions, it’s safe to assume God gives us the ability to do so. God tells us what to do, and that we can do it, so all we need to do is obey Him. In the same way, we have the ability to teach our children to control their emotions. All they need to do it obey us, as we wisely discipline them and train them according to God’s word.

For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.”
- Deuteronomy 30:11

-Excerpt from “Raising Godly Tomatoes“

Elizabeth Krueger’s Lesson of the Day

Thank you for posting this Debbie!!

Not All Emotions Are Good (From “Raising Godly Tomatoes”)
It is not wrong to have emotions, but unbridled emotions are dangerous and potentially devastating. Adults who feel righteous indignation upon seeing the innocent suffer, or children who grieve the loss of a grandparent, act properly and nobly. But not all emotions, displayed freely, are good. Both the adult who loses his temper when frustrated, and the child who throws a fit to get his way, are equally reprehensible. Emotions are attributes of God Himself, engendered in us when He “created man in His own image”. The challenge is not to eliminate emotions, but to manage them in ways pleasing to God and in accord with His image.

Because God is gracious, He helps us in this task of becoming like Him, by revealing to us in His word, when we are to feel certain emotions and to what extent. We are to “hate” evil, for example. We are to “be miserable and mourn and weep” over our own sins. We are to “rejoice” in Him. We are to “love” our neighbor. And so on. In addition to His direct instructions, God offers His example, so that we might imitate Him. Thus, when Exodus tells us that God is “slow to anger,” we too must be slow to anger. When the Psalms describe Him as compassionate and longsuffering, we are to seek to be the same.

Jesus is, of course, our supreme example. His emotional repertoire was vast and we are given many examples thereof. Jesus was “consumed with zeal” when He saw God’s house being misused. He “felt compassion” for the lost and taught them, and for the sick and healed them. He “wept” when His dear friend Lazarus died. His soul was “deeply grieved” when He prayed in the Garden. And ultimately, Jesus demonstrated “love”, beyond compare, by laying down His very life for our sakes. In all that He did, He set an example for us to follow and gave us the power to do so.

Along with the biblical descriptions of wisely managed emotions, the Bible also gives us many examples of mismanaged and unrestrained emotions, beginning with Cain who murdered his own brother in anger, to Moses who lost his temper and struck the rock, to the malice of the Jewish leaders who sought to put the Son of God to death. Never are these displays excused because the perpetrators did not have the ability to control their tempers. Apparently God felt they did. In the next few chapters I am going to discuss emotions as they relate to parenting small children and how, in practical ways, we can help our children become masters of their own spirits and hence live the rest of their lives free from the bonds of emotional slavery.

Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth”
- Exodus 34:6

My Home Management Binder

I can’t thank Candy over at Keeping the Home enough for helping women get organized with the help of the Home Management Binder (HMB)!  My HMB is a huge help to me but thanks to my sister, Debbie, I’ve realized I need to break it down a bit because my inspiration section is huge! lol

I figured, since I’ll be going through it, I’d work on the layout of my schedules and the kid’s routine charts as well and share along the way!  I’ll be posting pictures, descriptions, and sources for my inspiration.

I hope you all enjoy and benefit! Be blessed!

Voddie Baucham – Brokenness

Thank you, Lori, for sharing these!  Please watch these… they are definitely a must see!

Ruts

I read an analogy on ruts and it caused me to ponder my current situation.  I realized… I have created some ruts for myself.

When it’s muddy out and we make our way down the messy roads, we drive in the same spot and make some ruts.  Those are hard enough to get through, but then the sun comes and the ruts are nearly as difficult driving out of as driving in them.  After this happens, the only way to get rid of the ruts is to scrape the road and completely redo it – meanwhile, the road is good for nothing.

We can use this occurrence in correspondence with our lives.  Often times things get murky and muddy and when we stay in our comfort zones all we create for ourselves are ruts – they may not be that bad but then the sun comes and though things aren’t as murky the ruts are now obstacles.  Staying comfortable may seem to be what’s best in a particular moment but it’s not the most efficient in the long run.

Staying in our familiar place is more comfortable and if for nothing else at least we know how to handle it.  When we go outside of that comfortable place we enter an unknown which can be unsettling, but we need to step up and choose to step out.  It won’t always start off the easiest, but we’ll learn, adapt and change and eventually we’ll be on smooth roads again.

Thankfully we’re not doing this thing alone – He is right there helping us and teaching us, if we’ll only listen and obey.  Praise God!

New Year’s Resolutions

I have decided, that for 2009, my resolution will not be one of guilt.  I will not make a goal according to the guilt I feel towards the failures of 2008.  I am taking this opportunity to reflect and PRAY.

Why do resolutions seem to be the most abandoned promises ever made?  Often times because it is led by guilt rather than by God.  I didn’t do many things “good enough” in 2008 but this year, I pray to do one thing at a time by the leading of His Holy Spirit.

His Word will be my guide in what steps to take.  I pray that it light my path and I will see!  God is where I need to start.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!  In Him there is no condemnation and all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called.

I can’t do it in my own strength and half of 2008 was junk because that is what I did… and I see so clearly now where that got me.  I have accepted God’s forgiveness and look forward to a clean walk with Jesus as my guide and the one to lean on.  No burden of guilt, but a fresh start.

Be very careful, then how you live not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 4:15-17

This year, I pray that God would help me be aware of the weaknesses that I have that hinder me from walking in His plan.  I pray against procrastination, apathy, tiredness, laziness, bitterness, and the list continues.

Each day is a gift and each day has a plan already laid out for it by God.  He has a purpose for me!!  Rather than allow my weakness  to dictate how my day goes, I will pray for Him to lead me!  I pray I don’t let a moment slip by!

I pray I organize my life to make use of every opportunity to be what God has purposed.  And plan my life in such a way that I am ready for every opportunity to help my family be what God has purposed them to be.

This year I plan to consecrate, to be ready to be used by God, for God.  I pray that I am holy simply because the Lord, my God is holy!

I pray the heart issues are presented and solutions apparent.  I pray time is spent in the best way possible!

God is so good!!

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33