Blog - Do Not Depart

Hiding His Word Link-Up

October 5, 2011 by Katie Orr 9 Comments

Once a month we have a chance for you to share about your memorization journey. We want to hear about your successes, failures, tips and encouragement. It is a blessing to know you are all out there, striving together with us, treasuring God’s word in such a tangible way. So, post your heart, stories, pictures and v-logs (kids are welcome, too)! Whatever you have to let us know about your memorization efforts.

If you link up, be sure to do some blog-hopping and use the button so readers can find us! If you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment about your memorization efforts.

Subscribers, click here to see the link-ups.

An Announcement

October 5, 2011 by Teri Lynne Underwood 11 Comments

Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine. Robert C. Gallagher

18 months.

342 posts.

20 themes.

It’s been fun, hasn’t it?

Scripture Dig has been a blessing in our lives as writers and we hope in your lives as well. But the last 18 months have brought some big changes in the lives of us as writers as well. As we look ahead, we want to make sure we continue to encourage, equip, and empower you to dig into God’s Word … as we manage the demands of our own families, ministries, and lives.

So, we’re changing things up here at Scripture Dig just a bit. Rather than posting Monday through Friday, we’ll only post three times a week- Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We’ve heard from some of our readers that it is challenging to keep up with five posts a week from us … and we want to make it easier for you to dig with us into the treasure of Scripture.

The length and substance of our posts will not change, just the frequency.

Can we just say, from the bottom of our hearts, how much you all have been an encouragement to each of us? We are thankful for you, each of you. For sharing a portion of your days with us, thank you!

Come back Friday as we share about the newest resource available by a Scripture Dig writer! Here’s a hint … her initials are SS and we are so proud of her.

Happy Wednesday!!

Proverbs 31 Wrap Up

October 4, 2011 by Teri Lynne Underwood Leave a Comment

We’ve reached the end of our study of Mrs. P31 … and we hope you are with us in declaring:

Over the past few weeks we’ve identified thirteen characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman … and we hope you have been encouraged by what we’ve learned. Here is a recap of those qualities:

We have been overwhelmed by the response to this series! Thank you!! We appreciate all the comments and shares and tweets … you have truly blessed us by your involvement. We’re looking forward to kicking off our next series, The Names of God, on Monday.

Oh, and speaking of wrapping up … I realized that we never announced the winner of Savoring Living Water! Natalie, it’s you!! I’m emailing you with details and hope you enjoy the ebook.

Come back tomorrow for some important news from our team and on Friday we’ll be sharing an exciting new resource available from our own Stephanie Shott!!

Her Reward

October 3, 2011 by Sandra Peoples 2 Comments

grandmas chair — my grandma's chair in her dining room

My grandma had five children, eighteen grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren. When she passed away two years ago, we traveled to our hometown to celebrate her life. We sat in the living room telling stories that brought both laughter and tears. We gathered in the kitchen where she so often stood, stirring gravy for chicken fried steak or whipping cream for chocolate pie. We walked around her yard where she had spent hours picking pears, growing roses, and watching birds.

Her marriage of over sixty years, her still growing family, her beautiful home, her ministry at the church, her volunteer hours as the hospital… they were all evidence of a life well lived. In my mind, there is no closer likeness to the Proverbs 31 woman than my own grandmother.

Give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:31

Like Mrs. P31, my grandma was rewarded for her years of faithful service to God and the responsibilities He gave her. Her life was neither easy nor perfect, but she had set her mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2), and was therefore able to find joy even in all circumstances.

How can we, like Mrs. P31 and my grandmother, enjoy the fruit of our hands and be praised in the gates? I think it comes down to one simple principle–be faithful. Be faithful to God, faithful to your husband, faithful to your children and their children. Be faithful to your church family, to the job where God has placed you, and to your community. Whatever God has called you to do, be faithful in that.

It’s not as easy as it sounds! In fact, it’s impossible. Jesus says in John 15:5, “…apart from me you can do nothing.” Without His help we won’t be able to do all that we have learned in the last weeks that Mrs. P31 did. But God is faithful. When we cry out to Him for help, support, grace, forgiveness, and wisdom He gives generously!

I want to be rewarded with the fruit of my hands, I want my works praised in the gates, but above all I want to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Ask God today to help you live a faithful life. Praise Him for giving you good gifts so generously, to help you live the life He has called you to live!

Abiding Fruit :: John 15:1-11 {The Benefits of Abiding}

October 3, 2011 by Lara 20 Comments

I do so well at abiding and obeying…until everyone else wakes up for the day. To be real honest, people and circumstance challenge my footing.

But I desire to bear much fruit and bring glory to my God, even when life gets wild. (Jn. 15:8) That’s my ultimate longing. So I need my feet rooted deep in Him, not just resting on the surface. I need to abide.

So I’ve asked Him to teach me how to remain in Him and how to have His Word dwell in me richly. (Jn. 15:7) Because the benefits of abiding are priceless.

To think that I could experience His joy to the full even when things don’t go as I’ve planned or hoped. (Jn. 15:11) To think that His “calm delight and cheerfulness” could be “crammed” to the top of my soul, “making (me) replete” with joy.* The thought overwhelms me.

And not only that, my abiding affects my prayer life. If I abide and if His words abide in me, He will answer my prayers with a “yes.”

“Whatever I want? Are you telling me He will give me whatever I want?” Um, sort of.

flickr photo credit: kimberly

It reminds me of Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Getting what we want begins with delighting, or “remaining pliable” in Him.* It begins with abiding.

Something interesting happens when I truly delight in Him, when I faithfully remain. The desires of my heart change. They transform. What my flesh once desired now seems bitter.

Revenge on those who hurt me, or gaining more “stuff,” is now irrelevant. It’s love that tastes sweet. His selfless, sacrificial love flowing through me onto those beside me becomes my earnest desire.

And He will say “yes.”

To gain the benefits of abiding — bringing Him glory, being filled full with His joy, and having my prayers answered with “yes” — begins and ends with the abiding.

So tell me, how do we abide even when life sends us on a wild ride?
What did you glean from the “Abiding Fruit” study last week?

*See Strong’s Concordance.

She fears God and nothing else!

September 30, 2011 by Kathy Howard 2 Comments

So how do you feel about the Proverbs 31 woman now? Still a bit intimidated? Well, don’t lose heart! Today’s characteristic is more than just another attribute on a long list. It’s key to her overall success. And ladies, if we work on nothing but this one, we will go a long way toward becoming that rare wife of noble character.

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30, ESV

The Proverbs 31 woman fears the Lord. I believe this specific characteristic has much to do with the existence of the others. The book of Proverbs repeatedly connects godly fear with wisdom and knowledge of God (see Proverbs 1:7, 1:29, 2:5, 3:7, 9:10, 15:33.) The fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom (9:10). It is the beginning of knowledge (1:7). In other words, if we want to know God more intimately and walk in His wisdom, we must fear Him.

Because she fears the Lord, our P31 woman knows God and His character, she has gained His wisdom, and knows how to apply it to life. Here are just a few connections that Proverbs makes between godly fear and navigating life. Those who fear the Lord will:

Follow the right path (Proverbs 14:2)
Find security (Proverbs 14:26)
Escape death (Proverbs 14:27)
Be protected (Proverbs 19:23)

We see one more exciting result of the fear of the Lord in the life of the P31 woman: because she fears the Lord, she doesn’t have to fear anything else! Godly fear produced godly wisdom for life. She doesn’t have to fear winter (31:21), because in wisdom she has made warm clothes. She doesn’t have to fear the future (31:25), because in wisdom she has prepared for it.

Jesus taught this truth to His disciples. He told them not to fear anything that man could do to them. Only fear the One that has all power over life and eternity (Matthew 10:26-28). God has authority over every circumstance of life – hardship, persecution, grief, and trial. Whether He chooses to deliver you from something or through something, He will deliver you! Fear Him and not the circumstance. Trust in His wisdom and guidance and don’t let difficulty cause you to take your eyes off of Him.

So, what does it mean to fear God? I actually wrote an entire Bible study on that topic, but we only have a few minutes together today! The Hebrew word most often translated as “fear” is yare’. Here’s a quick definition from Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words by W.E. Vine.

Used of a person in an exalted position, [yare’] connotes “standing in awe.” This is not simple fear, but reverence, whereby an individual recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect.

If you looked up all the passages in the Bible that include this word, you would find that over and over God equates fearing Him with worship and obedience. In other words, if we recognize the true power and position of God (godly fear) then it will cause us to obey Him and give Him the proper worship.

The P31 woman recognized the power and position of God. Therefore, in godly fear, she spent her life obeying and worshipping Him, and living in His wisdom. Her “noble character” (31:10) was a direct result of her attitude toward God.

Do you “fear God?” Before today, what did you think it meant to fear God? If you lived a life of godly fear, how would it be different?

If you want to learn a little more about what it means to fear God, check out this 4-minute video teaching by Kathy.

Her Children What??

September 29, 2011 by Teri Lynne Underwood 1 Comment

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” ~ Proverbs 31:28-29

I love these two verses! For me, they are among the most encouraging in Scripture … because they hold such a promise. On the days when laundry is piled high, dishes are never ending, chaos is overwhelming, noise is deafening, and life is simply too much, I find myself thinking of these verses and knowing that it’s all worth it.

The exhaustion of parenting and the sacrifice of marriage are blessings.

I have a plaque with these verses on it. It sits atop my bookshelf with all the parenting books I love. Why there? Because I need that perspective! I need to be reminded that today isn’t always … that this season of life will end and a new season will bring new challenges and new joys. I believe Mrs. P31 understood that.

When we consider that Proverbs 31:10-31 are not a daily “To Do List” but instead a retrospective of a life lived well, the promise of this blessing become even more precious. Why did her children rise up and call her blessed? And her husband? I believe, based on all we’ve learned about Mrs. P31 so far, it is because she grasped this one truth:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

We end Proverbs with an example of the life lived by the truths shared at the beginning of Proverbs. A woman – a busy woman – who was wise and blessed because she knew the Lord and lived in obedience to His calling on her life.

She juggled all the tasks of the days and years not in her own strength and abilities but in fear of the Lord. Awe of Him, service to Him, love for Him. She cared for those in her home and those outside it. She used her abilities to bless her family and others. She spoke with kindness and lived wisely.

Her life declared one simple truth: She was rare and of great value – to her family, to her community, and to the Lord. That, dear friends, is a life worthy of blessing.

Abiding in Crisis

September 29, 2011 by Patti Brown 22 Comments

Sunday afternoon. We had kissed my husband goodbye after church as he headed off on a trip. Feeling in need of a lift, I told the kids we’d swing by the store for pizza and ice cream, and watch a movie that night.

Our van loaded down with frozen groceries, we headed up piney Highway 21, the road that made me fall in love with our area when we were looking to move from the city. At a stop light, we noticed a large column of smoke.

“Mama, is that near our house?”

“Oh no, no, that is west of us. We live that way,” and I pointed ahead to the right.

We drove on and the road began to curve to the left. How could I have forgotten this part of the road?

We continued to curve, until straight ahead of us, right between the pines towering on left and right, a ferocious column of smoke billowed high in the air. The road was taking us straight toward the fire.

Within a few minutes, we were passing the fire just off the highway to our left. Not much longer and my phone was ringing, “Did you hear about the fire? Dee and Tim just barely got out, they can’t find their way out of the neighborhood. Patti, you need to pack some things right now.”

By the time the children and I left our house, the highway had been closed at our road and there were at least three more fires that had started. You may have heard the outcome of all those fires. Started by sparks and fueled with drought-weary trees and underbrush, those fires, and more, merged to become the tragically large Bastrop Complex wildfire that eventually took two lives, destroyed 1554 homes and scarred 34,000 acres east of Austin, Texas.

My husband turned around as soon as he heard about the fire. Our family was evacuated for four days. There was a time there I was quite sure we would not have a home when we returned. The fire came a mile and a half from our homestead.

I spent day and night on the phone, on the computer, searching for news, searching for people. You don’t know how a crisis will affect you, how you will respond.

For some this would have been a time when routine kept normalcy, but for me, there was no routine. Physically uprooted, with no idea what would come next, with spotty sleep and my phone ringing constantly, I found myself unable to even gauge the time of day.

My early morning quiet time routine was completely disrupted. What might have been a harbor in the storm was not there and I seemed unable to make it so.

But God in His mercy knows us each intimately. And though I would have prescribed a regular, uninterrupted quiet time as just the thing to soothe, He understood His daughter and provided in other ways.

In those difficult days, a steady of whisper of His Word wound through my thoughts. Scriptures that I had memorized came unbidden…

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you’…” Jeremiah 29:11

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” Psalm 23:4

“… all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

And on the second afternoon, when so many homes were lost, and the maps showed fire right over our homestead, I stood miles away and watched the massive roiling firecloud. I was overcome with awe by the power I was witnessing. “You are holy, holy,” sprung loud from my lips as I stood on a knoll in the trees and sung praises to our Creator.

Snatches of prayer conversation with my heavenly Father wove through the days, and prayers with dear ones flooded me with His peace.

There really is no way to fully prepare for a crisis. You can think you are ready, but there is no way to know how you will respond emotionally.

But a relationship with the Lord, anchored by habits that feed the growth of that relationship, offers shelter from the storm.

For me, orderly bible study, journaling and time-bound prayer were not the safe harbor in these days, though I would have thought they would be. Yet the fruits of scripture memorization, both in word and song, as well as the habit of conversational prayer throughout my day, met my needs in a stormy time. He knew that they would.

And how lovely indeed to be able to snuggle in my spot on the couch and have my quiet time routine, when we returned to our spared homestead!

None of us knows exactly how we will respond when crisis hits. But the habits we develop in our daily lives as children of the King lay a framework on the foundation of our relationship with Him. He will meet all your needs, all the time.

photo by Patti Brown

Wise Words

September 28, 2011 by Stephanie Shott 2 Comments

I remember when I was a little girl, my mom used to call me the Mouth of the South. It wasn’t a play on words about my southern drawl and it certainly wasn’t a complement. I was just plain sassy and deserved that dreaded title.

But when I became a Christian everything about me changed – including my smart mouth. It’s not that I never battle a little sarcastic slicing and dicing when my world gets turned upside down, but my heart now longs to speak healing words instead of hurtful ones.

Notice how Proverbs 31:26 reads in the Amplified…

“She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom,

and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].”

What a power-packed verse! Her words didn’t just spew out her mouth like a broken fire hydrant. She didn’t wield her words like a weapon. She skillfully opened her mouth…as in exercising, exhibiting and requiring skill. Wow! We could park on that one for the rest of the post, couldn’t we!

Have we ever really considered the words that come out of our mouths are something we should learn – like a skill that we should hone? Obviously the Proverbs 31 woman considered the words she used as something SO important that she skillfully exercised wise choices about that which she allowed to flow from her lips. The result was godly wisdom, counsel and instruction.

The second part of that verse parallels two vastly different concepts. Law and kindness. The term “law” applies to a system of rules or codes of law. Kindness on the other hand is used interchangeably with mercy and is defined as goodness and faithfulness.

Only a woman of grace can dish out truth with kindness as its key ingredient!

You probably remember the old saying, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Well, the Proverbs 31 woman said what she meant and meant what she said…and it was truth laced with grace that flowed from her lips and spoke wisdom to each listening ear.

Since the mouth is the fountain from which the springs of our heart flows, we know that the Mrs. P31 was able to dispense words of wisdom and truth laced with grace because her heart was consistently filled with Living Water.

Today, as we examine the words we say under the microscope of Mrs. P31’s example, we have to ask ourselves some hard questions.

Do you need some instruction on what should and should not be coming out of your mouth?
What are some ways you can hone your verbal skills?
Do you struggle with harsh, critical or mean words?
Do you gossip, whine or complain?
Would others describe your word choices as ‘godly wisdom’ and ‘truthful and kind’?
How can you make sure your heart is right so your words will be right?
What words do you need to eliminate out of your vocabulary if you’re going to be a woman who skillfully speaks godly wisdom?
Do you find it difficult to speak law (truth) combined with kindness?
What are some ways you can learn how to speak law and kindness at the same time?

The Proverbs 31 woman may not have had a big mouth, but she certainly left some big shoes to fill! May we be women who skillfully and intentionally speak godly words of wisdom – and may we be carefully craft our words so that we combine the law with kindness in such a way that we speak life into the lives of those who are listening.

Live ready

September 27, 2011 by Julie 2 Comments

As we’ve been getting to know Mrs. P31, I can’t help thinking about what we aren’t told … What were her heartaches? What losses did she know? How did she suffer? What did she cry out to God about? Did she experience a miscarriage? Did she suffer from a chronic illness? Was her heart ever broken? Was her vineyard stricken by blight or theft?

Every woman’s life will encounter the unexpected, but an excellent wife is prepared.

In just the last few weeks within my “circle of wives,” I’ve heard friends facing surprises like job loss, family illness, husband’s emotional strain, and rejection by children. As I sat in a waiting room today, a lady came in and sat down to watch the tv showing the national news. A perfect stranger, she turned to me and poured out her fears about family life in the world we live in. She was filled with dread. There’s a lot to dread. There’s a lot to fear. That’s the meaning of the word “afraid” in Prov. 31:21.

The excellent wife “is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet” (v.21). She isn’t afraid of the unexpected occurring, because she has readied her heart and her home for the challenges of life. Sudden changes will come, but she won’t be caught unprepared. Her husband is blessed because of her foresight.

Every woman’s life will encounter the unexpected, so before hardship hits, live ready:

Prepare your heart –

Walk with God. Be in His Word regularly, having a habit of going to His truth for your guidance and help. Hide it in your heart.

Worship God. Practice an attitude of gratitude to the Lord for Who He is and what He does. Don’t wait until it’s hard to rejoice.

Hear God’s Voice. Set a routine of prayer, but not routine prayer. Learn to talk to your Father now, so you go to Him first when trials come.

Fellowship with God’s People. Women who live isolated struggle more when hardship comes. Connect with other followers of God now.

Prepare your home –

Yield your home to God’s values by letting go of the convenient, comfortable, and cultural. God wants our homes to be:

peaceful

orderly

fruitful

godly

If our hearts and homes are prepared, we’ll be free to help our husband when he needs it. We’ll be able to reach out on behalf of our family. We’ll be able to give to others instead of being under our own load. Our heart and faith will be prepared to weather the storms that WILL come as we live out life as our husband’s wife.

Today is the day to prepare for tomorrow. Every woman’s life will encounter the unexpected, so before hardship hits, live ready. An excellent wife is prepared, and her husband is blessed because of it.

Fight the dread, and prepare instead!

Are you always waiting to prepare?
What are you waiting for?
What excuse do you need to confess to God and ask Him to change for a “more prepared” you?