A Cup of Cocoa

“They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Psalm 145:7 (NIV)

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, there’s one thing that always calms my heart and quiets my thoughts – a cup of hot cocoa. Who doesn’t feel warm and peaceful while sipping a cup of steaming cocoa with marshmallows piled on top?
But, there is another reason I love cocoa. Each letter of my favorite winter drink helps me focus my heart on Christ at Christmas:
C – CHRIST

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18 (NIV 1984)
We all know Christ is the reason for this season, yet it’s easy to focus on shopping and planning instead of Jesus. This month, let’s spend as much time seeking God’s heart as we do searching for the perfect gifts.

O – ORNAMENTS
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV 1984)
We can easily spend more time decorating our house to look like the holiday edition of a magazine, than we do adorning our inner spirit with God’s love and compassion. Let’s ask God to make our hearts beautiful by giving us His patience and kindness. Then let’s look for ways to bless those around us, especially those in need.

C – CHEERFULLY CELEBRATE THE SEASON
“A happy heart makes a face look cheerful. But a sad heart produces a broken spirit.” Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)
As gift lists grow and calendars get full, our physical and emotional energy can be drained. Although Christmas is meant to be a joyous season, many of us struggle with depression and discouragement during this time of the year. Let’s take time each day to focus on how much we are valued and loved as children of God. The holidays are merely a season, but God’s love and compassion for us are permanent.

O – OVERJOYED not
OVERWHELMED
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10-11 (NIV)
Do you ever feel overjoyed to kick off the holiday season but overwhelmed by the middle of the month? If we take time each day in December to thank Jesus for coming as our Savior, we could become overwhelmed by His kindness instead. When we focus our hearts on all God has done, we won’t get as easily overwhelmed by all that still needs to be done.

A – ABUNDANCE
“…I came that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b (NIV)
Whenever I think of Christmas morning, from my childhood to the present, the word ABUNDANCE comes to mind. Abundance of presents, food and activities. But these things are temporary. What we need is the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Our hearts need His mercy, peace and love, not only on Christmas day, but every day throughout each year.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a cup of Christmas cocoa. Will you join me? Let’s take time to ponder these Christmas truths and, as that chocolaty goodness warms us, let’s allow the warmth of God’s love to pour into our hearts and His abundant goodness to pour out into the lives of those around us.

Dear Lord, thank You for giving me the gift of Your Son. Please help me not get so caught up in the earthly celebrations of Christmas that I forget to celebrate all I have in Christ. Remind me of Your love each day and show me how to share it with others each day of this month. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:
Share today’s devotion with friends and family.
Why not print the acronym for COCOA on a gift card and tie it to a pretty cup to give as a gift this Christmas?

Reflections:
Have I allowed the chaos of Christmas to overshadow my love for Christ?
How can I share God’s goodness with others this season?
Power Verses:

Number 6:25-26, “The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (NIV)

© 2011 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.

A Recipe For Relationships-

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

This blog is from proverbs31.org–A great ministry!

Micca Monda Campbell

“… he loved him as he loved himself.”
1 Samuel 20:17b (NIV)

My mother use to tell me to count myself lucky if I had just one “close friend.”  That’s because close life-long relationships are hard to come by.

So many people today are looking for meaningful relationships, yet so few actually find them. We are becoming an increasingly private society, and it seems fewer people than ever have life-long intimate friendships. Still, the desire for this kind of relationship is not only sought after, but necessary.

Women are naturally drawn to other women. In fact, a girl’s first experience with heartache may have been over a lost “best friend” rather than a “boy friend.” Women value friendships. When they are lost, we grieve; not just over the friendship itself, but also for the secrets shared, the trust given and the acceptance enjoyed. If betrayed, the pain runs deep causing us to wonder if intimate friendships are really possible.

When I think of a biblical example of real friendship, the story of David and Jonathan, found in 1 Samuel 19, always comes to mind.

Jonathan, son of King Saul, was David’s closest friend. But his father, the king, despised David because he was growing in popularity and because God had anointed David to be king. These facts enraged King Saul, so much that he commanded his aids and Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan loved David, therefore betrayal was impossible.

Love isn’t the only fruit of true friendship. A real relationship consists of sacrifice too.

Jonathan stripped himself of the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his armor, his sword, his bow, and his belt. Jonathan was the potential heir to his father’s throne, but we see him sacrificing his future for his best friend as he literally gave David his place as king.

You and I can learn from this action that true friendship means a willingness to sacrifice for each other in love. It’s the ability to put another’s needs, desires, and wishes above our own.

Loyalty is also a mark of true friendship. We’re told that Jonathan went to his father and spoke well of David. Jonathan also stood up to his dad and essentially said, “Dad, you’re wrong about David. He hasn’t done any wrong to you; in fact, everything he’s done has helped you.” A true friend is a loyal defense before others, one who won’t talk about you when you’re not around. True friends stick up for each other.

Finally, intimate friends give each other complete freedom to be themselves. In an intimate friendship, you don’t have to explain why you do what you do. You’re just free to do it.

When Jonathan gave David the news that things were troubled in the palace and that his dad was going to kill him, the two were forced to say goodbye. The text tells us that they wept together.

When your heart is broken, you can bleed all over a friend like this and she’ll understand. She won’t try to dismiss your misery or tell you to straighten up. Intimate friends let each other hurt and they weep together. If your friend needs to talk it through, you will listen. Intimate friends don’t bale; they stay. They allow you to be yourself no matter what “self” looks like in that moment.

If you’re looking for a godly recipe for relationships, look no further. Mix together love, sacrifice, loyalty, and freedom and you can create an intimate friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Dear Lord, help me to be a friend like Jonathan. Then, bless me with the same. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
An Untroubled Heart: Finding Faith that is Stronger than My Fears by Micca Campbell

Visit Micca’s blog

Cultivating a Heart of Contentment (CD) by Micca Campbell

The Friends We Keep: A Woman’s Quest for the Soul of Friendship by Sarah Zacharias Davis

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When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity
because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide
at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can’t compete with prices offered by
huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and
every purchase you make with us. Thank you!

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Application Steps:
Ask God to help you develop the kind of character that attracts others. While David had enemies, he also had a growing number of people who loved him. People are naturally attracted to someone who shines with God-like attributes. One the other hand, most are turned off by mean, selfish people. Whatever is on the inside will show on the outside – so develop the kind of traits that draw people of good characteristics.

Reflections:
What kind of friend am I?

Do I exhibit loyalty, love, freedom, and sacrifice in my relationships? Why or why not?

Power Verses:
John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (NIV)

© 2011 by Micca Campbell. All rights reserved.

 

Make a play-

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman of Strength

A little over a month ago, two men came onto the Colorado Mesa University Campus proclaiming a gospel of hate to the students.  This stirred up quite a ruckus, but since then God has been using this situation for an opportunity for Christians to show the true Gospel: the love of Christ.

I remember distinctly what one of the men said to a woman who tried to approach them about what they were preaching.  Immediately, he shunned her away telling her that she is not allowed to speak because she is a woman and has to be submissive.  That’s a blow right to the heart of a woman..

The Google definition of submissive is Meekly obedient or passive.  When I read my instincts tell me that means you are weak.  In a society that says one of the most important things is being a “independent woman”, hearing Biblical teaching about a woman’s role almost turns women away immediately.

Here is a verse that sometimes is exercised beyond it’s meaning.  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:21-25

Often times the only verse women AND men take out of that verse is, wives submit yourselves to your own husbands…for he is the head of the wife.  

Well I’d like to go into this a little bit and talk about what it means to be a woman of strength.

First of all, it is incorrect Biblical Theology to just take a scripture face value.  If you have questions about this please refer to Michael Lawrence’s Biblical Theology book.  It has transformed the way I read the Bible.  When we take this scripture out of context we are missing the point and the authors original intent.  Paul is not just commanding women to submit or telling the men to make sure their wives submit, he is giving a structure to which God calls us to live by out of love for Him.  So many people miss the first part.  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  Synonyms of submit include, humble, obedient, and volunteer.  It does not say slave.  Submission is to volunteer to serve, and out of reverence (respect because of love, and relationship), we should feel compelled to do (action) things for Christ, and thus others.  (Husbands, Wives, Children, etc.)  In a selfish world, this is hard to do. We want someone to do it for us, then we’ll do it for them.  There are stipulations that come with love a lot of the time now.  I’ll admit , I’m not the best at it but when I constantly try to be the stronger vessel in my relationship with my husband, we constantly but heads. We always have to remember the Gospel we live by because it was modeled for us: love.   God created man to lead.  (leading is a whole other topic 🙂  I think it is so beautiful that God made man and women different.  My husband Timmy is a wonderful complement to me.  My weaknesses are his strengths, and some of my strengths help his weaknesses.

Ok if I keep going on husbands, I’m going to start ranting about mine 🙂  lets get to the point…

I am italian.  I am strong willed, determined, and don’t you dare push my buttons or else 😉  Just kidding… but not really.  It is hard for me sometimes to control my tongue and what I say.  I get so selfish at times and I turn into a person that I wouldn’t want to be around.  Being involved in ministry with the one you love is one of the best things I have ever done, but it is also stretches you.  There are so many times that I just take over.  Not always gently either…  I can get impatient, because like I said, I am determined.  I like to get things done right away.  I like to have a game plan.  Being involved in FCA is stretching me because I am forced to wait on God and to trust Him more than ever.

I have always prided myself on being a strong woman. Why?  Well that’s what we see.  Being a strong woman is a great thing, but I want to compare it instead, as a woman of strength.

This comparison is influenced by the Proverbs 31 Woman.  Which are you?

I know after I read this, I felt a strong sense of conviction.  But what exactly do we mean by the term conviction? Conviction means “the act or process of convincing,” “the state of being convinced,” or “a fixed or strong belief.” Thus, by biblical conviction we mean convictions or beliefs derived from and based on a commitment to Scripture, the Bible. As God’s Holy Word, it is the absolute index for the whole of our lives—faith and practice.

Going into the leadership role is another topic.  I’ve realized I’d much rather be a woman of strength than a strong woman.  Don’t you think it’d be different in our society if this were the example?

Which woman do you want to be?

Make a play –

For The Ladies…

Gossip.  Sadly we’ve all done it in some way or another.  But it’s important to remember what James says in Chapter 1:19-20.  “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Slow to speak.  That’s something we don’t see happen very much in today’s society.  Were driving down the road and somebody cuts someone off, then there is yelling and screaming and it just isn’t pretty.  When people are waiting to be seated at a restaurant and they hear that it’s going to be a 25 minute wait, people aren’t too slow to speak then.  Well luckily there aren’t just negatives to this.  In today’s encouragement from Proverbs 31 ministries, they talk about another way to revert gossip to gentleness and edification to build others up.

Check it out:

October 14, 2011 A Slice of Cheesecake, or Dirt? Rachel Olsen

“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.” Proverbs 18:8 (NIV)

Get-togethers with my friends or family typically wind up the same way. The men gather by the grill or TV, and talk about music or sports. Meanwhile, the women congregate in the kitchen for some old-fashioned “girl-talk.”

For women, people and relationships tend to be the common ground of conversation. We are the more emotional and relational gender. And of course we gather in the kitchen—it’s the heart of the home. Plus, that’s where the food is. After all, girl-talk is deliciously enhanced by coffee or cheesecake.

However, there is a side of girl-talk that is dangerous and addictive. It’s called gossip.

Why do we gossip? I believe it’s the same reason we do other things we know we shouldn’t, like flirt with the boss, or gorge ourselves on cheesecake—because it’s pleasurable.

In the case of gossiping, we like the feeling of being “in the know.” At least for the moment, we can command everyone’s attention. Eyes widen and adrenalin pulses as we tell our friends the unbelievable news. They hang on our every word.

Hearing gossip can make us feel almost as good as telling it—like we’ve been chosen and trusted with a secret. Gossiping feels good to everyone—except those who are the object of it.

When I look inward at my own motives for gossiping, what I see is not appetizing. I see pride, carelessness and judgment. I see a self-serving attitude that likes the feelings gossip brings. Although gossip may taste good at the time, just like too much cheesecake, it can negatively affect my well-being. Gossip goes down into my soul bringing with it the weight of guilt and sin.

I’ve come to realize that when I dish the dirt, or even listen to it, I’m serving dirt to my own soul.

Next time the girls gather, I’ve decided I’m going to fast from gossiping. I’ve pre-decided I’ll redirect the conversation, or simply excuse myself to the bathroom when gossip arises. I don’t wish to dish or devour dirt. When my heart is sensitive to God’s, gossip only gives me a sick feeling later.

I will, however, have a cup of coffee and small serving of dessert. Which would you rather enjoy—a slice of cheesecake, or dirt?

Dear Lord, please forgive me for gossiping. I know that it hurts others and harms me as well. Help me be sensitive to when I’m starting to gossip and give me the courage to hold my tongue or change the subject. Fill me with words of wisdom, discernment and encouragement. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
For her favorite fall cheesecake recipe and a chance to win a copy of her book It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know, visit Rachel’s blog today.

It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know by Rachel Olsen

God’s Purpose for Every Woman a P31 Devotion book by various P31 authors with General Editors Lysa TerKeurst and Rachel Olsen

When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can’t compete with prices offered by huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!

Application Steps:
Pray the prayer above and commit to neither dish nor digest gossip today. If you read celebrity gossip online or in magazines, fast from that as well.

Reflections:
Have I ever jumped full force into a gossipy conversation? Have I regretted it later?

If I regretted it, how did I handle that regret? If I didn’t regret it, what might that tell me about the condition of my soul?

God is fully able and willing to cleanse us of the dirt we’ve spoken or ingested.

Power Verses:
Proverbs 11:13, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” (NIV)

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12, “Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.” (NLT)

Psalm 139:4, “Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.” (NIV)