12/6/05
Encouragement for Today
“Hats Off”
Wendy Pope, Director of Development, Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member
Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (NIV)
Devotion:
Hats – what style they have! Unfortunately, I don't have a head that looks good in any kind of hat, not even a ball cap. I love the ladies who still think you must wear a hat to church and the outfit is complete only when the shoes and purse coordinate. We listen to the fashion gurus to know if "hats are in" or if “hats are out." In the church where I grew up, we had a sweet lady who wore a hat every Sunday no matter what the fashion guru had to say on the subject.
Just recently a sweet friend said to me, "Just once I wish I could take off all the hats I wear and be me." (Figuratively speaking of course) It made me think of all the "hats" women try to wear, at one time. And let's face it ladies, our heads are only so big! We were not meant to wear so many hats at once. We need to slow down and look in the mirror to determine which hats we are wearing that don't work for us any more.
I fell in love with today's key verse as I prepared to teach A Woman's Secret to a Balanced Life at my church. As I reviewed the seven principles in the book, I became almost overwhelmed. "Lord,” I cried, “how can I be all of these?" As I opened my Bible to study I "stumbled" across this familiar verse. I had read the first part of the verse numerous times, but had never paid much attention to the last part. Read it with me again.
"…So that we might 'become' the righteousness of God." Did you catch the word "become?" The “becoming” is a process. It takes time. It takes determination. It takes a willingness to leave the past in the past and press toward the hope of a new future following God's blueprint for your life. We don't have to "be" because we are "becoming." Doesn't that bring a since of relief to your tired, weary spirit? I know it does mine each time I read it. I realized that if I focused on revering the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and pursued an ongoing relationship with Him that I would indeed "be" all I needed to be to my family, my friends and in my place of work while "becoming" the righteousness of God. And that thrills my soul, friend, because I can look forward to one day looking good in hats, designed specifically for me.
My Prayer for Today:
Lord, I want You to help me evaluate the activities and commitments in my life. I need Your guidance to know which to lie down and those in which I should continue to be involved. It is my desire to do only that which is part of Your plan for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Make a list of all the "hats" you are currently wearing. Number them in order of priority. Pray faithfully everyday, asking God to show you which "hat" you should not be wearing anymore.
Reflection Points:
Do I really need to be wearing all these hats?
What’s the true motive for being involved in so many activities?
Is my current level of activity negatively affecting my family or personal life?
Is my current level of activity causing me physical problems?
Power Verses:
Philippians 3:13, “Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended: but this is one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." (KJV)
Philippians 3:14, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (KJV)
Titus 3:7, "So that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." (NIV)
Additional Resources:
A Woman’s Secret to a Balanced Life, by Lysa TerKeurst and Sharon Jaynes
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_secretBalanced.htm
Living Life on Purpose, by Lysa TerKeurst
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_livingLife.htm
The Ultimate Makeover, by Sharon Jaynes
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_ultimateMakeover.htm