"Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!" Psalm 32:2
Before I get into this week's chapter, I'd like to say a few more things about chapter 9. In our live meeting on Friday, we talked about waiting and being quiet before the Lord, listening for His voice. I was inspired to blog about it and the wheels of my mind were turning when I decided to read a few e-mails before sitting down to blog. I was shocked at what I found! The e-mail I read from my Online Bible Study for another book reflected my thoughts! I decided to include a link here so that you can read it : http://melissataylor.org/2013/03/01/today-is-about-you-and-god/. Stephanie Clayton has some wise words and a challenge worth taking. I hope you will!
Now, for Chapter 10 - a.k.a. Beauty Secrets! I can totally identify with Rachel's battle with skin problems! I think we women have all had something about ourselves that we didn't like and tried to change. But then she goes deeper... you've heard the saying beauty is more than skin deep. God knows this and Jesus saw through people's 'perfect' exteriors during his time here on earth.
Rachel points us to scripture in both the Old Testament and New Testament that addresses our sinful nature and the necessity of confession to God. The idea of facing, naming, and admitting our sins can be uncomfortable (yea, just a bit!). But, as David writes in Psalm 23:5 "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone!" Perhaps this is where the saying "Forgiveness is good for the soul" comes from.
And guess what, according to the latest research, it's not only good for the soul, it's also good for the body: http://bible.org/illustration/what%E2%80%99s-good-soul.
So yes, forgiveness is a Beauty Secret, for our insides and our outsides!
I'm a bit late this week with my blog post, so if you haven't read the chapter yet, read it today and post your reaction to the chapter on the blog in the Comment section. Do the 6 questions over 2 days.
Your Partner in Ministry,
Shelly
No comments:
Post a Comment