Waiting. . .

This time in my life is a time of waiting upon the lord.
And in this time I have found my emotions are so fragile.
I feel as though I am caught in slow motion while everyone else around me speeds by as if in a time-laps.
I am trying to practice patience while God has me waiting. But it is such a hard thing to do sometimes.

I want things too happen in my life, but I want it to happen soon. . . not later. And when it doesnt happen I want to ask; "When, God? Dont you care?" 

For me, I believe a lot of my desire lays in getting married. And I have to be careful not to idolize that in my life. But for a 21 year old woman still living at home, serounded by friends who are getting engaged and married right and left, its hard to be content. It is hard to accept that I have no significant relationships even visible in my future. My own sister got married when she was 18, and a dear friend recently got married at the age of 18 as well. I kow it is a selfish thing to become emotional and forlorn over being 21 and single.....all I can say is, God help me. 

And as I searched for some comfort and encouragment I came across this beautiful artical written by a lady named Mandy Hale exspressing her fear that she might never find the simplest and most complicated of life’s blessings: "someone to love who also loves me." But then as I read on I was convicted through the conversation she had with the lord - as I read . . .

"Then the voice asked me: "If there is never a husband—if it’s always just you and me—will you still follow me?

. . . There was no pause in my spirit. No need to stop and think. Only one answer that rang true, loud, and clear in my heart: Yes, Jesus. I will follow you. I will trust you, and I will follow you through the waiting."

"The waiting. Oh, this sometimes endless and frustrating and even hopeless season of waiting. Wait is a word I keep hearing whispered into my spirit these days, and it’s a word I’m learning to appreciate more and more because I know that all good and beautiful blessings from God take time. Abraham waited 25 years for his promised child. Joseph waited 13 years in slavery for his promised destiny. Moses waited 40 years for the Promised Land. And even Jesus waited! He waited 30 years—mostly hidden, quiet, unassuming years—to begin his earthly ministry that would change the world.

We can learn so much during the hard process of waiting. In difficult seasons of waiting, God nudges me to constantly remember how utterly and completely dependent I am on him. He prompts me to lay down my own dreams and goals and plans and surrender entirely to his. And it is only after I stop chasing success and start chasing him that I can be truly successful—on his terms.

I think that’s the bigger picture God longs for us single ladies to see with the whole “waiting for love” thing. The waiting isn’t about God withholding something good from us—it’s about him showing us that the ultimate good we could ever desire is found in him alone. It has always been him. It will always be him. After all, he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who was and is and is to come (Revelation 1:8)." - Mandy

I thank Mandy Hale for sharing her heart. And I thank god for bringing me to this artical, and using it to encourage me as I wait, and convict me of my attitude.
I am not so desperate. I just have a pining in my heart. But in this I need to focus on my relatonship with God, rather than the lack of relationship with a man.
At this time in my life i need to cultivate strength, faith, and obedience to surrender to Gods good and perfect plan for my life. And I need let go of my imperfect plans. 

“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:25

"...so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:10-12

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1b- 3a

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save: he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he wil exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17

"Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you." Isaiah 43:4

I don’t know how I will feel tomorrow. But I know that I am precious to Him. You are precious to Him. And today, that’s all that matters. Right? 

These are just my thoughts for the day. I hope you dont mind my venting.

Rosanna ♥

03/25/16

Just some encouragement to anyone out there. 

God breaks us down to build us back up again, stronger and more focused.

More compassionate and connected to Him. 

More sure and humble. 

More joyful and free. 

So, when you just can’t do anymore, don’t. 

Surrender and give thanks. 

He’s got this and you don’t need to always know why, when and how. 

Trust Him.

                      Rosanna ♥

Titus 2 \\ Servants & Godliness

Servants (2:9,10)

Slaves too, who made up a significant portion of first-century congregations, responsible for honoring God with their lives Paul listed five qualities which were to characterize Christians who found themselves serving others. Titus was to teach them to be subject to their masters in everything; The duty of submission is emphasized in several other passages. In Ephesians 6:5 Paul writes, ‘Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.’ Again, in Colossians 3:22 he says, ‘Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it not only when their eye is on you to win their favor but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.’ Peter takes up the subject as well in 1 Pet. 2:18 saying ‘Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh’. Lying back of these commands is a recognition that masters have a legitimate authority over their slaves and that their authority is not to be rebelled against. Just as people, in general, are to be subject to rulers (Titus 3:1) so slaves are to be subject to their masters.

They are to be well-pleasing; They are to endeavor to give them satisfaction. This involves being conscientious and hardworking. If a slave is lazy or does his work carelessly and half-heartedly, he will certainly not please his master. Does God require anything less of those who are involuntary, paid employment? It ought to be a constant aim of Christian employees to give their employer satisfaction. And that means exactly the same as it did in the realm of first-century slavery. Lazy workers or workers who do their work carelessly and half-heartedly will certainly not please their superior. We need to be conscientious and hardworking.

Neither are they to be argumentative; Here we come to the spirit in which the work is to be done. A slave receives his orders and is not happy with what he is told to do. So he makes a surly remark. He grumbles and complains. He may go on and do the work well enough, but he has done it in a resentful spirit and with resentful words. ‘That’, says Paul, ‘is wrong. Teach slaves not to talk back to their masters’. Regardless of how common and acceptable it may be in the eyes of many, it is forbidden to the Christian slave. He is to do his work in a right spirit, willingly fulfilling the tasks that his master has assigned him. The standard is surely no lower for workers in employment situations. Christians are to be characterized by self-control in the use of their tongues.

Nor pilfering; This word translated in the greek is νοσφίζω (nosphizō) which is misappropriation of funds for one’s own benefit; hence “to embezzle”. Many slaves were in positions of trust. The opportunities were there to take things that did not belong to them and either keep or sell them. And human nature being what it is, many of them would have done it. Here again, however, the will of God is plain. Christian slaves are to be honest and not to steal from their masters. Regardless of what others are doing they are to submit to the authority of the eighth commandment and have nothing in their pockets or their homes that they have not been given or earned. The legitimacy of applying this to the workplace today is utterly beyond dispute,

but showing all good faith. Slaves are to show that they can be fully trusted , without using fraud or doing injury, in transacting the affairs of their masters. The purpose of the slaves’ behavior is made clear in the last part of this verse, namely, to ensure that people regard the Christian message in a positive manner—‘so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior’.


And finally, a call for godliness (2:11-15)

”For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”

God’s Grace is so powerful in our lives as believers. As it says in verse 12, ‘it teaches us to renounce [ἀρνέομαι (arneomai) which means to deny] ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age’. Grace not only brings about change; it also enables us consequently to live genuine Christian lives. In verse 13 the Greek for waiting [προσδέχομαι (prosdechomai)] often carries an air of zeal and eagerness. The Gospel of grace encourages godly living by focusing on the future as that of the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In verse 14 Paul grounds his address for godliness in the fact that one purpose of Jesus’ death was to make his people holy. Paul roots this with the phrase to redeem us from all lawlessness. There is no room for claiming to be redeemed while failing to show evidence of actual transformation. Paul ends this chapter by emphasizing Titus’ responsibility to the various groups of people he has been given responsibility over to teach: ‘Declare these things; exhort[encourage] and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard[despise] you’. Right at the beginning of the chapter Titus is exhorted to ‘teach what is in accord with sound doctrine’ (v. 1). Now that exhortation is repeated. He is also to encourage them to follow the instructions that they have been given, as well as to rebuke them for any failure to do so. Titus is to command the people’s respect as he labors among them as a teacher, by being an example of the godly lifestyle that he is preaching to others.

Closing Thoughts.

In study this chapter in the book of Titus I was reminded again, and again, of the virtues in which my mother and father have been so faithfully teaching me for as long as I can remember. I cannot say that I learned a lot from this study. But it was good for me to spend such devoted time in the study of these verse, giving me a stronger foundation on which I stand as a young woman in this world today. The virtues of Titus 2 are greatly need in our culture. 

At the end of Titus chapter 2, Paul tells us that the world often judges the gospel by the way we [Christians] live. Our behaviors, should not cause people to despise the word of God. And if they do, let us pray that they are in the fault and not us—lest we be misrepresenting God in any way shape or form. Perish the thought.