Showing posts with label virtue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virtue. Show all posts

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Other Women of the Bible- part 1

Okay, so I've been doing a "Proverbs 31 Women of the Bible" series. I started thinking we could learn something from all of the women in the Bible. So here is another branch in the "Proverbs 31 Women in the Bible" series called "Other Women of the Bible". We will be looking at all the other women who I didn't put as a Proverbs 31 Woman. Some of these women are good role models and others are not, but we can learn something from them all.
Eve: She was first woman. God made her from the dirt and with one of Adam's ribs. She got to enjoy the Garden of Eden and talking to God. She got to see a time when there was nothing but peace in the world. She made a mistake and sinned by eating fruit from a tree God told her not to eat from. As a result, she and Adam had to leave the garden and live a hard life. She knew how perfect the world was before sin and she had to watch the world become a sinful place. Nonetheless, she was a big part of history! (Genesis chapter two.)
 Lot's Disobedient Wife: Lot and his wife traveled with Abraham and Sarah. Lot picked the land of Sodom and Gomorrah to live because it was the best land. But this land was filled with a lot of sin. God spared Lot and his family. But Lot's wife loved the place where she lived, a place filled with sin, so much that she disobeyed God and turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's wife loved the world more than God.
Keturah: She was the second wife of Abraham and she had six sons with him. At times Keturah probably felt like she could never be good enough. She did have some big shoes to fill after Sarah. But Abraham loved her too.
Leah: She was Rachel's older sister. She obeyed her father and married Jacob. What was her reward for this? She lived her whole life knowing that her husband loved her younger sister more than her. I can't imagine how that felt! God blessed her though by giving her children. Out of her children came the Israelites line of Priests and the family tree of Jesus Christ.  It's quite obvious God showed Leach how much He loved her!
Rachel: She found her true love in Jacob. But she had to watch as her sister married him first. When she finally married Jacob, she had to split her time with him with her sister for the rest of her life. Then Rachel found out that she could not have children, but her sister could. It had to be hard on Rachel to watch her husband with another woman and seeing her sister's children when she couldn't have any herself. But instead of relying on God she got competitive and caused more fighting with her sister. She played a big role in history and was blessed with two sons of her own.
Bilhah and Zilpah: These two women were the servants of Leah and Rachel. I can not imagine how these women felt when they were giving to Jacob as "wives" just to produce babies! Yes, they were taking care of but it was still probably very hard on them knowing that their children, in the eyes of society, belonged to someone else. I do admire them for willingly doing what Leah and Rachel told them to do and having hearts like a servant. God rewarded them by allowing their children to be a part of Israel's heritage.
Dinah: She was Jacob's daughter. Leah was her mother. Not much is said about her. But the Bible does tell us that she was raped by the prince of the town her family was staying in. The result of this was that her brothers killed all the men in the town. Dinah had to live with what happened to her and probably would not find a husband because of this. I wonder what Dinah was thinking going out by herself. Had she grown up a tomb-boy because of her twelve brothers? Did she think she could take care of herself because, maybe, her brothers had taught her a little self-defense? Ether way, Dinah became a silent victim.
Tamar: She was Judah's daughter-in-law. Her husband sinned and died. Keeping to the law, her brother-in-law married her. But he sins and died. Now Judah did not want to give his other son in marriage for fear of death. But he wouldn't help Tamar by arranging for her to marry someone else. Tamar didn't rely on God and took matters into her own hands and tricked Judah. She kept the family line alive, but we can learn that if God has a plan HE will see it finished. We just need to have faith and not try to fix it ourselves.
Potiphar's Wife: This woman probably had everything money could buy. After all, her husband worked for Pharaoh in a very high position. But maybe she didn't feel loved and cherished. Maybe her marriage was having problems. Potiphar could have been working long hours and not being there for his wife like he should have been. Ether way, what Potiphar's Wife did was not the way to handle things! She found Joseph attractive and she tried to get him to sleep with her. Had she tried this before with other servants? We don't know. But the Bible does tell us that Joesph said no. I believe the lesson we can learn is that no marriage will have a chance of truly being happy without God in the center of it.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Proverbs 31 women in the Bible-part 2

Okay, so this week I am going back to the Proverbs 31 women of the Bible! So lets get started.
Shipharh and Puah: Hebrew midwives that disobeyed Pharaoh in Exodus chapter one. They followed God instead and would not kill the baby boys.  These women could have been killed for disobeying, but God blessed them. I believe they fit verses 15 (just the part about being up at night), 17, 18 (trusting God), part of 25, and 31 of Proverbs chapter 31.
Moses' Mother: Her name was Jochebed and she was from the tribe of Levi. She was a fearless and focused woman of faith. When she put Moses in the Nile River, she actually OBEYED the Pharaoh! "Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: 'Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.'" What she did, that Pharaoh did not demand, was give her baby boy protection by placing him in a basket and his sister watching over him! God blessed her by one of her sons (Moses) being the deliverer of the nation, another son (Aaron) being the High Priest, her daughter (Miriam) being a leader of Hebrew women, finally, Her tribe was hand picked by God to lead the rituals of worship! Wow! I believe this woman fulfilled verses 11, 18, and 27 of Proverbs chapter 31.
There are no women mentioned in Leviticus. So now on to the book of Numbers.
Zelophehad's Daughters: these are five women who trusted the Lord, took a bold stand, and changed the course of history in land ownership. God was pleased with their request to Moses (to inherit land in their father's name). These events took place in Numbers chapter 27. Then in Numbers chapter 36 these girls obey God again by marrying who God told them to marry! Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. I believe they fulfilled verses 16, 18, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, and 31 of Proverbs chapter 31.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

A Fairy Tale in the making

 
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeing; but a woman who fears The Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gates." ~Proverbs 31:30-31 (NIV)
      Today is the last blog post for the Modest Is Hottest Prom 2014. I have really enjoyed doing this "advice" segment and I hope that I have been some help to girls who are wanting to glorify God this prom season. To finish out I have put poses, hair, makeup, jewelry, and nail ideas on my board on pintrest. If you have been reading these prom posts and would like to be on this blog, you can send a picture of your prom dress to atravelersthoughts@yahoo.com and I will post it in my May blog when I come back to the idea  of prom. Just include your first name and what state you live in so I can put it under the picture.
      I'm ending with another verse from Proverbs because we are never to young to start becoming the person described in Proverbs 31 and I think that is very important to remember. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe prom this year. Here are the last two dress options i just had to post:

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Pretty in pink


 "Boaz replied, 'I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." ~Ruth 2:11-12 (NIV)   I love the story of Ruth. You have this woman who loved her mother-in-law so much that when her mother-in-law lost everything, she stayed with her! Ruth had lost her husband, a brother-in-law, and a father-in-law. Her sister-in-law soon left them to go back to her home. Ruth could have easily followed her sister-in-law's example and left her mother-in-law to walk the long journey back to Bethlehem by herself. She didn't have to go with her and start providing for them in a place that was hostile towards her. But she did, and I believe she did that because she had such a big heart.
 I believe she loved her family and she took her vows to her husband serious and her commitment to his family serious. I also believe that she had learned about God and His love through her in-laws' example. I think she was terrified to leave everything she knew behind, but she was going to trust this new One True God that she had come to know to take care of her. And He did! He let a man of true noble character fall in love with her. He also let her be in the family tree of Jesus!
 So now, why did I take the time to write about this story? It's actually quite simple. See, I don't think Boaz fell in love with Ruth because of who she was or who her family members were. Honestly when Boaz saw Ruth, she probably didn't even look that pretty. She had been traveling and was now in a field working all day long. So what drew Boaz to Ruth? I believe it was her big heart and her inner beauty. The fact that she didn't mind getting her hands dirty and doing hard work. So my point is, dress up and have a good time girls. But remember that it's the inner beauty that should capture a guys attention and not how short your dress is.
 There are some hairstyles, makeup, jelewry, and modest posesfor photos on my MODESTISHOTTESTPROM board on Pintrest. My user name is Itsbrandirose if you want to look. Here are two really cute, modest, pink prom dresses:

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

An ocean of dresses

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days t come." ~Proverbs 31:10,25(NIV)
      Okay, so I will be continuing my Modest prom tips on the blog until March ninth. Hopefully I will have given good tips and in time for all of you looking for prom dresses this year! Be looking on my twitter, instagram, and pintrest for modest prom dress ideas too. The user name for all three is "Itsbrandirose".
      Now the Bible verse in bold is about the Proverbs 31 woman. She is a woman I want to be like and she is a picture of the person we become when we let God into our hearts. There is no age of when to start becoming a Proverbs 31 woman and I believe prom is a good time to put that into practice. So girls think about what you want to be telling your future children about your prom and what your husband will know about your character when he sees prom pictures. Here are some blue themed modest prom dress ideas for you: (P.S. I LOVE the last two!)



Saturday, February 15, 2014

Unfading beauty

"When they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, 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 3:2-4 (NIV)
    Okay, so lets continue our talk about modest prom dresses for this year. Also, I know this verse is very long. So, lets break it down verse by verse.
    "When they see the purity and reverence of your lives."(V2) So this verse is telling us that what should draw people to us is our purity and reverence. Pretty much our love for God and how we respect ourselves.
    "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes."(V3) Remember, outward beauty will fade, but inner beauty will last forever. Think of the most beautiful older lady that you know and think about what makes her beautiful. For me it is how she always has a smile on her face even when she is having a hard time. She has this smile because she trusts in God fully. So don't base all your beauty on clothes, jewelry, and hair. Base it on your relationship with God.
  "Rather, 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."(V4) Wow! Lets just take a minute and let this verse soak in. A gentle and quiet spirit is of GREAT worth in GOD'S sight! Wow! The Creator of the whole world and galaxies thinks YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! How could you not think you are beautiful with modest clothes on when the King of kings says His Princess is beautiful in modest clothing!
  Now with that being said, here are some more modest prom dresses:
This is beautiful and very elegant. 
Sweetheart with a beautiful lace covering!
Simple with some sparkle.
The defamer ion of a princess ball-gown with a jacket cover up.
This dress was made for the girl who wants modesty and has glitter running through her veins!
Elegant, pink, and slight sparkle.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

True modesty during the prom season

    "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." ~1 Timothy 2:9-10 (NIV)
     I want to do some posts on modest prom dresses since prom season is around the corner. I feel that it is getting harder and harder to find modest clothes these days, but especially prom dresses! Girls it is important to remember that no matter what the event we are suppose to be a light for God and He wants us to dress modest. Guys in the same way you need to look for girls who you know will e modest and has virtue.
    Here are a couple of dresses I have picked out that I think are modest and very cute for prom:
This dress is so beautiful! I love the color and the tulle bottom! It has just enough sparkle and the straps work great with it!
  This beautiful blue one is short but not too short (one of the hardest things to find.) The top does not show too much and the sparkle is amazing! I love the one shoulder strap too!
Okay, so everything about this dress is gorgeous! The fabric, the style, all of it. You can't go wrong with this dress!
      Keep checking back here for more modest prom dress reviews. You can also find a board on my pintrest that is labeled ModestIsHottestProm. Plus I try to post at least one or two pictures to my twitter account today. I pray that all of you getting ready for prom puts God first in this very special event!