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November 16, 2017

Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

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As women, we often have this tug-of-war between ou

As women, we often have this tug-of-war between our culture and Pinterest-influenced desire to make everything beautiful and lovely and the utter lack of time, energy, and budget to do so. We are creatures designed by God with five amazing senses, and thus we are naturally drawn to things that are visually attractive, soothing to our ears, delicious to eat, pleasant to smell, and even comfortable to touch.

Sometimes Satan, fully aware of how sense-focused we are, whispers little lies to us...

He tells us, “I know you’ve been wanting to invite that new visitor over for Sunday lunch, but your house is never clean enough. Even if it were clean, your furniture is so outdated. It’s not nearly as nice looking as so-and-so’s new house. Just wait. One day it will be company ready.”

Or maybe, “Someone else can sign up to take that meal, your family always complains about your cooking. Not to mention, you’ve already gone over your grocery budget. Let someone else who is a better cook do that.”

You’ve heard those lies bouncing around in your head, haven’t you? What are some lies that Satan sometimes convinces you are true?

{Excerpt from Ashley Deffenbaugh's NEW lesson: "Serving Wholeheartedly" from our current Bible study *First Mary, Then Martha* - sign up or log in at the LINK IN OUR BIO!}

#bible #bibleverse #biblejournaling #biblestudy #march #march2023 #2023 #winter #winter2023 #God #Jesus #christ #HolySpirit #maryandmartha #firstmarythenmartha #lies #scripturewritingplan #scripturejournaling #scripture #scriptures #scriptureoftheday #scripturewritingplan2023 #scripturestudy #writing #inspiration #inspirational #dailyaffirmations #dailyinspiration #dailybiblereading #dailybibleverse

When you seek God’s kingdom and his righteousnes

When you seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness first, all other things fall into place. Your time, your schedule, your resources, and your possessions become not only what you need, but what God’s kingdom needs. 💜

When we give God our first fruits—the very best of ourselves and what he’s graciously blessed us with—we show him and others what we value most. It can definitely be a more difficult sacrifice for some than others. But God knows our hearts. And when we choose “the good portion” as Mary did {Luke 10:42} we will have what we need, and everything else will take care of itself {Matthew 6:33}.

{Excerpt from Alyssa Clark's NEW lesson: "Seek Ye First" from our *First Mary, Then Martha* study. Sign up or log in at the LINK IN OUR BIO!}

#bible #bibleverse #biblejournaling #biblestudy #march #march2023 #2023 #winter #winter2023 #God #Jesus #christ #HolySpirit #firstmarythenmartha #maryandmartha #scripturewritingplan #scripturejournaling #scripture #scriptures #scriptureoftheday #scripturewritingplan2023 #scripturestudy #writing #inspiration #inspirational #dailyaffirmations #dailyinspiration #dailybiblereading #dailybibleverse #kingdomofgod

A problem that we Christian ladies face is that we

A problem that we Christian ladies face is that we can get very distracted by good things, even if we were initially doing those things for Him! (Quite literally Martha, right?)

Today, this might look like leading a children’s Bible class and spending more energy on the peripherals (crafts, snacks, bulletin boards) than studying the lesson and how to teach it effectively to your students.

Or maybe we tire ourselves out with physical serving, being hospitable to others because it’s what we’re “supposed to do.” But we tend to grumble the whole time. {I Peter 4:9-10}

Perhaps we put the most emphasis on the “urgent” daily matters of life and think of time in God’s Word as optional & always leave it at the end of the list.

It’s entirely possible to avoid actually sitting at His feet if we’re simply always trying to prepare a place for Him.

Can you busily prepare yourself for Bible study and never *actually* study the Bible? I think so, because I have experienced it in the past!

You can buy the prettiest highlighters and the nicest journals; you can download scripture writing plans for every month of the year; you can create a lovely spot for Bible study that is absolutely Instagram-worthy. But you’ve got to actually sit down and commune with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit if you want to get the “one thing” that’s truly necessary. The better part, the good portion. ~Kristen

{Excerpt from Lesson 1: Being Hospitable to Jesus from our NEW *First Mary, Then Martha* study! Sign up/log in at the LINK IN OUR BIO! }

#bible #bibleverse #biblejournaling #biblestudy #march #march2023 #2023 #biblescripture #God #Jesus #christ #jesuschrist #HolySpirit #radiant #maryandmartha #firstmarythenmartha #scripturewritingplan #scripturejournaling #scripture #scriptures #scriptureoftheday #scripturewritingplan2023 #scripturestudy #writing #inspiration #inspirational #dailyaffirmations #dailyinspiration #dailybiblereading #dailybibleverse

I like to think of the pretty graphics as the Mart

I like to think of the pretty graphics as the Martha side of our studies - and the actual serious Bible study parts as the Mary side. 😉 Only one part is necessary, but the florals certainly draw our eye to the true beauty that's found in God's Word.

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Our Radiant Scripture Writing Extras are on sale - now only $19 for the whole year! 😄 That includes all the monthly goodies (like you see here for March) AND the three new Bible studies for the year: Creative Bible Study (special video course launched in January), this month's *First Mary, Then Martha* study - and later, August's Water in the Word study.

I'm working on the first lesson (to be posted Monday) on "Being Hospitable to Jesus." Because we ALL have the chance to be, not just Martha. 😉🍽️💜 ~Kristen

Find the *First Mary, Then Martha* study AND the *Radiant Scripture Writing Extras* (which include the Mary & Martha study) ✨on sale✨ at the LINK IN OUR BIO!

Thanks for joining us this month as we wrote and s

Thanks for joining us this month as we wrote and studied scriptures about #compassion 💕

We have another amazing study in the lineup for #March as well!! Have you downloaded your copy yet?
🔗 https://www.theruffledmango.com/march-scripture-writing-plan-first-mary-then-martha/

We're going to be talking about Mary & Martha in M

We're going to be talking about Mary & Martha in March! Find your free scripture writing download in the link below + the details on our new study this month. 💗

We may think we've heard it all before about these ladies, but pretty sure we're going to get a refreshed perspective - and some serious admiration for BOTH of these sisters. 😉

Join us as we get started on a shiny new scripture writing plan!

LINK IN BIO!

#bible #bibleverse #biblejournaling #biblestudy #march #march2023 #2023 #winter #winter2023 #God #Jesus #christ #HolySpirit #maryandmartha #perspective #admiration #scripturewritingplan #scripturejournaling #scripture #scriptures #scriptureoftheday #scripturewritingplan2023 #scripturestudy #writing #inspiration #inspirational #dailyaffirmations #dailyinspiration #dailybiblereading #dailybibleverse

Our last lesson in the Creative Bible Study series

Our last lesson in the Creative Bible Study series was posted recently. 😄 We're finishing up with Christy giving us some insight into Bible journaling. I haven't ever done one of the big "art projects," but this lesson reminds us that there are so many ways to go about it! (And ways to not make your Bible unreadable for future studying 😉) Apparently I've done some Bible journaling all along, whenever I make notes in my Bible - and you probably have, too. 💗 I'm excited to try more ideas along these lines! ~Kristen

Find the course at the LINK IN OUR BIO! (or log in if you've already enrolled)

We know how Jesus laid down His life for us (liter

We know how Jesus laid down His life for us (literally, on the cross) But how are we supposed to lay down our own lives for others?

A few ideas:

changing dirty diapers, doing the dishes when you don't feel like it, driving an elderly person to a doctor's appointment, raking leaves for a shut-in, teaching a children's Bible class...

What other ideas do you have? Are there any that aren't traditional "acts of service"?

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