Commanded To Hospitality

Do you know we are commanded to be hospitable? 

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 

I Peter 4:9

There it is and it is to be done without grumbling.  Most people do not like to be hospitable.  They don't have enough time.  It is too much trouble.  It costs too much and they like their privacy.

However, if you want to be obedient to God, you can no longer make excuses.  I have heard from missionaries that people in third world countries are the most generous people with their food and possessions.  I wonder why that is the case.  Why does wealth create greed?

We must live our lives with open hands.  God's ways are best.

There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want.  The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. 

Proverbs 11:24,25

I use to be very selfish.  When we had guests, I was always concerned about the food they ate, the water they used, etc.  It was ugly.  Thankfully, the Lord convicted me and changed me.  Now I love to have people over and make them comfortable when I am feeling good. 

So when God commands something of us, it always results in our benefit!  The more hospitable and generous you become, the more good things you will reap.
 

The Secret To Losing Weight

Eat less. Move more.  That is it.  There is no secret.  Trisha Yearwood just lost thirty pounds and said this was her secret.  For her it is a battle every day to not eat that cookie and she is usually slightly hungry.

 

My parents just met with three other couples that they have been friends with since they were young.  My dad told me that out of the four couples, one was thin and in shape.  The rest were twenty to thirty pounds overweight. They were all in their eighties but this thin couple looked ten years younger than the rest.  They go to the gym five days a week and eat in moderation.

 

My dad told me he gets a ton of health magazines and preaches the benefit of antioxidants and being in shape, yet he struggles to lose weight.  He knows he should but it is so difficult once you put on the weight.

 

It is being said that this generation will not live longer than previous generations because of being overweight.  It is a serious problem that leads to many diseases.

 

I know it is difficult to lose weight.  I think the only reason I stay so thin is from two brain surgeries and a neck fusion with feeling poorly most of the time.  It affects my stomach so I am not that hungry.  Whenever I go through times when I feel well, I have to battle my appetite and my weight so I know it isn't easy.

 

So I don't have a secret to losing weight.  I would encourage you to just eat as healthy as you can and exercise as much as you can.  I don't eat many desserts or junk food.  I know it is bad for your health and I do want to stay in shape.  Don't let that cookie or piece of cake control and master you.  You master it!

 

We are commanded to be known for our moderation and gluttony is a sin.  We are told we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  We have everything we need for life and godliness, including self-control.  Now, I guess we just need to start believing God's many promises to us and act upon them.

 

Let your moderation be known unto all men.

The Lord is at hand.

Philippians 4:5

 

picture source

Love Like Jesus Does

Every single piece of everything I am,
Yeah, she knows the man I ain't,
She forgives me when I can't,
The devil, man, no, he don't stand a chance,
'Cause she loves me like Jesus does.

I always thought she'd give up on me one day,
Wash her hands of me, leave me staring down some runway,
But I thank God each night, and twice on Sunday,
That she loves me like Jesus does.

This is a country song by Eric Church.  I heard a bit of it on the country channel and knew I needed to read the lyrics.  Men want women who will love them just the way they are.  Women want the same thing but we feel the need to change our men into the man we can love instead of loving them the way they are and letting God change them.

I know this is true because there are many verses in the Bible about quarreling and arguing addressed to wives.  We quarrel and argue because we are not getting what we want.  Most men seem to have much lower expectations than women and don't try to change their wives.

We are all called to love like Jesus does, especially our husbands since we are modeling Christ and the Church to the world.  They need to see unconditional love and acceptance between husbands and wives.  We need to show them how amazing marriage is the way God designed it to be.

I applaud the women who stay with difficult husbands.  I realize tough marriages are not always the result of quarreling wives but when we walk in obedience to God, especially during the hard times, we are blessed and God is glorified.  You stay with your difficult husband for your husband's sanctification, for your children's happiness and security, and mostly, because God wants you to since he knows how destructive divorce can be.

Make it your goal to love your husband as Jesus does.  Love him freely without shaming him.  Forgive him easily for no one will ever be perfect.  Love him just the way that he is and allow God to work a miracle in him.

Marriage is such an amazing gift.  Ken and I haven't argued for months and it is so very good...He is my leader and I accept that.  He doesn't expect me to be perfect but he knows my heart is for his good.

And above all these put on love,

which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14

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Making Time For Sex

She bragged about giving her husband sex once a week, after work on Thursdays, for five minutes.  That is only 20 minutes a month, ladies.  It takes longer to buy a candle for your living room.  She thought she was being a great wife to sacrifice those 20 minutes a month for her husband.

Another young women works a full-time job and has another business on the side that takes many hours a week.  Her health isn't great.  Her husband isn't very ambitious and they haven't been married for very long.  He wants sex everyday.  Are you kidding me?  I work so hard and don't feel that great!

A very good friend of mine gives her husband sex every day because she told me he enjoys it and it makes him very happy.  She loves pleasing her man.

Which husband do you think is happiest???

You must come to terms with the fact that most men like sex a lot more often than women do.  God made them that way.  He gave them a lot of testosterone to fight wars {defeating Hitler}, exploring new lands, building skyscrapers and bridges, and having the burden of providing for their families until the day they die.

If a burglar is in your home, who gets up to confront him?  Your husband, of course!  God made them to be the providers and protectors and having lots of testosterone makes them to want to fulfill that role.  {A feminine, godly wife helps him want to fulfill that role even more.}

My advice...once a week is way too seldom for most men.  Most men would love it every day or at least every other day.  {Yes, there will be times of sickness and child birth, etc. that will prevent that but most of the time, you can fulfill that need.}

If you work too many hours and are too tired, you need to slow down and live on less.  Your husband is your first priority.  You were created to be his help meet regardless of what kind of a husband he is.  The more you live to please him and keep him happy, the more he will do the same for you.  We absolutely reap what we sow.

Change your thinking.  Appreciate your man for the way God created Him.  Find pleasure in making him happy.  Know that this is your ministry in life and learn to enjoy the journey.

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time,

that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer;

and come together again,

that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. 

I Corinthians 7:5