"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
My NIV footnote says that God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace. Thursday and Friday's readings show us godly wisdom's way to peace. But for today, our verse shows two direct correlations, four words that God through James specifically chose for us to read in one sentence.
Envy = Disorder
Selfish Ambition = Evil Practice
And we could replace any of those four words with each other and it would still make sense. Wherever envy/jealousy, bitterness, selfish goals, and pride are the theme, disorder, chaos, and evils of all kinds will also be present. It quickly becomes one ugly, heart-breaking situation!
Today this verse makes me think of what kind of home I'm making for my husband...and what sort of home I desire to have for our family someday when we have children. Three of us are home-makers for husbands, but all of us share living spaces with someone and so we can ask ourselves what kind of "home" we're creating for those living with us?
I desire for our home to be a place of refuge and a place where my husband can be real, and relax, and be honest, where he can be vulnerable. I want this for myself also. I want our home to be peaceful. So it's very important to stop jealousy, bitterness and selfishness in their tracks when we see them creeping into the very personal place called home...because when home is chaotic and full of disorder and evil things, the devil has had his way. Home is where we are molded, and I long to be molded by peace - God's peace that comes from wise choices and godly living.
I'm excited for our verses tomorrow and Friday that will teach us more about that!
Praying for us all that God would help us become better "homemakers of peace" for those living in our midst. Have a great Wednesday, girls!
Love,
~Cait
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I think about it, too. We talk about parenting and oftentimes realize that we might need to change things with just the two of us now if we want to embrace certain things as a larger family. It's awfully humbling, but also exciting to dream about. It's encouraging to hear the cry of your heart for a godly home. A good thing to think about...
ReplyDeleteI loved this quote by Ann Voskamp.
"A perfect home is an authentic, created animated space where Peace and Love and Beauty are embraced."
I love that it doesn't say it's a certain place, just a space. And though it doesn't have to be beautiful, it embraces beauty and more importantly love and peace. And it's authentic--honest and real. I love that quote!
I filtered through Proverbs for a school assignment. We read a chapter from a novel called Outliers on how Asians learn math differently, because of their language. It also talked about hard work and the rice paddies. I was looking for proverbs about hard work to get a perspective for my response, which ended up going in an entirely different direction from hard work. Anyway, long story short, the verses about a wife and the home kept popping out at me. It struck me how the wife has an important role to play in providing that peaceful setting. Lord, strengthen our hands and hearts! :)
ReplyDeleteOne more thing. I read a verse (I think) the other day about how God transforms the rooms of our home. I can't find it. Have you come across it? Anybody know?
One more. lol Here's another Voskamp quote.
ReplyDelete"Homemaking is about making a home--an dhome is a safe place, a refuge, a place to be real and alive and truest true."
*warm fuzzies.