Happy Valentine's Day MOPS Mamas!! We had a VERY blessed meeting this morning!
For those of you who missed, you will want to make sure to listen online!!
(To download today's speakers visit http://www.capebiblechapel.org/media.php?pageID=5)
We were blessed to have Mike and Sue Edmunds speak with us this morning.
There was SO much I got out of listening to these two, so it's hard for me to even begin summarizing!! Drawing off of Hebrews 12:15, which says,
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it many be defiled." Offering the question of whether they should speak to us about
romance or
reality on this Valentine's Day, they offered the reality of much needed grace in our marriages. Giving us a visual explanation of the grace of God, you will see below us discovering it's meaning: "The divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life (and also it's reflection in my marriage; or reflection in my husband)."
Sue pointed out to us that bitterness should also be listed as a verb in the dictionary, because it most certainly can be an action. Bitterness has a root and roots are a source stemming from a deep hurt or unmet expectation that has developed a root in your heart. She went on to illustrate the 4 C's of Bitterness: choice, control, contagious, and consequence. To shortly summarize these, when we have bitterness we can or cannot let it determine our
choices, we can let bitterness
control us and our thoughts, it can go on to be
contagious and effect all our relationships, and lastly, it can cause severe
consequences in our lives. She contrasted the sourness of being bitter to the sweetness of kindness. Those 4 C's look different when kindness replaces bitterness. Kindness can lead to the extreme opposite
choices, have us
control our actions and attitudes, be
contagious in a positive way, and result in wonderful
consequences of unity and closeness!!
Mike closed with thoughts on 1 Thessalonians 2:7:
"But we proved to be gentle among you as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own child." He used the example of the selflessness and unending care a mother has for her newborn child as an example of what the extreme opposite of what a bitter heart looks like. Applying this love and genleness in our marriages, wives can demonstrate the grace of God in their marriages evoking a different (positive) response from their husbands.
To sum it up, Mike and Sue encouraged us to plant the grace of God in our marriages instead of the root of bitterness. Grace is a barrier that can block roots of anger, hostility, resentment, sulking, malice, strife, unforgiveness, fear, envy, insecurity, retaliation, and jealously from taking hold deep in our hearts. What a powerful teaching, indeed!!!
We spent time discussing this talk and cutting out some cute Valentines reminding us of Christ's love. Lacy encouraged us to drop these love notes off to others throughout the day, spreading the truth of God's love for us.
Morgan is my go-to poser. =)
Thank you to everyone who brought food and who worked so hard to make this meeting (and all of them!) happen. I am blessed every month and I know you are too!! God continues to be at work in this wonderful group of women!!!!!
PS Don't forget our mid-month at Discovery Playhouse Tuesday (target time is 10am to 12pm)! Don't forget your flyer!!
