Running the Good Race

Running Journal:

Saturday I ran a quick two miles before a storm blew through. The winds were strong, so it was harder than I thought it would be. But the weather was GREAT! The winds were cool and the clouds blocked out the sun so the temp. was about 80 degrees. Not bad for July!

Sunday was my rest day, so no running.

Today I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill because it was raining tonight. I didn't want to run in the morning. I am glad I waited because it was so cool outside where we have out treadmill.

No knee problems at all tonight. Running on the treadmill felt great. Ran at 5.5 speed.

That's all for now!

Running the Good Race

I decided to use this space as a running journal as I train for my first marathon. I will post the good days as well as the bad days.......

Today I set out at 6:45 am to run 5 miles. But I waited too long. There were no clouds in the sky this morning as there were previous mornings. So it was too hot and humid to run this morning. My bad.

Even though it was so hot, I still ran four miles in 45 minutes. I did feel really good while running though. No knee pain at all and my ankles weren't hurting me either. Both are getting stronger.The fact that I can run four miles now without hurting is God's blessings indeed. Last summer I couldn't run two miles without being in extreme pain. Now I can run with no problems!

The sunrise this morning was so lovely. I will have to take my camera next time to preserve the memories here on this site. I have seen some incredible sunsets and sunrises since my training began. Sort of feel like Forest Gump out running in the desert!

Hopefully, I look better than he does.........

Four miles today and hills yesterday. Tomorrow (Sat.) is a speed drill where I run 2 miles as fast as I can to improve my endurance and speed. Can't wait. I'll have to start at 6 am to beat the heat.I did enjoy all the rain and cooler temps this week. I was able to run up Shaw Buite (half way up...) yesterday at 10 am! Unheard of during the summertime in Phoenix, but the weather was so nice.

Well, that's it for today. Gotta go take a short nap and then start a new Bible study to start in August.

The Virtuous Wife-Final Lesson

"Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.

The entrance of Your words gives light;

It gives understanding to the simple.

I opened my mouth and panted,

For I longed for Your commandments."

Psalm 119:129-131

Let's seek the Lord today.........

Thank You, Lord, for giving us Your word. Your special revelation reveals to us who You are and what You have done for us. I praise Your name, Lord, for You are worthy to be praised. Your word gives us light and I long for Your commandments.

I seek forgiveness of my sins and pray that You will cleanse me of my iniquities this day. Teach me to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead in You, Lord.

I thank You for each lady you brought to this study and ask that You will continue to speak to her through Your word. Convict her to stay in Your word daily and to teach Your precepts to her children and grandchildren.

In Jesus' name...........Amen.

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Our final passage: Proverbs 31:31 "Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Matthew Henry wrote of this passage:

"A woman that (sic) fears the Lord shall have praise of God. She shall be highly praised....if her children be dutiful and respectful to her, they then give her the fruit of her hands; she reaps the benefit of all the care she has taken of them."

As we conclude our study here at From Glory to Glory, I pray that each one of us has learned to not only study God's word but to trust His word.

We have seen here that to be a woman who fears the Lord is to be a Virtuous Woman who seeks to do good all the days of her life.

It is wonderful how we serve and love a God who gave us a way to please Him. He did not create us and then leave us alone to try and grope in the dark to find Him.

Please read:

Acts 17:26-29

No, God makes Himself readily available to those who seek Him.

Titus 2:3-5

We have learned here that our place, as Christian women, is in the home. That is our ministry. To teach good things of God and to admonish younger women to love their husbands and children.

Why?

"That the word of God may not be blasphemed."

Please read:

Prov. 10:9

Psalm 23:4

Prov. 3:23-24

Prov. 10:20

Prov 11:28

Psalm 1:3

Prov. 14:1

We have learned that our tongues are wicked weapons of unrighteousness.

James 3:5-8

We cannot tame our tongues....only God can.

We learned that our hard work is rewarded by God for His glory:

Mark 1:21-34- Read here all that Jesus did in one day!

Mark 1:35-38 - what was the first thing Jesus did before the sun rose? How are we to start our day?

Eph. 2:8-10

Col 3:23-25

We learned not to worry about things we cannot control:

Matt 6:34

And we learned that God meets our needs:

Joshua 1:9

1 Cor. 10:13

2 Cor. 12:9

James 1:5

2 Pet. 1:3

We learned that we are in a race running toward the final goal: presence with Christ! So we must discipline our minds and our bodies:

1 Cor. 9:24-27

Phil. 3:13-14

2 Tim. 4:7-8

We learned that our worth is far above the rubies of this world:

Matt. 5:13-14

John 1:12

John 15:1,5

John 15:15

Rom. 6:18

Rom. 6:22

Rom. 8:14-17

Gal. 3:26

Eph. 2:19

And we learned to fear the Lord our God for that is the beginning of wisdom and understanding:

Prov. 1:7

Job 28:28

Ps. 111:10

Deut. 10:12-14

So, as we wrap up this lesson, my hope is that you have a new found respect for the word of God. I pray that you read verses that really spoke to you and gave you hope.

I pray you found verses that you can rely upon when times get tough. My hope is that I haven't told you anything that you didn't already know but that you needed to be reminded of.

I hope you were encouraged to want to work for the Lord and perhaps change a few old habits (I know I did!) and create some good habits.

I pray you learned more about what the covenant of God is and what it means to you as a Christian.

And I truly hope and pray that you learned more about the God whom you serve.

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Life Application

Now that we have learned about what a Virtuous Wife is and what she does......now it is up to us to take that knowledge and give it to another woman so she can learn more about our Lord Jesus, whom she serves.

Take this knowledge and teach it to your children and/or grandchildren every chance you get. Talk to them about the Lord constantly and fervently so that they may grow in stature before the Lord.

Remember, our children are never too young to accomplish or learn great things!

I have learned from Phil 3:13-14 to learn from the past and to see how God worked through my life, but to let it go and reach forward to what lies ahead.

I have learned from Phil 4:8 to set my thoughts consistently on Christ. To meditate on the TRUTH will give me peace of mind and keep me from fearing the world.

I have also learned that Romans 5:1-5 and Romans 8:28 gives me hope that I can endure all things both good and bad through Christ.

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I hope this study was as encouraging to you as it was for me to write it daily. The Lord really convicted me of sin and changed my heart about a great many things. It has been a blessing to serve Him here in this little way.

God be with each one of you. You will remain in my prayers!

Romans 11:33

"Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His Judgments and His ways past finding out!"

Blessings,

Ruth

The Virtuous Wife-Lesson Twenty-Three

"That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things."

Isaiah 45:6-7

Let's begin today by seeking the Lord....



Father, as we finished this study this week, I pray that You have been blessed here. I thank You for giving me all the verses and thoughts to share with my sisters-in-Christ. I am grateful for each lady you brought here this past month to learn more about You.



I thank You for the conviction of my sins and for moving me to confess that I have been less that a Virtuous Woman in Your sight. I thank You for the promise of forgiveness of sins and renewal. I pray for each lady here today reading this that You will renew a steadfast spirit within her as well.



We give all glory to You...in Jesus' name....Amen.



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Today's passage: Prov. 31:30 "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."





"Charm is deceitful.."



...let's look at this part of the verse first:



In scripture we find that a gentle and quiet spirit is "precious" to God.



Please read:



1 Pet. 3:1-4



But let's look at women in scripture who did not have that quiet and gentle spirit:



Judges 16:4-21



How would you describe Delilah?

Did she seek to do her husband good all the days of her life?





1 Kings 16:31

1 Kings 18:1-4



How would you describe Jezebel?





Esther 1:9-12



Queen Vashti was described as being beautiful to behold.

What was her attitude like?







Let's look at how God sees a woman who uses her charms to deceive:



Hosea 2:6-8



God compares the harlot Gomer to His people, Israel.



Hosea 2:9-13



See how God deals with the harlot:



He will take away the grain and new wine as well as the wool and the linen: His provisions

Next He will take away her deliverance from His hand: protection

Then He will take away the feasts, New moons, Sabbaths: His presence



In other words, God is warning His people that unless they return to Him, they will no longer have covenant with Him.



Now we see God's mercy on the harlot...and His people:



Hosea 2:16-23



Verse 16: Notice how God calls Himself the "Ishi" or Husband to His people as He takes away the title "Baali" or Master.



The book of Hosea is a fantastic read. It reveals to us how God commands Hosea to take a harlot for a wife. He commands Him to pay for her: 15 pieces of silver. Then she is restored to her beauty by her husband.



Compare this to Jesus: He was commanded to marry an ungrateful people, harlots who worship other gods besides the One True God. He was told to purchase the bride (1 Cor. 6: 19-20) with His blood and body as well as restore her to her beauty.



Please read:



Ez. 34:25



Is. 35:1



Jer. 31:33-34



Zech. 13:9



John 17:3



Ro. 9:25-26



Eph. 2:11-13



1 Pet. 2:10



Now, we see that even though we, God's people, were once harlots who betrayed Him, He has made a way for us to come back to Him.



Hosea 6:1-3



And the covenant returns:



Hosea 14:6-9



God gives fruit to the fruitless life:



Gen. 3:22

Rev 22:2



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Life Application



Now let's look at the next part:



"Beauty is passing...."



Please read:



Is. 3:10-12



Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem for allowing the women to rule over them.



Is. 3:16-17



God's people were conformed with the world.



Notice their judgment:



Is. 3:18-26 The "outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors..." -ouch!



Remember how I described the women prison inmates? They had lost everything: all their material things. They could not wear any jewelry or color their hair. They had no nice clothes to wear any longer....and the stench! That is one thing I will never forget about entering prison. The stench is strong. Is that how we want to be? Put into bondage and have everything taken away before we listen to God and obey Him?



Verse 24:



"Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;

Instead of a sash, a rope;

Instead of well-set hair, baldness;

Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;

And a branding (burning scar) instead of beauty."



And what will happen to their reputation?



Verse 26:



"Her gates shall lament and mourn,

And she being desolate shall sit on the ground."



Yes, we see here that beauty is indeed passing.



Please read:



Esther 1:9 & 2:4



Contrast Queen Vashti, who was beautiful to behold, with Esther:



Esther 2:15



And our beloved Ruth:



Ruth 4:11-15



The people at the gates blessed her!



Ladies, we see here a sharp warning from the Lord: obey Him and live or disobey and suffer harsh consequences.



"But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."



1Pet 3:3-4 & 15



Prov. 1:1



Job 28:28



Ps. 111:10



Prov. 9:10



Prov. 15:33



Eccl. 12:13



God has given us His laws for our protection from Him:



Deut. 4:23-24

8:11

8:18-19

10:12-14



Micah 6:8



Ps. 33:6-9



These laws are for our own good. If we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly....we shall have presence with God Himself.



So, we read alot of scripture here today in which we learn that the Virtuous Wife was not praised because she was charming or beautiful.



She feared the Lord and that is why she was praised by those around her.



That is what we should strive for as Virtuous Women of God.







Until next time..............





"And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."



-2 Cor. 3:4-5









Blessings,

Ruth