Skip to main content

In Other Words


“Still, accepting God’s existence is one thing; honoring his command is another matter entirely, especially if we’re required to go back when we’d rather go forward.”

~Liz Curtis Higgs
from Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible~


This is the quote that In Other Words will be centered around today. In Other Words is being hosted over at Miriam's. The quote is in a discussion about Hagar in the book Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible. For your information ahead of time, a "slightly bad girl" is someone who loves God and often tries to follow, but still has trouble trusting at times. Isn't that just about all of us?

Accepting God's existence is pretty simple. God is the creator of all. In Psalms 19 it tells that His creation declares His glory without uttering a word. We can look all around and behold the glory of the Lord. The oceans and the mountains testify to a creator. The majesty of a sunrise and sunset show there is a God. Many people "believe in God". It is easy to look around and believe that "there is a God".
Honoring is a little bit different isn't it? Sounds like some action is involved! Honoring someone is basically showing reverence and respect to them. When we honor someone, we look up to or deeply respect that person. When we show honor, our actions reflect this attitude of respect. We are humbled and often put them first - ahead of ourselves in order to convey our admiration.

God has in place commands that He expects us to live by. These are in place for our good. They are firm and are very clear in His Word. Deep in our hearts we "know" His commands and we "know" when things are right and when they are wrong. Sometimes His commands don't flow with our desires in our lives. Sometimes we want to be like others who seem so together, etc., but we know in our spirit, what is right or wrong. Which way do we choose? The valley of decision is a deep one and one we should be on guard when we are there. God's Word is truth and it reveals His truth. Feeling and knowing are different. Our emotions, wants and desires will scream at us sometimes - "DO THIS". That still small voice will whisper " This is the way - walk ye in it". This is where honor can step in and make all the difference. Do we honor the Lord and put Him before our wants? It may seem like a step backward, but the Lord ordains our steps and has a plan just for us. He is faithful and will not lead us astray (like our emotions!), He can be trusted and since nothing is impossible with Him, He can make it happen! The best guideline is the Word of God and if we honor His Word and His commandments, He will guide us in His perfect paths.

"Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me. For You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day". Psalms 25:5


Comments

  1. Our emotions, wants and desires will scream at us sometimes - "DO THIS". That still small voice will whisper " This is the way - walk ye in it".

    Oh yes! So difficult to choose the small voice over everything else, but always worth it!

    Thank you for participating in IOW this week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great Post. Thanks for sharing that this quote is about Hagar, I talked about her in my post today.

    Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Perfectly said. I admit, I did not read the quote from Curtis-Higgs in context. (Although the title of her book intrigues me!) Love the story of Hagar - she is in all of us.

    The Psalmist's prayer must be the prayer of our heart EVERYDAY!
    "Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me. For You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day".

    Thanks for the reminder!
    Kindest Thoughts
    Esthermsy

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Where honor steps in and makes all the difference." Love it because its the truth. Honoring God's commands makes a very big difference. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  5. Powerful powerful powerful! I love it! "The valley of decision is a deep one and one we should be on guard when we are there. God's Word is truth and it reveals His truth. Feeling and knowing are different. Our emotions, wants and desires will scream at us sometimes - "DO THIS". That still small voice will whisper " This is the way - walk ye in it". This is where honor can step in and make all the difference." Excellent post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We tend to want to overlook the reality that God expects us to obey his commands. In a day when it's popular to wear a cross pendant even amongst the unbelieving, it's not so popular to live the life of the true Cross-Bearer. It's sadly considered untolerant.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great post today. I am so thankful for that still voice!
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  8. "Sounds like some action is involved!"

    Getting up and doing or going..that IS the tough part in honoring isn't it...

    Honoring the commands...not always the EASY path, but undoubtedly the RIGHT one, every time!
    peace,
    lori

    ReplyDelete
  9. "The best guideline is the Word of God and if we honor His Word and His commandments, He will guide us in His perfect paths."

    This says it all, Joyfull. Amen.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your commment. It is a joy and blessing to hear from you and your words are appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress.  When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him.  Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.