I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
True Beauty
In God’s infinite wisdom and creativity, He has crafted magnificent things: watercolor sunsets, awe-inspiring mountains, turquoise oceans, and beautiful people.
Proverbs 31 is a well-known chapter in the Bible about a God-fearing, hard-working, generosity-driven woman.
Interestingly, Proverbs 31 was written by a man—specifically, King Lemuel, although it’s technically advice from his mother that he shared when he was king.
Something that’s not obvious in non-Hebrew languages is that verses 10-31 actually make up an acrostic poem—each verse beginning with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, successively working their way from aleph to tau (from beginning to end).
Toward the climax of the poem, the author writes:
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” - Proverbs 31:30 NIV
Deep down we know this to be true, don’t we?
No matter how charming or beautiful a woman is, we know that beauty is fleeting. We know that charm will not last. We know that the aging process will eventually run its course.
But there’s barely any mention of this woman’s physical beauty, instead, the focus is on her character—on this woman who fears the Lord.
An earlier Proverb explains that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10)—the humble realization that anything good and wise and pure and true must have come from Him.
So if you know a woman like that—one who loves and respects God, one who honors and cares for people, one who invests wisely and lives purposefully—you might take a moment to thank God for her life. You might even consider how you can be more like her … as she aims to be more like Him.
Finding Satisfaction for Your Soul
Imagine you’re one of the Israelites traveling through the wilderness with Moses. You’ve been wandering ever since God rescued you from slavery in Egypt. You’re thirsty, but water is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Moses raises his staff and strikes a rock—and water begins to flow from it. In that moment, you thank God for providing your greatest need.
Thousands of years later, the Jews in Jerusalem were celebrating God’s provision for them when they wandered in the wilderness. For seven days, they would fill a golden pitcher with water and pour it onto an altar to remember how God provided water for their ancestors. On the eighth day, no water was poured, but they would pray and reflect on God fulfilling His promises for His people. As they were praying in the temple, Jesus stood up and cried out:
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.
John ...
