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.
Luke 15
“Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours ...
Come and See, Go and Tell
What we hear affects what we know. What we know influences what we believe. What we believe impacts what we do.
That’s why it's so important to listen to God’s truth.
“So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 NLT
Throughout the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we see Jesus inviting His followers to “come and see,” to “go and tell,” and to “listen and understand.”
Paul explains why “going and telling” matters in his letter to the Romans:
“For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’”
Romans ...
