Keeping Up Appearances

You can’t go to the movie theater. No makeup. Girls can’t wear pants at church. No drums in the church. No dancing. No coffee. No pepper. You can wade in the water on the Sabbath, but you can’t swim. Sound familiar? All of the little rules that people are nit-picky about are just physical manifestations of things that should be happening internally.


“And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:6 – 8 (ESV)


“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” Matthew 15:19 – 20 (ESV)


The focus of holiness is not solely the conversion of the mind; it is also the conversion of the heart. The issue is people keep the appearance of holiness without a real relationship with Christ. Because the conversion is not genuine they put on the garments of righteousness, but what lies beneath is a heart that is untouched by God. True transformation occurs when God abides within an individual and His presence inspires obedience from the heart. He is knocking, let Him come in.



To being wise,


Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa

Be Careful What You Wish For.....(Part 2)

In our previous post we discussed how God’s plan is so much better than anything we could come up with on our own. So what does the righteous life look like? What’s in it for you?


1. God will not deny you good things. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11 ESV


2. Those who seek the Lord lack for nothing. “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” Psalms 34:10 ESV


3. Whatever the righteous desire will be granted. “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.” Proverbs 10:24 ESV


4. Unlimited grace and favor. “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalms 5:12 ESV


5. The righteous will thrive. “Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight.” Proverbs 11:20 ESV


6. The righteous will rejoice in the fruit of their deeds. “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.” Isaiah 3:10 ESV


7. The righteous are not left alone in times of trouble. “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalms 34:17 ESV


8. The righteous will not be forsaken by God and can expect help from Him. “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” “The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble." Psalms 37:25 & 39 ESV


9. Our inheritance is from God. “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.” Psalms 37:29 ESV


10. The righteous have eternal life. “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46 ESV


This is more than winning the lottery, more than being on the cover of Forbes and more than being famous. God offers you eternal life, will you settle for death?



To being wise,



Meredith, Jennifer and Marisa