Night Light for Couples - A Wife’s Countenance

“He is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.” Deuteronomy 24:5

If you really want to know about a man and what kind of character he has, you need only look at the countenance of his wife. Everything he has invested, or withheld, will be there.”

That was the message Bill McCartney, then head coach of the University of Colorado football team, heard in a 1994 sermon. The words cut straight to his heart. McCartney had built the Colorado football program into a powerhouse that won a national championship in 1990. He had also cofounded a national men’s movement, Promise Keepers. But those achievements came at a price. For years McCartney had withheld his time and energy from his wife, Lyndi, and their four children. In 1994 Bill McCartney didn’t like what he saw in Lyndi’s countenance— so he resigned his position at Colorado to devote more time to his wife and family.

As a husband, you bear the primary responsibility for your wife’s welfare and emotional well‐being. What do you see in her face tonight?

Just between us…

• (husband) Do you ever feel like you’re competing for my attention?
• (husband) Do I appear preoccupied by my work or recreational activities?
• (wife) What do you imagine it was like for Bill McCartney to walk away from his successful coaching career?
• (wife) Do you ever struggle with trying to care for my emotional well‐being? Is there anything I can do to help?

(husband) Almighty God, with Your help I wholeheartedly accept my responsibility to care for my wife’s emotional well-being. May I increasingly become a master at it, so that I can see joy and contentment in her face. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.
Quotation from From Ashes to Glory by Bill McCartney (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers, 1995).

The Daily Readings for August 11, 2016

Judges 14:1-19
Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman. Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, because she pleases me." His father and mother did not know that this was from the LORD; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When he came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion roared at him. The spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and he tore the lion apart barehanded as one might tear apart a kid. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson. After a while he returned to marry her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands, and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. His father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there as the young men were accustomed to do. When the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they said to him, "Ask your riddle; let us hear it." He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days they could not explain the riddle. On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." Then the spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house.

Acts 6:15-7:16
And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Then the high priest asked him, "Are these things so?" And Stephen replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, 'Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.' Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and mistreat them during four hundred years. 'But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, 'and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.' Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. "The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

John 4:27-42
Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 105: Part I Confitemini Domino
1   Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.
2   Sing to him, sing praises to him, and speak of all his marvelous works.
3   Glory in his holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4   Search for the LORD and his strength; continually seek his face.
5   Remember the marvels he has done, his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,
6   O offspring of Abraham his servant, O children of Jacob his chosen.
7   He is the LORD our God; his judgments prevail in all the world.
8   He has always been mindful of his covenant, the promise he made for a thousand generations:
9   The covenant he made with Abraham, the oath that he swore to Issac,
10   Which he established as a statute for Jacob, an everlasting covenant for Israel,
11   Saying, "To you will I give the land of Canaan to be your allotted inheritance."
12   When they were few in number, of little account, and sojourners in the land,
13   Wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another,
14   He let no one oppress them and rebuked kings for their sake,
15   Saying, "Do not touch my anointed and do my prophets no harm."
16   Then he called for a famine in the land and destroyed the supply of bread.
17   He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18   They bruised his feet in fetters; his neck they put in an iron collar.
19   Until his prediction came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.
20   The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21   He set him as a master over his household, as a ruler over all his possessions,
22   To instruct his princes according to his will and to teach his elders wisdom.

Evening Psalms

Psalm 105: Part II Et intravit Israel
23   Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.
24   The LORD made his people exceedingly fruitful; he made them stronger than their enemies;
25   Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, and dealt unjustly with his servants.
26   He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27   They worked his signs among them, and portents in the land of Ham.
28   He sent darkness, and it grew dark; but the Egyptians rebelled against his words.
29   He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.
30   Their land was overrun by frogs, in the very chambers of their kings.
31   He spoke, and there came swarms of insects and gnats within all their borders.
32   He gave them hailstones instead of rain, and flames of fire throughout their land.
33   He blasted their vines and their fig trees and shattered every tree in their country.
34   He spoke, and the locust came, and young locusts without number,
35   Which ate up all the green plants in their land and devoured the fruit of their soil.
36   He struck down the firstborn of their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.
37   He led out his people with silver and gold; in all their tribes there was not one that stumbled.
38   Egypt was glad of their going, because they were afraid of them.
39   He spread out a cloud for a covering and a fire to give light in the night season.
40   They asked, and quails appeared, and he satisfied them with bread from heaven.
41   He opened the rock, and water flowed, so the river ran in the dry places.
42   For God remembered his holy word and Abraham his servant.
43   So he led forth his people with gladness, his chosen with shouts of joy.
44   He gave his people the lands of the nations, and they took the fruit of others' toil,
45   That they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Hallelujah!

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for August 11, 2016

From Forward Day By Day

Psalm 105:1 (NSRV) Give thanks to the LORD and call upon his Name; make known his deeds among the peoples.

The psalmist urges us to give thanks, to call upon God’s name and bear witness to God’s deeds by telling others. How is your witnessing going these days? I’m fairly good at giving thanks and calling on God for help. But I need help telling others what God has done in my life.

We have been reading in John’s Gospel about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. She is so excited by what Jesus shares with her that she leaves her water jar on the lip of the well, runs into the center of town, and invites everyone to come and see this Jesus. This nameless woman is one of the first missionaries to the world, telling the story of how Jesus changed her life, and inviting them to know Jesus and to be changed as well.

Why do we feel such a reluctance to share the story of Jesus in our lives? The Samaritan woman inspires me to share how Jesus has worked in my life. There is a definition of witnessing I like: to be with others in such a way that they know we’ve been with Jesus. Maybe it is that simple—and that profound.

Subscribe to Forward Day By Day   

Join more than a half million readers worldwide who use Forward Day by Day as a resource for daily prayer and Bible study.

His Princess Every Day - His Attention

Devotionals for Women - Inspirational author and speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd imagines what a letter written from God to you would look like.

My Daughter,

I see your hard work and dedication to others. I know that often the wonderful ways you help others go unnoticed and unappreciated. But that does not make them useless, My love. What you do and the way you serve bring Me great pleasure, and what I see in secret, I will reward openly in heaven. Don’t get discouraged. Find joy in knowing that I am pleased with you. Remember that even My son, Jesus, did not come to be served but to serve others. It wasn’t until His earthly life was over that people really understood all that I sent Him to do for them. Today, you are a representation of heaven on earth, and all that you do enthusiastically for My glory will never be wasted. Now smile, knowing that your loving Father is also your faithful rewarder of every good work.

Love,
Your God who sees you

Be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Treasure of Truth

He is the God who sees you when no one else does.

This devotional is written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. All content copyright Sheri Rose Shepherd 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Visit HisPrincess.com for devotionals, books, videos, and more from Sheri Rose Shepherd.

Girlfriends in God - Are You Enjoying God?

by Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

You will go out with joy, and be led out in peace. The mountains and the hills will break out into sounds of joy before you. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12 NLV).

Friend to Fiend

When I was a little girl, I used to love pretending to be a bride. I’d wrap a sheet around my body, drape a towel over my head, and hold a bouquet of plastic flowers to my chest. Then I would start at one end of our ranch-style house’s hallway and make my saunter down the “aisle.” In my little mind, all eyes were on me, as my sheet became a pearl studded wedding gown, my towel a lace veil, and the bouquet a spray of white roses.

My Uncle Ernest understood the longings of little girls to be a bride, so for Christmas one year, he gave me a two-foot doll dressed in full bridal regalia. Along with her white wedding gown and netlike veil, she had short cropped, curly brown hair that felt as real as my own, soft plump skin that squished when I squeezed her, and moveable eyelids lined with thick black lashes. Her eyes opened and closed with her changing positions so that when she lay in her box, she resembled Sleeping Beauty just waiting to be kissed. Her perfectly shaped lips were small and dainty, and her crystal blue eyes appeared strangely real.

But there was one problem with this delightful gift. Because she was so expensive, my mother wouldn’t allow me to play with her.

“You’ll have to wait until you are older,” she explained. “She’s too nice of a doll to play with. You might tear her gown. We’ll just keep her in the box until you’re old enough to know how to take care of her.”

So the bride doll remained in her box, safely stowed away in the bottom dresser drawer.

Day after day, I slowly opened the drawer and stole a peek at the doll as she lay sleeping inside the drawer like a treasure in a safety deposit box. Sometimes I removed the box lid and gently stroked her pink skin, but I knew if I ever took her out of the box and played with her, I would be in big trouble. As time passed, I forgot about the bride doll in the drawer, and today, I don’t even know what became of her.

I am sure the doll’s fate was never my uncle’s intent when he gave her to me. I imagine he envisioned me spending hours and hours playing with her, pretending with her, and enjoying her. As a matter of fact, had he known the doll lived in the bottom dresser drawer, I think he would have been sorely disappointed.

Oh friend, have we done the same with the greatest gift of all time? Have we done the same with Jesus? Have we accepted the gift of the Gospel and then stored it away in a drawer for safekeeping? Have we put Jesus on display, but neglected or refused to enjoy Him? Have we made the Gospel into a religion-in-a-box rather than a relation in the heart?

The Shorter Catechism, written by the Westminster Assembly in 1647, reads, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Enjoy God! The only way to enjoy God is by being in His presence, by making Acts 17:28, in Him we live and move and have our being, a present reality. Glory moments will not be found in a boxed up religion but in a budding relationship.

What does God want from us? Some say that He wants obedience and sacrifice–that He wants us to stick to the rulebook and color inside the lines. Others say that God wants us to be happy and victorious in all things. None of that is necessarily wrong, but it neither is the greatest desire of God’s heart. What He longs for, more than anything, is for you to be in relationship with Him. He wants your heart. He wants you to enjoy Him, to love Him, to join Him in intimacy as you live and move and have your being in Him.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, thank You that You initiated a relationship with me—that You want to spend time with me. I love that I can talk to You and share my thoughts with You. Thank You for talking to me and sharing with me. Thank You for giving me all things to enjoy!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

What does this portion of 1 Timothy 6:17 tell you?

…put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

What are some ways that you can enjoy God?

Crank up the Christian praise music today! Sing along! Enjoy being in the presence of God!

Click over to my Facebook page and tell me three ways you enjoy God.

More from the Girlfriends

Do you long for something more in your relationship with God? Do you have a “glory ache”—a hunger to experience God’s presence on a daily basis? The good new is that God wants that even more than you do. Right smack dab in the spin of the laundry and the sizzle of the bacon—as you live and more and have your being in Him. This summer, take some time to “be still and know”—to hear His still small voice—to dust for His fingerprints on the pages of your everyday life. My book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More will show you how. It also includes a study guide and free online Bible study videos. And while you’re on my website, check out the Praying Wives app for smart devices.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 1311
Huntersville, NC 28070

Standing Strong Through the Storm - SOLUTION TO PERSECUTION

“I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16b

Today we have the second in the series from a house church pastor’s sermon in China:

How is suffering overcome? Or if you like, what is the solution to persecution? A church father answered this way; “Pray as if everything depends on God. Work as if God were going to do his work through you.” So when resisting persecution, we do everything humanly possible to lessen it. But then we also beseech God to put a stop to it. In the two comes deliverance.

You can see both sides involved here. On the human level, we see two characteristics coming to the fore especially—courage and cunning. Esther is the one who displays courage, by taking her life in her hands to enter the king’s presence without an appointment. She says, “If I perish, I perish.” What a brave woman! She’s also the one who displays cunning, hatching a plan to entrap Haman. She throws a banquet, reveals her racial identity, and then exposes Haman as the man who wants to kill her.

Would it have worked? Who knows? Perhaps not. Haman did have great clout with the king as a trusted advisor, and Esther was merely a queen, and queens—as made clear here—are easily replaceable.

But it did work out, thanks to God. And this is the other side. We pray and pray that God will intervene. There is so much that is beyond our control. Our planning, our cunning, our bravery, is never enough. We need God’s help. So the Jews have a time of weeping and repentance (Esther 4:1-3), and then God intervenes in an astonishing way.

An old pastor used to say to me, “I find that coincidences stop happening when I stop praying.” The resolution of the book of Esther hinges on a massive coincidence, namely, that at the precise moment Haman expects to kill Mordecai, the king decides to honor Mordecai. Both men reach each situation independently. Take the king, for instance.

· The king just happens to have a sleepless night before Haman will pitch his plan.

· He just happens to read the annals to get to sleep, and just happens to find the part that tells of a good deed of Mordecai.

· He just happens to decide to honor Mordecai the following morning at the very moment Haman comes into the room.

· He just happens to select the first person who walks into his room at that time to carry out his plan.

· That person is Haman, who just happens to be ready to ask for the head of Mordecai.

And through a misunderstanding, the king decides to put Haman to death, as he thinks Haman is molesting Esther when in fact he’s only pleading. The point is, all this is outside human control. It’s God’s doing. But He worked within Esther’s plan. And so the plan to persecute the Jews is foiled.

RESPONSE: Today I acknowledge that there are no coincidences, just God-incidences!

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to be faithful and see evidences of Your control over my circumstances.

Verse of the Day - August 11, 2016

Psalm 119:14 (NIV) I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.

Read all of Psalm 119