The trial of faith

Ruth and Orpah

…verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence...and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20

THE STORY IN THE PAINTING

This painting depicts Naomi's widowed daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, as they prepare to depart Moab after the death of their respective husbands. Though both girls initially decide to follow Naomi to the land of Judah, Orpah heeds Naomi's persistent entrities that the two return to the land of their nativity. Orpah's descision to turn back cuts her off from the precious opportunities afforded Ruth, who endures the trial of her faith, refusing to leave Naomi in her time of need. Ruth is "steadfastly minded to go with [Naomi]" (Ruth 1:18) and completes the journey to Beth-lehem, willingly accepting the suffering and privations of Naomi's life of poverty. Because of Ruth's faithfulness and virtue "full reward [is] given [her] of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings [she had] come to trust" (Ruth 2:12) and she was privileged to be among the ancestors of the Savior of the world.

Note: Some may wonder at the youth of the girls depicted in the painting, but the scriptural narrative refers to Ruth as a "damsel" (Ruth 2:6) and a "young woman" (Ruth 4:12). Both words are derived from the Hebrew word "naarah," denoting a girl between infancy and adolescence (Strong 79).

SYMBOLISM OR SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS IN THE PAINTING

RUTH (pictured right)

The viewer sees the artist's interpretation of the differences between the two girls' decisions: Ruth's steadfastness to the God of Israel allows her to completely divorce herself from her previous, familiar circumstances and way of life and, instead, "come unto a people which [she] knewest not" (Ruth 2:11). She leaves her previous religious beliefs and culture behind and trusts in the Lord whom she has come to trust. That willingness to accept the trial of her faith and step into the uncertainty of her future life with Naomi is represented in this image through the visual darkness which surrounds the figure. Indeed, Ruth seems more distant from the viewer than Orpah, as though she is already separating herself from Orpah's decision to turn homeward.

Ruth's willingness to "lose" her life for the Lord's sake (see Luke 9:24) allows the Lord to endow her with eternal blessings. This principle is represented in the image by the enveloping golden robe she wears, simple compared to Orpah's finery, but more rich in the material itself and not outwardly showy, symbolic of the "robe of righteousness". Her jewelry reminds the viewer of the Lord's words to Malachi, that those that fear Him “shall be [the Lord's] in that day when [He makes] up [His] jewels” (Malachi 3:17). Ruth's future abundant blessings from the hand of the Lord are represented by the large bunch of grains lying before her. Included among the grains are barley, the grain Ruth is willing to glean from Boaz' fields, and millet, a grain also grown anciently (Woods 42).

ORPAH (pictured left)

Orpah, on the other hand, is not firm in her decision to follow after Naomi and is content to go "back to her people, and unto her gods" (Ruth 1:15). Like Lot's wife, Orpah "looked back" (see Genesis 19:26) to her familiar past and shut herself out from the rich blessings made possible for all those who "trust in the Lord will all [their] heart; and lean not unto [their] own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Therfore, the artist depicts her surrounded with the culture of her past, decked in her dowry (the gold coins encircling her forehead) and ornately embellished clothing, clinging to Ruth's hand instead of distancing herself, like Ruth, from her past using faith to give her courage to face the future. Unlike Ruth's abundant sheath of grains, Orpah is separated from this abundance by an empty vessel which symbolizes the principle taught by the Savior Himself, that "whomsoever will save his life shall lose it" (Luke 9;24) and that "whomsoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whomsoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he hath" (Matthew 13:12 JST added). The Trial Of Faith by Elspeth Young

Blessings and comfort, Glenys

Don't feel guilty for being a woman

As a friend of mine  said,   women  are  made to feel so guilty for being women-   wanting  to marry,   stay   home and  keep  house and  mother  our  children!    We  have  nothing to  thank  the  feminist movement for. .. our identity as women  has  been  trampled  on  and  we who  wish to stay at  home  have had  that dream sullied by strident women who have penis envy!

We women are created to nurture. It is in our nature to pick up a dolly and embrace her from the time we can grasp her and bring her to our chest and lips... it is entirely natural for us to offer that dolly sustenance from a toy bottle or even our breast, in imitation of our mothers feeding younger siblings...

How many of us have received a cup of tea from tiny teacups, sipping it slowly to delight our little hostesses who are still too young to be entrusted with real teapots and teacups?  Or watched the toddler girl trying to tuck her baby into her tiny dolly's pram, covering its head completely and far too young to really tuck her in? -yet her tenderness and concern is charming to watch...

Now the feminists try to tell us that we are responsible for training our daughters to become servile, and meek and weak, forcing them into a life of subservience that thwarts their potential both personally and financially.  It is easy to see that the majority of these feminists have not mothered sons who will toddle up to a dolly and proceed to poke at her eyes and twist her joints and disrobe her in an attempt to see how she works... his interest is one of inquisitiveness.... he too is doing what comes naturally to him. Working things out in a practical way...

Feminists have been instrumental in promoting contraception and abortion on demand.  They have stolen a lot of women's dreams of being mothers and have often lied to them about consequences that they say are  detrimental to them- mostly career achievements that in the end leave them with empty arms and ashes in their mouth. 

Even the married woman is convinced that her desire to be a mother is misplaced, especially if her desire is for a large family, and sadly even in some churches, this is seen to be an ambition that is frowned upon.  Yet God Himself has placed the desire to bear children and to bring children up, in our hearts.  Yet many feel guilty that they have these desires.... desires which are God given and good.

What God considers of great importance, creating a happy home for the raising of children unto Him, with the blessing of marriage and a committed father, is being destroyed by feminists who are often self-proclaimed lesbian man-haters... women who see marriage as a male invention of tyranny and control, and pregnancy as the undesirable biological entrapment of their gender...

From an early age a little girl will often be fascinated by brides and all the trimmings of a wedding, and again this is natural.  Yet feminists have now managed to influence girls to delay getting married or to cohabit without expecting or even wanting to be married, and again we find the women of today who secretly long to be married feeling guilty for desiring something that really is their birthright as women.  Feminism has taken away that which is precious to our identity as women- being a wife and enjoying the security and esteem that being married brings to a woman who loves her man...

Whilst some feminists did marry and have children, most divorced as their feminist ways weren't conducive to a happy marriage.  Still others cohabited but remained voluntarily childless... many took lesbian lovers..

Now not everyone is called to be married and mothers, but these feminist women have so trampled on our natural identity as women that young women and girls are feeling guilty for being women! They are so confused with what they want in life that they are not only guilty that they want marriage, home and children  but that they are also afraid.  They are often forced to excel at school and university in order to provide for themselves, and are often in the position of finding out that even though they do now want marriage and motherhood, that they have left their run too late.

Thanks to feminism making women guilty and afraid of their womanhood, many women who in the natural scheme of things, should already be wives and mothers, are doomed to remain single.  Or, hearing the biological clock  ticking, they find their only option to at least become mothers limited to a one night stand or artificial insemination.... hardly ideal for the foundation of a new family...

I know this is true because I have an acquaintance who has fallen for the feminists' lies and who now has found herself in exactly that position.... we are waiting to see how she approaches being childless, which reportedly happened to Germaine Greer after she discovered she did in fact want a child but was unable to have one....

All this feminist clap-trap has done nothing for womankind but heap coals of fire on young women's heads. What should be a natural God-given course of life for a woman has been thwarted and defiled... Countless women have actually become victims of feminists' lies and are destined to live out lonely sad lives... lives rich in worldly possessions but poor in those things of eternal value.

I am sorry for the young women today who feel guilty for being a woman.... I pray that they will come to realise that they are victims of feminist women who tried to liberate them from the good things God had for them, but who instead bound them up in chains of regret and longings that they will have to endure for the rest of their lonely lives...

Please ladies, don't let feminists make you feel guilty for being a woman...

 © Glenys Robyn Hicks

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3

The joy of being a Spirit-led woman

Many women feel ill at ease when there is talk of being led by God’s Spirit. They seem to think that God’s Spirit will change them in a way that will cause them to feel driven or cause them to act strangely. I have heard it said by a man at a prayer meeting that he was “afraid of what the Spirit has in store for me today!” My friends, there is no need to fear being a Spirit-led woman! For the Spirit of God is gentle. He is our Comforter, Healer, Convicter of sin and our Teacher 

‘But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me’  John 15:26 ‘Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you’ John 16:7 

If ever there is any discomfort with Him, it is because He is calling us to a greater knowledge of God or convicting us of some sin that needs to be repented of. That is not to say that we are necessarily sinning greatly, but even small things that we know we should be doing and don’t do them, then that is sin- and the Holy Spirit will convict us of this- bring it to our minds and put it in our hearts to do it. ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin’. James 4:17

Being led by the Spirit is ongoing. At our conversion, we have the regeneration of our soul and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit. He seals us until the day of Christ Jesus and yearns jealously over us, leading us into the love and light of God’s holiness.  ‘But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal’ ‘Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts’. 2 Cor 1:22

Being led by the Spirit is a beautiful thing. It is not necessarily a constant ethereal experience whereby we literally glow all day, but rather it is a constant running of internal “rivers” of joy that nothing can completely squash. A Spirit- led woman is confident in whatever role God has put her in. She understands that with God, all things are spiritual. God doesn’t take His eye of concern off us when we are sweeping our floors or tending our children.

There is no spiritual and secular for the Christian woman- all things are spiritual. The Holy Spirit doesn’t check out of our lives when we are doing the laundry or the shopping.- and have you ever taken God shopping with you? Prayed for a parking space or asked for wisdom in some purchase, whether it be food or clothes or a car? God’s Spirit is listening to our concerns and cares, longing to help us in our daily walk- longing to strengthen us in our times of trial and love us with the love only God can give us.  ‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’. John 14:26 

And have you ever shared a laugh with God? Have you caught yourself in praise and been filled with adoration that makes your eyes shine? Has your spirit soared with joy and thankfulness as something special caught your eye? Have you ever felt the joy of the Spirit inside you, laughing with you?

My friends, I believe God’s Spirit touches our soul with little glances that only you and He see…things that others may overlook but that He knows you love. For God is the Lover of our souls.. He loves us with a love that is unconditional and true. His Holy Spirit is His Gift to us to help us overcome temptation, grief and sorrow. To remind us that we have a God Who lives within our hearts and Who will never leave us- not even in our worst times!  ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;’ John 14:16

And it is He Who makes us strong in the difficult valleys of life- Who enables us to say with certainty, I will succeed- for He is my rock! ‘ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father’. Rom 8:15
  

We will have difficult times in our life- that we can be sure of! But we are so very blessed to have a God Who promised not to leave us orphans when He returned to His Father. He has kept His Promise in giving us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us.  ‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you’. John 14:18

To be afraid of God as in awe of Him as God is healthy, but to be afraid of Him and His wonderful Spirit is not. If God seems far away, ask yourself who moved? The Holy Spirit is like a gentle dove, and God is a gentleman. He will stand back if you do not want Him in your life- and if you constantly quench Him, the Spirit will not force Himself into your life.

If ever there seems to be silence where once there was music, or if the path now seems to be a lonely one and you cannot sense the Spirit’s presence- check in your heart and see if you have moved away. If you have, make it right with God and ask for the joy of your salvation and God’s Presence to be a part of your life once again. He will be there, waiting- in fact yearning for you to ask Him back into your life so that you are not comfortless.  Of all people in the world, we Spirit-led women (and men), are the most blessed of all. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God’: Rom 8:16

Not only do we have a loving Father Who sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for our sins and redeem us, but we have the Spirit of God to help us in our day to day living. In a world that is getting darker, how comforting it is to be Spirit-led Children of God.  ‘But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth’: 2 Thes 2:13

Never has God left us as orphans-comfortless- but He has made us joint heirs with Christ and we have His Spirit leading us into glory! Praise the Lord! I am so glad I am a Spirit-led woman! God makes me sing and my heart glad!

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Established in the faith

Eunice

Then came [Paul] to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him...And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Acts 16:1-5

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 2 Timothy 1:5

THE STORY IN THE PAINTING

This painting depicts Eunice, the mother of the New Testament disciple, Timothy, a Jewess who believed in Christ (see Acts 16:1) and nurtured her son in that faith. Eunice is extolled, along with Timonthy's grandmother, Lois, as a mother possessing "unfeigned faith" (2 Timothy 1:5). It is this faith which Eunice passes on and first "established" (see Acts 16:5) in Timothy, thus laying the foundation for her son and any blessed through his own missionary efforts, to "[fight] a good fight...[finish the] course..[and keep] the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). Likewise all righteous women who strengthen their familiies and raise children in the faith leave indellible legacies of faith for all generations to follow.

Eunice is an example of of parents who teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God...baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands...to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. Such mothers and fathers establish the foundations of faith in their children, allowing faithful leaders, like the Apostle Paul, to build on the testimonies they planted in the home. Such foundations also enable their posterity to "be not...ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8), and to "Hold fast...in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13).

Eunice was able to engender this reliance on and trust in Christ "in" her son (see 2 Timothy 1:5), despite the "wholly Gentile and pagan culture" in which her homeland was steeped and a husband who, presumably, did not share her faith (see Acts 16:1). This remarkable mother's "unfeigned faith" nurtured her child to become what one Bible Dictionary describes as "Paul's most trusted and capable assistant"

The fact that Eunice's faith enabled her to raise her son in such protective righteousness gives hope to each of us that, amidst the backdrop of secularism and aethism in which we find ourselves, we too can raise a posterity who is true to the faith.

SYMBOLISM OR SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS IN THE PAINTING

Eunice's home, Lystra, was a city within a Roman colony in present-day Turkey; one in which, according to one Biblical scholar, "Paul was unable to assume that his audience had any knowledge of the true God" (Zondervan 332). Within this painting, Eunice is, therefore, compositionally surrounded by architectural elements which represent her culture. The seemingly informidable stone architecture is a visual reminder of the political, social, and religious circumstances in which she would have to endeavor to raise a righteous family.

Symbolically, the only pure light visible in the image is found touching her person. It does not extend to the elements represnting the culture of the world. The brilliant white hightlights bathing her hair in beauty represents the light with which faith in Christ bathes the possessor of it. It is this light which enlivens her being, just as the light of Christ enlivens all who have their eye on Gods' glory.

The color of the Roman-style "palla" draped about her shoulders was produced anciently by using a dye extracted from the madder root. Here, this reddish color is intended to remind the viewer of the atoning blood of Christ, which enables those obedient to His commandments to be clothed with purity, even with the robe of righteousness, even when he or she may be surrounded by the threatening influences of the world. The gold embroidery visible on her palla was fashionable in Rome prior to Eunice's day.by Elspeth Young

God's plan for us is amazing!

As you probably know, I write for some Christian Sites as well as my blog, and I have been amazed at the way it has shown me that God's plan for our lives is the right one. His ways are always right.

I have always sought to live my life according to God's Word, and I have tried to encourage other Christian women in their walk. Over the five years that I have written of God's wonderful plan for us as wives, mothers and homemakers, I have been impressed with how the 5 areas of priority in our lives overlap so much that at times I have had to categorise them by adding all the 5 areas to each post. Let me explain.

Just a quick recap of the five areas of service for the Christian woman and wife in order of priority:

• God
• Husband
• Children
• Home
• Church

We must serve God and have Him first in our life.

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8

Because everything is spiritual in our life, I have discovered that when we serve our husbands, we are serving Christ.

" Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as is fit in the Lord " Colossians 3:18 "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy" 1 Corinthians 7:14

When we look after our home, we are serving God, our husband and our children.

"I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully." 1 Timothy 5:14

Serving in church or serving in God's Name is important but should not come before all the other 4 priorities are in order.

" (widows) well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work" 1 Timothy 5:10

I have found that often I cannot place a post under just one category because it is so closely correlated to the other categories of service. This is because everything in our lives is spiritual.

When we consider the umbrella of God's protection as well, we can see that God's plan for our lives is amazing. We have everything here to guide us as wives, mothers and homemakers. We can be sure that we are living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God and in keeping with His Word. It is not only comforting to know that God's Word guides us in our daily living, but it is also amazing that we can know with a certainty that God not only approves of us being wives, mothers and homemakers, but that He calls most of us to be that!

If God has called us to be a wife with all that entails, then let us rejoice in His plan for our life. In doing so, we can be partners with God in His greatest creation: people who will love Him and live for eternity with Him! And we will live an abundant life full of blessings as Christ has promised.


© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Good enough to die for!

Most of us have been scarred somewhere in our life journey. Parents, siblings, playmates, teachers, employers and bullies have all chipped away at our confidence. Many of us have tried our hardest to be what others expected of us... and sadly, most of us have failed, or at least feel like we have.

Self doubt is a killer of confidence and happiness, and it stifles us. We lack drive to dream, to set goals, to even hope. And when chronic illness comes into play, the spiral of self doubt and hopelessness gets deeper. We feel there is no way out.. But there is a way out. The way out is to consider what God says about you. Here are some things He says about *you*...

Not sure who you really are? Read this list of Biblical truths that reveal who God made you to be...

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues. I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10).

I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

I am God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I am a spirit being alive to God (Romans 6:11;1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)

We can see that we no longer have to strive to be accepted or loved. We already are- by the One Who is the most important one to please. That should tell us something of our importance: Our Creator God came and died for us so that He can spend eternity with us...So you know, you have got to be more than enough!

And as for being good enough: we won't ever be good enough! But it doesn't matter... we are righteous because of what Christ has done. So don't worry about being good enough. And don't worry about self-doubt: just read the scriptures and know that you are greatly loved just as you are.. and that's something that you should never stop believing about yourself! After all, you're good enough to die for! You have God's Word on that! 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Other places you can find me on the net

A Christian Home Keeper

A Christian Home

Ladies Against Feminism 

Around the table

Take a seat please before we start!

Before you start reading this blog, I need to tell you that we will be discussing some pretty deep topics and I do not want you to feel that I am condemning or judging you in any way.

The purpose of my blog is to bring comfort and blessing to you, but also to bring you to know and love Jesus Christ.   Without knowing Him, you will never know how deep and wide His grace and love are for *you* and you will not share in eternal life with Him when you pass. It all hinges on your decision to love or reject Him in life... there are no second chances! 

We will be discussing many painful and deeply personal topics, such as abortion, divorce and death and I write very directly about the repercussions of these on our peace and joy, now in life and onward into eternity. There is always forgiveness with God upon sincere repenting. 

I write of scripture and how the LORD wants us to live in this dark age we find ourselves in, for every thinking man and woman today knows that the days are evil and all things point to Jesus's return soon. This may offend some but as I said, the purpose of this blog is to comfort and bless and point towards our Saviour Who loves us- *you* with an everlasting love.

What I write is bathed in prayer and backed in scripture to present as best as I can, God's instructions on how to live a joyful and victorious life in spite of pain,  and in the calling we find ourselves in now.  I write about my difficult experiences not for sympathy, but to encourage others in their own valley that God is there and He does see them and ultimately He will bring them through.

If you take offence, please know that is not my intention. I write because I love God and I love His Word. None of us can live without the knowledge that our sins are forgiven and that we have hope through Jesus Christ. He longs for our friendship with Him, beginning as we give our hearts and life to Him. This is called regeneration or the Second Birth or being saved. We must be born again or saved to see God. 

I cannot- (will not) live without knowing Christ and indeed I do not want to relinquish that hope that He has placed within me. To know Christ is to know peace. To not know Him is to live in sin and condemnation and fear all our life and into eternity when we pass...

May the love of Christ surround you. May you respond to His Spirit wooing you to Him and may those of you who already know Him share the Good News and Hope we have in Him. 

If you want to contact me, email me on glenysrobynhicks1953@gmail.com

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:16-21