Simply 'a woman who fears the Lord'

It seems as though the media has been inundated with the latest popularity polls and results for who may be our next president. Straw polls and their results have been headlining the national and local newspapers for weeks, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Conservative Christians even held their own Values Voters forum where they questioned candidates on moral issues, and then took their own straw poll of the candidates. The delegates voting were chosen by national conservative leaders. The September 17, 2007 press release from ValuesVoters.com states: “This isn't about partisanship. It's about values. It’s not about the letter behind the name, rather it’s about the values of the heart and the policies that effect the public.” (Source: http://www.valuesvoterdebate.com/ ) My sincere hope and prayer is that the Values Voters will look beyond political party affiliation when they choose a candidate to support. Christians should have Biblical standards for choosing politica...

“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” – Proverbs 3: 9, 10 “We all have a certain amount of time allotted to us” is the title of an entry in my prayer journal for August 30th. I had overheard this statement on the radio that morning, and it was one of my first thoughts for the day. After reading Scripture, I then went on to pray that I might spend my allotted time wisely by investing in the kingdom of Heaven. What are some of the ways to invest in the kingdom of Heaven? I think prayer is one of the best investments we can make. Oftentimes we find ourselves at the end of our ability to change circumstances or others whom we care about that need our help. And just as often, I have found that if I start with a prayer for a particular person or situation, the Lord will begin to work a change with me. I don’t know about you, but being used by the Lord to bless...

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, w...

“At the moment of fertilization , a new and unique human being comes into existence with its own distinct genetic code. Twenty-three chromosomes from the mother and twenty-three chromosomes from the father combine to result in a brand-new and totally unique genetic combination...” (Source: Prenatal Development - Abort73.com) On the corner of Forest Park and Boyle Avenues in St. Louis, Missouri is a large, white brick building. On the front is a sign identifying it as “Planned Parenthood.” A large colorful banner also hangs on the front of the building. It shows a female medical professional standing next to a young woman, and both are smiling as though they haven’t a care in the world. At the top of the banner in bold text is the question: “Need Emergency Contraception?” Underneath this text and on the side next to the smiling women in smaller text is “No Exam, No Hassle, No Delay.” Then underneath the picture are the words in bold type “Planned Parenthood To The Rescue!” Let’s take a...

For the last several weeks I have been sharing with you character sketches of Christian women known in Church history as Covenanters. These ladies were adventurous, courageous, bold in their faith and loyal to each other. These are character traits which we can all pray and work to have; but I think there is one essential ingredient to developing a godly character which we ought not to miss, and this is the love of God in Christ in our hearts. Matthew Henry writes this in his “Commentary of the Whole Bible” for 1 John, chapter 4, verses 14 through 21: “The love of God in Christ, in the hearts of Christians from the Spirit of adoption, is the great proof of conversion. This must be tried by its effects on their temper, and their conduct to their brethren. If a man professes to love God, and yet indulges anger or revenge, or shows a selfish disposition, he gives his profession the lie. But if it is plain that our natural enmity is changed into affection and gratitude, let us bless the na...

“It pleased God of his great goodness, early to incline my heart to seek him, and bless him that I was born in a land where the gospel was at that time purely and powerfully preached; as also, that I was born of godly parents and well educated. But above all things, I bless him that he made me see that nothing but the righteousness of Christ could save me from the wrath of God.” – Mrs. William Veitch Marion Fairlie was born in Scotland in 1638, and married William Veitch, a non-conforming minister in 1664. It has been reported that her friends tried to persuade her from marrying the young minister as he had been ejected from the pulpit for not being licensed by the bishop to preach, and for having “opinions hostile to prelacy”. Instead of listening to her friends’ advice, Marion chose to cast her all upon the LORD and to trust in His providential care. She then began a life of hardship, separation and persecution as the wife of an “ejected minister” in Scotland. After only two years of...

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear… Psalm 10, verse 17 – KJV Lady Anne, Duchess of Hamilton (Wikipedia) Lady Anne, Duchess of Hamilton was born in 1631 in Scotland to Christian parents. Her mother died when Anne was 8 years old, and her father, James, was beheaded for treason when she was only 19 years old. James Hamilton was one of the leading Royalists who supported King Charles I. He had tried to form an alliance between the King and the Earl of Argyll, a Scottish Covenanter and friend. They eventually had a falling out and their friendship became severed. James was arrested during the administration of Oliver Cromwell, charged with treason and then executed. (Source: British-Civil-Wars.co.uk) Due to the death of Lady Anne’s father and then her guardian, an uncle, she became impoverished as the family wealth was seized by the administration of Cromwell. The hardship of poverty left its imprint upon the ch...

" I desire to bless Him that ever He was pleased to cast our lot together, that He found you out a help meet for me: you were never a temptation to me, nor an obstruction to me either in my ministerial or Christian course… " (Written by Mr. John Carstairs to his wife Janet in November of 1662.) Janet Mure was born in February of 1625 in Scotland; she was the sister of Margaret Durham, who was married to James Durham, the well known theologian and respected minister of the Presbyterian Church. Janet married Mr. John Carstairs, who became one of the persecuted non conformist ministers of the Gospel, at the age of 22 or 23 years. Together they had seven children: three sons and four daughters. Most of what we know about Janet Carstairs is derived from the letters she and her husband wrote to each other during the period of time when he was forced to flee Scotland due to persecution for his adherence to the Presbyterian faith. Their letters reveal a strong, heroic woman who loved...

"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him…And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis Ch. 2, vs. 18, 21-24 KJV) This week’s character sketch is of Margaret Mure, who was born in Scotland in 1618. It is reported her parents brought her up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." Her first marriage was to the minister Zachary Boyd of Glasgow. She was soon widowed and then went on to marry Mr. James Durham, a celebrated and popular minister who died at the youn...

"I know in whom I have believed, and that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. I have preached salvation through His name, and as I have preached, so do I believe, and do commend the riches of His free grace, and faith in His name unto you all, as the only way whereby you can be saved." (Spoken by Rev. James Guthrie while on the scaffold in 1661.) Jane Ramsey, who became Mrs. James Guthrie, has been described as a woman with "unswerving faithfulness to the cause of God." It is only by the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit that one could possibly endure the suffering Mrs. Guthrie did when she lost her husband to martyrdom. Rev. James Guthrie was a contemporary of Samuel Rutherford and became an ordained minister in 1638. He has been described as a man who loved God, his country, and one who boldly spoke of the Lordship of Christ over both the Church and the nation. This eventually led to his being charged with treason and his ...