Shine Your Light

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Coco Chanel

I love this quote because I have never found one that clearly states that fashion is not just about dress. The same can be said about modesty. Modesty is not just about the way we dress. It’s about our life and the way we present ourselves to the world.

Luke 11:33 says, “No one, when he has a lit lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.”

Our lights, as Christian women, should not be kept secret or hidden. We show the world who we serve by the love we show to others, the way we act, and the words we say. It is important to remember this when we walk out of our doors in the morning. Is my attitude modest? Is my intent today to bring glory to God and to shine my light for Him?

By: Caitlin Bradt

Love is not conditional, it’s intentional

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
(1 John 4:7-8 ESV)

With Valentine’s Day beginning to die down a bit…discounted candy at Wal-Mart, withering roses, and marked down decorations…I also see the intentionality of showing others love quickly becoming a thing of the past.  This year the Lord has really been working on my heart in ways that I know are only Him. This past week in my small group I went over 1 Corinthians 13 and boy was I convicted! I realized that in so many ways I did not always love others. Showing love to others is the very reason for my existence and by doing it I am showing them Christ. As I read through the verses in preparation, “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud….” I began to realize how conditional my love for others can be. My standards for love tend to be based on my feelings. If someone was kind to me, I would be kind to them. If they didn’t make me upset, I wasn’t easily angered. Can you relate to feeling that way at times?

Ultimate Love

Luke 7:36-50 - This is a story about repentance, forgiveness, and salvation – the ultimate love story.

A sinful woman (former prostitute) came courageously before Jesus with honesty, not hiding anything. She washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair even though that was against the customs. She kissed the feet of Jesus and anointed Him with all of the oil that she possessed. This woman showed her complete love and adoration for her Savior when Simon, the Pharisee did not greet Him, kiss Him, or anoint Him. Because of this, Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven...Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Something to think about:

How often do we, Christians, come before the Lord – completely abandoned and literally worship Him with all that we have. As Valentines Day approaches I hope that we remember how precious the gift of our salvation is. I hope we remember that Jesus Christ is the man who loves us with the holy, pure, and perfect love that we desired to be loved with.

by Caitlin Bradt

Passion 2012

“Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; The desire of our souls if for Your name and for the remembrance of You.” Isaiah 26:8

At the beginning of the New Year I got the chance to be apart of Passion 268. The Passion Conference is held annually, and for the past few years it has been in Atlanta, Georgia. Passion consists of thousands of college age students coming together to worship the Lord and exhaust themselves in fellowship and Bible study for four days. It was easily one of the most incredible and tiring experiences of my life. Everyday I sat with 44,000 other young people in the Georgia Dome and listened to the Word of God preached by Louie Giglio, Beth Moore, John Piper, and Francis Chan. We were lead in worship by Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, and other great worship leaders. Together, along with other who donated online, we raised over 3 million dollars to help stop slavery all around the world. At Passion I learned that there are 27 million slaves on this earth today. That is more than there has ever been before.  We were testimonies from people who have witnessed slavery first hand and from people who have dedicated their lives to putting an end to it.

Boldness.

 “My hope and prayer is that the body of Christ in America will awake with holy boldness, a boldness content neither with silence nor mere words but that backs up those words with action and results.”
Frank R. Wolf

Boldness is essential in the life of a Christ-follower. We must be bold in our testimony, in our speech, and in our lifestyle. Peter and John prayed a prayer for boldness in Acts 3. This was their prayer, “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all BOLDNESS they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus...and they spoke the word of God with BOLDNESS.” The Lord worked so many miracles through the lives of Peter and John because of their boldness and their prayer for boldness. Paul also prayed a similar prayer in Ephesians 6. He prayed, “…and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth BOLDY to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak BOLDY, as I ought to speak.”

Do you see a pattern here? All of the great disciples of Jesus Christ had this characteristic in common. They had no fear here on this earth except the fear of the gospel not being made known. These men were beaten, thrown into prison, tortured, and even died all for the sake of making the word of God known. THAT is boldness. I realize that most of us will not be beaten for our faith. However, there are many martyrs around the world sacrificing their lives to make God known. But we are all called to step out of where we are comfortable and into a place where we are dependent on no one but the Lord. We are called to be that shining face that stands out in the crowd of careful and timid people to let the rest of the world know that WE.ARE.NOT.ASHAMED.OF.THE.GOSPEL.OF.CHRIST!

By: Caitlin Bradt