Sample from Devotionals for Women -31 Days to Deeper Faith by Vida Li Sik
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DEVOTIONALS FOR WOMEN
31 Days to Deeper Faith
VIDA LI SIK
Are you deeply rooted in the scriptures? Dig into the Bible by taking a month-long devotional journey to deepen your faith. Find women in the Bible you can learn from by applying the lessons from their lives to your own today. You will have time to reflect, focus your prayers and decide on the practical action to draw you closer to God and to others.
Foreword
The Bible is full of stories of men of great faith. But it is also brimming with stories of remarkable women. Few are mentioned by name, and only two have had books named after them. They were women just like us; wives, sisters, mothers, daughters, businesswomen or homemakers. They lived by faith, trusting God with the outcome of their actions. We have the benefit of time, more than 2000 years, to see how life turned out for them.
Vida is a woman of God who has devoted herself to the study of these women. She has gleaned lessons from their stories that she has applied to her own life, and graciously shared with others as well. Vida is an excellent example of a woman who is striving to be all that she can be for God. My hope is that as you read the devotionals you will be inspired to be your best for God. Irene Renton, Women’s Ministry Leader, Johannesburg
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Anna – An uncommon faith
READING: Luke 2:36-38
Take a moment and add 50 years to your current age. Think about what you would look like. Would you still have your own teeth and be able to see? How mobile would you be, where would you be living and what would you be doing? Anna became a widow when very young, after only seven years of marriage. She expressed her faith and love for God in uncommon worship (by living in the temple and worshipping day and night) for the rest of her life.
A modern example for me is Mama K who has lived a long life and was baptised into Christ at the age of 102. She was in the group of 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1956 to protest against the pass laws. She’s lived a long life and has seen many things. Yet, nothing pleases her more than to listen to God’s word and to sing songs of praise. That is truly an uncommon life. And then, there is you. There is no-one else like you. You are one-of-a-kind, an original. Your unique life experiences, strengths and weaknesses make you uncommon. Genesis 1:27 says you were made in the image of God. He is an uncommon God who:
Wants to have a relationship with what he has created.
Chose an uncommon way to reconcile us to him. He sent his only son, to die a horrible death for those who lived as his enemies.
Chose forgiveness over retribution, mercy rather than punishment and love rather than hate.
Made salvation and grace freely available to all. You don’t need to earn it.
LIFE APPLICATION
REFLECTION: Do you believe God has chosen you to live an uncommon life? (Ephesians 5:1-2) Do you live for him rather than yourself and with passion and purpose instead of “going with the flow”? Will you show patience instead of anger, a smile instead of a frown, a word of encouragement instead of criticism? Will you bite your tongue and not say something negative, continue to care instead of withdrawing when others hurt you, set an example every day even if your reward will only come in the next life?
PRAYER FOCUS: Thank God for making you exactly the way you are.
ACTION: Take time to thank the “uncommon” women who have helped shape who you are.
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A Mary-heart in a Martha-world
READING: LUKE 10:38-42
Two sisters, and two very different approaches to Jesus. With which one do you most identify?
Jesus didn’t say there was anything wrong with what Martha did. She chose to do it. Maybe she was a perfectionist striving to make sure everything was “just right”.
It is okay to ask for help, but maybe she wanted validation (“You’re doing a great job, Martha, thank you for serving, we appreciate it”). The problem was that she “was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Then she complained. Very often, we do the same. We focus so much on what we need to do that we forget what we really need. Even our Bible study and prayer can become something to tick off the list.
In our Martha-world, is your phone the first thing you grab when you wake up?
We get so caught up with our to-do list for the day. Then we get busy and think “maybe, if I have time left over, I’ll spend time with God.” The result? Just like Martha, we get overwhelmed and then complain.
By contrast, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to and learning from him. Finding the right balance in our lives seems elusive, but maybe we’ve got our priorities all wrong.
LIFE APPLICATION
REFLECTION: What are the worries and things that upset and stop you from “choosing what is better?” Do you offer to serve, then complain about it?
PRAYER FOCUS: Commit everything you need to do to God before you start your day. Ask God to help you serve from a position of strength, on your knees at Jesus’ feet.
ACTION: What are some practical ways to help us to “listen at the Lord’s feet” throughout the day?
Move on: Get Devotionals for Women by Vida Li Sik here
Read an interview with Vida Li Sik here
