When Enough Is Never Enough!
Sep 07
by Victoria Robinson
Three things that come to mind when I think of never having enough are … chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate!!! (Which might explain my hips! LOL) Unfortunately the number one thing most of us tend to think we never have enough of is money and possessions, which really equates to not trusting in our heavenly Father’s provision. King Solomon who was himself extremely rich, said, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.”
King Solomon gave us a wonderful remedy when our hearts say, “I don’t have enough!” He said, “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have.” Gratitude is so powerful in so many situations, but when it comes to dissatisfaction of our status in regards to wealth—it is a great cure. Another remedy is giving. No matter what the state of your possessions, giving even the smallest of your goods away will help set you free of being discontent. So girlfriends, look at the inventory of your possessions and start thanking and get busy giving!
Dearest girlfriends, I pray we would develop hearts of gratitude, giving, and contentement based on scriptural truths.
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. ~ Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. ~ 1 Kings 10:23 NIV
Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. ~ 1 Timothy 6:6-10 NLT
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:11-13 NIV
Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind. ~ Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT
Tags: chocolate, contentment, discontent, dissatisfaction, faith, giving, gratitude, harmful desires, hearts, hips, king solomon, kings of the earth, never enough, possessions, provision, remedy, ruin, scriptural truths, temptation, true religion, Victoria Robinson, wisdom 
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I Cannot … or Can I?
Sep 06
by Victoria Robinson
The answer to whether I cannot or can in a given situation depends on two things. First, what our heavenly Father allows and secondly, will we allow Him to use us His way. Job felt such frustration when he said, “He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.” Poor Job’s life had been hijacked by the enemy of his soul and yet the truth is this—the Lord is the One who had allowed the assault on this faithful servant causing him to feel penned in and not able to do anything. Or is that a true statement that Job could not do anything? Today as you read the story of Job and how it unfolded, you have the luxury, unlike Job, of seeing a victorious ending to his excruciatingly painful saga.
The truth is that Job did do something—something very important that affects us all these centuries later. Even as his life was going from unbelievably bad to worse the important thing Job did was what he did not do. He did not sin! His faithfulness in a difficult situation has spoken loudly to countless believers including you and me.
The Apostle Paul had many “cannot” times during his ministry and yet he always served in the circumstances God placed him in. Whether he was in prison, on a ship about to wreck, or other reasons, Paul always ministered where he was. Prison guards were saved, a ship’s crew saw the hand of God rescue their lives, he discipled Christians from his prison cell and so much more!
Girlfriends, your usefulness to the kingdom of God is NEVER dependant on whether you cannot do something, but only are you willing to allow God to use you in your situation.
Dearest girlfriends, I pray we would always remember how God CAN use us wherever He has placed us!
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness. ~ Job 19:8 NIV
He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. ~ Job 2:10 NIV
God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. ~ Romans 1:9-13 NIV
Tags: apostle paul, centuries, christians, circumstances, countless believers, darkness, faithful servant, faithfulness, foolish woman, frustration, hand of god, heavenly father, kingdom of god, poor job, prison cell, prison guards, saga, story of job, true statement, Victoria Robinson
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Should a Girl Wear White After Labor Day?
Sep 05
by Victoria Robinson
Girlfriends, when in doubt about an etiquette quandary I always head straight to that etiquette doyenne herself, Emily Post. Aside from my collection of both antique and modern Emily Post books, there is always the Emily Post Institute to find answers to life’s etiquette questions. Their answer as to whether one should wear white clothing after labor day gives us both a glimpse into why the rule started and what we should do today.
Back in Emily’s day—the nineteen 00s, 10s and 20s—the summer season was bracketed by Memorial Day and Labor Day. Society flocked en masse from town house to seaside “cottage” or mountain “cabin” to escape the heat. City clothes were left behind in exchange for lighter, whiter, summer costumes. Come fall and the return to the city, summer clothes were put away and more formal city clothes donned once more. It was an age when there was a dress code for practically every occasion, and the signal to mark the change between summer resort clothes and clothing worn for the rest of the year was encapsulated in the dictum “No white after Labor Day.” And it stuck. Of course you can wear white after Labor Day, and it makes perfect sense to do so in climates where September’s temperatures are hardly fall-like. Even in the dead of winter in northern New England the fashionable wear white wools, cashmeres, and down-filled parkas. The true interpretation is “wear what’s appropriate—for the weather, the season, or the occasion.” So on a blistering Indian Summer September day here in Vermont, you’ll catch us wearing our “whites”.Emily Post Institute
Spiritually speaking, a girl should wear “white” all year-round. King Solomon told us, “Always be clothed in white …” The “white clothing” he was speaking of, was not a reference to outer wear, but the purity of one’s heart. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John speaks of people dressed in white when he says, “They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and have made them white.” This is how you can be dressed in white—through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
As well as putting on the “white clothing” of salvation, we need to always be mindful of keeping our “whites” clean. We cannot do this apart from the miracle cleansing power of our Lord. Our part is to confess our sins and allow Him to make us whiter than snow.
Girlfriends, is there something you need to confess today? If so, take time right now to ask the Lord to cleanse you from all unrighteousness and marvel at how white your clothes will be!
Dearest girlfriends, let us enjoy dressing in beautiful white clothing all year-round through a repentant heart.
Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:8 NIV
… They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. ~ Revelation 3:4-5 NIV
… “Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?” “Sir,” I answered, “you must know.” Then he told me: “These are the ones who have gone through the great suffering. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and have made them white. ~ Revelation 7:13-14 CEV
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. ~ Revelation 3:18 NIV
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ~ Psalm 51:7 NIV
His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ~ Mark 9:3 NIV
Tags: apostle john, blood of the lamb, book of revelation, dead of winter, dictum, Emily Post, emily post institute, etiquette questions, indian summer, king solomon, northern new england, outer wear, perfect sense, post books, quandary, resort clothes, seaside cottage, september day, summer clothes, Victoria Robinson, white after labor day, whiter than snow, wools
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