“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." ~ Jesus



I have always been a sucker for "chick flicks". Always. Now that I am on vacation, I have seen a couple of them. The truth is... love is just beautiful. I bet many single gals like myself watch all these movies and we are like: "Man! When will I ever meet my future husband?!" Anyhow. Yes, I would like to get married, and yes, I would like to have many children. I love big families! But, I believe it is more important to know Your God, to love Him with all you have, in order to be able to love that special person you have always dreamed about.



Our hearts can dictate so many things. I wonder what God's heart says about the guys we may have a "crush" on. One of my friends wrote something on her Facebook status today that I found fascinating: "Guys, leading is part of your makeup. A relationship with God equips you for a relationship with her." My other good friend uploaded an image that said: "A man who is not after God's heart should not be after mine." But some of us have set our eyes on men that do not have the fear of the Lord, in other words, they do not love God. My sister, who is also my best friend, continually reminds me of how the man who will take me to the altar should look like. Just yesterday, I was sighing and thinking about someone that does not match up with God's standards, and my beautiful sis said: "Mel, remember your list". Yes, I wrote a list about the guy who will steal my heart after seeing a video of Lacey Sturm, former lead singer of the band Flyleaf. Sturm says she was reading a book about purity and relationships called "And the Bride wore White" by Dannah Gresh. According to Sturm, the book says that we should make a list about what we want in a husband, so I did my list. A very long list I must say. On my list I put the personal characteristics, physical attributes and hobbies that I want in "Mr. Right". Sometimes I doubt I ever meet this one guy, but God's timing is perfect, so I do not have to worry.



So many godly people that I know are dating, engaged, or married at the moment. I feel so happy for them! I see their wedding pictures and all I know is this: It is worth waiting for the one. Hopefully you will wait too, but do not forget to fall in love with Your Eternal Bridegroom first, so that you may love your prince here on Earth.



Credits: Photo 1 "Read between the lines", photo 2 "Love is all around us" & photo 3 "Garden" by DorottyaS (www.deviantart.com). Video "Neighbor Boy" by Andrea Marie (YouTube.com/borigola123).

What is True Beauty?

 Our culture says that true beauty is looking like a supermodel, but God's Word says something quite different:

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. ~ Proverbs 31:30 MSG

As women, we cannot let the mirror or what people think about us define who we truly are. We are precious in the eyes of Our Maker. I want to live everyday of my life aware of this beautiful truth.

There is a very interesting story in the Bible about a prophet named Samuel, a king named Saul, and a shepherd boy named David. Samuel was about to anoint the new king of Israel because Saul, the king in that moment, had disobeyed God. Samuel's perspective of a king was the opposite from God's. Samuel thought the new ruler of Israel had to be like Saul was, tall and handsome. So the prophet goes to David's house, and the first person he sees is Eliab, David's brother. Eliab was part of Saul's army, and we know what that means: the guy had muscles!. But I just LOVE what God said to the prophet Samuel:

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. ~ 1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV

And we all know how the story ends: David was the guy God chose to be the new king... Yep, the shepherd boy, not Mr. Muscle. How AWESOME is our God!

Thank you for reading this post and please watch this video about true beauty; you'll love it! ;)



Credits: Photo 1 "true beauty in all of us" by this-is-the-life2905 (www.deviantart.com). Video "What is True Beauty?" by lilcammo93 (www.YouTube.com).

* I was inspired to write this post after reading "Define Yourself", an inspirational entry about worth written by Wendy Blight. Read it for yourself at www.proverbs31.org/she-seeks/define-yourself-2-2012-10/

"In the middle of the night someone yelled out, 'He's here! The bridegroom's here! Go out and greet him!'" Matthew 25:6 The Message


I have heard there is a Bridegroom...
He is a Jealous Lover...
He dresses in white robes...
His hair is golden like the afternoon sun...
He walks steadily around the fields... He is waiting for His Beloved Bride.

This man inspires beauty and goodness

It is written about him that he is the handsomest of men.
Every word of his lips is sheer grace.
And his God has blessed him so much...

He is a Warrior!
He straps his sword to his side.
Everyone praises him.
He rides majestically on his white horse.
He rides triumphantly.
He rides on the side of truth.
He rides for the righteous meek.

His instructions are glow-in-the-dark

He shoots sharp arrows into the enemy's heart.
His foes lie down in the dust, beaten.
His throne is God's throne, ever and always.
The scepter of His royal rule measures right living.
This Prince loves the right and hates the wrong.
And that is why God, His very own God
poured fragrant oil on His head.

He is Jesus, the Bridegroom of Our souls.

The Bride To Be

In open fields of wild flowers,
she breathes the air and flies away
She thanks her Jesus for the daises and the roses
in no simple language
Someday she'll understand the meaning of it all
He's more than the laughter or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat or a song on her lips
Someday she'll trust Him and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call her and she will come running
and fall in His arms and the tears will fall down and she'll pray,

"I want to fall in love with You"

Credits: Image 1 "This is Freedom" by piratephotography (www.deviantart.com). The Bride To Be paragraph was taken from the song "Love Song For a Savior" by Jars of Clay. Post inspired by Psalm 45 (The Message).

I am that little girl... The one that stood beside the fountain waiting for her Prince Charming. I am that little girl... Who longed to be loved even though she was not the prettiest, smartest, or the most fun to be around.

The little girl... She wanted love, so she went to look for it. She found nothing, but empty promises. Still, she didn't give up, and kept searching. But while she was searching for love, her heart grew colder and colder, to the point it became dull.

Then she gave up.

She hid, she ran. "Nobody can't love me" she said to herself.

She gave up on love.

The little girl... Waiting beside the fountain... She wanted love, but she could not find it. Her little broken heart wanted the embrace of a Prince...Any prince... It did not matter the cost... All she wanted was love. True love.

With no hope left in her heart, she stood beside the fountain again. This time there was an old man there, sitting under a Victorian lamppost, reading a book. When he saw the little girl staring at the sky, he approached her and asked: "Little one, do you know the Prince?". She wondered, and answered: "... What Prince?." "The Prince that writes Love letters to you" he said. "Sir, I am sorry, but I do not understand what you are talking about" the little girl replied. "Little one, there is a Prince, a true Prince, that loves you, and writes letters to His favorite one... And that is you" the old man said. The girl looked at him with unbelief. He open the book he was reading before and read aloud:

O My beloved, abide under the shelter of the lattice for I have betrothed you to Myself, and though you are sometimes indifferent toward Me, My love for you is at all times as a flame of fire. My ardor never cools. My longing for your love and affection is deep and constant.

The little girl did not know what to say after hearing these words... All she knew was that she felt alive again... These words gave her hope... "So there is a Prince!" she thought to herself. As if he knew what the little girl was thinking, the old man said: "Little girl, this is for you. If you search for the Prince, you will find Him, but only, and only when, you search Him with all of your heart." So he handed her his book.



After this meaningful conversation with the old man, she purposed in her heart to search for this Prince... The Prince that loved her, and wanted her as much as she wanted Him. Every night she read the book, her dull cold heart began to change. The little girl believed in love again. Every tear she shed because she couldn't find love, turned into tears of joy because she finally found love. Her true Prince loved her, and she didn't have to earn His love... it already belonged to her.

Now that little girl knows this:

You can love me more in a moment, than other lovers could in a lifetime.

I am that little girl.

"How great Your love is for me."



Credits: Photo 1 "Fountain Splashes" & Photo 2 "To trust in miracles" by mechtaniya (www.deviantart.com). Quote 1 taken from "Come Away My Beloved", chapter: "The Call of Love" by Frances J. Roberts (www.barbourbooks.com). Quote 2 by Steffany Frizzell-Gretzinger. Verse "How great Your love is for me" taken from video "Closer" by Bethel Live ft. Steffany Frizzell-Gretzinger (www.YouTube.com/ibethelmusic)

Closer

"Your love has ravished my heart
And taken me over
Taken me over

All I want is to be
With You forever
With You forever

Pull me a little closer
Take me a little deeper
I want to know Your heart

Your love is so much sweeter
Than anything I've tasted
I want to know Your heart
I want to know Your heart"

Father, Your heart is so close to mine, and my heart is so close to Yours... It is like if we were ONE... I love You, God. You know everything about me... Let my heart, my mind, and my soul know everything about You. Amen.

Credits: Photo "Heart in a Bottle" by Lexxen (www.deviantart.com), lyrics of the song "Closer" by Amanda Falk (www.amandafalk.com) <3

The Spirit encounters those who search for Him...
If you run to Him, you will find Him...
His will is better than gold...
He satisfies more than the richest feast...

"Encounter me
Let all heaven collide with
All that’s inside me.
Encounter me
Just one glimpse of Your glory
Spirit take over me."



Credits: Photo by ineedchemicalx (www.deviantart.com); Lyrics and video "Encounter Me" by Citipointe Live (Lyrics: www.elyrics.net) (Video: YouTube.com)

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