| Page 37

Kitchen Reno

Valerie Basham

August 7, 2015

I just love saying “reno”, it’s so HGTV!

This summer, I wanted to do something to update our home. Something not-very-expensive. Paint is always the cheapest means with which to improve your home, so I wanted to paint something. In late June, my husband and I were talking about how horrid our kitchen cabinets were (they were chipped and didn’t match the backsplash that the previous owners had installed), about how chipped the paint had become on the walls and how dark the room was. And then, there was that disgusting baseboard, well, really it was tile! “Base-tile”?!

We decided that we would work like dogs to re-do it this summer. We picked a few days that we thought wouldn’t be as busy and got started. My husband put in long hours of back-breaking work. I helped as much as I could and also served as the “supervisor” (wink).

Our goal was to have it all completed before my mom’s visit in late July. We made it…by the hair of our chinny-chin-chin. I didn’t share photos of it because I wanted her to be surprised.

We knew this would be a big job; we also knew we would never want to do it again, so we bought the best quality paint we could find. It is supposed to be as hard as rock after drying. We’re hoping it’s actually as hard as granite. We don’t *think* our kids can destroy granite, but then, who knows? Of course, rock-hard paint isn’t cheap. The blessing was that it was on sale! Here are some before photos:

This light fixture was cute, but it didn’t shine very brightly.

This half of the kitchen was always dark.

Now, the after photos!

Terry pulled off the dark paneling, scraped off our popcorn ceiling and textured both the ceiling and walls. He then put in new light fixtures – we added one to the dark half of the room and changed the old one to match the new one. We then painted the walls and cabinets a beige color that we *hoped* would coordinate with the backsplash. We also painted a dark color along the top of the cabinets to break up all of the beige, but that also would still match with the backsplash. He then put in all new baseboards (not base-tile!) and installed new door handles and drawer-pulls. I bought new curtains. 🙂 We also painted the laundry area white and we painted the door, which leads to our garage, beige.

This is where we used to have dark paneling. It’s gone! Terry did the texturing, I did the painting, he did the baseboards.

Our new light fixture!

We now have even lighting across the whole room! (Please excuse the clutter.)

My laundry area is straight ahead in this photo. This is the door we painted.

New baseboards! Hooray!

Closeup of new door handles and paint. It’s not perfect, but it is certainly an improvement!

As we were doing all of this hard labor, I couldn’t help but think of the Christian life. The Bible says that “reform” isn’t the answer. (Luke 11: 24-26) Anything we do to improve ourselves is only temporary change. Christ can make us brand new, and with no effort on our part. It is all by His amazing, saving grace! Praise the Lord for His permanent transformation!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

With love,

Two Daily Appointments

Valerie Basham

2 comments

August 4, 2015

Many of you know that I struggle with anxiety and depression. I am so thankful to have seen great victories in this over the last year. I can only attribute it to the Lord. I am learning to lean on Him through prayer when anxiety rears its head.

One thing that has helped me is keeping two daily appointments with myself. The first one is my quiet time with the Lord. This would be time to read, study or memorize some scripture and to pray. This is the most important part of any Christian’s day! I don’t mean that you just read a verse online or a snippet from a devotional book, but that you pick up the Bible and read from it. It helps to follow a system of some kind, but even if you just start in the middle, it’s all good! Devotionals are good, too, but not as your only source of Bible-food. Of course, prayer is something that I’ve shared that I have neglected too often over the years, and suffered for it. Our ladies choir just sang “Sweet Hour of Prayer” this past Sunday and I was encouraged all over again to keep my prayer appointment.

This little booklet is a great resource for your Bible study. But yours won’t be custom-colored on the front! 😉

The second appointment is with my gym. I try to make this everyday, but there are a few days I have to miss because I’m out of town or something has come up. Of the two appointments, this one is more flexible. I do try to think of it as a definite meeting though because I do not want to slack off. I injured my ankle last May which made running and even walking long distances impossible. However, I am able to use the elliptical machine with no pain whatsoever. Other great benefits of the gym include air conditioning (a huge blessing in Oklahoma in August!), a roof during inclement weather, a machine that monitors my heart rate, and a TV! (I enjoy watching ESPN and Fox News.) Even though I do prefer outdoor exercise, this is better than remaining sedentary. I’m very grateful for a way to keep active despite injury.

If you struggle with anxiety or depression, perhaps keeping these two daily appointments will help you, too!

With love,

What Does the Bible Say?

Valerie Basham

4 comments

August 3, 2015

I’ve had a few negative responses to my latest blog posts. Most people were kind and sincerely wanted to know what I believe and why. They came, not armed and ready for war, but in kindness and Christian love. What a blessing!

Some of the negativity was not because of a Biblical disagreement at all, but because they didn’t “feel” that what I wrote was true. They used phrases like, “My view is…” “I don’t believe that God would do that…” “I think…”

I wasn’t prepared to make someone “feel” a certain way. (How can I do that?) There are many things that I don’t really like in the Bible. I don’t like that the Bible says I’m a sinner. It makes me feel badly. (But it’s true!) I don’t like that some people will go to Hell. That makes me feel rather ill.(But it’s true!) I don’t like the parts in the Old Testament where God commands innocent children to be killed. I think that is unfair! (But He did it.) I don’t like a lot of things in the Bible, and I don’t yet understand a lot of it, but I do believe it all. God doesn’t rule this world according to feelings. He has ordained a plan for this Earth and He doesn’t care how mankind feels about that plan. Period. (Ephesians 1:11)

Regarding the historical aspect of this teaching, some people said that they didn’t care what Baptist leaders of old believed, because they considered the Bible for themselves. This statement worries me, because God uses “the foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthains 1:21) to teach the world about Himself. It’s safe to say that if your beliefs do not line up with hundreds of years of orthodox (Bible) Christianity, then you hold the wrong positions. Some didn’t even know their church’s official position on the issues I presented. If you hate Calvinism (also known as the Doctrines of Grace), you should probably make sure your church’s Confession of Faith doesn’t say they are Calvinistic. You might be surprised that most Baptist Confessions of Faith were penned by Calvinists and contain explicit Calvinistic language; but because the “TULIP” acrostic is not in the confession itself, they believe it to be absent. Many Baptist churches use the New Hampshire Baptist Confession, 1833, which can be read HERE, but there are others. You can read an article by Dr. James Beller on the topic by clicking HERE. You can also read a critical review of New Hampshire Confession HERE. My experience in the last nine years is that many church members have never seen and, therefore, not studied their church’s Confession of Faith. If nothing else, I hope these posts have encouraged you in your own personal Bible study on the topic.

I appreciate the concern and questions, some coming from people I haven’t spoken to in years. It’s nice to hear from you. However, if you want to tell me that God “wouldn’t do it that way”, well, I have no answer for you. I can only ask, “What does the Bible say?”

With love,

What To Do When Your Husband Becomes a Heretic {Part 2}

Valerie Basham

16 comments

July 31, 2015

Previously on Valerie Write Now: Part 1.

Step 8: Decide to do a bit of research on the topic of Calvinism before discussing it again. Obviously, your husband has been reading and studying the subject for some time. You need more than whining and pleading to convince him of his error. Since you save everything, go dig up the textbook you used in 12th grade Bible class. You remember the one, The Book of the Revelation Church History: Lives of Great Missionaries and The Cults. First, look up the definition of a “cult” (maybe Calvinism is a cult!). Breathe a sigh of relief when you discover it isn’t. Next, do a search for “Calvin”. Find the page where he is discussed. Notice the acrostic TULIP listed beneath his name. Read it. Gasp. (Sounds really different from what you were taught.) Break out in a cold sweat. Continue reading and find that the people at Abeka Book do not paint John Calvin in a bad light. In fact, they do not warn you anywhere to be on the lookout for this disgusting doctrine. Sit back and try to recall the things you’ve heard preachers say about Calvinism:

“Calvinism is heresy! Nothing will wreck your church like Calvinism!”

“I don’t believe in the TULIP! Or the PANSY or the VIOLET, neither! Stinkin’ doctrine of the TULIP! I got the blood of JESUS! I don’t need the TULIP!”

Hmm…those statements aren’t much help.

Step 9: Decide to hit him with scripture. Clearly, the Bible says many times that whosoever will may come to Christ to drink freely of the living water. (Or something like that.) Gather a list of verses and lay them out to him, one by one. Start with John 3:16. Then Romans 10:13, and 2 Peter 3:9. Search for others.

Listen as he explains each verse, using something called “context”. Argue with him about it. Make him so frustrated that HE goes to bed angry and gives YOU the cold shoulder. Feel satisfied. You’re getting to him. (Good job!)

Step 10: This step could take years. Bring up various scriptures nonchalantly now and then. Discuss them. Ask questions about statements you’ve read about Calvinism, because by now, you’re studying up on it yourself. Ask him how he could take such a renegade position. When he explains that it’s not “renegade”, it’s historical, you are truly shocked.

“Other Baptists have believed this? Like WHO?”

“Spurgeon for one. Then there’s Shubal Stearns, Obadiah Holmes, James Petigru Boyce, John Bunyan, just to name a few.” He says.

Read an article online about how terrible John Calvin was. He wanted to kill Baptists! Ask your husband, “How can you align yourself with him?”

“First of all,” he says with that familiar calmness, “this doctrine isn’t Calvin’s. We’re not sure how it came to bear his name. The TULIP was published 45 years after his death. And I don’t agree with any teaching of man, unless I can find it in the King James Bible.”

This seems satisfactory, but it’s only the beginning of almost a decade of discussion. You decide to keep all of this quiet, and you pray that he will, too. “Closet Calvinist” is what you have come to think of yourself. You listen intently to his preaching, waiting for the church to figure out his beliefs and fire him. Strangely, it doesn’t happen. This is baffling. Of course, he stays closely to the Scripture in all of his preaching, so maybe that’s why.

Maybe this really is in the Bible?

Step 11: Notice that you are gradually inching your way toward agreeing with him. But, you’re stubborn, so you don’t give in easily. Recall that you tried many times to be “saved” by praying the sinner’s prayer as a child. Nothing happened. You felt no peace, no joy, nothing. Then, one day, the “light” came on! Could that have been the “I” – Irresistible Grace? Shake your head no. But think about it.

Listen as your husband has conversations with various pastors about the topic. Cringe and hold your breath as they begin with the names: “heretic”, “fatalist” and one even calls him a “monkey”. Observe how your husband just shrugs it off. Realize that he is amazing. Next, watch the in-person conversations and see for yourself how a “Christian” can get so angry that his eyes pop out of his head and he looks ready to commit murder! See, once again, how your husband continues his calm conversation. The scene reminds you of the verse where it says the people were cut to the heart and got so angry that they actually did kill a man, the first martyr, Stephen. (Acts 7) Feel thankful that no one in the room is carrying a gun.

Step 12: Finally, admit that he is right, and tell him so. Watch as a look of surprise, followed by relief and joy washes over his features. Hear him say, “Honey, if I can teach this to you, I can teach it to anybody! After all, how many years has it been now?”

Tell him you don’t know and you don’t care. You just want to glorify the Lord with him for the rest of your life. Give him a kiss. Hear him say that he can handle any type of hatred and name-calling from anyone in the world, as long as he has you. Blink back the tears. Live happily ever after.

Dear Friend,

In 2007, my husband did come to me and say that he had been studying the Bible (not Hitler or Charles Taze Russell, as I had feared) and had come to the conclusion that the “TULIP” was true. I had never been taught anything about Calvinism, and I really was frightened. What I have described in these blog posts actually happened to us, with a little humor thrown in. As it was for the Apostles and the early church, following Christ and preaching His Gospel has not been without pain and loss. A few friends have pulled back and some family stress has been caused. One person in our family has said Calvinism is a “damnable doctrine”. But what they say about Calvinism isn’t accurate. I hope that I can share correct information in the weeks to come, without hatred or debate, so that others may know the truth. If they then decide to reject it, then at least they are rejecting true Calvinism, not hyper-Calvinism or some other hybrid form of it. I understand if you decide to unfollow my blog, or unfriend me, but please, I beg you to refrain from any hateful comments.

In 2013, the Lord moved my husband to a Bethel Baptist Church, a church that has taught the Doctrines of Grace for decades. This has been a special gift from the Lord since I feared we would be out of the ministry completely by adopting these beliefs. We have even made many new, wonderful friends here. It’s been so refreshing! All we want to do is obey the Bible. We love the Lord and desire to share the Gospel with everyone as long as God allows us to do so.

Thank you – so much – for reading.

With love,

What To Do When Your Husband Becomes a Heretic {Part 1}

Valerie Basham

2 comments

July 30, 2015

You hear your husband utter the following words: “Honey, I think that Calvinism might be the truth.”

Step 1: Pause to see if he might be joking. Realize he isn’t. Allow panic to seize your body. Tremble. Feel your heart rate rapidly increase. Begin to hyperventilate, hold on to a chair or any stable object as this news sinks in: You are married to a heretic!

Step 2: Break out in a cold sweat as you quickly ponder what being a heretic will cost you:

Family – this includes three Baptist preachers who vehemently oppose Calvinism.
Friends – this includes every single person you have associated with since you were in the nursery at your very NON-Calvinistic Baptist church.
Pastoral leaders – this includes both the living and the dead. Those who are living will be shaking their heads in disappointment at your departure from the faith. The deceased will roll in their graves.
Ministry – this is every Baptist church in the world. None of them want to hire a heretic pastor.
While you’re at it, just include everyone else in the world – they will all see the scarlet “C” emblazoned upon your chest and know that you are a heretic.

Step 3: Wipe your brow, feel your mouth go dry and say to your husband with trembling voice, “No, no. You’re not that.” (Try to stay calm.) Stare at him with wild eyes and say, “It’ll be all right. This is just a phase. You’re lonely! You need good preacher-fellowship. Call your dad! Have you talked to your dad?”

Step 4: When none of that makes a difference, (My! Isn’t HE mister calm, cool and collected! He doesn’t even KNOW that he’s a heretic, bless his heart.) ring your hands and pace back and forth till, finally, you’re worn out. Ask yourself whether or not this is grounds for divorce.

Step 5: Begin to feel anger. Start exclaiming things like “Why would you DO this to me?” (start to cry here) “You think we should stop witnessing? You think God has picked some people for Heaven and some for Hell? My own MOTHER wouldn’t do that, so how could God?” (Keep going with your rant even if he tries to calmly interrupt your tirade.) “I suppose we can just sit back and be LAZY because God will save whom He will, WE don’t need to bother!” If your husband tries to explain his position using the Bible, just ignore it. After all, how can the Bible refute sound mental reasoning?

Step 6: Go to bed angry, even though you know it’s wrong to do that. Maybe your seething will get his attention and he’ll turn from his heretical thinking. While you’re seething, try to remember what you’ve heard other preachers say about Calvinism. Feel worried when you discover that you really don’t know much about it. Oh well, you know it’s wrong. That’s enough.

Step 7: Wake up the next day to see that he is the same. Still calm, cool and collected. The cold-shoulder treatment didn’t affect him at all. After a full morning of only necessary conversation, go ahead and ask him what led him into this. Was he reading Hitler? Or Charles Taze Russell? Show concern for him with furrowed brow and pleading eyes. Take a sip of your cappuccino and try to listen.

“I was out soul-winning and met a guy who prayed the sinner’s prayer with me. He claimed to be born-again. I called him to see about bringing him to church – because saved people have at least some interest in coming to church. He always had an excuse as to why he couldn’t come. Finally, about the fourth phone call, I said, ‘Hey man, are you wanting to come to church or not, I don’t want to keep bothering you.’ He said, ‘Look, I did the prayer-thing with you. What more do you want from me?’ It was a moment where I realized that leading people to Christ, having them pray a prayer, is not what salvation is. Salvation is a work that only the Lord can do on a person, and neither I – nor anyone else on planet Earth – can control who is born-again and who isn’t.”

“So, we just quit soul-winning? I mean, what’s the point?” (Feel your face grow warm and your heart rate increase. Again.)

“No, of course not.” He says. “We are commanded to witness in the Bible. But we don’t have to worry about ‘leading people to Christ’ nor should we boast about ‘winning someone’, because it ISN’T us! It’s very freeing, Valerie. Don’t you see? We witness, yes, but that’s all we do. We explain the Gospel and go on. We don’t have to nag people or have them ‘repeat after me’.”

Based on this conversation, decide to let it rest. Maybe he’s not as big of a heretic as you thought.

Maybe.

At least he still wants to go soul-winning.

To be continued…

Eleven

Valerie Basham

1 comment

July 29, 2015

Eleven years ago, my dad left this home for his heavenly one. If you follow my blog, I’m sure you think I’m delusional about my dad. (I might be delusional, but that’s a whole other blog post!) I do realize that he wasn’t perfect. I know that he wasn’t anything special to the world. He wasn’t a millionaire or a business tycoon. He wasn’t super popular, either. He was just, you know, a regular guy. He loved his family and lived a quiet life puttering around at home when he was off work. He liked playing his trumpet. He had a great laugh. He was really easy to talk to. He was just run-of-the-mill dad. Or so I thought.

One day, I went out into the world. I met all sorts of people. I discovered that many of those people were full of hate, anger, jealousy, and lies. Suddenly, I didn’t have a “run-of-the-mill Dad”. I had an extraordinary dad. The evil of this world stood in stark contrast to his courage, honesty and humility. I admired him for that, more than he knew.

As the years have rolled by, I’ve pondered what my life would have been like if God had taken Dad home when I was young. Oh, how harsh the world would have been! How lonely and hard my life would have become! I am so grateful that before Dad went home to Heaven, he had securely placed my hand in the hand of another wonderful man. A man who, like dad, makes the cold world disappear into foggy mist by his very presence. A man who has made me laugh when I’ve wanted to cry, lent his shoulder for my head when laughter just couldn’t overpower the tears, and held tightly to my hand in the darkest days.

On this anniversary of a devastating day, I can say that God’s grace is not just sufficient, it is abundant.

With love,

It’s Not Up to Me

Valerie Basham

1 comment

July 20, 2015

Last Monday, I had a goal of giving out five Gospel tracts during the week. I thought this was achievable since I don’t get out and about much. I was excited and hopeful as I began working toward my goal. In fact, I gave out three of them the very day I started! By Wednesday, I had met the goal.

But, then I noticed something: Every time I opened up my Bible, my mind wondered. Some things had happened and I couldn’t stop thinking about those issues. I would have to read a chapter not once, not twice, but three times before I could keep my mind focused on the words. Then, there was my prayer life. Because it took me so long to read my Bible, the kids were all up before I had my prayer time! So, two days last week, I didn’t get to spend my normal time praying.

I felt out of balance and out of whack. “Why can’t I be a witness and be faithful in my Bible reading and prayer time?”

The answer? Because I’m human. I am frail. I can’t possibly do everything right. If you know me in real life, then you’re nodding in agreement at that last sentence.

I went along last week feeling discouraged and defeated. Wasn’t the Lord unhappy with me? I’d allowed petty problems to interfere with my walk with Him. When I seem to have faithful Bible and prayer time, I forget to witness or hand out Gospel tracts! Don’t I have a responsibility to share the Good News? Of course! Someone might die and go to Hell because of my unfaithfulness.

Then it hit me: It’s not up to me. Yes, God uses His people to share the Gospel message through preaching and personal witnessing, but their salvation is not up to me. I don’t have to be a perfect person for them to hear the Gospel. God uses us *despite* our faults and failings. He works through our weakness to bring others to Him. (1 Corinthians 1:21; 2 Corinthians 12:9)

And what about my failure at my devotions? Well, my own salvation is not dependent upon my perfect attendance for “quiet time”. Does it grieve me to miss it? Yes. But I was reminded that when God the Father looks at me, He already sees perfection! He sees Jesus’ righteousness, not Valerie’s. (Isaiah 61:10)

Of course I want to live according to the Scripture – I want to because the Lord has made me “want to”. But I can live in victory each day, even on those days when I mess up, because of Christ.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Thank God for Memories

Valerie Basham

9 comments

July 17, 2015

This morning I read some very good Bible verses that encouraged me so much. I began to write about them, because sharing God’s Word is always a good idea. But things happened.

A good friend of our family went to Heaven last Sunday morning. Of course, my heart broke upon hearing the news, but I didn’t allow myself to dwell on it. I stayed busy with my work at home and church and kept my mind on other things. I wanted to go to the funeral, but it wasn’t possible.

Yesterday, I heard that the funeral would be aired live online. I decided I would tune in. Well, the grief I’d been holding back, came out. One of my earliest flashes of memory of our friend, Bro. Reggie Payte, is of him singing behind a grand piano at Hot Springs Baptist Temple. In my memory, he has fiery red head of hair and a blazing beard. I seem to recall that he was wearing a red-plaid flannel shirt as he sang! This intrigued me, even as a pre-schooler. Now, I might be remembering wrong, I mean, I was only four, but that seems right. I enjoyed his lively singing so very much. But more than that, I enjoyed just being close to Bro. Reggie and Mrs. Debbie. They had the gift of making everyone feel welcome and accepted. No frills or fluff necessary, just “come on over and visit a while.”

Years later, Bro. Reggie went into full-time evangelism. I didn’t see him or his family as often I wanted. That seems to be the way it is with those people who add sparkle and pizzazz to life – they don’t stick around long enough. But the good news was, his oldest son, Jenceson, got married and decided to stay close by! In fact, he became the bus driver for my church bus route. There is not enough time, or enough words, to share with you what a gift from God Jenceson and his wife, Donna, have been to me. How can I adequately express to you the courage, faith, joy and comfort they have added to my life? God poured out a blessing larger than I ever expected when he graced my life with those two amazing people.

I was a typical teen – dramatic, awkward, talkative, hyper – basically, I was never doing the right thing at the right time. I was never good enough. At least, that’s how I felt. My parents loved me and did all they could to guide me and help me. But, I rationalized that they “had to do that”. They were my parents! Bro. Jenceson didn’t have to care, but he did. He taught me to “embrace” who I was; to just go with it. To be me. So I was talkative? Big deal! It’s okay to be talkative, he’d say. So my life was a hopeless abyss of agony and loneliness? It would get better, he’d tell me. And he was right. He had to correct me a few times, lining me out about my attitude, or sometimes, my actions. But he did it because he cared, and I knew that he cared. That made all the difference.

As a teenage girl, there were only a few people in my life who made me feel that I should continue breathing, (Did I mention I was dramatic?) and Jenceson and Donna were two such people. I watched them survive some difficult storms and still keep smiling and keep serving God – and with style. It has been an honor just to watch them live. Their testimony shines in my memory, in my own dark times, across the miles.

Today, I watched the funeral of my friend, Bro. Reggie. It was hard to see much through my tears. I started missing everyone, longing to share my thoughts with someone. So, instead of writing about a passage from Matthew, I’m sharing these winding thoughts. Thank you so much for allowing me to do that.

Bro. Reggie came to sing at our church in Hope, Arkansas, a few times. I came across these photos of one visit in January of 2011.

Bro. Reggie is behind the piano, Reuben is playing the banjo, Jim is on the bass, Mitchell and Leslie are to the left watching them practice and the other two boys are Bro. Reggie’s grandsons, Conner and Titus.

Bro. Jim Payte, who wrote a wonderful poem to honor my dad when we lost him suddenly in 2004.

Mrs. Debbie, (one of my most favorite people ever) with two of her grandchildren.

I thank God for people who make you want to remember them.

I thank God for friends who are real-life heroes.

I thank God for Calvary!

With love,

It’s Here!

Valerie Basham

4 comments

July 15, 2015

I am very excited to share with you that my Bible study on Proverbs 31, “31 Days of Proverbs 31”, has been completely revised and updated and is now ready for print! I wanted to share the first day with you here, to give you an idea of what it’s like. Each day covers one verse of this famous chapter, but the study is short enough it can be read much faster if you so desire.

Day One

Proverbs 31:1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

The first verse of this famous chapter is an introduction of the characters. Every good story has good characters, and Proverbs 31 is no exception. We have Lemuel, the writer, who is believed by most commentators to be King Solomon. If that is the case, then his mother is Bathsheba. If you are unfamiliar with Bathsheba, please turn in your Bible to 2 Samuel 11-12. To sum it up, she is the woman who had an adulterous affair with King David which resulted in her child’s death, her husband’s murder and many trials for King David. Later, she gave birth to Solomon, whom God chose to follow David as King of Israel.

The name Solomon means “peaceful, one who recompenses”. How perfect! David’s life was anything but peaceful after committing open sin – God punished him openly – but Solomon’s birth and life showed God’s mercy and forgiveness. As children of God, we will be chastised for wrong doing. God does not chastise us in wrath, but in love, to bring restoration. Another example of God’s mercy is the fact that Bathsheba is the one issuing these instructions. The virtuous woman was described by a woman who was not always virtuous. It is my opinion that Bathsheba could have refused to commit adultery with the King. Certainly, she could have died for that, but there are some things worth dying for. She made a poor decision, and suffered for it. But God used her in spite of that to raise up a future king.

We also see that this is the “prophecy his mother taught him.” She taught him. As a mother, I’m teaching my children every day. Not just because I homeschool my children, but because I’m their mother! They watch everything I do, and they copy most of it. (Usually the bad!) It is my job, along with my husband, to teach them the Bible. It’s the most important subject of life, and yet it’s the one I spend the least time teaching.

This one little verse has reminded me that God is just, but He is merciful. His mercy endureth for ever. (1 Chronicles 16:34) It has also convicted me about teaching my children more of the Bible. Reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic has its place, but they should never unseat the Bible in order of importance.

God will not show mercy to those who have not been born again. John 3:36 says He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. The first question to ask yourself is “Am I a child of God?” If not, then Hell will be your eternal home. If you feel the convicting power of the Holy Spirit upon your mind and life, then don’t delay! Cry out to God for salvation. You need not pray a specific prayer or know lots of Bible doctrine. You must merely understand that your sin is separating you from a holy God and that Christ paid for your sin on the cross. Believe on Him – and only Him – and, as it says in Acts 16:31, “thou shalt be saved.”

If you are certain that you are a child of God, then it’s important to grow in the knowledge of God’s Word. If you’re a beginner, then start small. Read one chapter a day. You could start in the book of John, or by reading one chapter of Proverbs every day. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and heart to the truths of His Word and to help you apply them to your life. Attend church faithfully in order to hear the Bible taught and preached by a man of God. Preachers are just human, but they are called of God to dig into the Word, study it, and help others to understand it. I have been in church since I was a newborn baby and I still have so much to learn! No one can learn everything about the Bible in one lifetime, but we should strive to know as much as possible. Church is also a wonderful place to meet godly friends and have good fellowship. Churches pray together and for one another. Church friends will offer a word of encouragement just when you need it! The right church is, in my opinion, a little piece of Heaven on earth.

No matter where we are in our walk with God, there is always room for growth. We all should pray more, study God’s Word more, memorize verses more, serve more, love more, and the list goes on and on. Ask the Lord to reveal areas in which you need to stretch and grow, then follow His leading.

Further Reading:

My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers

By Searching – Isobel Kuhn

The Personal Spiritual Life – Peter Masters

The Bible study is being published by Bethel Baptist Church‘s publishing ministry, The Watchman Press. This ministry produces a free quarterly newspaper/magazine called The Baptist Watchman. It is available in both print and digital formats. To view the April issue of the paper, click HERE.

The the cost of the “31 Days of Proverbs 31” booklet is $3 (just to cover the cost of the printing) plus shipping; and the PDF or Kindle formats are absolutely free. To order a print copy, just send me your mailing address and we will include a bill. To get the free digital copies, or to be placed on the mailing list for The Baptist Watchman just send me your email address.

I hope and pray these materials will be a blessing to others. You can contact me using the “Write to Me” tab above. The goal of our church is to bring glory to God and edify His people through the preaching and propagation of the Word of God.

Thank you for stopping by today!

With love,

Matthew Turns Five

Valerie Basham

2 comments

July 14, 2015

Matthew, while playing. (And, no, he doesn’t care that it’s summer.) 🙂

Today, our sweet Matthew Ron is turning five years old! In honor of his big day, I thought I’d share a few things about our youngest child.

M anly – He’s all boy! He loves to pretend to fight with swords, guns or even fists. Sometimes, he gets a little too rough. He likes hanging out with his dad, sweating and getting dirty.

A nimated – Most of the time, we can tell what he’s thinking by his facial expression. He’s not good at hiding his emotions.

T ruthful – Like most five-year-olds, if you ask Matt his opinion, he’ll give it to you, good or bad!

T ender-hearted – Matthew is rough and tough, but he also loves to cuddle up with me and read a book or tell me one of his stories at bedtime. We recently read the book, The Giving Tree. It’s a very touching story, but I thought the theme would be over Matt’s head. I was wrong! He got tears in his eyes over that book. I’m glad he is already feeling compassion, even if it’s just over a fictional tree.

H andsome – Of course, I *am* his mother. 😉

E nergetic – He’s a bundle of exciting, unending ideas and activities. He is keeping me young.

W illing – Matthew is happy to help you with any job, any time. A few months ago, I asked him to go put something away for me. His reply was, “I’m on it, cutie pie!” Just last night I asked him to put away some dishes for me. He said, “Okay, beautiful Mom!” I know he’ll grow out of using the terms of endearment, so I’m soaking it up while I can.

I am so grateful for my Matthew Ron. I was delighted to have another boy so I could name him after my dad, Ron Courtney. I pray that Matthew, and each of our children, come to know the Savior that their Papa knows face to face.

Happy birthday, Matthew!

With love,