The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: [1 Cor. 7:34]

This verse has been on my mind a lot lately. Those of us young women who are unmarried do not have an obligation to please a husband, therefore our focus ought to be on the things of the Lord, pleasing Him and obeying Him in all things.

We should care for the things of our Lord ~ nothing else should be important. Is what we are doing pleasing to God? Is what we are reading pleasing to Him? Are we wearing modest apparel out of love and obedience to Jesus?

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Are we covering our heads in submission to the Lord and His headship order as we pray or prophesy? Is what we are putting before our eyes (movies, television, entertainment, etc) honoring Him and edifying us? Are we denying ungodliness and worldly lusts?

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Are we striving to be holy in both body and spirit? Pure, and blameless? We should not care for the things of this world ~ money (the love of which is the root of all evil), entertainment, fancy or fashionable clothes, things that appease and emphasize "self" or other pleasures this world has to offer. We should be seeking only to please our Lord and Saviour… who came to save His people from their sin.

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

We need to be studying the Word of God, hiding His words in our hearts, that we might not sin against Him. Our focus should be on the things of the Lord, not on the things of this earth, which will pass away.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: [.....] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Though we still must honor, obey, and respect our earthly parents, we have a Higher Authority to which we have to answer to for our obedience to His word. "Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe!"

Let us care for the things of the Lord, as we ought, and strive to be holy in both body and spirit!

Seeking my Saviour's paths,

There are many ideas, assumptions, explanations, and "beliefs" out there today about what a "Christian" truly is. Some say one is a "Christian" when one simply believes on Christ, or says a prayer, or when one just decides they want to be called a "Christian".

According to the Scriptures, to be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ, a disciple of Christ…. Christ-like. The world and modern Christianity of today have a very shallow, unBiblical view of a "Christian". To them, a Christian is simply someone who has "said the prayer" and are still living in a continual life of sin. This is not God's view of a Christian.

The world says a Christian does not have to live holy (but rather they say a Christian sins daily), but the Bible teaches us that Christians must crucify self, die to sin, and strive to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). The world says that a Christian can sin and still be a Christian, yet the Bible says "he that committeth sin is of the devil" (1 John 3:8)

So, according to the Scriptures, what is a Christian? We must definitely throw out the view of a Christian that the world has, and adopt the view that our Lord has of a Christian.

Beginning at square one… a Christian is:

• one who has been born again (John 3:3, John 3:7, 1 Peter 1:23)
• commanded to depart from iniquity [sin] (2 Timothy 2:19)
• to be holy, as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16)
• to be perfect (Matthew 5:48)
• to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:11-12)
• to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Titus 2:11-12)
• to be a peculiar person (1 Peter 2:9)
• to take up his cross and follow Christ (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23)
• to deny himself (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23)
• to die to sin (Romans 6:2, Romans 6:11, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:13, Romans 6:7… Romans 6!)
• to crucify the flesh and the old man (Galatians 5:24, Romans 6:6)
• to obey Him and His Word (Hebrews 5:9, 2 Thess 1:8, Matthew 7:21, and many, many others)
• one who has repented of his sins (Matthew 4:17) and forsaken them (Isaiah 55:7)
• one who obtains righteousness by faith through Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5, Romans 4:9, Galatians 5:5, Philippians 3:9)
• not to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2)
• to present himself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1)
• to abhor that which is evil (Romans 12:9)
• to think on things that are honest, pure, just, lovely, of good report, virtue, praise, and true (Philippians 4:8)

You can't just say a prayer, and then poof! All of a sudden you're a Christian. No, my friends. A Christian is a follower of Christ and one who obeys His Word, repents and forsakes his sin and strives to live holy and godly, soberly and righteously, in this present world, by the grace and power of God!

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Striving on the narrow way,