The Sola Gratia Life

03/12/2024

I blinked and now you're 5 and a half months old! 😭🥰🩷🥹
It's been a whirlwind so I have only managed to be consistent with posting on my YouTube channel. Facebook and Instagram took a back seat for the foreseeable future. I will still try to develop content for my blog and for Facebook but Instagram won't be picked back up until Baby Grace is much older and more independent. If you'd like to stay connected with updates on what our little family is up to as well as recipes, my homesteading & cleaner living/non-toxic journey, my devotionals, Bible Study guides and so much more head over to my YouTube and subscribe here: https://youtu.be/8YUL25ouY5k?si=scWget8sk7PjSVWK

31/10/2024

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!!

Our household celebrates this day and ALL Saints Day in lieu of Halloween since the first year Eric and I got married. We've celebrated by making German-style butter cookies stamped with Luther's Rose, a traditional (ish) German dinner, and watching the movie "Luther" starring Joseph Fiennes. We're doing the same this year. Tonight we are having Snitzel with caramelized onions, German cucumber salad, stewed potatoes & carrots. When Grace is a little older, we'll slowly add more and more fun things to our Reformation Day family tradition like watching the video below and in the comments, playing "Pin the Beard on the Reformation Fathers" (a twist on pin the tail on the donkey), learning the history of and then making together as a family a food item from the 15th century, making and eating sweet treats with a Reformation theme, dressing up in 15th century clothes, Nail The Thesis, Reformation Twister (yes, like that crazy board game with my own 'twist' to it 😁), and a lot more!!

What do you or would do to celebrate Reformation Day??

On October 31, 1517, a rebellious German monk named Martin Luther is said to have nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of Castle Church. This simple act...

16/10/2024

Another one of this week's devotionals from my blog The Sola Gratia Life...

Here’s a dirty little word that we as Christians don’t like to use about the intentions of our hearts: idolatry. God teaches us how He defines idols in scripture…

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21)

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16)

“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Jonah 2:24 tells us that “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.”

Galatians 5:1-26 timplores us that “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 tells us to to flee from idolatry.

The Bible talks about idolatry in terms of material things, tangible representations of false gods, and other things made by human hands, as well as, igregious lusts. However, just like the Bible does not explicitly mention The Trinity in such terms, we can also determine that the Bible does not explicitly talk about excessive love for your spouse or children, your house, your job, or even your favorite TV binge as idols. However, if we are to keep ourselves from being distracted and consumed by things that would draw us away from closer relationship with God, we must consider God’s character and knowing God’s heart. It will help us to understand what verses like Ezekiel 14:3 is addressing:

“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?”

God makes clear that any type of idol is a stumbling block and we must not let them rule our lives and decisions. Exodus 20:4-5 and Psalm 96:5 talks about what idolatry truly is at its core. Sin. More precisely in this context, the sin of worshipping something or someone other than God, for He is a jealous God and He who is perfectly just AND loving, He who made AND sustains the universe is worthy of the sole worship and praise of your heart. And so, a more precise, comprehensive biblical definition is this: ANYTHING that we come to rely on for some blessing, help, guidance, in the place of wholehearted reliance on the true and living God. If we come to crave, love, depend upon, seek first and trust for those things from Creation instead of The Creator to enhance our self-exaltation, productivity, inward healing, satisfaction, or anything else besides God himself then in essence we are doing what all of the examples in the Bible have shown us of what idolatry is and the slow destruction of the heart it produces and the hinderance to intimacy with God it expresses. 1 John 2:14-15 backs up this truth with this warning: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life — is not from the Father but is from the world.”

The devil, the Great Deceiver and Destroyer, uses seemingly harmless things in subtle ways to draw us away from Christ. If we are in Christ, nothing the enemy does can take our salvation away (see John 17 and Romans 8:38-39 among other passages), but he will surely try to throw everything at us to take our eyes off Jesus, obsess over the things of this world, and erode our assurance of faith, stealing us of our confidence, joy, peace, and effectiveness in this life.

Thank God that we are not without help in fleeing from idols and standing firm against the destructive tricks of the devil. We can put on the full armor of God as it says in Ephesians 6 and look to God’s Word which illuminates His Truth to us and continually fills us with the comforting and empowering Holy Spirit as we meditate on what God says about Himself so that we may bear good fruit and find healthy ways to flee from our idols. May God grant that to all of us as we push forward on our walk in pursuing holiness, that is, to conform more to Christ’s image.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

What are some idols of the heart that had gone unnoticed in your life?
Pray and ask God to help you flee from those idols and to fix the eyes of your heart more onto Him and feasting on His Word.

Other helpful articles about idols of the heart:

https://www.reformationscotland.org/2019/11/15/5-ways-to-diagnose-the-hidden-idols-of-the-heart

https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-idolatry

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This is part our daily devotionals mailed to our email subscribers every Monday and it's FREE. Sign-up by requesting to be added to the mailing list on www.solagratialife.com/contact (you can also use the float-up form.
This week's theme is: The Biggest Destroyers of Women's Joy
Last week's theme was: God's Grace In Motherhood
Next week's theme will be: Ministry of The Holy Spirit

16/10/2024

Encouragement for the Stay At Home Mother (and all mothers)...

WATCH: https://youtu.be/bScQhqGPPGU?si=qWalxaB5FDKyi_v5

14/10/2024

With holiday season coming up soon I think one of this week's devotionals is fitting to share...

Busyness vs Good Portion

We all probably know of the story of Lazrarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38–42. When Mary was upset with her sister’s lack of contributing to the tasks of hosting Jesus and His disciples, thinking she was doing the right thing by serving the Messiah, Jesus gently corrected her. He said to Martha that she was “anxious and troubled by many things". The Word of God said “But Martha was distracted with much serving”. When we initially look at this passage, we may conclude that this account teaches us to be cautious of letting the busyness of life, even with good things such as serving, distract us from sitting at the feet of Jesus; learning about Him and learning from Him (through His Word). That is absolutely true. But if we go even deeper into that truth, through the lens of The Gospel and God’s redemption story, we see that Jesus is truly talking about His Kingdom. Much like the parable of The Prodigal Son, where you have an example of two contrasting siblings who represent religiosity or “works” and contrition and repentance we get the sense that the first layer of truth is that story of Martha and Mary represents the contrast of a “works” based walk with Christ and a walk with Christ that prioritizes intimacy with Him. The deeper layer of truth is that Martha represents those concerned with temporal, earthly things — tasks, decoration, dishes that taste just right, etc. These are things even unbelievers busy themselves worrying about to the point of stress and burn out. In contrast, Mary represents those who have “chosen the good portion”; those who have received The Good News and submitted to Jesus’s Lordship and acknowledged Him as King. That brings the believer into the family of God, whereby at the end of this temporal life an inheritance of the eternal Kingdom is bestowed and we will experience the fullness of our Saviour’s glory forever. THAT is the good portion “which will not be taken away”. We know this to be true because God predestined believers to be inheritors of the Heavenly Kingdom (see Ephesians 1:4-6, Ephesians 11, Romans 8 & 9 & 11, Matthew 24:22-31, Mark 13:20-27, Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 1 Timothy 5:21, 2 Timothy 2:10, Titus 1:1, 1 Peter 1:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Peter 1:10, and John 17, among other passages). We know that God cannot change His mind and He cannot lie (see Numbers 23:19, Psalm 110:4, Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Romans 11:29, James 1:17 among other passages). What incredible assurance of faith we have!

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)

“ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will sn**ch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

Questions to Ask Yourself:

How else does the story of Martha and Mary remind you of Christ’s Kingdom?
How will you remind yourself of God’s unchanging, trustworthy, gracious character so that you can rest in the assurance of your faith in Christ and your good portion?
Prayer Prompt:

Pray for God to help you navigate the distractions of this temporal life so that you can maintain a healthy balance of serving to honor of God and intimate relationship and growing in Him.

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This is part our daily devotionals mailed to our email subscribers every Monday and it's FREE. Sign-up by requesting to be added to the mailing list on www.solagratialife.com/contact (you can also use the float-up form.
This week's theme is: The Biggest Destroyers of Women's Joy
Last week's theme was: God's Grace In Motherhood
Next week's theme will be: Ministry of The Holy Spirit

12/10/2024

10/10/2024

Please pray for my homestate and all of the people there, especially the ones in Tampa and the West Coast of Florida. Pray that the storm and subsequent tornadoes weaken (17 tornadoes touched down on land all over Florida so far). My parents live in Palm Beach, where I grew up, and are hunkered down -- they're not believers, so first and foremost pray for their salvation but also pray for their safety and provisions. 🙏🏼

07/10/2024

🩷🕊️✞ God's Grace In Motherhood: Stretching 🤰🏻🩷

There is nothing like waiting, the unknown, and being taken out of your comfort zone to stretch both your trust and your fulfillment in God.

When you first find out that you have a precious little life beginning in your womb that God providentially and graciously decided to open, immediately a mix of emotions rush in like a tidal wave. Pregnancy, especially with the first child, brings about a complex physical, mental, emotional and spiritual journey. Expectant mom, new mom, seasoned mom... embark into these uncharted territories (remember last week's devotionals?), as well as the road ahead as you walk out your Motherhood, with the boldness to surrender your full trust in our God who is sovereign and good. Easier said than done right? Thankfully, we have a God who cares about every detail of our lives because He is perfect in the way He loves. He loves you (and your Little One) more in one moment than any person ever could in a lifetime. And because God cares for our well-being, He is proactive in refining our hearts all to conform us to the image of Christ our Saviour, which is the most loving thing for our Holy God to do for sinners. That is, for God to send His only begotten Son to take on the punishment for sin on our behalf and then rise in victory to give us new life in Him and then purify us throughout our earthly lives to make us more like Him -- THAT IS the most loving thing in all the universe in all of history and THE God of the universe did that for you and for me.

God conforms us to Christ and brings us into a deeper relationship via a deeper understanding of Him in a myriad of ways. Ultimately, He does this through His Word; subsequently, God stretches us in order to draw us to Himself and bring us to a place of complete reliance on Him because He is the safest, most trustworthy place to be. Many Scriptures reassures us that God is our refuge, a stronghold, a mighty tower that will never topple (Psalm 46:1, for example), and so dwelling in His shadow, abiding in Him, relying utterly on Him is living with complete security in this life and the next. Psalm 91:1-2 says this...

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust""

Pregnancy, labor & delivery, and those first couple of months postpartum have no lack of pain, awkwardness, and discomfort. From the usual symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and mood swings to the more surprising ones (insomnia, rashes, hemmorhoids, anemia, etc.) mothers experience a host of things that stretch our capacity to trust God's sovereignty and seek His comfort, strength, and wisdom... sometimes minute by minute. Your belly and the rest of your body stretches at an amazing rate throughout your pregnancy, especially in the third trimester. The same goes for your mind and spirit as well. What comes with that stretching are inevitable growing pains, the awkwardness and shell-shock of seeing your body appear as it had never looked before, and the discomfort of trying to adapt to new ways of functioning (sleeping, walking, bending, etc) and the list can go on. Pregnancy and God's refining fire are parallel in this way. Pain, awkwardness, discomfort -- why would anyone sign up for this intentionally? The answer is simple: because we anticipate the beautiful, joy-filled, life-changing blessing on the other side of all the crazy things we have to go through. Such is pregnancy and motherhood. Such is the purifying, refining fire which God has us endure as He stretches us in conformity to Christ.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

What has been the most challenging aspect of motherhood for you and how has God stretched or is stretching you?

In what ways is God conforming you more into Christ's likeness?

Prayer Prompt:

Pray for God to strengthen you in His stretching of you. Ask Him to reveal deeper truths of His Word to you so that you can find joy in Christ at every stage of Motherhood.

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This is part our daily devotionals mailed to our email subscribers every Monday and it's FREE. Sign-up by requesting to be added to the mailing list on www.solagratialife.com/contact (you can also use the float-up form.

This week's theme is: Motherhood
Last week's theme was: Uncharted Territories
Next week's theme will be: The Biggest Destroyers of Women's Joy

Rather listen to the devotionals? Subscribe to my YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ez019P8c4Lxaho8WKu3Bg

15/09/2024

Pregnant? New mom? Seasoned mom? If you are any of these things and looking for Gospel-centered books to read check out my recommendations in this video:
(P.S., stay tuned for my Audible book recommendations!)
https://youtu.be/fvonfZOaN24?si=9Xx3o91aN3IyLpwS

What books would you recommend to Christian Mommas?
Leave a comment I'm always looking to read more good books!

13/09/2024

New devotionals on YouTube! Hope you are encouraged and edified by them. Check one of them out!

Daily devotional first published in August 2023Theme: Spiritual DrynessTitle: Security: Spiritual Desert, A Refining FireSign up for daily devotionals to kee...

12/09/2024

Change diapers, change lives!

EveryLife donates diapers & wipes to pro-life organizations serving the needs of moms and dads who have chosen life for their baby. When you choose to purchase a “Buy for a Cause” bundle, you are changing lives when you change your baby's diapers 🩶

Use code "SHAUNAB10" for 10% off your first order at: https://everylife.com/discount/SHAUNAB10

Watch a little video of my daughter and I to get a better idea of what these "Diapees", as we call them in our family, are all about...

Use code "SHAUNAB10" for 10% off your first order at:https://everylife.com/discount/SHAUNAB10