We Are His

If you've read our about page, you've probably seen this sentence before:

The purpose of this blog is to encourage girls in their faith and remind them that their beauty is found in Christ alone. 

Today I'd been hit hard with that sentence. I really, really struggle with my self-image. As much as I try to believe the theme of this blog - that I'm beautiful in Christ - I don't always think that way. I feel fat, and wonder how anyone could ever love me.

What I need to remember when that nagging doubt starts creeping in is that Someone already does love me.

Today was such a bad day. I was depressed. Satan was throwing lies at me in every possible way. I didn't want to eat, because I felt so horrible about myself.

Then I got online. And somehow, I found myself on Beautiful in Christ. I was reading over some of our posts, and they encouraged me. They uplifted me and reminded me of the message that I blog about every week on BIC.

WE ARE BEAUTIFUL.

It's not because of what we've done. It's because of Jesus.

Plain and simple, we are His.

There is nothing I can do that can make me look better in his sight. He loves me just the way I am.

And he's the only reason that I breathe.

In Christ alone, my hope is found.




In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my all-in-all

Here in the love of Christ I stand

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

More Beautiful You

One song that has spoken to me greatly as I've gotten older and faced the struggles that so many girls face is Jonny Diaz's song, More Beautiful You. I appreciate this song from a guy's perspective, encouraging girls that the way they are is beautiful, and not to settle for lies from Satan and the world telling them they're not good enough. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, with a poignant message that I believe every young woman needs to hear.

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine

Says she wants to look that way

But her hair isn’t straight, her body isn’t fake

And she’s always felt overweight

Well, little girl fourteen I wish that you could see

That beauty is within your heart

And you were made with such care, your skin your body and your hair

Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don’t buy the lies, disguises, and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you



I'd encourage you to hit play on the video, sit back, close your eyes, and let the words sink into your heart. Remember that God is amazed by you. He died just so He could be with you...and He loves you more than words can describe.






So turn around you’re not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the One who’s strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl



If there's one thing you take away from this part, I want it to be this:
God made you to fill a purpose that only you could do...
...so there could never be a more beautiful you.


~Kylie

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord...

 I really liked Ashley's devotional earlier this week. It was very thought-provoking, and very to-the-point. I'm so thankful for Jesus' amazing sacrifice. To think that my King would die for me... it is almost beyond my comprehension.

This verse makes me happy. It reminds me of how awesome God is. We're his children, and He loves us so much! Never ever forget that!

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:10-13

~ Kylie

Jesus Saves

Kylie and I had been talking about ideas for our devotionals - and this one came up a while back. I'm sorry I wasn't able to post this yesterday, but by the time that I had gotten a chance to get on the blog - it was late, and I didn't have a lot of time to think about how and what I was going to say.

I grew up in a Christian home - where I went to church every week, and learned all the things I could about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I asked Jesus into my heart, when I was five, but didn't understand fully what He had done for me, until I was older - and able to more fully comprehend why He did these things for me. I still am not sure that I can understand WHY He did what He did - I just know that He loves us more than we can ever even imagine. 

I'm sure you are all familiar with the verse:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."John 3:16

I learned this verse when I was really young - and have used it a lot. It's definitely one of my favorite verses. 

This verse is pretty much the salvation message wrapped up in one sentence. But the whole situation is WAY more than that. 

God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth, so that HE could save everyone from their sins. Anyone who wants to be saved - can be, because of God's great grace.

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

~Ashley

How He Loves

This is my all time favorite song ever, and I thought it was really suiting to talk about God's absolutely amazing love!!! 

How He Loves Us - David Crowder Band

Verse 1
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane,
I am the tree
Bending beneath,
The weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are and how great Your affections are for me.
Chorus
Oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how he loves us,
How he loves us so.
Verse 2:
So we are his portion,
and He is our prize. 
Drawn to grace by the redemption in his eyes.
If love is an ocean we're all sinking.
So heaven meets earth like a loving first kiss,
and my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about, the way,

Chorus
That He loves us. 
Oh how He loves us.
Oh how He loves us. 
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves


-Ashley H

God Loves You

God loves you.

Those three words are so powerful! They have comforted many in times of trouble or need, and have often brought about the conversion of ordinary people. We hear it so often in our Christian society. Although the words have not lost their meaning, some people don’t fully understand what they really do mean. Of course we know that God loves us, but how much?

Well, first of all, the Bible tells us that God is love. That concept is probably hard to grasp, but what I believe it means is that God has so many different facets that we will never understand Him all. His love is so deep, so undescribable, and so eternal, that we won’t be able to understand it at its fullest either—and that is just a portion of him!

However, when Jesus was hanging on the cross to die, the weight of the world quite literally on his shoulders, we were able to glimpse just a bit of how much God loves us. He loves us enough for Him to come down on a little baby, and live in this world of sin, so that he could die on the cross many years later and take away the sins of all mankind—past, present, and future.

This month, and for the rest of the year, I hope you will remember the truest love there could ever be, and share it with others.

{This post was originally published in Kids of Faith Online Newsletter.}

The Bible

For this week’s follow-up, I decided to post a quote, since we haven’t ever done that on this blog. Last night, I was skimming through The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer – a book that I have heard is exceptionally good, and one that I plan to read. I stumbled across this quote, and thought it would perfectly complement Ashley’s devo last week.

So, without further ado, is A.W. Tozer describing the Bible in his own words.

The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into him, that they may delight in his presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts. – A.W. Tozer

Isn’t that a powerful description of the Bible? I love it, and I think it sums up the purpose of the Bible completely. What does this quote mean to you? Leave a comment and let us know!

The Joy of the Lord

Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10, emphasis mine)

No doubt you’ve heard this verse. I know many people who count it among their favorites, and I’ve heard the last part quoted many times. Today we’re going to take a closer look at what that phrase means.

First of all, what is joy? Well, according to my big blue Webster’s dictionary (that’s probably similar to Suzanna’s dictionary), this is the definition of joy:

Joy – n; 1. a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being; 2. something that gives great pleasure or happiness.

It’s from an Old French word that means “to rejoice”. Rejoicing occurs a lot in my life, especially when I receive something that makes me happy. I'm sure you've experienced joy many times. I think that the joy of the Lord may be bigger and better than any form of earthly joy.

I also believe that God Himself is joyful, and rejoices often. One of my favorite representations of Jesus is a picture we have hanging in our upstairs hall. Jesus’ eyes are smiling, and His mouth is open wide with laughter. It’s a beautiful picture of the delight God must feel in His children, and the joy that He wants us to have.

God knows that when we have His joy within us, it will refresh us and bring us life. When we have the joy of the Lord, it’s also a form of supernatural strength that can only come from Him. His joy goes beyond circumstances, and it will never run out. Most of all, we can rejoice because we have been saved by Christ Himself.

So how do we get this joy? Well, I would start by asking the Lord to give you His joy. I’m sure He will honor your request. Start tuning into Him and what He says. I get a lot of joy from my relationship with Him. And maybe try to find joy in everyday occurrences. You never know what might surprise you.

Unintentional Witnessing

I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed Suzanna's devotional earlier this week. Wasn't it inspiring? I thought it would be fun to see what God says about being a missionary to those around us, and I found quite a few verses.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~ Colossians 3:17

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. ~ 1 Peter 4:10

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. ~ 1 Timothy 4:12

God has placed us all where we are in life for a reason. Just because we can't pack up and head for a foreign country doesn't mean we can't tell people about Jesus.

I had an experience that reinforced this concept to me a couple weeks ago when I was at the library. While I was waiting in line to check my books out, I noticed one librarian in particular. I heard a quiet voice whisper in my heart, You will share Me with her today.

"What, God? No! You know I've never led anyone to Christ! Much less some random librarian that I don't even know. I can't believe you're asking me to do this," I protested. (Honestly. That is more or less what I said.)

Okay, don't freak out. Just ask her how she is.

I can do that, I decided. I stepped up to the counter and set my books down.

"How has your day gone so far?" I asked, smiling as warmly as I could.

"Good, good," she responded genuinely, her eyes smiling. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," I responded.

"Great. These books are due on January 20th."

God, how am I supposed to lead her to Christ when she's handing me my receipt? I questioned.

You did share Me with her, He said.

It was only when I walked out that I understood. I had shared Christ with the librarian just by noticing her, and by attempting to brighten her day. Suddenly my favorite quote took on a whole new meaning:

“Preach the gospel always – and if necessary, use words.”

We are always sharing our faith, whether we realize it or not.

~Kylie

Merry Christmas

Christmas is coming fast. This week is just going and going by, and I feel like it was just Sunday.

Christmas is not just about gifts, and presents that people give you, it's about the time that you spend with your family, and the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into this world as a baby, so that He could grow up, and eventually die on the cross for the sins of this whole world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of us at Beautiful in Christ are taking a break for Christmas, but we'll start back writing in January. Be sure to check back in January!

From all of us at BIC, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

How Beautiful is the Body of Christ

Romans 10:15
"How shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things." 

How beautiful, the hands that served the wine and the bread, and the sons of the earth.

  How beautiful, the feet that walked the long dusty roads, and the hill to the cross. How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful, is the body of Christ. How beautiful, the heart that bled, that took all my sin and bore it instead.

  How beautiful, the tender eyes that choose to forgive and never despise. How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful, is the body of Christ. And as He laid down His life.  We offer this sacrifice, that we will live, just as He died. Willing to pay, to pay the price, willing to pay the price. How beautiful, the radiant bride, who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes.

  How beautiful, when humble hearts give the fruit of pure lives so that others may live. How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful, is the body of Christ. How beautiful, the feet that bring the sound of good news, and the love of the King. How beautiful, the hands that serve the wine and the bread, and the sons of the earth. How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful, is the body of Christ. 

                                                                       "How Beautiful" 

                                                                                 ~written by Twila Paris 


~Natalie

                                            

About the Blog

The purpose of this blog is to encourage girls in their faith and remind them that their beauty is found in Christ alone.

We are Ashley and Kylie, two girls living on opposite sides of the country. We started this blog in October 2009 because we wanted a way to connect with and encourage our sisters in Christ around the world. We soon realized that it was too much for just us to handle, so we brought on Natalie and Suzanna, two of Ashley’s friends. You can find out more about all four of us at The Writers page.

We believe that every young woman is beautiful in Christ, and because of Him, we are lovely beyond compare. We are His daughters, and He thinks we are amazing. He loves us more than words can describe. This is our message, and we hope it comes through in every post that we write.

We have a heart to reach girls and help them understand the love of Christ and what true value is. We will be posting about these topics and more.