WHAT IS IN YOUR PURSE?

WHAT IS IN YOUR PURSE?

Recently, I received a new purse. I love shopping for new purses but I hate switching from one purse to another. One of the reasons for my displeasure is the task of cleaning out the old purse - when it comes to cleaning it out I discover all kinds of interesting things. (lint, used tissues, pens that don’t work, a toothpick, an old grocery list, Anna’s permission slip for school, old receipts, a half eaten snicker bar, lots of loose change ...)

What is inside a woman’s purse can tell a lot about her. Some women need very big purses (aka: a small duffle bag) while other women can get away with carrying a small clutch bag. Purses can hold very important, valuable items while at the same time be a trash collector for items not needed or wanted. This may seem like a very unusual intro to this week’s devotion, but I was thinking about how much a purse can be linked to a woman’s identity.

If you are anything like me, before you can leave the house, you must locate your purse.

“Where’s my purse?” “Has anyone seen my purse?”

These are often words you can hear me hollering as I search room to room for my purse. Why is it so important for me to have this before I leave the house? That is simple…because inside my purse are the treasures that help me during my day.

My Purse Treasures
A few months ago, I mistakenly left my purse at a local restaurant. I did not discover my error until the next morning when I began to go on the room-to-room search for my purse. Since my search left me empty handed, I began to backtrack my steps and narrowed it down to where my purse had been left. Luckily for me, an honest employee had found it and management had it locked up. Not so lucky for me, is that it took me two days to finally meet up with the manager of the Restaurant to get my purse back. I was so relieved to finally get my treasures back…

• LOST TREASURE #1
MY CHECKBOOK/WALLET/CREDIT CARDS

The first thing I looked for in my newly found purse was to make sure all my cash, checks and credit cards were in place. It was as I had left it. These are some items that can tell a lot about a woman. A look into a checkbook can tell someone where his or her heart belongs.

2 Corinthians 9:5 “Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.”

Paul is pointing out two types of givers in this passage. The first are those who give out of generosity and the other is the one who gives out of a grudging obligation. The one who gives with a grudging spirit is also the one who gives the very bare minimum. Reading further, Paul tells us that we should give, as we purpose in our heart, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver.

What does your checkbook say about you? Are you more cheerful to give to Wal-Mart then to give in the church offering?

• LOST TREASURE #2
MY COSMETIC BAG

The second thing I checked for was to be sure my cosmetic bag was all there. It contained my favorite shade of lipstick and the hand cream that I had purchased in Paris last spring. Certainly, these were items that I can live without but not having them for two days caused me to long for them.

Have you ever longed for something?

Genesis 3:23-24 “therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (24) So He drove out the man, and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Can you even imagine the feeling of longing and sorrow that Adam and Eve must have experienced as they looked back over their shoulders to the Garden, knowing that they could never return to the paradise lost?

We often think that we long for things of the world (from lipstick to power, position and wealth to just mention a few). These things will not truly satisfy us. Our true longing is in what was lost in the Fall of Adam and Eve - to return to paradise. A longing to experience the peace and the love from a well that never runs dry. Only God’s love is perfect and His love will never fail us.

Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

What image are you longing for? What the world offers or God’s Image?

• LOST TREASURE #3
CAR KEYS

Another lost treasure that I was glad to find were my keys. My key ring not only held my key to the car but also to the house and many other important places. To be without my keys would cause a huge inconvenience.

Matthew 16:18-19 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (19) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

No doubt, we need our keys so we are not locked out. More importantly than car keys, we need to possess the “keys to the kingdom” , which is the Truth of the Gospel. Keys can give you entry into your car or your house, but the power of entry into the Kingdom of God lies in the hands of every individual who hears God’s Word. It is up to each person to accept or reject Gods love and Truth.

Have you unlocked the Truth and accepted God’s love and forgiveness? He is standing at the door, waiting. He said if you will knock, He would answer.

It is my prayer that you will examine the treasures stored in your heart, this is by far more important than the treasures in your purse. If you have lost your treasure I pray that God will use this purse illustration to reveal to you His love and forgiveness and His desire for you to:

1. Give with a cheerful heart
2. Know that you were created to be in His image
3. Realize that you possess the key to enter His Kingdom, all you have to do is accept Him and accept His forgiveness

Thank you for being a WOMAN WHO TAKES A STAND.
Laurie