On-the-Go Devotionals

Contentment/Joy/Trust/Purity: A Godly Woman’s Adornment

On-the-Go Devotionals by Lydia Brownback

A couple of months ago, as I was trying to find resources on ‘Women in the Bible’ for our Teen Girls Bible Study, I stumbled across an author that I had never heard of – and that no one else I knew had heard of either – Lydia Brownback. Generally, I’m reluctant to purchase books unless I’ve heard of the author or at least had a friend recommend the book/author; however, many of the people endorsing her books were authors I respected and enjoyed (Jerry Bridges, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Elyse Fitzpatrick).  So I purchased Lydia’s book called Legacy of Faith: Women in the Bible. Then I purchased another that was linked to her. And then another, and just to complete the set, a few more (thanks Amazon "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought ..."). What I ended up with was a collection of valuable resources by a single lady who has a great way of really connecting with all age and social groups (married, single, etc. ) and honing in on everyday Christian struggles without being redundant, trite, or overly emotional.

Four of the books that she’s written complete a set of on-the-go devotionals categorized as “A Godly Woman’s Adornment.” They are Contentment, Trust, Joy, and Purity. I have read through much of Contentment and Purity, and some of Joy and Trust – and they have all been a tremendous challenge, sticking deep , little thoughts in my brain throughout the day that have helped me to continually turn my fearful, pressured, and impatient thoughts back to Christ and what is true. Each one contains about 30 two-to-three page devotionals in it, and I’ve enjoyed reading through them while waiting at the doctor’s office (a regular occurrence these days) or even taking a quick bathroom break (sometimes the only child-free moments of the day).  I would highly recommend these books to anyone as a good supplement for further Bible reading and study – if you need something as a quick reference or encouragement throughout the day. (Plug: These have also already made some great gifts for college students/teens/some good friends of mine.) Below are just a few snippets from them to help pique your interest:

“Sometimes we are cut off from God’s people for one reason or another, but even then we are not shut off from God himself. We have his Word in front of us and his Spirit in us, and they work together to show us who God is in the midst of present difficulties.” –from Contentment

“Purity is much more than moral behavior. Purity is first and foremost a matter of the heart. To be pure is to be single-minded. It is to have a single goal, a single focus, and a single purpose for ourselves and our lives. … At its core, purity is having a heart for the Lord that isn’t watered down or polluted by lesser things.” –from Purity

“Our busy lives aren’t the root cause of our anxiety. The root cause is our failure to understand who God is and how he is working in our lives. When we are rightly related to God, when we understand who he is we will realize we have no need to be anxious.”  -from Trust

“The joy promised in Scripture is different from the joy of personal expectation, our hope of some good thing we want God to do in our lives. While it is natural to hope for a good outcome in our difficulties, we set ourselves up for spiritual crisis if we expect that things will work out as we think they should.” –from Joy