by Elizabeth George
Many women I’ve met during my ministry have been surprised to learn that I did not grow up in a Christian home. I can only thank and praise God for His marvelous grace and mercy to me.
At twenty-eight years old, I should have been happy. I had a husband who worked hard at a good-paying job, which meant I didn’t have to work outside of our home. I had two beautiful young daughters, and we lived in sunny Southern California in our dream home, complete with a swimming pool. What more could I want?
But something was missing. I sought answers in Eastern religions and every kind of church one could find in Los Angeles County—and there were plenty to choose from! But one day when both of my little girls were distraught, crying, and holding on to my legs, I called out to the ceiling in my kitchen, “There’s got to be more to life than this!” It wasn’t long after this plea for help that my heart’s cry was answered. I found what I was looking for; or, more accurately, God found me.
New Beginnings
I didn’t know that what I was seeking was Jesus Christ and His salvation, a relationship with Him. And when I found Christ, I willingly surrendered all to possess Him. I was desperate for answers and help with my life, and the first Sunday I was a Christian, I went to a Bible-teaching church. That very same day I purchased my first Bible.
As I stood at the checkout counter waiting to pay for my new Bible, I noticed a glass fishbowl filled with highlighters. I reached in and selected a gold marker, and I thought this prayer: God, I’m the new kid on the block. I don’t know anything about You, so tomorrow I’m going to start reading through my brand-new Bible, and I’m going to mark everything about You, God, in gold! How was I supposed to know that everything in the Bible is about God? (Faithful to my heart’s desire, I read through the entire Bible—and used up six gold markers before I finished with Revelation 22:21!)
Holding the gold marker in one hand, I reached back into the bowl with the other hand and fished out a pink marker. Again I prayed in my heart: God, I don’t know anything about being a Christian woman, a Christian wife, and a Christian mother, so tomorrow as I read in my Bible, I’m going to mark in pink the passages that deal with me and my roles as a Christian woman. I immediately began to think of these markings as “the pink passages” in the Bible as they guided me to becoming a woman after God’s own heart.
Sharing What I Have Learned
For decades, I have been faithfully reading through the Bible, year after year, again and again, marking and making notes as I read. I have worn out three Bibles in my pursuit to know God and His Word.
Over the years as I have studied and taught the Bible, Christian publishers have asked me to write about what I’ve learned. Kregel Publications asked me if I would consider using my collected notes, markings, and teachings to complement a women’s Bible. Some of the Kregel staff had seen one of my well-worn Bibles and thought my “gold markings” and “pink markings” as well as my Bible notes could be helpful to other women.
Together with God, we assembled the result of many years of study and teaching into a new Bible specifically for woman. It’s a study Bible, a devotional Bible, and so much more, all in one! It includes material from my books as well as original material written specifically for this project. I even highlighted all my “pink markings” for all to see.
Becoming a Woman After God’s Own Heart
I’m often asked where the title A Woman After God’s Own Heart® came from. Take a look at Acts 13:22:
And when He [God] had removed him [Saul], He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.”
As I read this verse for the very first time many years ago, I exclaimed out loud, “That’s it! That’s the kind of woman I want to be. I want to be a woman who will do all God’s will, a woman after God’s own heart.” I would like to say it’s been easy, but as you know, the Christian life is not easy. God knows that occasionally you are going to stumble and fall. But, like David, you must ask for God’s forgiveness and get up and continue on your Christian journey.
How do you know what God’s will is? This is where God’s Word is absolutely essential. You see, the Bible is the greatest of all books! It contains everything God wants you to know about Himself and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When you read your Bible, a supernatural transaction takes place. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to transform you into a godly woman as you are obedient to apply what you are reading. My prayer is that you will cherish your journey to becoming a woman after God’s own heart.
A Woman After God’s Own Heart® trademarks and copyrights are licensed exclusively by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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