I pray you will find a "gleaning" or two to take away with you that you can put into practice.
May the Lord Jesus bless you and your family today.
TOPICS
The Sweet Mother
THE SWEET MOTHER
Home Sweet Home
The mother needs to set the tone, or atmosphere in her home, by being sweet herself. I would like to encourage you to be sweet by looking into the Biblical references to sweetness. So often we wish our children would be sweeter, kinder, more patient with one another. The parents need to set the example! A mother's sweet attitude is essential while training her children. She needs to be sweet even when things are not going how she would wish. The fruits of the Holy Spirit need to be growing in her life at all times. As she seeks to "walk in the Spirit" she will find the sweet attitude of Jesus manifesting in her life.
What do you think of when you hear of someone who is “sweet”?
Welcoming
Understanding
Kind
Patient
Encouraging
Giver of hope
Glad to serve – hospitable
Grateful
Sympathetic
Pleasant
A peacemaker
Synonyms
Harmonious, pleasant, agreeable, charming, delightful, grateful, affectionate, amiable, attractive, engaging, gentle, mild, lovable, winning, serene, clean, fresh, pure, sound, fragrant, blessing, joy.
Bible Verses containing the word “Sweet”
Can be grouped into five headings – the five senses.
Taste
a) Sweet taste
b) Opposite of bitter taste
c) Spices
a) The sweet taste sometimes refers to honey. I know three things about honey.
It is pleasant. We need to choose a pleasant attitude.
Too much makes you sick. We don't want our sweetness to be overdone – don't use flattery, or be patronising. Our sweetness must be genuine.
Honey is healing. Broken or hurting relationships can be healed by our sweetness.
b) Bitterness must be rooted out if we are to be sweet. It is essential to forgive others for things they have done to hurt us. If you cannot be sweet to someone search your heart for bitter or hurt feelings towards them. Ask the Lord to show you the root of your bitterness, then pray, and get others to pray with you, until you can forgive. A bitter spirit can manifest in our attitudes even to people who have done nothing to hurt us. The problem may be something that happened in the past which you have been unable or unwilling to forgive, and even though this has no connection with the present, the bitterness in your heart taints your current relationships.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you”. Eph 4:31,32
If there is any hurt in your past that you have not forgiven, it is essential for your own spirit that you deal with it. Remember, without God we can do nothing, but with Him all things are possible. There is hope in God, do not give up!
c)Spices add a sweet, fragrant taste to our food. Seek to sprinkle sweet words and actions throughout your day. Take delight in the little things you can do to bring joy to a child, your husband, a neighbour, a friend, or even a stranger. Adding sugar to your baking makes it sweet – purposing to add sweetness to your day will help you be sweet.
Smell
Fragrance
Aroma
Incense
Spices
This is the most common use of the word “sweet” in the Bible. In the Old Testament it particularly speaks of the sweet smell of the sacrifices to God. “Sweet savour, sweet incense, sweet spices”. In the New Testament Christ is referred to as the “sweet savour, aroma, acceptable sacrifice”. (2 Cor. 2:15, Eph 5:2). We need Christ in our hearts and in our homes. He is what makes us acceptable to God, and ultimately, He is what makes us sweet.
Speech (Hearing)
a) Sweet speech, voice and words
b) Counsel
c) Psalmist
d) Meditation
a) Our speech is a major way we can bring sweetness into our lives. Don't we like people to speak sweetly to us? Sweet speech is simply a way to “do to others as you would have them do to you”. Have you noticed how sweetly you speak to your little babies, only to turn and snap at the older children? I once pondered on this fact, that I would never speak to the little ones in the way I did to the older ones. This was a wake-up call to me, to speak softer and more kindly to the older children. Instead of sarcasm or cutting remarks choose to smile at your older child, and to delight in his company. You will find you enjoy him far more, and his attitude toward you will change, too. Affirm and encourage your children. Once again, it is easy to do this with little ones. “Oh, did you see how clever little Johnny is now that he can walk/talk/ride a bike...”, but we tend to be more critical of the older ones. “How many times have I told you...” Use endearments when speaking to your children. “Darling, Sweet-pea, Beautiful, etc”. Consciously smile at your children and make them feel treasured and precious – this will help you to feel sweet towards them as well.
Our husbands, also, need us to speak sweetly to them. There are plenty of warnings in the Bible about the nagging wife. Some husbands must wonder what happened to the sweet girl they married. He has enough stress at work without coming home to more. Make your home your husband's sanctuary. Let coming home to your sweet welcome be something bright for him to look forward to each day.
Look for ways to speak encouragement into the lives of each member of your family.
“Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear”. Eph 4:29
“Whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven, whatever we loose on earth is loosed in heaven” Matt. 16:19
This verse is a wonderful key for praying aloud for ourselves, our husbands, children, and anyone we meet. Pray for discernment of spirits, then bind them. Loose the lies that are keeping people bound. Bind curses that are on people, and loose blessings on them. Learn to apply this verse to keep your home sweet. Ask the Lord to show you which spirits are seeking to bring conflict, then bind those spirits. Ask God to loose blessings on your home instead. A friend of mine uses the initials “BLB” to remind her to “Bind, Loose, Bless”.
b) We must be available to give wise and sweet counsel to our families, friends, and sometimes even strangers.
“Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel”. Prov. 27:9
Learn to “Let go and Let God” - in other words, do what He tells us and leave the results to Him. This prevents us getting bogged down and over-burdened with other people's issues. We cannot do everything, and trying to will overwhelm us and steal our sweet attitude. This applies to our own children, as well as other people.
c) Sing aloud to the Lord, and make music in your home.
d) Our meditations on God's word should be spoken with sweetness to our children. Help them develop a love for the Bible. Talk with them about the things God is teaching you. The Bible even says that “Sweetness of the lips increases learning”. Prov. 16:21. So choose a sweet attitude when you are homeschooling!
Feelings (Touch)
a) Meditation
b) Sweet sleep
c) Satisfaction
d) Pleasant feeling
e) Lovemaking
a) Already covered above.
b) God gives his loved ones sweet sleep. If you are worried or anxious give your burdens to the Lord. When you are woken in the night by one of your children and you are tempted to be grumpy try to remember to be sweet instead! This is often difficult to do, but God is always patient with us. Imagine how comforting it is to a child to have someone sweetly meet his needs in the dark, sometimes scary, night. Remember the Proverbs 31 woman? Her lamp never goes out at night. I used to despair at this verse, thinking it meant she stayed awake all night. Then I heard an interpretation which explained that because they had no electric light to turn on at the flick of a switch, a wise woman kept her lamp burning at night so she was ready to get up and see to any problems that may arise in the darkness. An article I read gave another point of view – this woman drew a comparison between the lamp and the Holy Spirit – she asked the Holy Spirit to be with her in her night duties, to keep her attitude sweet even when she was tired and desired sleep instead. She showed me that even in the middle of the night we are to minister to our families' needs.
c) Help your children accomplish what they set out to do. Teach them diligence and perseverance, so they may taste the sweet satisfaction of a job well done. “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul”. Proverbs 13:19, “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet”. Ecclesiastes 5:12
d) Train your children to be sweet to one another. “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity”. Psalm 133:1
Make sweet memories by doing fun, pleasant things together. Delight your children's souls and build family unity with pleasant experiences.
e) Song of Solomon describes the love between a husband and wife. The husband says “...Your voice is sweet...” Song of Solomon 2:14, and the wife says “his fruit was sweet to my taste” Song of Solomon 2:3. Your husband needs you to be sweet in the bedroom. Just as a woman feels loved and cherished when her husband shares his feelings with her, a husband feels the love of his wife when she shares her body with him. There is a saying “A wife needs her husband to get naked emotionally, and a husband needs his wife to get naked physically”. Just as a woman is hurt if her husband will not talk with her, or show her tenderness, a man whose sexual advances are spurned will feel unloved and rejected. His self-esteem is very vulnerable in this area, and a wife can do him great harm by not embracing his attempts to show his love in a physical way. Conversely, a man whose wife knows the importance of lovemaking, gladly giving herself to him, and even initiating it, will rise to his potential as a husband and as a man. When he is secure in the love of his wife he will become the man God created him to be.
(I am assuming here that your husband has a natural sex-drive, and is not perverted by an addiction to pornography or other fantasy. Unconfessed sexual sin will drive a wedge between husband and wife. If you suspect your husband has a problem first pray, talk to him about it, and seek counsel from a trusted friend if necessary).
Sight
Sweet light
In Ecclesiastes 11:7 we read: “The light is sweet, and the sun is pleasant to the eyes”. We can encourage a sweet atmosphere in our homes by beautifying our surroundings.
Aids to a Sweet Atmosphere in the Home
These are ideals and it would be highly unlikely to have all of these things all of the time! In my home, with seven children, and five of them under 10 years, it is not often that you would find it particularly tidy, and never spotless! Yet we do have routines, and chores, to assist us in keeping it as tidy and orderly as we can. Different personalities will have different priorities, too, so that what matters a lot to one woman will not matter much to another. However, I think you will agree that this list of things would all aid a sweet atmosphere in the home, when it is possible.
Harmonious music, or quietness
Smiling
Singing
Welcoming, hospitable attitude
Servant heart (willing)
Gratitude
Home baking
Clean, tidy surroundings, orderliness
Routines
Being a keeper at home
Nurturing loving relationships between family members
Trusting in the Lord
Being led by the Holy Spirit
Contendedness
Enemies of a Sweet Atmosphere in the Home
Loud or rock music
Bitterness
Complaining
Arguing
Friction between husband and wife, child and parent, or child and child
Working begrudgingly
Busy-ness
Worry, anxiety
Discontent (comparing with others)
False guilt
Let's talk about guilt for a moment. If our conscience makes us feel guilty because we need to change some aspect of our lives, we need to take that as the Lord's prompting. However, false guilt can plague us when we begin to compare ourselves with others. God does not intend for us to carry this sort of guilt.
“There is no comdemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1
Recognise the difference between conviction (from God), and condemnation (from the devil). Throw off any false guilt and live in the freedom of Christ.
SUMMARY – Who must we be sweet to?
Be sweet to your husband
Don't want to be the first to change? “God gives grace to the humble, but sets his face against the proud”. 1 Peter 5:6
“Give and it will be given to you, the same measure you use to give will be used for you, shaken together, pressed down and running over”. Luke 6:38
Be sweet to your children
Spend time cherishing them. Listen to them, don't just half-listen, but focus on them, and enjoy their conversation.
“Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”. Ephesians 6:4
“Do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart”. Col. 3:21
Spend some time learning the love language of your spouse and children, so you can speak it, and fill their emotional “tanks”.
The five love languages (as defined by Gary Chapman):
* Quality time
* Receiving gifts
* Acts of service
* Physical touch
* Words of affirmation
Be sweet to others
Welcome guests to your home. Seek ways to make your home a place people want to be. Create a peaceful, beautiful atmosphere. Really listen to people, and care about their problems.
More Bible verses to help us in our quest to be sweet.
“A soft answer turns away wrath”. Proverbs 15:1
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God”. James 1:20
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. Romans 12:21
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart”. Galations 6:9
“Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another”. Eph 4:2,3
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. John 10:10
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will be abound in every good work”. 2 Cor 9:8
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight”. 1 Peter 3:3,4
Definitions of Sweet
(Modern)
Having a taste like sugar; pleasing to the senses; gentle; kind.
(Webster's 1828)
SWEET, a. [L. suavis.]
1. Agreeable or grateful to the taste; as, sugar or honey is sweet.
2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; as a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense. Ex.26.
3. Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious; as the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice.
4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; as a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion; a sweet form.
5. Fresh; not salt; as sweet water.
6. Not sour; as sweet fruits; sweet oranges.
7. Mild; soft; gentle.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades? Job 38.
8. Mild; soft; kind; obliging; as sweet manners.
9. Grateful; pleasing.
Sweet interchange of hill and valley.
10. Making soft or excellent music; as a sweet singer.
11. Not stale; as sweet butter. The bread is sweet.
12. Not turned; not sour; as sweet milk.
13. Not putrescent or putrid; as, the meat is sweet.
SWEET, n. Something pleasing or grateful to the mind; as the sweets of domestic life.
A little bitter mingled in our cup, leaves no relish of the sweet.
1. A sweet substance; particularly, any vegetable juice which is added to wines to improve them.
2. A perfume.
3. A word of endearment.
4. Cane juice, molasses,or other sweet vegetable substance.
What do you think of when you hear of someone who is “sweet”?
Welcoming
Understanding
Kind
Patient
Encouraging
Giver of hope
Glad to serve – hospitable
Grateful
Sympathetic
Pleasant
A peacemaker
Synonyms
Harmonious, pleasant, agreeable, charming, delightful, grateful, affectionate, amiable, attractive, engaging, gentle, mild, lovable, winning, serene, clean, fresh, pure, sound, fragrant, blessing, joy.
Bible Verses containing the word “Sweet”
Can be grouped into five headings – the five senses.
Taste
a) Sweet taste
b) Opposite of bitter taste
c) Spices
a) The sweet taste sometimes refers to honey. I know three things about honey.
It is pleasant. We need to choose a pleasant attitude.
Too much makes you sick. We don't want our sweetness to be overdone – don't use flattery, or be patronising. Our sweetness must be genuine.
Honey is healing. Broken or hurting relationships can be healed by our sweetness.
b) Bitterness must be rooted out if we are to be sweet. It is essential to forgive others for things they have done to hurt us. If you cannot be sweet to someone search your heart for bitter or hurt feelings towards them. Ask the Lord to show you the root of your bitterness, then pray, and get others to pray with you, until you can forgive. A bitter spirit can manifest in our attitudes even to people who have done nothing to hurt us. The problem may be something that happened in the past which you have been unable or unwilling to forgive, and even though this has no connection with the present, the bitterness in your heart taints your current relationships.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you”. Eph 4:31,32
If there is any hurt in your past that you have not forgiven, it is essential for your own spirit that you deal with it. Remember, without God we can do nothing, but with Him all things are possible. There is hope in God, do not give up!
c)Spices add a sweet, fragrant taste to our food. Seek to sprinkle sweet words and actions throughout your day. Take delight in the little things you can do to bring joy to a child, your husband, a neighbour, a friend, or even a stranger. Adding sugar to your baking makes it sweet – purposing to add sweetness to your day will help you be sweet.
Smell
Fragrance
Aroma
Incense
Spices
This is the most common use of the word “sweet” in the Bible. In the Old Testament it particularly speaks of the sweet smell of the sacrifices to God. “Sweet savour, sweet incense, sweet spices”. In the New Testament Christ is referred to as the “sweet savour, aroma, acceptable sacrifice”. (2 Cor. 2:15, Eph 5:2). We need Christ in our hearts and in our homes. He is what makes us acceptable to God, and ultimately, He is what makes us sweet.
Speech (Hearing)
a) Sweet speech, voice and words
b) Counsel
c) Psalmist
d) Meditation
a) Our speech is a major way we can bring sweetness into our lives. Don't we like people to speak sweetly to us? Sweet speech is simply a way to “do to others as you would have them do to you”. Have you noticed how sweetly you speak to your little babies, only to turn and snap at the older children? I once pondered on this fact, that I would never speak to the little ones in the way I did to the older ones. This was a wake-up call to me, to speak softer and more kindly to the older children. Instead of sarcasm or cutting remarks choose to smile at your older child, and to delight in his company. You will find you enjoy him far more, and his attitude toward you will change, too. Affirm and encourage your children. Once again, it is easy to do this with little ones. “Oh, did you see how clever little Johnny is now that he can walk/talk/ride a bike...”, but we tend to be more critical of the older ones. “How many times have I told you...” Use endearments when speaking to your children. “Darling, Sweet-pea, Beautiful, etc”. Consciously smile at your children and make them feel treasured and precious – this will help you to feel sweet towards them as well.
Our husbands, also, need us to speak sweetly to them. There are plenty of warnings in the Bible about the nagging wife. Some husbands must wonder what happened to the sweet girl they married. He has enough stress at work without coming home to more. Make your home your husband's sanctuary. Let coming home to your sweet welcome be something bright for him to look forward to each day.
Look for ways to speak encouragement into the lives of each member of your family.
“Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear”. Eph 4:29
“Whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven, whatever we loose on earth is loosed in heaven” Matt. 16:19
This verse is a wonderful key for praying aloud for ourselves, our husbands, children, and anyone we meet. Pray for discernment of spirits, then bind them. Loose the lies that are keeping people bound. Bind curses that are on people, and loose blessings on them. Learn to apply this verse to keep your home sweet. Ask the Lord to show you which spirits are seeking to bring conflict, then bind those spirits. Ask God to loose blessings on your home instead. A friend of mine uses the initials “BLB” to remind her to “Bind, Loose, Bless”.
b) We must be available to give wise and sweet counsel to our families, friends, and sometimes even strangers.
“Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel”. Prov. 27:9
Learn to “Let go and Let God” - in other words, do what He tells us and leave the results to Him. This prevents us getting bogged down and over-burdened with other people's issues. We cannot do everything, and trying to will overwhelm us and steal our sweet attitude. This applies to our own children, as well as other people.
c) Sing aloud to the Lord, and make music in your home.
d) Our meditations on God's word should be spoken with sweetness to our children. Help them develop a love for the Bible. Talk with them about the things God is teaching you. The Bible even says that “Sweetness of the lips increases learning”. Prov. 16:21. So choose a sweet attitude when you are homeschooling!
Feelings (Touch)
a) Meditation
b) Sweet sleep
c) Satisfaction
d) Pleasant feeling
e) Lovemaking
a) Already covered above.
b) God gives his loved ones sweet sleep. If you are worried or anxious give your burdens to the Lord. When you are woken in the night by one of your children and you are tempted to be grumpy try to remember to be sweet instead! This is often difficult to do, but God is always patient with us. Imagine how comforting it is to a child to have someone sweetly meet his needs in the dark, sometimes scary, night. Remember the Proverbs 31 woman? Her lamp never goes out at night. I used to despair at this verse, thinking it meant she stayed awake all night. Then I heard an interpretation which explained that because they had no electric light to turn on at the flick of a switch, a wise woman kept her lamp burning at night so she was ready to get up and see to any problems that may arise in the darkness. An article I read gave another point of view – this woman drew a comparison between the lamp and the Holy Spirit – she asked the Holy Spirit to be with her in her night duties, to keep her attitude sweet even when she was tired and desired sleep instead. She showed me that even in the middle of the night we are to minister to our families' needs.
c) Help your children accomplish what they set out to do. Teach them diligence and perseverance, so they may taste the sweet satisfaction of a job well done. “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul”. Proverbs 13:19, “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet”. Ecclesiastes 5:12
d) Train your children to be sweet to one another. “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity”. Psalm 133:1
Make sweet memories by doing fun, pleasant things together. Delight your children's souls and build family unity with pleasant experiences.
e) Song of Solomon describes the love between a husband and wife. The husband says “...Your voice is sweet...” Song of Solomon 2:14, and the wife says “his fruit was sweet to my taste” Song of Solomon 2:3. Your husband needs you to be sweet in the bedroom. Just as a woman feels loved and cherished when her husband shares his feelings with her, a husband feels the love of his wife when she shares her body with him. There is a saying “A wife needs her husband to get naked emotionally, and a husband needs his wife to get naked physically”. Just as a woman is hurt if her husband will not talk with her, or show her tenderness, a man whose sexual advances are spurned will feel unloved and rejected. His self-esteem is very vulnerable in this area, and a wife can do him great harm by not embracing his attempts to show his love in a physical way. Conversely, a man whose wife knows the importance of lovemaking, gladly giving herself to him, and even initiating it, will rise to his potential as a husband and as a man. When he is secure in the love of his wife he will become the man God created him to be.
(I am assuming here that your husband has a natural sex-drive, and is not perverted by an addiction to pornography or other fantasy. Unconfessed sexual sin will drive a wedge between husband and wife. If you suspect your husband has a problem first pray, talk to him about it, and seek counsel from a trusted friend if necessary).
Sight
Sweet light
In Ecclesiastes 11:7 we read: “The light is sweet, and the sun is pleasant to the eyes”. We can encourage a sweet atmosphere in our homes by beautifying our surroundings.
Aids to a Sweet Atmosphere in the Home
These are ideals and it would be highly unlikely to have all of these things all of the time! In my home, with seven children, and five of them under 10 years, it is not often that you would find it particularly tidy, and never spotless! Yet we do have routines, and chores, to assist us in keeping it as tidy and orderly as we can. Different personalities will have different priorities, too, so that what matters a lot to one woman will not matter much to another. However, I think you will agree that this list of things would all aid a sweet atmosphere in the home, when it is possible.
Harmonious music, or quietness
Smiling
Singing
Welcoming, hospitable attitude
Servant heart (willing)
Gratitude
Home baking
Clean, tidy surroundings, orderliness
Routines
Being a keeper at home
Nurturing loving relationships between family members
Trusting in the Lord
Being led by the Holy Spirit
Contendedness
Enemies of a Sweet Atmosphere in the Home
Loud or rock music
Bitterness
Complaining
Arguing
Friction between husband and wife, child and parent, or child and child
Working begrudgingly
Busy-ness
Worry, anxiety
Discontent (comparing with others)
False guilt
Let's talk about guilt for a moment. If our conscience makes us feel guilty because we need to change some aspect of our lives, we need to take that as the Lord's prompting. However, false guilt can plague us when we begin to compare ourselves with others. God does not intend for us to carry this sort of guilt.
“There is no comdemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1
Recognise the difference between conviction (from God), and condemnation (from the devil). Throw off any false guilt and live in the freedom of Christ.
SUMMARY – Who must we be sweet to?
Be sweet to your husband
Don't want to be the first to change? “God gives grace to the humble, but sets his face against the proud”. 1 Peter 5:6
“Give and it will be given to you, the same measure you use to give will be used for you, shaken together, pressed down and running over”. Luke 6:38
Be sweet to your children
Spend time cherishing them. Listen to them, don't just half-listen, but focus on them, and enjoy their conversation.
“Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”. Ephesians 6:4
“Do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart”. Col. 3:21
Spend some time learning the love language of your spouse and children, so you can speak it, and fill their emotional “tanks”.
The five love languages (as defined by Gary Chapman):
* Quality time
* Receiving gifts
* Acts of service
* Physical touch
* Words of affirmation
Be sweet to others
Welcome guests to your home. Seek ways to make your home a place people want to be. Create a peaceful, beautiful atmosphere. Really listen to people, and care about their problems.
More Bible verses to help us in our quest to be sweet.
“A soft answer turns away wrath”. Proverbs 15:1
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God”. James 1:20
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. Romans 12:21
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart”. Galations 6:9
“Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another”. Eph 4:2,3
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. John 10:10
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will be abound in every good work”. 2 Cor 9:8
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight”. 1 Peter 3:3,4
Definitions of Sweet
(Modern)
Having a taste like sugar; pleasing to the senses; gentle; kind.
(Webster's 1828)
SWEET, a. [L. suavis.]
1. Agreeable or grateful to the taste; as, sugar or honey is sweet.
2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; as a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense. Ex.26.
3. Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious; as the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice.
4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; as a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion; a sweet form.
5. Fresh; not salt; as sweet water.
6. Not sour; as sweet fruits; sweet oranges.
7. Mild; soft; gentle.
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades? Job 38.
8. Mild; soft; kind; obliging; as sweet manners.
9. Grateful; pleasing.
Sweet interchange of hill and valley.
10. Making soft or excellent music; as a sweet singer.
11. Not stale; as sweet butter. The bread is sweet.
12. Not turned; not sour; as sweet milk.
13. Not putrescent or putrid; as, the meat is sweet.
SWEET, n. Something pleasing or grateful to the mind; as the sweets of domestic life.
A little bitter mingled in our cup, leaves no relish of the sweet.
1. A sweet substance; particularly, any vegetable juice which is added to wines to improve them.
2. A perfume.
3. A word of endearment.
4. Cane juice, molasses,or other sweet vegetable substance.
