Tag Archives: God’s Word

First Things First, with Patience

28 Monday Oct 2013

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My Bible study this morning is dealing with God’s patience, and I have to confess I’m having a bit of difficulty getting it to sink in (beyond head knowledge into heart knowledge).

I did not grow up in a “patient” house. I am not naturally a “patient” person, and not that slow to anger, either. As Priscilla Shirer says, “Powerful people can be most intolerant of others’ weaknesses.” And as I see my own tendencies playing that out, I also see that in the impatience of the city I live in, and the impatience and intolerance of our country and culture.

And yet,

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, (I am) “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” – Exodus 34:6 (nlt)

Time and time again, we see God granting mercy and patience on His people. Especially in the story of Gideon – what we call remarkable restraint is just another normal day to God. God is obviously quite used to us humans by now.

It’s so hard to translate that when we look at it with our human experience. How do we convert this holy mystery into our daily view? How do we live out that patience ourselves? How in the world can we, when it’s so foreign to our normal existence?

I think of when I’m being my most impatient – and it’s at those times that I’m showing the opposite of God’s love. Impatience has roots in pride a bit, don’t you think? We want what we want when we want it, and why don’t we already have it, and why are you doing whatever it is you’re doing that’s inconveniencing me.

This is what the world sees in us. What our kids see in us.

And that is sobering.

Obviously patience is completely impossible on our own. It can only be done when we are filled with God’s power. He is the God of compassion and mercy! And how much easier is to be patient we we are filled with that compassion and mercy. How much easier is it to patient when we are filled with His understanding. When I am able to focus on sharing that compassion, mercy and understanding – His holy LOVE, then the endurance and patience naturally flows. Effortlessly.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy! – Colossians 1:11 (nlt)

Please share with me your thoughts – how do you practice patience? What has worked for you in increasing your patience levels?

First Things First

08 Monday Jul 2013

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Happy Monday Morning all! And no, I did not get out of bed before you. Ha! Actually, I wrote this Sunday afternoon, to make sure I got it done so you could read it first thing Monday morning!

These verses were the topic of our sermon this Sunday, and I thought I’d share them with you. Actually, I thought I’d share them with you in the way I heard them – almost like God was thumping me over the head with the message!

Understand this, dear mothers: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Mommy anger does not produce the righteousness God desires in you or your children. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your own lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your own hearts, for it has the power to save your souls, and the souls of your children.             – James 1:19-21

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue with your family or anyone else around you, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.                               – James 1:26

Yeah, you see where I get convicted, right?

Patience has never been a virtue I’ve had in abundance. Apparently, God must have taken me at my word on day when I threw my hands up in the air and said, “God, grant me patience!” And what did he do? He gave me an ADHD husband and child, and well, just children in general. Sometimes it feels like God develops patience in me just like callouses are developed – rubbing abrasive substances on your nerves until they start to develop a thicker coat of skin!

A callus is a thick, hardened layer of skin that has developed as a means of protecting itself from repeated use. While calluses are protective, they can also be unsightly and irritating. However, if you repeat the activity that caused the calluses, they can redevelop once again. (ehow.com)

And when those callouses get a little thin, I tend to get “short.” Short in patience leads to short in temper. Which leads to short fuses and long, loud, irritated diatribes from Mommy. Even James here points out the obvious: anger does not produce the real heart changes you want.

I personally believe that Mommy’s spiritual state is the barometer of the family. In fact, I’ve seen evidence in our family: if I “take a few weeks off” from my own Bible study and prayer time, everyone else in the family is affected. I admit, since our Wednesday night Bible study has taken a few weeks of break, I have too. Since I started working again, even my Bible study has taken a back seat to “things that HAVE to get done” and ends up being squeezed into and leftover nooks and crannies.  Satan so easily can make us mothers feel like our quiet time is OPTIONAL.

And man, has that optional-ness been making our house one cranky place lately. Of course, a lack of sleep and a super busy schedule hasn’t been helping much either.

Mommas out there, just like in an airplane, we’ve got to get our own oxygen masks on FIRST. Before we can breathe life into our own children’s lives, we’ve got to inhale the air God gives us to do that with!

Not that I believe my children’s faults and since are my own faults and sins (which leads to a sort of co-dependency), but I do believe, at least at their young age, that a mother’s influence and heart are strong. That’s why James is so literal and clear here. “Get rid of all the filth and evil in your own lives.”  We need to be reminded constantly that our children are watching us as role models.

In addition, the how we handle those sins in our children can have great affect on on exactly what they learn. Are they learning to behave “or else?” Or are the lessons about living for God and in a way that pleases God (instead of what makes Mommy look good) truly being implanted?

It needs to go further than the outward showing of behavior, because frankly,  kids are smart. They know if what we say is truly planted in our own hearts. When it’s not, they can smell the hypocrisy a mile away. Your religion, your outward trappings, literally become worthless.

So, this week I’m resolving to take my tongue under control. Not only do I plan to focus on be breathing in the Word of God and filling my life with His oxygen. I’m going to focus on breathing out that Word and that Love of God into my children’s days. At convention, Michelle Duggar says that she tries to praise each of her children 3-5 times per day. (Goodness, if she can do that for 19 children, I can certainly do that for two.) I’m looking forward to meditating on these verses in the next few days and see what more God has for me to learn.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Perhaps you’d like to join me in this challenge this week?

First Things First . . . On a Tuesday!

28 Tuesday May 2013

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Happy Day After Memorial Day to You!

Since this is the “first day of the work week,” I’m posting today in our “first things first” theme. Hope you all had a great weekend! (And more warmth and sun that we had here.)

Reviewing my Bible Study notes for tomorrow (No Other Gods by Kelly Minter), today’s session I was asked to spend time meditating on Colossians 3:1-17.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  – Colossians 3:1-17 (nlt)

 

I’d love for you guys to try this exercise with me. Read this passage three different times (maybe spreading out the three times over your day, or maybe try out three different translations). What things surface each time you read?

1.

2.

3.

 

Feel free to share them in the comments!

Getting Involved With a Messianic Congregation

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

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One of the best things about homeschooling is how you can utilize the resources around you in your community. I’m a huge fan of this, even before my homeschooling days.

So, when we arrived in DC and began My Father’s World’s 1st grade curriculum. I noticed the first project was to talk about the history of the Bible, specifically about how it began by being written on scrolls. I thought, hmmmm, we’re in Washington, DC, and I just bet one of the Smithsonian museums has a scroll we can go see for real!

And would you believe it? There is not one scroll (available to the public. Only for scholarly study, and it turns out that one isn’t a “Jewish” scroll anyway.) So back this homeschooling mama goes to the Internet. I start looking at local Jewish synagogues, but I don’t want to offend anyone, and I’m not quite sure of the rules. Would we even be allowed to see one?

Then I remembered, back eons ago, when I used to babysit and I once babysat for the rabbi of a Messianic congregation in New York. (Messianic refers to Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but worship with their Jewish customs and traditions. Somebody correct me if I’ve explained that incorrectly.) And I thought, these folks might be less likely to be offended by a former-Southern Baptist gal bringing her kids in to see a scroll as part of a home school project.

Luckily, I found a wonderful congregation not too far away, that has a fabulously welcoming atmosphere (and actually had homeschoolers in their group, so they “got” that whole bizness.)

And it was amazing. The rabbi spoke so eloquently and both the hubby and I were spellbound by his “preaching.” (Question – is “preach” or “sermon” the proper terms here? Probably not, but remember I grew up Southern Baptist. I don’t know any better, LOL.) He brought out these tiny points of Hebrew (grammar and conjugations) that don’t translate well into the English Bible, explained them, and frankly we both felt like we were truly understanding the real meaning behind a very well-known verse for the very first time. It was awesome.

The service was also VERY child-friendly, and very open, with lots of audience participation! (Which might not mean much to you, unless you come from a “stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down” tradition and you have two very active young children with you.)

Plus, my oldest was able to see a REAL scroll. This particular one was over 400 years old, and was one of the ones that were smuggled out of Poland before WWII. It was beautiful. And I lot bigger than I expected!

We loved our experience there. We have attended a few times, and since we are now living here for a while, we plan to get involved whenever we have a chance. (Just a FYI, the service we attended was long. At least two hours. So if you have small children, bring snacks and drink, perhaps some crayons to keep them occupied if they get restless.)

A few pictures from a service:

If you are using My Father’s World 1st grade curriculum, or any Christian-based curriculum (that specifically studies the history of the Bible), then I would strongly encourage you to investigate your area and see if there is a Messianic congregation or perhaps a regular Jewish synagogue nearby that might be open to visitors. I personally loved the experience of worshiping very similar to how Jesus might have when He was on the earth.

Here are a few links that can give you more information:

What is Messianic Judaism? – very good, detailed explanation

Kehilat Sar Shalom Congregation – this is the Messianic congregation we visited.

Heart of Wisdom’s Biblical Holidays Page – Awesome, awesome resource for helping kids understand Biblical holidays. Lapbooks, coloring pages, games, etc.

Chosen People Ministries – umbrella organization, with lots of good information on their website

First Things First: Getting Back to “Normal”

21 Monday May 2012

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Monday Morning. Again. They just keep on coming, don’t they?

Last week was our massive final push to get the house unpacked and livable. And mostly, we’ve succeeded. All the “extra” is in a storage unit (which I now am in the process of selling and purging bit by bit), the classroom is put together (well, it was before I tore it apart this morning to try a new organizational system), and we had our first dinner guests! A dear couple, who has been just a rock for us through this nonsense and their two adorable babies. I made grilled veggies, enough fruit salad for an entire army, and balsamic chicken. They brought brownies. See, didn’t I tell you they were awesome friends?

This morning, hubbie left at the crack of dawn to for another work thing, where he will be gone for six weeks. Sigh. Yup, our normal. What we didn’t want to be our normal anymore. It is what it is. So, I’ve planned six full weeks full of work, fun, and activity for both me and the girls – to keep ourselves and our minds occupied. Today, we started our normal school routine and didn’t get as far as I hoped, though we might get back to that after nap time.

In my Bible study group, we’re working through Kelly Minter’s study, “Nehemiah: a heart that can break.” It’s really interesting. I’m trying to catch up a little, since I spent the first week or so unpacking, but I’ve never really thought much about the book of Nehemiah, and am enjoying how she is tying things in and pulling new things out.

The past few days of this study, what’s been coming at me is this idea of what has God put on my heart? What is my “cup to bear” (Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer, but he also carried a burden for the city of Jerusalem.)

In Nehemiah 3, we read about the individuals who worked on various parts of the wall – and many of them worked on the wall right in front of their own house. And Kelly brings out the point that we are called to serve God right where we are.

(Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 here.)

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. — 1 Corinthians 12:18

Which of course, has me thinking about me, and our situation of being in the DC area without planning on it.

Yes, we know this is all to God’s plan in the long run, or at least mentally we do. (Not all of me has completely caught up or is solidly sold on the ideal still, I confess. I’m trying to work on it.)

But God has me right where he wants me.

I really needed to read that today. In fact, I’m going to copy that and put it up on my bulletin board. (As soon as it’s put up on the wall of course.)

God has a reason that I am here. He has a work, a serving him right in front of my home, that He is calling me to do. He has walls that need repairing, and gates that need to be fixed. There is work IN me, IN our family, and in our area of influence that He is calling us to step up and dig in and get dirty doing.

So I’m thinking this week on what is burdening my heart. What is my current cup to bear. What is my wall that I feel called to right now.

And what I plan to do about it.

MFW Homeschool Highlights

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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Since we just recently started My Father’s World 1st grade curriculum, I thought it might be fun to share a couple things we’re doing to help making memorizing Bible verses easier and fun!

My oldest is a kynesthetic, “active” learner. Which means she learns best when her body is in motion! So, I’m trying incorporate more “motion” in our learning, especially since the 1st grade curriculum get pretty writing intensive later on.

One “game” I’ve created is called Stepping Stones. Each piece of paper contains one word, and the girls must step from “stone” to “stone” in order, while saying the Bible verse. The first day I make it easy, with them all in a line, and the second day I will spread the “stones” further apart, mix them up so they have to really look for the correct word, etc. (Our preschooler tags along behind.)

The last day of learning our Bible verse, I cut the words into small word cards, and then mix them up in a pile. The oldest is required to put them in order, and then we tape them together and make a “train.” Once we have the train, we use it to measure different things, like each other!

And this week, since oldest is begining to do copywork with the Bible verse, this is an activity I created to keep the preschooler occupied during this time. I hand her our bag of refrigerator magnets, and tell her to find the first letter of each word and then put them on the Bible verse hanging on the refrigerator.

If you’d like, you can also check out posts on other things related to our homeschool work in the past few weeks: Celebrating Purim, and our recent field trips  to the DC Cherry Blossom Festival, Ballet Magnificat! and to the US Capitol Building.

Be sure to check out what others are doing in MFW by heading on over to 2 Ladybugs and a Lizard.

Praying God’s Word: Believing God

19 Monday Mar 2012

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Forgive me for this being a shorter post! I have just fifteen minutes before waking the girls and getting us all ready to go to Ballet Magnificat tonight! I’m very excited, they have no idea and they are going to LOVE it.

Today I started the next chapter of Beth Moore’s Praying God’s Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds, which is entitled, “Overcoming Unbelief.”

This past week I have felt more open and my heart feels “softer” to God’s nudges. And I have felt less overburdened and “heavy” as well. All of this has led me to just fall at Christ’s feet in silent praise, because there are no words that can fulfill what my heart wants to say.  So, I continue to sit and worship there before Him, trusting Him to understand and make words of the song I don’t even yet know how to sing!

I’m not sure if it’s because of the progress and prayer from last week, or if this chapter is just “timely,” but this chapter of “Overcoming Unbelief” is meaty. Meaty with a side of potatoes and gravy – meaty. I thought I could get through it during one nap time session, and well, there is just no way. Too much to take in, ponder, study, and review verses. Beth (look at me call her by her first name!) has twenty full pages of verse/prayers here! So far, I’ve copied down about ten pages for me to print and scratch my thoughts all over.

So, while I work on this chapter this upcoming week, I would appreciate your prayers. I BELIEVEGod is trying to speak His Word to me. I BELIEVEit is the time for me to be released from some serious strongholds in my life and I am ready. So please, pray for me. Pray for openness, discernment, and understanding. And also, please pray for me because I’ve noticed that Satan’s attacks on me have intensified tenfold these past two-three weeks. So far, he has tried attacking my mind, my marriage, and my health. Satan is fighting my freedom, but is for this freedom that Christ has already set us free! (Gal. 5:1) (Underlining emphasis is mine.)

Okay, I hear the rugrats rustling around, which means my time here is done. Let me leave you with a few quick quotes from this chapter:

“Believing God is never more critical than when we have strongholds that need to be demolished. Believing God is also rarely more challenging.”

“You must believe Him. Believe He can do what He says He can do. Believe you can do what He says you can do. Believe who He says He is. And believe you are who He says you are.”

“God wields incomparably great power for those who choose to believe. Read it again! (Ephesians 1:18-20) . . . God applies the same power to our need that He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead. . . . Believe Him, and when you don’t, cry out earnestly, “Help me overcome my unbelief!” 

Praying God’s Word

12 Monday Mar 2012

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I’ve begun a study on Beth Moore’s Praying God’s Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds this past week. I had the book sitting on a shelf for ages, lent it out to a friend, finally got it back, and decided to finally start reading it myself.

As you can tell from past posts on my blog, I’ve really been wrestling with  strongholds that have been revealed to me through the past year – some of which seem to be generational. I have had a great burden on my heart to break these strongholds in my own life, and also to break the chain of bondage before it starts in the next generation – my girls.

Beth Moore defines a stronghold as “anything that steals, kills, or destroys the abundant, fruitful life of a believer can be considered a stronghold of the enemy.” She also says, “Strongholds are thoughts taken captive to anything but Christ.”

The first chapter covers idolatry. “In one way or another, something else has become “god” in our lives – the object of our chief focus. . . . Until we turn from our idols to the one true God, we will never find liberty, for ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’ (2 Cor. 3:17). One missing link in almost every captive life is the spirit of God’s lordship.”

In the introduction, she talks about “believers who live in daily defeat.” Oh, how I have struggled and fought and battled and wearied over that daily defeat! I have this running commentary recording going in circles in my mind, which I now realize is not “me” but Satan using these strongholds to pull me under and drown me. That broken record player actually became a stronghold of its own, because “as long as our minds rehearse the strength of our stronghold more than the strength of our God, we will be impotent.”

And impotent I felt – through prayer, business, physical health, everything. It was as if the more I tried to do anything the more defeated I became, until that recording became so loud and so insistent that I could hardly hear anything else.

Last week was BAD. BAD. I knew that I’ve been under attack for months and my husband was under attack for months, but it wasn’t until last week that I truly understood how bad it really was. Is it a coincidence that the attacks amplified exponentially last week, when I finally committed to begin this study? Or that God opened my eyes to see depth of the battleground? No, I think not.

This was my process of re-writing these verses into my own words. I used Bible.com to copy and paste each verse into Word. I read through them, highlighting and underlining parts of verses that struck me. After a while I realized that several things seemed to be repeating and a certain chord started to strike out at me, when I went to underline each verse, which led to a personal revelation: I had been blaming God for things he “allowed” to happen to me!

This is a sin that was holding me back from God. My hubris – that I had done everything right, so I didn’t deserve ______. Why would he do ______ to me? I had been trying to suppress it, but there it was. And as soon as I allowed it to lay out in the open, figure out why it was there, and deal with it, I was able to ask forgiveness.

Besides, as I’ve told a friend before, we deservedeath. We have no true rights under God. It is only because of his forgiveness and Christ’s blood that we are anything at all, and he made us adopted sons at that!

Below is my compilation of verses taken from this chapter. I’ve reworded them only just slightly to personalize the passages. I do love how they all came together. I plan to review this verses every day and pray over them. Perhaps taping them up on my mirror as a reminder.

(From the New Living Translation.)

Lord, You are a warrior, Yahweh is Your name! (Ex 15:13) My help comes from You; You who made the heavens and the earth! (Psalm 121:2) Those who fight against You, Oh Lord, will be shattered. You thunder against them from heaven, You judge throughout the earth. (1 Sam. 2:10) Lord, You do not give Your glory to anyone else, nor share Your praise with carved idols. (Isa. 42:8) You alone are God. You preserve us all. (Neh. 9:6)

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on the earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your Kingdom. I cannot see the whole scope of Your work from beginning to end. (Ecc. 3:11) God, You are greater than I can understand. (Job 36:26) Your thoughts are nothing like my thoughts, Lord, and Your ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. (Isa. 55:8-9)

You alone are my Rock and Salvation, my Fortress where I will not be shaken. (Ps. 62:6) You are the Lord and there is no other. (Isa.45:18) Christ, You are the visible image of the invisible God. You hold all creation together. (Col. 115:17) Everything You do reveals Your Glory and majesty. Your righteousness never fails. Ps. 111:2-4

God, you are not man – you do not lie. You are not human, so you do not change Your mind. You have never spoken and failed to act. You have never promised and not carried it through. (Num. 23:19) For Your Word holds true and we can trust in everything You do. Truly, You do not do wrong. You do not twist justice. (Job 34:12-15) All You do is just and good, and all Your commandments are trustworthy. You are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity. (Ps. 111:7-8) Lord, You are righteous in everything You do. (Psalm 145:17)

You are the faithful God who keeps your covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes Your unfailing love on those who love You and obey Your commands. (Deut. 7:9) You love what is just and good. Your unfailing love fills the earth. (Psalm 33:45)

I will not tremble, I will not be afraid. Did You not proclaim Your purposes for me long ago?  (Isa. 44:8)  You are the One who says, “You are my people.” (Isa. 51:16) First you predicted my rescue, then you saved me, and proclaimed it to the world. (Isa. 43:10-12) You know the plans You have for me. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give me a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:11)

I am your servant. I have been chosen to know you, believe in you, and understand that You above are God. (Isa. 43:12) Yet, my human hands can’t serve Your needs because You have no needs. You give life and breath to everything and You satisfy every need. (Acts 17:25)

I am Your witness: is there any other God? No, there is no other Rock – not one! (Isa. 44:8) You are the Rock, Your deeds are perfect. Everything You do is just and fair. (Deut. 32:4) Lord, You always keep your promises. (Ps. 145:13) I can never escape Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence! Everywhere I go, Your hand will guide me and your strength will support me. (Ps. 139:7-10) And You have put Your words in my mouth and hidden me safely in Your hand. (Isa. 51:16) Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on the earth. (Isa. 73:25) I adore You; You’re the One over all things. (1 Chron. 29:11)

I know there is only one God, You, and I live for You. (1 Cor. 8:6) I know the greatness of You, Lord – that my God is greater than any other God. (Ps. 135:5) O Lord my God, You have performed many wonders for me. Your plans for me are too numerous to list. You have no equal. (Psalm 40:5) You give power to me when I am weak and strength to me when I am powerless. When I trust in You, Lord, I will find new strength. (Isa. 40:29,31) Let me be thankful and please You by worshipping You with holy fear and awe. (Heb. 12:28) And your Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His Wings for me and those that fear Your name.  And I will go free, leaping with joy. (Mal 4:2)

Lord, You have always been my home. Forever, You are my God. (Psalm 90:1-2) I make this choice to love you, O Lord my God, obeying You and committing myself firmly to You. This is the key to my life. (Deut. 30:20)

 

I’m linking up to:

2011 Gratitude Challenge, Day #16

16 Wednesday Nov 2011

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Today I am thankful for goats. And forgiveness.

Let me explain.

Earlier this week we were studying the letter G, and “Goat” was our theme for the unit.

The Bible verses for this unit were this:

“When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.
–Leviticus 16:20-22 (nlt)
(This is part of the description of the rules of sacrifice for the annual
Day of Atonement for the Jewish people in the Old Testament.)
Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow
could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think
how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds
so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit,
Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
— Hebrews 9:13-14 (nlt)
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten
so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep,
have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet
the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
–Isaiah 53:5-6 (nlt)

While reviewing these verses, we had a long talk about the word sin. What it was, why God didn’t like it, and that if people wanted to be with God the sin had to be taken away.

This morning, we were playing a word game, making silly sentences with her flash card words. (Our favorite was “Ann sat in the mud.”) One of the flashcards had the word “sin” on it, and my oldest asked what that word meant. I reminded her of our conversation about the goat that used to be sent in the wilderness carrying the sins of the people far away. I told her that today if we wanted Jesus to take away our sins we needed to say we were sorry and ask for forgiveness, and he would take our sins so far away they can never be found again. She nodded, and we moved on.

This afternoon, when we were getting out of the car back at home from picking up the youngest from preschool, my oldest said to me (in a very, “Oh, by the way” voice): “Mommy, when you went inside and I was waiting in the car? I asked Jesus to take my sins far, far away.”

And she skipped away.

My jaw just dropped. I literally said, “Oh. Okay.”

So today, I am so thankful for goats. And the forgiveness Jesus Christ gives each of us, taking our sins far, far away.

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook – “__ days of Giving Thanks.” I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

2011 Gratitude Challenge, Day #12

14 Monday Nov 2011

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Today, this is what I’m thankful for (emphasis mine):

“But despite all this,
OVERWHELMING VICTORY IS OURS
through Christ
who loved us enough to die for us.
For I am convinced
that nothing can ever separate us from His love.
Death can’t and life can’t.
 The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself
cannot keep God’s love away.
Our fears for today,
our worries about tomorrow,
or where we are —
high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean —
NOTHING
will
EVER
be able to separate us
from
the love of God
demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ
when He died for us.”
— Romans 8:37-39

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook – “__ days of Giving Thanks.” I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.