Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 9:14-18)

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Our Romans Study For Kids continues…

Romans 9:14-18

 14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 

 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 

 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 

 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” 

 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

 

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Read Romans 9:14. How does this verse begin? Circle the correct answer.

with a question     with a statement      with a lie

 

Read Romans 9:14 again. How does Paul answer the question, “There is no injustice with God, is there?”

__ __ __      __ __      __ __ __ __ __    __ __ !

 

THINK ABOUT IT….

Can we ever say that God is not fair?  

 

Read Romans 9:15. What did God say to Moses? Fill in the blanks below to answer.

“I will have  __ __ __ __ __  on whom I have  __ __ __ __ __,  and I will have  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __  on whom I have __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.”

 

Look up and read Deuteronomy 33:19 to see when God say this to Moses. Now read Deuteronomy 32:1 to see the context in which God says this to Moses. The children of Israel had not waited on Moses or God. They instead made a gold image of a calf and began to worship it. God could have destroyed the entire nation right then, but He didn’t. Instead He showed them mercy. They did not deserve it. They did not earn it, but God gave it anyway, because He had chosen them.

 

Read Romans 9:16. What does it depend on to be a child of the promise? (Romans 9:8) Circle the correct answer.

the man who wills        the man who runs        God who has mercy

 

Read Romans 9:17-18. Have you ever thought about how God demonstrated His power through a Pharaoh who did not serve Him or love Him?

Look up and read Exodus 7:8-13 and answer the following questions:

When Moses told Aaron to throw down his staff and God turned it into a serpent Pharaoh told his magicians to do the same thing. Were Pharaoh’s men able to turn their staffs into serpents? Circle your answer.

Yes              No

 

What happened to the serpents that were made by Pharaoh’s men? Circle your answer.

the magicians serpents slithered away

Aaron’s serpent ate the magicians serpents

the magicians serpents killed Aaron’s serpent

 

watch the video below now.

At the beginning of this video we hear Pharaoh’s magicians calling out names. These names are all names of some of the god’s that the Egyptians worshiped. The Egyptians worshiped many false gods. They even believed that Pharaoh was a god to be worshiped. The true God begins here with the staff of Aaron to begin to show Israel, Egypt, and all the surrounding nations that He is the One and Only True God.

 

Look up and read Exodus 7:14 – 10:10 and Exodus 12:29-30 to learn about all the plagues that God sent to Egypt.

Watch the video below now.

Each of these plagues represented the false gods that the Egyptians worshiped. God had specifically chosen these plagues and He was using the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart to show the children of Israel and all of Egypt that He alone was God. Through these plagues He was showing them that He was more powerful than any of the gods they worshiped.

 

Look up and read Exodus 14:5-31 to learn about the end of Pharaoh.

Watch the video below now. 

Do you remember that the Egyptians also worshiped Pharaoh as a god? So God used the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart and the splitting of the Red Sea to once again show that He alone was God. He showed His power and authority over all rulers, all gods, and over all creation, like the sky and the seas.

 

Look up and read Joshua 2:1-13 and answer the following questions. Circle your answers: 

Had other nations heard about what God had done in Egypt? 

Yes                    No

 

Go back and read Romans 9:17. Had God displayed His power throughout the whole earth?   

Yes                     No

 

THINK ABOUT IT….

If Pharaoh would have let the children of Israel go when Aaron’s staff was turned into a serpent and ate his magicians serpents do you think the whole earth would have heard about it?

They most likely would not. God raised Pharaoh up and used his hard heart to show the whole earth who the real God is. God also showed the world during this time that we did not have to be a child of Jacob, Isaac, or Abraham to become a child of His. 

Anyone who believed in Him and obeyed Him could be His. It is still the same today. Our salvation has always came through faith. Simply believing God and taking Him at His word. 

Rahab was not child of Jacob, Isaac, or Abraham but she was saved because she believed God. 

Look up and read Matthew 1:1-6. Whose name do you see listed as part of the family of Jesus? Rahab! That’s right.

Do you believe God? Are you a part of the family of Jesus? Remember it is believing the gospel that saves us all.

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 9:1-13)

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We continue in our Romans Study For Kids.

Today we will be beginning a new section in the book of Romans. We will be studying through Romans 9, Romans 10, and Romans 11. This section is called the Scope of Salvation. In this section we will be learning about God’s choice, man’s responsibility, and how God has not rejected Israel.

Let’s begin by digging into Romans 9!

 

Read Romans 9:1-2 and answer the following questions. 

Who is the “I” in this verse?

 

______________________

 

What is he telling?

 

__ __ __       __ __ __ __ __

 

How is he telling it?

 

in  __ __ __ __ __ __

 

in the  __ __ __ __     __ __ __ __ __ __

 

What does he say about himself?

 

I am not  __ __ __ __ __

 

I have great  __ __ __ __ __ __  and unceasing __ __ __ __ __ in my heart

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Does it sound like Paul is sad? Does it sound like he wants us to know that what he is sharing is true and that God is speaking through him? 

Let’s study further to see if we can find out why Paul is so sad.

 

Read Romans 9:3 and answer the questions below.

What does Paul wish?

That he himself was  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __,  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

from __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Why does he wish this?

for the sake of my  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, my __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Look up and read 2 Corinthians 11:22 and Philippians 3:5. Who are Paul’s brethren and kinsmen? Circle the correct answer.

Greeks        Romans         Indians        Hebrews

 

Read Romans 9:4. What is another name for the Hebrews? 

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 9:4-5. What eight things do you learn about the Israelites?

 

1) to whom belongs the _______________________________

2) and the _______________________________

3) and the _______________________________

4) and the _______________________________

5) and the ________________________________

6) and the ________________________________

7) whose are the ________________________________

8) and from whom is the _______________________

 

Now let’s take some time to find out what these eight things you just listed from Romans 9:4-5 are all about. It is time for some cross-referencing so that we can let Scripture interpret (or explain) Scripture. You don’t have to write anything down. I just want you to look it up, read, and discover!

1) Look up and read Exodus 4:21-22 to find out when the Israelites received God’s adoption as sons.

2) Look up and read Exodus 40:34-35 to find out what glory the Israelites received.

3) Look up and read Genesis 17:1-7 to find out about the covenant.  

4) Look up and read Deuteronomy 5:1-22 to find out about the giving of the Law

5) Look up and read Exodus 25:8-9 , 1 Kings 6:1, and Hebrews 9:1 to learn about the temple. This was first the tabernacle, then Solomon built the house of the Lord.

6) Look up and read Genesis 12:1-3 to learn about the promises.

7) Look up and read Acts 3:13 to learn who the fathers were.

8) Look up and read Matthew 1:1-16 to learn how Jesus came from the Israelites.

 

WOW! That was an awesome time of study! Good job! How about taking a break now and just think about all that you just learned.

 

Read Romans 9:5. What three things do you learn about Christ in this verse?

1) He came from the Israelites according to the flesh (He was born a Jew)

2) He is  __ __ __ __   __ __ __  

3) He is  __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __ __ __  forever

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

If all that you learned by digging in to Romans 9:4-5 is true, then why is Paul so upset. What have his brethren, the Israelites, not believed? 

I hope you have said, the gospel. 

Remember that is what Paul has been teaching us about up to this point. Remember that the theme of the book of Romans is that the gospel is the power of salvation and that salvation is by faith, the righteous man shall live by faith (Romans 1:16-17). 

So now the question is, if all this that you learned about the Israelites is true, then has God’s Word and His promises failed?

Let’s keep studying to find out!

 

Read Romans 9:6. 

How does Paul answer the question we just asked?

But it is  __ __ __  as though the word of God has failed.

Has God’s Word failed? Circle the correct answer.

Yes                 No

 

Read Romans 9:6-7. How does Paul explain that God’s Word has not failed?

For they are  __ __ __  all  __ __ __ __ __ __  who are descended from

__ __ __ __ __ __  nor are they all  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ because they

are  Abraham’s  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Look up and read Genesis 22:15-19. We learn about two sons in this verse.  Circle the name of the son that God said was the son of the covenant and the son that was promised by God.

Ishmael             Isaac

 

Look up and read Galatians 3:6-9. In verse 7 who are the sons of Abraham?

those who are of  __ __ __ __ __

 

Now look back in our study to Romans 2:28-29 and let us remember what we have already leaned about who is a true Jew or Israelite.

he is a Jew who is one  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 9:8. Who are the children of God? Circle the correct answer.

children of the flesh         children of the promise

 

Read Romans 9:9. What was the word of promise?

At this time I will come, and  __ __ __ __ __  will have a son

 

Read Romans 9:10. Who do you read about in this verse?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __     and     __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 9:10-13. How many kids did Isaac and Rebekah have? Circle your answer.

1             3           5           2

 

Were they twins? Circle your answer.

Yes                No

 

Read Romans 9:10-13 again and decide whether the following statement are True or False. Fill in the blank with a T or F.

 

_______   Jacob did a better job of making God happy that is why God loved him more.

 

_______   Rebekah and Isaac got to pick the child they wanted God to bless.

 

_______  God said the older kid is always boss.

 

_______  God had chosen before the children were born who would be the child to carry the promise.

 

_______  The works of the children had nothing to do with God’s choice

 

Look up and read Matthew 1:2. Which of Isaac and Rebekah’s sons is in the family of Jesus?

 

____________________

 

Look up and read Galatians 3:16, 26-29. Who is the promised seed or son that allows us to be descendants of Abraham? Circle the correct answer.

Isaac           Ishmael           Jesus           Superman

 

Just to know, look up and read Genesis 3:15 to find out when this promise was first given.

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Do you remember that we have already learned earlier in Romans that salvation comes from believing God. We learned that salvation has always been by faith. 

God made a promise right after the fall that He would send a seed to be our Savior. Since the garden He has chosen who would carry that seed from family to family until Jesus would come.

We can follow this all the way through the Bible. Below is just part of the trail:

Adam to Seth to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah to David to Jesus… 

God made a promise and He kept it. It didn’t matter how bad the men had messed up, when God called them they came, and God protected them because He was protecting the promise and the seed. 

Romans 9:11 assures us that God saves and keeps us saved according to His choice and His purpose and His promise. How important is it to you to know this about God when you have messed up? 

Isn’t it great to know that God keeps us saved in Jesus because He promised He would. 

That’s enough for today. We will look at Romans 9:14-18 next.

Proven Path Ministries

It’s All Him

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Yesterday I stood to teach during our chapel time at co-op and I felt as though I had never taught before. It was as if the Spirit of God had left me and I stood their naked and exposed and powerless. I could not focus. I could not remember where the points were I had felt the Lord had led me to draw out from the verses we were going to be digging into… I was lost.

My heart was pounding, my mouth went dry, my mind was blank and I was trying not to panic and just run out of the room.

I stood there trying to teach and hold back embarrassed tears at the same time… I have not felt that all over the place in a very long time. I wanted to hide. I actually thought right then that the Lord was through with me and had removed His Spirit and anointing from me right then. Confusion gripped my heart as I went before my God in my heart… and questioned what was happening? Was I under attack? Had I not adequately planned? Is this the results of something that is going on in my body right now? Had I failed Him? Had I missed Him? Self-condemnation commenced…

I am supposed to teach at a ladies retreat tomorrow night… and in all honesty I have felt so “out of it” for the past few weeks that I am nervous in a way that I have not been in a long time.

I am not sure if people really understand how terrifying and out of character speaking in front of a crowd is for me. It is only by and through the grace of God and the indwelling power and authority of His Holy Spirit that I am able. It is His gift not my ability. Every time I have ever taught I am reminded of His presence, because I cannot do this apart from Him. The moments, like what I experienced Monday, always serve as a potent reminder to me that it is not in me to teach this most holy Word from this Most Holy God.

I am beyond unworthy to speak in His name.

As I sat here tonight with my girls and watched the Billy Graham special, My Hope America, my heart ached. I am reminded again and again that I will never get over His forgiveness. I will never get over His sacrifice. I will never get over His mercy. I will never get over His desire for me. Me. This woman who lived in outright rebellion to Him and His commands. This woman who used His name in vain and lived life in vain.

My heart swells and becomes so full with emotion that it feels like it will burst within my chest when I think of Him and His cross… I can’t explain what washes over me when I think of what He went through just for me…

This afternoon my girls and I watched A Knight’s Tale with Heath Ledger… I kept the remote with me so as to skip over the parts that showed the guys backside and the part where Jocelyn comes in the night to William… I began the fast forward and my Bekah said, Momma I would never do what she is doing that is making you to have to fast forward this… Momma, you wouldn’t do that either would you… you haven’t done that have you?  

For the first time ever, I could not answer her. Hot shame washed over me anew and I avoided the question that I will answer one day… I just can’t bear to answer it today… not after The Day I Hated Came and her heart was broken just from the knowledge that I did not walk with Christ until I was 24 years old.

My heart breaks for those who think the choices they are making today will not go with them into tomorrow. If you ever think I am “judging” you do not know me at all. It is not a heart of judgment that comes before you, but a heart that knows the love of Christ and loves Him and you too much too allow you to walk down a path of death when life is HIS WAY.

Billy Graham shared in his message to America that the cross is offensive because it demands, it doesn’t suggest, it DEMANDS a new lifestyle. He also shared that the cross of Christ is offensive, but the cross is a confrontation that all of us must face.

I experienced the offensiveness of the cross… and I experienced it demand to change… I realized fully at the age of 24 that the Word of God was not a suggestion for how to live… it was LIFE.

So I don’t teach and I don’t write and I don’t post and I don’t blog and I don’t call out so that others will “like” me or my “stuff”. It’s not so anyone will ever look at me… there really is not much to see… I just want you to know Jesus. The real Jesus. Not this “Jesus” that many people make such a mockery of as they claim to be working for Him…

For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.

Titus 1:10-11

I want to share with you the Jesus who is in the Word and of the Word and is the Word. I don’t want to spout out ridiculous cliches or promise you empty blessings and seven steps that supposedly God has “only revealed to me”… that should be a red flag right there. I just want to bring you to Jesus and teach you what He has recorded for us in His Scriptures. No seven steps to blessings needed, just one step toward Christ. Just one step of faith at a time…

If God has to give me moments like last Monday to keep me in this place of utter humility then by all means I will take them… If He has to pull back and let me be reminded what emptiness would be in my heart if He were not there, then by all means pull away from me… I come before Him and lay at the foot of His cross and look up to His throne of His grace ready to be stripped of all self-righteousness and pride. Reminded that I am not here to show what all I know… but only WHO I KNOW.

I came empty handed to this mercy tree and all I have to offer anyone is what was offered me… Jesus.

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Thankful for Motherhood

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It’s November and I have been posting my “thankful fors” on my FB page, Proven Path Ministries. You can follow them all there. I would love for you to “like” my page.

Today I shared that I am thankful for motherhood. As I was pondering my thankfulness for motherhood I remembered this verse…

“But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

1 Timothy 2:15

I have always found this verse in Scripture pretty interesting, so today I thought I would dig a little deeper into it. The word “self-restraint” in this verse is sóphrosuné in the Greek and it means soundness of mind, sanity; self-control, sobriety. I literally laughed out loud when I read the Greek definition of this verse. Why? Well let me tell you that I cannot count the times that I have said…

“Y’all are driving me insane!” 
“I am about to lose my mind!” 
“They are making me crazy!” 
“I can’t even complete a thought without somebody interrupting me!” 
“Do you think that I am stupid and have no clue what you are doing?” 
“Do you not understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”
“I’m going to kill them!” 

Raising children will teach you things about yourself that you otherwise would have self-righteously denied until your dying breath. I remember the day I realized that I understood how that woman could put herself and her kids in that car and drive them off that bridge. I remember the moment I realized that I could empathize with that one on trial for shaking their child…

It was the night that after 4 month of only sleeping in 45 minute increments and still trying to work part time while my husband had been away on business in another country for a month that at 3 o’clock in the morning I laid my not sleeping EVER! beautiful baby girl in the floor and went to the bathroom and cried and screamed and in the depths of utter frustration kicked a whole in my bathroom wall.

I then realized that I had “lost it”. I went into the living room, grabbed the still smiling but not sleeping EVER! beautiful baby girl and wrapped her in a blanket, and walked to my parents house at 3 o’clock in the morning in heaping sobs. I proceeded to walk in their door, up their stairs, and into their bedroom, and still in uncontrollable sobs handed my scared to death mother my still smiling but not sleeping EVER! beautiful baby girl. My mother in a huge breathe of relief that the bundle I handed her was still breathing sent me to bed and took on the baby duty.

When I returned to my parents house that night after working an all day volleyball tournament… guess who was still awake and only had a twenty minute nap during the day… yes, my still smiling but not sleeping EVER! beautiful baby girl.

Motherhood has taught me more about the grace and mercy and love of God than any preacher ever could. The words of Scripture have been clung to more than I can wrap my mind around as I held on to them for hope in just me maintaining my sanity through another day.

“But women will be preserved” in this verse is sōthēsetai in the Greek and it means she will be saved.

So personally I believe we can read 2 Timothy 1:15 like this: I will be saved through raising children if I can do this thing continuing in faith, love, holiness, and without losing my mind in the process!

The word “continue” is menó in the Greek and it means I remain, abide, stay, wait, live, endure, last. 

The word “faith” is pistis in the Greek and it means faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

The word “love” is agapé in the Greek and it is a purely Biblical and ecclesiastical word. I love what the Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary says about agape:

“God Is Love.”Agape [ 1 John 4:8 ). God does not merely love; he islove. Everything that God does flows from his love.

John emphasizes repeatedly that God the Father loves the Son (John 5:20 ; 17:23,26 ) and that the Son loves the Father (John 14:31 ). Because the Father loves the Son, he made his will known to him. Jesus in turn demonstrated his love to the Father through his submission and obedience.

The theme of the entire Bible is the self-revelation of the God of love. In the garden of Eden, God commanded that “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17 ). We are not prepared, then, when God looks for Adam after his sin, calling out “Where are you?” God seeks Adam, not to put him to death, but to reestablish a relationship with him. God, the Lover, will not allow sin to stand between him and his creature. He personally bridges the gap…

We are totally incapable of loving either God or others—a condition that must be corrected by God before we canlove. The Bible’s ways of describing this process of correction are numerous: “circumcision of the heart” (Deuteronomy 30:6 ); God’s “writing his laws” on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33 ); God’s substituting a “heart of flesh” for a “heart of stone” (Ezekiel 11:19 ); being “born again” by the Spirit (John 3:3 ; 1 John 5:1-2 ); removing old clothing and replacing it with new (Colossians 3:12-14 ); dying to a sinful life and resurrecting to a new one (Colossians 3:1-4 ); moving out of darkness into light (1 John 2:9 ). Until that happens, we cannot love.

God alone is the source of love (1 John 4:7-8 ); he “poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:5 ). God’s love then awakens a response in those who accept it. Godloves through believers, who act as channels for his love; they are branches who must abide in the vine if they are to have that love (John 15:1-11 ).

The word “sanctity” is hagiasmos in the Greek and it means the process of making or becoming holy, set apart, sanctification, holiness, consecration. It’s the use of the believer being progressively transformed by the Lord into His likeness.

Motherhood, whether through adoption, marriage, or bearing them from our own bodies, will bring a woman to the cross of Christ quicker and with more fervency than anything else on this earth ever could. God will use it to mold us into the image of His Son in a way that blows our mind. As I remain faithful in this mom thing, as I endure all things and wait on my children to “get it” as I just keep doing what God has called me to do and facing everything that He brings to me and remember that this whole sanctity and holiness thing is a process and not a one stop shop then I can press on and not lose my sanity over the reality of it all.

When I read God seeks Adam, not to put him to death, but to reestablish a relationship with him. God, the Lover, will not allow sin to stand between him and his creature. He personally bridges the gap… in the Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary I thought about how this should relate to me as a mother. I should never allow sin to come between me and my children if I really claim to love them… whether it be my sin or theirs. It is my responsibility as the mother to be the one who makes the move to bridge the gap that sin makes in my family. I am also reminded that I cannot love my children with agape love apart from God… I HAVE to have Him deposit this love within me first before I can love my children with it… any other type of “love” will end up being a perversion and not beneficial to the health and eternal life of my children.   

So yes I am thankful for motherhood… it has taught me much… about my God, myself, and what it means to love without condition and it has also taught me what it means to be loved without condition. 

my motherhood

Children's Ministry, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Amazing Grape

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Yesterday morning I red an article, We are going to home school our kids, but that’s only because we hate education. I posted this article on my personal FB page. Then I began to scroll through and read the response comments on the post… this is where my blood pressure began to rise… what irritated me was two comments that are repeated over and over and over and over and over by parents.

1) I don’t have the patiences with my own kids

2) I turned out just fine(okay)/my kids turned out just fine(okay)

My personal FB page posted emotional response to these comments after I deleted much of it…

I am sorry, but I don’t want my kids to just “turn out okay” I want them to be excellent! I am sorry, but if I don’t have “the patience” to teach my own children… then I need to get on my face before God and repent and find out why. Thank God in heaven that He never looked at me said “I don’t have the patience to teach you”. Patience is learned and it is the fruit of the Spirit. I teach my children at home and I struggle, I take many deep breathes, I rely on the promises of God minute by minute… I just simply believe that if I can’t learn enough patience to teach my own kids or learn enough love to at least like my own children then I have a serious spiritual problem and it needs addressed NOW.

For some reason there were those that found this offensive…

Notice this is all addressed to myself. This “rant” as I called it… is all things that I myself had to address in myself as a parent. Believe it or not patience is not natural to me, and it especially was not natural with my children… God had to teach it too me. And yes, the problem was not my children… the problem was me. The problem was my own spiritual immaturity… is my own spiritual immaturity. Trust me, I have far from arrived.

I had to get on my face before God and repent of how I responded to my children. I had to ask God why did I lack so much patience with them? If you were to pick up my journals and read them, you would see over and over again where I had cried out, God help me… I need more patience! You don’t even have to find my journals. my goodness, the world can read them here: He’s Still Working On Me, The Angry Voice, Ladies!

Do you know what His answer was.

You don’t need more patience… you need more of Me, you just need more knowledge of My Word, you just need to keep growing, keep trusting, keep learning, keep stepping out in faith believing My Word… and all these things will be added to you. 

God taught me to stop when I was in the midst of an overwhelming situation and just breathe and I would pray, God I need more of Your Holy Spirit, more of You, more of Your grace… and in that moment I would meditate on

 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

Luke 11:13

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He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.

John 3:33-34

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Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us Romans 5:1-5

Moms and Dads, we have to teach our children and shame on us if we use our own lack of patience as an excuse not too. I am not saying everyone should homeschool. I am saying that loving our kids is mandatory and desiring their excellence is mandatory… teaching them is mandatory.

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

2 Timothy 3:14-16

Now, who is the “whom” in this passage of Scripture?

For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

2 Timothy 1:5

He learned them from his mother… since childhood.

 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

We cannot be called children of God and think that we can look at God and say, well I just did not have the patience to teach my own kids, so I left that to someone else to do. WE CAN’T. It simply doesn’t work that way. If we don’t have enough patience to teach and train our own children we have to come before God and find out why… and be willing to receive what He says and start taking the steps we need to take to allow His Spirit to produce His fruit in us.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Notice the fruit is singular, it’s not fruits of the Spirit, but fruit of the Spirit. Have you ever wondered why fruit? In various places in the Scripture the Word of God compares Christ to a vine. So let’s just look at the grape for our example. Why don’t you go ahead and read this article on growing grapes.

Now lets do some comparing. The article said: When you plant your grapevine in the spring, it’s just a small set of shoots. It can grow relatively quickly in the first year, developing a thick trunk and side canes that require training along a trellis, fence or wire system. But it’s not ready to produce grapes.

When we first receive Jesus as our Saviour, He saves us and puts His Spirit within us, we and those around us usually see a change in us. There is this quick excitement and fire in us and all of a sudden out of nowhere we are excited about God… but as we walk in this new life we find that we still lack in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control part… oh we may know better now… but the carrying out of it, the bearing the fruit of it, we find difficult. That’s because we are still to immature.

Remember the article began with: Your backyard grapevine can take up to three years to produce viable grapes, but that timeline is based on several environmental factors as well as how you care for the plant. Sunlight and well-drained soil are key to grape production, as is proper pruning.

In our new life, God has to first begin the pruning… Pruning is one of the most important factors in grape production. Grapes develop only on new growth, which sprouts from 1-year-old wood. This is one reason why most vines don’t produce grapes in their second year — the whole plant is only 1 year old, so its main job is support instead of grapes. 

During the first years of our salvation God is cultivating in us a foundation of support for the fruit He wants to produce in us. He has to prune away all that is of our old nature, His fruit doesn’t come from our old talents or old personality… His fruit comes from Him. He has to prune on us, so that we learn the difference… or we would become arrogant and think it was all us… and not simply a result of His Spirit in us, working through and out of us.

To grow and bear the fruit of the Spirit we have to spend time in the SON: Without the necessary sunlight, grapes won’t develop properly, regardless of the vine’s age. Grapevines can grow in partial shade, but they are unlikely to produce much fruit unless they get a significant amount of sun — up to seven or eight hours per day.

How much time do you spend soaking in the Word of God? The Son is the Word made flesh… No SonLight… no Fruit… Little SonLight… little fruit. It’s that simple. Are you willing to spend 7 to 8 hours a day soaking in the Word of God? Imagine the growth that could take place within you if He was your mediation…  how much time do you spend on other things that could be spent in the Son?

The article also shared, This is also why neglected vines don’t produce many grapes. The upper level of leaves often shades lower levels, keeping the leaves from absorbing the necessary sunlight to help the plant develop fruit

I believe this could be a warning to those who choose to lord their positions of authority over other believers, instead of getting out of the way and helping them get in the Son for themselves.

The article shared that you can’t use your eyes to tell you when the grapes are ready.

You see you can’t look at yourself or anyone else and tell the level of their spiritual maturity… only the inside can reveal that… and the only way to get to the inside is to taste it for yourself. You have to break the outside so that what is on the inside can burst forth… so sometimes God has to put us in situations so that we can see what is going on inside of us… so we can see how “ripe” or spiritually mature we are… and by the way our kids and our spouse and our family and those within our church, and those we work with or go to school with or drive down the road with… are all great at opening our eyes to our lack of spiritual maturity. Whenever we think we are big enough to get off the Vine, God is real quick to remind us… we are so not ready!

My favorite part of the article was at the end: Each year can be different, so don’t use the previous year’s harvest date by default. For example, one summer might be sunny with little cloud cover, while the next is overcast nearly every day. Because grapes need sun to ripen properly, it takes longer in years with more cloudy days.

Be encouraged moms and dads… and all believers. There will be years of great fruit bearing… but there will also be cloudy seasons when growth is slow and little fruit is evident and when this happens, when you realize this is what is happening… RUN TO THE SON!

The article began with If you’ve neglected an older grapevine, it could stop producing until it gets some attention from you. 

Maybe you became a believer as a child… and maybe its been a while since you have been in the Word… maybe you have never really ever been in the Word… maybe you have realized that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are simply not things that hang on you or bear from you… with your kids, with your spouse, with others, with even yourself. If you know that you know that you know that you are indeed in the Vine, then you were created to bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit… its just that you have neglected the Vine… if that’s you… it’s time to call on the Vinedresser (John 15).

Believe me, God does not just want you or your kids to just turn out okay or just fine…

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you.

Song of Solomon 4:7

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For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works

Psalm 139:13-14

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But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God

1 Peter 2:9-10

So my friend if it patience that you feel you lack in order to have the ability to teach your own children… know that God is here to supply especially that and all things that you need…

But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:18-20

Notice in this verse that God also used the church to help meet the needs of Paul… this brings us to Titus 2… and Hebrews 10:25… and Galatians 6:2. I encourage you to look those up for yourself…

Proven Path Ministries

The Heart Behind It

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In just over three days our church will present our 2013 production of The Judgment Seat. Let me share with you that A LOT of time, effort, finances, and heart are put into this production from it’s planning to its performance. Let me tell you that literal blood, sweat, and tears are put into this production every year. Let me tell you that actors, counselors, parking guides, registration, group guides, and those serving behind the scenes working to build and decorate sets and provide food and encouragement to all involved sacrifice sleep, paychecks, and healthy bodies in order to present the gospel in this way to their community and those who drive even from other states to experience The Judgement Seat.

As this season’s production quickly approaches… the buzz about this year’s theme and thoughts and concerns about it come with it. Since I just won’t be the one to let the cat out of the bag about the theme, I am going to share with you about the heart behind it, and not just behind this theme, but the heart behind every theme.

The heart behind the theme is that everyone who participates in this production as a servant of it or an attender to it, will seriously consider life, death, sin, and salvation and what the Bible has to say about.

Please know that those of us who write the script and prepare the scenes are well aware of certain things. We are well aware that theatrical licenses have had to be used in order to crunch a lifetime and eternity into eight 5 minute scenes. We are well aware that every year exaggerations have been made and extremes in limits have been pushed in order to drive home the heart of the theme in the best way we know how.

Please know that sleepless nights, quiet moments, Scripture searchings, God’s will seekings, prayer utterings, have been poured into and over every scene. It is with great fear and trembling that we do what we do and write what we write and portray what we attempt to portray. We are well aware that it is us who will stand before our God accountable for every year of this production…

Our themes are usually way out of many’s comfort zones. Our themes usually cause many to ponder some hard questions and have to address some hard issues. Those many being we who present, act, serve, and counsel within it, as well as those who walk through it. The hard things have to be addressed. We can’t be afraid of them. Jesus asked the hard questions and Jesus was willing to be asked the hard questions… so should we as His body. We may not know the answers to them yet, but we should at least be ready to hear and voice them.

What is the heart behind The Judgment Seat?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

Romans 1:16

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…for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:13-14

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But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

There is a saying that goes, “It’s all about who you know”

…and we want you to know Jesus, because we are convinced that He is the Lord, and we are convinced that He alone can save, and we are convinced that if you know Him, then you know exactly who you need to know.

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

It Is Better To Go To A House of Mourning

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A good name is better than a good ointment,
And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

Today I will enter a house of mourning. Today the physical body of my lifelong friend will be laid to rest. Today my friend, will make her last huge, in your face, call to the words of Christ and the truth of the gospel to her community and to those who claim to love her and her family. Today those who come to this house of mourning will have to face the reality that life is fleeting… that death comes to all men… and death is God’s loud shout to all mankind that sin is real, that flesh is weak, that we are not God, that we cannot stop the destruction that the choice of man put into motion way back in the garden…

But we can escape it in and through Christ!

This house of mourning is meant to cause the wise to sit back and reflect and look at their own life and take the death of this one to heart. It is meant to cause us to examine our own hearts, our own lives (or what we call “lives”) and ask ourselves… whether when we come we already know the Lord or not.

Am I really living?

If I were to step outside of my life and look at it from God’s point of view… are the things that I am investing my time, money, and energy into worth dying for? Will the things that I put effort into worrying about matter one hundred years from now… will they bear any measurement in eternity? If that were me laying there up front in this house of mourning, what would be said about my name, my character, my life.  

What happens when we die?

You see something in us knows that this life, this world is not the end. Somewhere deep within the recesses of the places we can’t explain every man knows that there is more. No matter where you go on the globe, no matter the culture, the region, through our myths and legends and religions, and imagination we can see the reality that all mankind has a desire for eternal life… He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart… (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Is the Bible true?

Is the Bible really God’s Word to His creation? Is what is written about creation, about Adam and Eve, about sin, about the flood, about Abraham, about David, about Jesus… about us true? Is it true? Should I believe it? Should I trust this One who says He is the Only Way to heaven? Should I trust this One who claims He died for my sin, was buried, and was raised again in order to provide the way for my forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life? Should I trust the words of this book, even though the world mocks it, other religions condemn it, and I simply don’t understand it? Is the Bible true? Is Jesus the Son of God, Savior of all who will come to Him in faith and believe? Is He?

Am I honoring Christ with this life He has given me?

If my Jesus were to call me home right now, would I stand before Him ashamed? Have I taken His gift of the gospel and hidden it? Am I serving Him or myself? Am I using my life, talent, and spiritual gift, to equip the saints, the church, HIS body? Am I being a good and faithful steward with my money, time, and blessings? Am I sharing them or am I a hoarder of God’s goodness to me? Am I just sucking the life out of the church or am I being used by God to breath life into it? Am I living in obedience to Him and showing the world and my family and my friends by my own actions that I love Him and I believe Him and I trust Him with everything?

Last week I attended a D6 Conference. During the conference every once and a while they would pull someone up to ask them their story. They would ask how had the conference encouraged them… everyone was laughing and having a great time… and I sat there in tears thinking, “you want to know my story?”

I drove here after leaving the bedside of my friend who is dying… and left here on this earth behind her will be her young teenage daughter and elementary age son. They are close to the same age as my own children… and I cannot sit her knowing that, without asking God, If You took me tonight have I impressed Your Word on them enough? Have I taught them to love You with all their heart, all their mind, all their strength, all their soul… and to love others as themselves? Have I taught them to value You and Your Word more than anything in this world, not by my words alone but by how they have seen me live? Have I been purposeful to lay a biblical foundation in their hearts and minds, a foundation on which they will be able to stand in this world that is in open rebellion to Him? Have I impressed the gospel on them? Have I told them about sin and death and the lies of the devil and that Jesus Christ is their hope and their salvation?  Do they know my story? Do they know how God called me unto Himself and brought me to the cross of Christ? If I leave this world tonight would they have peace knowing that I am with God?

All these questions flew through my mind as I sat there… and I pray that when you read my questions… you will make them your own.

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Just A Little of My Heart

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In just the past few hours my childhood into early adulthood friend went home to be with the Lord. Left behind are grandparents, her parents, her husband, her two young children, her brother and sister and nieces and nephews and  countless other loved ones and friends… and even acquaintances that were touched by her life and by her story…

This was her story. She fought the good fight. She faced the attack of Satan through cancer and she never turned her back on her God.

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job 2:3-10

 

This was her story. Job faced Satan and won and Beth, she faced Satan, and my friend… she won. Yes, she asked why… no she didn’t understand… but she never sinned against God or cursed Him with her lips… she was faithful until the very end… always turning to her God not away from Him.

She will never be forgotten…

When we impact the lives of others through kindness… through smiles… through joy… through laughter… through sufferings… through forgiveness… through hope… in and through Christ… we will be remembered by all those we touched and our life her on earth will live on, our legacy will continue, through all of them… even while we our selves are in the presence of the One who taught us to live this way by His own life and death. The One who came to save.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’

and,

‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Luke 4:1-13

 

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit was led into the wilderness to fight Satan. My friend, Beth, full of the Holy Spirit was led into cancer. We will all face the wilderness. We will all fight Satan… I don’t know what your wilderness will look like… I just know what the One who will bring you through it looks like. He looks like hope and He smells like victory and feels like life and tastes sweeter than honey and the sound of His voice is like a gentle breeze that breathes words of comfort into the depths of my soul.

My friend was a part of my life from at least 2nd grade until well after high school graduation when we both made the plunge and got our first apartment together. We found out that we couldn’t live together… at least not at that time… neither of us was walking with the Lord at that time… and where the Lord is not, there is strife and trouble. My friend and I went separate ways and within that year we both were married and had children and then life just had us in separate directions.

Several years ago we reconnected on Facebook and now I look back and read our Private Messages to one another and I am so thankful I am not a “message deleter”.

You know I can’t remember, what were all the reasons we parted ways back in 1998, when she moved back home and I moved over into a one bedroom. Once we reconnected none of that mattered. It was even as if it never happened. We both had been to the cross since then, we both had been washed clean by then, we both had come to experience the grace and mercy of God in and through His Son Jesus Christ. She had returned and I had finally repented.

What really mattered was that we were now not just friends in the flesh but full sisters in Christ. We will live together again… this time for all eternity… because we will both be home.

I am supposed to go here in a few hours and teach children. I am about to go and try to laugh and sing and dance with preschoolers as they learn about the healing of Naaman and then will be teaching K – 5th grade about the sovereignty of God as we dig into Romans 9:14-18. Right now I am not sure if I will be able to hold it together… but by the grace of God I probably will.

I probably will because Beth is experiencing the reality that I will only get to teach about… the full healing of Creator God in Christ… and she is hearing the words, Well done, my good and faithful servant, well done.

I spent Tuesday morning with my friend, then left that afternoon to head to Kentucky for a D6 conference. I was at this conference Wednesday until Friday late afternoon. This song was sung every day during this time… and my heart sang it in honor of my friend as I prayed for the peace of her God to wash over her… especially the line that sings, and on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws near, and my time has come, still my soul will sing Your praise unending, 10,000 years and then forevermore…

 

 

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries

Where I Want My Kids To Be When

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“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones

even a cup of cold water to drink,

truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Matthew 10:42

At my last children’s ministers’ meeting the current president of our group asked us to consider where we wanted our kids to be when they left our ministry and went into the youth. I will be at my first children’s minister conference on the day of the meeting that we will be sharing our thoughts so I have decided to put mine in writing in here.

Where do I want my kids to be? What do I want them to know by the time they leave me? Well here’s a quick top 25:

1) Have a solid biblical worldview

2) Have a strong relationship with their parents/guardians or another adult authority figure within the church

3) Have a full understanding of what the gospel is.

4)  Know that God loves them and that through Jesus they can know God intimately

5) Know all of the books of the Bible and the ability to navigate the Bible

6) Know how to read the Word of God asking who, what, when, where, why, and how

7) Know that Scripture never contradicts Scripture and the Bible must be interpreted within the context of the text

8) Know that they did not become sinners because they sinned, but that they sin because they are born sinners

9) Know that the Bible is the Word of God and it is infallible

10) Know that obedience is evidence of faith

11) Know that real love requires sacrifice

12) Know that salvation is by grace through faith and be able to explain what that means

13) Have the confidence and knowledge to share the gospel with others

14) Be focused on seeking to serve rather than to be served

15) Have a hunger and thirst for more of the Word of God

16) Know that they were created by a Holy God for the glory of God and are meant to enjoy Him forever

17) Know that apart from God they are nothing

18) Have a basic understanding of the doctrine of salvation

19) Know that God never ever ever breaks His promises

20) Know that God always keeps His Word

21) Have such a strong conviction concerning the validity and authority of Scripture that they are not shaken by the questions or mockings of unbelievers

22) Understand that the Scriptures contain everything they will ever need for guidance in this life and know how to seek wisdom from God through His Word and prayer

23) Know how to pray

24) Know that God is sovereign and is actively involved in the things of this world and in their every day lives

25) Know that as long as they have breath they are to serve the Lord, praise the Lord, and honor the Lord.

 

I suppose this could seem like a tall order… but it is my “where I want them to be” list and I believe it is possible because of what I have read in the Word of God concerning other children. Especially the Child who came to us specifically as an example:

And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

Luke 2:42-47

 

In the desire to see the kids under my watch get at least these 25 things, I carefully and purposely choose curriculum and activities that will help engage not just the kids, but their parents. I desire to help equip parents to teach their children at home and I seek to encourage children to respect and honor their parents. I try to look for activities that will build the parent/child relationship. I try to look for children’s events that will help to open the eyes of the kids to their spiritual gifts so that when they enter the youth they are ready to serve and want to serve.

I don’t have any formal training. I really have no clue what I am doing, I just take it one step of obedience at a time. I don’t know if I am doing anything right or the way it is recommended to be done… perhaps I am doing it all wrong according to the status quo. I really don’t know. This keeps a cloud of insecurity over my head, but perhaps that’s there to make sure I don’t get too big for my britches and if that’s the case I am all for it. Pride comes before a fall… and I am tired of falling.

I just love Jesus, His Word, and His church. I just have to trust that a love for God’s Word and a love for His people and a willingness to say “Yes Lord” is enough.

And I suppose bottom line that’s what I want for my kids as well…

When the kids that leave the children’s ministry under my watch enter the youth… I want them to be in love with God, in love with His Word, in love with His church, and I want them to be willing to say, “Yes Lord… whatever it is, yes”

I am thankful that I know that the power of salvation lies in the gospel not in me. I am thankful that God’s purpose stands according to His choice and my works have nothing to do with it, and neither do my kids, but it’s all according to Him who calls… and in that assurance and knowledge I can serve Him in confidence in Him regardless of my own personal insecurities.

I simply try to remember why I went off track when I was at that age and I try to teach them what I did not know, and what I did not know how to know, and hope against hope that they become a Joseph, an Esther, a Daniel, a Mary, young but bold and strong in the Lord and unyielding all the days of their lives, no matter their government leaders, their schooling, their family, their circumstances, their trials, their testings, always FAITHFUL to the LORD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 8:31-39)

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After a month on a missions focus the children at Shiloh begin digging back into the book of Romans! We begin Romans 9 this coming Sunday… here are the handouts for Romans 8:31-39

Romans 8:31-39

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

It’s almost time to finish Part Two of our study. These last verses are some of my favorite in the whole Bible.

Read Romans 8:31-34. How many questions are asked in these verses. Circle your answer.

1        3        4        5        7

 

Now let’s look at them one by one.

  1. What shall we say to these things? 

    What things? Could it be all the things that we have learned in Romans from chapter 1 all the way up to chapter 8? Circle your answer.

Yes                    No

2) If God is for us, who is against us? 

     If God is for you, can anyone come against you? Circle your answer.

Yes                     No

  1. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

     If God loved us so much that He gave His Son for us, do you think that He will also help us in every thing else in our lives? Circle your answer.

Yes                       No

 

  1. Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? 

        If God has said you are forgiven? If God has said you are free? Is there anyone who can change that? Circle your answer.

Yes             No 

  1. God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns?

        If God has said you are saved, can anyone else say you are not? Circle your answer.

Yes                 No

 

Read Romans 8:34 again. In Romans 8:26-27 we learned that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Who we do learn also intercedes for us in Romans 8:34?

__ __ __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 8:35-36. This verse asks the question, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Read through these verses and list the things that it says WILL NOT separate us from the love of Christ.

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____________________           __________________

____________________           __________________

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Read Romans 8:37. According to this verse how do we respond to all these things listed in Romans 8:35-36?

we overwhelmingly  __ __ __ __ __ __ __  through __ __ __ who  __ __ __ __ __  us.

Read Romans 8:38-39. What else are we to be convinced of that can never separate us from the love of God?

neither __ __ __ __ __

nor __ __ __ __

nor __ __ __ __ __ __

nor __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

nor things __ __ __ __ __ __ __

nor things to __ __ __ __

nor __ __ __ __ __ __

nor __ __ __ __ __ __

nor __ __ __ __ __

nor any other __ __ __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Wow! Is there anything left that could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus? So if nothing can separate us, can we ever lose our salvation? Will Jesus ever leave us? Look up and read Hebrews 13:5. I think it’s time for a big “Thank You” to our God! Let’s sing Him a song write now. How about “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!”

The writing and teachings of Nicole Love Halbrooks Vaughn