Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Abercrombie Who?

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Apparently there’s a new ruse buzzing around FB and the news world…

I can’t log onto my news feed anymore without seeing a pornagraphic pic add for some clothing company… I have never really been a “label” girl… at least since I made it past my 14yr old Guess fad faze.

I don’t know designers.

I toted around a Proverbs 31 purse for 6 months before someone asked me if I had the wallet to match and started some huge conversation about the line… and I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. It was special to me because I got it for Christmas and my aunt took the time to have my name monogrammed on it.

Labels and Designers mean absolutely squat to me.

I just need something to hold my phone and my wallet and my chapstick and whatever my kids hand me… as for clothes I prefere slightly used clothes that someone is tired of or didn’t like and they just give them to me and I don’t have to go shopping.

So Aber-whoever… yeh whatever.

As for his position.

Last time I checked its a free country. If he only wants to design clothes for skinny chicks. Well more power to him. To force him to make clothes for we “healthier” girls is to take away a right from him that would allow the government to take away rights from me. Would this not just be the type of industry to use reverse psychology to attempt to prove a point and get what they want in other areas of our nation…

So I am not buying the hype. 

Also take note that this “fight the fat-girl hater” has done a wonderful job of distracting the internet from the recent Gosnell news, the fact that our President spoke at a Planned Parenthood National Conference, and the fact that his new health care plan is denying cancer treatments to those they deem too old to waste the money on…

But yes, let’s definitely get our panties in a wad over the dude who doesn’t make clothes for the more chunky of us… that’s really what’s important in life.

 

 

 

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

The Call of a Mother

 

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I am walking away from my power point planning for the speaking/teaching engagement I have for this coming Saturday… The more I study and the more I sit before the Word, I keep adding slides. I will have those mom’s and kids there all day and night if I don’t walk away now 😉

However I think I might share a small piece of what I feel the Lord has put on my heart to share… this is what I am choosing to title as The Call of a Mother…

It’s simply an adaptation of Jeremiah 1:4-12.

 

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

Woman, before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a mother to this child.”
Then I said, “Alas, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to be a mother,
Because I am just a girl.”
But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am just a girl,’
Because this child I have given you, you shall raise,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.
 “Do not be afraid of this,
For I am with you to guide you,” declares the Lord.

Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
“See, I have appointed you this day over this child and over this house,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”

The word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Mother?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

The call of a mother… to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overflow, and to build and to plant.

The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

Proverbs 14:1

The wisdom comes in learning what needs to be plucked, broke down, destroyed, and overthrown… and what needs to be built and what needs to be planted. When our wombs are filled with this precious life that is a unique DNA cell combination never, ever ,ever, ever to be created again we embark on a mission, a journey, that no other soul on earth will ever experience… they can’t… because this experience is ours and this child’s. There will never be another like this one…

There is only one who knows this child inside and out… and His name is ELOHIM.

Apart from Him we are clueless as to what to do, when to do, and how to do… but He, Elohim, has said, Do not fear… I am with you.

He knows that this beautiful one you hold sleeping in your arms appears sweet, innocent, and peaceful… but He knows the work that lies ahead for you… He already sees the nights that come with scream and vomit and dirty diapers. He already sees the tempers, the selfishness, the weaknesses, the fears, the battles that lie within.

He knows that their will be lies from hell that seep in to their minds that will need plucked out of this child. He knows that their will be rebellious wills that will need to be broke down. He knows that their will be selfish desires that will need to be destroyed. He knows that their will be lofty thoughts that try to set themselves up against Christ that will need to be overthrown.

He knows that when plucking, breaking down, destroying, and overthrowing takes place… their must also be building that takes place. When the shaky foundations are destroyed, there must be laid a solid foundation on which to continue to build and grow.

He knows that when the lies are plucked out, there must be truth planted in the soil… or the lies will find their way back and quickly take root again.

He knows that for a wayward soul to be loved it takes the memory of a love of days of innocent dependance to be able to still reach out in the face of greatest gut wrenching betrayals and rebellions…

I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth,

Jeremiah 2:1

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Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in My arms;

Hosea 11:3

He knows that this is a weary work for a mother who truly answers this call… so He reminds us that He Himself watches over His word to perform it. He reminds us that in this call it is He who watches to perform… we are not responsible for the results… we are only responsible to obey.

He knows the fear of failure that we will carry.

He knows the feelings of inadequacy we will fight.

He knows the thoughts of quitting we will have.

He knows the questions of doubt we will face.

He knows the condemnation we will attempt to place on ourselves.

So He reminds us over and over again in His Word… you do as I command you… and trust Me to accomplish My will and perform My Word.

The call of a mother is so much more than feed, burp, bath, put down to sleep. It’s so much more than, did you clean your room, did you do your homework, did you remember to brush your teeth… yet at the same time all those appearing simple things play a very huge part of the call of a mother…

when you thought i

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

Just One Sunday

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See that you do not despise one of these little ones,

for I say to you that their angels in heaven

continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:10

I had a visitor once in children’s church… a beautiful eight year old little girl. I will never forget her… nor who she represents. Her face is bore into my mind and the look in her eyes and the uncomfortableness of her spirit is etched in my heart… I pray it remains there until my work her on this earth is done.

I wonder what a Sunday would look like if just for one Sunday the only prayer request allowed to be made on that day was for the souls of the known lost… and for the strength, wisdom, discernment, grace, and insight to proclaim the gospel to them.

I wonder what one Sunday where we lay aside all the prayer request that concern all the sinus pressure, all the employment issues, all the christians that you know are christians that are about to pass into eternity, all the upcoming surgeries, all the attitude adjustments, all the sick puppies, and lost kitties, even the cancers and the peace for lose who are dealing with a loss of a loved one… I wonder what just one Sunday where we leave those request at home and trust that God has it covered and instead we choose just this one Sunday to lay only the names of the lost before our church… what would that Sunday look like?

After all He did say:

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried canadd a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34

What would happen if just one day, we laid aside all the request that had to do with all the things that God has already promised to supply us with… just one day we laid aside our own self interests and just one Sunday, just one, we set our hearts to pray for those we specifically know are abiding under the wrath of God because the enemy of this world has them blinded to the truth?

But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing youfrom the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.

Acts 26:16-18

What would happen?

Could we even really accomplish that in this self-centered, self-entitled, self-driven day?

I just don’t buy that Jesus saved me just to make my life better. He saved me to join an army. He saved me to join a team. He saved me to become a part of His rescue squad.

I am on active duty.

When did church become our comfort zone? Is it not supposed to be our training ground? Our briefing? Our team huddle to make the plans to fight the enemy…

Our time to grasp hands and say “red rover, red rover, Satan send that one right over” because if you don’t let them go, in the power of the name of Christ and the power of His gospel, we are about to come running over and break your hold on this one with the Truth of the Word of God and bring them on over to our side.

Oh God, take the blinders off of us! Let your church see… really see!

This young girl, in my children’s church, only eight years old… let me share with you how tight the grip the powers of hell have a hold of her mind… and let me remind you she merely is one that represents the majority of every child in our nation…

Oh church, wake up. For the love of Christ, wake up!

As I reviewed through the book of Romans, I begin every lesson with a section review that brings us up to where we will be that day, so as I reviewed Romans 1:18-32 I went over what happens in the minds of those who exchange the truth of God for a lie. I shared again how our thinking becomes all messed and we believe things that are lies, like believing that we come from monkeys… I made this statement and this young girls hand shot up. I addressed her raised hand and she said assuredly, “actually we are descended from monkeys.”

Now stop with me for a moment and think.

This young girl has never been in our church before. She does not go to school with any of the kids in the class. She knows no one and is in a strange place, yet this idea was so ingrained in her as fact, she had the boldness to speak out right then.

I cannot tell you how I prayed for this girl all through the lesson that day… I also cannot tell you the disappointment I felt as I watched our “church kids” including my own “church kid”.

I stood there teaching and I saw this first time visitor, this precious soul who has been taught a lie, for a very long time, I saw her sit there alone and uncomfortable. I saw her sit there while our “church kids” played amongst themselves, really ignoring her completely.

These children are merely a reflection of us… church we have got to work on this.

Yes, it is uncomfortable to approach and talk to someone new… even someone not new, but someone we have never talked to before… but guess what, they are uncomfortable too. Probably much more so than us.

I saw her uncomfortableness and I saw her struggle and my heart was breaking and what I wanted to do was just stop and take her for a walk and show her the beauty of God’s creation through the eyes of one of His children…

Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, 

Zechariah 12:1

I wanted to pull her aside and tell her that she was too intrinsically designed to come from an ape. I wanted to teach her that she was a living soul and that a monkey doesn’t have a soul and a soul can’t just “evolve”. I wanted to take her in my arms and run straight to the foot of the cross and beg God to open her eyes so that she could see… and I have done that in my prayers over and over and over.

She is only one of many.

So how about just one Sunday, just one, let’s trust that God has got our head cold covered, let’s trust that these mortal bodies are just temporary tents and God will sustain us and the others that we know that are His, no matter what we or they might be going through… let’s trust that He will get us through this one Sunday, and this one week that follows that Sunday, and just one Sunday let all our request be that the blind may see… that God would open their eyes… and that we would be so bold as to declare His Word and His gospel to the world so that whosoever will believe will be saved.

Start in your own church nursery.

Walk the halls of the Preschool wing.

Turn down the Children’s hall.

Do we not know that as soon as their little ears are open, the lies of hell are going in? This past Saturday morning my Bekah comes running up stairs, and says, “Momma, the lies are on Nick Jr! They just said that dinosaurs lived billions of years ago! Momma that’s not true. Kids are watching this Momma and it’s a lie”

Oh church, let not the gates of hell prevail…

If we don’t speak the truth who will?

If we don’t pray for the lost, the deceived  the blinded… who will?

One Sunday… could we start with just one Sunday?

Pray.

 

Proven Path Ministries

The Meaning of Mother

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This coming Saturday I will be sharing at a Mother Child Tea. In preparation for this I have been praying and setting my face toward the Word and digging into the Scriptures… and one of my favorite ways to do that is through word study.

As I researched I looked up the meaning of the word “mother” in the Greek. The first use of the word mother in the New Testament is in the book of Matthew,

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18

The word for mother here is meter and it is pronounced, may’-tare. Metaphorically this word means the source of something.

This past Saturday my sisters and my mother and I sat around my dining room table. We sat there and talked and laughed and shared our hearts and shared memories and moments and encouragements and we shared our concerns for our children’s future in this day in which we are living…

As we sat there around that table, we shared some of the lies that are being fed our children by the enemy of this world…

My mother began to share a story of when she was in high school. She shared how there was a girl she went to school with who grew up with all brothers. With this she was what we have always called a “tomboy”. She just was not very girley. She was stocky and strong and her mannerisms just were not very feminine.

Unfortunately in this day and age our society and culture takes these young girls (and young men who may have been raised by all girls and just not appear that masculine) and begins pushing the lie in their heads that they are this way because they are transgender or homosexual. There was a time when this lie would not be able to take root until well into upper high school or college… but today these precious children are defined as such in elementary school… picked at… teased… accused… words are powerful… and even words that are lies have power for a while.

Now this young girl that my mother went to school with was a tomboy. My mother shared how a group of the “popular girls” decided to play a mean joke on this young girl. The “popular girls” signed her up for the beauty walk. They signed her up because they thought it would be hilarious to watch this tomboy try to dress up like a beauty queen. They hoped to get a good laugh at her expense by embarrassing her.

My mother caught wind of these girls mean intentions. So she and a best friend of hers decided to do something about it.

You see my mother was crowned the year before. She knew what the judges would be looking for and she knew how to bring out the true beauty of this young girl, because my mother saw past the tomboy, she saw this young girl’s heart.

My mother and her best friend went to the “tomboy’s” house and they helped her pick out a dress. They told her to put away that fru-foo dress and helped her choose a more simple style. Then they washed all the gunk off of her face that made her look fake and clownish and they applied the simplest make-up to this young girl, just enough to enhance the beauty she already carried. They fixed her hair, likewise, with simplicity and authenticity.

The young girl came to the beauty walk… and in this day, you didn’t just walk out and turn, you actually had to answer questions and list things that you were involved in, so the judges could see what was on the inside of you, not just the outside.

After this young girl walked out on stage and answered her questions she received a standing ovation from her peers… and she was crowned the winner of the beauty walk that year.

I sat there at my dining room table and listened to my mother share this story and my heart was about to burst… this was my mother, my meter (may’tare). This was my source… this was who I came from… this is the reason that my favorite movies are the She’s All That‘s.

My mother has always been that way. I remember her growing angry at teachers who labeled kids as the “bad kid” and I remember seeing how her respect would grow for teachers who refused to listen to the teachers who would attempt to pass the “labels” up to them.

I remember watching tv as a child with my mother and seeing my first feed the children by adopting a child commercial and when I bursted into uncontrollable tears over what I saw and heard, I remember seeing my mother go immediately to the phone and commit to a child.

I remember my mother always fighting for the least of these and never tolerating injustice. I remember her being small yet one of the strongest women I would ever know…

Mother.

Meter (may’tare).

The source of something.

The question mothers that are reading this now is… what will be the something?

What will you be the source of in your child’s life?

(next post in this series is The Call of a Mother)

Confessions of a Christian Wife

Confounded Confusion

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Have you ever had one of those days that turned into weeks that turned into a months… I think I am there. The tabs are open in my brain. Too many tabs. I feel at the moment like I am lost in confounded confusion…

female mind tabs open

 

Yep.

Open.

All. The. Time.

It used to be just forgetting to close the lid on the washing machine. Or starting the dryer after throwing the wet clothes in… maybe occasionally losing my car keys to find them in the sink with the dirty dishes.

I should have known it was getting worse the day I was trying to gather clothes to pack for our church’s Spring Retreat to the Creation Museum and after I had searched frantically upstairs for my tennis shoes I headed downstairs to see I could find them and on my way down the stairs I happened to look down and see that the shoes that I was searching so frantically for were on my feet… yes, on my feet. I was wearing them the whole time.

I should have caught that it was getting bad when I set the timer on the microwave to time the cornbread cooking and then began to prepare another part of the meal… to turn around and see the “I thought was cooking cornbread” still sitting on the stove.

The ultimate was probably the day I sat down at the computer in our Homeschool Co-op office and kept rubbing my finger on the table as I grew quite frustrated because the pointer thing was not going anywhere… when I looked down and remembered that I was at a desktop… not a laptop.

Yep… too many tabs? Works for me. I’ll use that one.

Then there’s the rare moment when everything stops.

Awkward Moment

 

Unfortunately… its rarely the free time for me. It’s usually always, the “forgetting everything.” Like the fact that just now at this moment I just realized that I sent an email for the sole purpose of sending a certain attachment… and well I just realized that I forgot to add the attachment.

motherhood

So far this Mother’s body is going on almost 12 years… and coffee and adrenaline and baby smiles are still doing the job… mostly 🙂

Although, I think the creeping on 40’s is causing some short circuit action and fogginess to be taking place that was never there as bad before. And the lack of sleep is not as easily bounced back from… and what’s worse is when you get the opportunity to sleep you are up all night going to the bathroom… because it’s spring and your allergies are causing you to have to blow your nose… or sneeze… and well after two children, that’s just never good.

Right now I can’t seem to complete a thought… it’s quite frustrating. So I am venting it out here in this post, just so I can get it out of my head and well maybe you can get a smile.

A smile about the fact that even now as I type this out in intervals of laundry and dishes and watching my kids play the airplane game… you know the one you played when they were little and you laid on your back in the floor and they leaned their little bellies against the soles of your feet and you would lift them up with your legs extended straight up and they would lay on your feet, holding your hands, until they got brave enough to stretch out their arms wide like an airplane… yeh that one… that one that they are now big enough to play on their own without me…

Yes a smile about the fact that when I am here multi-tasting while I type, making post-it notes about my brain tabs and sticking them to the wall and instead of writing “Awana Awards” on the post-it note I write “Post-it” on the post-it note… huh… yeh, deep sigh.

And then I return again to this same post after tucking my girls into bed… and changing out the laundry to dry another load… and after this bedtime devo with my almost twelve year old, not so little anymore, little girl:

May 6 devo

Coincidence?

Nope.

Not at all.

We teach our girls that there are no coincidences for Christians… God is always there at work… in our hearts, in our minds, in our souls… meeting our needs and reminding us to look up at Him and not to get lost in the circumstances that are often not ours to control…

As my husband reminded me again tonight of a truth I already know… God always gets it done.

My greatest concern is being so caught up in the stuff, distracted by the plans, that I miss God and it’s no longer Him working through me, but me gritting my teeth and getting it done by sheer stubbornness… I never ever ever want it to be me… only Him.

If it’s not Him, it’s pointless and in vain and just flat out wasted time and energy.

So tonight I rest.

And tomorrow I breathe.

 

The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Psalm 138:8

 

 

 

Children's Ministry, Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God Study: Amnos

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The Names of God study continues as we dig into more of the names and titles of our Christ. In the last post we saw that Jesus is our Archiereus, our High Priest. In this post we will see that He is also the Amnos.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin ofthe world!”

John 1:29

Amnos is the Greek word for Lamb. The first mention of a lamb in the Scriptures is in the book of Genesis…

Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” 

Genesis 21:28-30

When we look at the context of this passage of Scripture we see that these lambs in Genesis 21 are connected to covenant. They are connected to a witness. They are connected to a promise. They are connected to a relationship between two individuals. They are connected to sacrifice.

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Genesis 22:1-7

Here we have Isaac and his father, Abraham. Abraham walking in obedience to the call of his God. He takes his son to the mountain… his son obediently follows his father. Isaac I am sure is wondering… something is different. His father is acting strange… this time something feels different… and as he looks and as he wonders… he can’t help but notice… there is no lamb. So finally he gathers the courage to ask, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham said,

“God will provide for Himself the lamb

for the burnt offering, my son.”

Genesis 22:8

 

We fast forward 2000 years and there in the Jordan River is a man named John. He stands clothed in soaking wet camel hair declaring a message of repentance. He is one voice calling out in the wilderness… calling out for Israel to prepare herself for the coming of the kingdom… He calls out for the Jew to turn their hearts back to their God… He stands there baptizing those who are willing to come and I am sure he wonders… “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Then one day he lifts up his eyes and he sees… finally the question asked by Isaac 2000 years ago is answered…

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29

 

There He is the Amnos! The Lamb… The Lamb who would not just cover the sin of one nation for a year, but the Lamb that would take away the sin of the world.

The Amnos could not be just any lamb… it never could be just any lamb. God always required specifics and standards. From the beginning in Exodus, with the first Passover in Egypt, all through the Old Testament with the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and Temple… the lamb had to meet the standard.

The lamb had to be perfect.

“But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

Malachi 1:14

It was to be partook of individually and not a bone of it was to be broken.

It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.

Exodus 12:46

It was to be a year old.

Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old

Exodus 12:5

Have you ever wondered why a year old? If you have ever owned any livestock one thing you know is that the older an animal gets sometimes the more ornery it gets and also the less trusting it gets… a year old lamb would be easily and willingly scooped up by its master… there would be no fight or struggle. This lamb would go to its death willingly… taken to the altar by the very one who his blood would be atoning for…

Jesus did not go kicking and screaming to the cross. Our Amnos went willingly. Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world was the lamb chosen from the flock (Hebrews 2:14).  He was without blemish and without spot (Hebrews 7:26-27, 1 Peter 2:22). His blood must be sprinkled on every house. Salvation is personal. (Hebrews 9:11-14). His flesh must be eaten according to the ordinance of God  (John 6:53-55). 

God did not accept a sacrifice offered haphazardly. Not only did the lamb have to be perfect, but the one bringing the lamb also had to obey the ordinances God had laid out.

As it is with us… Yes Jesus is the Amnos, He is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but we must come to Him in the way that God commands and we must receive all that He is and believe all that He says and obey.

 

From Genesis to Revelation we see the Amnos. We see that from the very first mention to the last the lamb is a special animal and picture for us.

Even today, just looking at a lamb we know that a lamb provides us with food and clothing and even companionship.

Not unlike our Amnos, the Lamb of God who provides us with everything we need for life. He is our food, the Bread of Life and the Living Water and He clothes us with His robe of righteousness and He offers a companionship that will never leave us or forsake us.

The very last mention of the word lamb in the Scripture is in the book of Revelation 22, we will close with this verse.

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.

Revelation 22:3-4


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

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 3:21-25a)

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Tomorrow morning I will be teaching through Romans 3:21-25. I had originally planned to get all the way through verse 31 in the morning… but probably not going to happen. I want to make sure Romans 3:21-25a has time to sink in 🙂

Here’s the study handouts.

Romans 3:21-25a

21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 

22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 

25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. 

 

Read Romans 3:21. How does this verse begin?

__ __ __   now  [*Do you remember Nemo? :-)]

 

Read Romans 3:21 again. Below you will see two different copies of this verse. Circle which one is correct.

  1. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
  2. But now together with the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

 

Think about what you learned from reading Romans 3:21 and also all that you have already studied in Romans and answer the following question. 

Does the Law of God make us righteous? Circle your answer.

Yes                    No

 

Romans 3:21 tells us that the righteous of God has been manifested apart from the Law, but the Law and the Prophets are witness to it. Do you know what that means?

Think about it…

Remember that when something is manifested it is being made known. It is being made visible. It is being revealed. It is no longer being hidden. So the righteousness of God is being made known to us apart from the Law. Remember the Law was designed by God to give us knowledge of sin. It cannot give us righteousness. 

Do you understand what it means when Romans 3:21 says the Law and Prophets are witness to the righteousness of God being made known apart from the Law?

Think about a wedding. I know you have probably been to a wedding or at least seen a wedding on television. 

The man and woman stand before a judge and they stand before friends and families and they are making their love and commitment to one another known to the world. They enter into a marriage covenant with one another and the judge and their friends and families are witness to it.

They stand their in agreement that this wedding is good and right and lawful. In the same way, the Law and the Prophets stood witness to the righteousness of God being manifested. 

Do you know how it was manifested?

Let’s keep studying to find out!

 

Read Romans 3:22. Answer the following questions by filling in the blanks. You will find the answers in Romans 3:22.

How do we get the righteousness of God?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __      __ __ __ __ __

Through faith in who?

__ __ __ __ __       __ __ __ __ __ __

Who is the righteousness of God for?

__ __ __  those who  __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 3:22-23 and answer the following questions by filling in the blanks.

Why is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe instead of through the Law?

for __ __ __ have __ __ __ __ __ __  and __ __ __ __

__ __ __ __ __  of the glory of God

 

Does what you learned in Romans 3:10-20 help you understand and appreciate these verses more? 

Yes                    No

Read Romans 3:24. Below is the definition of the word justified: 

Justified means to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be

Notice that justified means you are “declared righteous” you are “declared to be who you ought to be”. Justified does not mean that you are righteous.

 

Now read Romans 3:24 again and answer the following questions.

How are we justified?

as a  __ __ __ __  by His  __ __ __ __ __

 

Do you earn a gift?

Yes                 No

Do we receive this gift because we are able to keep the Law? 

Yes                No

How do we get this gift of being justified?

by His __ __ __ __ __

through the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ in Jesus

 

What is grace?

Grace is that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

good will, loving-kindness, favor

of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ

 

So we are declared righteous, justified, through faith in Jesus as a gift by the joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, and merciful kindness of God.

 

Pretty cool huh!

 

Of course remember this is only for those who believe. Read Romans 3:22. Do you believe? Really believe?

 

 

What is redemption?

Redemption is a releasing effected by payment of ransom

 

So we are declared righteous, justified, through faith in Jesus as a gift by the joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, and merciful kindness of God because Jesus paid our ransom.

 

Read John 19:30 below.

 

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

 

The word “finished” in the greek is teleo and it means to pay

 

Jesus said “It is paid!”

Read Romans 3:25. Do you know what propitiation means?

Propitiation means:

used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement, mercy seat.

 

 

Have you ever studied the Tabernacle or the Temple in the Old Testament? Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant and on the Ark of the Covenant was the Mercy Seat. It was here on the Mercy Seat that the High Priest would put the blood of the lamb. When the blood was put on the Mercy Seat, God would forgive the sins of the nation of Israel.

 

Jesus became the Mercy Seat for us and for all who will believe.

 

 

Read Romans 3:25. How was Jesus displayed. Circle your answer.

publicly             privately 

 

Read Romans 3:25 again. Fill in the missing word.

whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through __ __ __ __ __.

 

Have you ever thought about the fact that it took faith for Jesus to go to the cross for us? He had to trust that His Father would accept His sacrifice and raise Him from the dead.

 

Do you remember the story of when God asked Abraham to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering?

 

Let’s go read it now. Look up and read Genesis 22:1-14.

 

How much faith do you think it took for Abraham to do this?

 

How much faith do you think it took for Isaac to obey his father in this?

 

Now how much faith do you think it took Jesus to actually go through with it?

 

How about we spend some time today just thanking Jesus for being willing to go to the cross for us and thanking God for being willing to declare us righteous, to justify us, even though we were sinners and had broken His Law. Let’s thank Him right now for His love and for His grace!

 

**** The previous Romans lessons can be found here: Romans Study For Kids

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

Speaking To The Heart of Your Child

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I shared with my church family last Wednesday night about how excited I am about the National Center of Biblical Parenting coming to our church to do a Parenting Solutions Seminar. I came across this organization, when I received the calling to children’s ministry and was researching curriculum and ideas. I followed a link from a DiscipleLand link that led me to the NSBP. As I perused their site I found myself saying, yes! Yes! This is great stuff!

Why do I feel it is great?

This organization is focused on teaching you how to apply the precepts of God to your parenting. How many times have you heard a parent say, this kid didn’t come with an instruction book? 

But the truth is they did.

God has faithfully left us His Word…

 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

So the problem really is not that our children didn’t come with an instruction book… it’s that we, as parents, need help learning how to read the Instruction Book and how to apply it to our parenting.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

If you have ever looked at your kids and said How many times have I told you?

or Do you not understand the words coming out my mouth?

(or maybe that’s just me :-/)

I think a lot of parents feel like they come home and all they do is “get on” to their kids until bedtime.

I think a lot of parents are growing weary of correcting the same behavior over and over and they just finally say “whatever”

I think a lot of parents feel as if they are losing their mind… Remember that one of the signs of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results… so stop.

Stop now and choose to look at your child in a new way.

Choose to give your style of parenting a remake.

Choose to let someone teach you how the Word of God works in parentings… learn to live out the Word inside your home and see it at work in your heart and the heart of your child. I don’t know about you, but I want to speak to the heart of my child… not just correct their outward behavior or control their circumstances.

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; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Everything we need to reach the heart of our children is in the Word of God.

Parenting comes with many trials and many tribulations… so parenting requires great perseverance. It is that perseverance through these trials that will bring about proven character in your child… and yes, precious one, in you as well.

 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 3:3-5

 

Yes, everything we need to reach the heart of our child and to be successful at this parenting thing is found in the Scriptures. It’s all right there in the Word of God.

The Christian Parenting Handbook will teach you to find it and apply it. You’ll discover simple advice like this:

Grouping offenses around character qualities is freeing for many parents. First, it provides some perspective. Instead of working on fifty different negative behaviors, now you can focus on three or four positive character qualities. Furthermore, once you develop a strategy for character development, you begin to see many of the offenses in your child’s life as opportunities for growth.

This approach also helps parents focus on what their kids need to be doing instead of simply focusing on the wrong behavior. Listen to your words of correction. Are they primarily focused on the problem, or on the solution?

In this book you will learn how to take the Word of God and realize that in it is all the parenting tools that you need that can apply to your own unique and beautiful children. My favorite thing about this book is that it takes away the formulas and steps and procedures that are in a lot of parenting books. I don’t know about you but I rarely even cook from a recipe… there is always something that I am out of, something we don’t buy, something I don’t like, something I forget to do or forgot to get… so I definitely can’t parent from one.

This is why I recommend purchasing this book… it takes parenting out of the box.

Trust me… you will not regret it.

Purchase the The Christian Parenting Handbook here.

bookandhandbook

 

 

I recommend any of their Parenting Tools. Go here and find the parenting solutions you need to meet the needs of your individual child and your own unique family. You can also purchase the Handbook Companion Guide here.

Parenting seminar

 

If you live in the North Alabama area I would love for you to come and meet Dr Turansky and Dr Miller in person as they come to my church to share with us. They are very laid back and are coming ready and willing to spend one on one time with the attending parents.

You can register to attend here: Register for Parenting Solutions Seminar

 

 

Disclaimer: “As a member of The Christian Parenting Handbook Launch Team, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and the opportunity to promote related giveaways and activities to my readers. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Regulations.”

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

Parenting Seminar

Everyday Parents

 

Who:

Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN

authors of The Christian Parenting Handbook

founders of the National Center of Biblical Parenting

 

What:

Parenting Solutions Seminar

 

When:

Saturday, June 1st

             8:45am – 12pm

Where:

Shiloh Baptist Church

             3941 Hwy 36 East

              Somerville AL 35670

 

Why:

You’ll receive practical, biblical advice for your parenting in a fun and uplifting environment. Although all children are different, a few new ideas will help you tailor solutions to meet the needs of your family. You’ll leave with ideas you can put into practice right away.

Using stories, humor and plenty of illustrations, Dr. Turansky and Mrs. Miller will help you touch the hearts of your kids. Strategies directed to the heart help children make lasting changes, but often require that parents think differently about the way they work with their kids. When parents change the way they parent, kids change the way they live. Having the right tools makes all the difference.

Teach your children how to be internally motivated using the God-given conscience resident in their hearts. The conscience prompts children to do what’s right, deal with wrongs, be honest, and care about others. This seminar will teach you practical tools for changing everyday problems into learning experiences to help children develop the skills they’ll need for the rest of their lives.

This parenting seminar offers you hope and encouragement by helping you…
• Identify the four parts of the conscience.
• Learn how to adjust the words you say to strengthen the conscience of a child.
• Take home a script that helps your child process correction wisely and powerfully.
• Know how to approach difficult problems like defiance, lying, rebellion, and meanness.
• Teach your children to take initiative to show kindness, help out, and add energy to your family instead of draining it.
• Help your children listen to the voice of God in their own hearts.
• Work with kids ages 2-18 in ways that will prepare them for a strong future.
• Raise children who are internally-motivated and want to do what’s right.

Question and answer times provide parents with opportunities to present real problems they’re facing and hear suggestions.

 

How:

 

By clicking here: Register Today

Or email:nvaughn@shilohchurch.info

 

 

Parenting seminar

 

Cost is $25 per individual and $35 per couple

Child care is available.

As well as classes for children up to 12 years old.

 

***Please share this information with friends and families!

The writing and teachings of Nicole Love Halbrooks Vaughn