What I Learned From my Practical Theology Course: PART 2

OK, I am back. Now I want to talk about what I learned, about what the bible has to say to parents.

The things going on in society now, that are bringing down the roles of parents and children, are the issues of child led parenting and the idea that discipline will hurt the child’s psyche. The new thing these days is not saying “no” and no spanking or flicking. We are told to allow our children more freedoms and let them just have fun and be kids, even at the expense of others, including ourselves. We should take our babies in bed with us and let them stay there until they are ready to leave the family bed. Mom’s are feeling good about putting their babies first and everyone else, including husband, second, but then wondering why their children grow up to be spoiled rotten, expecting everything to be about them. People are being misled, and it’s because they aren’t looking in the bible for help, but reading books and magazines that are of the world. Some are being misled by church officials who believe they know better than the bible or that the bible isn’t necessarily God’s word anymore but just one of many resources to refer to for advice, as long as it’s convenient and works in today’s society.

I have learned in my class that EVERYTHING that we need is in the Bible. Every question can be answered in the Bible. It IS the word of God, and one of the biggest proofs is in the pudding! It’s all there. What other book has all the answers? There isn’t one. God’s word is sufficient. I love this verse, Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

So much can be pulled from this verse. The word of God is living and active. To this day, God can still speak to us through the bible. When we have a question about parenting or our childhood, the answer can be found in the bible. Because God speaks through His word, you may find a verse to mean one thing one day, and then notice something further or different (not counteractive, just fitting for a different need) the next day. That is because it is alive and active. God speaks through His word. Prayer and reading are how we have conversation with God. We talk to Him through prayer, He talks to us through scripture.

“Sharper than any double-edged sword”, is so true! When you read the word, and really pay attention and allow it to soak in, you are convicted in so many ways. He shows you all the ways you are not perfect and need to improve. He calls you to a higher standard than society gives you. It’s not an easy standard to follow. In fact it is impossible. But He wants us to strive anyway. It is amazing how good it feels to abandon the relaxed views of the world, and strive for something better. I don’t mean that we should strive to be better than everyone else, but strive to glorify God, not ourselves. It’s hard to do, but soooooo rewarding! When I strive to glorify God, I can sleep at night, with a smile on my face that I did the best I could, and I did it for the right reasons. The rest is up to God.

“it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” This part is huge in parenting. We need to be working on the heart of our children, and our own heart. It’s not our actions that are being judged but the heart behind it. When a three year old breaks your favorite vase, is it sin? Probably not. My guess is he just wanted to see what it would do when it hit the ground. We need to question the motives, the heart, when we are disciplining. When I flick my child’s hand to make him remember not to play with the outlets, I have good intentions to teach him, in love, protecting him. I would of course do this only after instructing him not to do it in the first place. The flick is for disobedience, not touching the outlet. But if I spank my child because he broke my favorite vase and I am upset, that’s selfish, and wrong. That is abusive. It is our heart that God looks at. It is also our heart that our child sees. They know if you are angry or not, and they are affected greatly by that.

Unfortunately people who follow society and have kids that don’t understand “no”, and live life thinking that everything is for them, end up with difficult children, who cause them anger and strife. (Proverbs 10:1;17:25) This builds up and causes potentially abusive situations, where the parent has had enough. If discipline is abandoned in society, abuse will soon take over. Parents everywhere will become frustrated and "lose it" from time to time. Every parent "loses it", but I am talking about to the point of great physical abuse. Order will turn to chaos. The bible warns against this everywhere. (Proverbs 13:24;19:18;23:13;29:17; Hebrews 12:7)

In this class I learned that in all situations that parents bring to me for advice, there are answers to help, in the bible. However, those answers are only accepted by those who truly want to serve God. That is the key to good parenting. Wanting to serve God.

Children came from the Lord. They were a gift from the Lord. We need to treat them as such. (Genesis 33:5; 1 Samuel 1:27; Psalms 127:3) We need to follow God's rules, as these are His children, given to us. Entrusted to us. That is an honor. So how will you thank God?

What I Learned From my Practical Theology Course, in a Nut Shell

Well, my Practical Theology course has now come to an end. It was a great learning experience for me and it gave me a whole new insight on what it means to be a Christian. I have been challenged to live my life more for God and less for me. I have learned how much freedom there is in giving God the glory for everything. I have learned how to rest in times of trouble, not that I have mastered it. I have learned that I am far more useful than I once thought. I have gained a self confidence, realizing that God has equipped me with everything I need to do His work. I learned what my spiritual gifts are, and am ready to put them to use. I realize what my passions and dreams are and I know that they are important because they are for Him. I am now pumped up to start serving more effectively and truly feel like a valuable part of the church body.
I would like to share some of the key things I learned in each of the topics of my class. Those topics are:
Family Relationships
Biblical Counseling
Evangelism
Spiritual Growth
Spiritual Gifts

So, first I will start with Family Relationships.
In this topic, I learned the roles that God has called different members of the family to fulfill and I learned that a family who fulfills these roles is able to work in harmony for the glory of God. Unfortunately in this day and age so many men and women are so confused and messed up by movements such as Womens Lib. Society has turned the biblical woman who should be looked up to and praised (Prov 31:31), into a shameful, powerless person. I saddens me to see so many women, including many Christians, either feeling small because they follow the bible, or suppressing what they know about the bible and what it says about womens roles in the famliy, because they are afraid of what society would think if they followed it. I know a few women myself, who feel they have to have jobs, degrees and the upper hand in the marriage because that's what gives them self worth. What they don't realize is that it's all lies. They have been tricked by the devil into thinking this way, and it truly saddens my heart. They have a powerful front but inside they are screaming to get out. They wonder why their is so much quarrel in their marriages (Gen 3:16), and they wonder why they are so stressed and never at rest. The ironic thing is that most Christian women who are striving to be that biblical, submissive role, are somehow intimidated by the power driven "successful" female and therefore are afraid to reach out to them. They fail to realize that they are the strong ones and they have much to offer those who have been deceived. I know, because I am one who has been intimidated by such. But as a result of this class, I have come to know my worth, and realize that it is a sin for me not to actively try and reach those I know and help them to learn the biblical truths and how it could free them. It's selfish of me to keep it to myself, only to watch their marriages fall apart and their relationships with God dwindle away. Many of us either know someone who needs help in this area or actually are someone in this area of need.
Here is what the bible says about a woman of God's own heart:

In Praise of a Good Wife Proverbs 31:10-31

(Blue words are mine)
10A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find!
(That means she's valuable, not weak!)

11Her husband depends on her, and she never lets him down. (Husbands need women to be biblical. That speaks volumes about the biblically driven woman's worth over the power driven woman)

12She is good to him every day of her life, 13and with her own hands she gladly makes clothes.

14She is like a sailing ship that brings food from across the sea.

15She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and for her servants. (Now before you kick up your feet and write this whole thing off with, "She has servants, that's why she could do all this" (I have heard this excuse many a time), remember that we do have servants. Do you have a dishwasher? A washing machine and dryer? A vacuum? A microwave? Warm running water? I could go on....I betting women those days didn't!)

16She knows how to buy land and how to plant a vineyard, 17and she always works hard.

18She knows when to buy or sell, and she stays busy until late at night. (Here's another one that society has pulled us away from. Some women who do stay at home forget that their job is not to spend away all the money, shopping, shopping, shopping. We are to be wise with our money and make it go far. That doesn't sound like a useless, weak housewife that society has dubbed the homemaker, now does it?)

19She spins her own cloth, 20and she helps the poor and the needy.

21Her family has warm clothing, and so she doesn't worry when it snows.

22She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful.

23Her husband is a well-known and respected leader in the city.

24She makes clothes to sell to the shop owners.

25She is strong and graceful, as well as cheerful about the future.

26Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful.

27She takes good care of her family and is never lazy.

28Her children praise her, and with great pride her husband says,

29"There are many good women, but you are the best!" (Now here's is the part I love. Husbands aren't going to take advantage of this woman. She's valuable, smart, VERY useful, and of high worth. He would have to be a idiot to overlook that! He's going to value her, and praise her, because he will have the best wife in town. I strive for this, I don't meet it yet, and probably never will, but I will continue to strive. My husband recognizes this and values me and because of this I have a secure relationship with him. Not because of what he gives me, but what I give him. If I continue to give, my relationship will continue to flourish, giving me further peace and happiness knowing that I am doing the best I can and I am doing it for God.)

30Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the LORD

deserves to be praised.

31Show her respect-- praise her in public for what she has done. (The biblical woman is worthy of respect and should never be ashamed. If she is ashamed than she is ashamed of God.)
John 1:1-3

Also keep in mind, this set of verses was quoting King Lemuel's mother. This was a woman, telling her son what to look for in a wife.

1 Peter 3:1-3 says:
[ Godly Living ] In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,
This means that we should be obedient to God's instructions regardless of what our husband's doing. If we are, they will come around. Easier said than done, I am sure, but none the less, there it is.

1 Peter 3:4-6 says:
4but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

5For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;

6just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

God finds a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit, precious. He is saying here that we should be holy by adorning ourselves with a meek manner, being submissive to our husbands. He uses the example of Sarah, who actually called her husband lord. He also tells us do be these things without fear. So we should not be intimidated by the power woman, but rather, feel our worth in that person's life.

Now lets talk about the husbands, shall we.

Luke 14:26 says:

26You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.
God first.

1 Peter 3:17 says:
7Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Ephesians 5:25-33
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing^[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."^[b] 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Colossians 3:19
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Malachi 2:14,15
5 Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

A godly husband should be loving, understanding, and respectful to his wife. He should be a gentlemen. He should be a spiritual leader. It's his job to guide and direct the family, including the wife into holiness and submission to the Lord. He should be gentle and patient with his wife, and he should praise her when she does godly things, building her up and encouraging her. He should remember that he and she are equally important in God's eyes and are both sinners in need of a savior. They are fellow Christians and need to work together for God's glory. Just as women need to learn to be confident in their roles, men need to remember to be humble in theirs.

I will continue with these topics over the next month.
Next, I will cover parents' and children's roles.
Until then...

1 John 2:15-16

NKJV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

Contemporary English Version

15. Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. 16 Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father.

The Message

15-17Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

Here is my take:

I am hindering my relationship with God by wanting things I don’t need. Not being content with the Lord, and the Lord alone. Always caring about what other people think of me, rather than what the Lord thinks of me. Being too prideful to minister to people I don’t know well, for fear of how they will view me.
Always wishing I had more, should change to contentment, in what I have. Not contentment in my material possessions, but contentment in what can’t be taken away; my salvation in the Lord, my relationship with the Lord. The only thing I should pine after is the Lord and a greater knowledge of Him. He is sufficient. I should also change my attitude concerning sharing His news with others. What people think of me shouldn’t be important. What He thinks of me is all that matters. I should not love the World. I should not be taken with pride and selfishness. These are not of God.
Lord, please forgive me for the constant battle I seem to have with pride and selfishness. Please help me to let go of those things. Help me to, little by little, learn to love You and You alone. Not myself, and not the world. Help me to live my life solely for you. Give me the courage I lack, to swallow my pride and just do what ever it is You would have me to do. What can I do for You Lord. Help me know, and please don’t allow the world hinder me from accomplishing it. I want to serve you. Help me to grow, to better do so.

God is enough. We need, and should want, for nothing else. His grace is sufficient. Pride and selfishness, keep us from God.

Thank you Lord that you are enough. Thank you for Your Word. It is discipline for my soul and I am grateful. Hebrews 4:12

Spiritual Growth

We are learning about spiritual growth in my class now. It's has been wonderful. The whole reason I started this class was to grow in the Lord, so this topic was, of course, of particular interest to me. Anyhow, we have learned how to get better at spending time with God on a daily basis and how to get the most of our time. One suggestion is 15 minutes with God where you spend roughly:
1 minute relaxing and getting your mind on God.
4 minutes reading a verse or 2.
4 minutes reflecting on that verse, using SPACEPETS, which I will elaborate on in a bit.
2 minutes recording what God did.
4 minutes in prayer, to request God's help in applying what you learned and whatever else is appropriate at the time.

SPACEPETS is a helpful acronym used to help you pick apart the scripture you've just read and really get the most out of it. You are suppose to consider the following:
Is there any:
Sin to confess?
Promise to claim?
Attitude to change?
Command to follow?
Example to follow?
Prayer to pray?
Error to avoid?
Truth to believe?
Something to thank God for?

Sometimes the answer to some of these is no, but for the most part it really helps to give you direction to meditate on the verses in front of you. It allows for God to speak to you through the verses when you really spend time on them. After all, it is the living Word. Hebrews 4:12
Here is a great study I did on Job 37:1-13 using this technique.

Sin to confess?- Not praising God no matter what the weather. Not praising Him for the little things and the big things. Not praising Him in bad times as well as good times.

Promise to claim?- No

Attitude to change?- Never complain about weather or other acts of God, but realize that they are all orchestrated by God who has a perfect plan. Sometimes what he does is for discipline, and other times simply for love and to provide us with what we need or just to enjoy. We should always praise God, even in the storms.

Command to keep?- no

Example to follow?- Elihu is setting an example of how we should praise God and marvel at His powerful abilities. Even something as small as snow or rain is bigger than we think, in the whole scheme of things. God is in control and we should follow Elihu’s example by praising God for everything, both big and small, “bad” and good. God is always to be praised.

Prayer to pray?- Lord, You are amazing. You are awesome in all your works. Lord I pray that I will always be mindful of your woundrous works. I pray that I will always be attentive to your voice when you speak to me. I pray that I will remember to praise in the beautiful weather and the storms, all the same, for You are God, and Your will is perfect. Help me to always remember this for You are always worthy of my praise, no matter what I am going through. Praise Your Holy name. In Jesus name, Amen.

Error to avoid?- I should avoid getting so wrapped up in daily life and busyness, that I fail to see His beauty and wonderful works in everything I encounter throughout my day.

Truth to believe?- God is in control and everything He does, is for good, whether it be discipline or reward.

Something to thank God for?- Thank You Lord that You are in control and that I can praise You for all Your works both big and small. What I perceive as bad always turns out for good in the end, so I thank You that I can rest in that and always bring praise to you, even in the storms. Your plan is perfect! Thank you Lord. Nothing is small, and nothing is bad, when You are in control, and I am mindful of Your wondrous works. In Jesus name, Amen.

I am a Christian

I ran across this poem on the internet. I love it. It totally somes up what being a Christian is. Hope you all enjoy. Oh, by the way, whoever is reading this, I would love comments, even if just to say your reading it. I wonder if anyone has read any of this and would love to know who my audience is, if any.

I am a Christian


When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I 'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

By Maya Angelou

Biblical Forgiveness

Here is a study I did in my class on certain verses in the Bible that deal with forgiveness.
I learned a lot. Maybe a little more than I wanted! ;-) Anyhow, this class has been great. Here's my study notes.
Scripture is in the regular color,
My notes are in green.

1 Corinthians 10:12- 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Wow. We really need to be careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be so stubborn that we miss the chance to grow and learn. We are not always right, and we should consider that in the face of conflict.

2 Corinthians 2:7-8-7- 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

When someone calls to you to forgive them, it’s not enough to just forgive them. We are called to reach out to them in comforting and reaffirmation that all is well.

2 Peter 2:19- 9 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

Are grudges mastering you? Forgiveness can free you. Man can only serve one master, and that master should be God. Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13

Colossians 3:13- 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Remember all the things the Lord has forgiven you of? Who are we then, to deny anyone else forgiveness. We are all horrible sinners, but he doesn’t hold grudges, and neither should we.

Ephesians 4:32- 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Well this says the same thing, but the repetition shows us the importance of the matter.

Genesis 50:15-20- 15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Here is a good example of the forgiveness God intends for us to have. But also He is showing great wisdom to us in that, what we perceive as evil, God can use for His will, which is always good. It is all part of God’s plan. When we look at it that way, it might be easier to forgive others. It’s also similar to when Jesus forgave the very people who nailed Him to the cross. He knew it was part of a bigger plan. That evil was used for God’s good will.

Hebrews 3:12-13- 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

We are all in this together, and we are instructed to help one another avoid sin. Part of doing this is resolving conflicts when they arise.

James 2:14- 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

It’s not good to just say we are Christian, we need to act like Christians. Followers of Christ strive to be like Christ, and therefore must forgive as He forgives.

James 4:12- 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

We have no place in judging others, as we are all sinners. Therefore there is nothing we shouldn’t forgive. None of us is better than the other. It is simply through the grace of God that some of us, at times, feel better than others. It’s God, not us. Therefore, we should leave judgment to Him but offer a helping hand to those struggling with sin, while remembering that we too, are struggling with sin.

Jeremiah 17:9- 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 10 "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."

We need to be in prayer that the Lord will show us where we need to forgive, because our hearts can be deceitful. Only the Lord can understand what is truly in our hearts. Allow Him to reveal it to us in order to truly grow in Him.

John 8:34- 34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

Well this has 2 points that I see. 1. We all sin, so we’re all slaves to sin. Which is why we shouldn’t judge. 2. When we have a grudge in our hearts we are a slave to that grudge, when we should be a slave to our Lord. We must rid ourselves of that grudge to truly follow Jesus.

Luke 23:34a- 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

This one is huge, when you have conflict with an unbeliever. Someone who is not Christian, doesn’t yet understand most right from wrong. They simply know what society has taught them. They do not yet have the grace of God in them. This is sometimes easy to forget when we are wronged by unbelievers and they don’t feel they have done anything wrong. But we are to follow Jesus if we are followers of Him, and so we must forgive those who don’t even think they have wronged us. “They know not what they do.” I don’t imagine that those men asked his forgiveness, or even had remorse, but never-the-less Jesus prayed to His Father to forgive them. We should do the same.

Luke 6:36- 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Once again we need to be imitators of our Father in heaven. An example has been given through the life of Jesus, who was so merciful, he gave his life for us in a very painful way.

Mark 11:25- 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

The word is a 2 edge sword that pierces deep!! Hebrews 4:12 You can say that again! This verse is hard for me. I have to resolve my conflicts, and really forgive the people who have hurt me, before He will forgive me. I have a lot of soul searching to do, because I know I have grudges.

Matthew 18:21-35- 21Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?" 22Jesus answered:

Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! 23This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like: One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him. 24As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins. 25But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.

26The official got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!" 27The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.

28As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, "Pay me what you owe!"

29The man got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you back." 30But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.

31When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened. 32The king called the first official back in and said, "You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent. 33Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?" 34The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed. 35That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.

This obviously speaks for itself, but does it only apply to followers of Christ?

Matthew 5:7- 7 God blesses those people who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy!

While it is hard to show mercy, there is great reward in doing so.

Matthew 6:12-15- 12 Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. 13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil. 14 If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. 15 But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This is similar to Mark 11:25.

Matthew 9:36- 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Without Jesus we are like sheep without a shepherd. Lost, confused, and helpless. We cannot go through the process of true forgiveness without Him. Also, He didn’t judge unbelievers, he felt sorrow and compassion for them.

Micah 6:8- 8 The LORD God has told us what is right and what he demands: "See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God."

Mercy(forgiveness), is to be our first concern.

Proverbs 16:18- 18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

Remember that you are possibly at wrong as well. Also remember that you cannot assume you wouldn’t have made the same mistake as your oppressor.

Romans 12:19- Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

We are not suppose to seek revenge when people do us wrong. We can rest knowing that proper justice will be served when the Lord sees fit. It’s not our job.

Decorating

Another part of this book I read, Feminine Appeal, has me thinking of so many decorating opportunities where I could bless my family and those who come to visit. She talks about making your home a place where, when people come in, all they can think about is God and His loving grace. Then your children feel it when they are home, your husband too. It helps them to rejuvenate their spirit within before going back out into to the daily battle field, AKA work, school, etc. I want to write, with paint, appropriate verses for different rooms. Our entertaining area will read "Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15 Then in the kitchen I want to do "...and looking up to Heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves" Mark 6:41 In the kids hall I want to do "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13, and "Pray without ceasing" 1Thesselonians 5:17, and "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.
Then for my laundry room I have chosen to do pictures of the children and put up the verse in Psalms 127:3, "Children are an inheritance from the LORD. They are a reward from him."
I just hope I can find the time to do this! Little at a time I suppose. I hope I can bless my family as my little ones grow up. I want our house to be a safe, loving, fun, inviting place for my family and my guests. That is my goal. My husband is preparing the house by furnishing it with fun games do play as a family, i.e. pool table, swimming pool, we want to get a fussball table, and an arcade style video game. I want air hockey. Anyhow, that's another little by little deal. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us. So far, so good!

Introduction

This is my first post on this blog. I want to use this blog to record my growth in the Lord and my knowledge of the Word. I am taking an ETS (Equipped to Serve) class at church, called Practical Theology, which I believe will teach me a lot. But I have grown so much in this last month with a book called Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney. My relationship with my husband has improved, not that it was ever really bad, but knowing what I do now, I don't ever want to go back. We've been married 8 years with 3 kids and I am completely giddy about him again. I've learned how to be beautiful in God's eyes, rather than in society's eyes. In fact I realize now, some of the most beautiful women I know aren't super models. They are models of Jesus. Because they are so beautiful on the inside they are are beautiful on the outside as well. They're not all skinny, they don't have "perfect" noses, skin, hair etc. What they have is a "quiet and gentle spirit" (1 Peter 3:3-4).
I have learned so much about submission. I used to feel ashamed of my submissiveness to my husband. It's easy to feel that way in this society. So many "succesful working women" ask me "What do you do all day?", or say things like "I could never be just a stay at home mom. My brain needs stimulation." I used to feel small next to them. But now, I realize I am the stronger one here. It's not natural for us to submit to our husbands, and stay home with the children. It's not natural to want to live our lives for our husbands. It is called of us to do so (Titus 2:3-5, 1 Peter 3:1-6), and when we do, everything falls in line. There is order in the home. Obviously the husband needs to do his part for that to happen as well. (1 Peter 3:7, Colossians 3:19, Proverbs 31:28-31) And as far as brain stimulation goes, I can't think of a job more stimulating than juggling 3 little ones schedules, house hold chores and a husbands needs, all while trying to make sure that my kids grow up to be loving followers of Christ. That takes a lot of brain power if you ask me! But what do I know, I am just a housewife. :-) Sorry, couldn't help myself!
I learned in this book, how important it is to love my children. Not just inside but through my actions. They respond so much better to direction when we let go of what ever inhibitions we have and just love on them. Verses that helped me with this were Psalm 127:3, Psalm 113:9, Psalm 127:4-5, Proverbs 23:24. It puts things into perspective when you realize, God gave us our children as a gift. But they are not for our pleasure only. He entrusted us with His children to raise them in His name. It's not about us, it's about Him. It's not about what makes us happy, comfortable or feel good about ourselves. It's about honoring the Lord. This is not possible without God. Naturally, we are selfish human beings. Look at a 2 year old if you don't believe me. We learn selflessness. And we don't learn it well with out Him. Prayer is a huge part of parenting. Without God, parenting is a rough ride. I've tried to do it without Him, although not purposely, I just kind of drifted away. I am on my way back now and it has made a huge difference. God is good, Amen?
Well, I think I have rambled on enough for today and I need to get going. Until next time.