Edification

11-19-17 Sermon

It is for Us, Too

Micah 1:1-7 KJV

1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place. 5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. 7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

I've heard some people say that the Bible isn't for us today. They say that what is written in the Bible was only for those people in the time it was written. However, I have to disagree.

First of all, we can all learn by studying history. We can learn from what others have done right and by what they did wrong. I have told my brother before that I learned much from the mistakes he made. Because I was willing to pay attention and consider what results he saw from the choices he made, I was spared from repeating the same mistakes.

Secondly, as in this scripture, the Bible tells us it is for "all ye people" and it says, "hearken O earth." This means it is for everyone. Now, we aren't living in the exact same problems that Micah describes, but we do still live in a sin-filled world that suffers from the same sin issues.

God will come to judge the earth. He is a just God and He will destroy evil-We need to be aware of what lies ahead if we continue on the path we are heading. While Micah only mentions the capital cities of Samaria and Jerusalem, we can understand that those are representative of the whole nation. The judgement that comes to them is the same that will come to any who worship idols.

Love Endureth

Seek Him

Amos 5:4-5 KJV

4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: 5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

In this section of scripture, God is lamenting over Israel and how they follow religious rituals and have the outward appearance of piety, but their hearts are not true.

Bethel, Gilgal and Beersheba were cities which held shrines. The Israelites would make pilgrimages to these places, but not offer true worship. God tells them that those cities (and the shrines in them) will perish some day. "Worship" by following the rules/guidelines of a religion will not please God. Worship needs to come from the heart and a heart truly set on worship will seek God.

 Jeremiah 29:13

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

This made me think about how we "worship". My first thought was of the Catholic faith and all their rituals. Many times people do these rituals but can't even explain why they do them. However, this can also be seen in evangelical worship as well.

If we go to church and sing the songs, but our heart isn't in it, then it really isn't true worship. We can look like we are seeking God, but not be seeking Him in our heart. What good does that do?

Amos 5:6a KJV

Seek the LORD, and ye shall live;

Examine your heart? Do you do religious rituals just because or in a heart of worship? Is your heart truly seeking Him?

Walking in the Spirit

Galatians 5:25 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Every time I have read this verse, I have taken it at face value-if we live in Christ, then we will walk with Christ. Today, however, I looked at it differently.

If we are not walking with the Spirit, are we truly living in the Spirit?

What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Doesn't it mean to submit to the Spirit's leading? To follow God's commands? To die to self and live as Christ?

If I am to truly examine my life, I do not walk with the Spirit. Sure, I've committed to walk in big ways-my salvation, family size, etc.-but I struggle to walk in the daily sacrifices.

I am a control girl.

I am sure that doesn't surprise those who know me. Sure, I have given (or rather given back) control to God in regards to our family size. Sure, I say God is in control, but I try to take control of whatever I can. I stress and worry about trying to control many things that I know I can't; however, knowing I can't doesn't stop me from trying.

Even going a little off path when walking with Christ will lead me way off path after a while and if I continue to take small steps away, then I will quickly not be walking in the Spirit. I need to examine my life daily, repent and strive to walk with Him.

How about you? If you are honest, are you walking in the Spirit?

Self-Taught Education

About five years ago, I was introduced to the Robinson Curriculum. While I don't follow the curriculum exactly as it is intended, I love using it as my base.

The Robinson Curriculum was born out of a need because the wife of a college professor died while they still had young children in the home. The books provided in the curriculum were because they were quality books already in their personal library. For that reason, I "replaced" some of the books with books that we already owned on the same topics. Also, having an English major and being a former public school English teacher, there were some books that I desired my children to read that weren't on the list and of course, I needed to add books for our state history and constitution.

Also, because our children are not desiring to go to college (at least at this point), I have altered the math curriculum a little bit by not going as high in the Saxon math and incorporating some personal finance and business math (because they do plan on having home-based businesses).

Another difference, is that with the younger children, I tend to lean toward a Charlotte Mason/Notebooking approach with them.

With the curriculum, they are to write every day. I then check them for grammar, dictation, etc. They can choose to write on anything they desire (except I require them to write on whatever they are reading for school on Fridays). Sometimes they choose to write stories, sometimes they ask if they can copywork out of the Bible, sometimes they will do extra research and write on a topic of their choice.

I have loved how they choose what they "study" and will go much further than I expect them to go. I am also surprised at what interests them. They may be introduced to something in their reading and then choose to study more (like Cora studied spiders!).

Another surprising side-effect is that they will continue to explore topics outside of school as well. Sabra has been reading about David Farrogut in Fifty Famous Stories (which is included in the Robinson Curriculum) and she is enjoying learning about him. Every day she was coming to me telling me something that she found fascinating. Yesterday, she took it upon herself to start writing her thoughts about him. She wrote 5 pages and this is in addition to her normal, daily writing!

David Farrogut is someone who I don't think she would have encountered in other curriculums, but I'm glad that she is reading about him because it is sparking a love of learning.

Do you homeschool? What do you like about homeschooling? What do you love about the curriculum you use?

Are You a Jonah?

Jonah 1:1-17 KJV 

1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. 7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. 8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? 9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. 10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. 12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. 15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. 17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah didn't want to do what God asked him to do, so he decided he would run away. However, that didn't work so well, did it?

There is no place we can run from God's presence.

Psalms 139:7 

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

Due to Jonah's disobedience, God disciplined to bring him back. Has that ever happened to you?

I'm not saying that every time bad things happen it is because God is disciplining you (we do live in a fallen world), but sometimes He is trying to teach you something. He may be trying to open your eyes to something or He may be trying to remind you of his greatness.

There have been times in my life where I was not following God's will and things were not going well for me. I was so oblivious to the idea that I was out of God's will that I had to pray that God would help me see/learn what I was missing from the hardships I was enduring. When I admitted my sin, confessed and repented, things started getting better.

In fact, right now, it seems like there are a lot of little things going wrong. It could just be life in a sin-filled world, but it may be that I am out of God's will. I need to spend some time with Him and ask Him to open my eyes if I am missing something.

How about you? Have you ever had a Jonah experience?

Gifts Without Fruit

10-29-17 Sermon