ESV Study Bible

I am so excited about the new ESV Study Bible. I hope that my husband will be getting me one for my birthday. Or my Anniversary. Or Christmas, but I'd hate to wait that long!

Anyway, I am happy to promote the Bible. Click on the icon in the sidebar, and go see what all the excitement is about.

Trials are not strange.

1 Peter 4: 12 ¶ Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Fiery trials are to be expected. The thing about a fiery trial is that it hurts. It is hot; very uncomfortable. It burns away and eats up anything in its path. But for the Christian, it is not strange. It is to be expected. If my Lord suffered through many a trial, who do I think I am? The servant is not better than the Master!

What are you going through? Do you consider your fiery trial 'strange'? Have you learned to accept trials from the Hand of your Gracious Father, who does all things well?

If someone is going to reproach you, make sure it is for the name of Christ. Do not be weary in well-doing, and do not be surprised at the antagonism that you will feel from others. It is to be expected. Just make sure that you are being reproached for the right reasons.

Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage is too good to ignore. I am including it in its entirety, but any bold emphasis is mine. (My comments are italicized, in brackets.)

The frequent repetition of counsel and comfort to Christians, considered as sufferers, in every chapter of this epistle, shows that the greatest danger these new converts were in arose from the persecutions to which their embracing Christianity exposed them. The good behaviour of Christians under sufferings is the most difficult part of their duty, but yet necessary both for the honour of Christ and their own comfort; and therefore the apostle, having extorted them in the former part of this chapter to the great duty of mortification, comes here to direct them in the necessary duty of patience under sufferings. An unmortified spirit is very unfit to bear trials.

Observe,

I. The apostle’s kind manner of address to these poor despised Christians: they were his beloved, #1Pe 4:9.

II. His advice to them, relating to their sufferings, which is,

1. That they should not think them strange, nor be surprised at them, as if some unexpected event befell them; for,

(1.) Though they be sharp and fiery, yet they are designed only to try, not to ruin them, to try their sincerity, strength, patience, and trust in God. On the contrary, they ought rather to rejoice under their sufferings, because theirs may properly be called Christ’s sufferings. They are of the same kind, and for the same cause, that Christ suffered; they make us conformable to him; he suffers in them, and feels in our infirmities; and, if we be partakers of his sufferings, we shall also be made partakers of his glory, and shall meet him with exceeding joy at his great appearing to judge his enemies, and crown his faithful servants, #2Th 1:7, &c.
(We will rejoice in proportion to how much we suffer for the cause of Christ!)

Learn,

[1.] True Christians love and own the children of God in their lowest and most distressing circumstances. The apostle owns these poor afflicted Christians, and calls them his beloved. True Christians never look more amiable one to another than in their adversities. (We must weep with those who weep, and understand that their sufferings were designed by God; how can we help?)

[2.] There is no reason for Christians to think strange, or to wonder, at the unkindness and persecutions of the world, because they are forewarned of them. Christ himself endured them; and forsaking all, denying ourselves, are the terms upon which Christ accepts of us to be his disciples. (We ought not to be surprised when we suffer!)

[3.] Christians ought not only to be patient, but to rejoice, in their sharpest sorest sufferings for Christ, because they are tokens of divine favour; they promote the gospel and prepare for glory. Those who rejoice in their sufferings for Christ shall eternally triumph and rejoice with him in glory. (When you consider the great missionaries and saints who have gone before us, consider how they suffered. The Lord chastens those He loves.)

(2.) From the fiery trial the apostle descends to a lower degree of persecution—that of the tongue by slander and reproach, #1Pe 4:14. He supposes that this sort of suffering would fall to their lot: they would be reviled, evil-spoken of, and slandered for the name or sake of Christ. In such case he asserts, Happy are you, the reason of which is,

"Because you have the spirit of God with you, to
fortify and comfort you; and the Spirit of God is
also the Spirit of glory, that will carry you through
all, bring you off gloriously, and prepare and seal
you up for eternal glory. This glorious Spirit resteth
upon you, resides with you, dwells in you, supports
you, and is pleased with you; and is not this an
unspeakable privilege? By your patience and fortitude
in suffering, by your dependence upon the promises of
God, and adhering to the word which the Holy Spirit
hath revealed, he is on your part glorified; but by the
contempt and reproaches cast upon you the Spirit
itself is evil-spoken of and blasphemed."

Learn,

[1.] The best men and the best things usually meet with reproaches in the world. Jesus Christ and his followers, the Spirit of God and the gospel, are all evil-spoken of.

[2.] The happiness of good people not only consists with, but even flows from their afflictions: Happy are you.

[3.] That man who hath the Spirit of God resting upon him cannot be miserable, let his afflictions be ever so great: Happy are you; for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

[4.] The blasphemies and reproaches which evil men cast upon good people are taken by the Spirit of God as cast upon himself: On their part he is evil-spoken of.

[5.] When good people are vilified for the name of Christ his Holy Spirit is glorified in them. (Better to be a vessel in which the Holy Spirit is glorified, than to avoid suffering.)

2. That they should take care they did not suffer justly, as evil- doers, #1Pe 4:15. One would think such a caution as this needless to such an excellent set of Christians as these were. But their enemies charged them with these and other foul crimes: therefore the apostle, when he was settling the rules of the Christian religion, thought these cautions necessary, forbidding every one of them to hurt the life or the estate and property of any one, or to do any sort of evil, or, without call and necessity, to play the bishop in another man’s charge, or busy himself in other men’s matters. To this caution he adds a direction, that if any man suffer for the cause of Christianity, and with a patient Christian spirit, he ought not to account it a shame, but an honour to him; and ought to glorify God who hath thus dignified him, #1Pe 4:16.

Learn,

(1.) The best of men need to be warned against the worst of sins.

(2.) There is very little comfort in sufferings when we bring them upon ourselves by our own sin and folly. It is not the suffering, but the cause, that makes the martyr.

(3.) We have reason to thank God for the honour if he calls us out to suffer for his truth and gospel, for our adherence to any of the doctrines or duties of Christianity.

3. That their trials were now at hand, and they should stand prepared accordingly, #1Pe 4:17,18.

(1.) He tells them that the time had come when judgment must begin at the house of God. The usual method of Providence has been this: When God brings great calamities and sore judgments upon whole nations, he generally begins with his own people, #Isa 10:12; Jer 25:29; Eze 9:6.

"Such a time of universal calamity is now at hand, which
was foretold by our Saviour, #Mt 24:9,10. This
renders all the foregoing exhortations to patience
necessary for you. And you have two considerations to
support you."

[1.] "That these judgments will but begin with you that are
God’s house and family, and will soon be over: your
trials and corrections will not last long."

[2.] "Your troubles will be but light and short, in comparison
of what shall befall the wicked world, your own
countrymen the Jews, and the infidels and idolatrous
people among whom you live: What shall the end be of
those who obey not the gospel of God?"

Learn,

First, The best of God’s servants, his own household, have so much amiss in them as renders it fit and necessary that God should sometimes correct and punish them with his judgments: Judgment begins at the house of God.

Secondly, Those who are the family of God have their worst things in this life. Their worst condition is tolerable, and will soon be over.

Thirdly, Such persons or societies of men as disobey the gospel of God are not of his church and household, though possibly they may make the loudest pretensions. The apostle distinguishes the disobedient from the house of God.

Fourthly, The sufferings of good people in this life are demonstrations of the unspeakable torments that are coming upon the disobedient and unbelieving: What shall the end be of those that obey not the gospel? Who can express or say how dreadful their end will be?

(2.) He intimates the irremediable doom of the wicked: If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear, #1Pe 4:18. This whole verse is taken from #Pr 11:31, Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner? This the Septuagint translates exactly as the apostle here quotes it.

Hence we may learn,

[1.] The grievous sufferings of good people in this world are sad presages of much heavier judgments coming upon impenitent sinners. But, if we take the salvation here in the highest sense, then we may learn,

[2.] It is as much as the best can do to secure the salvation of their souls; there are so many sufferings, temptations, and difficulties to be overcome, so many sins to be mortified, the gate is so strait and the way so narrow, that it is as much as the righteous can do to be saved. Let the absolute necessity of salvation balance the difficulty of it. Consider, Your difficulties are greatest at first; God offers his grace and help; the contest will not last long; be but faithful to the death, and God will give you the crown of life, #Re 2:10.

(There is no time to be looking at the speck in my brother's eye. I have enough to deal with because of the log in my own eye!)

[3.] The ungodly and the sinner are unquestionably in a state of damnation. Where shall they appear? How will they stand before their Judge? Where can they show their heads? If the righteous scarcely be saved, the wicked must certainly perish.

4. That when called to suffer, according to the will of God, they should look chiefly to the safety of their souls, which are put into hazard by affliction, and cannot be kept secure otherwise than by committing them to God, who will undertake the charge, if we commit them to him in well-doing; for he is their Creator, and has out of mere grace made many kind promises to them of eternal salvation, in which he will show himself faithful and true, #1Pe 4:19.

Learn,

(1.) All the sufferings that befall good people come upon them according to the will of God.

(2.) It is the duty of Christians, in all their distresses, to look more to the keeping of their souls than to the preserving of their bodies. The soul is of greatest value, and yet in most danger. If suffering from without raise uneasiness, vexation, and other sinful and tormenting passions within, the soul is then the greatest sufferer. If the soul be not well kept, persecution will drive people to apostasy, #Ps 125:3.

(3.) The only way to keep the soul well is to commit it to God, in well-doing. Commit your souls to God by solemn dedication, prayer, and patient perseverance in well-doing, #Ro 2:7.

(4.) Good people, when they are in affliction, have great encouragement to commit their souls to God, because he is their Creator, and faithful in all his promises.

All praise must go to my Heavenly Father, who ordained that we should be studying this particular passage during this week of a fiery trial in my own life. I have no reason to think that I won't be persecuted or reviled because of my desire to live a life pleasing to God. Look what they did to Jesus!

I do commit my soul to God, Who is the Creator of all things, and faithful to every promise He has made. As I examine my heart before Him, I pray that He will reveal to me the dross that must be purged during this trial. I pray He will help me to get that log out of my eye, and to gaze only on Him. Then, as He sees I am ready, I pray He will give me the opportunity to work on the specks in the eyes of those around me...but not until He has purged me of my sin first.

Oh, the blissful thought it is, that someday His glory will be revealed! And in that, we will rejoice!

Homeschooling - Bible: My favourite subject!

One of my favourite things to do is to teach the Bible to my children and grandchildren. Christopher, my youngest, is a particular joy to me, because he really listens. When I ask him what he learned from the sermon at church, he is able to tell me a synopsis of the sermon, and often is able to articulate applications for his own life. He is all of eight years old.

Yesterday our pastor preached on the book of Joel, and asked the question, "Why does God use evil?" Christopher told me, "Mom, God uses evil for good purposes. It is for the good of His people, and for His own glory."

Today we were doing a review of Creation, The Fall, God's Plan for Redemption, and Adam & Eve's Punishment. We talked about the beauty and harmony of creation (and two of my daughters sang some harmony to illustrate how the harmonious notes sound better together than each note sounds individually). We talked about how Jesus redeemed us by dying on the cross to satisfy a Holy God's just demands. The children coloured pictures while I discussed the doctrines with them. It was a blessing to hear them answer the questions...their answers revealed a firm grasp of the doctrines, not just simple knowledge of the Bible stories.

I, too, am happy that Jesus died on the cross. And I am happy to share it with our children and grandchildren.

Pride or Peace?

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

131:1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high; (I have a humble heart.)
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me. (I have a simple heart.)
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me. (I have a quiet heart.)

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. (I have a trusting heart.)

What a beautiful Psalm! It portrays a man who is blessed with inner peace, rather than being torn up with turmoil.

Our elder, Hugh, preached a sermon on Psalm 131 this past Sunday, and I have been pondering it since. I have to admit, I do have noise inside me. I get irritated, worried, frustrated and fearful. I want things to work (like the dishwasher that died, and the freezer that is more like a fridge). I want my family to understand me, and I want my home to be a haven of hospitality and beauty.

Hugh taught us that the biggest obstacle to inner peace is PRIDE. Self-will makes me the center of my universe. As soon as I feel angry, worried, fearful, etc., I need to examine my heart to discern where I am putting my trust.

David Powlison rewrote Psalm 131 to describe the opposite of a man who trusts in God. This is a man with a proud heart.

Self,
My heart is proud,
And my eyes are haughty (I look down on other people),
And I chase after things too great and too difficult for me.
So of course I’m noisy and restless inside;

It comes naturally,
Like a hungry infant fussing on his mother’s lap,
Like a hungry infant, I’m restless with my demands and worries.
I scatter my hopes onto anything and everything all the time.

If my heart is proud, I am not content. I look down on others, comparing myself with them. I worry about things that aren't in my control, instead of resting in the Lord. I worry about what others think, rather than concerning myself with what the Lord thinks.

Hugh brought out the point that even self-belittling tendencies are really expressions of pride. Instead of viewing ourselves as God views us, we want to be recognized, to get attention, to gain some measure of comfort or adoration from others. This is pride.

He quoted Charles Spurgeon, who said, "We're all proud by nature, though there is not one among us that has any reason to be proud. Every man thinks more of himself than God thinks."

We ought not to concern ourselves with great matters, because even the smallest things are beyond our control. I am not able to control anything. Everything I have, everything I am, is a gift of God.

David rested in the Lord, waiting on Him. It didn't matter that he had been anointed - he waited for God's timing to take the throne. He was satisfied with what the Lord had ordained for him, and he is the only man in the Bible called "a man after God's own heart."

We cannot achieve inner peace by trying harder. We try to climb the ladders of Appetite (control, ease, lust, goodies), Avoidance (ducking and running, avoiding rejection, fleeing from suffering), and Achievement (recognition, victory) but they fail to satisfy. We feel happy as we're climbing, but nervousness sets in. If we make no progress, we worry. If something gets in the way, we rage. If we're higher on the ladder than someone else, we are haughty. And when the ladder falls, we feel despair, bitterness, anger, or hurt.

The only answer is to Come to Jesus. Only He can replace the idols, and satisfy us. Apart from Him, there are only idols, and there is only pride. Without humbling ourselves before Almighty God, we are doomed to a life without inner peace, a life of climbing ladders of futility.

The only appropriate response is repentance.

O Lord, I confess that I have lifted up my heart and raised up my eyes. Forgive me, and give me a humble heart.

I have occupied myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. I have worried about money instead of trusting that You will provide. I have stressed out about my family instead of trusting that You will work in the hearts of those I love. Forgive me, and give me a simple heart.

I have fretted and planned and worried and resolved and tried again and again to order my world and make things in my life work, but all I have experienced has been frustration and sorrow. Teach me, O Lord, to quiet my soul. Teach me to recognize my pride. Teach me to be satisfied in You, and You alone, for You are a Beautiful God - full of Beauty, and abounding in grace.

Oh, Janet, hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. O Lord, You are the One in whom I trust. You are the One in whom I hope. There is none like you. You alone made the heavens, and You rule the universe. I cannot control one little thing, but I can put my trust in the One who controls all things.

Thou will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is stayed on Thee. Amen.

I love Elihu!!

Job 37:21"And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them. 22Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty. 23The Almighty--we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 24Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit."

One of my favourite books of the Bible is the book of Job. It has it all: drama, pain, sorrow, betrayal, Satan's workings, God's Sovereignty, Miserable Comforters, Elihu's burning response, and God's Judgment and adamant statement of Who HE is at the end.

I guess I relate to Job so well because in a small way I understand his pain. I have never lost all of my worldly goods and my entire family in one fell swoop. However, our family has gone through grinding financial pressures that never seemed to end. We lost a baby to miscarriage, and watched our dear daughters go through the loss of their precious babies. We know what it is to suffer financially, and in a limited way(compared to Job), we know what it is to suffer the loss of loved ones.

We have experienced false accusations and betrayal from friends who misunderstood and gave unwise counsel. I read Job's responses, and I am right there with him, understanding his frustration. I know what it is like to wish that God would just leave me alone (but I thank Him that He didn't) and I know what it is like to long for Him to just come and sit down with me at my kitchen table, to explain away all of my confusion, and to make all things right.

I read Job's description of himself: he really WAS a righteous man. He was wise and kind; he served his fellow man; he prayed for his family; he was well-respected. People hung on his every word. What a guy!

I think because of his godly living, he was so confused by the tragedy that befell him. He was angry at his friends' ignorant accusations that it must have been his sin that caused all of this to happen. His three "friends" just added to his pain.

He justified himself before his friends. He fell into the trap of thinking that God was blessing him because he was so good. He was angry with God. He wanted to die.

Then, along comes Elihu, burning with anger, passionate to uphold the reputation of Almighty God! I can picture the scene in my mind. He sits there, listening to his elders, boiling inside, waiting for the opportunity to speak. When he does, the words tumble out. I imagine him pacing back and forth, arms flailing as he declares WHO God is, and how He has the power and the right to do ANYTHING He wants to do, and how it is all right and good - because God is Good!

It all goes back to the fact that God is the Creator. He can do what He wants to with all that He created. He controls the wind, the clouds, the rain, the lightning. He set the stars in place. He holds all things together by the power of His might.

Who are we to question God?

Elihu is a guy I can relate to. He burns with passion. He acknowledges that the breath of the Almighty gave him life, then goes on to say that God ordains trials for our good. When we respond in repentance and faith, God restores us (in His good time). God never does wickedness. He always does righteousness.

Elihu is so passionate that he even rebukes Job, a man he respects. Elihu has the courage to point out Job's errors in thinking.

It all comes back to who God really is:

Job 36:22Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? 23Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, 'You have done wrong'?

24"Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung. 25All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar. 26Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. 27For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, 28which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly. 29Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion? 30Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea. 31For by these he judges peoples; he gives food in abundance. 32He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. 33Its crashing declares his presence; the cattle also declare that he rises.

He is the CREATOR!

Job 37:14"Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. 15Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine? 16Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge, 17you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind? 18Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?

He controls all things!

I hope and pray that I will be passionate about God, like Elihu. I hope my children and grandchildren will understand and know Him, and learn to bow to His will and accept all things as coming from His gracious, omnipotent hand.

What a mighty God we serve!

Well on my way! (an ordinary day)

I had a great day today! I got up and read the entire paper, waiting for the rest of the family to stir from their beds. We've had a lot of late nights, lately, so early risings aren't happening at the present - except for ME. I am definitely a morning person. Sleeping in just isn't an option. If the sun doesn't peek in, I just know in my bones that it is morning, and if I roll over to try to go back to sleep for a few more minutes, it is just frustrating. Sleep doesn' t come, and I am wasting time.

Reading the paper all alone with a good cup of tea is not a waste of time, however. I read articles about Saddam Hussein, about Gerald Ford, about the new Archbishop in the Catholic church in Canada. I read lots of articles that I flagged to discuss with the children later. I skipped the sports section with nary a twinge, and enjoyed the puzzles and the comics, and even read "Dear Abby".

After that, I read the Bible. I am working through the Bible Chronologically (see this site: http://bibleplan.org/ ) this year. My 7 year old son, Critter, came in and sat on my lap while we read about the Flood and the animals and Noah and the long lives of the Antediluvian patriarchs. I was interested in the fact that there is a parallel genealogy - the line of Cain contrasted with the line of Seth. Critter and I talked about what we read and about how God has always preserved His people, since the beginning. We talked about God's power over the animals - He sent them to Noah - and over Nature - He opened the floodgates! We talked about the sheer size of the ark, and about God's protection of Noah and his family. Tiana (10) was up by then, and discussed the Sabbath Day with me. She had read about God resting on the Sabbath day, and thought that Sunday was the Sabbath. It's nice to know that she is thinking while she is reading her Bible.

The sun was shining and beckoning to us to come outside, so out we went for a brisk walk to the corner and back. It was a good start to my exercise program. I added weight work on the machine tonight, and I feel like I am on my way to better health and a slimmer me.

Rick and I had banking to do, then I did housework while the children mucked out the stalls and did some yard work and laundry. I then ran errands, made supper (Prime Rib roast, mashed potatotes, mixed vegetables, with a small glass of red wine) and enjoyed Bible time with the family.

All in all, a fine day. I think the fact that the sun was shining has encouraged me to no end. The fact that I set some goals for a more spiritually focussed life, as well as a healthier body, has also encouraged me.

This truly is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Studies in Proverbs from Matthew Henry

The children and I are doing a great project together. I thought of the idea while reading Matthew Henry's commentary on the Online Bible. He has compiled verses under 31 different headings. The children are copying the verses, then looking up any words that intrigue them or that they are unfamiliar with. The younger children are drawing pictures to illustrate the verses. The older ones are doing word studies. We looked up the words that are bold.

The first section is entitled "Of the comfort, or grief, parents have in their children, according as they are wise or foolish, godly or ungodly. We changed it, for the kids' sake, to:

Section I How children make their parents happy or sad

Proverbs 10:1 A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Pr. 15:20 A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.

Pr. 17:21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.

Pr. 17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.

Pr. 19:13 A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.

Pr. 19:26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.

Pr. 23:15-16 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right.

Pr. 23:24-25 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
25 Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.

Pr. 27:11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
that I may answer him who reproaches me.

Pr. 29:3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Janet

Grade One Curriculum - Bible

Bible

Memory Work

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ephesians 6:1 ¶ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"

Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 23

Catechism

You have your catechism sheets. Work on the questions, answers, and Scripture proofs.

Books of the Bible

Every child should learn the books of the Bible in order. Start with the Old Testament!

Songs

Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world;
Red and yellow, black and white, They are precious in His sight -
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Jesus Loves Me.

Zaccheus

Only a Boy Named David

The B I B L E

Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, to shine for Him each day
In every way try to please Him, at home, homeschool, and play! (Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.)

A sunbeam, a sunbeam - Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.
A sunbeam, a sunbeam. I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.

Jesus wants me to be happy, and kind to all I see; (Be kind to one another.)In every way try to please Him, a little one like me! (Even a child is known by his doings.)

A sunbeam, a sunbeam - Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.
A sunbeam, a sunbeam. I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.

The Wise Man and the Foolish Man

Father we thank thee for the night, and for the pleasant morning light;
For rest and food and loving care, and all that makes the world so fair.

Help us to do the things we should, to be to others kind and good;
In all we do in work and play, to love thee better day by day.

Great is Thy Faithfulness
Trust and Obey
Holy, Holy, Holy


Bible Stories http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=hurlbut&book=bible&story=_contents

Hurlbut’s stories of the Bible are found on this link. You may be able to pick the book up in a secondhand store. Excellent stories, close to the Bible, good doctrine.

Read one story every day.


Timeline

Memorize the following timeline as you read the stories. Do it in a chant, so the children learn the big events of the Bible in chronological order.

Creation
Fall of Man
Noah - Covenant of Preservation
The Tower of Babel
Abraham The Patriarchs!
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses
Passover
Exodus
The Law
12 Spies
Consequences of Sin: Wilderness Wanderings
Deuteronomy - Moses Died.
Joshua made leader.
Jericho
Judges
Saul The UnitedKingdom!
David
Solomon
The Divided Kingdom
Northern Kingdom - Jeroboam : Israel
Elijah
Elisha
Jonah
Amos
Hosea
Assyria - an instrument in the hand of God.
Annihilation.
Southern Kingdom - Rehoboam Southern Kingdom : Judah
Isaiah
Micah
Hezekiah
Zedekiah - the last king.
Babylon - an instrument in the hand of God.
Captivity.
Zerubbabel restores the temple.
Temple finished. (Haggai, Zechariah)
Ezra
Esther
Nehemiah
The Silent Years: (God is always in control.)
The Maccabean Revolt: Antiochus. (Pig)
Israel comes under Roman Rule. (Jesus!)
Titus destroyed the Temple.

Which Book of the Bible are you?

http://quizilla.com/users/reflectedgrace/quizzes/Which%20book%20of%20the%20Bible%20are%20you?/

I took this little quiz to see what book of the Bible I am.

I am Ephesians

"Chances are you've made a couple of whopper mistakes in your life. . . 'cause it's usually people like you who really understand their position in Christ. You know it's not by might, not by power, and certainly not through works, but only through the blood of Christ. That's all there is that's standing between you and the Father. . . and that's all you need. People find you to be more generally grace-filled than most. You are attractive to the faith, and usually a bit on the non-traditional side."

Well, I'd say that comes very close to summing it up. I am not sure my mistakes were "whoppers", but I am very much aware of my own depravity. I know that it is only by grace that I am saved, and that this grace is purely a gift from a Merciful Heavenly Father, who chose me in spite of my flaws.

Yet, even though I am constantly in awe of the grace of God, in my life, and in general, I can be exacting and determined to teach solid doctrine. Some would say I am a "prophet", in the Bill Gothard sense of the word. I love the Bible, and have little patience with those who just "love Jesus" and want to get along with everybody, regardless of what the Scriptures would say.

As far as being a bit on the non-traditional side, let's see. I have 12 children...I guess that is a bit strange. I have homeschooled since 1983, and although homeschooling is much more prevalent today than it was back then, still it is a small percentage of the population that practices it. I read theology books for fun, and am pursuing a Bachelor of Theology at the ripe old age of fifty. That is not exactly traditional, I guess.

So, if I were to classify myself as a book of the Bible, Ephesians would be it.

Ephesians 2:4 ¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Lord, thank You that you are rich in mercy, and that You brought me out of darkness into Your marvellous light. Thank You that I can delight in You each and every day. Help me to indeed be filled with grace when I interact with Your image-bearers. Keep me from being impatient, and help me to be slow to speak, quick to listen, and ready to encourage others to follow You.

In the precious name of Christ, I pray.