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

For the Love of Reading

I am a committed bibliophile. There is rarely a night that I go to sleep without first picking up a book and reading a chapter or two. I read while waiting at appointments, while sitting on the toilet, and while travelling in a car (but not while I am driving)!

Here is a link to Tim Challies' post on the same subject. If you only see a blank space, click on it in the middle of the space. I don't know how to change the colour.



He is a man after my own heart. I laughed when I read about his habit of walking a fussy baby up and down a room, while reading. I feelsorry for him that he is not a woman, because we mothers have a perfect excuse to read for hours on end, while nursing our babies.

I read a variety of books, from children's literature (my excuse is that I am preparing for homeschooling) to doctrine and biography. I like reading the occasional magazine, and I don't mind picking up Latin or French or Spanish books for a variety. It doesn't matter that I don't understand ALL of it...the fact that I can understand enough to make out the gist of the material gives me joy.

I think I have passed this love of reading on to most of my children. I often find them crashed on the couch with noses in books. It is a joy to know that my newly married son's favourite author is Francis Schaeffer, and I love seeing the back of his toilet piled high with theology books, which he reads just for the sheer pleasure of it.

Of course, as a homeschooling mom, I take great pleasure in the fact that I have passed on not only the love of reading, but that I actually taught my children to read. My youngest, Critter, a six year old, loves Calvin and Hobbes, and I often hear him giggling as he calls out, "Listen to this, Mom..."

Ah, the simple pleasures in life. Reading is certainly at the top of my list.

Janet

Prairie Muffin

I am finally admitting publically to the world that I am, indeed, a Prairie Muffin, as defined in the "Prairie Muffin Manifesto" (see link on sidebar).

I enjoy Carmon Friedrich's wit and wisdom, as well as her transparency. I can agree with the Prairie Muffin Manifesto, and I plan to read it from time to time to remind myself of my high calling to be a wife, a mother, and a keeper at home.

To my shame, I have to admit that just yesterday, I did not conform to tenet #10) Prairie Muffins are patient and forbearing, not responding rashly to slights, perceived or real.

My dear husband has been under a lot of stress lately (God is definitely squeezing him to see what comes out!) Normally, Rick is patient, steadfast, slow to anger, and kind, but with trucks breaking down and drivers putting them in ditches, and with dealing with unreasonable people on a day-to-day basis, my normally steady husband's fuse has been uncharacteristically short. He has become impatient with me.

I don't like it. I take it personally. And instead of going to my dear Lord and pouring out my heart in prayer, I am pouty and angry and I respond rashly. Sigh.

Here I am, a Titus 2 woman, who desires to teach women younger than me, and wants to be a good example of godliness to my children -- and I waste precious time being a grouch because my dh raised his voice at me.

Thankfully, I am not alone. Carmon, bless her heart, shared a moment of weakness in her own life. http://buriedtreasurebooks.com/weblog/?p=1530 In her confession she quoted the following two verses:

A soft answer turneth away wrath. When Rick raises his voice, I can react by being hurt and pouting, or I can respond softly, with grace. I know he loves me, and his behaviour is certainly excusable when I consider all that he is going through. I ought to pray for him, and love him, and be patient with him.


God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. My anger and wrong responses only make me feel terrible. I know God is resisting me as I grieve the Holy Spirit; yet when I confess my pride and ask forgiveness, God pours out His grace on my life.

So, this Prairie Muffin still has a lot to learn. I am glad that God isn't finished with me yet, and that He uses me to bless others, even though He knows every single thing about me that is ugly. He chose to love ME - Oh, what grace.

Lord, pour out Your grace, again, on me. I need You every hour. And when I fall into sin, again and again, keep on resisting me, so that I realize I have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no One to turn to, but YOU. Thank you that when I come to You in repentance, You are always gracious to forgive and restore. You take the dark cloud that is hanging over me, and replace it with the sunshine of Your love.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, My Saviour and Friend.

In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Becoming a Titus 2 Woman - Chapter 1

I have decided to work through Martha Peace's book, for my own personal edification, and to encourage other women in their calling to minister to others. I will post my notes here.

Titus 2:3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

What does it mean to be a Titus 2 woman? What is the role of a Christian woman, especially one over 50?

As I mature, I desire to love the Lord my God with all my heart, and I hope that this love for God will be reflected in all of my relationships – with husband, family, friends, church, other Christians, and those who do not know the Lord. I want my life to reflect my Master.

My role is to bring glory to God, by being winsome, by having a kind and gentle spirit, by loving those I come into contact with, serving them selflessly, teaching those who will listen, pointing the way to Christ.

Sadly, my behaviour has not always matched my heart’s desire. I am frequently angry, and I can be irreverent. My sense of humour can slip into jokes that would not please the Lord. I fail to pray for wisdom and strength, and I react with irritation when my children do not obey. This ought not to be so.

Lord, help me to be what You want me to be. I must abide in You; without You, I can do nothing. Lord Jesus, thank You for all you have done in my life. Thank You for going to that cross, taking my sins upon Yourself, and imputing Your righteousness to me. I do not deserve it. I am grateful.

Holy Spirit, fill me. Forgive me for quenching You as you gently convict me of sin, yet I wickedly choose to ignore you. Fill me, guide me, rebuke me, lead me. Help me to please my Heavenly Father as I live sacrificially for Your glory.

Priorities

Activities – Maintain house; garden, yard. Organize all the rooms. Go through all of our stuff, weeding out and selling what we don’t need. Areas of major concern: my bedroom and the classroom.

Homeschooling the six children still studying here at home. Co-op homeschool once per week with married girls and the grandchildren. I must learn to be prepared well, and not to "wing it". I have a tendency to leave things till the last minute. Planning and preparation are top priorities.

Commitments
Family – My dear husband, children, Married kids, grandchildren, in-laws, extended family.

Carey Outreach Ministries, where I work two days per week.
Grace Trinity Community Church
Patriarch’s Wives
Friends: It is important to me to maintain close relationships with the beautiful women whom God has brought into my life.

Goals
Write blog (certainly more consistently than I have in the past)
Write articles
Write a book – pray about the topic. How can I best help the body of Christ and impact lives for the glory of God?

Exercise; eat healthy foods.



God’s Word on Priorities

Do Not Be Anxious - I know that God will provide every need.

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Put on the New Self - Put off the old. Purposely think about God and His word.

Colossians 3: 1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[d] with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

12Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rules for Christian Households - Glorifying God in the day to day life of a family.

18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

A Living Sacrifice - Love is a sacrifice: other-centeredness! Live for God!

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Do Not Love the World - It's all going up in smoke!

1 John 2:15 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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

What sort of People ought you to Be? (having lives of holiness and godliness):

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Do Good to Everyone, Especially Christians

Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Walk Deliberately in Love

Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Lord, thank you for leading me to study “Becoming a Titus 2 Woman”. I pray that You will use this book and Martha’s teaching to impact my life, and as a result, the lives of many other women (and of course, my family). Teach me Your way, O Lord.

Help me to prioritize my activities and commitments in order to glorify You. Help me to present my body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto You – this is my reasonable and spiritual act of service. Lord, help me especially to redeem the time, being determined and purposeful in what I choose to do with the seconds, minutes and hours You have so graciously granted to me. Let me not be a time-waster, but a time-user – and all for Your glory. Help me to teach my children to live CORAM DEO, with their hearts open before You, their God.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Did you ever have one of those days?

One of those days when nothing seems to go right, and you wonder what you accomplished when you fall into bed, exhausted, at the end of that seemingly endless day.

Today was shaping up to be one of those days. I woke, discouraged, because my house was a mess and I was starting today with yesterday's work. (It really pays to be organized and to go to bed with a clean house, especially a tidy kitchen. Mine was a disaster. I got home late with a week's worth of groceries, which we put away, but the dishwasher was full and hadn't been run, so we did not do the supper dishes. The animals and little people had tracked in mud, so the white floor was a curious shade of gray, with interesting patterns. Not a pretty sight.)

One of the first things I did today was to put on a load of laundry. The kids had informed me that there was a problem with the washing machine, but I didn't want to believe it.

I got the kids going on their jobs, after having a talk with them. They simply hadn't obeyed the rules yesterday. Sigh.

Someone came running. "Mom, the washer is beeping and there is an error message."
I went and investigated. F 02. Looked up the owner's manual on the internet, which took forever because we have an unbelievably slow connection. I wouldn't know that except that I work part-time at Carey Outreach Ministries, which is blessed to have high-speed. That brought me "up a notch" in my expectation of how internet should work, so I am impatient as I sit and wait for the 76 pages (in English, Spanish and French) to take their interminably long time to download.

FINALLY, I discover that there is a drain problem. Well, duh. I knew that, because the machine went through the entire cycle, but would not spin, and drained very slowly.

Daniel took the hose off. Yuccky smelling gray stuff came out. He, blessed child, knows how to use the air compressor, so he cleaned out the hose. Put it back on. Same error message.

Took it off again. I reached up inside where the hose connects, and was able to pull out gelly-like gray matter. Ugh. Maybe that will do it. Put the machine back on, waited for the thing to drain. Same old, same old.

So, what to do. I did a search on the internet (slow connection, remember....it took forever) and found the phone number for the store where I bought the machine. Talked to John, the guy who sold it to me. He suggested taking the back off of the machine and cleaning out the pump.

Ok. So, we did that. But, after removing some 12 or 14 screws, we discovered there was no way to access the water pump from the back of the machine. There was a panel in the front of the machine, at the bottom, that had three screws. Maybe that would work.

So, we took the panel off, and lo and behold, found an unscrewable thingamajig. Unscrewed it, and water and junk came pouring out onto the floor (note to self: next time, have a container handy). Daniel pulled the thingamajig away, and found it was completely clogged with hair, labels, nails, a screw, and numerous other small objects. One wonders how that got into that area of the machine. But hey, we cleaned it, put the whole thing back together, and presto! My machine is working. No more clogged drain. A much cleaner receptacle for the soap and other additives.

It is now 4:29 pm, and if my dh were to phone and ask me what I accomplished today, I would have to say, "I did one load of laundry." That is the truth, sort of.

But when I think about it, we accomplished so much more. We tackled a problem and worked a solution. We kept at it until we reached our goal. We saved money by not having to call in a repairman. The leaky water had to be cleaned up, so we got the floor clean, and while Daniel and I were concentrating on all of that, the rest of the family did their chores, scrubbed the living room and kitchen floor, and played with three of my grandchildren.

I guess one of those days wasn't so bad, after all.

The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

He sighed.

Have you ever thought about these two little words found twice in the Bible: "He sighed"?

Mark 7:34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

Why did You sigh, Lord? You had just sent the demon from the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman, who had reminded You that "even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs." You were about to transform the very life of one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, by opening his ears and loosing the impediment from his tongue. And You sighed.

Was it because of the fact that sin had marred the beauty and perfection of creation? You would never have had to put Your fingers in the ears of anyone to heal them, were it not for our first parents' eating the forbidden fruit in rebellion.

You sighed. Was it because You took him inside, away from the multitude, yet You knew that the more You would command the people to tell no one, the more they would proclaim it? Is it because we are so quick to disobey, to consider our own way to be the right way, even when You have commanded otherwise? Is it because we fallen creatures are so interested in the immediate - this temporal life with all its perks and pleasures - rather than the eternal? Did You sigh because You knew the people would focus on this miracle You had performed, proclaiming You to be the newest "star" in the culture of the day, with nary a thought regarding their fallen condition or the reality of the eternal?

They did not know, Lord. Is that why You sighed? They didn't understand that it was not the physical actions You performed by putting Your fingers into his ears, and touching his tongue with Your spit that healed him - it was Your word. You SAID, "Ephphtha, Be Opened". You spoke plainly. You commanded. They disregarded Your command.

No wonder You sighed.

You must sigh even today, when You see Your children going their own way and doing their own thing. You must sigh when You see us scurrying around, helter-skelter, rushing to accomplish much in things that are temporal, that will be burned up on the Last Day.

Forgive us when we do not listen to you.

Forgive us when we focus on things of this earth.

Forgive us when we rush to and fro, accomplishing much of what matters little.

Teach us Your way, O Lord. Teach us to pay attention to what YOU, Our Master, desires. Teach us that life is found in You, and You alone.

Help us, Lord. Do not give up on us. When You look at me, and sigh, let it be with the sigh of an ever-so-patient, gracious, and loving Parent towards a stumbling, faltering, wayward child. Have patience with me, O Lord. Correct me with kindness. Show me Your way. Direct my feet back on Your paths, and make my path straight.

Help me not to neglect Your word. Give me a desire to focus first on You, then on my husband and children. Give wisdom, Lord, to me. You promised to give it liberally, and I need it in abundance. Help me to order my day in such a way as to bring Your smile of approval on my feeble attempts to redeem the time You have given me. Let me feel Your presence. Let me walk as Your obedient servant, desiring only to please You.

I want to walk with You through the rest of my days, bearing fruit that will remain. I want to hear those precious words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

May it be, Lord. May it be.

Treasures in Heaven

Matthew 6:19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.


There's a little more of my heart in heaven now. At the beginning of the month, our precious grandson Jack was born too soon. Just yesterday, another precious grandbaby went straight from my daughter's womb, into the arms of Jesus.

I remember how excited we were to find out little by little that there were to be FOUR new babies joining the family in the spring. First, my nephew and his fiancee were having a baby in the first week of March, followed by three grandchildren coming in quick succession through March and April. In 1999, we rejoiced to have four little boys join the family over a 9 month period, but this was to be in SIX WEEKS!! We were so very thrilled, looking forward to seeing all of these treasures as they grew and learned and explored this wonderful world!

Sadly, it was not to be. First, Heather began cramping and labouring far too soon. Baby Jack was born at home. He was beautiful - perfectly formed, yet tiny enough to fit into the palm of a hand. Collar bones, fingers, toes, button nose, rosebud mouth. Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my soul knows right well. Our hearts were lifted to heaven, and we bowed to the will of our Father, Who knows best.

I changed my signature line to reflect that we were expecting our 10th and 11th grandbabies...no longer would we await the 12th.

Then, Adeena, my eldest daughter, began spotting. She knew something was wrong; in fact, had known for some time. Never underestimate the intuition of a woman who is pregnant. An ultrasound indicated the baby was not viable. The yet unnamed but much loved baby was born last night at 20 weeks' gestation. Baby had a large mass which pushed the legs to an odd angle. There were other problems. This child was not meant to survive.

We were able to hold the baby and marvel at the beauty of little legs, hands, feet, and one ear that was normal. God was so gracious to give us a caring nurse who patiently helped us examine every aspect of this dear wee thing who did not live on this earth, yet we know is in the Lord's hands.

We felt the prayers of God's people. Unbelievable peace in the midst of tragedy. God is so very good.

Things this grandmother has learned in the month of October:

1. Every baby, every child is a gift from God, the giver of life. Never take them for granted.

2. Never assume that "it" can't happen to you. It can, and it may. But God gives grace.

3. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in our mother's womb. Whether it is a 13 week fetus (Latin for baby!) or a full term fetus, each baby is an intricately assembled miracle. Marvel! Bow the knee! And repent of your inaction in not speaking out against abortion.

4. Sin has its consequences. The wages of sin is death. These little babies did not lose their lives because they sinned - but sin, when it entered the world, marred the beauty and harmony of every single system and aspect. Babies born too soon, or with birth defects, remind us of the fall. We do not live in a perfect world.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

The glory which shall be revealed in us, because of the marvelous grace of God, will be incomparably wonderful. God will wipe away all of our tears. He will make everything right.

5. God's love never fails.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


6. It is good to live in community. God blesses us through the prayers and kindnesses of others. We had a perfect peace that passes all understanding. We could tangibly feel the prayers of God's people and the Comfort that only comes from the Holy Spirit. I have read email after email with tears running down my cheeks, because people care, because they have experienced loss or tragedy or pain, and they understand.

2 Corinthians 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.


5. Life goes on. People who lose a loved one often wonder how everything can be so normal. Why are people shopping? Buying a coffee at Timmy's? Going to work? Why doesn't the world stop when my world has been shattered, they think. But God has ordained our steps and ordered our days. He makes the sun to come up in the morning and the moon to rise at night. He is the only Giver of Life, and He can be trusted.

My life's verse is comforting: 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.

God is always in control, and He is always good. Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the name of our God.

In Christ,
Janet, who is thankful to be married to dear husband Rick for 32 years today.