1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray continually

Matthew 6:9 This then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..."

Another reason I want the boys to know Scripture is because it teaches us how to pray and encourages us to do so. I would love to inspire them that if they are thinking of someone or worried about something, to recall the Scripture that says to pray continually. I want them to know they do not have to be at the dinner table or kneeling by their beds to talk with the Lord. They can just tell Him what they are thinking right then and there. And also, if they memorize the Lord's Prayer one day, they will have a guideline for the things God wants to hear from them about. He wants to hear their praise, He wants them to be in line with His will, to ask for what they need for the day and for forgiveness of their sins, and for the strength to get through temptations and hard times.

2 Corinthians 2:17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

2 Corinthians 4:2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.

I really do not know what took me to these scriptures, but when I read them, I thought: one way to speak before God with sincerity and to not distort His word is to speak it/pray it to Him literally. My friend brought up the fact that our translations do not always give us the entire meaning/picture of what Scripture is actually saying. I think that is true, and I hope that the boys grow into young men who will delve deeper into the meaning of the original Scripture. I know that every time I do that, I feel more connected with what God was actually saying and I have a greater understanding of His Word. Also though, the Lord knows our hearts. If we are praying His Word, as we know it, back to Him with a sincere heart, seeking Him, then He will bless that. If we know His Word literally and we can bring it to mind, then we will know what to pray and we will know what we are praying for/asking for is in line with God's Word.

John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.

Jesus tells us that He wants His words to remain in us. He does not say "the concept of me" or "the concept of my words." I tried to look up any extra meaning about this, but the internet was not very helpful this morning and I am running out of time. I also tried to look on E-sword, but I think I need to explore that a little more and figure out how to use it, lol. One of those things that is on my list. Time flies when I sit down to study, read, or figure out how to do/use something! Anyhow, back to the topic. Jesus was talking about Him being the Vine and us remaining in Him, meaning we need Him in order to have what we wish. And, if we know His words, they are in us, then what we wish will line up with what Jesus can/will give. I want that for my boys: to be in line with God and to have His purpose fulfilled in their lives. There is not a doubt in my mind that if they live for Christ, whether or not it looks like it to all the rest of us, their hearts will have joy.

OMGoodness!!! If you can believe this there is still more! For another day though... Much Love,

Carla

This is a post I never moved from my email, written just after the first of the year.

Matthew 25:46 "These people will go off to be punished forever, but the good people will go off to live forever." (NCV)

So, I don't actually have anything to say about this verse directly. It got me to thinking though, about how we often don't want to believe what the Bible is saying to us. We want to mold God into what we want Him to be. We want to believe that we don't need a Savior, that we are inherently good. We want to believe that hell does not exist...

I am, of course, juggling many balls. I am trying to finish up reading a controversial book, which then took me to other places to get answers to the questions I had after reading it. Then, that leads me to other places and I am on the internet for hours, browsing sites that I found interesting, convicting, or that I feel like I am learning something from. Today, I just got a reminder that started with a question: will I humbly believe in God's Word, even when I do not fully understand it every bit of it? Well, I suppose I have trouble with the idea of believing what I do not fully understand... However, God does state, through Jesus and the other inspired writers of the Word, that He is mysterious and that we will never fully know Him in this lifetime, but that He is holy, worthy of praise and trust. And with that, for me, comes comfort. I believe He is holy, worthy of praise and trust because I believe He sent His Son to die on the cross for us, that none who accepts the gift of His death on the cross should perish.

I believe that the Bible, all of it, is true. I believe that there are many, many people out there who have read and understand much more of it that I do. And so, I will take the time to read myself, to learn from them, and also to pray that God reveals to me what He wants me to know and see in His Word. I will ask that the Lord provide me the ability to trust Him, even when His Word says something hard to take in or that I do not understand. I am beyond the first hurdle: I have believed in Jesus death and resurrection, in His deity. I have believed in Him as my Savior... I have no trouble believing in supernatural things, and Jesus resurrection was certainly that. I have believed in something pretty unbelievalble:) I think I can keep doing more of the same, as I keep reading and delving more into God's holy Word.

Enjoy God and His Word in 2012 my friends!! Happy New Year!

Isaiah 55:11 So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

I have a friend who knows about all the "school stuff" the boys and I are doing every week. One of the things we do are letter boards, each week focusing on the next letter of the alphabet. And we have taken some breaks in between and done a Thanksgiving and Christmas board. Each week I put scripture on the board and the boys and I memorize it. Then, we decorate the rest of the board with fun things related to the letter of the week. For example, for our "G" week, we decorated letter G's with glitter and made little goldfish, which we then glued to the board for display. As you might imagine, little kids love displaying their work.

This week my friend asked me why I think it is so important the boys memorize scripture and why it is so important to me in any personal way. I explained the best I could there in person, in that moment. But when I came home I ended up being so happy she asked the question. I think my answers in that moment were honest and valid. But her question spurred me on to sit down and look into the Bible to see what God actually says about His Word and it's importance. I sat down to do Bible study homework and got into this instead. My own personal Bible study! I was on fire finding scripture that I believe applies to this question. What I loved most about it was that I actually felt like the Lord was right there with me, spurring me on to know Him deeper and to really get my mind around how much He wants to know each one of us...

And that is one of the reasons I want the boys to memorize and know scripture: to know God. I don't think we can ever fully know Him, but His Word gives us the opportunity to relate to Him, to know His character, and to have some insight into His plan for us and His plan for creation.

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.

I read this verse and then was thinking about how Jesus is called "The Word" in the first part of the book of John. This verse says to me that Jesus is living and active in our lives. Knowing the Word is having access to God through Christ; knowing the Word means knowing His promises to us.

Another reason I cited was that I want them to be able to pray scripture back to the Lord, which is what the scripture from Isaiah is talking about: God's Word will accomplish it's purpose. If we pray it directly back to Him, how much more powerful will that be. And, if we pray it exactly, we will be putting our prayers in line with what God's Word actually says, and not twisting it to fit our own desires.

Next, I want them to have God's Word written on their hearts and in their minds, so it will come to them whenever they need strength, comfort, wisdom, patience, and the list goes on...

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.
You cannot turn from something you have memorized. Many times stuff we learn as children comes back to us at the strangest times. I want the Lord to be able to use what I have taught the boys from His Word in their lives, whenever they need it.

Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Deuteronomy 11:18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols to your hands and bind them on your foreheads.