Life Verses

What is a life verse? A life verse is a verse that you make your foundation for your life. Of course the entire Bible should be our foundation for life, but a life verse is a special word from the Lord that cements your life and your purpose as you follow God throughout your life.

My personal life verse is 2nd Corinthians 12:9 - And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When our first son was on his way, we sat for hours praying and picking out names for him. When we settled on Luke, which I loved because it was from the Bible and meant "bringer of light," his life verse came very easily.

Luke's life verse is Matthew 5:16 - Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Our second son's name came very easily. One day I said, "I love the name Nathan," and my husband said, "Me too." It was easy-peasy. Coming up with his life verse didn't come during the pregnancy like it did with Luke's. After the death of his twin sister, each day I would say a verse over him and me.

Nathan's life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Our daughter's name is Alexis Faith, which means "defender of faith." When she passed away, my faith was tested more than any other time in my life so far. We wanted a Bible verse on her headstone, and looking at "faith" in the Bible, the most fitting one became her life verse.

Alexis' life verse is Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Our third son's name was the hardest name to figure out. I guess when you have lots of one gender it gets harder. Once we unanimously agreed on Benjamin, I found his life verse pretty easily.

Benjamin's life verse is Deuteronomy 33:12 - Of Benjamin he said: "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and He shall dwell between his shoulders."

I hope this has encouraged you to prayerfully consider a life verse for yourself and/or your children. 

I would love to hear yours. :) 

Appreciation

D.L. Moody said, "Character is what a man is in the dark."

Instilling Godly character into our kids is crucial. Character is who they truly are.
After reading and highlighting so much of an awesome book,
Parenting With Scripture, by Kara Durbin,
I decided to make Character Studies for my kids and I am going to share one with you today.

Basically, you look up the definition of the character trait. Then, there is a verse to memorize.
Then, there is a passage of Scripture that illuminates the character trait in action.
After reading the passage, there are Observation and Application questions to go through.
Lastly, a place for prayer is given to encourage a time of prayer.

The first one is on Appreciation. Who doesn't appreciate being appreciated?
But what I have realized that more important than being appreciated by others
is having an attitude of appreciation toward God and others.

APPRECIATION

Word to Look Up: appreciation:

_________________________________________________________________________

Verse(s) to Memorize: Psalm 100:4:

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Scripture to Read/Study:
Luke 17:11-19:
¹¹ Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem
    that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
¹² Then as He entered a certain village,
    there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.
¹³ And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
¹⁴ So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
    And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned,
    and with a loud voice glorified God,
¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
¹⁷ So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?
¹⁸ Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
¹⁹ And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Questions to Answer:

Who are the key people in this lesson?

_________________________________________________________________________

Describe 9 Lepers: ________________________________________________________ 

Describe 1 Leper: _________________________________________________________

What happens?

_________________________________________________________________________

How does the 1 leper stand out?

_________________________________________________________________________

What does Jesus say to him?

_________________________________________________________________________

Application to Plan:

What is the key thing you learned from this lesson?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

 How can you apply what you learned from this lesson?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Prayer to Pray:

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

If you need an easier-to-print PDF version, please e-mail me at mightyacorns613@hotmail.com

Be Humble

Help/Serve Others
   Mark 9:35 – “If anyone desires to be first, 
                        he shall be last of all and servant of all.” – Jesus
   Mark 10:43-45 – ⁴³ Whoever desires to become great among you 
                                    shall be your servant. 
                               ⁴⁴ And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 
                               ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

“Me first,” is not just something that little kids say.
It’s a heart attitude that many people struggle with.
Jesus told His disciples if they wanted to be first, they should be last and serve everyone.
How can you turn from “me first” to “me last”? How can you serve others?

Use Your Gifts for Others, Not Yourself
  1^st Peter 4:10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received
                            to serve others.
  God has given everyone different gifts, not to use for themselves, but for others.
  What gifts has God given you? How can you use them for others?

Mimic/Model Jesus to Others
   Philippians 2:3-11 – ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,
                                      but in lowliness of mind
                                      let each esteem others better than himself. 
                                    ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests,
                                      but also for the interests of others.
                                    ⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 
                                    ⁶ who, being in the form of God,
                                       did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 
                                    ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation,
                                       taking the form of a bondservant, 
                                      and coming in the likeness of men. 
                                    ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
                                       He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point
                                       of death, even the death of the cross. 
                                    ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him
                                      and given Him the name which is above every name, 
                                    ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
                                       of those in heaven, and of those on earth,
                                       and of those under the earth, 
                                    ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
                                       to the glory of God the Father.
When we come to Jesus as believers, we are to be like Jesus.
Jesus was a humble servant.
How are you mimicking Jesus to others? How can you model Jesus to others?

Be Honest With Others About Your Mistakes and Sins
  James 5:16 – Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another,
                        that you may be healed.
We all sin (Romans 3:23).
We don’t have to hide that from others and try to look like we are awesome.
How can you humble yourself and share your mistakes and sins with others?

Listen to Others
  Proverbs 12:15 – The wise listen to advice.
  Humble people listen to others. How can you be a better listener?

Edify/Build Up Others
  Romans 15:2 – Each of us should be concerned for our neighbors’ good,
                           to build them up (edify them).
  Humble people look for ways to build up others. How can you build others up?

SALT and LIGHT

Believers Are SALT and LIGHT 

(Matthew 5:13-16)

13 “You are the SALT of the earth; 
      but if the SALT loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
      It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the LIGHT of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 
15 Nor do they LIGHT a lamp and put it under a basket, 
      but on a lampstand, and it gives LIGHT to all who are in the house. 
16 Let your LIGHT so shine before men, 
      that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
In the most famous sermon ever preached, Jesus told believers that they were:
The SALT of the earth and
The LIGHT of the world.
For a fun object lesson, you can get out some black construction paper
and write a message or picture or scribble scrabble on it with glue.
Then, pour SALT over it (like you would glitter).
It gives kids the image of taking the SALT into the dark world.
You can also take your kids into a dark room and give them a candle or
a tea light and show them how the LIGHT pierces the darkness.
Remember that we can't be the LIGHT without THE TRUE LIGHT [JESUS] in us.

P.R.A.Y.

This week, I am reading through the Sermon on the Mount along with my church through a method called F260 (which I love and highly encourage). Part of the Sermon on the Mount was Jesus telling how to pray through a very familiar and often memorized passage called "The Lord's Prayer." Now this prayer was not meant to just be memorized and repeated, but was to be a model of prayer. There is a great acronym (you know how I love those) that helps me remember how to pray and is great to teach our kids.

P - Praise

R - Repent

A - Ask

Y - Yield

P - Praise God for who is He and what He has done in my life. 
      God has so many names and so many attributes/qualities/characteristics.
      He is Accessible, Creative, Eternal, Forgiving, Gracious, Holy, Immutable (Never Changes),
      Just, Light, Merciful, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Peace, Righteous, Sovereign.
      I could go on an on with names and qualities of God. 
      Ex. "God, You are Accessible. I can come boldly to You anytime, anywhere, with anyone,
      about anything. I am so thankful that because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross,
      I do not have to go through someone else to get to You."
      Of course, you can probably sit and write a long list of all the things God has done in your life.
      That is thanksgiving or giving thanks to God. 
      Ex. "Lord, I am so thankful for how You have provided for my family during this time.
      Thank You!"
      "Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name." (Matthew 6:9)

R - Repent of my sins to God.
      I don't know about you, but I haven't lived a single day without sinning.
      If I do, I will let you know (but then that would be pride and that's a sin LOL!). 
      Sometimes I am very aware of my sins, but at times, I need God to reveal them to me. 
      Ex. "Father, Please search me and show me any sins in my heart, my mind, my words, 
      my attitude, my actions, my temptations, my walk. Please forgive me for ___________.
      I am having a hard time forgiving __________. Please help me forgive them."
      "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
       And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:12-13)

A - Ask/Petition God.
       I would assume this is the part of prayer most of us are "good at." 
       We bring our list to God and ask Him to meet those needs.
       This is when we pray for ourselves, our (future) spouse, our (future) marriage,
       our (future) kids, our (future) parenting, our family, our home, our finances, our school,
       our friends, our neighbors, our church, our ministries, missionaries, our country, our world,
       lost people, sick people, and needy people.
       Ex. "Lord, I pray for ___________ and their need for __________."
       "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)

Y - Yield your plans/will to God's.
      "Prayer connects my heart/will/plans to God's heart/will/plans."
      Ex. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:10, 13)

  

Immanuel, God With Us

We are living in some different times than we are used to. 
For most people, these times are hard and confusing and maybe even scary. 
You might be doing school in a way that you have never done before. 

You might not be able to participate in activities you have previously enjoyed.
It’s okay to admit that it’s not the best of times.

But something that gives me great comfort, especially in difficult times,
is remembering that God is with us.

Matthew 1:23 – “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, 
                           and they shall call His name "Immanuel,"
                           which is translated, "God with us."

Jesus had a lot of names.
The cool thing about His names is that they described His character and His actions.
In this verse we see that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

John 1:14 – And the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us,
                   and we beheld His glory,
                   the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
                   full of grace and truth.

Okay, this verse always gives me “glory bumps” as a dear friend of mine calls them.
God became a human and dwelt (a fancy word for lived) among people
and they got to see God’s glory and grace and truth through Him. WOW!
I always think it would have been cool to have lived when Jesus walked the earth.

The awesome thing is that when you become a believer in Jesus,
He dwells (lives) with you 24/7. How cool is that?
When you wake up, He is with you.
When you are reading your Bible and praying, He is with you.
When you are doing math, He is with you.
When you are playing with your brother or sister, He is with you.
When you are doing your chores, He is with you.
When you are sleeping, He is with you.
He is always with you!!!

I challenge and encourage you to take time this week to remember that
God is always with you.

Lord,
You are Immanuel, God with me.
Thank You that You are always with me.
Please help me to remember that as I go through my week.
I love You!
Amen.

The 3 Rs of Homeschooling (Not What You Are Thinking)

This year starts our 10th year of homeschooling (not counting what we did before Kindergarten). In a decade of home educating, I would like to think I've learned a few things along with my kiddos. LOL! Lately, God has really put it on my heart to focus on the 3 Rs of homeschooling.
It's not what you are thinking.

The 3 Rs of Homeschooling:

1) Relationships 

    Other than God calling me to homeschooling, which was reason enough, one of the biggest reasons
    we started homeschooling and continue homeschooling is to build relationships, both vertical and
    horizontal. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we see The Great Commandment:

    "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
    Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
    and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. 
    And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 
    On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 
    (Matthew 22:36-40)

    Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, 
    perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him,
    “Which is the first commandment of all?”
    Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: 
    ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 
    And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,
    and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 
    And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
    There is no other commandment greater than these.”
    (Mark 12:28-31)

    So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
    with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
    (Luke 10:27)

    This actually isn't just in the New Testament. You can find loving the Lord all throughout the Bible
    especially in The Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5:

    “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 
    You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

    The part about loving your neighbor as yourself is also in the Old Testament in Leviticus 19:18:

    "But you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."     

    It is our greatest desire to love God with everything we have and then love others.
    It is our next greatest desire for our kids to love God with everything they have and love others.

2) Rhythm

    I don't know about you, but I am naturally a person who thrives on structure, routine, and order.
    I love charts, checklists, calendars, planners, and all things that can make me more organized.
    Over the years, I have learned that it is really hard to get not just myself, but my husband, my kids,
    and anyone else to stick to a "at this time we do this" routine.

    Instead, I have been finding that it is better to have a rhythm to our life and our days.
    What does this mean? Well, we wake up, have time to get going for the day, eat breakfast, 
    do some chores, start school, have breaks as needed, have food as needed (LOL), stop for lunch,
    finish up school, have breaks as needed, have food as needed (LOL), have room time, eat dinner,
    have family time, get ready for bed, do family devotions, read books, and go to bed. 

    Having a rhythm keeps everyone from being stressed out about calendars, clocks, time limits, etc.
    It leaves room to breathe and room for flexibility. It's awesome.

3) Responsibility

    As a mom it is super easy to want to do too much for our kids. I am guilty of that myself. 
    I have learned over the years that the more I do for my kids, the less they do for themselves.
    We are working on taking as much responsibility for ourselves as possible. 
    This is not just with our actions, but also with our attitudes and responses to things.

    Obviously a 4-year-old can't clean an entire bathroom by himself, but he can collect towels for the
    laundry. A 9-year-old can't do all of the yardwork by himself, but he can pick up sticks and pull 
    weeds. A 14-year-old can do a lot (even if they don't agree LOL). 

It is my prayer this year that we will build our relationships with the Lord, each other, and others. 
It is my prayer that we will find and maintain a rhythm for our days and this season.
It is my prayer that we will each take responsibility for our tasks and our attitudes.

I hope this has helped. :) 

The "Perfect" Time to Pray

"When should I pray?" 

For years I have asked myself and others this question. Honestly at times, I didn't feel like I was being a Super Christian (what even is that anyways?) since I wasn't getting up before the sun and spending hours in prayer. 

Some well-meaning people have told me over the years, "It says in the Scripture to have your time with God in the morning." Well, that is somewhat true. But I'll let you in on a little secret, it says many, many other things about prayer time in the Bible. Here we go.

1st Thessalonians 5:16 - Pray without ceasing/continually/constantly/at all times.

Based on this verse, we should always have a heart and attitude of prayer. I think of this as a 24/7 Bluetooth to God. LOL! We can and should talk to Him anytime. That means we can and should pray in the morning, in the evening, in the middle of the day, in the middle of the night (I am seriously thinking of Dr. Seuss right now.)

Mark 1:35 - Very early in the morning, a long while before daylight (while it was still dark),
He [Jesus] went out and He prayed.
Yes, there it is. Jesus got up super early in the morning before the sun even woke up and He prayed. But wait, there's more (cue infomercial for prayer).

Matthew 14:23 - He [Jesus] went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.
Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Well, well, well. It looks like Jesus was praying in the afternoon up until evening. (Pause for applause for all those who are not early risers.) But wait, there's more.

Luke 6:12 - He [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer.

Again, we see Jesus praying on a mountain (I love praying in the mountains myself). Here we see Him praying all night. 

Okay, forgive me for any times I came across as snarky, but I am trying to make a point. The point is, the "perfect" time to pray is anytime. Whether you are a person who is up with the crack of dawn praying, or you are more like me spending your afternoon when the kids are all quiet praying, or you are a night owl who prays at night, it all counts. It's truly about our heart being connected to God's heart. And one last silly statement, God is always awake. :) 

How to Be an Amazing TEACHER

Talk to God (AKA Pray)

Eat the Word (AKA Read the Bible)

Assess what needs to be done that day

Communicate to them what needs to be done that day

Help your kids help themselves

Enjoy learning with them

Recreate when you are done with school

Talk to God (AKA Pray)

I highly encourage you to pray both individually and as a family/school before you start your academics. This prepares not just your minds, but your hearts.

Eat the Word (AKA Read the Bible)

I highly encourage you to read the Bible both individually and as a family/school before you start your academics. This is not for head information, but for heart transformation. I encourage reading through the Proverbs, Psalms, the Gospels, and/or James.

Assess what needs to be done that day

I don’t know about you, but I love knowing what I need to get done. It gets my mind ready to tackle the day. PS I love lists and charts.

Communicate to them what needs to be done that day

Again, it’s not enough that you as the teacher know what needs to get done, but it’s very important to communicate it to your kids. Again, lists and charts help here. I love letting my kids mark off with a highlighter as they get stuff done to encourage them. Who doesn’t love the satisfaction of marking off a to-do list?

Help your kids help themselves

I am thinking of the interaction between Jerry Maguire and Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire here. But it actually is true. By helping them help themselves I mean that you can and should help your kids if they truly need it. However, sometimes the best help you can give them is letting them figure it out themselves. I know this is hard for us mommas, but in the long run, it does help them.

Enjoy learning with them

I am a lifelong learner and I believe everyone is also. When we need to know how to do something, we read or watch or hang out with someone to learn how to do it. Let your kids see you love learning new things (even when it is hard and you get frustrated). Also, I highly encourage you to have them read their school work to you or you read it to them (kids love being read to). Watch lessons with them as you are able. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning history and science with my kids through the years.

Recreate when you are done with school

I personally love having something fun to look forward to after working hard. For my boys, they love some video game time or outside time. Reward them with whatever their “currency” is for a job well done.

I hope these tips help you to be an amazing TEACHER to your kids.

J.O.Y.

Are you struggling to find JOY?
Do you feel like you even know what JOY is?
Do you struggle to explain to your children what JOY is? 

Well, it is my prayer and hope that this short little post will encourage and equip you to experience and explain what true JOY is.

First of all, JOY and happiness are not the same thing.
Happiness is based on what happens to us. Happiness is temporary and fleeting.
Joy is based on something (actually Someone) that (actually Who) is eternal and unending.

True, everlasting, unending, eternal JOY comes from the Lord.

JOY comes from His presence (Psalm 16:11).
JOY comes from the hope only He can give (Romans 15:13).
The JOY of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
The enemy comes only to steal, kill, and destroy our joy,
but Jesus came to give us life to the fullest (John 10:10).
The JOY of the Lord helps us to endure in tribulations (Romans 12:12).
Because God is always with us, we can and should be JOYful at all times 
(1st Thessalonians 5:16).

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

I heard a great acronym (I am a sucker for acronyms) for JOY a long time ago.

J - Jesus

 O - Others

   Y - Yourself

We've already seen that true JOY comes from having a relationship with Jesus.

Second to that comes putting Others before yourself. Jesus said that after loving God (#1), we should love others as we love ourselves (#2) (Matthew 22:37-39). Something that always stands out to me is that Jesus didn't have to tell us to love ourselves. He already knows how in love with ourselves we are. LOL! There are countless Scriptures about putting others before ourselves (perhaps that will be a future blog).

Be Strong and Courageous

 Let’s set the stage for the Bible reading for today. After 400 years of the Israelites being slaves in Egypt, God sent Moses to bring them out of their captivity and into the Promised Land. After sending 12 spies into the Promised Land and 10 out of the 12 saying they shouldn’t go it, God put the Israelites in a 40-year timeout wandering in the Wilderness. After Moses and the older generations died off, God appointed one of the two that said they should take the Promised Land. That man was Joshua. Right before Joshua and the Israelites take the Promised Land (finally), God gives Joshua some great instructions.

JOSHUA 1:7-9

⁷ (Only) (Above all) (Just)
  Be strong/determined and very courageous/confident/brave,
  that you may (carefully/faithfully) observe to do according to
  (be(ing) careful to observe/obey/do) all the (whole) law/instructions 
  (which) Moses (My servant) commanded/gave you; 
  do not turn/deviate from it/them
  (turning) (either) to the right (hand) or to the left,
  (Do not neglect any part of it)
  that/and you may prosper/succeed/be successful/have good success
  wherever you go/in everything you do. 

⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
  (Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips)
  (Study this Book of Instruction continually)
  (Be sure that the Book of the Law is always read in your worship)
  (This set of instructions is not to cease being a part of your conversations)
  but you shall meditate on it/study it/recite it/memorize it day and night,
  that you may observe/be careful to do/be sure to obey/carry out
  according to all/everything that is written in it.
  For/Only then you will make your way/be prosperous,
  and then you will have good success/be successful/succeed in all you do. 

⁹ Have I not commanded you?
  (This is My command) ((Remember that) I’ve commanded you to)
  Be strong/determined and of good courage/courageous/brave/confident; 
  do not (ever) be afraid/frightened (do not tremble),
  nor be dismayed/discouraged (do not panic),
  for (I) the Lord your God [Jehovah] [Yahweh]
  is/will be/am with you wherever you go/in all you do.
  (I am the Lord your God,
  and I will be there to help you wherever you go.)”

God instructs Joshua to:

1)    Be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged

2)     Faithfully obey the whole law

God promises Joshua that:

1)   He [God] would be with him wherever he would go

2)     He would be successful in everything he would do

I believe we can connect that because He [God] would be with him [Joshua] wherever he would go, he could be strong and courageous and not be afraid or discouraged. Knowing that God is with us wherever we go, we also can be strong and courageous and not be afraid or discouraged.

I also believe we can connect that if he [Joshua] would faithfully obey the whole law, he would be successful in everything he would do. If we faithfully obey the whole law, we will be successful in everything we do. CAUTION! This does not mean we will do anything we want to do, but we will be successful in anything we do for God.

As parents, we must saturate our children in the Word of God and teach them to obey God. We also need to make sure they understand that God is with them wherever they go. This will help them to be strong and courageous and not be afraid or discouraged. This will help them to be successful in everything that they do for God.

You Shall Teach Them Diligently To Your Children

 When I became a Christian, the Lord placed in me a strong desire to read His Word every single day. I started out in the book of John learning about who Jesus really was and what He did. Then, I started doing some topical studies on the areas of who I was in Christ, marriage, and parenting. I knew I wanted to be the best Christian, wife, and mom I could be, so I started there. As I was studying Scripture about parenting, this verse popped out at me and was like an audible voice from God telling me how to be a godly parent.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
   with all your soul, and with all your strength.
⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children,
   and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
   when you walk by the way,
   when you lie down, and when you rise up.
⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand,
   and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

It was as if I read it and heard it as, “Hear, O Ashley: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” So, step one was to love the Lord with everything I had and know that He was the only God. Step two was to put God’s Word into my own heart by reading, studying, memorizing, praying, and living it out. So, I set out to make sure I was always doing that. I praise God for the hunger He has given me for His Word. So, love God and His Word. Spend time in His Word every day. You won’t regret it.

Then as I continued, “Ashley, you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Step three was to teach my children the Word of God basically 24/7. That meant that God was ever on our hearts and minds and in any situation, we were to teach our children.

How do we do this?
- Set aside time each day to read the Scriptures with our children and talk about what it means
- Set aside time and as things come up throughout the day, pray with our children
- Spend time memorizing the Word of God through programs like AWANA and/or picking out verses to memorize as a family
- Spend time worshiping God each day through music. Turn on worship music around the house or in the car as we drive. So many times, Scripture is laced in the worship music. What a great way to hide God’s Word in our hearts.
- Probably the most important way, is to just be ready and willing to point our children to the Lord anytime and anywhere. For example, when your child has a test they are anxious about, you can pray with them this very simple Scripture: “God, You have not given (insert child’s name) a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind to do well on their test (2 Tim 1:7). Amen!”

Continuing on, “Ashley, You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” In Jewish history, the Jews took these verses literally and made phylacteries (boxes that contained Scripture) and put them around their hands and head with leather. While this was a unique way to have God’s Word on your hands and in front of your eyes, I believe it is most important to write the Word on your heart and have it readily available to pour out anytime. If you need to write Scripture on your hands, go for it. I also like to put Scripture up all around my house. It is a reminder to all of us when we see it. I encourage you to surround yourself with Scripture.

What Are You Building Your Life On? (and Object Lesson)

 Matthew 7:24-27

²⁴ “(Therefore) whoever/everyone/anyone who hears/listens to
     these sayings/teachings/words of Mine,
     and does/practices/obeys/follows/acts on them
     (puts them into practice),
     I will liken him to a wise man/person
     who built/builds his house on the (solid) rock: 
²⁵ and the rain descended/came down/poured,
    the floods/floodwaters came/rose,
    and the winds blew
    and beat/slammed/pounded on/against that house;
    and/yet it did not fall/collapse,
    for/because it was founded/built (had its foundation) on the rock.

²⁶ “But whoever/everyone/anyone who hears/listens to
     these sayings/teachings/words of Mine,
     and does not do/practice/obey/follow/act on them
     (put them into practice),
     will be like a foolish man/person
     who built/builds his house on the sand: 
²⁷ and the rain descended/came down/poured,
    the floods/floodwaters came/rose,
    and the winds blew
    and beat/slammed/pounded on/against that house;
    and it fell/collapsed.
    And great was its fall/collapse.”

Both people heard Jesus’ teachings (v. 24 and 26).
The big difference is that the wise man did/practiced/obeyed Jesus’ teachings, but the foolish man didn’t.
The wise man built his house on the rock [Jesus],
but the foolish man built his house on the sand
[the things of this world].
Both people experienced a storm (v. 25 and 27).
The wise man’s house did not fall,
but the foolish man’s house fell and the fall was great.

What are you building your life on?

OBJECT LESSON:

Have your kids build two houses out of Legos.
Put on in a sandbox and
put one on concrete with rocks around it.
Spray each with a hose.
The one on the sand should fall over.
The one on the rocks should stand. 

 

What is a Mighty Acorn?

Admit to God that You are a Sinner and Repent
Confess Your Faith in Jesus Christ as Your Savior and Lord
Outwardly Show What God is Doing Inside with Baptism
Read, Study, Meditate On, Memorize, and Apply God’s Word
Never Stop Praying
Share the Gospel with the World

Admit to God that You are a Sinner and Repent

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
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.

Confess Your Faith in Jesus Christ as Your Savior and Lord

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 - that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Outwardly Show What God is Doing Inside with Baptism

Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 22:16 - And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Galatians 3:27 - For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Read, Study, Meditate On, Memorize, and Apply God's Word

Psalm 119 (tons of great verses about God's Word)
2nd Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Psalm 1:2 - But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Never Stop Praying
1st Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.
Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Colossians 4:2 - Continue earnestly in prayer.
Philippians 4:6 - Pray about everything.

Share the Gospel with the World
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Mark 16:15 - And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”