A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Faith

The book of Micah

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I was looking through what books of the bible I had studied recently and realized that New Testament books has been more of my focus. Ergo, I thought I would engage with one of the Old Testament books.

Background to Micah

Micah is a smaller book of the Old Testament. It is a book of prophecy written around 722 BC. Bible at a Glance tells us that it is the 33rd book in the bible, written by Micah. It prophesies the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and predicts the fall of Jerusalem.

There is some debate over who compiled the book of Micah. Whether he or a disciple wrote things down, or if a later follower compiled his writings into one manuscript.

Micah’s Time

Micah prophesied during the reigns of the Judean kings Jotham (750–735 B.C.), Ahaz (735–715), and Hezekiah (715–687).  He would have served around the same time as Isaiah and Hosea. You can find a map here that shows what the land and politics would have been like at the time.

The book of Micah opens with this verse:

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Micah was from Moresheth. Moresheth, also known as Moreseth-Gath, was a town of the tribe of Judah in ancient Israel. It was located in the Shephelah region. A map showing it’s location can be found here.

His prophesies concern Samaria and Jerusalem.

The book of Micah

Follow Me!

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Oh wonders! Did you know we’re on the last few verses of John? Time has passed well I think hasn’t it? Anyways, last time Jesus asked Peter three times about his love for him. Today we’ll finish off the book of John.

John 21:20-25

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

John 21:20-25 Follow Me!

What Scripture Says

Peter has heard that he will die for the Lord. That’s got to be startling. In the aftermath of that news Peter sees the disciple that Jesus loved following them. This same disciple had leaned up against Jesus during their last supper and had asked “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” But that isn’t the point of this conversation, the point is that Peter was wondering what would happen to this particular disciple.  

Jesus’ response was “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 

Jesus pointed Peter back to where his focus should be.  Following him. 

Of course, people being who they are, and how easily we assume ideas, spread the idea that this disciple wouldn’t die.   But that is NOT what Jesus had said.  He said  “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

The disciple that Jesus loved is the same disciple who bore witness about everything here.  He wrote the book of John.  Ergo we know the disciple that Jesus loved was John.    John’s testimony is known to be true.

Jesus did a whole lot of other things.  John tells us that if all of them were written down, the world could not hold the books written. 

Questions

I know I supposed that Peter might have been shocked/startled at Jesus’ revelation that Peter would die for him. I wonder though, if he was feeling a bit “put out about it too”. This wondering is based in Peter’s questioning Jesus about the fate of John.

Why it was important to bring up the conversation at the last supper. Scripture was never written blindly.

John 21:20-25 Follow Me!

Pondering this passage

I love how Jesus pointed Peter back to himself. I am reminded of how often I will profess my love for the Lord. I’ll have a purpose in mind again, and then it happens. I get distracted. That’s, I think, what happened to Peter. He sees this other disciple and knows that Jesus loves him. Jesus just told Peter that he would die for him.

Peter had been wounded by Jesus asking him three times about his love for him. Gives him three tasks to do. Then tells Peter he’ll die. So a wounded, startled Peter sees John and wonders… what will happen with John?

In that wondering he took his eyes off his own professed love. He loves Jesus. Wants to do whatever Jesus asks of him. But here in this moment, he is distracted.

Happens to me. And I’ll beat a dollar it happens to you too. You know you love the Lord, but “oh look, it’s shiney”! Those moments happen to all of us. Doesn’t mean you don’t love him. And did you notice that Jesus didn’t say “Peter, do you love me?” He didn’t. He in essence said “Never you mind him, focus on your task. FOLLOW ME.”

Like when a momma in training her boys gives one son a task, and then to the “what about Joe?” Says never you mind, Go sweep the floor like I asked.

Let’s try not to get distracted, but rather to just do as the Lord commands. Follow him. Not minding how he asks others to do the same deed. Our focus needs to be on what the Lord has given for us to do.

Thanks to Calvary (I don’t live here anymore)

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This song popped up in my music feed so I figured I’d share it as it’s been a while since I’ve heard this song and it is one I enjoy. Thanks to Calvary.

Thanks to Calvary

A Bill & Gloria Gaither song, I LOVE this song sung by good male voice. This is just one of many songs written by this duo. They became quite popular in the 1990’s with the series the Gaither Homecoming.

Lyrics

Today, I went down to the place where I used to go
Today, I saw the same old crowd I knew before
And when they asked me what had happened, I tried to tell them,
Thanks to Calvary, I don’t come here anymore.
 
Thanks to Calvary I am not the man (dad) I used to be
Thanks to Calvary things are different than before.
And as the tears ran down my face I tried to tell them (him)(her),
Thanks to Calvary, I don’t come (live) here anymore.
 
Then we went down to the house where we used to live,
My little boy (girl) ran behind the door, like so many times before;
And I said “Son (Honey) you don’t need to be afraid, you’ve got a new Daddy now,
(And I said, “Son (Honey) never fear, you’ve got a new Mommy here, )
Thanks to Calvary we don’t live here anymore.
 
Thanks to Calvary I am not the man (dad) I used to be
Thanks to Calvary things are different than before.
And as the tears ran down my face I tried to tell them (him)(her),
Thanks to Calvary, I don’t come (live) here anymore.
 
Thanks to Calvary I am not the man (dad) I used to be
Thanks to Calvary things are different than before.
And as the tears ran down my face I tried to tell them (him)(her),
Thanks to Calvary, I don’t come (live) here anymore.
 
Thanks to Calvary, we don’t live here anymore.

Faith Alone Justifies

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For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matt. 7:15-20.

Faith alone Justifies

Good Works or Faith?

Two sections of scripture speaking to the good works, the good fruit that is the result of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only that, the Matthew passages refers to how a diseased tree bears bad fruit.

So we have those two positions. Good tree bearing fruit that is good, and bad trees giving bad fruit. A thistle will give thistles, a fig tree will give figs. They can’t produce anything different than what they are.

How does our fruit get judged though? We, as believers, do good works. But those good works we do are fraught with the effects of sin.. pride, anger, duty, self-centeredness, half-heartedness and more. Even our good deeds aren’t really all that good.

But we aren’t saved according to our good deeds. We are saved by our faith. Our good deeds are a product of our faith, our salvation, but not the causal portion. They merely show what is true.

There are those who teach differently though. Those who teach that good works are an intrinsic part of our salvation. They would be so bold as to teach us good works are part of our justification process.

How to Judge Teachers?

The question then arises how do we judge the people that teach us? How do we discern truth from evil? Romans 7 says watch the deeds. The deeds of the evil will show what they are. We also need to weigh their words against scripture.

Does our obedience render us more acceptable to God? Is there anywhere in scripture that says that deeds are more important than faith? Is there anywhere in scripture that says deeds are how we are justified before God? Throughout scripture we are told the justified live by faith. We are told that our faith is shown in the things that we do. We are never told that what we do saves us. Weigh out what you hear. Be discerning. Show your faith in your actions, but don’t be thinking that what you do is what saves you. It isn’t. Faith alone is how we are justified before God. The only way.

Do You Love Jesus More?

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The last time we met for a devotional time we talked about Peter’s Eagerness for the Lord. Today we discuss John 21:15-19.

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 21:15-19

I start this paragraph remembering how eager Peter was to not only see Jesus, but to get him whatever he wanted.  Now breakfast is over.  Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” 

Peter’s response was, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”

Then Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus asks, this time adding his lineage,  “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” 

Again Peter said, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”

Jesus changed his response, saying, “Tend my sheep.”

A third time Jesus asks the question, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” 

Peter is hurt, his feelings are sad, Jesus just asked him for the third time if Peter loved him.  Peter’s answer was longer this time, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Jesus’ response was longer as well starting with, “Feed my sheep. Then continues with additional commentary: Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

That commentary was to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.

He closed this time telling Peter to, “Follow me.”

Questions

I do not understand how this statement: Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 

I wonder why Jesus changed his statements :  feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep and ending with follow me.

Would Peter have understood Jesus’ truly, truly statement?

Do I love Jesus more?

John 21:15-19

Answering My Questions

Okay, I was reading Bible.ca and they said that Jesus was telling Peter that he would die for the sake of the gospel. That makes sense. I hadn’t thought of that. That Jesus would be telling Peter that he needs to take care of the believers. I checked out Calvin’s Commentary as well.

He asked Peter three times, covering each denial that Peter made of Jesus at the time of his arrest. Now first he said “feed my lambs”… lambs are work. Did you know that? And feeding baby anything is hard work. And Jesus tells Peter to do that. To take care of the baby Christians. I remember talking with a lady who worked with brand new believers and she said “it’s a whole lot of fun, because their faith is so fresh and new, but BOY it’s a messy business.” She went on to talk about how they need to learn discernment, and to believe God’s word and to then incorporate what they now know into their lives. These are the lambs that Peter is told to feed.

John 21:15-19

Then Jesus told him “Tend my sheep”. Tending sheep is different than feeding lambs. Caring for adult anything is different than caring for babies. Adults needed to be minded, to make sure they are holding true, eating and drinking what they should be, and having the output appropriate. It takes work and time, corrections and adjustments need to be made for good health.

Which leads to the next statement: Feed my sheep. Feed them. Make sure they are getting fed. Not the sop of babies, but real food, help them grow and become what they should be. This is Jesus’ call on Peter, a leader in his church. Follow Christ as you feed the lambs, care for and feed the sheep.

And be prepared to die. Death will come, in a place not of your choosing. Nevertheless… follow me.

Love more than These

Do I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ first question. Do you love me more than these? We don’t know what the these are that Jesus is referring to. He just asks, and Peter seems to understand. His choice is Jesus.

It begs the question for me though. If Jesus asks the question, and there’s really no if, following Jesus means that question has been asked. But do we remember our answer. Do we love Jesus more than ________________?

For Peter it might have been the fear of the moment. For a moment, as Jesus’ arrest, Jesus came second to Peter’s fear. After his conversation with Jesus that was no longer the case. Jesus would not come second to anything.

Do we have the surety? How do I or How do you answer the question. Do you love me more than these? That’s my current struggle. Do I love Jesus more than food? More than my free time? More than TV? More than blogging? More than my family? Where does Jesus come on the list?

I want him to be first, but to my shame, too often he isn’t. I need to fix that you know? To continue the battle. Join me?

There is Power in the Blood

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So here I was listening to music and this song popped up. Before I knew it was singing along forgetting I was working at the library. Oops! What can I say, There is Power in the Blood. (grin). I wasn’t sure if I should entitle this post by There is Power in the Blood or Would you be free from the burden of Sin. It goes by both, but mostly comes up as There is Power in the Blood.

There is power in the blood

Lewis E Jones wrote this song while attending a camp meeting at Mountain Lake Park in Montana. He sold the song to Henry Lake Gilmour.  It was subsequently published in Songs of Praise and Victory for the first time.

Lewis Edgar Jones, who was born in Illinois. He graduated from the Moody Bible Institute, later working for the YMCA. Ssong-writing was something he did on the side, writing many song. There is Power in the Blood is the song he is most known for. He wrote under a variety of pen-names, such as Lewis Edgar, Edgar Lewis, Mary Slater, and more.

Lyrics

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow.
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

Would you do service for Jesus your king?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

Refrain

Selfless Love Our Greatest Need

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I have to admit, this chapter in the Faith-Shaped Life didn’t quite go the direction I thought it was. The title is Thinking Faith: The Logic of Redemption. So I thought it would talk about how our faith makes sense in the light of God’s redemptive work in our lives (or something along that line). Instead, Mr. Hamilton had me thinking back to Peter’s eagerness with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter knew it was the Lord so immediately wanted to spend time with him, when asked for fish, immediately got it, serving Jesus and his fellow disciples.

That eagerness to help others is what Jesus wants from us. Our very salvation is based on Christ’s selfless love for us. Therefore 1 John 3:16 is important to us “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers“. (esv) This is the logic of our faith.

Christ died for us with a selfless love. We believe in him, accepting that love he holds for us. Since we are working to become more Christ-like, ergo we need to be serving our brethren. Laying aside our own lives for them. THIS is how we show Christ’s love to those around us. Our love for each other, shows Christ’s love to the world.

Amazing isn’t it? Truly.

What we do here, in this world, with others who also love the Lord, shows those who don’t believe in God who Christ is. That blows my mind sometimes. That my actions really truly matter.

When Action Doesn’t Equal Faith

So what happens when my actions aren’t being what they should be? What does that signify? Mr. Hamilton rightly points out that since Christianity flows from the cross, and it also returns to the cross. If our actions aren’t showing our faith that means we have become distant and detached from the reality of the cross. It’s empty, the tomb is empty, Christ ROSE from the dead. Saving us, conquering death, making real the truth of who he is.

If we don’t see the cross daily, we won’t live out our faith as we aught to. Let us look for Christ risen, look for his selfless love on our behalf, and then show it to those around us. Let us help others see God more clearly. Understand Christ’s selfless love, it’s our greatest need.