A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Faith

The Importance of Doctrine

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My son and I are going through a book called Comforting Hearts, Teaching Minds.  This book goes through the Heidelberg Catechism.  It takes one Lord Day and then takes one to two weeks to talk about it Monday through Saturday.   We aren’t going through it fast because I’ve the brain of sieve sometimes, but we are making steady progress. 

Teach doctrine - picture of woman holding umbrella over child

Today’s reading from The Faith-Shaped Life by Ian Hamilton brought this book to mind for me.  Today Mr. Hamilton talked about the importance of doctrine and how it’s a foundation for our faith.  The more we understand the basic truths of our faith, the more surety we have in our faith. 

The more we understand God’s unyielding commitment to his covenant people, the more we understand his faithfulness to the rebellious sinful people that we are, the more we know our faith will stand.  Just stop and think about that for a moment.

I know that I needed to.

You see, my faith … I always question it eh?  I always wonder if somehow, just maybe I am deluding myself, that perhaps my faith in God is just a figment of my imagination somehow, that even though I seek after him, and want to be more of the person I know he has called me to be, the daily “I forgot to pray”, “I didn’t do _____” , “I reacted angrily instead of with _______”, and the so ons and so forths of life.  They batter at me ALL THE TIME.  

Then God comes along and he finds a way to remind me of his steadiness.  Oh his constant steadiness is a balm for my soul.  And as I go through the catechism and I’m reminded of the great truths of scripture.

God’s unwavering love for me.
God calling ME his very own.
God saying he has a purpose for me.
God saying he will NEVER EVER leave me, or forsake me or leave me to my own devices.
God demanding that I imitate him in my life.

The more I see these truths spelled out in ALL their permutations, the more my faith is bolstered.

Even the simple truth of “Those who seek him will find him”.   THAT is surety. 

The more truths of God that you know, the more help you have in times of trouble or prosperity.  It’s just the way it is.  So we shouldn’t veer off from teaching the catechisms and the doctrines of our faith.  We need to own them, teach them, live them out, let our children see these truths so that in time, they too can make them their own. 

Not from Galilee

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Last time we heard Jesus’ call, if Thirsty come Drink.   Today in John 7:40-52 we see some division among the people. 

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

John 7:40-52 Not from Galilee

We already know of the mutterings among the people, trying to figure out if this could be the Messiah, this Jesus standing before them teaching and healing.  People were so unsure. This confusion continued with some saying “This is really the Prophet” and others “This is the Christ” and others still… wondering doesn’t Christ come out of Galilee.. from the line of David?  Didn’t stop stop of them from wanting to arrest him, though none did. So much confusion.

It even led to confusion among the leadership.   The chief priests and Pharisees wanting to know why the officers didn’t bring him in for questioning and what not.  The response of the officers?   “No one ever spoke like this man!”  Jesus was so different from anyone else, they just didn’t know what to do with him or about him.    

The Pharisees wouldn’t let them get away with that though.   Challenging them that they have been influenced by Christ, deceived by him.  I can just see that verbal attack coming you know?  The Pharisees wanted Jesus out of the way, so they wanted people to see Jesus the way they did.  We don’t believe in him, neither then should you!!!!  The people, those common people, don’t really understand the law so they are accursed!  They can be deceived. YOU need to think like us Pharisees and not be fooled by this man!  

But Nicodemus was one of them and queried “shouldn’t he be heard first before being condemned?” and they turned on him as well. Questioning where his loyalties lay.  A tough time to be a Pharisee eh?   Calling people to order and then having your loyalties questioned?

And then this line that I honestly am not sure what to do with “Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee“. It sounds like a threat.  No one is going to come out of Galilee and threaten our way of living.  No prophet will be found that will come out of there.  Search for any who might and put an end to them.   (that’s how it reads to me but I’m not sure if I’m correct).

I’m really starting to see the vitriol of the Pharisees here eh?   How they wanted to get Jesus, and didn’t want anything blocking their way, but over and over in scripture we see that they can’t do anything UNTIL God allows it.  We see those words “it was not yet time” (or words to that effect).   Jesus was a huge threat to them upsetting the status quo, challenging how Jewish folks lived out their lives, questioning the legal/spiritual rules they had set in place and more. 

You know what else I see?  Suffering for the sake of Christ.  Nicodemus could have kept his mouth shut but he opened it.  He was immediately shot down for doing so.   I don’t know if Nicodemus ever came to true faith, but here he stood up for Christ and suffered for it. 

Makes me wonder eh?  It’s too easy to just keep my mouth shut.  To not say what needs saying sometimes.   Every time it seems I try people jump all over me and it gets a bit exhausting you know?  It just causes me all the more to want to keep my mouth shut and not say anything.  But here’s Nicodemus, not sure himself of just who Jesus is, stepping briefly into the gap…and if he can do that when he’s unsure of himself or the Christ, who am I to not do so when I KNOW what the Lord has done for me.  Saving me from my awfulness in spite of myself. Oh that I might have the bravery eh?  To keep trying, to keep opening my mouth, to help people see just a bit of God, this thing I need to keep doing, despite the naysayers in life who only want me to see things their way, and hang the cost. 

Let me be brave for the Lord, not self-serving, or avoiding of disagreements.  Serving the Lord faithfully. 

 

 

Lily of the Valley

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My hubby was preaching this morning in a small church that regularly asks him to attend.  They like his preaching and they feed us a lovely meal afterwards.  Anyways, I was browsing through their alternative hymnbook this morning and was reminded of this old song.   Lily of the Valley.

lily of the valley

Charles W Fry was a bricklayer by trade and a versatile musician.  He played violin, cello, piano and more. He led an orchestra at his Weslayan chapel.   Lily of the Valley is one of four songs that has survived. He was a Scotsman.  His band helped Salvation Army founder William Booth in evangelism campaigns.  He was buried in Scotland.

On New Year’s Day 1884, a monument to The first bandmaster of the Salvation Army was unveiled over his grave. On it was inscribed a verse Fry wrote:
The former things are past,
And ended is the strife,
I’m safe home at last!
I live an endless life!  (source)

This like this Willie Nelson version, I hope you do too. 🙂

Lyrics:

I’ve found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.

Refrain:
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
I’ve all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal.

He’ll never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
From His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll.

I like how they sang this version with the parts as that’s how I remember learning it as adult when I attended a Baptist church for a while. 🙂

Revitalize Your Prayer Life

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I don’t know if you recall that a while back I was feeling distant from God due to all the changes we’ve been experiencing in our lives.  I was feeling a real need to find a way to connect to God.  Hubby suggested that I use an app called PrayerMate.  It sends an reminder to pray which “isn’t all demandy or in my face” but just an encouragement to keep praying about the things that are important.

PrayerMate App

Let me walk you through how it works.

When you set Prayer Mate up it has a number of lists that you can join.  I chose the following:

  • My Walk with God
  • My family
  • My church
  • Sharing my faith
  • World mission
  • Biblical Prayer
  • Praying for hubby
  • Praying for children
  • and others

You can choose others or create your own lists.   Then each day a list to pray through is created for you.  And a reminder is sent.  My reminder comes at night around 8 p.m.   Five items are chosen from my lists to pray for, never two from the same list.   Today I would be praying with Paul, growing more like Jesus, praying for my lad, praying for the church, and for a missionary family.  This list changes from day as you can see from my image below.

PrayerMate App

Swiping to the left starts you off with your first prayer

Prayer Mate App

Some of the prayers are quite long, causing you to scroll down the page.  They are all easily readable, and you can either pray them as is or reword as needed.

I really like that I can add things in that I want to remember to pray for. For instance I have days that I pray for my neighbours, people on the crew, my family of birth and so forth.

Prayer Mate App

I can’t say it’s perfect, it isn’t.. because I (yes me) am so not perfect.  It sends reminders and there are days I just don’t take the necessary time.  BUT if I do choose to use it my prayer time can last as little as five minutes or as long as 20, all depending on what the Lord lays on my heart and how much I just need to talk to go about the good things and the hard things in life.

My hubby first learned of this app through Challies.  You might wish to read his review of this helpful app as well.

You can also learn more about it here.

I encourage you to get this app, you will find it invaluable for helping you pray more effectively and also just to remind you to take the needed time to connect with him.  Not just a “give me give me” but a thank you for all the many things the Lord provides us with.    Find PrayerMate here.

Faith and Disappointment

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Do you think that having faith saves you from the disappointments in life?   Sometimes it’s easy to think, I believe in God, God only wants my good, so now that I believe in him only good things will come my way. 

It’s SO easy to think like that isn’t it?

Faith and Disappointment, a devotional

In this chapter of The Faith-Shaped Life, Mr. Hamilton points out that having a life of faith isn’t like that.  Take the example of Jesus.  He got tired, foot-sore, had people angry with him, had friends die, and various other hardships.   In fact, we are told in 2 Tim 3 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 

Fun to know eh?   Believe in the Lord, face persecution.  🙂  BUT you know what, if you have that mindset, then any blessings that come our way are all the more sweet aren’t they?   AND if we know to expect persecution, then don’t you suppose that when hard times come won’t we have the wherewithal to depend on God to get us through it?   At least we should eh?   

This chapter fit really well with the Heidelberg Catechism lesson we are working on this week, talking about the providence of God and how EVERYTHING that happens in the world is because God wills it to either be or not to be.  So God’s care of us, those who trust in him, is infinite.  He’s not going to stop because of something he allows (or provides) for us to go through.

So even though it’s HARD right now being with hubby dear working a job that he doesn’t truly feel called to be doing.  It’s just a job and it pays the bills. But it’s not his heart’s desire, and have to stop and remember that God has provided this job for him. He set things in motion a long time ago that this job would be ready for him when the time was needful. 

What helps us remember this is our faith in him.

Faith has the ability to comfort us, reminding us that we are a dearly loved child of God

Faith gives us the means to grow when times are hard, Strengthening us and building us up. 

Faith reminds us of God’s grace, knowing the God always has our best in mind.

Faith gives us a sure foundation, a rock that centers regardless of what providences of God are sent our way. 

If Thirsty, Come Drink

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We can’t go where Jesus is going, but we can come and drink as we’ll learn today in John 7:37-39.

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37-39, if thirsty, come drink

So we know that Jesus is at the Feast of Booths, it’s the last day, which is also known as the great day.  (I’m guessing that the Feast of Booths is a series of festivals that builds up to a final day).  Jesus stood up and called out the people around him.  Remember, he’s been teaching them, the Jews have been muttering about him, there’s been an attempt to arrest him, but Jesus pays no never mind to that.  He has a ministry and will keep doing it.  

Ergo he calls out to them “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Oh… I so wish I could have been there.  I do.  

You see I have the benefit of hindsight.  I know what will happen at Pentecost.  All those flames of fire, all the disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit.  I know what will await those who come to the Lord and I just want to see them come.  I DO.     I so wish that the confusion of the last couple of days was beyond the people and they now had a true thirst, a thirst to know of the Lord.

A thirst we should all share eh?   When Jesus calls…do you want to come?  To drink and be satisfied?   To believe in the one who minds you full well?  Don’t you just want to come?

If you do, dear reader, and you just don’t know how, shoot me an email, respond in a comment and I’ll guide you along the way.   But be heedful of that call and come.  Believe in him and out of you will flow living water. Wouldn’t that just be the greatest thing?

 

 

Where I Go You Cannot Come

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Last week we discussed the Confusion people had over Christ.   Today our focus will be in John 7:32-36.

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Devotional John 7:32-36 Where I Go

So there was all this confusion, people muttering so the Pharisees and chief priests decided it was time to have Jesus arrested. Made sense right? You need to keep the people calm, you need to settle nerves, you need to resolve the mutterings you hear all around you, therefore an arrest seemed in order. Jesus’ reaction wasn’t one of fear. Do you note that?

All he did was say ““I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

I read that and thought “their confusion won’t be any lessened by that statement!” 🙂 And I was right. The people SO did not know what Jesus was talking about. They thought maybe Jesus was going to pack up and live among the Greeks.

I finished reading these few verses and wondered… what would I have done with that confusion?   I wonder if I would have been among the mutterers?  Or if I had been among the leadership would arresting Jesus be a priority?   I just wonder sometimes what I would have done in that same situation.

Would I have tried to understand what Jesus meant when he said that soon he’ll be going to the one who sent him?   Would I have gotten confusion with the dispersion among Greeks?  

There were people in the crowds who believed him, so I’ve got to think that some of them knew to look deeper. That just one or two thought oh….Jesus is going to leave us, he won’t be with us much longer, Jesus will let the Jews take him sometime. We won’t be able to go with him.  Or thoughts to that effect.  Of course we don’t know for sure as scriptures don’t tell us.   But we do it now don’t we?

Jesus came to do the will of God and he’ll return to him.   This has happened already eh?   Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.  We know this today.   So we can understand what he meant, and wonder that more people didn’t understand it at the time.  Jesus knew his time would short doing his earthly ministry, he made sure people knew it, though they never really understood it, not until after, when he showed all these truths to them.  

I don’t know where I am going with this, these are just the thoughts I have on this muggy Monday afternoon.  Time tells us much. It’s part of what bible study an interesting thing eh?   To read in the now, and trying to understand the “then” as well.  Both can tell us much eh?