Bigger Hearts for His Glory - Unit 1
What an incredible week! I admit, I was hesitant, not quite sure if my little guy could handle the intensity of Bigger Hearts for His Glory. Thankfully, he has grown so much that the first week went smoothly! Probably my greatest concern heading in to this guide was that my guy just turned 7 and the written work is so much greater. This is the only HOD guide that I have never used and really did not know what to expect. So far, it has not disappointed!!
Science has always been a favorite around our house, and this week did not disappoint. In One Small Square we learned about high tide and low tide. Jacob actually explained how the moon affected the oceans to his older brother who tried to tell the little guy he was wrong. But no, the notebooking page had set it firmly in his mind and Jacob was ready to respectfully dispute his 16 year old brother. HA! Then, the two science experiments thrilled his little heart. :) Jacob liked "guessing" at why something happens and did not mind if he is wrong. Jacob was excited to make his own waves and even added a notebook page to record the experiment. Our only regret is that we live so far from the seashore with no trip planned for the near future.
For History, we studied Christopher Columbus. I confess, I was amazed at Jacob's ability to orally narrate. He easily recalled the stories and details. He talked all week about how persistent Columbus was in seeking to sail west, how many times he was told no, but he did not give up. Jacob also made his own map. I had seen some of the other kids' maps who have completed Bigger and thought, "Uh-oh, Jacob is not going to be able to do that." Surprise! He did an excellent job.
And this brings me to our absolute favorite thing....Bible study. Jacob is not only memorizing Scriptures, but learning godly character qualities. Persistence tied in so well to the history this week! I am thankful for all the planning and work that the author puts in to this little curriculum, making connections whenever possible. As we were talking about persistence, Jacob continually related it to Christopher Columbus and how many times he was rejected.
Overall, our first week back to school was a huge success. No squabbles, no complaining, no dragging of feet. Our schedule seemed to flow and everything was completed. No Mommy meltdowns here. WOOHOO!! And oh, having had more than a few years that were not like that....I am giving thanks and praise to God that He graciously blessed us with such a great start to our school year!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
Matters of the Heart
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" -Jeremiah 17:9
The other day, I picked up my little devotional book as I met with the Lord. It was fairly new and I had thoughts of passing it on to a struggling friend because the daily insights were so focused on Christ...but then...there it was. The glaring lie that we have all been fed, "Just follow your heart." I have to tell you, I forced myself to read the entire devotional, hoping that the point would be that where I feel the Holy Spirit directing me, I should follow. But unfortunately, no, that was not the message. It was an "if it feels right, do it" mentality, just "go ahead and follow your heart." I sat the book down, disappointed and frustrated. I wondered how many of my sisters in the faith have picked up this little book and read it. How many have been misled?
And you may be sitting right there, reading this, wondering, "What is the big deal? I follow my heart all the time. I do what I think is right and..."
Here is the real problem:
If I believe the Word of God to be true, and I do, then this little phrase screams at me from the very beginning that it is wrong. My heart, just like every heart except the heart of Jesus, is darkened with sin. My heart, apart from the light of Christ, is dark and troubled, selfish and blind. My heart calls good evil and evil good. The only hope that MY heart has is this promise in the Word of God, that He will give me a NEW heart...and I am not going to lie...I desperately need it! Once His Spirit is alive in me and I have a new heart...I can trust HIM! (2 Cor. 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 51:10)
Too often, I get confused when that sinful heart that has been thrown down and defeated tries to lead me astray, tries to make me feel overlooked or tries to tell me that my selfish thoughts are right, tries to whisper lies, promising I won't get caught, that it will be worth it in the end, asks "but did God really say?", groans that I deserve this thing the Lord has withheld. The truth is, sin is sin. Once I know the truth of the Word of God, then I know anything in my heart or mind that calls me to something different, something that is contrary to His Word, is not from God, is not from the new heart He has placed in me. It is that old heart...just trying to reclaim its hold on me, trying to resurrect itself. There is good news for us Jesus-followers! The good news that the old heart is POWERLESS against Christ, powerless unless I choose to follow it. Dangerous words, these "just follow your heart" ones. These ones that claim my heart, apart from Christ, has anything good to offer.
So, when I feel that old heart of mine tugging, crying, lying, trying to make me turn away...what do I do?? Where do I turn? I turn to God in prayer and the trustworthy heart of God found in Scripture (Romans 12:2). I use it as the plumb line and pray the Lord will help me bring my feelings, actions and thoughts in to line with His Word. Pray that I will have ears to hear and a heart to believe His Word over the crying of that old heart. And then I act on the Truth found in Scripture...not the feelings of my heart.
In the news a day later, a well-known proponent of Christian values is named as a man who has been caught on an adult website seeking opportunities to cheat on his wife. Was I surprised? Not really. I believe this little verse in Jeremiah. I believe, that if left to our own hearts...we would end up right where this man is...right in the midst of sin. It is daily, hourly, moment by moment, relying on the God who removed our hearts of stone to give us a heart of flesh that keeps me - keeps you - from stumbling. Jesus Christ, alive in me, is the only difference between this man and me. Jesus is my only hope and promise. And I, a believer, may stumble and fall...but only when I turn away for even the briefest moment from the face of my Savior - like Peter, when he walked on water. He walked until that moment he gave in to his fears, took his eyes off of the Christ and let his eyes focus on the waves crashing around him. (See Matt. 14:25-43)
Oh, Beloved, may you and I be different. By God's grace may we cling to His Word, the only real Truth that exists. When temptations come and that old familiar voice weaves lies in order to draw us back to sin, when fears call our name, may we run to the only One able to win the battle of our hearts! May we seek Jesus and find His grace sufficient to carry us through the storm. And, as His Beloved, may we not be fooled in to thinking that anything good lives in our old hearts. Instead, may we confidently claim the new heart He has put within us and may we trust His leading through His Word.
The other day, I picked up my little devotional book as I met with the Lord. It was fairly new and I had thoughts of passing it on to a struggling friend because the daily insights were so focused on Christ...but then...there it was. The glaring lie that we have all been fed, "Just follow your heart." I have to tell you, I forced myself to read the entire devotional, hoping that the point would be that where I feel the Holy Spirit directing me, I should follow. But unfortunately, no, that was not the message. It was an "if it feels right, do it" mentality, just "go ahead and follow your heart." I sat the book down, disappointed and frustrated. I wondered how many of my sisters in the faith have picked up this little book and read it. How many have been misled?
And you may be sitting right there, reading this, wondering, "What is the big deal? I follow my heart all the time. I do what I think is right and..."
Here is the real problem:
If I believe the Word of God to be true, and I do, then this little phrase screams at me from the very beginning that it is wrong. My heart, just like every heart except the heart of Jesus, is darkened with sin. My heart, apart from the light of Christ, is dark and troubled, selfish and blind. My heart calls good evil and evil good. The only hope that MY heart has is this promise in the Word of God, that He will give me a NEW heart...and I am not going to lie...I desperately need it! Once His Spirit is alive in me and I have a new heart...I can trust HIM! (2 Cor. 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 51:10)
Too often, I get confused when that sinful heart that has been thrown down and defeated tries to lead me astray, tries to make me feel overlooked or tries to tell me that my selfish thoughts are right, tries to whisper lies, promising I won't get caught, that it will be worth it in the end, asks "but did God really say?", groans that I deserve this thing the Lord has withheld. The truth is, sin is sin. Once I know the truth of the Word of God, then I know anything in my heart or mind that calls me to something different, something that is contrary to His Word, is not from God, is not from the new heart He has placed in me. It is that old heart...just trying to reclaim its hold on me, trying to resurrect itself. There is good news for us Jesus-followers! The good news that the old heart is POWERLESS against Christ, powerless unless I choose to follow it. Dangerous words, these "just follow your heart" ones. These ones that claim my heart, apart from Christ, has anything good to offer.
So, when I feel that old heart of mine tugging, crying, lying, trying to make me turn away...what do I do?? Where do I turn? I turn to God in prayer and the trustworthy heart of God found in Scripture (Romans 12:2). I use it as the plumb line and pray the Lord will help me bring my feelings, actions and thoughts in to line with His Word. Pray that I will have ears to hear and a heart to believe His Word over the crying of that old heart. And then I act on the Truth found in Scripture...not the feelings of my heart.
In the news a day later, a well-known proponent of Christian values is named as a man who has been caught on an adult website seeking opportunities to cheat on his wife. Was I surprised? Not really. I believe this little verse in Jeremiah. I believe, that if left to our own hearts...we would end up right where this man is...right in the midst of sin. It is daily, hourly, moment by moment, relying on the God who removed our hearts of stone to give us a heart of flesh that keeps me - keeps you - from stumbling. Jesus Christ, alive in me, is the only difference between this man and me. Jesus is my only hope and promise. And I, a believer, may stumble and fall...but only when I turn away for even the briefest moment from the face of my Savior - like Peter, when he walked on water. He walked until that moment he gave in to his fears, took his eyes off of the Christ and let his eyes focus on the waves crashing around him. (See Matt. 14:25-43)
Oh, Beloved, may you and I be different. By God's grace may we cling to His Word, the only real Truth that exists. When temptations come and that old familiar voice weaves lies in order to draw us back to sin, when fears call our name, may we run to the only One able to win the battle of our hearts! May we seek Jesus and find His grace sufficient to carry us through the storm. And, as His Beloved, may we not be fooled in to thinking that anything good lives in our old hearts. Instead, may we confidently claim the new heart He has put within us and may we trust His leading through His Word.
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