Walking the Word (Guest Post)

Hi Everyone! I'm slowly getting ready to get back into blogging. Now that our baby is here, we're trying to get a routine down again (and you know how that is the first few months with a newborn). It looks like I'll begin blogging in February, but in the meantime my homeschooling friend, Theresa, is guest blogging on here today. Won't you welcome her as she shares about the perspective she has gained over the years with how Yahweh (God) has created His Instructions to suit all learning styles? I pray you are encouraged in your school year as she shares her heart and personal testimony.

I'll be in touch soon!

 

Thank you Principled Academy readers for allowing me to join you today. For more than forty years I have been following Yeshua (Jesus) and the longer I know Him, the more I realize how much I don't know and that there is so much out there to learn. One of the greatest joys in my journey has been to learn in new ways - no longer just reading, thinking, discussing - but literally and physically walking out my faith.

Yahweh (God) does speak to us in His Word. Many people learn through reading and hearing His Word spoken, but we forget that it has not always been available to us personally. Personal Bibles are a relatively new concept. For millennia, the faithful have learned primarily by hearing the Word spoken. Parables, analogies and word pictures are used throughout the Scriptures as visual aids and teaching tools and for hundreds of years, cathedral windows served as visual reminders of Scriptural accounts.

As a creative, artistic person, I enjoy and relate to "seeing" Scripture concepts this way and it has long been a part of my faith journey. Then, when I began walking in all of the Father's instructions, remembering the Sabbath and keeping the feasts, I discovered that in all His wisdom He designed our walk of faith to appeal to all of our senses and helps us to learn and remember in many ways. As a homeschooling Mom, I have researched learning styles in order to help my children. It strikes me that our Creator designed us all unique and that like our children, we all do our best learning in different ways. He desires His instructions and commandments to be approachable and available to all of us. After all His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)  He has designed His instructions to teach us in ways that we can understand. 

Yahweh (God) calls us to be set apart and Holy just as He is holy. People should be able to see a difference between those who follow Him and those who do not.

But how does that happen? What does that mean? Isn't that being "legalistic" to follow rules? How do we walk in His way? Are we left on our own to figure it out? No! Just as He led the Israelites through the desert, He leads us by the hand and teaches us. He sets us apart. He makes us holy and washes us by the blood of Yeshua (Jesus) and He expects us to grow in our faith and in our obedience to Him. Most of us have been trained to think that grace and obedience to His instructions are mutually exclusive. But what loving parent would throw out expectations without teaching their child how to meet them? Our loving Father not only teaches us but qualifies us. In the New Testament we often think that we are saved by Yeshua and then that is it, because if we followed "laws" that would negate the mercy and grace of Yeshua. And we think the Israelites were saved by laws. In fact, Yahweh's grace is all through the Old Testament. In His mercy He saved the Israelites through the Passover blood on the doorposts in Egypt and carried them through the Red Sea. He sanctified them and dedicated them as His own and then He gave them instructions on how to walk in that holiness. Today it is the same for you and me.  We are saved by grace, by the blood, believing in Him. We repent and begin the process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We enter our Father's House and then we begin learning the house rules.

When I first began keeping Sabbath on the 7th day (Saturday) and researching His commands, it was overwhelming. I attempted to cram every article, book and audio teaching I could find into my brain. I was leaning on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), which gets me nowhere, fast!  About the time I felt my head would explode, I slowed down, took a deep breath and tried to focus simply on the Word of Yahweh and not on all the other voices around me. Doing this revealed such treasures. I discovered the above mentioned different ways He teaches and realized that He has created physical rhythms and patterns to life that resonate with our bodies as well as our minds. Not only is there wisdom for readers and audio learners and "pictures" for visual learners, but there is whole body and life involvement for the kinesthetic learner.

Even in the natural world there is a school of thought that believes that what we do physically creates patterns in our brain and can change how we respond and think. For example, some believe that missing the step of crawling as an infant prevents certain things from developing in the brain. Also, studies have shown that doing something physical in combination with thinking, such as knitting or crochet, actually aids the brain in warding off symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Knowing this I cannot help but wonder if our Creator designed us to do some things in physical obedience so that they would be ingrained in our minds and hearts.

Many teachers say "Hebrew is an action language", but I didn't fully understand that until I was blessed by putting my faith and belief into action. The best example of that is the "Shema", a Hebrew prayer taken from Deuteronomy 6, that affirms our faith and desire to obey Him.

In English we see the word "hear" and we think of the physical ability to hear sound or listening. In Hebrew the word for hear is shema or shama  which carries with it the sense of listening with the intent to obey. We can hear the Word and never respond. Or we can "shema" - listen and carry it out.  So there is a physicality involved; there is a need to get up out of our chairs, so to speak, and do something about it. In other words, you love Him, you hear His instructions and because you love Him, you choose to obey Him. ("If you love me you will keep my commandments." John 14:15 NASB and "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." 1 John 5:3 NASB) Our faith needs feet and hands.

For me this physicality of obedience begins in the small things. For example, every day we make a choice to eat what Yahweh considers food. This has involved eliminating some favorites in our kitchen. But it is not a burden. To the contrary it becomes a delight. Right away we have made a choice and a change to do something for Someone we love. The physicality continues in the rhythm of the week.

We have six days of the week to do our work and focus on ourselves, our business and personal pursuits. The seventh day is a dedicated day of rest. Soon after we began observing Sabbath we started seeing a pattern in our lives and in our bodies. We looked forward to Friday in a new way! Friday is our date night with Yahweh and Saturday we rest and we study to grow closer to Him and spend time with each other strengthening our bonds of friendship and love. Now my body even seems to know that Sabbath is coming and it is time to rest. My body seemed to learn and understand the pattern before my mind.

The day, the week and then the month comes in a cycle. We watch the sky for the signs He has given. With the first tiny sliver of light, we know that the beginning of the Biblical lunar month has arrived. And by these months we count out the seasons and the feast cycles of the year. We watch. We learn. We obey. We rejoice. Each time we go through the cycle we are establishing a physical pattern that affects our spiritual lives.

The cycle of the feasts is amazing. This year will mark our 4th cycle through observing the feasts as a family. Each year we look forward to them with joy. One might think doing the "same old thing" each year would get boring. Never! Each year the Father reveals more of Himself and more of His Son to me and to my family through the feasts.  We began simple and each year as we learn, we add more. I realize that most of us were taught that the feasts are the "feasts of the Jews" but Leviticus 23 begins by telling us that the feasts are HIS: The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times... Leviticus 23:1 The chapter goes on from there to describe His feasts.

Each feast tells us something about the history and lives of the Israelites that came before us, but also about Yeshua and His life and how the Messiah delivers us.  I would also say that each feast reveals something to me about myself.  There are some specific instructions for the feasts, found in Exodus, Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy. Not everything can be completed without the presence of a Temple in Jerusalem, so, much of what we do is a memorial. One might understandably ask why we need to do this after the death and resurrection of Messiah. One reason would be that they were given to be "perpetual" or "forever". Another reason is that keeping the feasts is like walking out the Gospel. They tell the story of Messiah. The spring feasts have been mostly fulfilled by Messiah's first coming. The fall feasts prophecy of what is to come with His return. Once we are "saved" do we no longer need to know His plan of salvation? On the contrary - we should rejoice in that plan and share that plan. What better way to be a light and salt than to walk out the Gospel in obedience to the Gospel Giver? So each time we celebrate we are a living object lesson for our children, each other and anyone else who is interested to learn. We are setting an example of obedience and we are making physical patterns of obedience which train us up in righteousness and give an example for others on how to be His set apart people. When we walk in His ways we are living, breathing stained glass windows sharing His ways with those around us.

In the feasts we weep and we rejoice. We feast and we fast. We dance and we fellowship. We learn and we grow. We teach and we spread light.

If you have made it this far in the post, thank you for joining me. I wish we could sit over a cup of tea and discuss this further and pray together, but I appreciate the time you have given me today in reading this. I encourage you to "put on your sandals and start walking". Our Father has good plans for His children and He has given us times and seasons and instructions to meet with Him and learn from Him. When we walk this out we begin forming patterns and habits. We discover the joy of obedience.  Please, do not take my word for it.  Pick up your Bible and read it, searching for buried treasures as you go.  Remember:

Enjoy the learning journey. May Yahweh bless you and keep you. May He shine His face upon you and be gracious unto you!  

Theresa

Fulfill: Word Study Wednesday

Oh I am so excited to share with you about this Word Study! As Passover approaches, there is much that we learn. I thought it fitting to look into what it is that He came to accomplish on the cross. Passover is about Yeshua's crucifixion. It's about celebrating our salvation through Yeshua the Messiah! Are we sure we understand what this means? Let's see, shall we?

One of the things that I set out to understand is what did Yeshua come to do? Well we know that He came to set us free from sin. He is the final atonement for us through His shed blood. But, it is often said that He *freed* us from law. Let's examine this to see if law equates sin.

{Original image courtesy Creative Commons.}

   

Let's Research:

Webster's 1828 Dictionary: Fulfill "1. To accomplish; to perform; to complete; to answer in execution or event what has been foretold or promised; as, to, fulfill a prophecy or prediction; to fulfill a promise.  2. To accomplish what was intended; to answer a design by execution. 3. To accomplish or perform what was desired; to answer any desire by compliance or gratification. 4. To perform what was required 5. To complete in time. 

The Bible: 
Yeshua tells us in Matthew 5:17: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." 

Let's Reason:

What law is Yeshua referring to? I submit that He was referring to Yahweh's Law (we'll take a look at the word law next week). 

So, if Yeshua did not come to destroy Yahweh's Law, or the prophets (what they prophesied because it was truth), what does He mean that He came to fulfill?

Fulfill what?

We can reason from our research, that Yeshua came to fulfill what had been foretold by the prophets. He came to accomplish what Yahweh promised. He accomplished what was intended by Yahweh's design. He performed what Yahweh desired. He performed what Yahweh required for the final atonement for our sins; the prophecies did not foretell that He would do away with Yahweh's Law. He completed it in the Father's time... according to the Father's calendar. 


We can also reason that what we call the Old Testament Scriptures are Yahweh's spoken and written words. Furthermore, Yeshua is the Word made flesh. He was the real deal. The real living and breathing Word. Think about how He lived out Yahweh's words. He was the example of how to do it without man's traditions/laws mixed in with Yahweh's instructions.

Let us reason, if Yahweh's Laws are a burden or sin... how is is that Yeshua lived perfectly? How is it that He was the perfect Passover Lamb of Yahweh? 

It gives us somethings to pause and ponder. Doesn't it?

Relate:

 

My understanding from this is that Yahweh's Laws are good. So, the question must then be asked, "Why do we think Yahweh's Law is a burden or sin or not applicable to believers today?" If this was the case, why would Yeshua say that He did not come to destroy it? Hmmmm.


Yeshuah clearly is telling us that He did not come to destroy Yahweh's Law. So, this requires us to give attention to His words. They're there for a reason. I'd rather be searching to learn the truth and correct anything I may have misunderstood or been taught incorrectly. Wouldn't you, too?  

I know. Believe me, I know this is contrary to what most of us have been taught all these years. Or maybe what you have been learning as a new believer in Yeshua the Messiah. But I hope you are encouraged to examine this. I think it's important to comprehend.

Further Ponderings... 

I think sometimes it's easier for us to sit and listen to a sermon and just accept what is said for many reasons. But many of our pastors have been taught doctrine/theology which has been come out of Rome. And so they pass the information on to believers because that is what they have learned under a western mindset vs. a Hebrew mindset. And as we study the history (His Story) timeline, we can learn how and when and why this is. 

As believers in Yeshuah the Messiah {Jesus Christ}, shall we endeavor to learn together? Shall we seek to grow in the knowledge of Yahweh... to try to comprehend what the Scriptures say?

I hope you continue to read this series. I hope it challenges you, too. It's exciting to test things against Scripture and to learn! 

Blessings!

Word Study Wednesday is hosted by:
A Cherished Keeper.

 

Nests: Friday Art Frenzy!

Well here it is March already and I think this is my first Friday Art Frenzy post of the year. How did this slip by me?! Just the same, in our homeschool co-op today, we worked on nests. We did an impressionistic version with robin eggs in the middle. 

{Our son Explorer's impressionistic bird nest.}

My intention was to bring it back around to the Leading Idea and Bible Principle as a means to help the children learn how to analyze art (the symbolism of nests). I'd like to take them beyond, "Huh. That's a nice nest. Colorful. Moving right along now..." However, for some of the kiddos it was enough that they created a nest and then they were ready to begin with P.E. And that's okay! We can be flexible like that! (Though I think I'll go back to introducing the Leading Idea and the Bible Principle at the beginning of the art lesson to make sure we cover them.)

The Leading Idea: Nests are used in paintings to depict, nature, homes, comfort, family, a mother and children, closeness, close connections, unity.

The Bible Principle: Deuteronomy 32:11 "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:"

Research:

Webster's 1828 Dictionary: Nest "An abode; a place of residence; usually in an ill sense; as a nest of rogues. 4. A warm close place of abode; generally in contempt."

Webster's 1828 Dictionary: Weave "2. To unite any thing flexible; as, to weave twigs. 3. To unite by intermixture or close connection; as a form of religion woven into the civil government."

The Lesson Flow:

Someone had passed on a bird nest to our family. I took it around the tables to show the children. They observed it and made mental notes of what they saw so they could take turns sharing their observations. 

"Are birds nests neat and tidy or are they messy?" I asked.

Several of the children replied with, "They are neat and tidy." I had to think about that for a moment. Twigs and moss and lichen and... a gum wrapper... stick out every which way. Looks pretty messy to me. So I asked them, "Do you mean it's clean inside where the eggs would go?" Heads nodded and yeses abounded. They were correct. You'd think there would be signs of inhabitants, but the inside of this nest is indeed neat and tidy. Perfectly shaped to cup eggs and keep hatchlings snug. 

However, I drew their attention back around to how the parent birds weaved their nest in such a fashion that twigs and all sorts of matter were poking about past the edges of the nest. And this is what we are aiming for in our pieces of artwork today. This made some of the kids relax a bit; loose and *messy* lines remove the pressure of *perfection* some kids put on themselves.

Relate:

When viewing bird nests, the adjectives contained within the Leading Idea may be helpful in comprehending the statement an artist is trying to make. Furthermore, these things are sort of parallel to people. The expression, "Empty nest syndrome" (I know I'm gong to have that badly!!) is a reference to people. Couples will often prepare a "nest egg"; pregnant mothers begin *nesting* as the time gets closer to delivery; parents will "bring their baby home to the nest"; parents help their young prepare to *leave the nest*- just as the mother eagle does. A nest if a visual reference for an abode. 

In addition, when considering the definition of weaving in comparison to a family, there are several parallel concepts. Yahweh weaves people together in a family unit. In a sense, He unites people together who are flexible. How are family members flexible? We understand God's Principle of Individuality- we have give for who we are individually. We are flexible by extending grace and patience to each other. Also, we are united by close connection. Different personalities are woven together.

The Bible Principle gives us the original concept of a nest as an abode, a family unit, etc.

These are things to consider when viewing nests in art. Of course, the visual context may add more information to the message the artist is expressing.

What You Need in order to Record:

We are recording visually. However, encourage your students to take notes from the research and the relating aspects of the lesson!

• Mixed Media paper (it's sturdier than copy paper and has tooth that card stock does not have).

• Chalk pastels: brown, black, medium blue, light blue, dark purple, red, rusty red, orange, medium yellow, green. 

• Visit the art lesson on Master Artist Claude Monet to understand impressionism.

The Steps:

*Many of the kids wanted to get right in there and color in those robin eggs. It's important to save the eggs for last because of the white highlights- they need clean fingers to smudge the blue. So have your kids hold off on those eggs.

1. Get your brown and use broken lines to draw the outline of an oval shape. Sometimes kids can draw something better if they are familiar with handling an object (think of a chicken egg, think of a football...)
2. Use the brown to create the outer base of the nest- still using broken lines of different lengths.
3. If your student would like a branch for their nest, have them create a curvy one (branches are never straight). 
4. Now, take the light blue and draw the shape of some eggs (I like the look of 3, but your student may want to do more or less).
5. Grab the rusty red, red-orange and use them in order to paint loose squiggly lines all the way around the nest. Remember, nests are *messy* so the squiggly lines need to extend past the edges of the nest. :-) As we do this, we are literally uniting the colors by close connection. So, in other words, we are weaving them.
6. The inside of the nest needs some color. So, your student could go in with orange or other bright/light color they prefer- just not the yellow! (Remember, it's impressionistic.)
7. About this time you can add highlights with the yellow- it's a sunny day after all! So add some squiggly yellow lines toward the top edge of the nest.
8. Now, go in toward the bottom edges of the eggs with the medium blue. You want a thick line- probably about the width of a pinky. Then gently smudge the blue upward- leaving a spot of white from the paper at the very top (this is the highlight from the sun). If you want to speckle the eggs, use the brown and tap a corner of the chalk several times on the eggs.
9. We have highlights, so now we need some shadows. Trace the outline of the eggs (very carefully to keep them white). Then gently smudge the black with the pinky finger to soften the shadow's edge. Next, paint in a black shadow where the nest rests on the tree branch. Now, if you want to add a dark black shadow to the bottom of the branch, feel free too. Or, go in with the dark purple to emphasize impressionism. This shadow, too, will need to be softened by smudging it with a finger.
10. Leaf buds can be added with green, if desired. 

Check out what our kids did!

{Scientist's}

{Artsy Girl's}

{Song Bird's}

Thanks for joining me today as I shared about how we 4R'd through this art lesson! I hope you give it a try and enjoy creating along side your kids.

Blessings!

Hide: Word Study Wednesday

What could there possibly be to learn about the word, hide? We're pretty much all familiar with the game Hide N' Seek. Sometimes there are things people may [try] to hide. But did you know that in the book of Esther, Yahweh is hidden- so to speak?

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines hide as: "1. To conceal; to withhold or withdraw from sight; to place in any state or position in which the view is intercepted from the object. The intervention of the moon between the earth and the sun hides the latter from our sight. The people in Turkey hide their grain in the earth. No human being can hide his crimes or his neglect of duty from his Maker. 2. To conceal from knowledge; to keep secret. 4. To protect; to keep in safety. 

Purim (the Feast of Lots) is coming up and there are some really neat lessons to learn from it! 

Esther's (Hadassah's) identity was hidden in order to help preserve her people. Yahweh planned to put Hadassah in place... in position in which the view (that being her true identity as a Jew) is intercepted from the object (Haman) in Yahweh's own time. This plan of Yahweh's, "conceal from knowledge; to keep secret" Esther's true identity, was to "protect; to keep in safety" the tribe of Judah.

Sometimes, when people read about this, they kind of shrug it off. But it really is a big deal! One of the most important details is that the Jewish line was preserved. And as such, the prophecy of Yeshua our Messiah came to pass. He was to be born through the Jewish line; and if they had been annihilated, how would our Savior come to fulfill prophecy? Purim is a remembrance of deliverance. And it led to further deliverance for salvation through Messiah! It's something to celebrate!

Once we started to learn about Purim, we learned that nowhere in the book of Esther is Yahweh (God) mentioned. Not once. Not by any of His names at all. Not even in prayer. We didn't realize that before researching about Purim. Did you? Some scholars think that it is to emphasize that He was hidden behind the scenes (but clearly His Hand is seen!).

It reminds me of times when I've wondered in some circumstances, "Lord, where are You?!!" But He is always providing, preparing us for His plans He conceals from us until He is ready to reveal them, and working in hearts through circumstances even when it isn't obvious to me.     

It makes me think about our brothers and sisters in Yeshua being persecuted today. Where is He? He is behind the scenes. He is present. The battle is His. And we are called to be prayer warriors. What would happen if we were to fast and pray? 

As Christians, why should we be afraid? The Lord is our light and our salvation. He has delivered us from the penalty of sin and eternal death.

Psalm 27:5-7 says:

"⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
⁶ And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me."

Won't you celebrate the minor Bible Feast of Purim because of the deliverance He has given us?

Read more Word Study Wednesday posts hosted by 

A Cherished Keeper.

Blessings!

)

4 Goals Toward Raising Christian Leaders

Do you desire for your children to be strong Christian leaders? There are so many different roles of leadership. One of the most important of all is, if/when our children choose to follow Yeshuah the Messiah, they too have a role in helping to fulfill the Great Commission.

We parents go about leadership training in different ways. Some of us send our kids to leadership camps. Some of us enroll our kids in sports with the hopes of them becoming team captain. Perhaps we immerse our children in classical literature and read works by great thinkers. Or maybe we get them actively involved in community work as volunteers. Will any of this work? Regardless of the approach, what are we aiming for and how will we know if we have helped them?? 

This is a meaty post based off of my study from The Noah Plan's 7th grade Bible overviews for the second quarter. This is something our son, Scientist, and our daughter, Artsy Girl, studied as well. Won't you continue reading to find out what I learned?

What is it that the Bible teaches us about Christian leadership? Before we can get to the 4 goals, let's make sure we really know how leadership is defined:

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines lead as: 
LEAD, verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive led.
1. To guide by the hand; as, to lead a child. It often includes the sense of drawing as well as of directing. 2. To guide or conduct by showing the way; to direct; 4. To conduct, as a chief or commander, implying authority; to direct and govern; 6. To guide; to show the method of attaining an object. Self-examination may lead us to a knowledge of ourselves. 8. To induce; to prevail on; to influence.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines leader as:
LE'ADER, noun
1. One that leads or conducts; a guide; a conductor.
2. A chief; a commander; a captain.
3. One who goes first.

Considering that a leader is to guide by hand; to direct and to govern; to influence, Christian leaders need to renounce hidden things of dishonesty. Those little nooks and crannies of the heart need to have some good, regular housekeeping. It comes down to repentance and choosing to be self-governed under Yeshua (Christ). In doing so, this helps us to protect our conscience- which is the most sacred of all property.


Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines serve as:
SERVE, verb intransitive serv.
2. To be employed in labor or or other business for another.
3. To be in subjection.
4. To wait; to attend; to perform domestic offices to another. 6. To answer; to accomplish the end. 7. To be sufficient for a purpose.

Christian leaders need to be humble. If we are raising our children to receive pats on the back, focus on accolades, cheering, personal accomplishments, rising to the top... it becomes about self. It becomes about exalting one's abilities. There's that pesky western thinking again. The Hebrew mindset is to be humble in heart; the glory is to go to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Whatever activities we involve our kids in, we need to take care to cultivate a humble heart within our children... and ourselves. They pick up on us and feed off of our direction- even if we think it is ever so subtle (that hint of pride, ya know). Let us remember that to lead, "as, to lead a child. It often includes the sense of drawing as well as of directing." We really need to be sure to have ourselves in check, too.

This will look the same for Christian leaders regardless of where we serve... where our children serve. As upcoming leaders, they will need to learn what it means to serve in different venues. Let others go first; let them go for the shot. Allow room for others to grow and practice, too. Help them to see who may need to go first. Maybe that other kid is timid or quiet but has excellent words the Lord has given him/her to speak... help your child to learn to identify when to step back and encourage someone else to share what has been laid on their heart. It's about not drawing attention to ourselves. The ultimate point is to: "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:"- because it isn't about ourselves. Or... it shouldn't be.

Being a Christian leader means being a servant leader. We are to serve the Lord with gladness! If our focus is not on ourselves, we cannot help but serve Him with gladness. We are also to serve one another in love and to share each one another's burdens. Care must be taken to help encourage and train our children to not think too highly of themselves. Is one person better than another... or are all people unique... created with God's Principle of Individuality? If we can help our children to grasp this, they will more easily serve others with love.

Yeshua's yoke. How did He live? How did He serve? Did He not obey the Father's Laws? Is this not the example He set for us? Not for salvation... but because of salvation do we obey Him. God's Laws (Yahweh's Laws) are instructions for life for us. They teach us moral excellence and gentleness. They are not a burden (the man-made *laws*... traditions of men that were added to God's Laws were what was/is burdensome).

"and learn of me..." 2 Peter 1:4-11 teaches us:

^"4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
⁵ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
⁶ And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
⁷ And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
⁸ For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." KJV

Virtue equates moral goodness which equates God's Laws (His instructions for life). When we learn these, we are to add knowledge (of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah). To knowledge we add temperance (habitual moderation). That is to say that we are to restrain from indulgence of appetite (I understand this to be lusts of the flesh). To this, we are to add patience. It takes time to grow, to change, to be renewed of our mind. And to all of this we add godliness. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines godliness as:

"1. A religious life; a careful observance of the laws of God and performance of religious duties, proceeding from love and reverence for the divine character and commands; christian obedience."

It is the Hebrew way of "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:" Isaiah 28:10

Oh isn't this beautiful?! I love word studies and to learn the Word of God in context. How wonderful it is to learn what a delight the Law of God truly is. 

In summary, whoever we have our children learning leadership from needs to be modeling these aspects themselves. Also for consideration, are the camps and activities allowing for parents to disciple their children in these areas of leadership? 

Prayers for you as you learn to walk in His ways and teach your children in His instructions; as you endeavor to diligently raise Christian leaders. And please keep me and Cool Daddy in your prayers as we, too, learn and grow and aim to do our best as unto the Lord (out of love and reverence unto Him for what He has done).

Blessings!

Attention {Word Study Wednesday}

As a follower of Yeshua the Messiah, are the teachings of Scripture worth your attention?

Last Sabbath, our pastor taught on John 6. It gave me something to contemplate and I'll share that with you in a moment. First, let's make sure we understand correctly the meaning of the word attention.

Researching...

Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

1. The act of attending or heeding; the due application of the ear to sounds, or of the mind to objects presented to its contemplation. [Literally, a stretching towards.
They say the tongues of dying men
Enforce attention like deep harmony.
2. Act of civility, or courtesy; as attention to a stranger.

The key word contemplation means:

CONTEMPLATION, noun [Latin]
1. The act of the mind in considering with attention; meditation; study; continued attention of the mind to a particular subject.
CONTEMPLATION is keeping the idea, brought into the mind, some time actually in view.
2. Holy meditation; attention to sacred things; a particular application of the foregoing definition.
To have in contemplation to intend or purpose, or to have under consideration.

{Still-Life-With-Bible Vincent Van Gough: Courtesy Public Domain}

Toward the end of John 6, Yeshua is talking with His disciples (students). There is a multitude of disciples which Yeshua is giving a challenging teaching to.

With all that these Jewish disciples of Yeshua knew from the Old Testament (especially of the Prophets), they did not grasp what was being said. We learn that most of them murmur among each other about what is being taught; it's difficult for them to understand. Instead, they became offended, stopped listening and...

As a result, "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

As I reason from Scripture...

Yeshua had many students who followed Him around and heard what He said. Not all of them accepted His teachings. They were clearly familiar with Hebrew Scriptures; the Written word of God. 


However, it appears that they did not really give their attention to what Yeshua was saying. They did not contemplate... they did not consider with attention; meditation; study to see how the written word of God agreed with the Word made Flesh (that is to say Yeshua).


Again, they became offended. They stopped listening and walked away...
 

As I relate to this...

I wonder if many of us (myself included) hear the teachings from Scripture but don't give full attention to what is being taught. Do I fully contemplate each passage? Do I consider each word with attention; meditation; and study to see how the front of the Bible and the back of the Bible agree with each other? Do I seek to make sure of the context for myself?

God's word cannot contradict Itself. The whole of the Bible is truth. 2 Timothy 3:16 instructs us that, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" Therefore, as a student of Yeshua's teachings, it's important that I endeavor to understand His teachings from the Hebrew Scriptures that He Himself followed and taught.

What about the twelve? After those many other disciples went back and walked no more with Yeshua, what happened? John 6:67 tells us, "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?"

Would they? What was their answer to Him?

We learn the answers in verses 68 and 69, "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."

The question for each of us is, "Will ye also go away?"

What will your answer be?

Blessings,

 

Sleep- Where Have You Been?! Word Study Wednesday

Sleep. It probably doesn't seem like a very exciting word to define. However, I needed reminders about it. Let's face it, with electricity and media we (most of us) are a sleep deprived people as a whole. Come on now, I know I'm not the only one.

Let's Research, Reason and Relate Together... Shall We?

Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
SLEEP, verb intransitive preterit tense and participle passive slept.
1. To take rest by a suspension of the voluntary exercise of the powers of the body and mind. The proper time to sleep in during the darkness of night.
2. To rest; to be unemployed; to be inactive or motionless; as, the sword sleeps in its sheath.



Sleep Can Be Sweet. We learn in Proverbs 3:24 that, "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." Proverbs 3:21-24 KJV In context, Solomon is talking with his son about following the goodness of Yahweh's law, having wisdom and having discernment. Sleep may be sweet as we believers do this.


Being a good steward of sleep has not been my strong suit for quite a while. I have had a bad habit of staying up way too late. I'm reminded in Psalm 121:3 that, "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber." Yahweh Goes Without Sleep. He is God (in Hebrew Elohim). I am not. I need sleep. I can trust Him for watching over me and my family and all of the cares we have.
  

When Sleep Isn't Good... 

 

 

However, not all sleep is good. Proverbs 6:10 tells us, "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:" The context of this passage of Scripture is talking about not being lazy. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines lazy as: "1. Disinclined to action or exertion; naturally or habitually slothful; sluggish; indolent; averse to labor; heavy in motion. Wicked men will ever live like rogues, and not fall to work, but be lazy and spend victuals. 2. Slow; moving slowly or apparently with labor; as a lazy stream."

Ouch.

I don't know about you, but when I go to bed too late I don't feel so quick on my feet during the day. In fact, I tend to be sluggish... moving slowly.

Excuses I Have Made:

{Courtesy Public Domain via Wikimedia}

• I am an introvert, so I need to wait for all of our children to fall asleep in order for me to have that quiet down time I need to recharge.

• Super Busy wakes up at night still, so I need to take advantage of when he sleeps to get things done (that for some reason I have thought couldn't pend but really could).

 

• I wasn't able to get blah blah blah accomplished earlier, and I need to get it done before I head to bed. Yea, so these are things I unnecessarily put on myself. 

The list really could go on... 

What I'm Reminded Of About Sleep...

{Courtesy Public Domain via Wikimedia.}

• When I do go to sleep at a decent hour, I wake up so refreshed! Even when Super Busy wakes up during the night. How can this be? I'm taking advantage of the hours he is sleeping in order for me to get some sound sleep. Ahhhhh

• I'm so much more productive during the day when I have gone to bed at a decent hour. No more moving slowly... laziness!

• I feel better all the way around when I have had the sleep I need.

• There truly are only so many hours in a day. Yahweh blessed us with the night for sleep. Yes! Sleep is a blessing! He alone can go without sleep. 

• Being diligent and a good steward of my sleep means I am taking care of myself. 

• It makes me more aware of how I need to be discerning with what I commit myself to. If I have my days so packed that I cannot focus on what needs to be done in my home and I try to make up for it by staying up late, my priorities are out of order.

• Sleep is to take rest by a suspension of the voluntary exercise of the powers of the body and mind. 

• The proper time to sleep in during the darkness of night.

• Sleep is to rest; to be unemployed; to be inactive or motionless. Yahweh has blessed me with the ability to rest from my work. Thankfully this is a daily... er... rather... nightly opportunity!

Changes I am Making...

• Getting to bed at a decent  hour,

• Making sure I stick to my priorities,

  

•  Scheduling in introvert time during daylight hours. 

• Being more productive and energetic because I've gone to bed at a decent hour.

So much of life hinges on sleep: my health, my production, my time management, my family, my obedience to Scripture in this area...


I hope that if you are reading this during the day, that you are encouraged to unplug and get to bed at a decent hour. If you are reading this at night, please get some sleep! 

Blessings!

Share your thoughts in a comment below!