It's my birthday, so I'll blog if I want to

I'll cry if I want to, also... lol

Verses that came to my mind today...

Romans 11:33-34, 36
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unreachable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! 
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Psalms 9:1,2
I will praise thee, O Lord with my whole heart; I will shew forth all they marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

The song of the day...

Study, Practice, Teach

Just a few short thoughts today...

A few months ago I was listening to a recording by a motivational speaker/mentor, Jim Rohn. I cannot be sure that He was a Christian, but He taught a lot of biblical principals. He said, "If you believe something you should do three things. Study. Practice. Teach."

I thought this was very valuable advice. I took it to heart and plan to live by it. These words came to my mind quite a few times today while I was reading Hebrews chapters 4, 5 and 6... and highlighting many verses. One of them is Hebrews 4:12... one of my husband's favorites.

The few verses that really stood out to me are found in the 5th chapter, verses 11 through 14.
Powerful. Convicting. Challenging.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye aught to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again... and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to [the mature], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

In the study notes... "lazy hearing can result in a life of sluggishness."

The thought of "a life of sluggishness" bothers and convicts me, because "Only one life will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." ~C.T. Studd

The scripture is challenging, because many times I am still in need of the milk, and I am bull of hearing when it comes to the meat. In other words, I lack understanding, and often I am more of a hearer than a doer (James 1:22,23). Truth hurts.

However, I am very encouraged! If I continue to study, practice and teach I will continue to mature and become more fit for the meat.

Themes, Discussions and Focus

Romans 12:1,2 is my theme verse for this year... I was looking back at my notes... just curious to remember how early on it became this year's theme for me. The date in my journal is January 25. After school got out I decided to share this theme with my family and to claim it as our theme verse for this year together. We have not done this as a family before (This is the first time I have had a theme verse for the year for myself.), but I am excited to see how this comes into focus for all of us this year. Looking ahead a little I am excited to see what other verses we can focus on in the coming years.

Working this verse with my kids so that they could better understand what the verse means, I asked the question, "What are three ways we can give our bodies to God as a holy sacrifice acceptable to Him?" (My 9 year old needed clarity on "sacrifice".) The three answers we came up with are 1. Purity 2. Healthy living 3. Christian service. We talked about each of our answers. What does that mean? What does that look like? How do we do that? Why do we do that? etc.

I enjoyed the notes in my Study Bible, and thought they might be beneficial to share. I love my Study Bible. If you don't have one you might want to get one. Mine is the Nelson KJV Study Bible. I used a 25% off coupon at the Family Christian Store (one of our favorite places) a few years ago. This is what it had to say, 

"The body has been an instrument of sin. Now it is to be presented to God as a channel through which the righteousness of God is manifest. Be not conformed (stop conforming yourself): They are to resist being poured into the mold of the present thinking, value systems, and conduct of this world." "...Daily dependance on God results in our transformation into the image of Christ."

Of course my focus in my personal time with God is first on Him, cultivating an accurate view of God, drawing near to Him, coming to know Him better, and second on myself, learning to live a life that is pleasing to Him and all that that entails. One of my difficulties as a mom is focusing on my life and how God is speaking to me. I read a verse and think about one or more of my children... It is not an entirely bad thing, but at the same time I must focus on what God wants me to know first and then think about how I can pass these truths on to my kids.

In other news... Saying goodnight to my son last night after family devotions... I said, "There are three verses in the Bible that say 'walk worthy'. I want you to find them tomorrow and write them in your journal." Expecting his normal eye roll and "that sounds like homework" I was pleasantly surprised by his reaction, "That sounds really cool!" We had a fun conversation about what "walk worthy" means, and that we all need a blinking neon "WALK WORTHY" sign.