Monday Strength

Welcome to a new week Everyone!

This morning as we have started our home school for the day, one of the items for our learning today ended up being this very well known hymn by Martin Luther.  We always like to search for an on-line version of the hymn we are studying so we can listen to it and learn it just a bit better.  My daughter found this version of our hymn today, and I thought I would share it with all of you.

No matter what things you or I are facing in this new week, there is one thing we can be assured of--and that is that our God is a Mighty God.  He is strong and will save us, and we can run to Him in our times of trouble.  May this song be a blessing to you, and may it live in your heart this whole week.

A Mighty Fortress

~Susan

I Am the Vine--verses 23-27

Good Morning Everyone!

It has been awhile. . . Sorry I missed the last couple weeks in posting.  All last week I had a sick little girl.  Not seriously sick, but just enough to make her miserable--AND enough that she didn't feel like doing anything by herself!  So time found to spend on the computer for me became zero.  But that's alright--she needed me more than my little blog needed me.

Nonetheless, time marches on.  More specifically, the Bible memory schedule is marching on.  I missed posting for two weeks, and now this week is the very last verse in the chapter!  So time to play catch-up just a bit!  Our last few verses are as follows:

"He who hates Me hates My Father also."  v. 23

"If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father."  v. 24

The part which stood out to me in these verses was specifically verse 23--"He who hates Me hates My Father also."  The two are one--the Father is the Son and the Son is the Father.  They do not operate separately or in different directions, but always together.

"But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law. 'They hated Me without a cause.'"  v. 25

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."  v. 26

In these verses I especially noticed what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit.  He sent the Spirit to continue His work on earth, and this Spirit is called the "Spirit of truth."  It reminds me. . . I have started recently to (once again) read the Bible through.  Starting in Genesis and going all the way through until I reach Revelation.  In times past, I have been most successful in doing this in a fast paced way--that just works for me, to read the Bible through the same way you would read another book.  But this time, I am wanting to read through slower--stopping, pausing, researching, reflecting, but still hope to steadily read my way through once again.  Anyway, I just recently read the account of the fall in the Garden of Eden.  How Satan tricked Eve, how he lied, how he deceived.  He is the exact opposite of the Holy Spirit, whom is referred to here as the "Spirit of Truth."  Unlike Satan, the Holy Spirit is a helper we can trust.

"And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."  v. 27

I can't help but ask myself--
What witness will my life show?

I am far from perfect.  I didn't even accomplish the goal I set for myself to memorize John 15 word perfect.  I thought I could do it--I had been successful with Isaiah 55. . . but not this chapter.  Oh, I have memorized a LOT more of it than I used to know before attempting, that is for sure.  But I am not going to be crossing that finish line along with the other people in the Bible memory group who are working on memorizing the same chapter. . .

Or am I?

For that is when it came to me.  I know now what kind of a witness my life will show.  My life will show the runner who was running the race thinking all was well--but then tripped and fell.  The one who has completely lost all chances of winning--of even finishing.  The one for whom all hope is lost.  But God.  At that moment, God came along in the race, and instead of passing me by as I lay there crumpled on the track, He stopped and picked me up.  And holding me close to His heart, He starts running again.  I am doing nothing except weighing Him down, but He will not leave me behind.  And together--in His strength, we will cross that finish line.

Because He is my vine.  If I abide in Him I will bear much fruit.  But without Him, I can do nothing.

Have a beautiful week with your Beautiful Savior.  And above all, abide in Him.

~Susan

Virtual Field Trip--Joseph Bates' Home

Hi Everyone!

School has been in session for a few weeks now, so that can only mean one thing--it's time for a field trip!  My son Austin and I are guest posting over on a home school blog today, taking everyone with us on a virtual field trip!  So if YOU are ready for a field trip as well, follow the link below and come along with us!

Joseph Bate's Home

~Susan

I Am the Vine--verses 21 & 22

Good Morning Everyone!

Each week seems to go by faster and faster, doesn't it?  It must have something to do with the fact that our home school has started up again--but I am still determined to complete this John 15 project. And we are almost done!  As mentioned before--I may not have it all word perfect, but I have much more of this passage hidden in my heart now than I ever had before!  And all time spent in God's Word is a blessing!

This week our verses are 21 & 22:

"But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin."

Did the same thing stand out to you that did for me?  The phrase "but now they have no excuse for their sin" seemed to leap off the page when I first read it.  I couldn't help but ask myself what WOULD be a "good" excuse for sin???  Is there EVER an excuse for sin???

We were all born into a sin-filled world.  It is what we are used to.  What we grew up with.  Does that mean we have an "excuse" for sin?  What about Adam and Eve?  They were completely unfamiliar with sin, having lived in a sin-free garden.  So just because they had had no way to understand how terrible sin was--did that mean they had a "good" excuse for sinning?  I don't think so. . .

As I thought about this phrase, I really could not think of what might be a good excuse for sin.  Oh, I am not talking about someone who has sinned in total ignorance--I do understand that sometimes that does happen.  But for most of the time--the reality is that there just isn't a time when sin is excusable.

I ran across this quote as I was doing a bit of research on these verses, and thought I would share it here:
"Those who have an opportunity to hear the truth, and yet take no pains to hear or understand it, thinking that if they do not hear they will not be accountable, will be judged guilty before God the same as if they had heard and rejected.  There will be no excuse for those who choose to go in error when they might understand what is truth.  In His sufferings and death Jesus has made atonement for all sins of ignorance, but there is no provision made for willful blindness. . . "  SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 7A p. 1145

No provision made for willful blindness.  Oh Lord, take away my stubborn spirit--and open my eyes to You and Your love today.

~Susan

I Am the Vine--Break Week!

Hi Everyone!

You would "think" I would learn and move my memorizing schedule downstairs where I have my quiet time each morning instead of keeping it posted on my bathroom mirror--but not me!  So I have ended up getting a bit "off" from the schedule. . . last time I was working on two verses, but didn't realize those verses each had their own individual week for memorizing.  And then this week is supposed to be a "break" week--which I do need, as I am having trouble keeping up with everything that is going on in my life!

This past week our homeschool started up again after a summer break.  I do not normally break completely during the summer--for good reason (your children's brains turn to mush!).  But this summer found us in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and when the sink and counters left the house so did my ability to do anything except cope!  Fortunately the lovely new counters and sink are in place now and working just fine, so the family is once again being fed! ;)  But having a break completely from our normal schedule made things a bit difficult in getting back into the routine.  Add on top of starting homeschool the big brother going back to his college classes and my hubby going back to his teaching--all on the very same day--made for a huge change all of a sudden for all of us.  But I "think" we are over that hump now, fortunately!  This week brings our homeschool to the end of the second week of the new school year, and things are starting to go along pretty well.

Back on the memorizing front things have not been going as good as I would like them to.  Not only have I been mixing up the memorizing schedule, but I also have not been able to keep up with memorizing as well as I would like to.  The previous memory piece went a lot better for me--and I am not exactly sure why.  It is true that John 15 has a lot of repeating in it (I am the vine!), and that seemed to mix me up right from the start.  The previous passage I learned--Isaiah 55--did not have that.  So I know that is one part of it.  And as already mentioned, we have had a LOT of other things going on in our family and home--and kitchen remodeling sort of has a way of putting one in a "survival" mode. . .   Be that as it may, when I repeated my verses recently to my daughter  I was actually surprised (and pleased!) to find that I could repeat pretty firmly through verse 16.  No, it may not be up through verse 20 like I am supposed to be up to, and it may not be without a prompt or two when I came to a "stuck spot," but it was much better than I had thought I would do.  At first I was tempted to feel discouraged--and tell myself that I had failed.  But I don't really believe that.  Although I may not have this memory passage as well as I was able to learn the first one I tried, no time spent in God's Word is wasted--whether we are memorizing or simply meditating, reading or listening.  And so I plod along.  And I would rather be spending time in God's love letter to me and only be "so so" at memorizing it than to be doing something else entirely without God but be really good at it.

And so I will happily plod along--with God.

Have a beautiful week with your beautiful Savior!

~Susan