The Greatest Advocate For Us -- Jesus

I've been up since 4a.m. 

Here is my Bible study from this morning: 

**God knew that life on earth would be hard for us. That we would ALL give into sin. Take heart, though, because we have an AMAZING Helper that wants us to be saved from these things that are in the world. Jesus was and IS the absolute answer to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (sin). This cleansing doesn't just happen. 

It happens only by choice AND by action. We must GO to the LORD (our advocate, like a lawyer) and ask Him for forgiveness, to help us do an about-face (cleansing process) so that He can forgive us and cleanse us from that sin. 

Think about it this way: If a person is guilty of a crime, they get a lawyer to plead their case. You could get time in jail from that crime. What's so awesome about this? Jesus wants to forgive you. He is the true Advocate for you. He doesn't have to be, but He has chosen to be. It requires action and heart on your part. What's even more awesome is that you may still have to "suffer" a consequence on earth for your actions, but as long as you have gone to the LORD, asked for forgiveness of YOUR sin, He is Righteous and Just and will forgive you. 

He removes His wrath, judgement, and condemnation from you by this "simple'ish" action and heart on your part. I say simple'ish because sometimes it takes the removal of our pride to go before the LORD, to humble ourselves, and to ask for forgiveness. 

Grabbed from a Google search.
Linked to this website.

It's like that on earth when we wrong someone: We have to "swallow" our pride and apologize. That apology is only sincere when our heart is sincere. Otherwise, that apology means nothing. This action of asking for forgiveness, from the depths of our heart, humbling ourselves before God, allows us to stay in fellowship (relationship) with Him.**

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (1 John 2:1-6).

A few goals for our Homeschool Year 2012-2013

I have decided to write out a blog post about my goals for our homeschool year 2012-2013. In years past, I have done our school year on a whim. It is time to be intentional!! I am gearing up for a VERY SUCCESSFUL AND REWARDING school year for our three kiddos and myself (and dad, too, when he is available to help out).

This goal list will help me see where we are at three or four months into our school year, at the halfway mark, and then at the end. I am sure I will add to the list as time goes on and with each milestone with the passing school year.

For time and space-sake, I will be generic in listing my goals; but believe me, almost each one has an indent of a few more goals attached to it.


Here are a few of my goals for our school year.
1. Set a firm foundation in math for each child. Check their progression monthly.

2. Bible is an absolute importance. Without the Bible and a relationship with God, everything is meaningless. Time to be proactive in teaching our children about dedication and the reward to having a relationship with Jesus.

3. Writing. All avenues to explore include penmanship, book reports, book reviews (written on websites), letters, etc.

4. Learn more History. Wars. Presidents. Constitution. Oh my! So much to learn about!

5. More Science experiments. The kids LOVE this one!! :)

6. Field trips on purpose. We have not done enough of these. Time to get out there and do more!

These are just a few of the goals for our school year. I hope your school year is off to a great start! I know there are many children heading to the first day of school tomorrow in our city. I pray this year is filled with success for the teachers, students, and parents.

HAVE FUN!!

My Goal To Please HIM: Faith & Firm Foundation

Today's Bible Study: Faith and a Firm Foundation
First, I read from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and 5:7-15; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 14:10-23; and Ephesians 5:15-17.

Today's Bible study has so many bits and pieces. It primarily is speaking to those who are saved and walking in Christ; while at the same rate, speaking to every person on Earth.

Live By Faith, Not By Sight

From 2 Corinthians 5:7-15 we learn that in this life "We live by faith, not by sight" 2 Cor. 5:7; that the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that aren't seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18). Because of what God did, coming to Earth in bodily form as Jesus Christ, the ministry He stood for, the persecution, judgement, and sins He took upon Himself to the Cross, dying and raising from the dead 3 days later, THAT should be enough to put a fire under our hiney to serve and love Him. Unfortunately, for so many it's not. To be honest, I stumble and fail often. Since I gave my life back over to Jesus, I have never stopped loving Him; however, I have not always served Him. My flesh takes over and I act out on emotions and feelings, rather than living by the Holy Spirit in me.

It should be Jesus' LOVE that that compels us (2 Cor. 5:14) to live not like we have been accustomed to, but live differently, to love differently, to serve differently, to be a wife differently, to be a mother differently (and if you're a guy reading this -- to be a husband and a father differently) and to treat others differently. Jesus' LOVE and Him dying for all should cause us to live FOR HIM (2 Cor. 5:15).

My Goal to Please Him

Out of a reverent (respectful) fear and love I want to make it my goal to please Him. Just as Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:10 -- "For we must ALL appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." Notice that we will have to give account for the good AND the bad. There is no "but, but, but -- he made me" ... "but, but, but -- I was under a lot of stress and that's why I acted that way" ... "but, he made it so hard not to act that way". It doesn't matter. There will be no excuse. Because of what Jesus has done for me, I want it to be my goal to please HIM, in every aspect of my life. Trust me, it's not easy and I will most assuredly fail. For that, I am utterly grateful that His grace is sufficient; that His mercy is ever present when I wasn't given a spankin' for what I deserve. Forgiveness goes a long way -- as far as the east is from the west. His love is everlasting -- nothing compares to it.

Firm Foundation

One other thing that I want to point out from my Bible Study from this morning is the firm foundation which our faith should rest upon and those layers that we add to the foundation.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,

13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Jesus is the ONLY foundation that can be built and that will last. It does not matter what foundation you are trying to build, if it is not Jesus as the foundation, it will crumble. Period. If what is added to the firm foundation (that is built by Jesus) is not of excellent quality -- the gold, silver, and costly stones (1 Cor. 3:12) -- it will not be a sound structure when tested by fire. What we, as believers and follower of Jesus Christ, give to others will determine the reward. When verse 15 says that "if it is burned up, he will suffer loss" it means that your reward in Heaven will be less than what it could have been. I do not know about you, but I want the greatest reward that is possible for me to have. I want to merely escape through the fire, I want to come out of the fire refined and stronger than ever -- with much gusto! ;)

Hebrews 12:1-3

1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

So, whatever you do during the day and in the night, think about the quality of your words, your thoughts, and your actions. Remember to run the race with great faith, striving to finish the race, and to get that heavenly reward. I am running right there with you!!

May you give glory and honor to Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith!

Freedom and Salvation. There is a difference.

One of the things that I LOVE is when God gives a revelation to something that you never gave much thought to before; whether you are either listening to something on the radio, hearing a message on a Sunday morning, chatting with a friend, and the like.

Something new. Something fresh. Those "ah-ha" moments. I. LOVE. THEM.

Last Wednesday I was on my way to a friend's home. While I was listening to a Christian radio station, a short message called "Reaching Your World with Luis Palau" came on the radio. The title of the message is "He Gives You Eternal Life" and you can view the message here in its entirety. This particular message brought about a question I asked in my spirit and then received an answer I believe that I got from the LORD. A revelation to the "why".

John 10:28 

"I give them eternal life.

They will never perish and no one can snatch them out of my hands."

Bunny trail: Me being open with you about one of my beliefs:
While I have always known AND believe that Jesus died for my sins (and the sins of the world). While I accepted Jesus "into my heart" at age 7 at church camp, only to later walk away from Him. While I completely understand that "once saved always saved" is something that some denominations preach -- this is not what I believe. I do believe that you can turn your back on Jesus to the point of losing your salvation, even after being "saved". Yes -- this belief is something that has caused division in the church. Scripture speaks very clearly.

As the Bible is ONE Book, ALL scriptures must be taken together IN CONTEXT to understand its meaning, given through the Holy Spirit. This link is a great example and explains more clearly the Scriptures in which I am talking about (from my bunny trail). Every single view expressed in the link is not directly represented as my view, but it is close.

Anyway, after hearing Luis Palau give a short word on "He Gives You Eternal Life", I asked the LORD: "Why is it so hard for people to grasp that YOU died for THEM?" And it was like He replied to me with "Yet, it is so easy for people to accept that the military have died for their freedom."

It was as clear as day. No clouds in sight. Completely. 100%. Clear.

Some may actually know someone in the military who has given their life on the front line for freedom. Yet, many do not know a single person who has died for their freedoms, and still they accept the fact that these military folks have laid their lives on the line for their freedoms. These freedoms are temporary. Have you realized that these freedoms that our military fight for are temporary? At any moment in time our government, the same government that our military works for, can take away many of our freedoms that we enjoy.

However, the freedom of eternal life in heaven was bought and paid for, by Jesus, to which NO ONE can take away from you. Not a single living soul can take YOUR eternal life [in heaven] from you. It is a gift. It is a choice. It is only yours if you receive it. Not everyone will.

It is a choice.

So many cannot and/or choose not to accept that Jesus died for their sins to give them everlasting life in Heaven with Him, when our time on earth is done. They cannot accept that ONE SINGLE MAN did this for them. Yet, it is so easy to accept that our military men and women have died for our freedoms -- people we cannot meet. Jesus we can -- through Scripture and prayer -- we can have a PERSONAL relationship with Him, and someday we will stand before Him (to which we WILL MEET HIM face-to-face) to which we will know whether we will have eternal life with Him in Heaven; or, eternal life without Him in Hell.

Have you accepted Jesus as your personal LORD and Savior? Have you accepted to walk with Him in a personal relationship?

I apologize for such a long blog post, but I had to share this revelation. Something that I haven't given much thought to. Two things which I have known. But never have even compared. Makes perfect sense to me. I hope it does to you, as well.

Remember: Freedom is temporary. Salvation is eternal. Eternity is forever.

Reason it's called GOOD Friday

I was asked this question by Andrew: "Mom, what is Good Friday?" I gave him the "in a nutshell" what Good Friday is about.

Good Friday: This is the day that Jesus, His body bruised and torn,

 hung on the Cross on Calvary (Golgotha),

taking our sins and punishment upon Himself.

Dying a sinners death, even though He was sinless.

Pouring out His blood to wash us white as snow.

He did this for EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF US. He did it out of love. He did it to bring His people back to Him.

Why is all of this good?

Without Jesus' death AND resurrection (3 days later) (the reason why we celebrate Easter), we would not be able to have the gift of an everlasting life in Heaven. This gift is a choice we each must make to receive. We can choose to accept it or we can choose to deny it. Jesus says in Matthew 10:32-33 "So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." 

I came across this video from someone who had it on their Facebook page. It's to the point, in a nutshell, why the Friday before Easter is called GOOD Friday.

Seeking His Presence

**This is just a quick post on a couple songs that I listened to this morning...**

A friend of mine posted a song on Facebook that got my heart stirring and reaching for the awesomeness of God.

1. It is not just any song. 2. It is most definitely a song that brings true light to what it means to truly seek after Jesus.

He can only be found when sought after. I have lived a life for many years without Him. I know what it feels like to feel like there is no hope, no love, depression, a happiness that comes and goes. BUT, I have also lived and am living a life that knows what it is like to seek after God, who is absolutely REAL in every sense of that word! There's hope, peace, love, joy, friendship, promises, comfort, blessings, SALVATION, victory over your circumstances, and so much more...

                                                                Sung by Kari Jobe
Deuteronomy 4:29 -- "But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul."

I truly desire to live a life that does not just call upon Jesus' Name in troubles, but to call upon Him ALL the time, every day!

Romans 3:21-25 -- "²¹But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins."

I am human and make mistakes, every day ... this is why I KNOW I NEED HIM continuously to be present in my life! 

                                                           Sung By Kari Jobe

This.Too.Shall.Pass.

My heart rejoices at the fact that I serve a God who loves me. Who will never leave me, nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 4:31). He is always here in my times of trial and need, and during those high roads, too. And through it all, I praise Him. How can I not?! Jesus has given me more than what any person has ever done. In Him, I have fullness of life, joy, love, peace, blessings, and most importantly -- SALVATION, and so much more!!

Song by Hillsong

Aside from my trials, it breaks my heart to see my very dear friends going through some major trials. At the same time, we know that the testing of our faith produces patiences (James 1:3). I rejoice with them because they know they can see that light at the end of the tunnel. How long is the tunnel, exactly? Only God knows.

Sometimes I think our vision gets a little blurred and it may seem like that tunnel is MANY miles long. Jesus has given us promise, after promise, after promise. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all" Psalm 34:19 (NKJV).

                         

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Believe me when I say that I have had too many tunnels that I have been in that seem to be too long. However, I can either 1. Sit in that tunnel and boo-hoo all day and night long; which will make the "tunnel time" even longer. 2. Look forward to what God has promised at the end of the tunnel. What happens when the sun comes out after a thunderstorm or a rain shower? A rainbow appears. It's beauty gives light (literally) to what just seemed like a dark and dreary moment. And that is exactly what it is ... a moment.

Regardless of my circumstances, I will praise Him! Regardless what my sweet friends are going through, I will praise Him. For our afflictions are but for a moment. We will come out of the fire looking like a beautiful diamond!

Much prayers (and tears) for you (they know who they are).

Marriage. AT&T commercial has it wrong.

Okay, so I had to post this commercial to let y'all know how I feel....

Every time I see this commercial - it makes me cringe. This wife doesn't even take the time to see the excitement on her husband's face; nor, does she take the time to listen to what he just did FOR the family!! If there is ever a commercial that has irritated me so bad, this is the one!! It's not even funny!

So, wives (and husbands) take the time to listen to each other. Sometimes it REALLY IS necessary to keep our mouths closed and listen and see how the other one feels and/or what she/he has to say!!

One more thing:

My favorite passage of scripture for marriage. Seriously, if you can work this through your marriage, with God's help, your marriage will certainly be blessed!! One day I'll post God's testimony on our marriage. He literally brought us up out of shambles ... and has blessed our marriage to what it is today!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!

Ephesians 5:22-33 (NKJV)

Marriage—Christ and the Church

 ²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body,^[a] of His flesh and of His bones. ³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”^{[b] 32} This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

 

³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Hebrews 1:1-13 .... His Child

I am so excited!! :) I am about to embark on a journey. Well, it's really NOT a journey. It's more like I'm about to take on a task ... all. by. myself. Actually, I'm never alone. God is always with me ... leading me, guiding me, and even at times I picture Him wondering, "Ok, daughter. I Am right here. Where did you go? I'll wait for you to regain where your focus needs to be." Seriously. I do imagine that He says that from time to time about me and my "I think I got it under control" or the "Oh I can do this" -- but I forget, I can do NOTHING with Christ.    N.O.T.H.I.N.G. Absolutely Nothing.

I am so grateful for His patience. And I'm not going to lie. Sometimes God's love can feel "strong". As in the type of strength like you're a child receiving a spanking for doing wrong. In the scripture God says He chastises those whom He loves.

Hebrews 12 (New International Version. I prefer King James Version, but for level understanding, I chose to write the scriptures in NIV)

"1.Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
-- I need to pause right here. As I mentioned above. Sometimes I think I have it all under control. I don't. Let me be honest here. If it weren't forJesus, I'd be lost. Literally. Going to hell. Lost. Failing in my classes. Losing. Failing as a mother, a wife, and everything in between. I'd be so far lost it'd be terrible. No person would be able to find me in the thick of my OWN will. My own wrong doing. My own troubles. The only ONE who can and has and continues to lead me and guide me is Jesus. I have to continually 'throw off' those things (pride, selfishness, aggression, etc) which are not pleasing to to Him.

Ok ... we're going to continue with the Scripture .............

"2.Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
-- He did this for you. Jesus did this for me. He has done this for EVERYONE. Have you accepted it? Your salvation? The Crown of righteousness? Yes. Jesus has called YOU to a life of righteousness. No matter what you have done. No matter how far away from God you THINK you are. You're not.

"3.Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4.In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5.And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

        "My son [daughter], do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6.because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son [daughter]."

Here comes a part in scripture where many people, even Christians, feel, "Well, if God loves me, then why are 'bad' things happening to me?" Or here's a saying that you may have heard ... "If there's a God, then why are bad things happening?" If you're a Christian, and bad things are happening, sometimes it's not for your own good, it may be for the good of those who are around you or who may come in contact with you at some point. If 'bad' things are happening to you and you're a Christian, it's for your benefit, your good. God may be trying to work something out of you that is of no benefit TO HIM.

7.Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8.If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
-- Oh man! So count it joy (even though it may be hard to do) when you're going through hard times. That doesn't mean you'll ALWAYS go through trials. You'll have seasons in your life where things will be 'smoother' than at other times. When I haven't had a trial in my life for a while, I'll start to ask God if I'm doing things right or if He's pleased with me. There's nothing I want more than to please my Heavenly Father! :)

9.Moreover, we have all had human fathers who have disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
-- Notice, that this isn't a question. This is a statement. Actually, it's more of a command. If we can respect our parents for them disciplining us and still love them for it, then why is it so hard to accept the discipline that God gives? Notice that if we aren't being disciplined (steered in the RIGHT direction, on the straight and NARROW), we aren't HIS children. That's a scary thought!!

10.Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for OUR GOOD, that we may SHARE IN His holiness. 11. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace FOR THOSE who have been trained by it.

12. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13."Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

-- How bumpy is the road you're on? And I'm not talking about the trials that come our way as part of being God's children. I'm talking about those things that we continually put in front of having or deepening a relationship with Jesus. How bumpy is your path? Strengthen your arms (and hands) through praising Him. Have you ever simply lifted your hands, pointed to the sky, and said, "I love You, LORD" ... have you ever? Maybe now is the time. What about your knees? Have you prayed on your knees? Okay, some may have troubles getting on their knees. But when was the last time you prayed and talked to Him WITHOUT asking Him to give you this and give you that? Talk to Jesus AS your BEST FRIEND. You can tell Him everything. Even though He knows everything, He still wants to hear from you. It's like my relationship with my mom. She pretty much knows everything that goes on in my life, but we still talk, and even talk about what she already knows. :)

Proverbs 4:20-27
"My son [daughter], pay attention to what I say, listen closely to my words. 21.Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22.for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's [woman's] whole body. 23.Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 24. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 25.Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. 26.Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. 27. Do not swerve to the right or the left, keep your foot from evil"

Sooo ... God evidently had another plan for me when I sat down to write a blog about the new task (craft) I'll be undertaking (I'll blog about that very soon). It was to give you a Word -- HIS word, from scripture. I hope it has touched your heart, dug deep into your soul, and taught you something that you didn't know about the Holy Scriptures of God. :)

Blessings ....

Tina

Random Thoughts vol. 1

Since I can't manage to stay on top of this blogging thing at the moment ... I figured I'd do something, I'll give you the random thoughts that go through my head. :)

#1: lowfat pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are YUMMY!

#2: I'd like to hang up the human body anatomy wall chart for my class, but can't because the skeletal face looks scary. lol. It feels like something is watching me.

#3: is dreaming of a white Christmas, thanks to Andrew!
                

#4: After our trip to Bass Pro Shop last night (Thursday), I'm really looking forward to moving back to the midwest -- it really can't come soon enough.

#5: being content in our current place has become increasingly difficult for me. *sigh* I'm just ready for a new beginning ............ I feel like we have outstayed our welcome. Make sense?

#6: William said to me earlier in the day through a text message: Jesus is more than enough. Now, why I can't I just learn to be CONTENT?!?! HE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!

Have a great weekend folks. :)