One in Christ

This week our GMG group has started the fourth chapter of Ephesians and we are all over one of, if not the, main message Paul is trying to convey to the church. 

 

“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”  Ephesians 4:4-6.

One body

One Spirit

One hope

One Lord

One Faith

One Baptism

One God and Father

See a pattern?  Paul is telling them to lay aside their differences. Because of Christ they are now ALL one!    We can have peace and unity through Christ.  His blood made us ALL one! 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

“Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”  Colossians 3:11

Christ himself even prayed for unity in the church:

 

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:  that the world may believe that thou has sent me.”  John 17:21

So Christ died for it, Paul was thrown in prison for it but we still struggle to live in it.   We may blame it on others and the words they say or things they do.  But is it really them or is it us?  Paul gives us some guidelines and characteristics we should live by to help us live in unity:

 

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1-3

First of all he tells us to walk worthy of being a Christian. In other words walk like Christ.   Then he gives us some specific characteristics:  lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and forbearance.  Here’s a little on what Matthew Henry says on each of these in his commentary:

Lowliness – The opposite of pride, humbleness.  “By pride comes contention, by humbleness comes love.”

Meekness – not provoking others, not easily provoked or offended; showing patience and humility, submissive

Long Suffering – patient bearing of injuries, without seeking revenge

Forbearing One Another  - Loving them despite their faults as Christ has loved and forgiven us

That’s a lot to live up to and look at our own lives before we start blaming someone else!  If we truly walked like Christ, had these characteristics and focused on what unites us not divides us then we’d find ourselves dwelling together in unity.  

If you’re attending a church regularly then I’m afraid to say that I can just about guarantee there will come a time when someone is going to say something that’s going to hurt your pride or offend you.  I know they have me before.   The difference comes with what we are going to do about it.  Our first instinct is to lash back, hold a grudge, or just pack up our bags and head to the house!  When really what Paul is telling us here is that it’s often our own selfish pride that causes the confusion and discord.  Chances are the person who said or did something did not mean to intentionally offend us but because of our own selfish pride we were easily provoked and took it that way. 

I hope the next time this happens to me I can evaluate my own life and respond as Christ would.  Focus on the things that unites us not divides us!  If necessary, give the other person grace, forgiveness, love and prayer just as Christ would.  We can accomplish SO much more when we are working together for Christ as one!  After all,

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”  Psalm 133:1

Also Linked to:

31 Days to Clean: Day 2

There are a lot of things I've shared on this blog that I thought I never would!  And today this is one of those-my messy refrigerator!  Our cleaning task for Day 2 is to clean the refrigerator.  Lucky for me at least it's the end of the month and I only buy groceries at the beginning of the month so at least there wasn't QUITE as much in there but it was still a mess!!!

Here's a few before and after pics:

Before

Dirty shelves :(




Clean Shelves :)



 

After

I love accomplishing something like this early in the morning!  I feel like I can tackle anything today now.  So how are your first two days going?  Take some before and after pics and share!

31 Days to Clean: My Mission

"It's not so much how busy you are, buy why you are busy.  The bee is praised.   The mosquito is swatted."  Mary O'Connor (taken from 31 Days to Clean)

Are you ready to be challenged spiritually and physically?  Do you long for a housecleaning routine that you felt didn't take up ALL of your time?  Does your home need a good "spring cleaning"?  Then I have a challenge for you.  Today I'm starting the 31 Days to Clean Having a Martha House the Mary Way.  Call it an early start to spring cleaning or nesting, but since it's been almost a year since I've done it the first time I've decided to tackle it again. 


My goal is to blog about this challenge at least once a week. I'm hoping that blogging along with a few friends joining me, like Abby from Trusting in Him, will help hold me accountable!  I also hope that we can share hosekeeping tips and tricks along the way to make all our jobs easier!  Then by Easter my house will be in order and I can enjoy a couple weeks before the new baby gets here!

 So today's just our first today and we'd love for you to join us too!  Each day Sarah Mae gives you a spiritual (Mary) and houscleaning (Martha) challenge.  We'll be doing this Monday through Friday and taking the weekends off.  Simply purchase and dowload the e-book here and let's get started! 


Today our first Martha challenge is to think about why we want a clean house and create a mission statement.  Each year I taught I always had my students to create a mission statement at the beginning of the year.  Why it's never cross my mind to do one myself until I read this I don't know??!  However, it's great to sit down and really think about why cleaning is important to you.  You're a lot more motivated to do it if you have a good reason and understand why it's important to you! 


For me I want my home to be organized and clean so that we can enjoy it as a family!  It's hard for it to be a "happy place" to come home to if it's a mess and disorganized!  I want myself, my husband, children, and everyone to enjoy walking in my home not feel stressed or uncomfortable!


I took my mission statement from where I did this last time.  Here it is:

 

My mission is to create and foster an environment that puts God first.  I want to strive to make our home our "happy place!"  Not only to us but so that others will find it welcoming.  I want to "look" for ways to encourage and make a better life for my husband, my daughters and all those around me.

Unfortunately, last time I never got around to actually displaying it so this time I doctored it up just a bit by adding some scriptures (Joshua 24:15 and Proverbs 31:27) and words to describe how I wanted my home to feel.  I typed it in Microsoft Word using some Word Art and placed it in a frame.  I wished I had a prettier frame but I'm all about using what I already have and I had this simple black one so here's my finished product:

I'm going to place it in my kitchen window so that I can constantly be reminded of my mission!  So will you be joining us? Do you have your mission statement yet?  How do you plan on displaying/remembering it?  Please share!!

Comprehending God's Love

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole fmaily in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."  Ephesians 3:14-19

As we continue in Ephesians, I am more amazed with every verse at Paul’s love and concern for the church.  I love what he is praying here.  He’s asking God to let his fellow brothers and sisters truly comprehend God’s love.   A love that has no limits – it is unconditional, boundless, powerful, pure, sacrificial, and inseparable-just to describe it in a few words.  A love that Francis Chan describes as “crazy” and I’m quite sure that if we truly loved like Jesus in today’s world that’s exactly what we’d be called-crazy!  I wonder how many of us truly “get” it or even try to understand it?  I’ve wondered if I truly understand it. 

I think Paul did, as much as this mortal body can anyway. Here he was imprisoned yet saying “Don’t worry about me.  Don’t become discouraged because of what’s happened to me.”  Instead of praying for himself or drowning in self pity he was praying for the “inner man” of his fellow brothers and sisters.    It’s too much for this selfish outer man to understand.  In verse 19 Paul says “it passeth knowledge.”  It doesn’t make sense to this outer flesh.  That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in. 

So why would Paul even be praying for them to comprehend God’s love?  I think he wanted his brothers and sisters in Christ to understand God’s love so that they could show His love.   If we’re a Christian, that pure, unconditional love is in us because God is in us.  We’re filled with it but do we allow it work in us and to show forth in our lives?  Loving each other isn’t simply a request from God it’s a commandment. 

“This I my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”  John 15:12 (emphasis added).

  That’s some serious love and when we begin to even slightly comprehend that love then we can understand the love we should show to one another.   Still not convinced he literally means love like Jesus? 

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”  1 John 3:16

Love involves sacrifice.  Love involves action.  One of my personal favorite verses on love is:

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”  1 John 3:18.  

  In some ways I think God slowly reveals it to us – as much as we can handle at one time.   For example, has someone ever tried to teach you something just by telling you and you think you get it.  However, once you really start practicing and doing it on your own then you start to fully comprehend it.  I’ve always learned more by doing than hearing.  I think that’s how God’s love is.  We can read our Bibles all day and even memorize it; however, the more we experience and exercise his love and trust in Him then the more he fills us with a greater understanding of His love.

It’s not always easy to love others, just to be honest, some try to make it difficult.  But have you ever stopped to think that’s the ones that may just need God’s love the most?  How about those times you neglected to put God first until something came up then you hit your knees?  Did God say “Sorry you’ve not put me first even after I’ve told you time and time again-even after I’ve already helped you out of this same circumstance?”  No, he didn’t.  Instead, God was still there right where you left him and once you were back in his grace you felt even more loved and closer to Him.   Maybe that’s why Paul understood God’s love better than others.  God’s love had reached him when he was about as low as someone could get.   When you don’t feel others are being “fair” to you or treating you like you want to be treated then that’s when God’s love can shine the brightest.  Do you we get that?

What if you loved like Jesus in your relationships?  What if …

Ø  We loved our spouses like Christ loved us? 

Ø  We loved our brothers and sisters in Christ like He loves us? 

Ø  We loved our children like God loves us?

Ø  We didn’t wear our feelings on our sleeves or “puff up” when things didn’t go our way but instead expected and willingly gave more than we received from our relationships. 

Ø  We didn’t judge or criticize but prayed more for the “inner being”.  

Ø  Instead of giving up on each other, we gave more of ourselves.   

What if we really started to comprehend God’s love and to do what the Bible says-show it!! 

 Novel idea huh?

Also Linked To:





A Bolder Witness

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Be not though therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:  but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 1 Tim. 1:7-9

As I've been studying the beginning of Ephesians 3 this week this scripture, also written by Paul, has been on my heart.  Paul was called by God to deliver an unpopular, politically incorrect message.  A message that as he said had once been a mystery but had been revealed to him through the Spirit.  (Eph. 3:4-5)  The message was "That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." Ephesians 3:6

The Jews certainly did not want to hear this!  They had referred to the Gentiles as "dogs" and certainly didn't see them as their "fellowheirs".  Even though it wasn't easy for them to hear, did that keep Paul from spreading God's truth?  No-not even when he was thrown into prison for it!  Instead he continued  proclaiming the message from prison!  Why? 

"Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.  Therefore, I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." 2 Timothy 2:9-10

How I long to be a bolder witness as Paul was!  There are SO many things accepted by today's society that are wrong!  Why?  Because my Bible and the Spirit tells me so!  But do I stand up and speak the truth or do I just shy away from it to avoid "hurting someone's feelings" or for fear of what they'll think about me?  It's my prayer that next time I'm faced with this I'll be a little more like Paul!  Instead of fear, I'll have the spirit of power, love and sound mind and not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord!

Also linked to:

God's Valentine Gift for You

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16




Happy Valentine's Day!!  Just thought I'd share one of my favorite Valentine's poems with you all as a reminder of the greatest love of all!


 God’s Valentine Gift 

God's Valentine gift of love to us

Was not a bunch of flowers;

It wasn't candy, or a book

To while away the hours.

His gift was to become a man,

So He could freely give

His sacrificial love for us,

So you and I could live.

He gave us sweet salvation, and

Instruction, good and true --

To love our friends and enemies

And love our Savior, too.

So as we give our Valentines,

Let's thank our Lord and King;

The reason we have love to give

Is that he gave everything.

By Joanna Fuchs    

Tot School: Jesus Loves Me/Valentine's Day

We've been talking all about love in Tot School these two weeks!  Since I didn't post last week, I thought I'd just do one post combining what we did last week and what we're planning to do this week.  Our theme last week was "Jesus Loves Me" and this week we are doing "Valentine's Day".

Table Time:

1. Memory Verse - 1 John 4:9 - Made a heart collage with the memory verse
2. Jesus Loves Me - Mini Book
3. Jesus Loves Me Coloring Sheet
4. Make Valentine Cards
5. Sweetheart Candy Color Sort-Simply took a papertowel and drew circles to let her sort by color.  We attempted to use some small tongs but she quickly got frustrated with those and just picked them up!
6. Made Chocolate Play-doh (Use your favorite play-dough recipe and add cocoa)- Used heart cookie cutters and created valentine chocolates to put in a box
7. Heart Size Sequence
8. Tracing Sheets

Floor Time:

1. Jesus Loves Me Puzzle
2. Tea Tray - practiced pouring beans from teapot to cups
3. Valentine Tea Party - practiced setting table, pouring from teapot, etc.
4. Blocks
5. Kitchen

Music:

1. Jesus Loves the Little Children
2. O How I Love Jesus
3. Will You Be My Valentine
4. Jesus Loves Me with additional verse "I Love Jesus"

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus likes to hear me say,
That I love Him every day!

Yes, I love Jesus!
Yes, I love Jesus!
Yes, I love Jesus!
Because He First Loved Me!

Snacks:

1. Heart Sugar Cookies
2. For our Tea Party - PB & J Heart shaped sandwiches, Valentine Cupcakes, Strawberry Kool-aide

Books:

Jesus Loves Me by Laura Logan
God Gave Us Love by Lisa T. Bergren
Will You Be My Valentine by Dr. Holly
The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll
A Heart Full of Love (Tag Junior Book)

Mixing up our Chocolate Playdough

Jesus Loves Me Coloring Sheet with watercolors

Making Heart Sugar Cookies (Yes, we are still in our PJs)

Sweetheart Color Sort

Additional Valentine Links:

1+1+1=1 Valentine's Day
Joyful Learning - Valentine Tea (And Other) Activities
Homeschool Creations Valentine Early Learning Printables
Confessions of a Homeschooler - Jesus Loves Me Lapbook
Over the Big Moon Valentine Pre-K Pack