Grace,Righteouness and The Promises of God

Today our passage is Romans 4: 13-25.

¹³ For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵ For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
Oh, think about that.  Just THINK about that.  Abraham, we already know he's been declared righteous because of his faith.  WE got that right?  HE will be heir to the world because of the righteousness of his faith.   He is our father in the faith.. so think about what that means.  Ponder it.

Cause it just kinda hit me tonight as I was reading.

Those that stick to the law are not the inheritors of the earth.  The law brings wrath.
BUT those who have faith... THEY inherit the earth.    

¹⁶ That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring
Why? So that God's promise rests on grace and is a guarantee to all the offspring of Abraham.  Faith and grace... so intertwined.
 
—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, ¹⁷ as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Abraham...the father of many physical descendants as well as many spiritual descendants.   God kept his promise to Abraham and all his descendents, and that means to us to eh?   As believers God's promises to Abraham... those promises based on grace, and our faith. 

  ¹⁸ In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²² That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” ²³ But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
These verses are amazing. See Abraham's faith in action.  Against the odds his faith stayed strong.  Old age and the unbelief of others didn't stop his faith in God.  Unswerving. 

But read these words: he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.   Do you see it?  As he gave glory to God his faith grew stronger.   Wow.   Just WOW.  Think about that.  I'm thinking about that.   

Praising God, giving glory to God, means our faith grows stronger.

Makes me think about how in a marriage, if you act in a loving way toward your spouse it increases the depth of your love for him/her.   It does.  It changes your love and makes it grow.  Like an echo of how.. if we act in a loving way toward God, if we give him glory and honour, our faith in him grows becoming stronger and fuller.   And it counts to us as righteousness.

When the bible tells us that Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness it wasn't only for the sake of Abraham eh?   See these words:   But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Abraham's faith, that faith seen in those who believe in Jesus raised from the dead.  Jesus the very son of God who was delivered up for OUR sins, who was raised for OUR justification.   If we believe this... then OUR faith is counted as righteousness.  Not just Abraham.. but US TOO!   

I read these words and I think to Martin Luther and how reading Romans changed his entire life.  See faith and righteousness and God's grace so intertwined...and how it passes through the generations so that not only Abraham's faith is counted as righteous...but ours too, if we truly believe.
  
To follow along with the rest of this devotional series in Romans Click Here. 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Life Pleasures 1: Hike

 One of my pleasures in life is to go hiking with my family.   The older the lad gets the more he doesn't stay with me and the more he hikes off out front with his dad.  They frequently check back with me to make sure I'm not lost or stuck as I'm not as nimble as I used to be... but it's fun to get out and explore.

I thought you might like to see some of the walks/hikes we've done and some of the treasures I've found along the way.  :)

I admittedly have a thing for mushrooms.  Whenever I go on a hike or walk I'm bound to find some sort of fungi to take a picture of.  One year I went for a walk and I found red and orange fungi, I was so stoked as that was a first time event.  Unfortunately...those pictures have been lost and I was so sad to discover that. But look!  I still have pictures from 2016!  :)

 I managed to get a clear, up close and personal shot of this fungi.  Are they so interesting looking?   

Anyways...you might not be as keen on fungi as I am so moving on....

Who doesn't love a leaf strewn path with trees all around, making you feel like you are alone in the world... just you and nature.  The sound of birds singing, the patter of small critters scurrying away, and if you are quiet enough and early enough in the morning...the odd deer moving silently through the trees.  It is SO cool!

You know, I like geese and ducks and what not.  Waterfowl are pretty cool.  But in town when you walk around and they are begging for treats it's like.. ICK.. go away stupid birds.  But when you see those same birds in a natural setting it's like .. wow.  

I've been trying to find some of the neat rock ones and stuff we've seen but I think they have alas... gone the way of most of my cool fungi pictures....  :(   From the trails up north and stuff but I..... ah well.. you get the picture right?   Long walks/hikes in the middle of nowhere is a lovely lovely thing to do.  :) 
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This post is part of the Crews Instagram word prompt challenge. I find them fun to turn into posts, don't you?

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Review: Doctor Aviation

Did you know I have a nephew who is big into aviation, and another who trained to be an airplane mechanic?  I have a brother who is training to be a helicopter pilot... so an interest in the air and flight runs in the family. Ergo, when I had a chance to review Doctor Aviation I snatched it up!  I'm listening to it as an adult, though I freely admit, I shared interesting bits with my lad.  :)  Doctor Aviation is an aviation education and history course run by Daryl Smith, taken online.

What do you get?
You get six sections with 1 to 4 lessons in each section.  Each Lesson runs 45-50 minutes and follows the same routine.  Technical Trivia, Notable Innovators and Legendary Events or Aircraft.  Every few lessons, if you are taking this for credit, you can ask for a test. (there will be a prompt in the actions steps).

Technical Trivia is the meat of the program.  Here Daryl Smith is usually found standing in front of an aircraft with his notes.  He presents the information in a lecture format, interspersing his presentation with slides to help present the information more clearly.  These aviation history videos are interesting to listen to indeed.

The Notable Innovators section is where he talks about the people important to aviation history. We are given a chance to learn about Earhart and Bernouli as well as many others.

Legendary events or aircraft speaks to times in history that were important to aviation, such as breaking the sound barrier, why Earhart flight didn't work, the trip to the moon and such like.  Facts that shaped the history of aviation.

You can see how the lessons are laid out.  See how the sections are labeled, with the appropriate lessons contained within.  15 lessons in all.
Section one: Course Overview (1)
Section two: The Aircraft (4)
Section three: Air Traffic Control (2)
Section four: Aircraft Maintenance (2)
Section five: Airfield Operations (2)
Section six: The Aircraft II (4)

 

How did I use?
I plugged my ear phones into my lap top and listened as I worked.  When I was intrigued I stopped what I was doing, clicked over to where the video was playing, backed up the video and listened again.  Watching the images that would pop up, taking notes for the complicated stuff, and then returned to my work.  It was a great way to learn new material, refresh my mind over the old, and to inspire my thinking.   Seeing how things fit together, listening to the easy break down of the technical details, the interesting people in aviation and some of the legendary events.  

I have to admit, I didn't do ANY of the optional exercises.  I just listened and learned. :)
But they have a ton of things you can do to broaden your learning, from books to read, to models to build and essays you can write.   Here is but a small sampling.  Rather cool eh?

Oh!  I mustn't forget to tell you about this handy feature: GUIDED NOTES.  They follow the script really well and help you retain the information presented.  You need to forgive my scrawl and the fact that I didn't completely fill it in (honestly even when I was in school I never filled sheets in all the way).  A bit of rebel you know?  :)

My thoughts:
Darryl Smith talks well, he keeps to his notes but looks at the camera. The notes just keep him on topic and prevent the forgetting of details.   You can tell that he spent
24 years in the Air Force as a Command Pilot with over 2,000 flying hours and that he was an instructor in the United States Air Force Academy.

I loved having the notes.  I admittedly didn't use them often as I mostly listened, but when I needed them, they were right there, easily saved to my computer for later reference, and easy to print off for when I wanted them.  They followed the script really well.

If I had planned to use this as a student, I would have found ALL the options for increasing the scope of the lessons great.  Books to read, projects to do, so many options it was great.   Incorporating the different senses and styles of learning.  Let's build a wind tunnel, or draw a map outlining someone's journey or.... so many options it was great!

I disliked that "oh don't be alarmed by the technical stuff I'll make it easy for you" type conversations.   I find when people do that it's easy to think it will be over my head rather than just assuming that I'll get it.  I want the assumption there that the instructor will make it clear what I need to know, instead of making me feel like I'm set up for failure.

I wish his labels would always precede each new section and that dots were put on the time line to show where they started.  That way I could easily review a section if I want to or if I think "oh.. the lad will like hearing about this aviator" and I wouldn't have to hunt for it.  :)

I LOVE how the lessons are set up the same.  Course title, video, things you need to see about doing and additional resources.  It's all quite logical, with clean crisp edges that don't distract from the lessons to be learned.

This is a course that you could EASILY stretch out to fill six months OR if you are rushed and just want to listen to the lessons, you could complete it in less than a month.  The guided notes are yours to keep along with the additional resources.   Making this a very handy and useful elective for you or your students to take.


Doctor Aviation
Six month subscription
Recommended for age 16 and up.

Each of the 15 lessons includes a 45-50 minute video. Divided into three sections that naturally feed into each other.  Each also includes a PDF of "To Learn More" suggestions. This includes extra readings, YouTube videos, movies, hands-on activities, research and writing assignments, etc.  Each lesson has guided notes.  There are tests included as well.

64 people are reviewing Doctor Aviation.  To see what we have to say, click here or below.

Social Media Links:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/doctoraviation    Tag:   @doctoraviation   
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/draviationguy    Tag:   @draviationguy   

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Abraham: Father of Faith

Today we are studying from Romans 4:1-12.   

Does doing good works justify us?   NO! 
We are told this clearly.  Abraham believed God and IT (his belief) was counted as righteousness.  It was his FAITH that mattered. 

 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? ² For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Does that mean that doing good works is meaningless?  Of course not.  It's part of what is due to God.   He made a way for us to be righteous.  Should we not then live according to the law that he has painted on our hearts?

 ⁴ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

What matters is the belief in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  God provided the way for us. All we have to do is believe it!  That faith makes us righteous.   Pretty cool eh?
⁵ And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, ⁶ just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
    and whose sins are covered;
⁸ blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Again Paul raises the question.  Is this determination only for the circumcised (ie... only for the Jewish people).   Abrahman's faith was counted BEFORE he was circumcised.   His circumcision was only the sign of his faith. 

⁹ Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. ¹⁰ How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. ¹¹ He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.

Circumcision's point with Abraham was a seal of his faith.  His faith, was counted as righteouness before he was circumcised, making Abraham then the father of those who believe without circumcision, AND the circumcision made him the father of the believers who are circumcised. 
 The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, ¹² and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Abraham, father of faith for all.  Circumcised or not, as long as you have faith, Abraham is our father in the faith.   

I have to admit I've not really thought about this before.   Like it's not that I don't KNOW that Abraham is a father in the faith.  But it's more that I've never really sat and pondered what that means for me personally.  Abraham is MY father in the faith.  He's part of the line that leads all the way back to the first covenant God made with his people.  Of Jewish origin or not, he is out father of faith. 

To follow along with the rest of this devotional series in Romans Click Here. 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Hymn Study: Take my Life and Let it Be

We sang  this lovely song in the church where hubby was preaching this morning.  It was so nice to sing it with an almost full congregation.  Makes the singing so much easier you know?  :)

The tune sung below is the one I am most comfortable with. 

Lyrics

"Take My Life and Let it Be"

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,

Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Every pow'r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.

Ever, only, all for Thee.

This hymn was written by Frances Havergal. She was the daughter of a minister and was a devoted christian lady all her life.   Her desire was for people to know the Lord, and loved using her ability to write to create literature and poetry to encourage people's hearts toward the Lord. She struggled with poor health all her life, but that didn't stop her from living an active life.  She started writing poetry at age 7, and spent time memorizing scripture - the psalms, most of the New Testament and more. She knew many different languages and was in demand as a soloist and pianist.    Her poetry was infused with prayer.   She died age 42.

This version was quite different but I thought you might enjoy it as I did. :)

The immediate story of this particular hymn.

I went for a little visit of five days (to Areley House). There were ten persons in the house, some unconverted and long prayed for, some converted, but not rejoicing Christians. He gave me the prayer, Lord, give me all in this house! And He just did. Before I left the house every one had got a blessing. The last night of my visit after I had retired, the governess asked me to go to the two daughters. They were crying, &c.; then and there both of them trusted and rejoiced; it was nearly midnight. I was too happy to sleep, and passed most of the night in praise and renewal of my own consecration; and these little couplets formed themselves, and chimed in my heart one after another till they finished with Ever, Only, ALL for Thee!
Havergal Manuscripts  (source)

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Creative Friday: Star Wars Builders: Starfighters

Our most recent Friday builders/creative time consisted of us putting together this lovely kit to review from the Star Wars Builders Series.  This one is called Starfighters.  You may recall us reviewing the Millennium Falcon and how much fun that build was.

My son was SO happy to see another in the Star Wars Builder series arrive on our doorstep, but he wanted to wait until just the right day to build it.  This one is the Starfighters set, where you can build a TIE fighter and an X-Wing.  It comes complete with a 64 page book where you can learn about all the different star fighters from both sides of the Star Wars conflict, can even be tested on your knowledge at the end.  

The instructions are very easy to follow, the pieces well numbered and easy to punch out.  Put on sturdy three layer cardstock which works really well for making the models.
 

My lad had a lot of fun building these flyers.  They were much less complicated than the Millennium Falcon, but that didn't change my lad's delight. He said "I'm going to put these in my room too.  Let them fly from the ceiling.  Won't that be interesting mom?"   I agreed, it will be interesting to let them fly from the ceiling.

The book, as always, full of great images.  This one showed a fighter over a two page spread and then showed the fighter in action.

I loved the full colour aspect of the book, it was will filled with lots of interesting information...which you were then tested on at the end of the book.

My thoughts
It's a lovely book with fun figures to make.   I love the information they give, making this an excellent gift for the Star Wars fan.  The colour in the book with the easy to read tesxt and information, the build, the whole set.... just a good book set for anyone from 7 & up.

Concerns
A couple of times the numbering got messed up.  So we were very glad to have the pictures to back up what we thought would be correct.
It would be lovely to have a back to the X-wing.  Having it left open makes it feels unfinished.
The TIE fighter, the curve units needed a wider curve to hold all three pieces well.
Compared to the Millennium Falcon these builds are out of proportion.  It would have been good to have them sized somewhat better and perhaps have a couple each.  :)

Star Wars Builders: Starfighters
Adam Bray
Silver Dolphin
64 pages
6 board sheets for doing two builds
Seven years old and up.

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: Star Wars Builders: Starfighters

Amazon.com:  Star Wars Builders: Starfighters.

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Belonging, I am comforted.

Comfort

In the stillness of the room
I sit.

I recently had a message from a friend
Needing prayer.

A loved one needing
Emergency surgery.

Comfort sought.
Prayer needed.

Fretting, worrying, 
I know it well.

It brings to mind
the worry.

Of a father 
lying ill. 

It also brings to mind
A line

From the catechism
of Heidelberg.

What is your only comfort in life and in death?
That I belong body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

We are not our own.
That's a comfort,

A surety and
 A Knowing.

So fret I might
Worry I might.

Pray I will
Comforted I will be.

Knowing that I AM NOT
In this alone.

I have a faithful with me
Always at my side.

Belonging
I am comforted.

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This is a five minute Friday post. the word prompt is brought to us by Miss Kate over at Five Minute Friday.  What is Five Minute Friday?  Well it's a party of a group of like minded folks who gather on Friday to do a five minute free write around a singular word.  AND THEN (and this is the most important part) we take the time to offer up encouragement to each other on this writing journey.  It's fun, though it's not always easy, but it is always good.   Come join us won't you?  You are always welcome.

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Righteousness, faith and the law

Do you remember the sadness of yesterday?
Of no one being righteous?  Not a single one. 

But listen to this:
²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Righteousness doesn't come based on the law.  Righteousness come through FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST!!

 For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. 

See, we know from the previous verses the depravity of mankind.  How we all turned away from him.   That horrible picture of what sin is. 

But now there is hope for us right?   Hope  because God's righteousness is now found in our faith in his SON.  It doesn't matter if you are Jew or Greek.  There is no distinction between people.    All have sinned.  All fall short of God's glory.  ALL.  No exceptions to this fact.   But just as all have fallen, so all CAN come to faith in Christ Jesus.  All can receive the gift of God's grace in his son.Christ is our redemption.  Christ paid for our sin.  God put him forward as an atonement.  Christ, to be received by faith.
 
This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Why did God do this?   To show his righteousness.  God is ever so patient with us but he can't keep letting us sin and not giving us a way through it.   He needs to be just you know?
 
²⁷ Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
This gift is received in faith.  So Paul is clear.  There is not boasting.  How can you boast about faith?  Either you have it or you don't.  Works you can point at and say SEE.. See what I did?  But faith is faith.  
 
²⁸ For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰ since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. ³¹ Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

So having faith doesn't negate the law right?    Remember.. it's written on our hearts.  Having faith causes us to want to follow the law, to uphold it, to not turn aside from it. Paul affirms how God is God to everyone, doesn't matter if Jew or Greek.  The offer is the same, our faith is the same, It's all about our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, God's gift of Grace offered to us.   So our faith will naturally cause us to want to stick to the law of God written on our hearts.   (and yes I know.. the old sinful nature will cause us to want to fight that...but that's another lesson).  :)

To follow along with the rest of this devotional series in Romans Click Here. 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Parenting Series: Foolishness

Foolishness, it's in all of us.  It's readily apparent in our children when they argue with us, when they insist on doing what they want, when one event seems the most important thing ever, and so forth.  Foolishness is evident everywhere.

So the question we need to ask, from what does foolishness stem from?   From the heart.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Make the heart your priority.  ALWAYS.  Focus on the heart.  See the heart when you discipline your children, not just their actions, but their heart.

How do you do this?
1. remind yourself over and over and over again...it's the heart you are after, not the actions.
2. lasting change ALWAYS happens through the heart. Always.  

You don't want to help create a stone heart, one that is hard and set.  You want your children to have soft hearts, malleable to the will of God. 

Knowing that you are a fool, parenting a fool, how then do you parent?
1. Glory.  Show your child a higher better glory.  Letting them see God's awesomeness so it will be easier for them to submit to God's law.  The more we see God the less apt we are to be foolish.
2. Wisdom.  Let your child see God's wisdom at work and how it far surpasses our own.  Tell your children how wonderful it is to rely on God's wisdom.
3. Story.   Tell the story of Jesus over and over and over again. Tell of how he's acted in your life and the lives of people you know.   Make sure they know the stories of faith. 
4. Welcome.  Oh.. let them know how God gives them welcome.  How he invites them. Tell them that message of salvation over and over and over again.

But mostly remember this.  God is a God of grace.  He freely extends it. His grace is always extended toward his children of faith.

 Want to follow along?  Amazon affiliate links below.

Amazon.ca:  Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

Amazon.com: Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

No One is Righteous

Hello, welcome to another day of learning from the book of Romans.   For the rest of the series go here.  Today we'll be learning from Romans 3:9-20.

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 
ALL are sinners.  No one is any better than anyone else.  Jew or Greek...all under sin.  All already charged.
 
 ¹⁰ as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
I read these words, and I see the condemnation.  No one, not a single person can be righteous.  EVERYONE has turned aside. So you see it.. TOGETHER the people have become worthless.   It's like this whole group mentality thing.  Making choices to turn aside from God.  So that not even one person does good. Not a single one.
 
¹³ “Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶     in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” 
This is how God sees sin you know? At least that's my reading of this passage.  How everyone has turned aside, no one is able to do good.. so we get this horrid picture of what sin looks like... all that bitterness and venom and misery.   So much deception and ruin.   This is what sin is.   A people who know no peace. A people who not NOT known the way of peace... but how could they?  They are a people full of bitterness, venom and deception.
It's a sad place to be in.
 
¹⁸     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Not only that.. there is NO fear of God.  None.  They simply don't get the thought of being in awe of God.  Of knowing the fear of him as the Triune Lord.
 

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰ For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

So the law of God is written on the hearts of all. We know this from previous verses.  People who are under the law are people under sin.  People who are accountable to God.  We are.  We are accountable to God, and when we are under the law we cannot be justified.  The law brings knowledge of sin.    

No justification through the law.
The law shows us sin.
Sin means no peace.
Sin means no knowing God, a turning from the truth written on our hearts.

So this leaves me here... is there no hope then?  
If we are all under the law and the law means sin... then how can we be justified?

This is where today's passage leaves us... asking the question.  
How can we then be justified?

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