Learning by Imitation

Over the last few days as I have come out early in the morning to do my devotional time and read my Bible, my children have all filtered out one by one as they have woken up. Yesterday all three were out on the floor in the lounge room with their Bibles in hand. Kieran was reading Revelation (which he is really interested in at the moment) and Talia and Justin brought out their Bibles and were reading various stories as they were able. Justin asked me to do a Bible study with him and he as asked again this morning....

I could talk till I am blue in the face about spending time with Jesus every day, but really....A LOT MORE IS CAUGHT THAN TAUGHT!!!

What a responsibility I have to my children to model an authentic walk with you Lord. I have failed miserably at this in the past, please help me everyday to lead my children to you!

Wow! I just enjoyed a rare privilege - I got to have 5 minutes praying with Jimmi before he left for work. Thank you Lord!

Ephesians 1:

(v4,5) "for He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

That is so cool. You had a plan Lord for us to be 'bought back', 'redeemed', adopted back into Your "FAMILY" - to be reinstated as a daughter of the King!

(v7) "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on .."

(v13,14) And you also were included inChrist when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your slavation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory."

Father I want the following verses to be real in my life:

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted whe he rasied Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

Father, please help me to remember the power that you have to make a difference in my life and the lives of people I come in contact with.....it is limitless.

Finally, Ephesians 1: 22,23 says that God appointed Jesus as "head over everything for the churh, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everthing in every way."

One of my favourite songs that expresses Galatians 3-6 beautifully:

I'M FREE!

Galatians 3 - 6 - 29th September, 2009

I have really enjoyed reading these chapters this morning....Thank you Father for your Holy Spirit that has helped me understand what I have read.

Galatians 3:

Simply, salvation is a GIFT and so is the Holy Spirit! There is NOTHING I can do to earn and get them EXCEPT accept what Jesus did for me on Calvary with a grateful heart!

So often I attempt Galatians 3:3, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort?"

Anyone who has accepted Jesus by faith are children of Abraham. Israel as a nation is meaningless. Seventh-day Adventists as a church won't save me. My salvation is totally dependent on my ACCEPTANCE of Jesus by faith!

Galatians 3:24 "So the law was put in charge of us until Christ came that we might be justified by faith."

Two verses that make it all very clear:

Galatians 3: 26-29

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are al one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."

Galatians 4:

As one who relies on the law to save me, I am like a slave...

Galatians 4:4,7 "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship...(7) So you are no longer slaves, but God's children; and since you are his children, he has made you also heirs.

In Galatians 4:10 the people had gone back to observing special days and months and seasons that were part of the ceremonial law. Paul in observing this says, (11)"I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you."

Further on Paul compares Hagar and Sarah as to the law and faith. Hagar represents a child born by human effort/intervention and Sarah represents a child born by faith, a child of promise. Hagar is like the earthly city of Jerusalem, caught in slavery. But "...the Jerusalem that is above is free" (v26). v31 "Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman."

Galatians 5:

Love this verse: (v1) "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

(v4,5) "You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

(6) "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

(v13) You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another humbly in love.

(v16) So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

My commission today is to live the fruits of the Spirit to others:

(v22,23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 6:

(v3) If any of you think you are something when you are nothing, you deceive yourselves.


v14 "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."


Prayer:


Dear Father in Heaven


As I've read these chapters of Galatians I have felt an increasing sense of peace as it has dawned on me again that JESUS is everything! I am nothing! Please Jesus come into my heart anew today, I accept you as my Saviour by faith. Your death on the cross for me is my way to freedom. Holy Spirit please live in me today so that I can show your fruits to my family and to others. !!


Enid for tea tonight

Guiding and disciplining my children (please give me wisdom)

Julie Oliver (Leukemia)

Sarah (jaw)

Hayley & Randall Oliver ( dealing with grief over loss of their baby)

GCCC - Guy, buildings, numbers, council issues

Galatians 1

Galatians 1 starts out by Paul clearly stating who his employer is! "...sent not with a human commission, nor by human authority, but by Jesus christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead..."

This is not about me! Telling others the gospel is God given and God driven! A vital part of being a Christian is the commission to tell others (see Matthew 28: 18-20)

??? Find out what was going on for Paul to write the letter....he alludes to the possibility that the people had thought he was trying to win human approval, maybe it was about when he opposed Peter (Gal 2: 11 -16). Maybe the people thought he was abandoning the ten commandment law? Maybe the people were trying to earn their salvation by DOING the law and making null and void the death of Jesus on the cross? Maybe the people thought that Peter a 'more qualified' follower of Jesus and did not like that Paul had opposed him?

My thoughts:

Brought up in a church that placed a lot of emphasis on the Sabbath and the 'laws' (not necessarily God given) I think maybe I am similar to the people of Galatia. In vain, I try and work my way to God by doing all the 'right' things. NOTHING I can do will ever earn me salvation! IT IS A GIFT! Please Lord help me to always remember to accept Your gift to me and thank you for it every day!

For Today:

Help me to live this verse today: Galatians 2: 20,21 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Prayer:

Sarah's infected jaw
Energy to clean up after Big Camp
Gold Coast Christian College - building program, numbers,
Julie Oliver - Leukemia
Our family - making the time for worship every day

Justin and Kieran prayed a 'popcorn' prayer with me today.

B3 Bible Readings for September 7,8

Last Wednesday was my first meeting with Sonya andFiona as a B3 group. There are assigned Bible readings each day which I have been reading (not always fully understanding)....

2 Chronicles 36: 22, 23. "the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia..." Cyrus says: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you - may the Lord their God be with them, and let them go up."

Thoughts: If the Lord can 'move the heart' of a Persian king to build a temple - then surely He can move my heart!!

Psalm 48: maybe about the beautiful temple, the dwelling place of God, it must have been an awesome sight! I wonder how people look at me as His temple, the dwelling place of God (is there a difference between me and Jo Bloe on the street?) Is it obvious that God lives in me? Do I make God attractive?

Dear Father,

Please help me today to 'shine' for you. Please let the words and actions that I use and do today represent you and your love. As Your 'temple', please come and be my eyes and my heart today, I want to live for You! Amen!