These Words

Posted on 2021-02-08 by Mirjam Fels

If I would ask you, “Which are your favorite verses of God’s Word?” what would you say? Would you mention one or more passages of the Bible? Which one/s?

If you would ask me about my favorite verses in the Bible I would quote a few that I memorized over the years. If you would, however, wask me about my favorite verses in regard to homeschooling then I would mention the following ones:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Why? They serve as key points for the homeschool family. To the newcomer they will serve as a way of introduction and for the one who is practicing homeschooling they will serve as a reminder to stay on target.

The pastors of our former online church used to quote them every single Sunday right before the start of the sermon. And these words, which we have heard over and over and over again, got stuck in our thoughts and began to sink into our hearts and minds. We could have never imagined, ever, to not hear them quoted in church on a Sunday.

Repetition was and still is the key to learning. You will read more on that important subject from time to time. So please stay tuned.

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Teach Good Things

Posted on 2020-12-08 by Mirjam Fels

LORD Jesus, we praise You for giving us Your Word as a Counsel for our lives. Help us, O God we pray, to seek You early in life — each and every day. Enable us older women to be teachers of good things. Give us wisdom to teach the younger women what Your Word says — and not what we want them to do. Guide the younger women to look beyond the age and faults of the older women and to keep their focus on Your Word. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

We are currently preparing for and then having an early Christmas celebration at the weekend. That’s why this blog will be on hold for a short time. Here is something for you (and me) to take along into this week.

If you are following along in our Bible Reading Plan (see sidebar and below) you will read Titus 1-3 today. There are three verses that are found in chapter three which I like to go back to over and over again (Titus 3:3-5).

Let’s begin reading in verse one up to verse five of that chapter:

1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:
2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;
3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—
4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

The phrase “older women” might not only refer to the age here but also to the maturity in the faith. We can only teach what we have learned ourselves. We may teach others some of those things that we have mastered. We might, however, also share with them our experiences of things gone wrong — perhaps because we went our own way and acted contrary to what God’s Word tells us to do? Yes, sometimes our teaching will involve that we are making ourselves vulnerable and that our own faults are being exposed.

With this is mind, let us ask a few questions in regard to the text. How should we behave and what should we not do? What are older women to be? How should we teach the young women? What should we teach the young women? For what important reason should all of this happen?

Be diligent to teach and learn good things.

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Proverbs 31 Woman — Part 21

Posted on 2020-12-04 by Mirjam Fels

Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:31

LORD Jesus, we praise You for leading us through Your Word. Forgive us whenever we are not so diligent in studying our Bible. Give us wisdom, O God we pray, and help us to understand what You are telling us to do. Guide us in Your Way. Let us seek not our own but Your Strength every day. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

Today’s post concludes our study of Proverbs 31:10-31. It has been a fascinating journey to prepare and write it. I hope you too have gained something out of it. Thanks be to all of you who have so graciously shared their thoughts on this series with me. Words alone could not express how grateful I’m for your encouragements and prayers — which kept me going especially while things were not going according to (my) plan. Thank you so much!

READ — Let’s read the verse again

Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

ENGAGE — What does the verse say?

What shall be given to the virtuous woman?
(the) _____ _____ _____ _____

What shall praise her?
(her own) _____

Where shall she be praised?
_____ _____ _____

At first reading this verse challenges us to do more, to work harder, and to focus on what we can — or could — achieve in life. Some of us might feel guilty comparing ourselves to others. And how often do we follow the advice of this world and ungodly people instead of doing what the Word of God is telling us to do?

APPLY — How does this apply to your own life?

What comes to your mind while you are thinking of the fruit of your hands? Do you think you are worthy of praise? Why or why not?

DO — Think: What are some of the ways you could apply this verse?

You want to achieve that your fruit, the outcome of your work, is good, right? On how many days, though, do you fight back your tears because you feel like a complete failure? “Is it really worth it to press on?” you might ask. It sure is!

You can prepare the soil and sow the seeds, and you can water your tiny and grownup plants to make way for growth and development of strong roots. Remember, though, that there are struggles you will have to face: the ground might dry out, the weeds will grow along and threaten to prevent growth to happen. Don’t despair! God always remains in control. Hallelujah!

Looking back to our verse in yesterday’s post I want to give some advice to the young women and also remind and encourage the older women among us.

Do you want a strong marriage and a content family? Then build it on the right Foundation: The Word of God. If Christ Jesus is left outside the boat of family life you will eventually be left without the Anchor which you will need as soon as storms hit. Your charm will only solve problems for so long, and your beauty will eventually leave. Then what?

Did you build on the wrong foundation? Have you trusted in your own ability to convince yourself and others that “everything will be okay somehow?” What do you see looking into the mirror? Bitterness? Wrinkles? Someone you do not like to see each day? Today is the day to change!

1 Build on Christ the LORD who is the solid Rock!
2 Work as unto the LORD and not as unto men.
3 Trust in God’s Promises that He has given to you in His Word.

Hope in God and never give up to fight for your family.

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