Day 58, Life Journal Essential 100 Challenge

Today’s Reading: Matthew 13:1-58

Theme: The Kingdom of Heaven

Scripture: 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (”Matthew 13:18-23 NIV)

Observation: This is one of my favorite teaching sessions Jesus ever taught. The story tells us that large crowds were surrounding Jesus, while his audience stands on the shore. With great expectation, the crowds were hopeful and anxiously waited to hear from Him wondering what will be the topic that day. He jumps on a boat and starts to teach them the new way in understanding about the Kingdom of Heaven through parable. Notice, in Matthew chapter 5 to 6 the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talks to his disciples about “blessedness” and how to treat others in a kingdom manner. In chapter 13, Jesus talks about the “Kingdom of Heaven”. His teaching was not limited to His disciples, but to the entire multitude. Verses 18-23 Jesus explains the parable to his audience. The seed sown is his Word, the Gospel of the Kingdom. The soil is the human heart.

There are four kinds of human heart as Jesus described in this chapter:

1. The seed fell on the side of the road – this is the person who hears the Word of God that don’t understand it, who can’t believe it, and won’t be saved by it. Their hearts are like the side of the road. No matter how many seeds you plant there, nothing can grow.

2. The seed fell on rocky ground – this is the person who accepts the Word with joy and it grew quickly, but then dies just as quickly because the sun will scorch it.

3. The seed that fell among the thorny weeds – this is the person who takes the Word to heart, but is so full of worldly cares!

4. The seed fell on the good soil – this is the person that hears the Word and receives it and treasures it. This is the person that produces fruit in his or her life.

Application: As followers of Jesus, we need to examine our hearts and ask ourselves these questions.

- Where am I in this picture?

- Am I that person who hears the Word of God and whose heart is full of pride, stubborn and stiff-

necked?

- Am I that person that loves to hear the Word of God but not deeply rooted so when trials and                temptations come I easily give up?

- Am I that person that takes the Word of God to heart and at the same time living in sin?

- Or am I that person who hears the Word of God that receives it, loves it, and puts it into practice?

Although there are many kingdoms in this world, there is only one that WILL last forever – the Kingdom of God!

Kingdom people are the ones who hear God’s Word and accept them with joy and treasure them in their hearts and lives them and His Word produces fruit in their lives. Kingdom people passionately love Jesus and obey Him in every little thing.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. Your word gives life, wisdom, strength and encouragement to my soul. I love your Word. I love you Jesus!

junn

Scripture: The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:1-6)

Observation:

Here we find Eve engaging in a conversation with a serpent – bad idea. Obviously the serpent was up to something. Eve was quick to doubt that she had more than enough in the garden because God is providing for her. She was quick to forget what God had said, “You must not eat fruit from the tree…. or you will die.” Her desires (what’s pleasing to her eyes, the thought of becoming like God and gaining knowledge of what’s good and evil) took control of her and she and her husband, who was with her, disobeyed God.

Application:

The devil is a deceiver. He is the father of lies and has been lying from the very beginning. Any thoughts that are not of God has only one place – out of our lives. We must submit to God every desire in our hearts. There is nothing wrong when we desire good things for our children. It is right to desire education for them, to provide for them, etc. But sometimes our desires (such as a car or vacation I cannot afford, etc.), if they’re not part of God’s plan for us, can get us into trouble. Ask God, “Lord, is this what you want for me?” As Jesus’ followers He is our Lord and we must always seek His will for our lives and be able to say no to things that will hinder us from being in right relationship with God (obedience).

Prayer:

Jesus, today I declare You Lord over my life. Help me to see things in my life that I need to let go, or run away from, or stop doing. I love you, Lord. And I will choose to obey You. Help me to hear you clearly when You speak to my heart.

tet

Today’s reading: Psalm, 65, 98, 138  & Proverbs 18

Theme: Praise

DAY 18

Scripture: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Prov. 18:21 NIV)

Observation: Words are a reflection of the heart. Naturally our hearts should cause our mouth to speak. They have potential for great good or great harm. Words can affect us tremendously (Prov. 13:2-3). They can also grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30-31).

Application: As the book of James teaches, we should be quick to listen and slow to speak (Jas 1:19-20; Eccl 5:2; Ps 141:3). We should guard our hearts and mouths, especially, when we are angry and very emotional. The Holy Spirit will help us when we ask Him. Let us be encouraged today to fill our mouths with praise, thanksgiving to our God, and as Paul says, “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – we are to think about these things” (Philippians 4:8), for “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34-35 NIV).

Additional Reading . . .

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. (Pr 10:19 NIV)

But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (Pr 3:8 NIV)

Let the words of my mouth AND the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps 19:14)

Prayer:

Dear God, help us to be thoughtful with the words we utter in our every day lives. Above all else we guard our hearts and protect our lips from evil talks. May we not participate nor contribute to anything that are destructive. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

junn

Below, is a video from Relient K.   Be Blessed!

It has been a great start to the summer so far, and we’ve been enjoying some really wonderful weather.  But I must admit having three children out of school for two months can be quite stressful as I’ve come to realize this year.  This is the first summer vacation that my children are not in daycare and I now recognize the challenge that many parents face each summer — the kids are off but the parents are not!  So now what do we do???  That has been my question since the beginning of June when I realized I have to somehow find a way to keep my children (aged: 13, 9, & 7) busy while my husband and I both work…. believe me there is no easy solution, we’re still struggling to work out childcare arrangements for each week & we’re only halfway through month #1, YIKES!

Looking back now I felt confident heading into the month of July.  My son (the 13-year-old) had to attend summer school for math, which at first I thought was unfortunate because as a mom I expected more from him but thinking it over now I realize it worked out better this way.  He is occupied for the entire month of July learning, so I see this as a blessing for sure!  When I was looking for day camps  and summer programs for the girls I realized they are really expensive and not something our family budgeted for.  Luckily two churches that we’ve had great experiences with in our community offered free VBS programs suited for daughters.  Those programs took care of weeks 1 & 3 for the month of July, but this week was the one where I had no idea what to do about childcare…. I’m so thankful to have a supporting family that jumped in to help.  Thanks to my aunt, grandma, cousin, & sister - I didn’t have to worry about where the girls would be this week, and I’m hoping they will do the same for the last week of July too (just putting it out there in case they happen to come across this blog :)).

Looking ahead to August this is the first year that my youngest daughter is old enough to attend the FREE overnight camp offered by Liberty - Camp Inner-Change! She is so excited and our own camp will kick-off the childcare planning schedule for next month because I know I won’t have to worry about the kids from August 1-5 while they enjoy a week away from the city at Braeside Camp.

As for the rest of the summer….I’m believing God will work it out as long as I do my part too! Hope you all have a refreshingly blessed week!

Nina

I am still excited about the journey, being honest there have been a few slips along the way requiring morning & evening readings to stay on track–but overall it has been great so far.  The reading challenge has opened up more discussions about the Bible between myself and my husband, which has been really great!  As I wind down for the evening I wanted to offer my findings for today.

Scripture: Mark 8:15

“It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you, you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”

Observation:

This is such a strong reminder of the power our tongue has to build people up or break-down them down!  Sometimes it’s not just others because we also do it to ourselves.  It is such an important teaching tool for me in raising our kids; encouraging them to speak words of life and blessings over themselves and others, because it is far to easy to want to speak negatively.  The words that we say reflect the true character of who we are on the inside and this is why it is so important for me to continuously ask Jesus to transform me from the inside out, and help me to work through those areas that I struggle with.

Application:

It is easy to say - just don’t speak bad things then….but it’s not that easy to do!  I know how great it feels to be encouraged and have uplifting words of life spoken to me, so each day I try to do the same to others.  My first since starting this challenge was a simple one.  I wrote, “God help me to live each day in a way that would bring a pleasing smile to your face.” That has been the standard that I am trying to live by - which helps me to use positive words of encouragment each day.  My children are great at holding me accountable (as I do with them) because when we don’t the penalty is a donation to the “swear” jar.  In our context speaking any negative words to someone is considered a “swear” word.

Prayer:

Father, help me to learn from the example of how Jesus lived on this earth.  Let the words I speak be influenced by You and not by the world I live in!

Nina

S - scriptures: ³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  ³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ^35’For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25: 31-36 NIV)

O - observation: These passages remind me that God cares for the poor, the foreigner, the sick and the lonely. So much so that when we care for them it is just as if we did it to Him. (Read also James 2:15-16, James 1:27; Acts 4:32-35) God will separate those who will obey this mandate and those who will not. And He is ready to give His Kingdom to those who will.

A - application: Our lives can be filled with so much concerns as well, but in this passages, I am reminded of those that Jesus cares about.

P - prayer: Father God, may I never be caught up with so much worldly concerns to the point that I forget those who are needy around me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

junn

Everyday around 4pm I listen for someone to walk in through our door – whether it’s my husband coming home from work or my boys arriving from school. Knowing that everyone’s home, “safe and sound”, always gives me a sense of peace. This week I heard a disturbing news about 2 students (from the same school where one of my sons go) being involved in a stabbing incident. I wonder what drives a 13 or 14 year old to such violence. And as a mother, I realize that everyday we have more and more reason to be prayerful over our children. Not just for our own but for kids, in general, living in a world we live in today. Recently, I was reading about Eunice and Lois – mother and grandmother of Timothy who was a close friend and helper to the apostle Paul. These women, as mentioned by Paul, were women of faith and have clearly passed on their faith to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5), who became a man of God. This passage reminded me of the importance of living our faith everyday and teaching our children while they are young - about God, about the Scriptures and about how to live. I believe Eunice and Lois were good influencers and they lived in such a way so that everyone can see their faith. I believe we can, too.

tet

I often find myself asking, “Where does the weekend go?”

Saturday morning is truly the only day of the week when in all reality I could sleep in, but that never seems to be the case! Since I have 3 lovely children on Saturday I get the joy of being the “DD” - “Designated Driver” and with three kids in the house there is always somewhere that someone needs to be and of course I (or occasionally my husband) have to be the one to get them there. Sporting activities, dance classes, competitions, birthday parties, play dates, and on-and-on the list goes. It’s surprising to me that children can have such busy social lives when they have only been alive for a few short years. I’m very thankful for my children and I’m sure if they were forever just around the house I’d be encouraging them to get out and be busy.

Ah well I guess these are just the woes of a mother on-the-go, but I’m sure there are many other parents that can relate too.
I invite you to share your comments & let me know what your Saturdays are like? If you can offer any insights on how to reclaim my Saturdays, please share your thoughts. In the meantime I’ll continue to anxiously await the day when my kids are old enough to drive. I’m sure the issue will then become who gets to use the car? And when? At least I still have a few years to go before having to cross that bridge so I won’t worry about that for now…

Nina

With Family Day already behind us - it’s time to start planning for the next big break from school - March Break!  So in an effort to prepare in advance I thought it might be helpful to offer some suggestions of how to keep the kids busy.  There are usually a lot of activities happening around the GTA and surrounding areas during the March Break so here are 10 things to consider for some family fun…

1.    Spring Fling at the Rogers Centre
2.    Sign the kids up for a Parks & Recreation camp experience
3.    Check out the your local movie listings - there’s bound to be something for the kids
4.    If you’ve never been in a castle before Casa Loma is a great option
5.    Consider a dinner theater show that the kids will love, Medieval Times is a good alternate too
6.    For the animal lovers - there are always special exhibits at the Toronto Zoo
7.    If classical music is the thing your child adores then Music & Truffles would be a good fit (this event does not fall over the March Break - but deserves an honorable mention!)
8.    Go for a round of skiing or snowboarding right in the city
9.    Habourfront always has something happening…
10.  You can always just spend time at home with the ones you LOVE!

Hope this can at least get you started with the planning for March Break.  If anyone out there knows of any other exciting things happening around the city be sure to share your comments here!  Don’t forget that we’d love to have your whole family join us for our Sunday morning Worship Experience over the March Break (or any other Sunday too!).  We have lots of exciting activities for the kids every Sunday - so check us out.

Nina