Heart lesson
How is everyone doing so far? I hope you have had a good chance to read the chapters up to this point. We have been doing some digging and rebuilding at the same time. Remember the chapters are not very long if you still have not caught up. Make yourself read it. This is coming from someone who does not take the time to sit down and read. I have a hard time sitting down at all so this Bible Study is good for me to actually read through a whole book. Sooo if I can do it you can do it!
First of all how is the memory work doing? I actually have Isaiah 61:1, working on 2, and 4 memorized. I wanted to have 1-4 memorized by now. So ask me about them. Be my accountability. I want to work on 5 this week. Anyone else up for the challenge?
Lesson chapters 18-19
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted” (Isa. 61:1). Sent means “to shoot”, bind up means “to bind on, wrap around, bind up as a wound, bandage, cover, envelope, enclose”, broken means “to burse, break into pieces, wreck, crush, smash, to rend, tear in pieces”. I’m sure we can all think of a story of our first memory of a broken heart. The first one I can think of that was hard for me was when I was in 8th grade. I didn’t have very many “best friends” growing up because I just had several good friends. I never did the “you’re my best friend” thing. I will say I hated it when there was a three good friend thing going on and it never failed, one is always left out. I’ve been there several times. My 8th grade year I had that special best friend. Her name was Robin. We got to know each other in 7th grade when she was new and had a lot in common. It was February when she got the news that her dad had a new job and they had to move. I couldn’t believe it. I finally had that great friend and now they were moving. Her last day of school was a Friday. The Wednesday morning of that week our family got a call that my dad’ dad and step-mom were hit by a truck and killed. Our family is very close and this was a hard blow to the whole family. We immediately made the plans to drive to Portland to be with the family. First of all my best friend was moving and I may never see her again and then my grandma and grandpa died suddenly and I didn’t get to say goodbye to them either. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my friend. That morning I called her and we said our goodbyes over the phone. That could have been a very tragic moment for me. I was in my pre-teen stage, with all those emotions going on. On the up-side of that week, I have good memories as well. I got to spend a day with my cousin at her school. I had an unplanned vacation from school, and I got to spend time with all my other cousins. It started as a heart break but ended up mended. We have heart breaks throughout our lives but what do we do with those? Look at the story of Joseph. How many heart breaks did he have and yet God always made a way out for him. Just think how it felt to have your brothers sell you only after they threw you down into a hole to die. That rejection must have been incredible. God had a plan for him and Joseph stood strong with God’s strength. When I get my feelings hurt the first thing I want to do is strike back or just the opposite, close up so that I will never be hurt again. If we don’t allow love to go out we can’t allow love to go in. God wants to put the pieces back together but we need to open up and allow him to heal those broken hearts. Right now before you read anymore I want you to think about a situation which caused you to have a broken heart. What was the outcome? Is it still affecting you today? The more open we are with ourselves the more God can heal us. Don’t let yourself hang onto old grudges or hurts. Allow God change the bondage into a bandage.
Read Matthew 18:1-11. Jesus explains to his disciples who are being self-centered that we need to be childlike. Children are innocent, humble, trusting, etc… If you were to cause any of the little ones who believe to sin then it would be better to drown in the sea. That gets right to the point. Jesus stresses how much he loves children over and over in the gospels. The disciples argued over who would was the best or who was the closest to Jesus. Instead of seeking a place of service, they sought positions of advantage. Children are the apple of Christ’s eye. I love all four of my children and I try to be careful not to play favorites. Of course we have one girl in the mix so this makes it extremely hard to be fair to everyone. My second one, Keaton, will be the first one to notice if things are fair or not. We have had a couple of talks about fairness and why Trevin (14) may get to go to the movies with a friend because he is older and Keaton can’t. Lexie may get away with not as many chores as Keaton because she is younger. But the bottom line is that I love them all the same and they are all special to me! They trust me to make decisions for them and in the same way how much more should I trust God with my life. If any of my kids were ever hurt by someone you better believe they would feel the wrath of Rhonda. I would do everything in my power to see that justice was done. Matt. 18:10 says, “What you do for them, you do for Me.” If we His children are hurt, He hurts. Matt. 18:5 says,”Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” We welcome Him when we welcome others. Christ is not the author of abuse! Sometimes we go through things to be refined and grow but abuse is not one of these. When I was about 12 I went to a skating party with a church group. After the party a boy pulled me to the back of the church and began to molest me. Fortunately my parents showed up to pick me up and they started calling for me. The boy let me go. That was the closest I have ever been to being abused and I know how it affected me. That boy was messed up. It was not my fault although at the time I thought it was. When he hurt me, he hurt my Jesus. We are not alone. Jesus loves his children. We are the Apple of His Eye. You may or may not have been the victim of a childhood abuse but we all have suffered some kind of hurt in childhood. Have you surrendered every single part of that hurt to Him?
Assignment
1. Write down a prayer of surrender to Christ, whether you have been a victim or have held grudges. Pray this everyday.
2. Share your thoughts on the lesson. Let’s continue to clean house.
First of all how is the memory work doing? I actually have Isaiah 61:1, working on 2, and 4 memorized. I wanted to have 1-4 memorized by now. So ask me about them. Be my accountability. I want to work on 5 this week. Anyone else up for the challenge?
Lesson chapters 18-19
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted” (Isa. 61:1). Sent means “to shoot”, bind up means “to bind on, wrap around, bind up as a wound, bandage, cover, envelope, enclose”, broken means “to burse, break into pieces, wreck, crush, smash, to rend, tear in pieces”. I’m sure we can all think of a story of our first memory of a broken heart. The first one I can think of that was hard for me was when I was in 8th grade. I didn’t have very many “best friends” growing up because I just had several good friends. I never did the “you’re my best friend” thing. I will say I hated it when there was a three good friend thing going on and it never failed, one is always left out. I’ve been there several times. My 8th grade year I had that special best friend. Her name was Robin. We got to know each other in 7th grade when she was new and had a lot in common. It was February when she got the news that her dad had a new job and they had to move. I couldn’t believe it. I finally had that great friend and now they were moving. Her last day of school was a Friday. The Wednesday morning of that week our family got a call that my dad’ dad and step-mom were hit by a truck and killed. Our family is very close and this was a hard blow to the whole family. We immediately made the plans to drive to Portland to be with the family. First of all my best friend was moving and I may never see her again and then my grandma and grandpa died suddenly and I didn’t get to say goodbye to them either. I didn’t get to say goodbye to my friend. That morning I called her and we said our goodbyes over the phone. That could have been a very tragic moment for me. I was in my pre-teen stage, with all those emotions going on. On the up-side of that week, I have good memories as well. I got to spend a day with my cousin at her school. I had an unplanned vacation from school, and I got to spend time with all my other cousins. It started as a heart break but ended up mended. We have heart breaks throughout our lives but what do we do with those? Look at the story of Joseph. How many heart breaks did he have and yet God always made a way out for him. Just think how it felt to have your brothers sell you only after they threw you down into a hole to die. That rejection must have been incredible. God had a plan for him and Joseph stood strong with God’s strength. When I get my feelings hurt the first thing I want to do is strike back or just the opposite, close up so that I will never be hurt again. If we don’t allow love to go out we can’t allow love to go in. God wants to put the pieces back together but we need to open up and allow him to heal those broken hearts. Right now before you read anymore I want you to think about a situation which caused you to have a broken heart. What was the outcome? Is it still affecting you today? The more open we are with ourselves the more God can heal us. Don’t let yourself hang onto old grudges or hurts. Allow God change the bondage into a bandage.
Read Matthew 18:1-11. Jesus explains to his disciples who are being self-centered that we need to be childlike. Children are innocent, humble, trusting, etc… If you were to cause any of the little ones who believe to sin then it would be better to drown in the sea. That gets right to the point. Jesus stresses how much he loves children over and over in the gospels. The disciples argued over who would was the best or who was the closest to Jesus. Instead of seeking a place of service, they sought positions of advantage. Children are the apple of Christ’s eye. I love all four of my children and I try to be careful not to play favorites. Of course we have one girl in the mix so this makes it extremely hard to be fair to everyone. My second one, Keaton, will be the first one to notice if things are fair or not. We have had a couple of talks about fairness and why Trevin (14) may get to go to the movies with a friend because he is older and Keaton can’t. Lexie may get away with not as many chores as Keaton because she is younger. But the bottom line is that I love them all the same and they are all special to me! They trust me to make decisions for them and in the same way how much more should I trust God with my life. If any of my kids were ever hurt by someone you better believe they would feel the wrath of Rhonda. I would do everything in my power to see that justice was done. Matt. 18:10 says, “What you do for them, you do for Me.” If we His children are hurt, He hurts. Matt. 18:5 says,”Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” We welcome Him when we welcome others. Christ is not the author of abuse! Sometimes we go through things to be refined and grow but abuse is not one of these. When I was about 12 I went to a skating party with a church group. After the party a boy pulled me to the back of the church and began to molest me. Fortunately my parents showed up to pick me up and they started calling for me. The boy let me go. That was the closest I have ever been to being abused and I know how it affected me. That boy was messed up. It was not my fault although at the time I thought it was. When he hurt me, he hurt my Jesus. We are not alone. Jesus loves his children. We are the Apple of His Eye. You may or may not have been the victim of a childhood abuse but we all have suffered some kind of hurt in childhood. Have you surrendered every single part of that hurt to Him?
Assignment
1. Write down a prayer of surrender to Christ, whether you have been a victim or have held grudges. Pray this everyday.
2. Share your thoughts on the lesson. Let’s continue to clean house.
posted by Rhonda | 5:57 PM
1 Comments:
Rhonda this is such a good lesson. I was really struck by the common response to hurt: "close up and never get hurt again." That is how I respond. I was hurt by a very very close friend a few years back and I determined to never let someone have that opportunity again. It still affects me, but I am learning to trust people and "let them in" to see my weaknesses and vulnerabilities. If any of you out there have ever wondered if Di ever lets people "in" I'll be honest and say that I am working on that. In fact, you Rhonda, are probably the first person I have really let in in a while. That is progress...house is being cleaned.
I am proud of you ladies, for sharing with such honesty. Thank you Cheryl and Samm for your very real open hearts to what God is teaching you. You constantly encourage me that we are on the right track with the Bible Study.
have a great day everyone!
di
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