PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for this new day. Thank you for the cross where Jesus died for our sins so we can talk to you again. In Jesus name, Amen.
SONGS: Trust and Obey, Praise Him, Thy Word have i hid in my heart
BIBLE STORY: Mark 2: 1-12
Let’s look up today’s story in God’s Word the Bible so we can see the truths Jesus told us. Today we are going to hear about a man and his friends who believed in Jesus and trusted Him even though it seemed like they would not be able to reach Him.
Have you ever been in a really crowded room? When you are squashed or there are lots of people. On this day Jesus was talking in a room and a lot of people were all squashed into one room. A man who could not walk and his friends could not bring him in to see Jesus as there was no space... What did they do?
Read Rooftop Miracle taken from the Word & Song Bible.
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. Where was Jesus in our Bible story? (In a house)
2. Was there a lot of room in the house? (No, it was very crowded.)
3. What was wrong with the man in our Bible story? (He was sick – he could not walk)
4. What did his friends do? (They were carrying their friend to Jesus. When they could not get in the door, they made a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down.)
5. What did they ask Jesus to do? (Heal their friend)
6. Did Jesus heal the man? (Yes!”)
MEMORY VERSE – Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
CRAFT – A man lowered through the roof of a house!
Materials needed – box of some sort with a lid (similar to a box obtained from a bakery), craft knife, pipe cleaners, punch, cotton wool, cutout shape of a man.
· Take the box and cut a hole in the lid of the box in the shape of a rectangle.
· Trim the edges of the part that has been cut out so it will fit smoothly into your hole.
· Turn the card around so the white side is face down, then punch one hole at each corner giving you four holes.
· Use the pipe cleaner to thread through the holes on either side, giving you a little bed with handles.
· Take some cotton wool and glue it at the one end of the bed for a “pillow”.
· Use the shape of the man to be coloured in by the children and glue it on and lower him down into the house. Older children may decorate the house outside. Depending on the age of the children they can help with each stage.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Respect is Key!
RESPECT IS KEY!
Chapter 16 – Proverbs 31: 23
‘Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.’
Prince charming arrives ... tall, dark and handsome with a gift of beautiful blooms and a box of chocolates/ a bottle of perfume/ expensive jewellery (choose whichever one suits you) and then the happy couple set off for a romantic dinner on their own. Romantic movies portray this so-called ideal all the time and hence we think that there are people who live like this permanently with no difficulties or painful circumstances. As a result scores of disgruntled wives go through life believing that anything less than the above makes for unfulfilled expectations.
Have we ever thought that we have our own princes, that your husband is your prince given to you by God and he is the one whom you have a wonderful oporunity to serve and love this whoel life through. Whatever happens in your marriage is ordained by God, is not this the time to take stock of how you have been progressing and see where you could improve? We are already 23 verses into our study and how amazing is the power of God’s Word to change us.
A MATTER OF RESPECT
The Proverbs 31 woman’s husband is also described in this manner in the NIV:
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.’
This man is able to focus on delivering righteous judgement as he is looked after and provided for at home in a respectful way. How easy it can sometimes be to allow the respect of our husbands to slip as we fall into a rut of nagging and complaining. This should not be the case.
An excerpt from a sermon John Piper gave, brings some light as to why verse 23 was included in an acrostic poem about an incredibly godly woman, who fears and loves the Lord.
“Verse 23 seems out of place in a song of praise to women. It says, ‘Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.’ How is it that a word of praise to the wife who fears the Lord? Proverbs 12:4 gives the answer: ‘A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is rottenness of his bones.’ A wife who fears the Lord increases the esteem of her husband at the gates of the city. In twelve and a half years of marriage my wife has never done or said anything in public that would have caused me to be ashamed. She has my absolute trust as a representative of what our family stands for. There is no place i might go where i would be ashamed to take Noel. She is a crown to my head and a signet ring on my right hand. She is for me 100% because she is a woman who fears the Lord. And I pray that every wife here will, under God, give that kind of support to your husband.”
This woman’s husband is given a tribute due to her hard work and dedication. But the opposite can also be true, lets look at another Scripture which also sheds some light on a wife who si continually arguing with her husband and those around her:
‘A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentioius woman are alike.’ Proverbs
Manners and Customs of the Bible explains it as follows:
Reference is undoubtedly made here to the frequent leaks to which the flat roofs of Eastern houses are subject. Having merely a covering of earth, rolled smooth and hard, a heacy rain will soon succeed in fidning its way through, when the drops will fall into the room below. Thus making it uncomfortable, if not actually uninhabitable. Travellers are frequently disturbed in this manner during violent storms, sometimes being obliged to change their quarters in the middle of the night.’
Wow, I cringe at the thought that at times I may have made my husband want to ‘change beds because the leak was so bad’. A man who is in a home with a woman like this will not be respected in the gates but rather shamed, embarrassed and possibly even resentful. As an aside I love the fact that my husband loves coming home from work to his growing family. It can be so easy to want to offload as soon as he walks through the door and sometimes I do! But the most God-honouring thing to do is to get the children together to go and meet him with a kiss and a hug and welcome him into the home. Yes your day was probably difficult, yes there will be challenges still there in the morning but the Lord wants us to not nag nor be sour with our husbands but rather this study has really shown me the effect I can have on my home for the worse or the better. We can show respect for our husbands in the following ways:
Not to belittle him in private or public, pray for him, if he returns from work or being out later than usual still meet him at the door and warm his supper up, do not complain about your budget and how there is no money – rather thank him for his hard work and trust God to provide. A man who is continually worrying about a wife who is grumbling about finances will not be ‘known in the gates’.
Even when your husband is not paying attention we are still called to lay down our lives for them and he will then be raised up in his position and be able to ‘wear his wife as a crown’ becaseu she does him good (v 12) and he can fully trust her (v 11). She is not spiteful or a nag (v 12), she is mindful of family needs (v 14-15) and thinks for herself while still being submissive (v 16). This woman does not live by her emotions as we said above she does not offload as soon as her husband walks in the door! Her husband is touched by her love and compassion for others too (v 20) and yet at the end of the day she has time and energy for her husband. As Carolyn Mahaney says your husband will not be unhappy with peanut butter sandwiches for supper if it means you are rested and energetic enough for dessert J.
So we see that this verse about her husband is not misplaced at all. When we believe the Proverbs 31 passage and act in faith we build up our husbands and we fall more in love with our earthly prince charmings’ and more importantly our Heavenly King.
Ruth 4:11 ‘All the people in the court, and the elders, said “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rached and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. (NASB)
This is a poem that my mom read to me a while ago from Streams in the Desert:
It isn’t the things you do dear,
It’s the thing you leave undone,
Which gives you the bitter heartache
At the setting of the sun.
The tender word unspoken,
The letter you did not write,
The flower you might have sent, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of your brother’s way
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried to much to say.
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle and winsome tone,
That you had no time or thought for,
With troubles enough of your own.
These little acts of kidness,
So easily out of mind,
These chances to be angels,
Which even mortals find
They come in night and silence,
Each chill reproachful wraith,
When hope is faint and flagging,
And a blight has been dropped on faith.
For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all too great,
To suffer our slow compassion
That tarries until too late.
And it’s not the things you do, dear,
Its the things you leave undone,
Which gives you the bitter heartache,
At the setting of the sun. Adelaide Proctor
Written by
Ruth Phillips
(My apologies for the delay in posting this)
Chapter 16 – Proverbs 31: 23
‘Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.’
Prince charming arrives ... tall, dark and handsome with a gift of beautiful blooms and a box of chocolates/ a bottle of perfume/ expensive jewellery (choose whichever one suits you) and then the happy couple set off for a romantic dinner on their own. Romantic movies portray this so-called ideal all the time and hence we think that there are people who live like this permanently with no difficulties or painful circumstances. As a result scores of disgruntled wives go through life believing that anything less than the above makes for unfulfilled expectations.
Have we ever thought that we have our own princes, that your husband is your prince given to you by God and he is the one whom you have a wonderful oporunity to serve and love this whoel life through. Whatever happens in your marriage is ordained by God, is not this the time to take stock of how you have been progressing and see where you could improve? We are already 23 verses into our study and how amazing is the power of God’s Word to change us.
A MATTER OF RESPECT
The Proverbs 31 woman’s husband is also described in this manner in the NIV:
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.’
This man is able to focus on delivering righteous judgement as he is looked after and provided for at home in a respectful way. How easy it can sometimes be to allow the respect of our husbands to slip as we fall into a rut of nagging and complaining. This should not be the case.
An excerpt from a sermon John Piper gave, brings some light as to why verse 23 was included in an acrostic poem about an incredibly godly woman, who fears and loves the Lord.
“Verse 23 seems out of place in a song of praise to women. It says, ‘Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.’ How is it that a word of praise to the wife who fears the Lord? Proverbs 12:4 gives the answer: ‘A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is rottenness of his bones.’ A wife who fears the Lord increases the esteem of her husband at the gates of the city. In twelve and a half years of marriage my wife has never done or said anything in public that would have caused me to be ashamed. She has my absolute trust as a representative of what our family stands for. There is no place i might go where i would be ashamed to take Noel. She is a crown to my head and a signet ring on my right hand. She is for me 100% because she is a woman who fears the Lord. And I pray that every wife here will, under God, give that kind of support to your husband.”
This woman’s husband is given a tribute due to her hard work and dedication. But the opposite can also be true, lets look at another Scripture which also sheds some light on a wife who si continually arguing with her husband and those around her:
‘A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentioius woman are alike.’ Proverbs
Manners and Customs of the Bible explains it as follows:
Reference is undoubtedly made here to the frequent leaks to which the flat roofs of Eastern houses are subject. Having merely a covering of earth, rolled smooth and hard, a heacy rain will soon succeed in fidning its way through, when the drops will fall into the room below. Thus making it uncomfortable, if not actually uninhabitable. Travellers are frequently disturbed in this manner during violent storms, sometimes being obliged to change their quarters in the middle of the night.’
Wow, I cringe at the thought that at times I may have made my husband want to ‘change beds because the leak was so bad’. A man who is in a home with a woman like this will not be respected in the gates but rather shamed, embarrassed and possibly even resentful. As an aside I love the fact that my husband loves coming home from work to his growing family. It can be so easy to want to offload as soon as he walks through the door and sometimes I do! But the most God-honouring thing to do is to get the children together to go and meet him with a kiss and a hug and welcome him into the home. Yes your day was probably difficult, yes there will be challenges still there in the morning but the Lord wants us to not nag nor be sour with our husbands but rather this study has really shown me the effect I can have on my home for the worse or the better. We can show respect for our husbands in the following ways:
Not to belittle him in private or public, pray for him, if he returns from work or being out later than usual still meet him at the door and warm his supper up, do not complain about your budget and how there is no money – rather thank him for his hard work and trust God to provide. A man who is continually worrying about a wife who is grumbling about finances will not be ‘known in the gates’.
Even when your husband is not paying attention we are still called to lay down our lives for them and he will then be raised up in his position and be able to ‘wear his wife as a crown’ becaseu she does him good (v 12) and he can fully trust her (v 11). She is not spiteful or a nag (v 12), she is mindful of family needs (v 14-15) and thinks for herself while still being submissive (v 16). This woman does not live by her emotions as we said above she does not offload as soon as her husband walks in the door! Her husband is touched by her love and compassion for others too (v 20) and yet at the end of the day she has time and energy for her husband. As Carolyn Mahaney says your husband will not be unhappy with peanut butter sandwiches for supper if it means you are rested and energetic enough for dessert J.
So we see that this verse about her husband is not misplaced at all. When we believe the Proverbs 31 passage and act in faith we build up our husbands and we fall more in love with our earthly prince charmings’ and more importantly our Heavenly King.
Ruth 4:11 ‘All the people in the court, and the elders, said “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rached and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. (NASB)
This is a poem that my mom read to me a while ago from Streams in the Desert:
It isn’t the things you do dear,
It’s the thing you leave undone,
Which gives you the bitter heartache
At the setting of the sun.
The tender word unspoken,
The letter you did not write,
The flower you might have sent, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.
The stone you might have lifted
Out of your brother’s way
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried to much to say.
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle and winsome tone,
That you had no time or thought for,
With troubles enough of your own.
These little acts of kidness,
So easily out of mind,
These chances to be angels,
Which even mortals find
They come in night and silence,
Each chill reproachful wraith,
When hope is faint and flagging,
And a blight has been dropped on faith.
For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all too great,
To suffer our slow compassion
That tarries until too late.
And it’s not the things you do, dear,
Its the things you leave undone,
Which gives you the bitter heartache,
At the setting of the sun. Adelaide Proctor
Written by
Ruth Phillips
(My apologies for the delay in posting this)
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