Being washed by the Word of God:
We read in Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Man's heart is filled with many things: things like fear, anxiety, worry, hatred, jealousy, and many more. But in Ephesians 3:17 we read - that Christ may dwell in our hearts.
He is praying that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.
We see here that our transformation starts with the heart. That means that how I identify myself in my heart is important.
When we read the words "rooted" and "grounded" we must see that he is giving us a PICTURE. The Bible gives us clues and markers whereby we can form the bigger picture of God's plan for us.
When he says "rooted" he is talking about a TREE. When he says "grounded" he is talking about a HOUSE. Trees have roots, and houses are grounded - we are a house built on the ROCK Jesus Christ. This means he is talking about us - we are compared to a TREE, rooted in LOVE.
We read in Proverbs 23:7: For as he thinks in his heart so is he.
If we think like Christ, in our hearts (which is our mindset and understanding) we become more and more like Him.
We also read in Ephesians 3:16 that through His Spirit we might be strengthened in the inner man. It is a work of the Spirit. It is not by our works.
This is my prayer for my children: that by the Holy Spirit, they would be strengthened in their inner man, not by their own doing or by their efforts, but only by His Spirit. That Christ may dwell in their hearts fully. That they will follow after Christ and that He will take them from GLORY TO GLORY. May this be our prayer as we walk together on this journey of discovery.
Spirit and Word - Teach them to use the S(WORD):
I want to start with baby steps: teaching my little one's concepts and a simple language they'll understand:
Psalm 1:3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
We are like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
Trees bear fruit in their season, but if we are compared to trees then what is our fruit?
Hebrews 13:15 says: Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.
The fruit of our lips(speaking mouth) is our WORDS.
Our words spring forth from our hearts: Jesus says in Matthew 12:34: For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
We read in Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
If we meditate on what God says, and when we speak His truth we will be strengthened.
Around the dining room table:
This is not a Bible study but rather an informal conversation centered around a specific Scripture or Bible concept. I let the children read one scripture each night because especially during the week our time is very limited. I know that the little seeds we plant will grow in their hearts.
Conversation starters:
A tree grows from a seed right? But then it grows into branches, leaves, and eventually fruit.
Does an apple tree give oranges? Do we find any trees that bear different kinds of fruit on one tree?
Getting to the Core:
(For 10-12-year-olds) Teaching him to use the Blue Letter Bible app. Divan enjoys using the BLB app on his phone to search for specific meanings of words that we read during our time together. I usually highlight two or three words that I want him to search out. He then writes the original meaning of the word on the template below. We put it against our dining room wall where we can refer back to it while we are discussing a specific theme.
He then uses the app to identify other places in scripture where the specific word is used and we read them together during the next few weeks. This teaches us that scripture interprets scripture! He also thinks he is getting additional screen time which is a huge incentive.
God's alphabet:
(For 7-9-year-olds) Teaching her the language of the Spirit:
Mia is very creative and she has the job of coloring/decorating our Visual aids for our specific theme. Her artwork then goes against the wall. (I usually move them to our bathroom when we start with the next theme in our RP series)
Visual aid:
Make it Fun:
Climb a tree together.
Plant a tree!
Have a picnic under a tree - let them pack a fruit basket.
Bake cookies and decorate them with heart-shaped sprinkles.
Lord Jesus, dwell in our hearts. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit. Teach us to think as YOU think. Let the meditation of our hearts and the words of our mouths be acceptable in Your sight.
Amen
Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Equipping a Royal Priesthood, a generation to rule and multiply.
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