The parable of the two sons

We are starting our lesson today preparing for Easter.  Easter will be here in just a couple of weeks and I thought it would be good to learn a little about Lent.   What is lent? Lent is to prepare men for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ.  Lent lasts for 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter.  Many people mark their foreheads with ash and they will abstain from certain foods or things they enjoy for 40 days.  This is done to supposedly imitate Jesus' forty days that he spent in the wilderness.  (Matthew 4: 1 - 2) 

As a whole Baptists don't celebrate Lent, but I am thinking of ways that I can prepare better for Easter or maybe just better for my spiritual life.  Should I give up something or should I add something to my spiritual walk?   Maybe we could try to memorize just one Bible verse a day until Easter.  Like I said before Lent usually starts 40 days before Easter and it is only 14 days until Easter but I think I will try to do something to strengthen my walk with Jesus by Easter and hopefully it will continue on past Easter to the rest of the year.

Today our lesson is on the parable of the two sons:
Luke 15:11-32

Jesus told this parable of the two sons when he was trying to help people understand more about God's love. He said there was much joy among the angels and God over one wicked person who repents of his past sins and comes back to the Lord. The story Jesus said was:

There was a man who had two sons. The older son was a good and hard worker. The younger son told his father "give me the part of the property that is mine because I want my inheritance now"! So the father gave him the money from his half of the inheritance and the younger son traveled to another country wasting his money recklessly. He spent all day partying and spending his money until he had nothing left. A great famine fell upon the country and the son had no food, no friends and was forced to take the lowly job of looking after pigs and feeding them. He was so hungry that he could have eaten the pigs food because no one helped him or gave him anything. He thought that even his fathers servants have a better life than he and also plenty of food. He then decided to go back home and plead to him to his Father that he had sinned against God and his father, and he wasn't worthy to be his son anymore, and wanted to just be a servant of his dad. As he headed home, his father saw the youngest of the sons a long way off in the distance and began to run to him and hugged and kissed him. The son began to say to him that he had sinned against him and God and was not fit to be his son anymore. But his father stopped him and asked his servants to bring the best robe for him quickly, as well as a ring for his finger and sandals for his bare feet. His father also ordered the servants to prepare the biggest calf for a great feast and party to welcome the son home. The father said to his servants "Look, my son was dead, but now he is alive, he was lost but now he is found". They all then began to celebrate. The oldest son was returning from the field and heard music and dancing and asked a servant what was going on. He was told it was a homecoming party for his younger brother. The older brother became very angry and did not join the party. Then his father came out and the older son turned away and said to his father "I can't believe I've served you obediently all these years and I have never received a party, but my good for nothing little brother returns and is treated like royalty!" The father responded "Son you have always been with me and everything I have is yours. I thought your brother was dead and lost but I have found him alive and well so I am happy he has returned". 

Who does the Father in the story remind you of?

How would you have felt if you were the oldest brother?

Do you think the older brother was jealous?

Do you ever feel jealous? 

Running a 5K

Back in December of 2011, I participated in the Reindeer Run and I had not trained AT ALL!!!!  Needless to say I was very sore the next few days.  My time for the Reindeer Run was 46:36 which came to 15 minutes per mile.  My goal for this run was to finish and not to be the last one over the finish line.  I accomplished both goals and my ranking was 123 out of 130.  Okay, not great but it was my very first 5K so I was very proud of myself.  In January a good friend of mine said she would help train me for my next 5K.  My first thought was "What, I need to run another 5K?  I just wanted to participate in one and I've done that!!!!"  Well, the more I thought about it I decided that sure it would be good for me to get in shape.  So, I started training the second week in January.   Lori said it would be good for me to run every other day so we decided to meet on Tuesday and Thursday after work and on Saturdays I would do it by myself. 
On March 17th, on my daddy's 91st birthday I ran in the Little River Run 5K.  It was such a HOT day but I had committed myself to participating in this run and I was not going to back out.  (Anyone who knows me know that at times I can be a little stubborn!)  Anyway, the race started at 5:00 p.m. at the Little River Bridge and within a few feet of running we had to run up our first hill!  Okay, by this time I'm thinking what did I get myself into!  But another friend of mine, Lesley was there with me and we stuck with each other.  Sometimes Lesley would get a little ahead of me and she would encourage me.  Other times I tried to encourage her so I think we made a great team!  We continued on up West Main and finally made it to Joe Kirby's State Farm office which was our turn around spot.  Most of this was all up hill so it was so nice to be able to turn around and go down hill for a while!  After we made it back to the Square we turned left which took us back up ANOTHER big hill on past the Post Office.  After that it was all down hill and I was so happy when I saw at the bottom of the big hill the place where we would turn to finish our race on the pathway for the Little River Park.  I crossed the finish line at 40:02 minutes!  Okay, I admit I was a little disappointed at first because I wanted to finish under 40 minutes but still I finished in the 39th place out of 89 places with 12:53 per mile! 
Now, I am thinking what race will I enter next!  Yes, I am enjoying running and so I'm sure there will be another race in my future!

Patience

Today's Sunday School lesson is on patience.  I have tried to avoid this lesson but I feel that God is calling me to study this word through Him.
Patience is listed as a fruit of the spirit in Galations 5:22 and this is something that all of us as Christians should be striving for.  Being patient is very easy when everything is going our way but what about when everything is fighting us.
What does the word "patience" mean?  According to Wikipedia it is:
Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

In our Bible story today we will read Exodus 32: 1 - 6.

The Golden Calf

 ¹ When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods^[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”  ² Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
 ⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” ⁶ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

The Israelites were impatient waiting on Moses to return and decided to worship idols.  Do we ever get tired waiting for God's answer and decide to take things in our own hands?  I know I have and I always make a mess of things when I try to do it my way.

Why did the people ask Aaron to make a golden calf?


James 1: 12 says:  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.

How can we demonstrate our patience?  First we need to thank God.  Usually a person's first reaction is to say "Why me?"  But we need to thank God and seek His purpose for us in this situation.   Sometimes God allows us to go through a hard time so we can be a good witness and other times it is to help our faith grow.

Honesty

Today's Sunday School lesson is on honesty.  

What does the word honesty mean?

• Honesty is telling the truth.
• Honesty is straightforward conduct.
• Honesty is being sincere, truthful, trustworthy, honorable, fair, genuine, and loyal with integrity.

What does lying mean?  It is a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive.

In Proverbs 12:22 it says:  Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.


The first lie in the Bible was told in the first book of the bible, Genesis chapter 3 where Eve says they were told that they were not to touch the fruit.  God had only said they could not eat the fruit.  Things would have been so different if Eve had not lied.  


Another time in the Bible where someone lied was in Genesis chapter 26 when Isaac lied about his wife.  He told the men that she was his sister instead of his wife.  


How do you think lying affects others?
How does our honesty affect others?

Do you think that sometimes people get away with lying?  It seems to us that they do sometimes, but in Proverbs 19:9 it says:  A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish.



Put honesty into action

• Thank someone in your family for being honest.
• Tell your parents about a mistake you've made.
• Tell the truth when you've done something wrong.
• Compliment a friend for being honest.
• Express your real feelings without anger, without blaming others, without exaggerating, and without hurting the feelings of someone else.
• Turn in something that is lost and encourage others to do the same.
• When someone wants to copy your work, politely explain that it isn't right and that it's best to do your own work.
• Admit a mistake or error in judgment you have made and apologize to anyone it might have affected.
• Do your schoolwork honestly
• Be truthful with your friends and thank them for being truthful with you.
• When you ask someone to be honest with you, don't get angry with them if their honesty isn't what you wanted to hear.

I recently downloaded for free a book for my Nook called The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams which is part of the Jubilant Soul Series)
This is what the back cover says about this wonderful book:

From the Back Cover

What do you do when you realize you're not who you want to be? Rachelle Covington has it all. A fabulous home, a handsome and successful husband, two beautiful children, and a place in the upper crust that's quite comfortable. But life is not all it's cracked up to be, and Rachelle finds herself yearning for more. When her husband goes away on a business trip and the kids are sent off to the grandparents for a month, Rachelle heads back to Jubilant, Texas, to visit family and reconnect with her past, her purpose, and herself. But when a blast from the past shows up, Rachelle must confront feelings she thought she'd long buried. Will she give up everything to recover what could have been? Or will she find a reason to plan for the future? Fresh, sincere, and full of hope, The Someday List is an honest look at what makes us who we are. Stacy Hawkins Adams is an Essence bestselling author whose books illuminate the themes of faith, forgiveness, and women's friendships. She is the author of Speak to My Heart, Nothing but the Right Thing, and Watercolored Pearls. Adams is also a freelance journalist and inspirational speaker, and devotes considerable time to child advocacy issues. She and her family live in Virginia. Stacy welcomes readers to visit her at www.stacyhawkinsadams.com.

About the Author

Stacy Hawkins Adams is a freelance reporter and inspirational columnist. She is the author of Speak to My Heart, Nothing but the Right Thing, and Watercolored Pearls. She and her husband, Donald, have two young children and live near Richmond, Virginia. 

  

  This was a very easy quick read but it really made me stop and think about my life and forgiveness and giving it all to Jesus.  I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to think more about their relationship with Jesus.  It's important for all of us to have a strong relationship with Jesus and to be willing to share His story with anyone and everyone.

Diligence

Our lesson today is on diligence.
What does the word diligence mean?

•  persevering determination to perform a task
• conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in  a  given situation

Do you think you are diligent when you do your school work?   Do you work harder when someone is watching you?
Let's read Genesis 39: 1 - 6

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

 ¹ Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar had bought him from the Ishmaelite traders who had taken him there. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

 ² The Lord was with Joseph. He gave him great success. Joseph lived in Potiphar's house.

 ³ Joseph's master saw that the Lord was with him. He saw that the Lord gave Joseph success in everything he did. ⁴ So Potiphar was pleased with Joseph. He made him his attendant. He put Joseph in charge of his house. He told Joseph to take good care of everything he owned.

 ⁵ From that time on, the Lord blessed Potiphar's family and servants because of Joseph. He blessed everything Potiphar had in his house and field.

 ⁶ So Potiphar told Joseph to take good care of everything he owned. With Joseph in charge, he didn't have to worry about anything except the food he ate.

   Joseph was strong and handsome. 

Do you think Potiphar would have given Joseph all of that responsibility if he had not been diligent?

We need to be diligent in all areas of our life.  

What does diligence mean to you?

How does being diligent effect others?

How does being lazy effect our relationship with God?

I think a good lesson for us to remember this week should be:

Colossians 3: 23  

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

Let's make a list on ways that we can be diligent everyday.