Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Sharing God's Eternal Word

"The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord remains forever."
 1 Peter 1:24b-25a

Photo by Carole S. Amateis 2012













"This portion of Scripture is such  a comfort to me."


Surrounded by a world that is constantly changing and living among "things" that will not last forever, God's Word is constant and unchanging.  Much like God Himself.
What a blessing to count:-)

The longer I am on this earth, the less material possessions mean to me.  I am seeing where the true value is in life - relationships with God, family, friends and making a positive difference in the lives of others.

For years I have had the opportunity to teach God's Word to youth and children and have given an occasional sermon to adults. Currently I am pursuing my music endeavors for the Lord and I miss teaching.  But I found a way to reach out to my youngest granddaugther who lives some distance from me.

I started a project called "Gram's Bible Vitamins".  It is so much fun to create pages for her to dig into the Scriptures to find the answers.  I began the 5-page booklet by writing. "Researching and reading the Bible, which has terrific stories in it, can be fun!  At least, I think so.  See what you discover:-)" 

The worksheets cover both the New and Old Testament - there are some multiple choice questions and bonus questions where she needs to fill in the blanks.  There is one section called "The Book of the Month" - for July it is Proverbs - very fitting since that is what we are studying in church right now:-)  As I wrote out the true and false statements it was also a review for this "Gram"!

A memorization exercise is also included - I learned long ago that planting God's Word in your mind is very powerful and the Holy Spirit brings God's Words to mind just when we seem to need them most:-) It is remarkable!

I also included a section entitled:  "What can Gram learn from my Granddaughter?"  It asks her what insights she had while searching through the Scriptures and answering the questions.  I am sure, knowing Molly, she will give me some food for thought:-)

The Fun Page should suit my artistic granddaughter very well.  I started a drawing placing lines and shapes in certain spots on the page.  It is her challenge to finish it - I can't wait to see what she draws - I know it will be awesome as she is so talented.

Any day now I should be receiving Molly's responses in the mail.  It will be so delightful to see how she did and especially learn of her own insights and what she drew.  But probably the best part is knowing that she is growing closer to the Lord through this process.  YES!!!! 

So, if you are a granny out there and your grandchildren live far away from you, this may be one idea you could use; not only to bring them closer to Jesus but to create a special bond between you and them.

I did a similar project with my grandson years ago who is now a sophomore in high school!   We wrote stories back and forth.  He would write his part and mail it to  me and then I would write my part and mail it back.  We used our imaginations a lot! We came up with some pretty good stories.  He even read one story to his classmates at his elementary school.   His teacher and the class seemed to really enjoy it. I have offered wondered if we should get one of those stories published.  

The Bible is full of wonderful stories - I think sometimes we forget that.  God must have known that we humans can relate to stories - and each and every one has a lesson to it.  The parables that Jesus taught are awesome - no wonder He had the people's attention whenever He told them. 

The thing that is so remarkable is tthat those parables were told thousands of years ago.  And yet, they still apply to every day life in 2012 - and we are reminded again that the "Word of the Lord endures forever."  May we never forget that fact.

How do you share God's Word with others? 

I hope this post has inspired you to read your Bible every day - morning is best - the day goes much better if you start it with God from the very beginning - I don't always  get that accomplished, but I strive to.

And if you have a friend - young, old or in between, a grandchild, a youth or child that is a neighbor - reach out to them through the week; share you faith in the Lord - don't always leave it to the churches to do the work - we can be teaching, reaching and sharing all week long:-)  I have often said one hour of Sunday School is just not enough! And it is not.  Especially in today's world.

Thanks for visiting my post and God's richest blessings to you!  I look forward to hearing from you as always - sorry it has been awhile since I have written:-)