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Lesson 6
Building A Legacy

We may not like to think about it but we all will die someday.  Our earthly lives are not meant to last forever.  In light of this, what do you want people to remember about you when you have gone home to be with our Lord and Savior?  What legacy do you wish to leave?

If you could imagine the gathering to remember you, what words would you like to hear in your eulogy?  After the funeral, what would you like your friends and family to be talking about, to be thinking about?  Ok, you may think that this is a morbid exercise.  You may think it is a selfish thought but I want us to think about the impact our lives are making.

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Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

 

Let’s first talk about what is valuable to be remembered.

People could remember our appearance, our occupation, our possessions or how much money we made.  They could talk about the clubs we participated in or the hobbies we had.  They might remember how well decorated our homes were or all the toys we had.  I dare to say that this would be disappointing to me if these were the conversations at my funeral dinner.  

I would rather be remembered by the relationships I had, the kindness I showed,  and the love I had for Jesus.  I would rather hear of how I encouraged someone in their walk with Christ, how I prayed for them through difficult times, how I pointed them to scripture.

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In Acts 4 we see Peter and John being detained because they were teaching and healing in the name of Jesus.  As they were questioned about what authority they were doing this, Peter spoke boldly about Jesus and said it was by the name of Jesus that they healed the lame man. He continued to share the gospel and told of Christ’s death and resurrection. 

In verse 13 the scripture says, 

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“Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and they perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

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Wouldn’t you rather want your friends and family to be talking about how you could always know that “she was with Jesus”?  I sure do!

So I then have to ask myself, am I living in such a way now that will bring about that response when I am gone?  Consider these questions.

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Do I every day commune with God and seek the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Do I have an active prayer life?

Do I think in every situation how I can plant a seed for God?

What do I spend my time doing?

Do I spend too much time on frivolous things?

Am I available when others need me?

Can my children say they feel heard?

Do my children see the same person at home the they see in Church?

Do I give scriptural advice or worldly wisdom when asked questions?

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What other questions could we ask ourselves to evaluated just how we are doing on storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven?

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A wonderful song that I love is the song “Planting Trees” by Andrew Peterson

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Play the song from the counting stars album.  It is a great encouragement to moms to keep focused on building a legacy.

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PLANTING TREES

Andrew Peterson

 

We chose the spot

We dug the hole

We laid the maples in the ground

To have and hold

 

As autumn falls

To winters sleep

We pray that somehow in the spring

The roots grow deep

 

And many years from now

Long after we are gone

These trees will spread their branches out 

And bless the dawn

 

He took a plane

To Africa

He gathered up into his arms

An orphan son

 

So many years from now

Long after we are gone

This tree will spread its branches out

And bless the dawn

 

So sit down and write that letter

Sign up and join the fight

Sink in to all that matters

Step out into the light

 

Let go of all that’s passing

Lift up the least of these

Lean into something lasting

Planting trees

 

She rises up As morning breaks

She moves among these rooms alone

Before we wake

 

 

And her heart is so full

It overflows

She waters us with love 

And the children grow

 

So many years from now

Long after we are gone

These trees will spread their branches out

And bless the dawn

 

These trees will spread their branches out 

And bless someone

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WOMEN’S ROLES

Lesson 1

“ROLES, NOT IDENTITY”

 

As we look at the creation story in Genesis, we see that God was satisfied with each day of His handiwork.  We see the phrase “And God saw that it was good” over and over.  On the sixth day God said:

 

“Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness”  “So God created man in His own image.”

 

God ordained man to rule over creation.  The Bible says that male and female, He created them.  And God said it was not only good but “VERY good”

 

In Genesis 2:18 God indicates the first thing that He said was not good during the seven days of creation.  And that was, it was not good for man to be alone.  In all of creation, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea and the beasts fo the land, there was not found a suitable helper for man.

 

“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept she took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.  And from that rib that the Lord God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.” Gen. 2: 21 and 22

 

Woman was created to be a “suitable helper”.  The King James Bible uses the term “Help Meet”  What does that mean?

 

As we look at scriptures that talk about the role of women, we can be thrust into so many emotions.  These scriptures can be hard to swallow.  But I ask the question, Are the scriptures difficult or is it my heart that is not soft enough to meditate on these verses? Do I have preconceived ideas, negative past experiences, or selfish, self preserving defenses that go up immediately as I look upon such ideas?

 

In Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book entitled, “Helper by Design”  She says this about handling such scriptures as she started the project of writing her book:

 

“Honestly, there were days I strongly considered forsaking the whole project.  Then, when by God’s mercy, I once again regained forward motion, I felt I was walking in the dark…trying to learn what I just tripped over, picking up a stone, holding it…examining it, experiencing it.  What does the heat of this rock mean?  Is it really blistering hot or is it just that my hands are so cold?  Is it genuinely sharp?  Does it have to cut, or am I hanging on to it too tightly or holding it in the wrong places?”

 

I believe that as we look at what God instructs, it does not have to sting. If we open our heart to God’s instructions we will see something powerful and beautiful.

 

Let’s remember a few things before we begin.

 

  1. We are God’s beloved children.  (Eph. 5:1)

  2. Everything God instructs is for our own good and pleasure. (Jer. 29:11)

  3. God longs to bless us and give us the desires of our hearts. (2 Chron. 16:9)(Psalm 37:4)

  4. We can only control ourselves. (Phil. 2:12-13 )

 

As women we fill many roles.   We are daughters and sisters. We may choose to marry taking on the role of helper and wife.  We may have children taking on the role of mother.  We may choose roles like teacher, health care provider, coach, boss of a company, etc.

We must remember that no matter the roles we fill,  they are not our identity.

Our identity is CHILD OF GOD CREATED IN HIS IMAGE.  This is the main point I want to get across in this lesson.  And I believe that if we put this truth into our hearts it will help us accept the role of helper to our husband. It will help us embrace the role in a different light.

 

As a christian woman, our goal in life is to reflect Christ in all we do.  To be His hands and feet.  We seek to glorify God with the work of our hands and to glorify and imitate God within any role we fill.

 

Elyse Fitzpatrick suggests that we can gain greater understanding of what a helper does if we imitate our Heavenly Father who is our great helper.

 

 

IN WHAT WAYS IS GOD OUR HELPER?

 

God strengthens-

Psalm 54:4 - “Behold, God is my helper:  The Lord is of them that uphold my soul.”

 

Isa. 41:10 - “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

 

Psalm 46:1 - “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.”

 

 

God sustains-

 

Isa. 46:4 - “I will be your God throughout your lifetime- Until your hair is white with age.  I made you and I will care for you.  I will cary you along and I will save you.”

 

God comforts-

 

2 Cor 1 : 3-4 “…God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others….”

 

God protects-

 

2 Thes. 3:3 - “…The Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

 

 

We can always count on God to hold to his promises.  So, in that light let’s answer these questions.

 

  1. Can our husband always count on us?

  2. How can we strengthen our husband?

  3. How can we help sustain him?

  4. What is the best way to comfort our husband?

  5. How can we protect our husband?

  6. How do we treat our husband in a time of trouble?

 

We all know that the world is a tough place.  As we go out to work and purchase and live our lives we can be knocked down in many ways.  I want our home and my presence to be a source of strength, comfort and protection to my husband and family.  I want my husband to want to come home because it is the place where he feels safe, secure, respected and a respite from the world.  As wives, we have the power to create an atmosphere that fosters those characteristics.

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Last night Frank came home and to my surprise he said to me, “ My eyes were really opened today.”  He had been out plowing snow for 13 hours. This caught my attention. “ I just want to thank you for being the kind of woman that you are.”  Ok. That was nice. Why was he compelled to say this?  Apparently he had witnessed some conversations where he was shocked at how the man in those conversations was being spoken to.  He heard great disrespect, ungratefulness, and ugliness.  He said he could not imagine being spoken to in the manner he had heard.  I said thank you and asked, “ So my nagging isn’t so bad?”

He laughed and said,”Bring it on!”

I love my husband with all my heart and was so thankful he sees me as a source of strength, comfort and a safe haven from the world.  I am not perfect by any means but I only want my husband to thrive in our lives and family.

 

 

 

 

Being a helper to our husband goes far deeper than just having dinner ready at a certain time.  It is not a lesser role.  It does not devalue us.  If anything it is a beautiful thing when we show the love that God shows. It is tremendously powerful when we “build our house”.  We want good things for the man we love.

 

As parents it is a wonderful gift to give our children; showing them how to love and honor another human being and to strive for what is good in another person’s life.

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