Three Rivers Grace Church
Sunday Worship Gathering 10:45am
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Welcome
    • Sunday Schedule
    • Affiliation
    • Mission and Values
    • Beliefs >
      • Statement of Faith
      • Church Covenant
      • Church Constitution
    • Leadership
    • Membership
  • Media
    • Sermons
    • 3RG Blog
    • Videos
    • Facebook/Twitter
    • Sunday School Audio
    • Special Event Audio/Video
    • Music
  • Get Connected
    • Small Groups & Bible Studies
    • Worship Gathering
    • Sunday School
    • Children and Nursery
    • Youth Ministry
    • Men's Ministry
    • Women's Ministry
    • MOPS
    • Table Talk
    • Missions & Outreach
  • Contact
    • Contact Info
    • Directions
  • News & Events
    • Calendar
    • Weekly Newsletter
    • Upcoming Special Events
  • Resources
    • Recommended Resources >
      • Links
      • Reading
      • Bible Reading Plans
    • Church Library Database
    • Sunday Worship Folders
    • Ministry Coordinators
    • Documents
    • Prayer Board
    • Member Directory & Portal
    • Christianity Explained Resources

Is there a chokehold on your heart?

1/29/2014

0 Comments

 
Laura Miller | Category: Children's Sunday School
Picture
Question: Why did God give the Bible to us?
Answer: God gave the Bible to teach us about Himself and to show us how to live.

The heart is a mysterious thing. Not just the muscle and arteries and chambers parts of it. It’s fascinating enough to examine and marvel at God’s ways of creation. But the heart, as described by Scripture, is truly a mysterious thing, for, as Jeremiah said, “Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9b)

It will be where our treasure is (Matthew 6:21).

It holds the wellspring of life, and must be guarded above all else (Proverbs 4:23) by the peace of God (Philippians 4:7).

A pure heart must be created anew by God, accompanied by a steadfast spirit (Psalm 51:10).

Even when the heart of flesh fails, God Himself is the strength of a spiritual heart (Psalm 73:26).

The desires of my heart are directly related to my delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4).

The pure in heart are blessed, and as such, will see God (Matthew 5:8).

When we teach the lessons of the catechism to children, we know we’re not doing so in a vacuum. There are countless levels of application the Lord will provide for us – all of us, from the children to the teachers to the parents to the helpers. There are just as many opportunities to meditate on the truths and consider how they fit with the pieces of doctrine and teaching the Lord has us hear from other sources – sermons, books, fellowship and discussion with friends, child training sessions, social media posts, music.

The filter for all of this is the heart. Is my heart prepared to hear what the Lord has to say to me about Himself, what He has done, and how He wants me to live for Him? Or is it opposed to the Bible's teachings and exhortations; the Spirit's prodding, comforts, and rebukes -- even the Gospel message of grace and promise? Is my heart murmuring, fretting, vexing? Does it go about, unfettered, on unstable, disquieted, and tumultuous jaunts? Is it distracted? Is it sinking in disappointment? 

Jesus cautioned the worries and cares of this world and its afflictions and distractions can choke out the Word as surely as invasive vines can throttle a plant or journeying roots can undermine a tree. Jeremiah Burroughs says in his classic work, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, “God would have us depend on Him” despite the external events that might cause our hearts to fret or be disquieted. This contentment of the soul governs how we look to His word. How we regard the Bible and its purpose feeds our understanding of whence comes a heart ready to love and trust God.

I must not neglect to consider the matters of the heart when training up my children in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord, to be attuned to internal rumblings that would oppose what the Lord wants to do or say, not only to me, but to them, as well. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Blog Homepage

    3RG Blog

    The purpose of our church blog is to serve the overall mission of our church: to delight in the beauty of God's greatness,
    to proclaim the truth of God's Word, and to ignite a joyful passion for the Gospel of Jesus among all the peoples of Pittsburgh and the world.

    Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or feedback!

    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    Receive weekly posts by email
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Announcements
    Baptist Instittue Of Pittsburgh
    Bible Study
    Children's Sunday School
    Christmas
    Church Planting
    Culture
    Easter
    Library Resources
    Marriage
    Meet The Volunteers
    Mission
    Monday Meditation
    Parenting
    Personal Testimony
    Preparing For Sunday
    Resource Friday
    Resources
    Sunday Follow Up
    Sunday Gathering Overview
    The Christian Life
    The Church Community
    Theology For Life
    Worldview
    Worship

    Archives

    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

FOLLOW US

ABOUT   |   DIRECTIONS   |   CALENDAR  |   CONTACT  
 © Three Rivers Grace Church | 1028 Chartiers Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15220 | 412.450.0733
 WORSHIP. WORD. WITNESS.
Proudly powered by Weebly
Picture
Photos used under Creative Commons from TerryChen - Blooming Beauty 綻放美麗的力量, AJU_photography, DncnH, israeltourism, hamron, swimparallel, Javcon117*, Andrew Stawarz, andreasbohlender, Michiel Thomas, Logan Brumm Photography and Design, David Rosen Photography, angelocesare, -Tripp-, Karim D. Ghantous, Leslie Richards, Frank Jakobi, craiglea123, Madhan Karthikeyan, roseannadana: Thank you for 1 million views, paulhami, Furryscaly, martinak15, mysza831, Rob.Bertholf, SMcGarnigle, dmott9, khrawlings, Grzegorz Łobiński, waitscm, ConstructionDealMkting, Elvert Barnes, tedeytan, francisco_osorio, K Tao, InAweofGod'sCreation, rolle@bassfire, dgoomany, Waiting For The Word, Skakerman, cbcmemberphotos2477, Markus Grossalber, y.caradec, eflon, Lars Relander, Simon Donini, diloz, SurFeRGiRL30, .FuturePresent., Rennett Stowe, The City of Toronto, banjipark, jovom, Wedding Photography by Jon Day, Gerry Dincher, donnierayjones, Hernan Piñera, Randy OHC, Martin Cathrae, JayCob L., quinn.anya, xophe_g, chrisgrayphotos, Orin Zebest, avarty, Brett Jordan, yummyporky, Liamfm ., One Candle Photos, Alyssa L. Miller, nada abdalla, Images_of_Money, ttarasiuk, cyanocorax, aaronisnotcool, article27, Bravo_Zulu_, chuckrock123, Mark Ittleman, robinsan, Ryk Neethling, symphony of love, emma.buckley, Chindit76, mikecogh, Jaykhuang, zeevveez, Georgie Pauwels, michael_swan, Dougtone, M.Pastor, Wayne Large, avrene, Johan Larsson, craigCloutier, Woody H1, BasketStreaming, kaferris, Calsidyrose, rachel_titiriga, BryonLippincott, Lies Thru a Lens , Rohit Arun Rao, bobosh_t, Graeme Darbyshire, __MaRiNa__, h.koppdelaney, Pierre Lognoul, annnie, craigCloutier, visualpanic, Ravi_Shah, e.c.johnson, Wetsun, Sara Björk, Teri Lynne Underwood, angelocesare, Wonderlane, BarelyFitz, EuroMagic, oliver.dodd, fishhawk, Lost Albatross, Renaud Camus, CJS*64 "Man with a camera", LeonArts.at, ThoseGuys119, Gellscom, dolbinator1000, donjd2, saturn ♄, quinn.anya, briannalouder, mkhmarketing, ℓαurα suαrez, BarnImages.com, Justin Ornellas, Mike Kniec, Kimberly*, visually_conscious, schmollmolch, Sean MacEntee, Andi Licious, Lel4nd, erix!, thisisjamesj, withbeautiful, Sir, Rony, stimpsonjake, Alefshgree, Imagens Evangélicas, Marco Arment, MIKI Yoshihito (´・ω・), micadew, bigbirdz, photoloni, @ANDYwithCAMERA, Dainis Matisons
✕