The Joy of the Lord and His Plan

The time has come for all good teachers to rest, relax and take a break. Also, the time has come for all good teachers to begin to plan for the next school year. Convention season is upon us and we must decide which curriculum and books we need so that we can purchase them at a convention and not pay shipping. But how in the world are we supposed to figure all this out when our brains are mush after a long, and often exhausting, school year?

Are you as tired and ready for a break as I am. It’s not as if I didn’t enjoy homeschooling my children, it is just time for an extended break. How about you? I thought this would be a good time to take a fresh look at "The Joy of the Lord and His Plan," before we make our plans for the coming school year. Are you ready? Then, let’s get started!

2 Timothy 1:9, “...Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began…”

That is the verse that caught my attention and birthed this whole article. I have been pondering "The Joy of the Lord..." for the last couple of days and this verse, 2 Timothy 1:9, has brought it all together for me. I know that doesn’t make any sense how the two are connected, but if you will remember from the background passage, verses 4-5, where Paul talks about the joy that Timothy’s faith inspires in him, it will make some sense to you.

Paul, our writer, and Timothy, the recipient of this letter, had a very special relationship. On their last parting, Timothy shed tears much like the tears we have all shed over this past school year. Paul didn’t want Timothy to dwell on those tears and we are not to dwell on them either. Paul takes this opportunity to call to Timothy’s remembrance the reason for his joy, his genuine, unhypocritical, unfeigned faith. There was no shadow of turning in Timothy’s faith, it was the real thing!

This made me curious about the real definition for joy, so I turned to my Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.

1. …that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by …a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits. Gayety, mirth, festivity, happiness, felicity. A happy and triumphant state.

That last phrase, a happy and triumphant state, seems to perfectly express Paul’s feelings when he remembers Timothy’s faith. This is the same feeling that should flood our soul when we reflect on our faith and the faith of our husband and children. It is through this faith that we should be leading them and teaching our children.

It is too easy to get caught up in the academic requirements. These things are definitely necessary, but it is the purpose for these things that should be our focus. What are you educating your children for? What is your end goal of their education? While they are still young this goal will be, of necessity, somewhat vague, but as they grow older and begin to mature you should be fine-tuning this goal without losing sight of the purpose for their education.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

In my mind it all goes back to our original calling to become a homeschooling family. Had God not desired for you to have control over the development of your child’s character and education, He would not have called you out of the world to teach your children at home. Therefore you have a special, holy calling to do the very thing that has occupied so much of your time for the last 9 months, namely, educating your children at home. This has become your purpose. And just like Paul sent people out to...

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

I found that to be profound. So many parents wrestle with the decision to bring their children home, but really the decision was already made, we just have to awake to the reality. The later part of this verse tells us that our purpose “was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ saith the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’”

God designed this purpose, for this season of our lives before time began. He is leading you toward an expected end. The only mystery here is in determining His expected end. When we begin to seek this expected path we can look again to Scripture to find direction.

Jeremiah 6:16, “This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

Why are we often so hardheaded? Why do we doubt the Lord’s direction and follow our own way? Why does man feel the need to exalt his own knowledge and walk in his own way?

This goes back to time immemorial! Satan thought he knew better than God and got thrown out of heaven for his effort. Eve thought she knew better than God and ate that famous fruit. Judas thought he knew better than God and took the High Priest’s bribe.

In modern times, the government thinks they know better than God and they legislate what our children should be learning, when they should be learning it and test them every year to make sure that their decree is being followed. Should this be the pattern in our homes? How far back do we go for the ancient paths?

When a child was educated in the beginning there was no “school” to send them to. Their education was the sole responsibility of their parents up to a certain age. When the boys became older they were apprenticed to the local craftsman to learn the trade that God had gifted them for. Often times this was their daddy.

This goes right back to 2 Timothy 1:9, God has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. We don’t need to go out and find out purpose, we can’t make our own way. Our purpose doesn’t depend on what we think we can do, it all depends on God’s amazing grace.

Our purpose and the purpose of our children was given before time began in Christ Jesus. It was given with grace. When we are functioning in this purpose, this grace will give us peace and in this peace we will know the joy of the Lord. His plan for our lives is perfect, not easy, not without pain and tears, but it is perfect and we will have the grace to accomplish that which we have been called to do.

You see it was no accident that you became homeschooling parents. Every event and occurrence in your life has been used to mold you into precisely the person you needed to be in order to educate your children.

These children were placed in your care because only you are fully qualified to direct their education. No, you will not and can not teach them everything they will ever need to know, but you can direct them to the sources and resources that they will need to outfit them for them purpose. Resolute trust in the grace of God that is leading you will help you to accomplish these goals.

So, before you set out to purchase your curriculum for the next school year, go back to your purpose that was determined in the very beginning of this adventure. Answer the questions that will help you to fine tune your goals.

So now we know! The joy of LORD will come when we are functioning according to His plan. We are fully equipped for any eventuality through His grace, provided before God created this world, in Christ Jesus.

We can find His plan in His word. We can formulate our plan for the next school year once we are aware of His plan. All these things are available and are made manifest to us through the work of the Holy Spirit.

This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication please contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details.


	Crooked Pines Ministries \| home back to Articles by Mary E. Woodis The Joy of the Lord and His Plan The Joy of the Lord and His Plan By: Mary E. Woodis Background passage: 2 Timothy 1:3-14 Key verse: 2 Timothy 1:9 The time has come for all good teachers to rest, relax and take a break. Also, the time has come for all good teachers to begin to plan for the next school year. Convention season is upon us and we must decide which curriculum and books we need so that we can purchase them at a convention and not pay shipping. But how in the world are we supposed to figure all this out when our brains are mush after a long, and often exhausting, school year? Are you as tired and ready for a break as I am. It’s not as if I didn’t enjoy homeschooling my children, it is just time for an extended break. How about you? I thought this would be a good time to take a fresh look at "The Joy of the Lord and His Plan," before we make our plans for the coming school year. Are you ready? Then, let’s get started! 2 Timothy 1:9, “...Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began…” That is the verse that caught my attention and birthed this whole article. I have been pondering "The Joy of the Lord..." for the last couple of days and this verse, 2 Timothy 1:9, has brought it all together for me. I know that doesn’t make any sense how the two are connected, but if you will remember from the background passage, verses 4-5, where Paul talks about the joy that Timothy’s faith inspires in him, it will make some sense to you. Paul, our writer, and Timothy, the recipient of this letter, had a very special relationship. On their last parting, Timothy shed tears much like the tears we have all shed over this past school year. Paul didn’t want Timothy to dwell on those tears and we are not to dwell on them either. Paul takes this opportunity to call to Timothy’s remembrance the reason for his joy, his genuine, unhypocritical, unfeigned faith. There was no shadow of turning in Timothy’s faith, it was the real thing! This made me curious about the real definition for joy, so I turned to my Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. JOY, n. 1. …that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by …a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits. Gayety, mirth, festivity, happiness, felicity. A happy and triumphant state. That last phrase, a happy and triumphant state, seems to perfectly express Paul’s feelings when he remembers Timothy’s faith. This is the same feeling that should flood our soul when we reflect on our faith and the faith of our husband and children. It is through this faith that we should be leading them and teaching our children. It is too easy to get caught up in the academic requirements. These things are definitely necessary, but it is the purpose for these things that should be our focus. What are you educating your children for? What is your end goal of their education? While they are still young this goal will be, of necessity, somewhat vague, but as they grow older and begin to mature you should be fine-tuning this goal without losing sight of the purpose for their education. Colossians 3:16-17, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." In my mind it all goes back to our original calling to become a homeschooling family. Had God not desired for you to have control over the development of your child’s character and education, He would not have called you out of the world to teach your children at home. Therefore you have a special, holy calling to do the very thing that has occupied so much of your time for the last 9 months, namely, educating your children at home. This has become your purpose. And just like Paul sent people out to... “... comfort your hearts...” (Ephesians 6:22; Colossians 4:8) ...so I come to you today to comfort your hearts and encourage you. Did you notice that your calling is according to His purpose? Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." I found that to be profound. So many parents wrestle with the decision to bring their children home, but really the decision was already made, we just have to awake to the reality. The later part of this verse tells us that our purpose “was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ saith the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’” God designed this purpose, for this season of our lives before time began. He is leading you toward an expected end. The only mystery here is in determining His expected end. When we begin to seek this expected path we can look again to Scripture to find direction. Jeremiah 6:16, “This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” Why are we often so hardheaded? Why do we doubt the Lord’s direction and follow our own way? Why does man feel the need to exalt his own knowledge and walk in his own way? This goes back to time immemorial! Satan thought he knew better than God and got thrown out of heaven for his effort. Eve thought she knew better than God and ate that famous fruit. Judas thought he knew better than God and took the High Priest’s bribe. In modern times, the government thinks they know better than God and they legislate what our children should be learning, when they should be learning it and test them every year to make sure that their decree is being followed. Should this be the pattern in our homes? How far back do we go for the ancient paths? When a child was educated in the beginning there was no “school” to send them to. Their education was the sole responsibility of their parents up to a certain age. When the boys became older they were apprenticed to the local craftsman to learn the trade that God had gifted them for. Often times this was their daddy. This goes right back to 2 Timothy 1:9, God has called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. We don’t need to go out and find out purpose, we can’t make our own way. Our purpose doesn’t depend on what we think we can do, it all depends on God’s amazing grace. Our purpose and the purpose of our children was given before time began in Christ Jesus. It was given with grace. When we are functioning in this purpose, this grace will give us peace and in this peace we will know the joy of the Lord. His plan for our lives is perfect, not easy, not without pain and tears, but it is perfect and we will have the grace to accomplish that which we have been called to do. You see it was no accident that you became homeschooling parents. Every event and occurrence in your life has been used to mold you into precisely the person you needed to be in order to educate your children. These children were placed in your care because only you are fully qualified to direct their education. No, you will not and can not teach them everything they will ever need to know, but you can direct them to the sources and resources that they will need to outfit them for them purpose. Resolute trust in the grace of God that is leading you will help you to accomplish these goals. So, before you set out to purchase your curriculum for the next school year, go back to your purpose that was determined in the very beginning of this adventure. Answer the questions that will help you to fine tune your goals. How has my child learned with this curriculum? Where there more days of peace or fighting? Has my child’s love of learning grown or has it been dimmed by our current curriculum? How has this curriculum prepared my child for his life’s purpose? What has the Lord revealed to me this year about my child’s future? What skills has my child excelled in this year? What skills need more work? Was this curriculum a task master or a tool? So now we know! The joy of LORD will come when we are functioning according to His plan. We are fully equipped for any eventuality through His grace, provided before God created this world, in Christ Jesus. We can find His plan in His word. We can formulate our plan for the next school year once we are aware of His plan. All these things are available and are made manifest to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. I can’t wait to start planning! How about you? Back to the top This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication please contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details. Crooked Pines Publishing Jessie and Mary Woodis 1365 County Road 74 Florence, AL 35633 jessiew@hiwaay.net Page last updated February 2003