Verse of the day

Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. (2 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT)

A child like heart.

This is the devo I read today. I did not write the following, but it was a great reminder that God is big, I'm small, he is my daddy, and will take care of me. I am his child whom he loves.

A Childlike Heart

Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.
Mark 10:15

How would a child come to God?
With no reservations, no preconceived fears or doubts.

"Looking up" to Him -- from a child's perspective.
He is big and I am little. He is strong. I am weak.
He will hold me in His arms. He will hold my hand.
He will know what to do. . . .
Ready to listen and to ask questions,

but not to express her views or to argue
with Him about His views.
Giving Him the responsibility of caring for her.
Indeed, expecting Him to care for her.
Trusting Him to care for her.
Reaching out to touch Him. Holding His hand for
security and comfort.
Resting in His lap.
Putting her arms around His neck.
Being excited to see Him and be with Him.
Knowing that He is wiser than she is.
Knowing that He is stronger than she is.
I have often thought that the time to enjoy your child to the fullest
is when she, with childlike trust and love . . .
walks by your side
holds your hand
wants to be with you, near you
listens to what you say
believes what you tell her
looks to you every day to plan her life
asks permission to do something her way
brings her problems to you
enjoys the "little" things you give her
appreciates the "little" things you do for her
doesn't question your decisions
doesn't need anyone in her life but you
lets you know that you are the most important person in her life.

Dear Lord, why do we grow away from You
as we get older? Why do we begin to think
we don't need You? Why do we question
Your motives? Your love? Your power?
I am so sorry, Lord God.
How I need You.
In childlike faith I come to You today,
recognizing that You are my Father, my God . . .
and that I am Your child.

Verse of the day

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

—1 Corinthians 15:20

Verse of the day

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLT)

Verse of the day

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. (Ephesians 5:1, 2 NLT)

Verse of the day

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20 NLT)

The Importance of Prayer

Today while at work, I was just praying. I was praying for a friend of mine. His wife is going through a lot of pain, and I was praying for healing. Praying that her doctor visit would go well. I talked with him on the phone this afternoon, and he said his wife could feel people praying for her. That got me thinking a little on the importance of prayer.

Paul says to pray without ceasing. This means to seek God in prayer first in all we do. So often I get caught up on the day to day, and I get busy. I will say a quick prayer in the morning, and think to myself "Glad i got that out of the way". What would happen if instead we decided to pray without ceasing? What would happen if we went to God first in ALL WE DO? What would happen if we all prayed for each other Prayed for our addictions? Prayed for our struggles? Prayed for our tears? Prayed for the hard times? What would happen if we gave God praise in all the good times, praise for answered prayers? What would happen if we gave God the glory for all our situations, good or bad? I think you would see a much different outcome in our day to day lives. I know that God answers prayer. It is not always the answer we want, but he does answer.

I don't want to be the person who just gives God a few moments of my time before i move on to something else. I want my whole day, week, month, year, life to operate through Jesus first and then out to others. I want Jesus to be seen in my work, in my family, in my household, and in my life.

Spend some time in prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without Ceasing

Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:5-12

"And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him. "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Verse of the day

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. (Matthew 28:5, 6 NLT)

Verse of the day

He was wounded for our rebellious acts.He was crushed for our sins.He was punished so that we could have peace,and we received healing from his wounds. We have all strayed like sheep.Each one of us has turned to go his own way,and the Lord has laid all our sins on him. (Isaiah 53:5, 6 GWT)

Cleaning Your Room

Part of becoming a disciple is cleaning up your own room. I have 3 daughters. 4 years old, 3 years old, and 1 year old. My two oldest HATE cleaning their room. Whenever I tell them that it is time to clean their room they turn on their tears and say, "daddy, I just don't like cleaning my room" This is how i feel when God is telling me to "clean my room". 

God wants us to deal with our stuff. To deep clean our room. He wants us to be holy. He wants us to be pure. It blood shed on the cross so we could be pure. For sure I have issues, we all do. We all have things that we need to take care of. Addictions, marriages falling apart, financial debt, whatever the issue, we need to take care of it. We need to seek God, press into him like we have never done before, and let God change us from the inside out.  

I tell God all the time "I just don't like cleaning my room". I want to take the easy way out. However I know that to be a Disciple of Christ, I cannot take the easy way out.

Romans 12: 1-2

New Living Translation (NLT)

Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, Holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the patters of this world,  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve whats Gods will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. 

 Corinthians 6:19-20

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Philippians 4:6-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Verse of the day

While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread, gave it to them, and said, “Take this. This is my body.” Then he took a cup, spoke a prayer of thanksgiving, and gave the cup to them. They all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood, the blood of the promise. It is poured out for many people. (Mark 14:22-24 GWT)

Verse of the day

And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. (John 13:14, 15 NLT)

Christ's Love.

I cannot get over just how much Christ loves us! I cannot even begin to wrap my head around his unconditional love. To think that God himself was willing to run toward a world full of sin, send his son to die in the most horrific way possible, all so I could could be free? All for my sins? All for a world full of sin, hurt, betrayal, and people who had turned their back on God? Yep all for that. 

Isaiah 1:18 - “Come now, let’s settle this,”

    says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

    I will make them as white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson,

    I will make them as white as wool.

I have been part of a 3x a week men's bible study for the last 6 years. Our soul purpose as a group is to grow closer to God, and to become disciples of Christ. 

Over the last 6 weeks we have been working our way through the book "multiply" by Francis Chan. (for anyone interested in this book, go to www.multiplymovement.com) This book has been challenging our group of men in all sorts of ways. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? What does God call us to do? What does the bible teach? This blog is all about that journey. Becoming a Disciple of Christ.