Break The Routine Of Autopilot

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/7lNIoXCy818?si=1BrASVn_NRlByOQR

“Break The Routine Of Autopilot”

Ecclesiastes 1:5 NLT

The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.

 

This past week, we read chapter 1 in Ecclesiastes in our men’s Bible study group.  This passage stuck out to me and the word that really jumped out was “hurries”. I read this passage and I think of daily routines.  The sun rises in our day, we often hurry through the day, then the sun sets, we go to bed and we do it all over again the next day, the day after and so on. 

 

I’m not at all against having a routine each day, but I do think we so often get into autopilot mode with our routines and we don’t think twice about the hurried state we are so often in each day.  We go from one thing to the next and we often are doing this at a high rate of speed through the day. 

 

When I get home from work each day, I often find myself cleaning things and taking little time to sit down and just relax.  Then, on the weekends, I find myself making a long list of things I need to take care of and I’m off to completing those.  Again, it’s not at all wrong having lists of things we need to take care of, but we do get into such routines that we don’t break away from and just enjoy the moments God gives us. 

 

My wife and youngest daughter are often reminding me to just sit down and take breaks from the routines I’m into each evening and on the weekends.  If we are focused on all of our routines and the tasks we need to take care of day in and day out, then that is meaningless.  We must balance chores with spending time with family and just enjoying some down time.  We were never meant to go full blast all day, every day and not take time to take life in and just chill. 

 

Years ago, I read a book by John Mark Comer titled, “The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry” and it really got my attention.  There are times in our lives when we just need to sit and do absolutely nothing.  Watching a sunrise or a sunset.  Sitting down and watching traffic go by or watching people.  Too often, we fight initial boredom by taking out our phones and passing the time scrolling, looking up things online or checking e-mails. 

 

I want to encourage all of us to be intentional about breaking out of our routines each day and taking time to notice our surroundings and get of autopilot so that we don’t miss opportunities around us.  Opportunities to be alone and take life in and also opportunities God puts around us with various people. 

 

Let us break the routine of autopilot. 

I Don't Like The Beeper

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/QJnsLeyBBHQ?si=fKBWCbuUuf2gvl-z

“I Don’t Like The Beeper”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

We used to be with a car insurance company that had a beacon we kept in the car that kept track of our driving habits.  It didn’t make any sound, but you could look up driving habits whenever you wanted to see them.

 

Last year, we switched companies and we now have a beacon that actually makes noise when you drive.  It beeps if you’re stopping too quickly, turning a corner too fast or not making a complete stop at a stop sign.  In the past months, I have found myself getting aggravated at the beep and talking to it like it’s a person.  I’ll often say, “What?  I stopped just fine” or “C’Mon!  There was nothing wrong with that turn or stop!”  There have been times where I’ve slowed down way before a stop and then come to a gentle and complete stop, only to have it keep on me anyway.  I’m like, “Seriously???  How else could I have done that?” 

 

Needless to say, it is VERY picky about how you drive.  That’s good, because it determines future discounts on our policy.  However, it still annoys me when I feel like I’m driving just fine and I still get beeped at. 

 

I’ve discovered that, no matter how good I think I may be driving, the device is programmed to record my driving habits and painfully alert me when I’m not driving like I should.  It doesn’t matter if I think I am driving well or not.  If I’m not up to par, I get beeped. 

 

So often in our lives, the same applies to how we think we are doing in our walk with God.  So often, in our perspective, we think we’re living just fine and doing the right things.  It’s so often easy for us to justify things and think we are doing fine, when in reality, we clearly are not. 

 

God has a standard for us to follow in His Word.  If we are not living the way we should, God will discipline us and bring us back to reality so that we can shape up and correct how we are living.  We often get frustrated when people we trust and love try to correct us.  We often can become defensive and react like I have to the beep and say, “What?  I am doing this just fine!  I’m not doing anything wrong!”.  However, in reality, we are not. 

 

God’s word is authority for a reason.  It is meant to correct us, even when we don’t like being corrected.  I personally don’t like the beeper sound in our cars and it annoys me.  But I need to remember that it’s there to help me be a better driver so that I’m safer and get good discounts.

 

Even when we don’t like the “beeps” that come up when we are doing wrong things in life, God’s Word is there to give us the correction we need.

Life Apart From God Is Meaningless

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/N4pXBY6_WZo?si=BpA_66cRe0QxpnTr

“Life Apart From God Is Meaningless”

John 15:5 NIV

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 

John 15 has always been one of my favorite chapters in Scripture.  I really like the illustration of the vineyard to describe how God is Gardener and Jesus is the Vine.  This specific verse has always been important in my life as it clearly states that life without God is empty.  Apart from Him, nothing eternal is possible. 

 

Through the past many years of my life, I have learned more about myself, my relationship with my wife and my relationship with my kids.  In the past few months, I realized that if I didn’t have God in my life, I would not have the life I have now. 

 

My relationship with my wife is the best it has ever been.  However, this has not come without struggles.  We have had many ups and downs throughout our almost 22 years of marriage.  When I look at my wife now, I am beyond grateful for how He brought us together and all that we have experienced.  I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I am more in love with my wife now that I ever have been before and it’s only because of the amazing work of God in our marriage.  I can honestly say we would not be where we are in our marriage without God.  It just wouldn’t be at all possible. 

 

My relationship with my kids makes me a very proud dad.  I know that I regret many things through the years of them growing up that I wish I could go back and do better or change.  However, what’s done is done and I can only work on the future to still be the best Godly dad I can be.  I have messed up a lot in things I’ve done and said to them.  However, God is gracious and so are my girls.  They love me as their dad and that often brings tears to my eyes that they still love me. 

 

I cannot imagine life without God.  Life is hard enough as it is even with my faith.  I find myself often doubting and getting frustrated when I can’t understand what He’s doing.  However, I know that I always must trust Him, no matter what.  I am beyond grateful for the faith I have had for so many years and I’ve grown in that faith.  It’s not easy by any means, but I am so thankful for what I have learned and how God has shown up in my relationship with my wife and my girls. 

 

I am so grateful for the community I have at our church.  God has blessed me with great people that I’ve known there for over 4 years.  Some of them have become very close friends and it’s only because of God that those friendships remain strong.  I am also grateful for the worship team I play alongside each month. 

 

Life apart from God would not bring me any of these blessings I have mentioned.  I am so grateful and I truly believe that apart from Him, I would have absolutely no hope. 

Pause Before You Serve

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/JqJSVrWMOGk?si=36EUBGhxci1gtfrH

“Pause Before You Serve”

Luke 10:41-42 NIV

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

 

As much as we are called to serve throughout Scripture, we are also told that it is very crucial for us to find times where we sit at the feet of Jesus and take His teaching in and just be still. 

 

Martha is doing her very best to get preparations ready for Jesus and his followers.  Mary is usually helping with that, but instead she chooses what is actually better in this situation.  Martha doesn’t get it and gets very upset. 

 

So many of us do what Martha is doing.  We love to serve in God’s Kingdom.  Having a servants heart is exactly what God wants us to do.  All throughout Scripture, we have examples of those who have served others in wonderful ways.  However, Jesus had multiple times in His ministry where He purposely chose to go away and be alone with His Father.  He chose to take time away from people and He spent quality alone time to connect and recharge with His Father. 

 

So many of us have the problem of serving so much that we forget that we also need time to sit at the feet of Jesus and take it all in.  We need those down times where we are doing nothing but reading, praying and just being in awe of Him.  It’s hard for us to shut down our busyness and just be in His presence.  So, there are times when we absolutely need to stop serving and start sitting.  Just like Mary, we need times where we put the busyness aside and just bask in Him.

 

In our culture today, it almost feels wrong to sit and do nothing.  With me having ADHD, it’s extremely difficult for me to just sit and do nothing.  I feel so unproductive!  And, strangely enough, our church just completed a sermon series called “Unproductive”.  It was a great series and really opened my eyes. 

 

I wanted to encourage all of us, who struggle with staying busy all day long, that we need to stop serving and start sitting.  We need to make it a priority to get some alone time with God.  Start small and make it quality time, however long you can make it.  Some is better than nothing and then work your way up to more time.  It’s alone time that we all need.  If Jesus made it a point to get alone with His Father in the midst of His busy ministry schedule, we can make the time as well. 

 

The next time you feel yourself just about to go into auto-pilot on serving, take a pause and ask yourself, “Should I be serving or just sitting at the feet of Jesus?”

Grateful, Faithful, Generous

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/Ls2O8hJj3U0?si=KtbDGGmxs-dv9C6d

“Grateful, Faithful, Generous”

Proverbs 28:6 NIV- Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.

Proverbs 28:11 NIV- The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.

Proverbs 28:20 NIV- A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

 

This past Wednesday morning at our men’s Bible study, we were going through Proverbs 28 and picking out passages that spoke to us.  These few verses jumped out at me.  I explained to the group of guys that I have struggled for many years with comparing my life to other people who have more and wishing that I made more money so that I could have more.  As I read these verses, it occurs to me that having more wealth is NOT bad in itself.  It’s what we do with what we have that makes all the difference. 

 

As I explained to the group, I see two people.  One person that has a life of simplicity and doesn’t need much and then another person who has way more and is always longing for even more.  Again, being wealthy or having a lot doesn’t mean you are making any bad choices, but when you have more in your life, it’s then much easier to have an attitude of wanting more.  It can very well make you greedy and change your attitude on life. 

 

As I considered this, I realized that God is calling me to first be grateful for all that I currently have.  I am not to wish I had more or long for more, but to be grateful and content with where God has me now.  Next, with what resources I have, I am to be faithful.  Lastly, God is calling me to also be generous with what I have been given.  This hit me pretty hard Wednesday morning and I’m striving to live with this attitude toward what God has blessed me with in my life. 

 

It’s so often easy to see what others have and long for that as well in our lives.  It’s not wrong to see something someone else has and think, “Hey, that would be cool to have someday”.  It’s definitely ok to see things we might like to have one day.  Our issue is when we obsess over having it and want to have what others do all the time.  We become obsessed easily and we often try to deny that.  As I mentioned before, I have spent many years longing for things other people have and getting bitter and jealous when I have not been blessed as they are. 

 

My focus needs to be on being grateful, faithful and generous with what God has given to me.  And, He has blessed me with a lot!  My focus needs to be one of appreciation and gratitude instead of focusing on what God hasn’t given to me and longing for that instead.  A life of being grateful, faithful and generous will NEVER come from comparing our lives to others and always wishing we had more. 

 

We need to be grateful, faithful and generous with what we have been given.

None Of Us Are Exempt

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/Hc6zfaiJ61k?si=_hwejuDU930B0L9d

“None Of Us Are Exempt”

Romans 3:22-24 NIV

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

 

Our cats all have very different personalities.  One of our cats is notorious for getting into almost anything and everything she can.  So often we find her jumping up where she’s not supposed to be and, when something gets messed up, we usually blame her because she so often gets into what she’s not supposed to mess with.

 

I’ll often find her getting into something and say, “Why do you have to get into everything you’re not supposed to??”  We are often pulling her down from where she’s not supposed to be and trying to find ways to keep her from getting into things.  It’s not easy, but we do try.

 

As much as this annoys me and as often as I catch her getting into something, I’m often reminded of how this relates to our lives with God.  So often in life, we are getting into things we are not supposed to mess with.  God often tries to get our attention and tell us “NO”, but we do it anyway and we suffer the consequences.

 

Through my years of life, God has used many people in my life to warn me of possible trouble if I go a certain route.  Sometimes I’ve listened, while other times I have not.  As I continue through my years of life, I am learning from some past pain experiences.  I try hard to be wise and remember what decisions and routes have brought pain so that I don’t continue to make those same mistakes. 

 

The enemy is really good at distracting us from where we should be going and tempting us to follow routes and paths that will bring us to the exact same pain we’ve experienced in the past.  Just like Proverbs 26:11 that talks about a dog returning to its own vomit.  Yea, that’s a pretty gross visual, but it’s so true!

 

As often as I find myself yelling at our cat that continuously does things she’s not supposed to do, I am reminded often that it’s exactly what I do in my relationship with God and so many of us also do.  It’s easy to get onto others, but so often God reminds us through those experiences that none of us are exempt from doing things over and over again that we are not supposed to do. 

 

We are all sinners and we all desperately need God’s grace and forgiveness more than we know.  It’s my prayer that we would all learn from our past experiences and not choose the same routes over and over again that have brought so much pain from the past.