What You Need, When You Need It

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/cfsKi2xXQ5c?si=UpsVs8E2iojUeTN5

“What You Need, When You Need It”

Philippians 4:19

NIV- And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

 

In the parking lot at our apartment complex, I’ve recently noticed a truck from a company with a sign on the side that reads, “What You Need, When You Need It”.  That’s good advertising, but I have to only wonder if the company customer service and technical service really stands up to its claim?  Wow, we could wonder that about a lot of services we read about, right?

 

Cell phone companies claim to give you the best service, but which one really is the best?

 

TV manufacturers claim their brand delivers the best, but which one really is the best?

 

Car manufacturers claim their vehicles not only run the best, but they’ll take care of you if something goes wrong.

 

Marketing advertisements are full of promises to make our lives better and give us what we need and to never let us down.  Yeah, right!!!

 

In this day and age, we are bombarded every day with so-called promises from various companies and various food places telling us we need this and we need that. 

 

Every one of us has had our hearts shattered by some company or product that didn’t deliver what was promised.  We trusted, but then got badly burned.  The world definitely knows how to get our attention and get us to believe that certain products will bring us exactly what we need when we need it.  We’ve all fallen to so many co-called promises and they totally let us down.  This is where I like to get on Google reviews and share exactly how I feel so that others won’t fall to the same fallen promises from a certain place.

 

In all of this, we often wonder if anything is really true as claimed?  Well, I know One Who always stands up to what He claims.  God has given us His Word and it’s exactly what we need when we need it.  He always gives us what we need, when we need it.  However, we often have issues with His ways.  We often think He’s not delivering when we need it, but in reality, we just don’t understand His ways and they are always better.  We just don’t understand.  But, from all He’s done in the past, we can definitely trust what He promises us.  We just have to trust in His timing.

 

Next time you’re lured in by anything the world is offering to bring you what you need, remember that ONLY God can make that claim.  He truly gives us what we need when we need it.  He gave us Jesus Christ and He is all we will ever need.

The Best Part Is Community

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/neS4rtjaqLo?si=kAH8W5br3_dyvM8W

“The Best Part Is Community”

Hebrews 10:24

NIV- And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

NLT- Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

 

I know in the past couple of years, I have shared numerous times that I could not be where I am with my running again if it wasn’t for the community of people that encourage me.  In the past 2 years, I have come to enjoy running more than I ever thought I would again.  It would not mean as much to me these days if it were not for the people I am connected to as we spur one another on and encourage each other.  We have good days of running and bad days, but as we share our experiences with each other, it bonds us together.  I am so grateful for this. 

 

5 years ago in June, we started attending Canvas Church in Mankato.  We enjoy the worship, the preaching, but most of all, we truly enjoy the community of people we have come to know and love.  If we just attended each Sunday and did nothing more, we wouldn’t feel as we do today.  We would just be Sunday attenders.  But as we have become involved in various ways, we have established very strong friendships. 

 

Every day that I come home from work and on the weekends, I have a community that welcomes me with love.  I get to spend quality time with my wife and my daughters(when my oldest is home from college).  This community encourages me and loves me every single day.  I love them back each and every day the best that I can. 

 

So with my running, my church family and my family at home, the absolute best part is the community of people I am connected to.  That’s amazing because we are encouraged to meet together and encourage each other.  I am beyond grateful for the people I have come to know and love in our church.  It’s exciting every Sunday to see brothers and sisters in Christ that are genuine and authentic.  It’s amazing to see people being genuine in their connection to God in worship and just loving on others before and after church.

 

The best part of my running is the community I’m connected to for encouragement.  The best part of church is the community of people I’m connected to that encourage me in my walk with Christ.  The best part of my community at home with my wife and daughters is that they show me unconditional love.    

 

We all need to be connected.  I recently heard a pastor on Air1 Radio that said, “We’re not wired for isolation, we need community!” Amen!

Choose Joy

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/ev0DG4uduYg?si=xHeeAXAaubYpzl8T

“Choose Joy”

Philippians 4:10-13 NIV

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

 

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been struggling with various things in my personal life.  A lot of it had to do with my current job and the atmosphere.  One day, my wife made a comment that really got my attention. She told me that through her challenges, she is choosing joy.  As I considered her comment, I got to thinking about how often I let my circumstances affect my mood.  If I’m having a good day, I’ll generally tend to be in good spirits.  Makes sense!  However, if I’m struggling with several things, that usually kills my good mood and it follows me home.  That’s not a good thing!

 

I am remembering that I must choose joy each day, regardless of the circumstances I find myself dealing with.  I cannot let what’s going on around me determine my mood.  It’s so easy to be in a good mood when things are going well and to be in a bad mood when they aren’t.  That’s a lot of how the world works and we are not immune to that as believers.

 

As the past few days have gone by, I am thinking about Paul’s comments in Philippians 4 where he talks about having learned the secret of being content.  He didn’t let circumstances determine his mood.  He chose joy every day, no matter what was going on.  I am realizing more and more every single day that my attitude can spiral out of control from the negative thoughts that try to enter my mind.  I have to be very intentional every day to choose joy. 

 

I am extremely grateful for the advice my wife gave me and what she showed me.  I know that we all would like to take Paul’s words to heart and sincerely live each day by choosing joy in the Lord no matter our circumstances.  That takes a lot of discipline and Paul definitely reached a point where he learned how to be that way.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was to the point where we can all learn from his attitude.  When Paul and Silas were in prison, instead of focusing on the circumstances, they praised God and ministered powerfully to others.

 

I hope and pray that each of us will be intentional each day to choose joy regardless of what life throws at us.  Some days it will be easy and other days it will be very challenging, but we can all choose to focus on joy through our day.

'Why?' Can Be A Deal Breaker

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/jqEeik9ERC0?si=x0AcjzDHBGEl3z1T

“’Why?’ Can Be A Deal Breaker”

James 1:2-3 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

 

In the past month, our church started going through the book of James and we will continue through the summer.  I am excited as James is one of my favorite books of the Bible and has been for many years.  I have always appreciated how bold and blunt the book is. 

 

The very first sermon, I was hit with the idea that God isn’t asking us to be joyful about the bad things that happen in our lives.  He’s not asking us to be joyful when cancer hits us, joyful when we lose our jobs or joyful when someone dies.  God wants us to know that through the trials, He is working through us and in us and we can still experience joy in life knowing He is building endurance and perseverance in us. 

 

As I sat there and listened, I thought about how so many people in the world get upset at God in hard times and shake their fist at Him.  So many people hurt when they lose a loved one they prayed for would get through a disease.  When those people die, it can create anger in us and asking God “Why?  Why would You allow this to happen?  We prayed and prayed and prayed, so why did You not come through?” 

 

I’m sure many of us have had these questions floating in our heads and hearts.  I’ve read about and heard people say they are angry with God over this or that and how situations turned out.  It’s very hard to work through those situations and I can understand the hurt.  Why would a loving God let this happen?  It’s not easy to answer.

 

As I continued to listen to this sermon, one of the points was, instead of us asking “Why”, we should instead focus on the question, “God, what is it You are trying to do through me and show me?”  This question will definitely shift our attitude and thinking to something more positive and productive.  It won’t be an overnight deal, but slowly we can start to release our fist against God and connect more with Him and allow Him to work in us and through us to help us grow our faith and trust Him more.  Sometimes in life we just have to accept what has happened and move on.  But, it is NOT easy! 

 

The question “Why?” can definitely be a deal breaker whether we continue to be angry at God or we release our fist and accept what has happened and allow God to start working through healing us.  Again, it is absolutely not easy, but it’s very possible only with Him. 

 

“Why?” can definitely be a deal breaker whether we continue in the life of faith or turn away from Him.  Which will we choose?

Not Just Another Day

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/q9kBGseL_yk?si=v2etieWCzYGx-hMG

“Not Just Another Day”

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT- The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

 

Isaiah 43:19 NIV- See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

 

It’s so easy for all of us to get into certain routines each day and not even think twice about what we are doing or who we are around.  A lot of us get up, go to work, do our job, then come home to our families to end the evening.  So often, we’ll go through our day and just do our routine things and not even consider what God may be wanting to do different things in our lives.  We get comfortable in our day to day lives and just go about our usual business.

 

For many people, every day is just another day.  Just another day at work to get through to earn a paycheck.  Just another day to put up with what we don’t want to do for a while so we can then go do what we want to do.  It’s almost like we do our thing each day, then get up the next day and repeat.  It’s a constant process and, often, we don’t give much thought to what we are doing.  We just expect each day to be the usual and go through it.

 

As I consider the lives that God has given to us, I know that He does not desire for us to just go through another day doing the same stuff over and over again with the same usual attitude.  As Christians, God calls us to live a life that is set apart and different.  We are to carry His light. 

 

I know it’s challenging each day to wake up and immediately try to think of all the amazing new things God is wanting to do in our lives as we hurry through our routines, but it would be good for us to take a few moments, after we get up, and just pause to ask God to open our eyes to see all that He is doing around us.

 

For your lunch break, maybe take a walk instead of sitting at your desk and scrolling on your phone.  Instead of always putting in our earbuds at your work desk, maybe strike up a conversation with a co-worker to get to know him or her. 

 

God gives us each a new day of life every day that we awake.  I am trying to learn more that each day is a gift from Him and I shouldn’t just fall into the routine rhythm that I am comfortable with so often.  He wants me and He wants us to take notice of our surroundings and be a light in the darkness.  See things in a new way and watch what He is doing as we engage with those around us and as we take the time to look around at His creation. 

 

Every day He gives is NOT just another day.  It IS another new day that He gives us to live for Him and share the love He has given to us. 

Not What I Expected

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/r5l3X12zWtE?si=qyFE0HZTBtdxmwHZ

“Not What I Expected”

John 14:1- NIV, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

John 16:33- NIV, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

Just recently when I was out on a run, I got to thinking about how it’s been 2 years since I started back up running again after not having run since I was in Jr. High.  In that time, I have learned a lot about running, especially from others who have been part of my encouraging running community.  The experience I’ve had getting back at it is not what I expected at all.  I really didn’t think I would stick with it and come to enjoy it again.  I thought I would drop off and give it up, but I haven’t and I’m glad I kept going.  It’s been a good learning experience with good days and bad days of running. 

 

I’ve learned to pace myself, push myself, control my breathing, and learn how I can improve on my timing and my distance.  The experience the past 2 years is not at all what I expected, but it’s been great.

 

As I consider my experience with running, I’m also looking at other areas of life where situations were not what I expected.

 

Life after college is not at all what I expected.  I studied to be in full time vocational ministry for years to come, but God obviously had other plans and I am happily serving in a volunteer capacity.

 

Life in marriage after 22 years is not what I expected.  Today, I am so very grateful for my relationship with my wife and all we have been through together.  As with any marriage, there’s been lots of ups and downs.  However, with God at the center, there has been nothing we can’t get through with Him leading us.

 

Being a parent is not what I expected.  It’s been one of the greatest learning experiences of my life.  I have 2 daughters and I never would have imagined what it takes to raise kids.  God has been so good and I am very proud of them and their faith.

 

Jesus spent much time with His disciples trying to get them to understand what was going to happen and what would come upon them.  He tried so hard to simplify it, but there were so many times they just did not get it and could not comprehend what He was telling them.  It was emotionally painful for Him so often when He saw them bickering with each other and focusing on who is greatest among them.  He tried to warn them about what was to come for them and Himself, but they just couldn’t understand. 

 

Jesus knows that, so often, life is never truly what we expected.  We have our vision of what might come, but life rarely happens as we think it will.  This teaches us to trust Him in leading us when life doesn’t make sense and trusting that He knows what He’s doing as He leads us.  Let us continue to trust God, especially in times of life where things don’t make any sense and are totally different from what we expected.  

The Best Deal

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/HAtJKoYD0mQ?si=Q6Mee2-5XYiF9bAt

“The Best Deal”

John 14:6 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

Over the years, I have become someone who likes to search out good bargains.  I always like finding a good deal that saves me money.  If I need to buy something, of course I want to find the best value for my money.  One of the best sections of stores we like to shop is clearance.  My wife and I are signed up to a lot of food places and stores to get special deals.  We also like to comparison shop when we are in stores so that we know where to get the best deals.

 

I could go on and on about how I like to find good deals.  If I find a good deal, but then soon after realize that I could have gotten an ever better deal, I get bummed and wish I had looked further to get the better deal.  Often times, my wife will say, “It was only a few dollars difference”, but then I’ll say, “Yeah, but I could have saved more money!”  I am a bargain hunter!

 

I think we all like to find good deals and bargains when we are shopping for food, clothes, electronics, etc.  Who doesn’t like to find good deals, right?  Everyone does.  I think we spend a lot of time trying to find the best deals and we put a lot of effort into our researching and shopping experience.  That can save a lot of money, but it can also take a lot of our valuable time as well.

 

Recently, as I was thinking about how we like to find good deals, I thought about the best deal we have found as people of faith.  The best deal we could have ever asked for is Jesus Christ dying for us and offering us eternal life by accepting Him as our Savior.  This is truly the best deal ever!  There is no comparison shopping.  But often, we do comparison shop.  We want to see if the world is going to offer us a better deal by chasing after other things that offer a happier way of living. 

 

We can easily get tricked and deceived by believing going a certain way or believing a certain thing will help us more.  We buy the latest thing on the market and we get a high for a while.  But after a while, the feeling fades and we’re back to searching again. 

 

Jesus said that He is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life.  There is NO better deal anywhere in the entire universe!  He is the real deal!  We simply cannot get any better than this. 

 

Are we daily thankful for the best deal we have ever received?  Are we daily grateful that Jesus has given us the best life ever?  I hope so.

Give Me Your Eyes

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/W1aaE0kgSUs?si=Rf8kl8W9-gqFPFr5

“Give Me Your Eyes”

1 John 4:7-8 NIV

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love

 

Recently, I was working remote for most of one of the days in a coffee shop.  The place seemed to be busy most of the day.  Every so often, I would find myself looking up and around to observe all the different people gathered at various tables.  If there’s one thing that my wife and I find fascinating to do in public, it’s people watching.  There’s something about it that is intriguing to us.  I found it intriguing especially as different thoughts started popping into my head regarding how I observed different people.  I started imagining who these people might be and the scenario of their discussions.

 

I noticed some older ladies enjoying each others company.  I’m guessing they were retired and possibly sitting around talking about their grandkids or their kids and the families.

 

I noticed some younger gals sitting together and imagined maybe they were college students discussing classes or various things going on in their lives.

 

I noticed some tables with a young guy and gal chatting.  Perhaps they were discussing their dating relationship or discussing the exciting things they were looking forward to in the coming days or weeks.

 

I noticed some people sitting at tables and wondered if one of them was going through a divorce.  A friend helping a friend cope with that difficult part of life.

 

I imagined a father sitting with a son or a mother sitting with a daughter and chatting about some difficult times the child was having with school.

 

As they day progressed, I just kept imagining different people and various scenarios of discussions going on and the excitement or sorrow being expressed in those conversations.  Some people were celebrating life, just hanging out or possibly having one of the worst seasons of their life. 

 

As I took this all in here and there in between the work I was doing, I kept thinking about Brandon Heath’s song “Give Me Your Eyes”.  It reminded me how so often we are clueless to the people around us and all that is going on inside of them.  They might be good at hiding what is actually happening inside and able to fake it on their faces.  They could be really struggling through tough stuff and no one knows.

 

This is a reminder to you and me that we should be very aware of our surroundings and the people around us each day.  Often times God puts us around these people to observe and offer words of encouragement and for us to notice and lend a helping hand. 

Stay On The Click

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/qA7v_6BKcS0?si=TS-c1mL0YVO02d9p

“Stay On The Click”

Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.  Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.  Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

 

On our worship team at church, we use an in ear monitor system that has a program which includes a metronome.  When I first joined the worship team 4 years ago, I was informed that there is a “click” that I would need to get used to and follow so that the whole team stays on beat.  What’s more is that I’m one of the drummers, so it’s absolutely crucial that I do my best to stay on beat.  Somewhat often, it’s easy for any one of us on the team to get off the beat or click.  On some songs, with the feeling and flow, it’s easy to get carried away and stray from the click.  When that happens, it immediately throws us all off and we try to get back on track.

 

I have found that I really like the click and it’s so helpful for me as a drummer.  If I didn’t have that click, I know that I would either go too slow or go too fast.  The click is intended, of course, to keep us on all the right beat so that the song speed flows well. 

 

As a praise team, we all try very hard to stay on the click so that the flow goes well and we can lead worship well for the congregation.  We do our best to follow the click so that we help bring a worshipful experience.  As I consider this effort that we put into the worship team, it reminds me how God wants us to stay in His Word and do our best to stay true to following Him as He leads us each day. 

 

Just as our praise team at church needs to stay on the click to provide a meaningful worship experience, we need to stay in God’s word so that our lives stay enriched with the life God intended for us.  God’s Word is the “click” that keeps our lives flowing, even with the challenges that life throws at us.  When the enemy throws obstacles and temptations in our way, God encourages us to stay on the course. 

 

So often in our lives, we think we know what is best and we like to make up our own rhythm.  This takes us off the rhythm of where God wants us and things go south quickly.

 

Just imagine if I started playing an entirely different song on the praise team than the one everyone else is playing?  Everyone on the team would probably say, “Uh….Zach?  What’s going on?”  Everything would be thrown off if I were to play an entirely different rhythm than the rest of the team.

 

God has a rhythm He wants us to follow.  If we go off the click and do our own thing, it’s not a good situation and we can fall far from where we need to be. 

 

Let’s stay on the click pattern God has for our lives and our best to follow His Word.

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.