Keep Cool & Regulated

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

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“Keep Cool & Regulated”

Proverbs 29:11 NIV

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.

 

Everyone in our household owns a stainless steel water bottle.  We used to have regular water bottles and I would always struggle with how to keep the water cold while also keeping the bottle from “sweating” as the ice melted.  After many years, I finally decided to buy a stainless steel water bottle.  After I did so, my wife and girls followed suit.  I was able to convince them that it was worth buying a stainless steel version in order to keep water cold a lot longer and not have it sweating all over you. 

 

Years later, we still use those kinds of bottles.  I don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular water bottles.  Just a personal preference!  As I’ve used this kind of water bottle through the years, I’m always amazed and refreshed when I pick it up, especially on hot days, and the water is still ice cold while the outside is very warm to the touch.

 

I was walking and running with my brother in law the other day and I suddenly thought of this as we both mentioned we were thirsty.  I thought about how it’s so refreshing going back home or to the car after a workout and taking a drink of cold water.  How refreshing!

 

I thought about how often in life it’s so important that we are like these water bottles in life when times get challenging.  People get mad at us or we suddenly encounter a dramatic situation where people need to be calmed down.  I think most about this when we watch cop shows.  It’s amazing to see cops keeping their cool while they work to calm upset people down.  The training these cops go through they learn a lot over time how to keep situations calm by keeping their voices as calm and steady as possible.

 

Let’s take this Proverb for instance.  How many of us want to be fools when it comes to challenging situations and conversations?  None of us.  We all would like to keep our cool and stay regulated, just like a stainless steel water bottle.  It might be getting flamed and hot outside, but inside the water is staying cool and refreshing.  Don’t we want to be people of refreshment when others are getting all uptight and wound up? 

 

This is how we really show the love of God.  When we can keep our cool and bring refreshment to others instead of letting our anger rage and boil our blood, we can stay cool and bring calmness to those around us.  It’s not easy by any means!  However, it is possible! 

 

The next time we are in a situation where the fire rages around us with people, let’s try to be like the water bottle and stay regulated inside so that refreshing and loving words come out. 

All In Sweet Harmony

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

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“All In Sweet Harmony”

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

 

Last weekend, we attended a race at a local fairgrounds for the afternoon.  It was fun watching cars race each other around a small track.  At one point, there was a bottleneck and multiple cars were stuck behind one another.  What happened next amazed me.  I watched almost every single one of them back up in unison and then they were all free to continue to drive on. 

 

I remember thinking, “Wow, they all did that at the same time and everyone was freed up to move on!”  As I pondered that moment, it reminded of Paul’s words of how he described the body of Christ and all the parts.  So often in churches these days, we “say” we are on the same team and claim we want to serve God together.  However, all to often, we tend to have ulterior motives when we do some things and do them only for our benefit.  This isn’t always true, but it happens more than we would like to admit.

 

When I watched the cars all back up at the same time, this devotional thought hit me immediately and I thought, “This is exactly how the body of Christ was meant to flow.”  It is truly a beautiful picture when the bride of Christ strives to work together in harmony.  It’s absolutely beautiful not only in how that works within the church, but also when non-believers witness this.  Word travels fast and it blows people’s minds when we are not only talking the talk, but also walking the walk.

 

I’ve been part of multiple churches through my years of paid and volunteer ministry.  It pains me to have witnessed so many places of worship get torn up to pieces because people don’t have the vision and desire to work together in harmony.  But then it also has brought me great joy to witness churches that do genuinely work together in harmony to love each other and those who are lost.

 

Every part of the body of Christ is unique and needed, whether you are in front serving or behind the scenes.  No one is more important than the other.  We all work together and it works wonderfully, just like the cars in that race that all backed up together and then drove off. 

 

It is my hope and prayer that we would all strive to do our part serving in the body of Christ.  It’s never about how we can benefit the most, it’s how we can serve and love others within the body. 

Back In The Day

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

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“Back In The Day”

James 1:17 NIV- Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows

 

Hebrews 13:8 NIV- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

 

Recently, as I got into one of our vehicles to drive somewhere, I had to readjust

the side mirrors to fit my view.  As I did this, I had flashbacks to when I was growing up as a kid.  I remember sitting in the passenger side with my mom, dad or other adults.  With the cars in my childhood days, we had manual mirrors.  Often times, my parents would ask me to roll down my passenger window and have me move the mirror left, right, up or down several times until their view was just right.  Then they adjusted their own driver’s side mirror as well. 

 

I also got to thinking about how we used to have manual crank windows to roll them up and down.  Then I thought about how we had manual tuning radios and cassette tape decks.  My thoughts continued with the old seat belts we used to have as well as being lucky if we even had A/C in the cars yet. 

 

My how times have changed with our vehicles!  For so many years, regarding cars and other items with modern day changes, I’ve heard people say, “Well, back in the day we had…..” or “Back in the day, we didn’t have……”  We often marvel today as how times have changed and what conveniences we have today compared to 20, 30 or 40 years ago.  Advances in technology and science have definitely brought us a long way! 

 

I have to admit that often times when adults would tell me, “Well, back in the day, we didn’t have……….”, I would roll my eyes or even mutter things under my breath and think, “Yeah, back in the stone ages!”  Sometimes, I got caught rolling my eyes or my very soft comments still being heard somehow!  The punishment was not fun! 

 

There are so many things that have changed through our years and continue to change each day.  With all the constant changes in life, I am so glad that God doesn’t change the way He is with us.  He is constant with His love, forgiveness, grace, mercy and patience.  He never says, “Well, back in the day I was more patient, but these days not so much.” 

 

It doesn’t matter how far back we look in Scripture, God is the same today as He was back in the day.  He never changes and He is constant and I love serving a living God like that!  I never have to worry that He can’t relate with me or comfort me.  He is with me today as he was when I was a kid and still loves me just as much as He did back then. 

 

There is no “Back in the day” with God.  He is, still is and will always be our God Who deeply loves us and will never change.  We can fully trust Him and know that His ways will never grow old or change. 

The Power Of Negative Thoughts

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

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“The Power Of Negative Thoughts”

1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

 

For so many years of my life, I have heard podcasts, sermons, read books and heard stories of the power of positive thinking.  I want to be clear that this is vital and very important for us to consider, but what I have been feeling and thinking about is how we need to also realize the power of negative thoughts and where those can lead.  I’m NOT focusing on the idea of having negative thoughts, but I AM focusing on what negative thoughts can do to us.

 

For most of my life, I have struggled with a negative self-image.  I have struggled with having a low self-confidence and low self-esteem.  However, God has brought a lot of encouragement and resources into my life in the past several years to combat this way of thinking. 

 

I want to encourage all of us not only to focus on the power of positive thinking, but to also be very cautious and aware of what can happen when we focus on the power of our negative thoughts.  We need to be aware of both sides. 

 

If we are focusing on negative thoughts a lot in our lives, we need to be made aware of how those thoughts spiral out of control and do so much internal damage to the way we see ourselves.  Last week, I shared about how our old self is gone and we are now a new creation in Christ.  The enemy wants nothing more than to bring to our minds constantly all of the negative thoughts that surround that old self. 

 

I have found through much wisdom in therapy, through reading Christ-centered books, Scripture and talking to people who really love me, that I need God’s wisdom and strength to help me battle the negative thoughts train I often have.  I have learned that I need to be very proactive when I’m battling these thoughts and when they surface.  I have to learn better how to combat them with what God says in His Word about who I am. 

 

I want to encourage myself and you all that every single day, we need to be intentional about filling our minds with positive thoughts to push out the negative thoughts.  It’s very hard to do some days.  There are days when things are going great and it’s very easy to focus on the blessings of life.  There are also days when we feel like nothing is going right and our world is falling apart.  The blessings are STILL there, but they are being drowned out by the enemy filing us with negative thoughts. 

 

Every day, we need to be very intentional about focusing on the power of positive thoughts and be aware of the power of negative thoughts that are trying to drown out the positive ones.  We need to be on alert and ready for the enemy’s attacks. 

 

Are we ready?

We're Done With The Old Self

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“We’re Done With The Old Self”

Galatians 2:20 NLT

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

Just recently, I read this passage for the Air1 Radio verse of the day.  They always send these in the NLT.  The first part of the passage hit me hard.  “My old self has been crucified with Christ.”  I had to take some time and let that sink in for many days.  The impact of these words is so powerful.  Just take a few moments and let these words sink deep into your mind, heart and soul. 

 

Our old self is gone.  Do we fully understand this concept?  I don’t think we do.  Why do I say that?  Because the enemy haunts us at any chance he gets to remind us of our old self and how bad we were.  He wants us to think we can’t ever get way from who we used to be.  But….he is WRONG!  Might I remind us all that Jesus Christ went to the Cross to die and put death in the grave?  

 

Our old self is gone.  We live through the life Christ has given to us!  We are a New Creation each new day!  The old life of sin has no power over us.  We have victory through the Cross!  Let that also sink in for a few moments.  I think for so many of us, we let the enemy yell into our minds way too often reminding us of our past and all the bad things we did before we came to Jesus.

 

We need to be reminded each day that we are made new in Christ.  The enemy no longer has control over our lives and we are not slaves to sin.  The enemy wants nothing more than to constantly remind us of the messed up lives we had before coming to Jesus. 

 

While the enemy constantly reminds us of our messed up old self, Jesus constantly reminds us of the new life we have through Him!  It’s hard turning away from the constant reminders of our old self.  The reminders make us feel like we’ll never move past those old tendencies and sin we used to live in.  However, Jesus reminds us that He paid the price for all of those sins and His love will never change for us.

 

Let’s look at the phrase again, “My old self has been crucified with Christ”.  I want this passage and phrase to be on my mind each new day as a reminder that my old self is gone and I have new life in Christ!  I hope this passage becomes a favorite of ours that we remember every day to be reminded who we are now.  We are no longer slaves to our old self, we have been made new in Christ!

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Alive & Alive

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“Alive & Alive”

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

 

There’s a song by Passion Conference that we often play at church called “Glorious Day”.  One of the verses says “I was breathing, but not alive” and that phrase always reminds me of how our lives were before we knew Jesus Christ.  We are all physically alive up until we give our lives to Christ, then we are both physically alive and spiritually alive.  It’s so great to see people’s energy after they made a decision to follow Jesus.  They are on fire and so excited to share with others.

 

As I look past on the past many years of my life, I see so often that I have lived my life without excitement of knowing Christ.  I gave my life to Him when I was young, but there have been so many times where I didn’t live “Alive & Alive”.  I was just breathing, as the song says.  I hate to say it, but many of us tend to fall to this problem.  We get so caught up in the day to day routines of life and we let things bog us down and so often our spiritual lives take a backseat.

 

If we have given our lives to Him, we should be living each day with excitement showing the lost world what they are missing.  However, sadly, many of us (myself included) spend many days in our own world doing our thing and living as though we are not spiritually alive.  We have so much to live for being born again in Christ! 

 

We need to be bold and share with the lost world that we are not only physically alive, but spiritually alive as well.  We sadly spend so many days pretending to be spiritually alive, but we are just basically breathing and on autopilot.  We have so much more to be living for!

 

I want to encourage all of us to live not only physically alive, but spiritually alive as well.  This passage says it all in that Jesus made us alive in Him!  We have a story to tell and a wonderful love to share!

 

Are we just alive or are we alive & alive?

I Am..... Vs. I Feel.....

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“I Am…….. Vs. I Feel……..”

Ephesians 2:10 NLT- For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

 

I have shared with you all within the past year how I have struggled with self-esteem most of my life.  Having been in therapy for the past almost 3 years now, I have learned so much about how my past and childhood affects how I am as an adult now.  Those who know me well know that I come down hard on myself when I do or say something stupid and mess up.  I talk down to myself pretty bad and my family is often reminding me that I should not be doing this.  I am not nice to myself at all when I mess up. 

 

The enemy likes to make me think that I am the dumbest person to ever walk the earth.  I find a lot of mental battles each day.  Something my therapist has really helped me work through is to remember that when I feel something, that doesn’t make it true.  I need to remember what God says in His Word about who I am.  I have had to work really hard to keep my mind positive about who God says I am.  The enemy gets VERY loud each day trying to throw negative thoughts my way about myself and how I’ve messed up in life.  He loves to constantly remind me of my faults, while God wants to constantly remind me that I am unconditionally loved and, as Paul states, I am God’s masterpiece. 

 

I am sharing this with you all today as I am confident there are people who will read this devotional and completely relate to what I am saying.  Many of you find yourselves bashing yourselves verbally and mentally each day.  You think you never do things right or amount to anything.  The enemy is very, very sly in getting us to feel dumb, stupid and worthless.  This is a LIE from Hell and we cannot believe it!

 

I know that I will battle these thoughts for the rest of my life, but I also know that God will remind me who I am in Him.  I am His masterpiece.  I am special and unique in the Kingdom.  We all need to remember that we are special and unique to Him. 

 

I’m often finding that, with a snap of a finger, I can mentally be thrown into a negative mental pit where I am bombarded with negative thoughts about myself and I get buried with those.  I’ve never thought so much about mental health in all my life before and now I have a taste of what many people struggle with day in and day out.  I want to end with more words from Paul that should remind us each day to focus on whatever is beneficial.

 

Philippians 4:8 NIV- Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 

“I Am…….” is what God says about us.  “I Feel……” is often what the enemy says.

He's Always Available For Us

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

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“He’s Always Available For Us”

Psalm 138:7-8 NIV

Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

 

Recently, as I was sitting in a lobby waiting for an appointment, it dawned on me how much of our lives we find ourselves sitting and waiting for someone to see us.  We all have so many different appointments where we find ourselves waiting. 

 

We wait in a doctor’s office to discuss health issues.

We wait in a dentist’s office to find out if we have tooth issues.

We wait at a therapists office to talk about life issues.

We fill out an application and wait to get a response about a job offer.

We call someone, leave a message and hope they return the call.

We send an e-mail to a company and wait for a response.

 

We wait for responses from other people.  Sometimes people get back to us quickly, other times we wait for hours, days, months or years.  We leave messages and wonder if they will be returned. 

 

As I’ve continued to mull this over, I am so thankful and grateful that, no matter where we are or what we are doing, God is always available to listen to us and hear what is on our minds and hearts.  He wants to talk with us.  He’s never out to lunch or on another call.  He’s always there.  No matter where we go or what we are doing, we can approach Him and have a conversation.  Whatever needs or concerns we have, He’s right there to hear what we need to bring to Him.

 

It’s an amazing feeling to know that He always has time for us and is always there for us.  He’s not sitting there, looking at His watch, bouncing his leg, and giving off body language communicating, “Hey, are you almost done blabbing??  I’ve got things to do!”  Never! 

 

Isn’t it an amazing feeling to know that God is ALWAYS there for us and is never too busy to spend time listening to what is on our hearts?  When life is going great, He’s there for us.  When life is the pits, He’s still there for us.  We just have to call on His Name and He is right there!  He’s not on vacation with an out of office message and He’s not ghosting us. 

 

Just remember, though, that His ways are not our ways.  He won’t always respond in the ways we expect.  He’s always there for us, but so often we come with our expectations of how we want Him to respond.  Come before Him with an open heart and mind and commune with Him.  Be open to what He wants to say and how He wants to lead. 

 

It’s a great feeling to know God is always available for us, no matter what.

What You Need, When You Need It

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“’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.