After my regular “dad” search to find our current devotional called “Kill the Noise“. Its description captured my attention when it spoke to “playing”, I over the years will say in meetings “let’s play pretend” which tends to allow people to come along and to make sure there isn’t any deception I tell them how it usually means “let’s play for real” so that we are on the same page and that most people will come along on playing pretend whereas others are hesitant to play for real. The description says it this way: “Too many people are playing at being Christians, and some haven’t yet taken even the first step of belief.” The key for us to grab hold of in order to be the dads God created us to be is that we need to draw closer to Jesus and allow Him into every aspect of our lives. Let’s be the dads who allow Jesus to be Lord of all of our lives so that we don’t end up where we discover that we never allowed Him to be Lord at all. Today’s intro speaks to us to be the dads that allow Jesus to continue to get closer to us when it says: “No matter where you are in your spiritual walk, Jesus wants you closer.” Let’s be the dads who are seeking God’s purpose, plan, and will for our lives! Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “He’s got a perfect plan for your life – a plan for purpose, peace, joy, and eternal life.” Let’s be the dads who choose to be authentic! Let’s be the dads who choose to be real! As this devotional says: “All it takes is you deciding that the poser life is not for you. You’re going to be fully committed!” Are you ready? Are you willing? Are you able? Remember all things are possible for those who believe! We will be the dads who are able as long as you believe, then God can do anything in your life! If you believe. you see, God is able to do all things, and he does them according to his plan and according to his purpose, and according to his will. That’s right, it takes faith!
Today’s devotional gets us started with the following verses:
‘I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.’
Romans 8:18-30
‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. ‘
Romans 5:1-5
God’s Word is so amazing and never returns void! God’s Word meets us right where we are at this moment in time. Today’s devotional gets us started with the reality that in this world we will have troubles but as Jesus said we can take heart because He has overcome the world. Today’s scripture compares the suffering we are going through to the eternal glory that is yet to come and when you compare the temporary to the eternal and everlasting, it makes the comparison so small it isn’t worth comparing. Let’s be the dads who choose today to be more focused on our creator than on the created! Let’s be the dads who choose today to be more focused on the eternal than the temporary! Let’s be the dads who even in the midst of the groans and challenges in this life are keeping our focus on Jesus and getting to spend eternity with Him in Heaven! Let’s be the dads who are hoping and are hopeful for what is yet to come! Let’s be the dads who wait patiently for the time we will be brought into Heaven and spend the rest of eternity with God! Let’s be the dads who lean in on the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness! Let’s be the dads who lean in on the Holy Spirit in moments when we don’t have the words we need to pray! Let’s be the dads who allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for us in accordance to God’s will! Let’s be the dads who don’t lose hope because we know that God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose! Let’s be the dads who choose to lean in on God so that we can become more and more like Jesus with each breath, each moment, and each day! Let’s be the dads who are called by God and who step up and step into that calling! Let’s be the dads who hold tight to God’s promises because we know that God predestined and has called us and so He will justify us in order that He can glorify us! Let’s choose to live out our today in a way that will bring God the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’ name!
Let’s be the dads who live by faith and not by sight! Let’s be the dads who have been justified by faith and because of that have peace with God through Jesus! Let’s be the dads who hold onto the truth that we have gained access by faith into the grace of God through Jesus! Let’s be the dads who glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produce hope and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us!
Today’s devotional has been provided by Ryan Ries and The Whosoevers. (www.thewhosoevers.com and http://www.elcentronetwork.com)
Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)
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Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“Not All Storms Come to Disrupt Our Life“
- Let’s be the dads who keep our eyes on Jesus rather than being distracted by the waves and the storms!
- Let’s be the dads who keep our eyes on Jesus so that when we have gotten out of the boat, we don’t sink because we are walking by faith and with Jesus!
- Storms can bring anxiety, stress, and fear!
- Let’s be the dads who take heart because we know that Jesus has overcome the world! Remember:
- In this world storms that come our way may appear as “health issues, a relationship breakup, a job loss, business problems, the death of someone close.“
- In this world, storms are made up of “anything that brings anxiety, stress, and fear into your life, anything that shakes up your world.“
- In this world, storms have various purposes:
- “Storms can be rough, even brutal, at times.“
- “come to clear our path.“
- “With God, there can be meaning above the madness of the crazy time you’re in. Trust His process.“
- God can be bringing what appears to be a storm for a greater good like to save lives, even when the instigators or people who did it may have done it with wrong or bad motives. Consider the story of Joseph as described in today’s devotional:
- Let’s be the dads who aren’t distracted by the appearance but instead by focusing on Jesus can have the right perspective on the situation!
- Let’s be the dads who are “looking at your situation through what God can do.“
- Let’s be the dads who aren’t “only looking at what is immediately in front of you, then every second of the storm is going to be exhausting and super stressful.“
- Let’s be the dads who are focused on Jesus and the bigger picture so that the storms won’t “drag you down and you’ll be discouraged every step of the way.“
- Let’s be the dads who are leaning in and trusting in God because we know that “having perspective is not always easy.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Hold on to God’s Word, because that’s how you hear His voice and understand things the right way.“
- Let’s be the dads who trust and study God’s Word, the Bible in order to be able to “see what God might be doing, so you can find hope and peace in the midst of the storm.“
- Today’s devotional helps us with this closing thought, so let’s be the dads who are fully committed to trust in God, no matter what! It resonates with me because my “Happy Today!” assumptions that I share with people are: (1) you are alive and (2) no matter what happens, Happy Today!
