As I was about to begin today, receiving a message from the other of today’s devotional touched my heart and I am so blessed that God not only called me to start “Be The Dads” but has opened the door to have me connect with incredible people who have written dad devotionals.
What a great word to see as my next devotional topic AGAPE – agape (/ɑːˈɡɑːpeɪ, ˈɑːɡəˌpeɪ, ˈæɡə-/;[1][2] from Ancient Greek ἀγάπη (agápē)) is unconditional love, “the highest form of love, charity” and “the love of God for man and of man for God”. What a way to kick off a Sunday and consider how it is a 3-day devotional means we will need to find another one for Wednesday! What a way to kick off the calendar week with the topic of the highest form of love! What a way to kick off the calendar week with the topic of unconditional love! Let’s be the dads who love unconditionally! Let’s be the dads who love our wives unconditionally! Let’s be the dads who love our kids unconditionally! Let’s be the dads who love others unconditionally so that they may experience God’s presence in and through our lives! Let’s dig in to get all this devotional has to offer! In the description from Bible.com we read about how “Vance K. Jackson leads readers in this heart-transforming message. God is Love. There is no comparison to the Love of God. Let His Love fill every void. There is nothing that can replace His Love. There is nothing that can compete with His Love. Let the Love of God serve as the foundation of every area of your heart as you read this timely message.” Such an intro makes me so excited to read and learn and share what I find with each of you.
Let’s check out our scriptures for today’s devotional:
‘as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ‘
Psalms 103:12
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ‘
John 3:16-17
‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ‘
Romans 8:1
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ‘
Deuteronomy 6:5
God’s Word amazes me. It’s not a bunch of words on a page, even though it is because it is God speaking to us and so the Words are alive and jump off the page and speak to us through the Holy Spirit. You realize God has something today when your daily post, your daily verse, and your devotional all point the same way. Today that was the verse from Romans 8:1 which was also the verse of the day today from bible.com. When I grabbed it originally I extended it to include verse 2 because it gives an explanation, the why behind the statement, the because statement to help us better understand why God and what God has done for us!
Let’s be the dads who receive God’s Word into our hearts, minds, and lives and choose to live in alignment with them! Let’s be the dads who receive God’s Word that He has removed our transgressions from us through Jesus as far as the east is from the west! Let’s be the dads who similarly can choose to forgive and not allow bitterness and anger to become roots in our hearts or anchors that would hold us back from being everything God created, purposed, and called us to be! Let’s be the dads who don’t hold the past over people but rather by forgiving are able to move forward!
Let’s be the dads who love! Let’s be the dads who receive God’s love as described in John 3! Let’s be the dads who love so much that we are generous! Let’s be the dads who receive God’s gift and grace of love through Jesus so that we will not perish but have eternal life! Let’s be the dads who love enough that we live to bring our wives and our kids with us on this journey so that they too can receive the incredible gift of grace and love of God through Jesus and get to spend eternity with us in heaven with God! Let’s be the dads who choose to live our lives wanting to make this world a better place! Just like God didn’t send Jesus to condemn the world let’s be the dads who are going out and being the husbands and the dads, the friends, and the coworkers who are making a difference and helping to lead others into the presence of God! Let’s be the dads who are Jesus with skin on to people who may never step into a church!
Let’s be the dads who can grab hold of not only how thanks to Jesus we no longer need to live with or in condemnation, that is with or in censure, criticism, castigation, stricture, denunciation, damnation, vilification, opprobrium, reproof, disapproval, disapprobation, reprobation, arraignment, excoriation, and objurgation! So with all of that behind us, let’s be the dads who grab hold of the BECAUSE so we don’t think it is because we did something or accomplished something, but rather realize that Jesus paid it all! Let’s be the dads who live our lives without condemnation “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Let’s be the dads who have the fountain of life who is Jesus in our hearts, filling us so that we thirst no more and overflow with love and compassion for all those God brings across our paths today! Let’s be the dads who love our wives and kids! Let’s be the dads who love our friends and neighbors! Let’s be the dads who love our family and coworkers! Let’s be the dads who love God with all of our hearts, all of our souls, and all of our strength!
Today’s devotional has been provided by Vance K. Jackson (http://www.VanceKJackson.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)
For more information, please visit http://www.VanceKJackson.com (About The Publisher).
Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“Love Breaks Yokes.“
- Today’s devotional used different translations than NIV that I quoted above and they read as follows:
- ““As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:12 KJV”
- “Psalms 103:12 NLT declares, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”“
- ““For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17 NLT“
- “Deuteronomy 6:5 NLT declares, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “God’s Love is endless.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “God’s Love breaks yokes.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “God’s Love breaks bondages.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “God’s Love breaks generational cycles.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “God’s Love releases us from every torment and entanglement.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “God’s Love has no boundaries.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “His Love has no limits.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that we need to “Let the Love of God free us from the bondage of the past.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “Love is not selfish.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “Love gives.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “Love forgives.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “His Love will wash away the guilt, shame and defeat of the past.“
- Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that we need to “Let His Love free us.“
- Let’s be the dads who choose to live distributing and giving God’s love to our wives, kids, and the world around us!
- Let’s be the dads who choose not to hoard God’s love but rather to share it with the world around us!
- Let’s be the dads who choose to grab hold of the reality in order to be able to pass it along to our wives, our kids, and our world!
- Let’s be the dads who choose to love our wives, our kids, and the people God brings into our lives without judgment or condemnation!
- Let’s be the dads who “Choose to let the Love of God strengthen us.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Let His Love build up our hearts.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Let His Love deliver us from the pain of the past.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Let His Love reach and heal every part of our hearts and souls.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Let His Love heal every deep-seeded wound.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Let His Love heal every emotional scar of the past.“
- Let’s be the dads who “Surrender to the Love of God and be made whole.“
- Let’s be the dads who allow God to work in us so that He will be able to work through us to touch and change the lives of our wives, kids, and world for the glory of His Kingdom!
