Eyes on Jesus – Day 7

We each have free will and get to choose the path we will take. We each have the free choice to choose to go God’s way or our way. We each have the free will to choose whether we walk toward God’s purpose and plan for our lives or run away. We each have the free will to choose to be an Abram who left and was going where God called Him, even when he didn’t know where that was. We each have the free will to choose to be Jonah and turn away from God’s calling and purpose and then deal with the consequences of walking away and out of the protection of God’s hands, even possibly having to go through a “belly of a fish” moment where we are faced with a decision of dying physically or dying to self so that we can be reborn into who God calls and created and purposed for us to be. So let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and choose to walk out His plans and purpose for our lives!

Scripture from Today’s Devotional:

God’s Word never returns void and so we need to make sure to daily make time to hear, read, and meditate on the Word of God! God’s Word is powerful and so we need to stop and listen to hear what God has to say to us right where we are, right here, right now!

Let’s be the dads who want to understand God’s Word and so seek and pursue God with our eyes on Jesus so that we can be spiritually wise! Let’s be the dads who want to understand and discern God’s Word and so seek and pursue God with our eyes on Jesus so that we can know the word and will of God for our lives! Let’s be the dads who desire and choose to live with our eyes on Jesus so that we can be spiritually wise, discerning, and understanding! Let’s be the dads who walk in the ways of God because they are right! Let’s be the dads who walk in the ways of God with our eyes on Jesus so that we may be considered righteous in Jesus! Let’s be the dads who walk in the ways of God with our eyes on Jesus so that we don’t stumble and fall in them like transgressors!

Today’s devotional has been provided to us by Tim Ferrara (Discerning Dad) | Twitter, Instagram, YouTube | Linktree!

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: https://linktr.ee/discerning_dad

Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“The parallels with the Christian journey and hiking“

• Ever gone on a walk?
• Ever gone on a trail walk?
• Ever gone on a mountain walk?
• Ever gone on a hike?
• Ever found that the trails twist and turn and even fork at times?
• Ever gotten loss by going off the trail, off the path, or taking a wrong turn?
• Ever gotten to the point where based on your choices got to a point where you had to stop or turn back?
• Today’s devotional points to how “parallels with the Christian journey and hiking“!
• Today’s devotional even directs us to check out the book Pilgrim’s Progress!
• We even know about how Jesus speaks of following Him as like taking the narrow road:
  • ‘ “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. ‘ Matthew 7:13-14
• Today’s devotional points to how “Many will not make it to the end of the path that goes to the Father.“
• Today’s devotional speaks to how “Many start on the right path only to abandon it.“
• Today’s devotional speaks to how “Some go along easier paths, not wanting to be challenged at all.“
• Today’s devotional speaks to how “some just stay at home altogether, allowing apathy to overcome them.“
• Let’s be the dads who choose to take the right path!
• Let’s be the dads who won’t give up when things get tough but will press on and stay on the right path!
• Let’s be the dads who will choose to go it God’s way rather than looking for the easy way!
• Let’s be the dads who will choose to go it God’s way rather than being apathetic and not going or doing what God created and purposed for us to do and be!
• Let’s be the dads who realize that it may not be easy but it will definitely be worth it!
• Let’s be the dads who realize that this journey called life will bring us to hills and valleys and God will teach us things through them all, He will give us the wisdom to help us get over, through, or around them, and in some cases may remove them.
• Let’s be the dads who realize that this journey called life will bring us to hills and valleys and God will teach us things through them all if we are willing to stop and listen for His instruction and direction and in some cases remember what He has taught us before!
• I know when I reflect back, I think of the lesson of forgiveness and how after I learned it, God used that for me to help others receive and learn it as well as to test me to see if I got it by allowing another incident with different people to happen and in that case instead of making up excuses why I couldn’t, wouldn’t, or shouldn’t forgive them, forgiveness was my first response.
• Let’s be the dads who realize that in this life we will have troubles but that we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world!
• Let’s be the dads who are able to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because we know that the testing of your faith through experience produces endurance leading to spiritual maturity and inner peace, so by letting endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work so that you may be perfect and completely developed in our faith, lacking in nothing!
• Today’s devotional in the midst of all of this shares what is important: “do not give up“!
• Let’s be the dads who don’t try to go it alone but take hold of the reality that we can “rely on those who have walked the path before and have the wisdom of the trails, like our pastors, elders, teachers, etc.“!
• Let’s be the dads who won’t stumble on the right path because we want the easy way!
• Let’s be the dads who won’t stumble on the right path even when we don’t feel like it or see any immediate reward!
• Today’s devotional closes with this thought and challenge to reflect upon:
  • “Discernment will cause us to make the right decisions even if they are not easy and even if there is no immediate reward in making them. If we take the option off the table as to quitting or following another path, then there is no other choice than to persevere and make it up the narrow road!“
  • “Reflect: Do I find joy in the things of God, or are they a stumbling block to me? Am I committed to the narrow path regardless of the obstacle? Pray for strength as you travel down the narrow path.“