Transformation – Hope for Single Fathers – Day 3 – Work in progress towards the new you

As today begins and I write the title looking for the right words to help it pop, what comes to mind is the gift of Christmas, the blessing of receiving the gift of Jesus, and how this gift transforms us! A transformation like a butterfly!

‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. ‘

2 Corinthians 5:17

We are here today and that means God’s not done with us yet! Even when we face troubles or trials of many kinds, we don’t need to lose hope but can choose to take heart and find joy! So just because things aren’t as you thought or hoped, let’s be the dads who take heart when we face troubles because we know that Jesus has overcome the world! Let’s be the dads who consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because we know it is building our faith and perseverance when it finishes its work will make us complete and lacking nothing!

As today closes out our devotional I want to thank Tez Brooks for such incredible resources He has put together to help dads and single dads like The Single Dad Detour and blog posts on Tez Brooks.com.

Today’s devotional is described as follows:

Hope for Single Fathers by Tez Brooks

3 Days

Finalist for the 2022 Selah Awards, this reading plan addresses how dads can model trust and faith while navigating life’s hectic highway. For single fathers, the challenge increases. Men avoid asking for help because it implies weakness. Roadblocks of independence and pride cause discouragement and hopelessness. Based on the book “The Single Dad Detour” you’ll learn reliance on God and maintain hope to be the protective seatbelt your family needs.

Hope for Single Fathers | Devotional Reading Plan | YouVersion Bible

Scripture from Today’s Devotional:

As in all the posts, we need to go to God’s Word first before we can hear from the author of the devotional because we need to hear from God directly! God’s Word is active and alive, never returning void! God’s Word is able to cut through the noise and distractions and get to the core of things just like a double-edged sword is able to cut to the joint all the way to the marrow!

Let’s be the dads who are in Christ Jesus, who have become new creations where the old is gone and the new has come! Let’s be the dads who are united in heart and Spirit! Let’s be the dads who have received from God an undivided heart and a new spirit in us! Let’s be the dads whose stone hearts have been removed and replaced with flesh hearts to be able to feel! Let’s be the dads who follow God’s decrees and be careful to keep His laws! Let’s be the dads who are choosing to be God’s people and for Him to be our God! Let’s be the dads who are putting off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires! Let’s be the dads who are being made new in the attitude of your minds! Let’s be the dads who are putting on our new selves, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness! Let’s be the dads who realize that we don’t have it all figured out yet or have gotten it all done and so we choose to press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us!

Today’s devotional has been provided to us by Tez Brooks.

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.tezbrooks.com.

Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“Caution Men at Work: The New You“

• Let’s be the dads who look to God and His Word and His promises because we know that in this world we will face troubles but that we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world!
• Let’s be the dads who look at the positive and consider it pure joy when we face trials and challenges because we know it helps build our faith and when perseverance has completed its work we will be complete and lacking nothing!
• Let’s be the dads who trust God rather than leaning on our own understanding and trying to live up to the fake or false or even unreasonable expectations of this world that try to “mandate we be perfect or lose credibility“!
• Let’s be the dads who remember not to compare or to covet as those things draw us down and build up “Internal pressure“!
• Let’s be the dads who realize that change is the one constant in life, even when it doesn’t feel good!
• Today’s devotional point us to the idea of a construction zone when it says:
  • “We’ve all seen the orange cones and signs on the side of an old road warning us of construction. We slow down, knowing unexpected obstacles or challenges might be ahead.“
• Let’s be the dads who realize it is a process and doesn’t get stuck in the now but look towards the future with hope!
• Let’s be the dads who accept that at the moment “It’s inconvenient and visually unappealing. But when it’s completed, we appreciate the benefits and improved efficiency.“
• Let’s be the dads who remember that God prunes us to help us become more fruitful!
• Let’s be the dads who remember that pruning is painful but the future because of it looks great!
• Today’s devotional uses the analogy of road construction in combination with scripture from Ezekiel to share:
  • “It’s the same with our spiritual growth when God, the foreman, starts tearing up our asphalt to increase our capacity for growth. But unlike the world, he works on us with grace and tender understanding, renewing our hearts (Ezekiel 11:19-20). “
• Let’s be the dads who like a butterfly who came from a caterpillar through transformation are ok with the transformation we are going through to become more like Jesus and transformed into His image!
• Let’s be the dads who realize that transformation “can be unsightly and it doesn’t always feel good when our old nature is torn away to make room for the new creation into which God is making us (2 Cor. 5:17). But, the end result is a freeway, flowing finer and faster toward the fulfillment of his destiny for you.“
• Today’s devotional closes out with a thought and a reflection, along with an additional reference link in case you are wanting or needing more:
  • “When we keep our eyes on our Heavenly Father, we see the best example for loving our kids and leading our families through difficult seasons of change. Be encouraged, our hope is in the Lord. There is nothing too big for him.“
  • “REFLECTION: Being a single dad requires self-care, sacrifice, and structural renovations. Consider which overhauls to your character, your heart, and your parenting are truly from God and which are self-imposed. God is for you and cheering you on toward perfection.  “
  • “If you enjoyed the Hope for Single Fathers reading plan, consider securing a copy of “The Single Dad Detour”  by Tez Brooks“