A Father’s Legacy – Day 3

Ever wondered if God’s timing was perfect? Ever wondered if God’s plan for you was good and for your good? Ever wondered if God’s calling might be connected to what He wants you to do today? Well, the reality that I am writing this post is God’s calling on me to start Be The Dads. Well, the reality that I started this new devotional that happens to be 9 days which means it will end on a specific day makes me believe yes. Options are on the table and which one leans more towards what God is calling me to do and to be and His plans and His purpose for His glory? So are you ready to meet with and live out your life with Jesus for His purpose and plans? Are you ready to meet with and live out your life with Jesus in order to “build a new and different life in Him“? Are you ready to meet with and live out your life with Jesus so that you will be able to transform into standing on the strongest foundation possible! What’s the plan? “Do not live without a strategy.” Let’s be the dads who are focused on each becoming “a legacy-minded man and will result in a life of lasting impact.“

Today’s devotional gets us started with the following verse:

• John 3:30

‘He must become greater; I must become less.” ‘

John 3:30

As we prepare for today and we consider God’s Word that never returns void, let’s consider what we are reading from John 3 today. Let’s be the dads who allow God to build us, to fill us, to grow us, to strengthen us, to help us, to overflow through us so that He can receive the praise, the honor, and the glory because of the good works we do. Let’s be the dads who make it less about us and more about God in the way we choose to live our lives so that we can leave our wives, our kids, and our world with a legacy that points them to our Heavenly Father! Let’s be the dads who invite the Holy Spirit to clean house in our hearts and minds and fill us with God’s will and God’s way so that we can overflow into the world around us! Let’s be the dads who pursue Jesus in all that we do so that people see Jesus with skin on and glorify our Father in heaven because of the way we are choosing to live our lives! Let’s be the dads who choose to live our lives to show more of God and less of ourselves! John 3 is so powerful and closes with the following reminder:

‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.’

John 3:36

So let’s be the dads who make a difference by allowing Jesus to work in and through us today!

Today’s devotional has been provided by Legacy Minded Men (more details can be found here: https://www.legacymindedmen.org/)

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)

To learn more about Legacy Minded Men, visit https://www.legacymindedmen.org/.

Takeaways from Today’s Devotional: 

• Topic/Title: “Pillar 2: Persona“
• Ever had to come up with personas for a project or to help you understand your audience?
• What is your persona?
  • What is your default way of interacting with the world?
  • How do you respond when you are in times of crisis?
• Today’s devotional says it this way:
  • “Persona is our default way of interacting with the world around us. But, oftentimes our default persona is most clearly revealed in times of crisis.“
• Let’s be the dads who are aware of who we are, our persona!
• Let’s be the dads who reflect on who we become in times of crisis!
• Let’s be the dads who spend so much time in God’s Word and in God’s presence that our hearts and minds become more and more like Jesus!
• Let’s be the dads who spend so much time with God that we respond in ways that will glorify Him!
• Today’s devotional shares some insight into this subject when it says:
  • “Who are you in those moments? Do you default to anger or confusion, drinking or drugs, pornography or illicit sex? The truth is that without an established character, a good attitude, and a strong inner circle, the survival instinct will kick in and you may find yourself doing stupid things to cope with the pain. If you have the right inner circle and a strong personality, you will default to good character and a positive attitude, dust yourself off, and modify your game plan.“
• Where are you at today? How would you or do you respond?
• Let’s be the dads who pause and reflect on these questions!
• Let’s be the dads who pause and consider what it would take to change how we respond!
• Let’s be the dads who reflect on our established character!
• Let’s be the dads who reflect on our attitude!
• Let’s be the dads who seek to find the right inner circle!
• Let’s be the dads who look for the good and the positive when something comes our way so that we can pick ourselves up, adjust the plan, and move forward for the glory of God!
• Let’s be the dads who allow more and more of God into us to strengthen us even in our own weakness!
• Remember how Jesus warned us “In this world, you will have troubles” and gave us a word of hope when He tells us to “take heart” because He has overcome the world?
• So let’s be the dads who are ready and prepared by putting on the full armor of God!
• Let’s be the dads who are ready and prepared by hanging out with and supporting other godly men so that we can be sharp and strong just like how “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.“
• Let’s be the dads who hang tight to God’s Word that tells us
  • ‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ‘ — 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
• Today’s devotional speaks to this as follows:
  • “Tragedy and crisis hit all men. Your persona will either rise up to keep you going or crumble under the pressure. The fact is that you will get hit, but the question is, what is your plan when you do? When you squeeze an orange, tomato juice does not come out—only orange juice. It’s much the same with all of us—when we are squeezed, the real us comes out.“
• So let’s be the dads who are ready and prepared with a plan!
• Let’s be the dads who are so filled with Jesus that when the pressure is on we pour out Jesus to the world around us!
• Let’s be the dads who choose to let Jesus take over more and more of our lives so that this world will see more and more of Him in and through us!
• Let’s become stronger not because we are stronger but because He is stronger in us!
• Today’s devotional wraps up this topic before a time of reflection with the following:
  • “When Christ walked into your life, his DNA began connecting to your DNA. His life is now growing ever stronger within you. This growth means that you and those around you should notice change in your life. Change that is moving to Christ and away from the old you.“
• Now it is time for us to reflect and consider:
  • “Think About It:”
    • “How has your persona changed since you started a relationship with Christ?”
    • “Can you sense areas that may not have changed yet, but you can tell Jesus is hard at work on them? What are some of those areas?”
    • “If Christ lives within you, what are practical ways you can become more like him?”
    • “What are ways you can allow his graces (compassion, favor, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, and love) to shine through you?”
    • “What people have noticed about (or been affected by) your persona since you met Jesus?”
• Let’s be the dads who live out, pour out, and overflow with Jesus!
• Today’s devotional closes with the following “Legacy Lifter:”
  • “The kingdom of darkness is not afraid of Jesus in you, its afraid of Jesus coming out of you!“