A Father’s Legacy – Day 6

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:

• Matthew 7:27

‘The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ‘

Matthew 7:27

It’s important to know where we stand! It’s important to know why we stand! It’s important to know how we stand! Let’s grab a bit more context around today’s verse before we consider what it is saying:

‘ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” ‘

Matthew 7:24-27

So today’s Word isn’t just about weather or nature but rather our hearts and actions. We need to grab a hold of God’s Words! We need to be the dads who hear God’s Word and put them into practice so that we can leave a godly legacy! We need to be the dads who hear God’s Word and build our lives upon it! We need to be the dads who are more focused on God and what He says than man and what he thinks! We need to build our house aka our lives upon the rock that is Jesus Christ! Let’s build our lives on Jesus as our firm foundation and then live out our lives applying and demonstrating what we have learned through God’s Word in order that the world around can see the difference and the benefits of a relationship with God! Let’s not be foolish and try to go it alone or do it the world’s way and find ourselves on sand or worse sinking sand or worse quicksand! Let’s avoid the trap and the tricks of the devil that will cause us to find ourselves stuck and destroyed when the storms of life come! Instead, let’s build our lives on a relationship with Jesus! Let’s be the dads who can stand firm because we have put on the full armor of God and are standing on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ! Let’s be the dads who stand on the rock and know God’s Word so that when we face trouble and Jesus has told us how in this world we will have troubles, He also encourages us to take heart because He has overcome the world! Yes, the devil will try us and try to trip us up or get us stuck in the shifting sands of this world, but instead, let’s consider pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because we know that it is building our faith and helping us to trust God and persevere and that when perseverance has completed its work we will be complete and lacking nothing!

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 5: Priority“
• Let’s be the dads who put first things first!
• Let’s be the dads who realize the importance of knowing our priorities!
• Let’s be the dads who realize the importance of living our lives in alignment to our priorities!
• I remember a time when I discovered mine were out of sync and the impact it had on my health and my family.
• I remember reflecting on what I thought and said my priorities were and comparing them against the way I was living.
• I remember how when I had written them down and then made life adjustments to live according to them how by seeking first the kingdom of God, God was able to take care of the rest!
• For me the list went God, wife(marriage), kids(family), … – everything else had to come after these 3. If you want to be able to tell your wife she is #1 then you need to start your ranking with #0 as God. If your wife is ok with being #2 because God is #1 you can start with #1 as God.
• It helps beyond belief when you remember this and then you choose to live your life by putting first things first!
• By putting first things first you will be amazed to see how much more is possible!
• Today’s devotional speaks to a teaching I have seen before when it comes to priorities where it teaches about big rocks, little rocks, sand, water, … and the amazing experience of how things work when you put things in the right order! (a quick video representation of how the order matters)

• Today’s devotional tells the story this way:

A man who was teaching on priorities had a large jar and several large rocks. He placed five or six large rocks in the jar until no more could fit. Then he asked his audience, “Is the jar full?” and almost everyone shouted “yes!” He smiled and then pulled out a bag of smaller rocks and dumped them in until no more could fit. Then he pulled out a bag of sand and poured that into the jar until it couldn’t hold anymore.

Lastly, he pulled out a jug of water and poured water into the jar until it overflowed. He then paused and asked the question, “What was the point of this example?” The answers began to fly: “You can always add a little more,” “You should never be satisfied with the amount of things you are doing,” and “If you try harder, you can always do more.”

The crowd was pleased with itself until the speaker smiled one more time and said, “You are all wrong—very wrong.” He said, “The moral of this example is this. If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you will never fit them in. You see, we often lose in the areas that matter most because our time and energy are consumed on the little things and keep us from winning when it matters most.”

Pillar 5: Priority

• Let’s be the dads who put first things first!
• Let’s be the dads who allow God to order our lives and our priorities so that we can live His plans and His purpose for us that we can live our lives to the full, more abundantly, a hope, and a future!
• Let’s be the dads who consider our calendars and how it speaks to how we are prioritizing our lives!
• Let’s be the dads who consider our checkbook or spending and how it speaks to our priorities!
• Let’s compare them to what we think and say our priorities are and adjust and potentially start over on our calendar and spending budgets!
• Today’s devotional shares the response of the people when it says:
  • “Many people cringed as they realized this was a picture of their overscheduled, underprioritized lives. Their lives were packed with the small rocks, the sand, and the water—their jars were full, but they were not doing the things that mattered most. Interestingly, you can skip your priorities and still seem “successful” to the outside world.“
• Let’s be the dads who are more focused on living life God’s way than our own way or the ways of the world!
• Let’s be the dads who have our priorities right so that we have God as our firm foundation!
• Let’s be the dads who have our priorities straight so that our house won’t be built on shifting sand!
• Let’s be the dads who spend time with God to help us plan out our goals in ways that will help us to accomplish His will!
• Let’s be the dads who grab onto God’s Word that tells us: “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.“
• Let’s put God first so that He can help us right where we are at to prioritize everything else!
• Today’s devotional gives us something to think about:
  • “Think About It:”
    • “What are your top five priorities?”
    • “God loves replacing our priorities with his; are there a couple you’d like God to swap out?”
    • “What are practical ways you can make your marriage a priority? Kids?”
    • “How does your career fit into your list of priorities?”
• Today’s devotional closes with another important bar lifter:
  • “Legacy Lifter:”
    • “If you haven’t made a list of priorities yet, begin to pray and start writing out one. A great idea is to have a pastor or church leader review it. Where your priorities lie, time and finance will follow.“