So I did my regular “dad” search to find our next devotional and found this one called “Kill the Noise“. Its description captured my attention when it spoke to “playing”, I over the years will say in meetings “let’s play pretend” which tends to allow people to come along and to make sure there isn’t any deception I tell them how it usually means “let’s play for real” so that we are on the same page and that most people will come along on playing pretend whereas others are hesitant to play for real. The description says it this way: “Too many people are playing at being Christians, and some haven’t yet taken even the first step of belief.” The key for us to grab hold of in order to be the dads God created us to be is that we need to draw closer to Jesus and allow Him into every aspect of our lives. Let’s be the dads who allow Jesus to be Lord of all of our lives so that we don’t end up where we discover that we never allowed Him to be Lord at all. Today’s intro speaks to us to be the dads that allow Jesus to continue to get closer to us when it says: “No matter where you are in your spiritual walk, Jesus wants you closer.” Let’s be the dads who are seeking God’s purpose, plan, and will for our lives! Let’s be the dads who grab hold of the reality that “He’s got a perfect plan for your life – a plan for purpose, peace, joy, and eternal life.” Let’s be the dads who choose to be authentic! Let’s be the dads who choose to be real! As this devotional says: “All it takes is you deciding that the poser life is not for you. You’re going to be fully committed!” Are you ready? Are you willing? Are you able? Remember all things are possible for those who believe! We will be the dads who are able as long as you believe, then God can do anything in your life! If you believe. you see, God is able to do all things, and he does them according to his plan and according to his purpose, and according to his will. That’s right, it takes faith!
Today’s devotional gets us started with the following verses:
‘You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.’
Romans 5:6-11
‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. ‘
1 John 3:1-3
It is interesting to get started with the scriptures and meditate on them before jumping into the devotional and its message for us today! God’s Word never returns voice and is sharper than a double-edged sword! So let’s pause and receive and hear what God is saying through His Word today!
Let’s be the dads who really get what Easter is all about. Let’s be the dads who realize that God took things into His own hands in order to make a way for us to be freed from sin and reconciled back unto Himself when Jesus came to bare it all on the cross, carrying it all there and nailing it to the cross once and for all, defeating the power of sin and death forever! In Romans from today’s scripture, we see how God’s timing is perfect! We also find that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, the sinful and the ungodly in order that we could be reconciled to Himself. We see how it speaks to the magnitude of this when it speaks to how very rare it is that “anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.” It takes a special kind of love, the kind of love that God demonstrated towards us when “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” So let’s be the dads who believe it and receive it, the gift of grace in love from God! Let’s be the dads who are reconciled to God by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior and inviting Him to be in an intimate relationship with us, allowing Him to draw closer and closer! Today’s scripture speaks this to us as follows:
‘Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.’
Romans 5:9-11
Let’s be the dads who are ready to receive God’s love through Jesus! Let’s be the dads who have started our journey with Jesus and are now considered children of the most high God! Let’s be the dads who choose to be in a living relationship with Jesus and because of our faith are called friends of God like Abraham was. Let’s be the dads who cling to the reality of God’s great love that has been lavished on us! Let’s be the dads who are children of God and who are living in a way to help others receive and live out their lives as children of God too! Let’s be the dads who are hopeful! Let’s be the dads who are prepared and purifying ourselves in Jesus! Let’s be the dads who grab hold of what is being shared in 1 John 3 when it says:
‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. ‘
1 John 3:1-3
Today’s devotional has been provided by Ryan Ries and The Whosoevers. (www.thewhosoevers.com and http://www.elcentronetwork.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 About The Publisher.
Takeaways from Today’s Devotional: “God Will Never Give Up On You“
- Let’s be the dads who don’t give up on ourselves since God will never give up on us!
- Let’s be the dads who don’t give up on our wives because God will never give up on them!
- Let’s be the dads who don’t give up on our kids because God will never give up on them!
- Let’s be the dads that reflect on God’s response and reaction and choose to follow it and become more like Jesus!
- Let’s be the dads that consider the truth of God’s Word and receive it by faith and start to live out our lives in a way that will bring God the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus’ name.
- Let’s be the dads who keep loving even when they try to push us away, just like God does for us!
- Let’s be the dads who stick to it even when they try to run away, just like God does for us!
- Let’s be the dads who like the father of the lost or prodigal son, never lost hope and kept watching and praying that he would come back!
- Let’s be the dads who like our heavenly Father, when they come back with the right heart, a repentant heart, and ask for forgiveness, we say “yes”.
- Today’s devotional speaks to this through the writer’s story, check this out:
- “God had every reason to turn His back on me and kick me to the curb. I was raised in a Christian home, the son of a Bible-teaching pastor and a mom who loved God. But there I was, drunk, OD’d on cocaine and zanie bars, partied out, and passed out on a bed in the Sheraton Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. My life was totally out of control. I was drinking and doing drugs every night, sleeping with many women to satisfy my lust. I had told God to beat it – I wanted no part of Him in my life. Thing is, even though I tried my best to run away from Him, He never left me.“
- “That night when I hit rock-bottom was the beginning of a new life for me. When I asked God to forgive me for all the bad things I’d done – and there were many – do you know what He said? He said, “Yes!” Seriously, just like that! This dirty sinner didn’t have to do any great works to prove himself – no extravagant prayers, no payments to some church. All I had to say was, “I’m tired of living for myself! I’m over it! I’m done with chasing after my body’s appetites. Forgive me. Change me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and give me peace.” God’s response was, “Done deal.”“
- Have you been saved? Have you gotten to the end of your rope and turned back to God?
- Have you received God’s gift of forgiveness?
- Have you received God’s gift of grace?
- Have you received God’s gift of love?
- Have you received God’s give of reconciliation?
- Are you ready to? Were you amazed that He offers it up so freely?
- Are you wanting to? Are you wondering how to get started?
- Let’s be the dads who choose to receive God’s gift!
- Let’s be the dads who come alongside others and help them to invite Jesus into their hearts and choose to receive both salvation and new life!
- Here is a prayer to help you on your journey in case you were looking for a way to invite Jesus in:
- Now back to our devotional…
- Let’s be the dads who realize it isn’t because of who we are, how good we are, how important we are, but rather it is all about how great God’s love is for us!
- Let’s be the dads who humbly come before God and cast our cares upon Him and allow Him to be the Lord of all of our lives! No more compartmentalizing!
- Let’s be the dads who receive Jesus and are all in for Him, just like He went all in for us when He went to the cross!
- Check out what today’s devotional has to say about it:
- “Trust me, it had nothing to do with who I was. This was simply God’s grace and mercy. God forgave me, because He loves me to death. You know what else? I was the reason He died on the cross. Believe it or not, He loves you the same way, no matter your past and no matter your present. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what you’re caught up in at this moment. When you’re ready to turn from your sin, He’s ready to forgive you for everything. That’s right – 100%! Jesus said, “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 [Jesus] into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16–17).“
- “The apostle Paul wrote about this kind of love. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Usually, people look at this verse as talking about our love for each other. Read that verse again, but this time with God’s love for you in mind. He will never give up on you, no matter how many times you tell Him “No.” He will never lose faith that you can turn your life around. He is always hopeful that you will finally see in yourself what He sees in you. You’re a diamond in the rough. God will stay close beside you through every circumstance – whether good or bad, whether you’re the victim or the perpetrator. God will never give up on you. His love is just too strong to let you go.“
- Let’s choose to be the dads who are fully committed to seeing ourselves through God’s eyes!
- Let’s choose to be the dads who are fully committed to seeing ourselves as special to God!
- Let’s choose to be the dads who are fully committed to allowing God’s love for us to overwhelm any fears or anxiety!
- Let’s choose to be the dads who are fully committed to receiving and accepting God’s forgiveness completely!
- Let’s choose to be the dads who are fully committed to the reality that God has accepted us to be His children!
- Let’s choose to be the dads who are fully committed to living our lives in a way that will glorify God because we know that we are a part of His family!
- Today’s devotional closes with the following, so let’s grab hold and step up and step out in faith today!