40 Day Devotionals 2014 Day 22

I am definitely overwhelmed with the fact that I am about to bring another human being into the world. I can only imagine how my wife feels. She has been going through all kinds of weird physical manifestations. From feeling fantastic at times, to completely stressed out, to just completely out of whack, she runs the gamut of physical traits of pregnancy. It is actually quite difficult to observe. I wish she was having a much easier pregnancy. She summarized it all quite well a couple of nights ago. We were in bed, she was feeling completely terrible and cramping, and she needed some hugs. As I comforted her and wiped her tears, I apologized for the pain she is enduring, she responded with "It is all worth it."
At that moment I realized the strength that women get from becoming mommies. Somehow God gives them this amazing ability to endure life along with producing a child. I have the utmost respect for mommies, more so than I ever have before. I am sure as our child comes into this world and we raise it together, that respect will grow.
We may have situations in life that seem very difficult; family crisis, financial stress, home issues, relationship difficulties, medical problems, and personal anxieties. Our god prepares us for each of them. Even when it seems everything is not tolerable, we need to push forward and trust in Him. Making wise choices and striving to serve God in all of our decisions, is something He continues to bless.

Day22

Scripture

Philippians 4:6-7

-          ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Wisdom

-          So here we are again, another topic of stress and worry. Why you ask? Because I have multiple people come to me and still ask how to give it up to God! So let’s go through what the Apostle Paul had to say about it.

-          In Philippians we see that the people there were worrying about many things. Paul was in jail, the church was struggling, and Christians were being killed. Yet Paul writes and tells them to not worry but to give their worries to the Lord. And only then will the Peace of God who understands and knows everything will come over you. He goes on to tell them in verse 8 that we should focus our minds on things that are praiseworthy.

-          For me, this season of life is a bit rough. Sure, I’m not in jail or being persecuted for my faith, but having a baby coming on top of all the stress already in my life, is not something I planned for. I know that God is planning great things for me. Not just because I believe in the scriptures, but I believe in the creator. I know that God is taking care of me because I trust in His plan for me and my family’s life. It is not a perfect faith, I still struggle at times, my lack of sleep proves that, but I push on.

-          What Paul is telling us is if we give up our worries to God and then focus on the good on our lives we can stay away from stress. Worrying and stressing is a lack of Faith in God’s plan.

Apply

-          Do you believe that God has a plan for you? That He has your life in his mind?

-          Do you believe in the power of prayer? Perhaps talking to God will help you?

Prayer

-          Take this moment and specifically pray about the things that are stressing you out. Maybe it is people, money, the future, a situation. It doesn’t matter, just let God handle it. Ask God for the strength to handle your problem but let Him carry the burden. Praise God for loving you so much to care about your worries.

40 Day Devotionals 2014 Day 21

So lately I have been trying to get on an exercise regimen. It. Is. So. Hard! I cannot seem to get myself at the level I want. So I am settling for just starting and keeping with it. You see, I have this knack for not starting things because I am afraid they won't be perfect. If something will not be done to the highest standard, then I just don't do it. As I grew and matured, I realized how much of life I missed on. Ministry has taught me that life is so messy. Things are not perfect. There will be plenty of awesome things in life that must be embraced that will be totally messy (babies included).
So I am learning and growing with things. I still have a bad habit of setting expectations that I do not keep. But at least I set expectations. If I don't, I have no standard to reach. These were things that stressed me out and kept me up all night. Now, I have different things that stress me out. But at least I start them I take that step in faith knowing that I may fail, but God will use my failures for His glory, or at the very least, to help me grow as an individual.
By the way, no we don't have a name picked out yet! Help!

Day21

Scripture

Isaiah 26: 2-4

-          ² Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. ³ You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
⁴ Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.

Wisdom

-          Our homes keep us safe from harm don’t they? They are our safe place. When a storm rolls in we can avoid the harsh stuff by hiding under the covers. Just like our physical homes, if we built our spiritual homes on solid ground we have a safe place to run to. We have a place to go to when things get tough.

-          There are times when I get so stressed over stuff. I remember when I wasn’t a guy that worried about things and just cast things aside. But I noticed that I started to stress a lot more when I started to focus on the problem instead of the solution. I realized that to most of my problems, God was the solution. “Cast your burdens on me and I will sustain you.” (Psalm 55:22)

-          Life without taking in the comfort of the Lord is not life at all. Trust in the Lord is so difficult. It is built through a relationship with Him. Relationship means communication, it means reading His word, it means finding spiritual guidance during to life’s’ difficult times.

-          A believer that trusts in God receives the peace of Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Apply

-          Do you trust in God? Do you give Him your worries?

-          Are worries even worth it? Do you try to work on fixing your issues or do you just dwell on them?

-          Do you depend on God in everything that you do? Do you understand what it means to live life with God as your guide?

Prayer

-          Ask the Lord for comfort and guidance during difficult times. Let Him be your go to friend for complaints, problems, stress, and worries. Ask Him to make your burdens light. Pray He gives you the guidance and strength to give Him your worries. Pray for your friends and family that they may have lives without stress.

40 Day Devotionals 2014 Day 20

Weekends are starting to kick my butt! I think not sleeping isn't helping much. I know this because Monday's are really hard days to get motivated and started. I need to start balancing out my life. Hence my new workout routine. I am hoping with starting to workout again I can get myself motivated again and sleeping on a semi-regular schedule. I really only have about 120 days til the baby arrives if it stays on schedule. So that means I only have a few more days where I can still have some control over my life.
I am accustomed to living for others though. I always tend to put my family and friends before my needs. No, I'm not bragging, it can actually be unhealthy at times. I have learned to balance it over the years, especially being full-time in ministry. 
I am however looking forward to the challenge of balancing life, marriage, ministry, friends and family.

Day 20

Scripture

John 15: 12-14

-          ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command.

Wisdom

-          Jesus tells us that we cannot love each other more than to lay our lives down for our friends. And if you obey His commands, you are His friend. If you will recall from previous devotionals, we spoke of how Jesus wants us to obey His commands; love one another and spread His word. Simple. And if we do that He will lay His life down for us. And He did.

-          Think of a parent and for many of you parents out there you will understand; parents love their children. They would jump in front of a moving truck in order to save their child. Risk of death or injury is not what comes to mind when it comes to protecting your children.

-          I remember when I was younger I lived like this for my friends. I totally resonated with the idea that I should always be there for my friends without concern for my mental, physical, or emotional well being, naively so. I quickly learned that not all people reciprocated that concern for me. As I matured in my faith I learned how to balance that through the love and compassion Christ has shown me. However, that selfless personality has translated over to my ministry.

-          The scriptures tell us that when we were disobedient, meaning while we weren’t even obeying His commands, Jesus came down and died for us. Wow, that is how much He loves us! Our Father guides, protects, and loves us. He will always be there for us. He has our greatest interest and desires at heart. How amazing that the creator of everything would love us this way!

-          Now, for Him, let’s do what He asks for us.

Apply

-          Do you experience God’s love in this way? Have you stopped to think of all the times He has protected you and taken care of you?

-          Do you love your friends and family in a way that God loves us? Maybe not lay your life down, but love without abandon?

-          How will your relationships change with your friends and family if you love them the way Jesus loves you?

Prayer

-          Praise God for loving you the way He does. Ask Him for the Heart to love others like He loves us. Pray He continues to love us regardless of our disobedience. Ask Him to help you and your families grow a closer relationship.

40 Day Devotionals 2014 Day 19

I spent most of today with my wife. It was a great day! Granted I am still having my lack of sleep thing and coughing for no reason, but still a great day. 

We spent most of the day registering for baby things at Buy Buy Baby. It was an eye opening experience. I thought I didn't have a lot of money before. Now, I was just saddened by how expensive things are for a baby. We did have one rule, if Kelli and I lived without it as a kid, our kid doesn't need it either. Like a baby wipe warmer, LOL! It was a ton of fun picking out items. Granted I didn't pick a lot of pink things. I has some moms agree with me that they don't like that all girl stuff is just pink. That is so boring! I don't know if people will even buy us anything of our registry but it sure was eye opening to see what it things cost. 

I stopped to reflect on the devotion for today and the most interesting part for me personally was to see how God loved me. He must truly enjoy being a father. He did create us after all. He let me become a Father as well. That must mean he must trust me with the task of raising one of His daughters. I know He will help me. I pray that I can show her a glimpse of the love He has shown me.

Day 19

Scripture

1 Corinthians 13: 9-13

-          ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Wisdom

-          In his writing to the Corinthian church the Apostle Paul wrote about thinking like a child. In this very well known piece of scripture we see that being a Christian involves maturity. We start out as children but slowly mature into more advanced thinking in our Faith. Especially when it comes to love.

-          We have to remember that when we are young we look at love and acceptance from a much skewed view. First we believe that God’s love is based upon how good we are. We are conditioned this way as children. Mommy gives us a treat for good behavior so why shouldn’t God love us more for not being bad. Second we believe that the acceptance of others is based upon performance. Our friends, family, coworkers, and superiors may review our worth based on performance, not on our character. But God does not judge based on performance. Finally we believe that a better social status means we will be better accepted. We have been tricked into believing that material possessions like a nice car or an expensive house or the most toys and trophies define who we are. God doesn’t care of these things and neither should we.

-          These things are lies; enemies of love. Paul writes about moving past childhood faith into a place of maturity. When we understand, truly understand, that God’s love to us is free; we will then have true peace and security. This will bring us to a place of love. It takes time, hardship, and support to experience the love that God has for us. It does not come through how the world defines love. It is supernatural. It takes faith and hope.

Apply

-          Do you understand that although people judge you, God loves you?

-          Read this statement: God loves me for who I am. Read it again. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath and say it to yourself 3 times. Be assured that God loves you!

Prayer

-          Praise God for His wonderful love. For His awesome acceptance of you and all of us. Thank Him for His sacrifice for us. Ask Him for the heart to love Him like He loves us.