RUN

"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one
person gets the prize? So run to win!"

-1 Corinthians 9:24

LIVE WITH PASSION FOR GOD! We all have a passion for something in our lives. We must make sure that our 1st passion is Christ than everything else will follow. Run your journey focused on Him that gives life, that sustains life, and that loves life. This doesn't mean that we can't be passionate about other things in our life, but I do think that we will see all other things in a different light once we set our priorities straight and run with purpose, true purpose (1 Corinthians 9:26). There is a natural flow of living life. A flow that only comes from God. When we go against the flow things don't seem right. Things seem out of place, not in there natural order. We must run with purpose and that purpose comes from God and with that comes passion that can't be contained.

Fatherhood

Five years ago today I became a father for the 1st time. I can't believe that it has been five years. The time has flown by. As I start to get the hang of this father thing I realize how much our heavenly Father loves us and cares for us. I also realize how I fail Him everyday of my life, but He loves me anyway. It's the same with my kids, I expect a lot out of them, even though they are still young, but I don't expect perfection. I just want them to give all they have, do the best they can do. I want to be an encourager to them and to be there when they fall and to be there when they soar. I want them to experience the world in all its goodness and truth, which means that they will also have to see the world in all it's filth and lies. I want them to know that God didn't intend for it to be that way, but that He is still in control and that He can be trusted. It's interesting that as I raise my children I can see how God expects a lot out of me and that He will equip me for the future, just as I want to do for my kids.

humble

I am humbled by God each day of my life. When I stop and think about what He has allowed me to do I am thrilled and excited. Question such as, "Why me of all people?" and "Are you sure you want me to do that?", come to mind. Of course it is at those times that I realize that I can't do it, but God will if I allow Him to use me. Yesterday as I was mowing my yard and doing yard work I was chatting with God and telling Him that I stand amazed at what He does in and around my life. The things that have happened and are happening can only be explained by a move of God. When God moves I want to move also, when God directs I want to follow. I remember saying to Him what has kinda become my new prayer lately, "What-ever, when-ever, how-ever, and where-ever, for Your glory." One of the biggest mistakes that I or anyone can make is to try and go it alone in this life. We were not made to do that, we are made to relate to one another and especially to God. What else can I say except, "Thank you God for, well, EVERYTHING!!!"

Holiness

"We have defined holiness through what we separate ourselves from rather than what we give ourselves to. The greatest tragedy is not the sins that we commit, but the life that we fail to live" -Erwin McManus, Chasing Daylight

Holiness. I bet that you would get a lot of different definitions of what it is.
It is true that I want to stay away from many things that this world has to offer, because it would cause my relationship with Jesus to falter. But if you stop and think about what I might stay away from that would give me reason to say that I am holy might just be something that others all over the world do also, but have no relationship with Christ. So what's the difference? Just like the quote above I believe that the difference is in what we give ourselves to. How we live out our faith.
Do we live out our faith loud or just whisper behind closed doors?
When I think about the quote I think about Christ. Jesus could have just come to this earth and talked about His Father, talked about His purpose, and yes He would have been holy because there was no sin in His life. But He didn't just do that. He gave himself completely to His mission, to His purpose.
I want to give myself completely, totally, and without reservation to Christ. To live the life that He has for me. To follow passionately.

change

Change.... It's never easy. Or at least it seems that way. Why is it that when you are on the front side of something big that's about to happen it scares you to death, but when you are on back side you rejoice and see things differently. I guess this is what growing your faith is all about. When push comes to shove are we really willing to believe what the Bible says about God's character? (That He is trust-worthy, faithful, and loving) God has great plans for us, but we sometimes choose to write our own stories because we aren't willing to change, even when we know that the end result with God would be a New York Times Best Seller.
CHANGE, maybe we should put more thought into changing our attitude towards it.

not my home

As I was reading this morning I was once again reminded that my life here on earth is not at home. Home for me is heaven, that place that Christ has gone to prepare for me. When you stop and think about that, Christ preparing for me, it blows me away. Questions like, "Why someone like me?" or "Do I really deserve it?", come to mind. It is interesting how we long for such things here on this earth (the temporary), but yet know that (or at least I think we know) eternal things are more important. I have to just keep in mind that I am not home yet and that God has more in store for me to do while here on His earth.
I believe that the beauty we see here on this earth is just a glimpse of the beauty we will experience in heaven. What a day that will be when I step into heaven not because of my own doing, but because of the Cross of Christ.

me or HIM

Don't know what I really want to talk about today, but I will write anyway.

Just finished reading a great book by Erwin McManus, Chasing Daylight. It was a great book. I have so many quotes from the book, but one that stuck out to me was this one:

Your focus should not be, "What is God's will for my life?" but "How can I give my life to fulfill God's will?"

I think that as Followers of Christ we tend to get hung up on asking the 1st question all the time. Is it a bad question, no, but the intent leads us to an area that we shouldn't drift toward. What I mean is that when we ask that question we seem to keep asking that question over and over until we get the answer we want or like. It might go something like this, "God what is your will for my life?" "Really, are you sure God, I don't know if I heard you right, I think that you have me mixed up with someone else, I will just keep asking again (at least until I hear what I want to hear). The first question, "What is God's will for my life?", seems so self- centered when you really think about it (MY Life). The second question, "How can I give my life to fulfill God's will?", is focused more on serving and giving than taking and getting. "How can I give", allows me to join in with what God is up to and doing right now around me. The focus has shifted off of a self-centered mentality to a Savior centered mentality. It's not that I don't want to know God's will for my life it's just that I know from the Scriptures what God wants me to be doing. If we truly follow God and His Word and are willing to give of ourselves completely to Him I believe that we will be doing God's will for our lives. It's all about perspective. It is spelled out right there in front of me as I study and read His Word. There are just somethings that we are commanded to do and yet we treat them as though they are for someone else.