Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15
What are you thankful for today? Your family? Your health? Your turkey? These are all great gifts from God. But let also remember to be thankful for the greatest gift God gave us all Jesus
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John3:16)
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, we need to always remember this and give thanks daily. Without him there would be no hope for any of us.
As it says in Ephesians 1:16 “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;” Never stop giving thanks and praise to our Messiah for his love endures forever. Be thankful every day for everything you have been giving and he provided.
Often during the holidays we get stressed out, family disputes, holiday traveling, ect. Let’s remember to focus on the blessing of the moment.
The fact you have a family to share Thanksgiving with is a blessing, let’s Thank God. The fact you have food to feed your family is a blessing. Thank God. You actually have a vehicle to travel, instead of complaining about gas prices, Thank God
I think Paul said it best in Philippians 4:11 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Learn to be Thankful and content with the life God has giving you.
So don’t waste this Thanksgiving being stressed out or disputing with you family, rejoice in God and be Thankful for all you have been giving including the love of Jesus Christ. Amen
Category Archives: Family
Man of God
But you, Man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11
Recently I just finished reading the book “Man of God” by Dr. Charles Stanley. It’s a very inspirational book and I highly recommend it to anyone. It got me to reflect on myself and journey as a “Man of God”
What does it really mean or require to be a “Man of God”? I believe the qualities you would observe are integrity, accountability, compassion, courage, and humility.
The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Proverbs 11:3. To have integrity means to be blameless. Honest, and having strong morals. It’s important that your family and others can trust and respect you. Unless you have integrity this can’t be accomplished.
“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” Romans 14:12 To be Godly we must be accountable for our actions. When we make mistakes we confess them. We also need to accept our responsibilities as Christians, Spouses, and Parents.
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8 Having compassion towards each other is essential. We all have faults and make mistakes, we need to be patient and kind. As it says in Proverbs 10:12 “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs”
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Being a “Man of God” is going to take courage. When you refuse to conform to the ways of the world, you will receive a lot of opposition. That’s why you must grow “deep roots” of faith and always trust in God. Then you will be a strong role model for your family.
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6 Pride can become our worst enemy. It can make us harden our hearts and resist knowledge. This is why God opposes pride, it’s a act of selfishness and vanity.
As you can see being a “Man of God” is no easy task. And we probably don’t posses all these qualities yet. But thru our journey we should strive to obtain these traits.
Following Jesus and studying the Word of God are good blueprints we can build on. It’s important for our families and ourselves that we make the commitment to become “ Men of God: In Jesus name. Amen
Teach your Children
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Being a parent is probably the toughest yet more rewarding thing you can ever do; It is important that we teach our children values, morals, and most importantly about God
If we don’t teach our Children about God, who will? The world? Most parts of the world including America you’re not even allowed to mention God.
Recently Arkansas State University football team was forced to remove the symbol of the Cross on the back of their helmets because lawyers determined it’s unconstitutional to display a Cross in public
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/09/10/arkansas-state-removes-memorial-crosses-from-helmets/15402697/
Rick Santorum says 62% of all college students who enter with a faith leave as an Atheist. And it’s no surprise since Colleges are not allowed to talk about Creationism or Intelligent Design due to Atheist groups suing the Colleges. They teach Evolution and Big Bang Theory, forcing kids to follow there agendas.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rick-santorum-left-uses-college-for-indoctrination/
So we can’t expect the outside world to teach our Children about God, Morals, Values, Integrity, Family, this all needs to be done in our homes. This is our responsibility to build our Children’s foundations on “The Rock” so when they encounter storms they will still be standing.
As it says in Deuteronomy 6:6,7 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
We should reflect on the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32) The son became rebellious, wasted his fortune, lived a sinful lifestyle. But eventually after being stuck in the pit of life, which sin eventually leads us to. He returned his Father, and he welcomed him with open arms .
No matter how far the Son fell in his ways he did not depart from his family. Because even though he was making poor choices his foundation was built on “The Rock”. A lot of people like to complain about the younger generation but the only people to blame is ourselves. We are responsible for bringing up the next generation. We can’t expect them to just be born with knowledge.
I pray that parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, guardians, we all take the responsibility to teach our Children so they will not depart from God and know the truth thru the Word of God Amen
Happy Birthday Tanner
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16
Today is a special day because it the birthday of our oldest son Tanner, he is a gift from God and we are truly blessed.
As we learn throughout the Bible, we are not mistakes, we are not coincidences, we didn’t just appear out of luck
We were handpicked by God and chosen to be giving life to; because we have a greater purpose to fulfill a divine destiny. It’s sad today in this world that there are many people who believe they exist just by coincidence or mistake.
Anyone knows our son Tanner, can tell he was special automatically. I believe he was hand picked by God for us. His unconditional love and brilliant mind continue to fascinate me. I learned a lot about life just by being the Father of our kids. They show us and teach us things others can’t, and I don’t believe that is a mistake.
Consider what the prophet Isaiah said in 49:5 And now the LORD says– he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength—
Isaiah basically saying the same thing David said in Psalms, God knew them before they were even born. How about the prophet Jeremiah
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
We see a pattern of what these “messengers of God” are telling us, WE ARE NOT A MISTAKE!
So we rejoice at the birth of our son Tanner as you should rejoice about your birth also, for you were made and called by God for a greater purpose. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Happy Birthday Tanner! Amen
What Inheritance are you leaving?
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children Proverbs 13:22
When we talk about leaving your children an “inheritance” what are we referring to? Are we just talking about money or are we talking about much more?
The definition of inheritance is “ the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations” So let’s break down the three areas of inheritance.
Possession is the state of having, owning, or controlling something. Wouldn’t it be great if your children possessed self-confidence, integrity, and most importantly love. It’s important as parents we build our children up and love them so they have the emotional security to face the world.
Condition is the circumstances which affect the way a person lives. Wouldn’t it be a great inheritance to give our children a home, free from chaos and full of love? How many adults lives are effected by the conditions of there homes growing up?
Trait is a distinguishing quality or characteristic belonging to a person. We often hear the expression the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Kids mimic their parents, If you’re a bad example for your children they will learn these bad habits and carry them on. It’s important to be a just influence in your home and to you Children.
This is why, especially for parents, that we must follow the word of God and walk with integrity. As a parent you are the head of the household and can declare “As for me and my house we will server The Lord”
So as you can see leaving an inheritance is more involved than dropping some money in a bank account. You are ultimately responsible for the foundation and structure of your children. If you fail to provide a Godly example for your Children then most likely they will fail.
As it says in Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Let’s give our Children a great inheritance so they can thrive and prosper thru there lives in Jesus name Amen
