Driving Notes

Today, we continue our devotions from the book “Time with God for Fathers” by Jack Countryman.  Our first focus today, ironically, has to do with our eyes.

USING THE EYES OF JESUS
Romans 15:7
⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

The attitude and influence we choose to have with our brothers and sisters in Christ is often determined by how we receive those we see every week…in church, at work and in the community.

When God looks at each of us through the eyes of Jesus, he sees us as perfect because Jesus has paid the price for all of our sins. The scripture asks us, in turn, to receive one another without fault or judgment.

When this happens, the barriers that stunt our relationship with other Christians are removed and fellowship becomes the joy of our hearts. This attitude is the foundation for building a solid relationship with those whom we call the body of Christ.

A PARENTAL LIFE WITH NO REGRETS
Romans 10:11-13
¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Becoming a parent is a gift that only God can give.

Through his divine providence, we have been given the privilege of having children. We need to accept this blessing…and look forward to the adventure of raising our kids with the love of God in our hearts.

When we place our faith in Christ, his Spirit is ever-present to guide us to be the best parents that we can be. The Lord wants very much to be included in your daily life as a parent and as a follower of Jesus Christ.

God never offers salvation to you and then pulls the rug out from under you. When you put your faith in Christ, everything you need to be a great parent is available. You need only to ask and God, through his gracious mercy, will deliver.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd

Today, we continue our devotions from the book “Time with God for Fathers” by Jack Countryman.  Our focus today is the power of God’s love and how it impacts us.

LET YOUR GREATEST LOVE BE GOD

Deuteronomy 7:9

⁹ Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Think about this: everything that we do and don’t do, face and don’t face is touched by God’s continuing love.

Everything about us is hanging on love; some might even say hinged on love, because God, who IS love, created you and me in his image. And because God loves us, He gives us blessings and lets us share them.

When we pray and are told to wait, it is because He loves us and knows that we need time to grow. When the overwhelming choices before us make it hard to know which way is up, our Lord and Savior shows us our need to depend on His guiding love…

…and until we come to understand and believe that at our deepest, innermost level…that God is love…we will continue to struggle with trusting him. With obeying him. And seeking him wholeheartedly.

One of the keys to our spiritual growth is believing in God’s love EVEN when we cannot see it.

FOCUS IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

Mark 12:30-31

³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^] There is no commandment greater than these.”

When we talk about being a Christian and living the Christian life, we know that everything hinges on the first two commandments.

There is first, the vertical commandment: to love the Lord with all of your heart soul mind and strength. Then the second is a horizontal commandment: to love your neighbor as yourself.

The essence of these verses is, of course, love! Love for God and love for each other. It is the kind of love that seeks no reward or personal gain, but rather desires to honor God by sharing his grace and generosity with those around us.

Great character and great morals are built on this foundation…and when we practice these in everyday life the Lord is lifted up. He is glorified! And we are also blessed.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Todd