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Real Dudes,
I left the church the other day and didn’t turn my music on in my car. Out of nowhere I began singing the old hymn I have decided to follow Jesus. The phrase that stood out to me was “the world behind me, the cross before me, no turning back, no turning back.” Men…what is before and behind you? Do you have these two mixed up? Just a friendly reminder as to what to keep in front of you each day. Enjoy, Nate Hymn: I have decided to follow Jesus by CeCe Winans https://www.google.com/search?q=I+have+decided+to+follow+jesus...the+cross+before+me+the+world+behind+me&oq=I+have+decided+to+follow+jesus...the+cross+before+me+the+world+behind+me&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCzE4OTM2MTVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:83324b06,vid:-BShQVBukQk,st:0 Matthew 16:26 (ESV) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? In Philippians 3:13b-14 (NLT) the Apostle Paul’s resolve is this… “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” May that be each of our focus and resolutions as well.
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Gentleman, I was on my daily early bike ride last week, trying to push through the wind and chill and not paying attention to my surroundings, which is just the way life goes when you are going through the motions. Then I was struck with thought in my heart that made me think that no matter how fast I ride my bike, how fast I drive my car, how fast I get my tasks completed that I can’t outrun God. Somedays, I know that I try to outrun God, because I am stuck in the mortal world of sin and with sinful people. When I do slow down, God shows his hand and I learn, breath and see the world as it should be—wrapped in God’s love and grace. Some of you…all of you know what I mean! As men, we are built to pursue. We pursue success, respect, provision for our families, and purpose. That drive is not wrong—it’s God-given. But somewhere along the way, many of us begin to pursue everything except God. We get caught up in careers, distractions, temptations, and sometimes outright rebellion. And if we’re honest, there are seasons when we think—or act like—we can outrun God. We distance ourselves from Him through busyness or sin, assuming He’s far off, disengaged, or done with us. But Scripture reminds us of a powerful truth: You cannot outrun the presence, the authority, or the love of God. God’s Presence Is Inescapable Psalm 139:7–10 (NIV) “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Closing Challenge This week, ask yourself one honest question: “Where in my life am I trying to outrun God?” Then take one step back toward Him.
“Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Don’t wait. The same God you’ve been running from is the One ready to meet you right now. Be Strong…. BE OXSTRONG!! Skip Real Dudes,
I would like to introduce you to a term that I’ve heard used a few times recently – it’s Spiritual Abuse. Maybe for me this is one of those “I live under a rock” moments, but just in case you too were unfamiliar with the term, then here’s an article from gotquestions.org that helps clarify the meaning of it. Do with it as you'd like…the article is titled What is Spiritual Abuse? https://www.gotquestions.org/spiritual-abuse.html After reading the article – ask yourself a few questions for a time of reflection… Are you currently or have you previously experienced Spiritual Abuse in your life? If so, then how is or has the Lord helped you through it and drawn you closer to Himself? Have you been the one exercising spiritual abuse over others – whether in some arena of ministry or in your own home? If so, then how is the Lord nudging you to repent of that between Himself and those who have been affected? Just something to think about this morning. Practicing His Presence, Nate Real Dudes,
Have you ever heard the song God, You’re So Good? Below I put a link to the modern version of it. When I was younger, there was a version of this song called God is So Good that we’d sing and it would list out some reasons why He’s so good. For instance…He’s so good because He answers prayer, He saves my soul, He cares for me, and He loves me so. The other day I was singing this song as I was mowing, and as time passed I began to personalize it. I began stating to Him how I’ve seen Him being so good to me in my own life. That’s my challenge to each of us today. God is constantly at work in our lives. He wants us to praise Him for His goodness in our lives. Don’t miss it. Don’t assume that just because He already knows our every thought that He doesn’t want to hear it come from your mouth today. Say it out loud, “God you're so good…He _______!" You fill in the blank…you personalize it…
Practicing His Presence, Nate
Real Dudes,
I just wanted to do a followup to the last blog I posted on Buck Fever. Consider the heart of David in the following passages. What can we learn about it? Acts 13:22 (NLT) But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ 1 Samuel 13:14 (NLT) But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” 2 Samuel 11:1-5 (NIV) In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” In those passages we read that David was a man after God’s own heart. So what went wrong then in the 2 Samuel 11:1-5 passage above (feel free to read further on in that chapter to learn how his sin snowballed from there)? In verse 2 we read that David saw. Now it’s one thing to see and look away, but in that moment David’s heart was locked in. David set his heart on a thing, on a woman, and it weakened his power to assess what that act could actually lead to. He had to have it at all costs, not now because of its worth but because he promised it to himself, as yesterday’s quote from Kidner reminded us. He didn’t care what it would do to his reputation, or to the Lord’s reputation, or how it would affect Bathsheba’s current husband, because his tunnel vision caused him to focus on the one thing he was promising to himself in the moment. How did the blinders get removed from David’s eyes – what caused his heart to see his sin for what it truly was? 2 Samuel 12:1-13 (NIV…again, I would recommend reading through all of chapter 12 sometime as well) Nathan Rebukes David 12 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” 5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” 7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ 11 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’” 13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. What, then, was David’s response to the Lord? Psalm 51 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. 5 For I was born a sinner-- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6 But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me-- now let me rejoice. 9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. 16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. 18 Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit-- with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar. For Us Today: We considered what a man after God’s own heart was capable of… 1 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV) Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. My Prayer for Each of Us: Galatians 6:1 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Practicing His Presence, Nate |
AuthorNate Smith is a husband, a father of 6 girls, grandpa to 3 granddaughters and one grandson, a police and fire chaplain, a pastor, and has a passion to see men grow in Christ. 
#girldad including granddaughter
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