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Real Dudes,
Happy Grandchildren’s Day. My prayer is that those of us who are grandparents will set the tone and example in our family’s of what it looks like to obey and fear the Lord. Not just live it out, but also that we would teach generations to come what obeying the Lord and fearing Him looks like. Take the time to express your love to your grandchildren each and every opportunity the Lord provides you with. Pray for them, and speak into them as the Lord leads. Grandchildren...just want to celebrate this day with each of you. Keep in mind, the best gift we could ever receive is a godly heritage. If it's been a while since you've had a godly conversation with your grandparents, then let me encourage you to spend some time with them and ask them questions about their relationship with the Lord. Soak it all in and allow the Lord to challenge your heart because of what you just heard. Cheering all y'all on!!! Practicing His Presence, Nate Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NLT) A Call for Wholehearted Commitment “These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, 2 and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. 3 Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. 4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
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Real Dudes,
If I were to ask you to go outside and chase the wind, and report back once you’ve caught it…how would you respond? If you chose to take on this challenge of attempting to chase the wind, then would you be able to come back and report that you were able to catch it, or that the task was meaningless? If meaningless, then why? King Solomon was the wisest man in scripture and he spoke much on this idea of chasing the wind. Allow me to show a few scriptures in order for us to gain a better understanding of where King Solomon is coming from… King Solomon, in all his wisdom states, in Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NLT) that, “I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless--like chasing the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless--like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. Ecclesiastes 2:17 (NLT) So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless--like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:26 (NLT) God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless--like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:4 (NLT) Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless--like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NLT) Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless--like chasing the wind. Other passages in scripture also speak to this idea of chasing…
These passages and Solomon’s point can be summed up in what the Apostle Paul teaches us in… Philippians 3:8 (NLT) Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ What are some common things we often find ourselves chasing after?
If you were to chase any of those things and actually get them, then how would that make you feel? King Solomon had everything any human being would ever want, and yet in all his wisdom he relays to us that it was all meaningless – like chasing the wind? Have you ever wanted something so bad that you just had to have it? And once you got it – it just didn’t feel right, it didn’t provide the joy you were anticipating it would provide...something was missing. And then all you're left with is buyer’s remorse? What or Who should we be chasing after? The common things we typically find ourselves chasing after aren’t necessarily sinful – it’s all about the heart motive behind it all. Why do you want _________ so bad? Do you want it more than you want a greater knowledge of and better relationship with Christ? If Christ comes in last place in your life, then all is meaningless – like chasing the wind. Practicing His Presence, Nate Real Dudes,
I heard this quote the other day, “Sports don't build character, they reveal it.” According to the passages below, what has the ability to reveal our true character as Christians? What are you learning about your true character? What, if anything, is the Lord encouraging you to change? Enjoy your time of self-evaluation. Practicing His Presence, Nate 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT) 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. Job 23:10 (NLT) “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. James 1:2-4 (NLT) 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 2 Peter 1:3-9 (NLT) 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. |
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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