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Lord your grace gives more than I could give, Your mercy motivates me to move, Your courage captures my convictions, Your humility helps me have hope, Your wisdom is what I want, Your service shows me selflessness, and Your strength causes me to stand strong in the midst of storms. Oh Lord, make me more like you!
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My mind races. Thoughts often scattered. Focus deterred. Often not sure. Balance thrown off. And then I stop. I collect my thoughts and sit still, and at His feet. In the moments I find myself looking to others is when I wrestle with such discontent. But in the times I look to Him I find myself in a tranquil place. What am I chasing? Who am I chasing? And above all what are my motives. Just be me. I realize there are a ton of people who vocationally could do what I do. I’m replaceable, as a matter of fact we all are. But only I can be the faithful husband to my wife, and only I can be a faithful father to my child, and only I can lead my family. So with that realization, that should me of the upmost importance and priority. Everything else is chasing shadows.
-The Monday Mindset
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Lord Your creation amazes me. There is no inch of this earth I can go where Your fingerprints aren’t seen. Today I was awestruck by Your touch, Your creativity, Your majesty. May You grace me with some of Your creativity. Thank You for reminding me how great You are, and how very small I am. You are worthy of all my praise. “ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” -Romans 1:19-20
-The Monday Mindset
I need to get away. It’s a thought that comes to most minds during different circumstances we go through. We feel trapped in the world we are living in and feel as if there is no way out. But there is, the Lord gave us 24 hours in a day to make decisions. Whether we realize it or not, we make a decision on how each of those 24 hours are spent. It bounces between sleep, eating, work/school, sports and hobbies. This is all normal, yet there is so much more that we try to squeeze into our days. There is homework to be done that we can’t ever finish, yet the 2 hours we spent unwinding in front of the TV probably didn’t help us. There is the time we Want/NEED to spend with the Lord that always slips away from us, yet the 2 hours of perusing facebook probably didn’t help.
This is when we usually begin to scream internally I need to get away. The only problem with getting away is that whatever we are dealing with in the present would follow us wherever we go. Still I believe that we all need to get away, but the question should not be where should we go. It should be what do we need to get away from. I think it’s the small habits that we began forming years ago that impede on the things we want/NEED to do. It’s usually in these habits where we can find the answer to some of the following: Why can’t I get anything? Why do I feel so far away from the Lord? Where are my friends? How can I find time to do ______?.
Lord, I’m reminded daily that I have the same 24 hours in a day that everyone else has. Lord, It’s about time that I hold myself to the standard you have set. We are called to strive to be excellent in what we do. It’s about time I start implementing that in a few of the smaller areas of my life. Only then will I begin to see what I’ve truly been missing.
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If everyone was a leader no one would follow. Should I not follow first in order to become a more efficient leader? Leadership as the world defines it is not the leader I desire to become. The struggle I find within the desire I have to become the type of leader that is counter-culture. This world laughs at humility and servant hood, it is considered weak and incapable. What if only one person followed, would I still be a leader? Being a leader must be so much more than wanting things done your way, as a matter of fact, it is the furthest thing from leadership.
I can’t be a leader unless I empower others, and I can’t empower others unless I am empowered by a greater Source. This world constantly criticizes, doubts, and hates on every and any leader that ever existed. So why do I desire to be a leader? I cringe at criticism, despise doubters, and hate being hated on. On the other hand how could I lead better? Did not my very Lord and Savior model this perfectly for me? May I be satisfied in serving, made whole in humility, and lead in love.
Teach me to follow first and to lead by your teachings Lord. I wrestle with my dreams and can only pray they’re not driven by myself. My big ideas only seem small in comparison to my God. It seems as if this world tells me I dream too big while God assures me that I’m dreaming too small. I am caught in a tension, a tension so tight it exhausts my very being. Today my strength is weak, my ability is futile, my vision if blurred, but I’m following a Leader whose strength is mighty, ability is limitless, and vision is clear. This is why I will survive today. I will follow Him who is far more capable of leading than I ever will be!
-The Monday Mindset
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My soul is saturated with disgust as it faces the realization of the
countless blessings it has come to expect or take for granted. The
sense of entitlement that I have bought into leaves my spirit in angst.
I will drink the cleanest water in the world today and never think
twice about it. I expect whatever food I want whenever I want it. The
numerous times I’ve showered without taking into consideration the
millions that won’t. Tonight I will sleep with a roof over my head and
in a comfortable bed with this mindset, “I earned this and I deserve
it!” Did you hear me? (more…)
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I’m tentative whenever I set goals or resolutions. Not because I won’t reach them, but because I’m stubborn and stupid enough to do whatever it takes to accomplish them. I’m cut from that type of cloth. If I set my mind to something it can be both a good thing and a bad thing. So when I say I’m tentative it’s because I don’t want my resolutions to neglect my top priorities, which is my relationship with the Lord, my wife, and my family, in that order. So this year my resolutions are simple. Read, spend time with the Lord in His Word everyday. Specifically I plan on reading from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. Relationships, pursue my wife with weekly date nights, surprises, and quality time. Rest, I need to do a much better job at honoring the Sabbath this year. Feel free to hold me accountable to this. Retreat, I will take two 4-7 day retreats this year. Renewal, I plan to continually renew my mind through reading, learning, and prayer. Risk, I am going to try something this year that is guaranteed to fail unless God acts on my behalf. That’s all! There’s my resolutions. Keeping it rrrrreal!
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“Lord may my conscious be held captive to the convictions found in Your Word. The culture shifts like the shadows and wind, and as a result will allow me to justify even the smallest foibles my life possesses. But Your Word is Unmoving, Unshakable, and does not allow even a hint of compromise. May You grant me the wisdom and courage to follow Your Word and not the Worlds. I am keenly aware of the dark corners of my soul that the world will lead me towards, places where I begin to worship self rather than my Creator. You are perfect, flawless, and ever so worth following. When I fail to live according to Your Word, I find Your mercy and grace. And even Your love in the midst of Your discipline. Your wisdom and power surpasses the thoughts one may be able to conjure up. I have done nothing to deserve Your blessings or benefits. You have given me far more than I deserve, I know that full well. How foolish I am to take days for granted, to wander through my days without expressing gratitude towards my Creator. What would still exist in my life today if You took away all I failed to thank you for yesterday? Lord, it is all Yours. Thank You that You allow me a small part in Your amazing plan!”
-The Monday Mindset
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My prayer life is often similar to a fast food drive thru, quick, ask for what I want, and then leave. What a fool I am! Perhaps my prayer life should be that of a waiter. Slow, ask what He wants, and then serve Him. Oh Lord, may you captivate my conscience as I concern myself with such shallow prayers. Without prayer I only find myself wandering in thoughts that dishonor You. And there You patiently wait, day after day, hour after hour, longing to spend time with me, longing to speak to me. But I ask and fail to listen, fail to sit still, fail to comprehend what You are saying in Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” Oh that You would still my heart Lord. That my mind would be consumed by thoughts of You. Keep me from robbing myself of time spent with You. May I never forget all that You have done for me, may I mediate on Your precepts, and continually hide Your word within my heart. Your power is overwhelming, and yet Your compassion is undeserving. Lord forgive me of the foolishness I possess to so often move forward on my own, without seeking Your wisdom and guidance. Lord may You alone be the lamp unto my path, may You alone guide me on this journey.
