Devotional Time with God

In Mark 11:25, Jesus said I have to forgive others so I may be forgiven by God for my sins.

Many times, I hold grudges. I despised people for doing what they did.  I didn’t like what they did, so in turn I will not like who they are.  It’s a sin of hate.

But I’m not perfect myself.  I can’t be a hypocrite and expect others to be clean, kind, or nice.  I have to forgive their mistakes.

Every day, I ask God to forgive my sins and mistakes.  I hold on to that promise that God will forgive me of my sins, no matter how small it is, or how many times I commit it.

Jesus is the greatest example when He was on the cross and asked the father in heaven to forgive humanity, for we know not what we’re doing. That is the truth: Jesus died for our sins.

Therefore, I must go out there and forgive others as well, for it is God’s command for me to obey.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 3:23

None of us are perfect.  Especially in parenting.

I have to live up to God’s standards because He’s perfect.  It means I have to raise my child to His standards also.  I make mistakes all the time.  I don’t have all of the answers.  I don’t know it all.  As a man, I must be more sensitive to this fact.  Men seldom apologize for their mistakes.

My child doesn’t always behave properly.  She doesn’t always do what I say, nor what’s expected of her.

Boundaries are needed, both for parents and children.  My child has boundaries she never crosses (age appropriate), such as lying, stealing, drugs, sex, etc.  My boundaries must also be clear and consistent: no anger, no abuse, etc.  I must be predictable.

It’s human nature to please self.  It’s in my nature to defend my child, even if she’s wrong.  Sometimes, I have to stop defending her as a victim.  My child can be wrong.  She must suffer the consequences if she’s wrong.

With our lack of perfection, it’s good to know that God has our backs.  In all of this, prayer is my best defense.  In all of things, bring it to God.  I fall short, but God picks me up, and lets me continue on my way to perfection.

aàspondov (aspondos)

1. without a treaty or covenant of
   1. things not mutually agreed upon e.g. abstinences from hostilities
2. that cannot be persuaded to enter into a covenant, implacable

Mistakes are bound to happen.  I’m not infallible.  People are not perfect.  I’ll say or do things that will offend people.  People will do things that will irritate me.  During my daily commute to/from work is the perfect example.  What raced through my mind is how incompetent people are when they drive.

I have to remember, every time, that I can make those mistakes.  I must be willing to forgive them.  I must not hold a grudge.  The more I forgive, the more I let go of my hurt, anxiety, and stress.  The healing process starts with forgiveness.  I must do this more often.

For people will be… unforgiving…

2 Timothy 3:2-3

What area of my life am I holding back from God?

The Purpose Drive Life, p. 84

I like to plan my life. I don’t like surprises. Being prepared and having the ability to anticipate what’s going to happen next is what I considered my best ability. But, even with so much planning and preparation, I’m still not a perfect person. I can’t expect things to happen my way all the time. I will make mistakes. If there’s one glaring thing that I’ve been holding back, it’s my pride — my own sense of accomplishment. For what I’ve accomplished, I have to dedicate it to God, not for myself. My abilities are God given talents, so it is only right that I use them for His glory. This is what I have to remind myself, over and over. I must surrender to God for he hates the pride in me:

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

Proverbs 8:13 (NIV)

Knowing that God uniquely created me, what areas of my personality, background, and physical appearances am I struggling to accept?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 26

I am very grateful that my background and my family are well. I am also glad that my physical appearance is not bad. I don’t even mind my personality. But there are some parts of each of them that I’ve sometimes said to myself, “It could be better.” There were regrets that in my life that I wished I could take back or re-do. Fortunately, God let those mistakes happen so that I can learn and be stronger, as stated in 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV):

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

God has one purpose for my life and that is to love me. In turn, He wants me to love Him back, unconditionally (aka Agape love), because that’s exactly what God wants! He gave me free will to choose to love Him. My God is a benevolent God. I have a purpose on this earth. I am not an accident.

I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.

- Isaiah 44:2a (Contemporary English Version)