Forgetting what's not important

I knew that it had been quite some time since I wrote a blog post. But, I did not realize that it had been an entire month! When I realized this, two things came to mind; the importance of setting habits and making the time for things that matter (this doesn't apply to blog posts as much as other things in life), and also how easy it is to forget and overlook things from time to time.

In an attempt to get back to blogging on a regular basis again, allow me to share a passage from Deuteronomy 31:8; "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Let this be your encouragement today. God always goes before you, leading you, and clearing your path. God will never leave you, forsake you, or forget about you. So, do not be afraid, do not be anxious, do not be discouraged.

Lessons from Bath Time

Bath time at our house is always very eventful.

A couple nights ago Kim had to run out and I wanted to get the kids in and out of the bath before dinner. So I started the water and called out for them to come and get in the bath. Seconds later I heard Zion ripping his diaper off as I passed him in the hallway. As I tossed something in the garbage can it occurred to me, "he still had his shirt on" (Zion can't take his shirt off by himself). I walked into the bathroom and saw him sitting waist deep in the running bath water and asked "did you forget something?" That explains the look on his face in this picture.

We all "jump" into certain situations without fully thinking through the steps that need to be taken or the preparations that need to be made, much like Zion did when he jumped into the bath without removing his shirt.

There are various situations in which we need to make preparations before we enter into them. Accepting Christ in our lives is not one of these. Christ tells us to come to Him with all of our burdens, with all of our anxiety, with all of our fears, with all of our failures, and He will meet us where we are. and although there are no preparations that need to be made, there are still steps that need to be taken, a shift in our mindset that needs to be made. That shift comes when we begin to let go of this world, when we begin to let go of ourselves and admit that we need Jesus Christ as our Savior, our Lord, and our Master. It is then that we take the two steps outlined in Romans 10:9, confess and believe. And, "YOU WILL BE SAVED"!

Back to the kids and bath time for a moment. Our kids love taking baths, partially because we let them play for an extended period of time before making them get out and they enjoy splashing around in the water. So, when we tell them that it is time to get out of the tub, it is usually met with some hostility and argument.  And, although Zion does not want to get out, he has yet to figure out the whole cause and effect thing, the repercussions of an action. So instead of telling him that it is time to "get out of the tub" I usually will ask him to "pull the plug". This gives him yet something else to do in the tub. And, as the water runs out, he gets cold, and wants to get out of the tub to get warmed up and get dressed.

While there will remain certain preparations, actions, or changes for almost every stage of our lives. In the same way, various repercussions of our actions follow. What are our repercussions of accepting Christ?

Here are JUST A FEW:
- letting go of this world (Luke 14:26)
-  denying one's self (Matthew 16:24)
- take up the one's cross (Matthew 10:38)
- make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)
- filled with joy (Acts 13:52)
- love for others (1 Thessalonians 4:9)
- fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)