August 21, 2024
Daniel Foster
Next Gen Pastor
Ecclesiastes 10:18
“Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of negligent hands the house leaks.”
There’s a leak! It is never good to hear or think those words is it? A neighbor called me today that lives behind the house we lived in while we served in Oklahoma City. Because his house is at a lower elevation, runoff from rain, sprinkler systems, and a leaking pool end up in his yard. The water over time has rotted his railroad ties. Leaks are never good. They cause destruction, sometimes fast, and sometimes slow, like the rotting of those railroad ties.
What do we need to do to prevent leaks in our spiritual life? If you are reading this, I may be “preaching to the choir.” So I wanted to take it a step further. How do we help prevent leaks in the ones we love? Our spouse? Our children? Close friends and family?
Husbands - Ephesians 5 says “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[f] her with the washing of water by the word.” Do we cleanse our wife in a spiritual way by how we incorporate scripture in the way we talk, encourage, lead, and serve our wife?
Wives - What are some things you could pray over your husband? There is a great book called “The Marriage Gift” by Aaron and Jennifer Smith that gives 365 prayers to pray for your spouse. Some of the things to pray over your husband included:
*Living in accordance with God’s plan (Eph.4:1-2)
*His integrity (Proverbs 11:3)
*Commitment to prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
How about our children? Deuteronomy 6 is a great passage for our role as a parent in discipling our children: “4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol[b] on your forehead.[c] 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”
To love the Lord with every fiber of our being is something we must CONTINUALLY speak over our children. Do you pray for and with your children? Do you have family devotions together? Is there a night time routine (even for older youth and college) where you prioritize leading your family as Joshua did, to serve and follow the ways of the Lord? Do you take your family on mission trips? Do you serve locally together? Do they see you more passionate about the things of this world than your savior? These are all things that have in the past and continue to challenge me as I try to “prevent the leaks” in my life. Hope they help yours as well!
Next Gen Pastor
Ecclesiastes 10:18
“Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of negligent hands the house leaks.”
There’s a leak! It is never good to hear or think those words is it? A neighbor called me today that lives behind the house we lived in while we served in Oklahoma City. Because his house is at a lower elevation, runoff from rain, sprinkler systems, and a leaking pool end up in his yard. The water over time has rotted his railroad ties. Leaks are never good. They cause destruction, sometimes fast, and sometimes slow, like the rotting of those railroad ties.
What do we need to do to prevent leaks in our spiritual life? If you are reading this, I may be “preaching to the choir.” So I wanted to take it a step further. How do we help prevent leaks in the ones we love? Our spouse? Our children? Close friends and family?
Husbands - Ephesians 5 says “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[f] her with the washing of water by the word.” Do we cleanse our wife in a spiritual way by how we incorporate scripture in the way we talk, encourage, lead, and serve our wife?
Wives - What are some things you could pray over your husband? There is a great book called “The Marriage Gift” by Aaron and Jennifer Smith that gives 365 prayers to pray for your spouse. Some of the things to pray over your husband included:
*Living in accordance with God’s plan (Eph.4:1-2)
*His integrity (Proverbs 11:3)
*Commitment to prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
How about our children? Deuteronomy 6 is a great passage for our role as a parent in discipling our children: “4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol[b] on your forehead.[c] 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.”
To love the Lord with every fiber of our being is something we must CONTINUALLY speak over our children. Do you pray for and with your children? Do you have family devotions together? Is there a night time routine (even for older youth and college) where you prioritize leading your family as Joshua did, to serve and follow the ways of the Lord? Do you take your family on mission trips? Do you serve locally together? Do they see you more passionate about the things of this world than your savior? These are all things that have in the past and continue to challenge me as I try to “prevent the leaks” in my life. Hope they help yours as well!
Posted in Daily Devos