May Day

Happy May Day! I am so excited about the growth I am seeing around my house. I love going for a quick walk every couple of days to see how the plants are growing and if anything is budding. Things are growing so quickly with all of the rain. Thank you God, for the rain!

This got me to thinking about growth in other areas of my life. First and most important is growth in my spiritual life. Just like the new flower brings excitement, so too does growth in areas such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

What about you? Are you experiencing growth? The first step is a personal relationship with Christ. If you do you not know Jesus, you need to start there. We are all sinners saved by grace. Grace is a free gift from Jesus. Have you made that decision to follow Christ as your Lord and Savior? Once you have the personal relationship, you need to grow in that relationship by getting to know Jesus better through God's Word, prayer and the church. It's not about a checklist, but instead a relationship.

Another area where growth is always needed is as a husband. I will never achieve perfection in this area so I need to be growing as a husband every day. I am challenged to "love my wife, just as Christ loved the church" (Ephesians 5:25). Wow! Whenever I think I have attained love, I need to be reminded of this verse, because Jesus' love for the church is amazing. I need to love Bethany unconditionally and sacrificially. I need to serve her daily. I need to speak her love language often. Husbands ask yourselves, "What gift can I give her today? How can I spend quality time with her? How can I do an act of service for my wife? Does she need me to hold her hand or give her a foot or back rub? Have I told her how much I appreciate and love her?" Do we pray together and talk about spiritual things?

The last area is my growth as a dad. It's hard to have a long day at work and be exhausted and have your kids ready to play. However, we need to put down the paper, turn off the computer or TV and spend time with our kids. Fathers have a responsibility to their children. As Christian dads, we need to equip our children in the faith (Deuteronomy 6: 4-9). I need to take the lead and not expect my wife or the church to do this for me. We need to show them love, tell them we love them, spend time with them, and discipline them. My dream is to start a small group for dad's in the fall to encourage and equip dads in these ways to be all that God wants us to be.

As the flowers bloom and grow, I pray that I may grow in my faith and as a husband and dad.

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