Put Off Boasting & Conceit; Put On Humility

Romans 12:3  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly that he out to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (ESV)

Psalm 25:9  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way. (ESV)

Lord, help me to realize that I am nothing but dust.  Only through You have I been given the breath of life. I entered this world with nothing, and with nothing will I leave.  I thank You for the one thing that will last forever, the salvation of my soul from sin, and the promise of eternal life with You.  Everything I have here on earth belongs to You.  You give, and You take away.  Blessed be Your name.  Help me to be a good steward of the resources You have blessed me with, using them to advance Your kingdom.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Inspired by resources from Life Action Ministries

Put Off Pride; Put On Humility

Proverbs 16:5  Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. (ESV)

James 4:6 But he gives more grace.  Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  (ESV)

Lord, I realize pride is one of the biggest struggles in my life.  Most sins are born out of this one; selfishness, impatience, discontentment, jealousy, and anger.   Help me to think less of myself, my desires, and my ways.  Help me to lay down my pride before I get to the point of destruction.  Give me a humble spirit seasoned with Your grace.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Inspired by resources from Life Action Ministries.

Hunter is 12!

Yes, now that it is past 4:21 pm, the boy is officially 12 years old.  He's growing taller, wearing a bigger shoe, growing a little facial hair, and really needing the Axe!  However, he still loves his toys, adventures outdoors, and aggravates his sisters regularly.  He's the perfect example of a "tween."  For the first time in several years his birthday was not altered with snow.  He wished to have an evening of "boy time" with Zachary, a friend from school.  As he turned 12, he received his "rite of passage" gift, a cell phone.  Daddy also got him an electric scooter and the Lego Ninjago dojo.  He was also blessed with gifts from family and friends as well.  He has had a wonderful day and we're thankful to spend it together as a family.

Lego Store!

Occasionally the home schoolers at our church get together and go on a field trip somewhere.  My friend Amy organized one to go to the Lego store.  Our kids sure were excited about that as the LOVE the Lego store!  Our leader, Jamie shared interesting information with us about Legos.  The kids were able to make their own creations, make a skier to take home, and got a free key chain.  Of course, there was shopping time when they were done.  While not official, we take trips to the Lego store quite frequently.

Put Off Selfishness; Put On Self-denial

Philippians 2:21  For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

John 12:24  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Lord, help me to see this world from Your perspective and not my own.  Help me to align my desires with Yours, as many of mine are of this world.  As I die to my selfish wants, may I consider others better than myself and bear much fruit for Your glory.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Inspired by resources from Life Action Ministries

Put Off and Unforgiving Spirit; Put On a Forgiving Spirit

Mark 11:25  And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you and your trespasses.

Colossians 3:12-13  Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Lord, I know I have offended others with the things I have done.  I know I have offended You with my sin.  You chose to forgive me, giving Your life for me; the least I can do is forgive others in the same way.  When it's hard, be my strength, for I can not do this on my own.  In Jesus' name, Amen.  


Inspired by resources from Life Action Ministries.

Put Off Bitterness; Put On a Tenderhearted and Forgiving Spirit

Hebrews 12:15  See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.

Ephesians 4:31-32  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Lord, bitterness is a hard sin to beat, especially when continually being hurt.  The difficulties of continuous forgiving can be burdensome, allowing the roots of bitterness to take hold.  Expose the areas of bitterness in my heart that may have been dormant for a while.  Only through you, can I forgive others.  Help me to be kind to others.  Help me to see others the way they see themselves as well as how You see them so that I can be more tenderhearted.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Put Off Judging; Put On Let God Search My Heart

Matthew 7:1-2  Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. (ESV)

John 8:7-9  And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."  And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground.  But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. (ESV)

John 15:22  If I had not come and spoken to them they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  (ESV)

Lord, please help me not to judge others.  Help me to consider my own actions and stack them against Your Word.  Search me, and know my heart.  Try me and know my thoughts.  Find all the faults in my life and lead me back to You.  Give me a discerning heart toward others, but let me see everyone as a creation of You with a soul that will never die.  Help me to give the gavel back to You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Inspired by revival resources from Life Action Ministries

Put Off Lack of Love; Put on Love

1 John 4:7-8  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (ESV)

1 John 4:20  If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (ESV)

John 15:12   "This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you." (ESV)


Lord, show me areas in my life where I don't love others like I should.  Help me to be patient, kind, humble, and prefer others better than myself.  Identify ways that I can show love to those who are difficult to love.  I realize I can't do this on my own, but only through the love that You have shown to me in Jesus and Him giving his life for me.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Happy New Year

I know, it's a little late.  My goodness, the Super Bowl has already been played and we're heading into Valentine's Day.  I'm curious as to how many resolutions have already been broken.  Now that the hype from the "I'm going to do things differently in 2011" has settled, I'm adding a new dimension to my quiet time.  I have some friends who are also interested, so I thought maybe this long dormant blog would be a good place.  I have some friends who use Facebook, some only e-mail.  This would work for both.  And of course after I learn how to upload pictures from my MacBook (for some reason it wont), I'm also going through old pictures and archiving them on my hard drive so I hope to sprinkle those on here too.  Pray I persevere.  It's all about forming new habits.
Anyway, this will come from a publication from Life Action Ministries.  We have been blessed to attend two of their revivals while living in Nashville.  I put their materials out from time to time when I need a tune up.  This is one of those times.  It lists a sin that you "put off" and a virtue that you "put on."  I'll add the given scriptures and some thoughts of my own.