Growin' Up Gregory

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17 It's about this time of year that all the weight loss goals and other new year's resolutions start wearing off.  So many people set goals leading up to January 1st and become a "new person" for a few weeks or maybe even a couple months, but that motivation and desire typically fades by mid-February and we slip back into our old routines and habits.  But according to this verse, when we become a Christian and give our lives to Christ, the old is gone.  It's not put aside for a few weeks, it's gone.  And the new has come.  We have a new focus, new priorities, a new hope in life.  I'm thankful that God was willing to sin his Son as a sacrifice for all the since I've committed and will commit in my life.  And I'm thankful for all the people who have influenced me in my Christian walk so that I could put aside my old ways and...

This verse was so short I memorized it a day early, but just because it's not many words doesn't make it any less meaningful. "Pray without ceasing" - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Now this verse doesn't literally mean that we are to spend 24 hours a day with our eyes closed and our heads bowed.  In a book I read to Thomas a lot it says "You can pray just by thinking or saying words out loud."  I have come to realize that there is a power in taking a few minutes (be careful, it can quickly turn into more if you really get into it) to block everything else out and really focus on praying to God thanking him for all he's done for us and praying for the needs of others we know and yes, even our own selfish desires. The next verse of this passage says " in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God".  Notice that the verse does not say to give thanks FOR everything, but IN everything, not matter what your current circumstances are God is ...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5 This verse is so simple to understand but very difficult to put into practice.  Trust in the Lord...rely on him to provide what you need.  Matthew 6:26 tells us that God provides for the birds and that we have much more value than them so we know that he will provide for us.  Lean not your own understanding...now this is tougher for guys to do because we want to be the man.  But learning that everything we have, talents, abilities, intelligence, money, or whatever else has been given to us from God.  Sometimes you have to be smart enough to realize you don't understand everything but you know who does...God.

I really do believe that memorization is important but if you don't apply what you know to your life it will be useless information inside your head.  So I'll try weekly to figure out the application of each verse to my life. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119:105 Why is God's Word so important?  Well God's Word is a lamp to our feet; it allows us to see where we are and what we're standing on.  It is a light for our path; it illuminates the darkness in front of us so we can see where we are going in life. 

Well 2014 was definitely a life changing year for me.  I like to look back at what my goals/resolutions were last year to make sure I met them and to see how I've advanced since then.  I would have to write a separate post to truly do a full review on 2014 but it's humbling to look back at what all took place last year so I'll try a quick review before getting into 2015. In February Brittnee and I found out that were going to having a little baby boy.  You can see by the many posts that have followed regarding Thomas just how much of an impact he has had on my life.  We were blessed with getting a few snow days to play this year which is always fun.  I was able to participate in a few obstacle course races and survived those with no injuries so that's a plus.  I had a good time growing my first garden by myself this year and learned a lot about hard work but also just how rewarding it is to take something from seed to table knowing that you grew it yourse...