Teaching...

Father,

It astounds me the way you try to teach me. You teach me self-control and how to discipline myself from committing sin by having my wife be honest and brave and admit hers to me. How am I to lead when I am the sinner? How am I to help her when I am stuck in my own sin? You point out what I need to grow out of because I am free and I am yours. You are my master, sin is no longer in control of me. You guide, You push and You love me but I am a man who has a stubborn mind and a hard heart. I do not deserve Your Kingdom. I do know that You Spirit has sealed me for the day of redemption and that thanks to Your Son, I have eternal life, power over death, power to live freely.

I also know that You are a God who wants me to be devoted. Devoted to You, Your Kingdom, Your Son and Your Spirit. As I read Piper's book for class and I get to Chapter 9 about who the Christian man is to be devoted to prayer. Prayer should be the first thing we do every morning and every night before bed. Prayer shouldn't be something we do as we multi-task by driving, walking the dogs, doing dishes, though those are still good times to get in "extra" prayer. Prayer is something so great Piper says (Pretty much what the Bible says too) that it should consume the man to even forgo sleep, food, or the important parts of daily life because prayer is our connection with God. Father I have failed you at that. I do the multi-tasking prayer so much. I know today while I was mowing the lawn, I did that but my prayer was so choppy, skipping around here and there.

I know too that Lord I can get so busy that I forget to spend time in deep prayer. I find excuses, excuses that can be justified by the world, but not by You. I do not want to forgo those times and I beg You to continue to convict me and to push on with me, loving me, but leading me how to be a better, man, husband and pastor to all that I shepherd.

AMEN