Devotionals by Bob Bartz, Chair of Stonecroft Couples National Advisory Committee.

KNOWING GOD
TITLES OR TESTIMONIES?
RUNNING THE RACE
PRIORITIES
CONNECTING WITH GOD
DECISIONS
THE BOTTOM LINE
VISIONS AND DREAMS

KNOWING GOD
When a man and a woman love each other, they are interested in knowing more about the other person. No one could seriously say that they love their spouse, yet have no intention of learning anything more about their spouse. Because I love my wife, I want to know her more. That means I will spend quality time getting to know her more and more each day.

If we truly love God, we will want to learn more and more about Him through studying His Word. Bible study is not drudgery if we truly love God. Paul said that he counted “all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”  (Philippians 3:8.)  We will not be able to experience God until we know Him more. That is why Paul prayed that believers would “be able to comprehend . . . the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge . . .”  (Ephesians 3:18-19)  Knowing God should be the priority of our life! If we do not seek to know Him more intimately, we will never experience all the things that God intends for us.

Husbands, as the spiritual leaders of your home, let me encourage you to spend quality time with God each day. When is the last time that you shared with your wife some spiritual insight that you received from God’s Word?  If you’re like most guys, it’s probably been too long. Commit today to spend time in God’s Word and share what you have learned with your wife.

TITLES OR TESTIMONIES?
Popular Christian author and speaker Anthony Campolo offers some challenging insight for examining our lives. He reminds us that at the time of our death, we will be remembered for either our titles or our testimonies. There are those individuals who will be remembered for their titles: Vice President of the bank, head of the Chamber of Commerce, coach of the Little League Team, or Chairman of the local Heart Fund drive.

On the other hand, there will be those who will be remembered for the testimonies of their lives to others. The Christian who impacts the life of another person in a spiritual fashion leaves a testimony. Those who have had the privilege of leading someone to Christ have left their testimony as a mark in the life of that person. In leaving a testimony, we have marked another person’s life because God has used us to make a difference.

Indulge me in a little exercise. Press the fast-forward button on your life to the very end. Now, looking back on your life, consider the following questions:

1. In what ways would your spouse say you encouraged him or her in their spiritual walk?

2. Would your children say that they were able to grow closer to God because of their imitation of your walk with the Lord?

3. Would there be any people who could vividly describe a way in which God used you to make a spiritual impact on their lives?

An honest evaluation of these questions will determine whether we will leave testimonies. Life must be viewed from the perspective that what really matters most are those things of eternal significance. Leaving a testimony is eternally significant!

We believe that Stonecroft Couples allows couples to be involved in “creating” a testimony. By serving on a Stonecroft Couples Steering Committee, you are able to plan and participate in an evangelistic endeavor that will impact the lives of people for eternity. If you are looking for a way to invest in something that will last for all of eternity, then Stonecroft Couples is where you need to plug in.

RUNNING THE RACE
We are either running a race in pursuit of God and in service to Him, or we are running in the "rat race." Although most Christians would vehemently deny that they participate in the rat race, their lives do not demonstrate a passionate pursuit of God and His kingdom-building objectives. Consider the way we "run the race" each week. Most Christian runners explode out of the starting blocks on Sunday mornings with energy and zeal. However, by Monday their eyes begin to glaze as they pant for air and feel the strength leaving their legs. By midweek, they are already disoriented and stumble around until many of them are eventually knocked off the track and cross over to the rat race.
           
There is absolutely no way the race can be run unless we can identify the goal and stay focused on it. Therefore, we need to identify the goal or the prize at the end of the race of life.

There will be a day when we will stand before Jesus and give an account of all of our actions while we were here on earth. This day of accounting is referred to in Romans 14:10, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, and 2 Corinthians 5:10. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, we see that the quality of each man's works will be tested. Works that are inspired of God and spiritually focused will pass the test.

Can you imagine what it will be like to stand before Jesus Christ and give an account of your life? In what areas of your life or activities will Jesus express His pleasure? What areas will you hope that Jesus will quickly skip over? Realizing that some day we will give such an account of our lives before Jesus provides substantial motivation. We long to hear our Master say to us: "Well done, good and faithful servant."
           
We all need to remain focused on the fact that only those things of eternal significance really matter. All the things that usually concern us, worry us, and consume our thoughts are not truly significant in the greater scheme of things. Our focus must be on Jesus and accomplishing those things of eternal worth.

PRIORITIES
Is God truly the number one priority of your life? Without hesitation, most of us would answer in the affirmative. However, do our lives truly evidence the fact that we are devoted to the development of a quality relationship with God?

As a trial attorney, I deal with evidence. I would submit to you that the direct evidence of whether God is our number one priority is directly related to the amount of time that we spend in prayer, Bible study, and reading Christian books. A life that is committed to knowing and experiencing God will evidence quality time spent with God.
 
I do a lot of negotiating in my profession. I can tell you that one “non-negotiable” is my quiet time with God each morning. Since I do desire to make God the number one priority of my life, I give Him the first minutes of my day. I refuse to negotiate those minutes with TV, the newspaper, or other demands for my time.

I pray that you will experience the joy of spending quality time with our Heavenly Father each day!

CONNECTING WITH GOD
Based on numerous conversations with church leaders (including pastors) over the years, I am absolutely convinced that the body of Christ suffers from not spending quality time with God. I have read many books on the subjects of prayer and Bible study. I have read biographies in an attempt to glean the personal disciplines and habits and men and women of God. There is no secret formula. But there is one common element to those who truly walk with God–they spend quality time with Him.

The time that they spend with God is neither routine nor mundane. It is exciting, relational, interactive and fresh. The most common mistake we make is to get stuck in a rut by reading a devotional book and feeling that our five minutes “with God” is adequate. Another mistake is to think that if we plow through a routine of reading through the Bible in one year and we go through our rote prayers that we have arrived as spiritual giants.

Something is better than nothing, but many times our purpose in engaging in such activities is lost. What is the purpose of reading the Bible and praying? It is to spend quality time communicating with a God who desires to communicate with us. It is critical that we daily talk to God through prayer and listen to God through His Word. Without spending quality time with God, we miss out on experiencing God in our lives.

It takes quality time to encounter and experience all that God has for us. Let’s start today! Spend some real time in prayer and reading God’s Word . . . and see what happens.

DECISIONS
Our decisions can have substantial implications for our future. If we are willing to honestly apply God’s Word to the spiritual issues that may relate to our decisions, the answer can be quite obvious at times. The following is a list of questions that may challenge our motives when faced with decisions:

THE BOTTOM LINE
During a question and answer session at a recent men’s conference, I was asked the following question: “Okay, Bob—bottom line—what is the number one problem in marriages today? Is it  finances, communication, pornography, Satan, etc., etc.?” My response was our failure, as the heads of our households, to have a quality time with God each day.

The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. The best thing a husband can do for his wife is to love Jesus.

If we love Jesus, we will spend quality time with Him. Daily quality time with Jesus means that we have spent time in prayer and Bible study and have actually experienced God in that process.

When we truly have quality time with Him, we gain an appreciation that the God of this universe has met with us. He is the one who gives our lives meaning. In the process of getting to know Him, we begin to be conformed to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. And when we become more like Jesus, we will have the characteristics that will draw our wives closer to us and to Him.

That’s the bottom line.

VISIONS AND DREAMS
God desires to plant an idea, plan, dream, or vision in our hearts that will lead to results that honor Him. Proverbs 29:18 says that where there is no vision, the people perish. Jeremiah 29:11 evidences the fact that God knows the plans that He has for each of us to instill in us a hope for the future.

Our pursuit of God-given dreams helps keep us from becoming entangled in an unholy world. There are three reasons for that.

1. God-inspired dreams cause us to focus on our higher purpose and make us less inclined to become involved (or even to dabble) in the things of this world. The activities and rewards that this world offers us lack the enticement and purpose we gain when we pursue God’s greater tasks and plans.  

2. Pursuing God-given dreams help us to prioritize our lives and seek God-honoring ways to reach those dreams. Spending quality time with God each day becomes a priority as we depend on Him to accomplish the vision that He has placed in our hearts.

3. Having a God-given dream helps us to enthusiastically pursue the mission God has given us. The things of this world seem awfully dull in comparison.

There is certainly a difference between those couples who pursue God-given dreams and those who are wrapped up in the things of this world. Couples who are godly visionaries remain positive, despite the fact that we live in a negative and hostile world. Couples who are godly visionaries pursue excellence, while the world often settles for mediocrity. Finally, couples who are godly visionaries have the courage to live a dramatically different lifestyle, while the world seeks conformity  and attempts to keep up with the Joneses.

So, what are you and your spouse trusting God for these days? Identify the dreams and visions that God has given your family. Then, enthusiastically pursue them!


For more information about Stonecroft Couples, please contact:
E-mail: connections@stonecroft.org
Phone: 1.800.525.8627

 

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