A Man After God's Heart

I posted here a little bit about Blake's dedication, which happened last Sunday at my home church.  I shared in my original post that the dedication was our opportunity, as Blake's parents, to publicly proclaim our desire and intention to raise this little boy in accordance to God's laws.  Moreover, to raise this little one with full knowledge that He is a gift bestowed upon us by the grace of the Father, as He has entrusted us with His precious child. 

That's a tremendous responsibility, and I take it very seriously. 

That Sunday, standing in front of the congregation, we made a promise before God to raise this child up in the way he should go.  And I want to be very intentional about that.  I want to be intentional in the things I do and say, prayerfully intervening on my son's behalf and striving daily for my walk to mirror the walk I want to portray to my son. Because I know that he'll be watching, and it will only be through the grace of God that my life will be used to mold his. 

So, in light of all that, I've decided to start something new on this blog.  Someday I'm going to take all of the entries from this blog and turn them into a book for my precious son.  Because this is his story.  I want him to be able to read my words and know, in this moment and in this time, that his daddy and I are madly in love with him, and more importantly, that we are purposefully and intentionally raising him up to know his Savior.   It's the best gift we can give him, and we want to do it well.  Raising a son is a special privilege and honor, because someday Blake will grow up and use his life and his relationship with God to lead a family of his own.   

And so I've decided to start sharing a Bible verse a week, each one depicting a characteristic of a godly life.  These are for my son.  These are the life lessons I want to impart to him, because they aren't truly mine at all....they're His. 

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You received without paying; give without pay.

Matthew 10:8

Blake, this is so important for you to remember.  It is by the grace of the Father alone than you have received the most precious of all gifts: eternal life.  This gift was given to you, and all humanity, for free.  There's nothing you can do to earn it, and in our humanity we are simply unworthy of the blessing. And yet, none of that matters.  Your Heavenly Father loves you so much that He chose to pay the price for your sins.  He died so that He could know you, and so that you could know Him.  That's pretty incredible, and I hope you take the time to marinate on the magnitude of that love.  You'll never know anything else like it.  

I chose this verse in Matthew for you because I want you to always remember to use your life as an extension of the grace you have received.  Live it out loud.  Not for earthly rewards, not for accolades or admiration, but out of love for the Father.  Give because you have also received.  Do everything you do not for the glory of you, but for the glory of God.  And always remember, this earth is not your home.  Your reward will forever be in Heaven....your eternal home.  

I love you, and I'm proud of you.