What I learned on Vacation

This past week I had the privilege and blessing of joining my wife's entire family on vacation to the beach. As I was having my devotions and spending time on the beach with my family, God kept bringing up the topic of stewardship in my heart. As the week went on I realized God was challenging my thinking and as a result my actions on stewardship. I knew that everything I had was really God's. My ministry, my wife, my kids, my house, my cars, my physical health, and my faith family were all God's and He has giving me the chance to have them and use them all for His glory. But this week I realized that God was reminding me that my vacation was His too. God through my father-in-law had given me a chance to find rest, relaxation, family time, and quiet time to enjoy. And God was reminding me that I need to steward my vacation for Him too. As I began to open my eyes I started to find many ways that God was giving me things on my vacation to steward.

Here is a list of the many ways and areas I found on my vacation to glorify God in stewardship.
Time with my wife (we got to go for a quiet night out for dinner and a walk on the last night )
Time with my kids (played with them and went crabbing with them multiple times)
Time with my brother-in-law
Many different witnessing times (some that I missed and some that I used)
Quiet time with God
Taking care of God's earth and enjoying His creation
Showing my testimony through some tough times
Being thankful for my In-Laws generosity
Spending some time with my mom (she came down half way in the week)
Staying in the Word

This is the many ways that God was challenging me with being a steward on my vacation from Him. I also know that there is other ways that I missed out on that are not on this list that I failed in being a good steward for God in His great gift of a vacation and time away. In what areas of your life is God challenging you to be a steward and take care of His many gifts?

Quotable Friday- Vacation #5

The kingdom of God always wins, but sometimes it wins much later than we would like.~ Kevin DeYoung

Quotable Friday- Vacation #4

2 Great quotes from a sermon I was listening to on the beach this week.

"True worship expects nothing in return".

"God does not exist to be useful".

Quotable Friday-Vacation #3

Thomas Brooks

Every sin strikes at the honor of God, the being of God, the glory of God, the heart of Christ, the joy of the Spirit, and the peace of a man's conscience.

Quotable Friday-Vacation #2

God has new mercy for you this morning, new grace for your sins, and new good deeds for you to walk in.~Kevin DeYoung

Quotable Friday-Vacation #1

Here is a great Thomas Brooks quote. Read this today and thought right away of my faith family at church and my desires for them and us.

"Remember this, that your life is short, your duties many, your assistance great, and your reward sure; therefore faint not, hold on and hold up, in ways of well-doing, and heaven shall make amends for all!'

I am praying for my beloved at Zion today as they enjoy a morning of worship of Jesus, while I am away.
Amen and may God be with you all at Zion

Quotable Friday

”When the bottom falls out and disappointments come, you will learn what you believe, what you love, and what you treasure.”~Ligon Duncan


*Next week I will be on vacation so the entire week will be quotes so that I can enjoy my family and time away more. Please enjoy the quotes and may God bless you richly in some way in the week ahead.*