John 6:38

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."

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I am starting this devotion from 35,000 feet as we travel to San Francisco on our summer vacation. We are very excited to all be getting away together and also see this as a celebration trip for Kay's recovery (radiation was completed last week!). We will be tracking our progress and giving updates via twitter (@rudyvacation), instagram, vine, blogspot, and even facebook for you older generation. :). Don't miss out on the fun!

Today's devotion verse is from the 6th chapter of John and at this point Jesus has just fed the 5,000 and walked on water.  He is in serious miracle-mode and now he is explaining that he is the true bread of life and that he has come so that we will hunger and thirst no more.  Jesus tells us that even he, the very son of God, is here not to do his own will but to do the will of his father in heaven. 

Again Jesus is the perfect example of how we are to be in relationship with the father. We are to seek and do his will.  We are to block out the distractions of this world and the selfishness of our own desires. And we are to be obedient unto him only.  My prayer for all of you and for me is that we will constantly seek God's will for our lives, and be the kind of obedient sons and daughters that we hope for our earthly children. 

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!  

Don't be a Hypocrite - Matthew 23:2, 3

Matthew 23:2, 3

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."

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The sermon this past Sunday was based on the 23rd chapter of Matthew and these second and third verses really sum it up.  Jesus was calling out the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites and was saying to "do what they say but do *not* what they do".

Our pastor listed out several things that if you do them you might be a hypocrite (kind of the same vein of Jim Foxworthy's "You might be a red-neck if...") :)   OK, here they are:

- you don't practice what you preach.
- you expect more of others than yourselves.
- you only do good for a pat on the back.
- you think you deserve the very best.
- you deny it because you haven't experienced it.
- you act the devil and pray like an angel.
- you win people to church instead of to Christ.
- you sweat the small stuff and miss the big stuff.
- you obsess on the outside but neglect the inside.
- you say, "it's not me!" When it is you.

I was convicted of several of these including sometimes not practicing what I preach.  We continually need to check our motives for what we say and do and be sure we are doing everything for His glory.  We also need to ensure we are not doing things in our strength but putting on the righteous of Jesus and relying on him.  And finally we need to simply rest in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and trust that he will work in us.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Family Update: Kay and I finalized most of our California vacation plans this past weekend.  We are really looking forward to a great family time together, including time with Scott and Gina in LA!  We are also looking forward to spending a long weekend this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Rudy when they visit us in Virginia.  And I am going to the US Open on Friday so look for me in the gallery! 

The Lord Preserves Us - II Samuel 8:6

II Samuel 8:6 

"The Lord preserved David wherever he went."

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I went to lunch on Friday with the Youth Pastor of our church, and we had a nice visit just getting to know more about him and his wife and he about the Rudys.  We had some great conversation and prayer and spent some time talking about pride and the life of David.  Then in my daily reading, I came across this verse in the context in Samuel of when David had to face many foes on all sides.  God protected David without fail as he promised!

This verse was particularly relevant to us now as Hannah and Faith left early Saturday morning to drive to Ohio.  Kay and I were a bit hesitant about them going because of time, commitments, money, and safety.  But, as our kids grow up, we need to trust their maturity and judgement and ultimately trust that God will protect them as He promises.

There is one note of caution though in the life of David that I alluded to earlier.  It is true that we should have confidence that if we are following the Lord and His ways, that he will bless us and protect us.  However, we also need to be careful not to fall into the trap that David did and get caught up in our own pride.  God had blessed David with great wealth, power, and victories in all areas of his life.  But David let that success go to his head and he started to be overtaken by his own pride.  As you probably already know, he committed adultery, and he even killed a man to then cover up his sin.

The good news was though that David did repent fully of his sins.  Even though David had to pay for his sins through attacks on his family and country, and even the death of his son, God restored a right relationship with David and he became one of the greatest Kings of Israel.

So be encouraged to follow in God's ways and be diligent to stay in the middle of his plan for you.  He will protect you, but be careful to give Him all the glory and praise for your successes!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!  

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Family update: In addition to the girls adventure to Ohio this weekend, Jake was elected President of the school student council this past week!  It was a tough but clean fight, but Jake prevailed. :)   Remember to remain a humble leader Jake!.  Also, Kay has only 4 radiation treatments left!  She is a little sore now but still tolerating them pretty well.  We give God all the praise!

Integrity - 1 Samuel 12:3

1 Samuel 12:3

"Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.  Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right."

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This section in my Bible is titled "Samuel's Farewell Speech". Samuel was a Prophet and the last of the judges and he had already anointed Saul as Israel's first king. But he takes this occasion to remind Israel of all that God has done for them but to also admonish them for their lack of faith in asking for a king.

But in order to admonish Israel, Samuel first reminds them of his integrity so that he has the right and the standing to call them to account. Samuel would not have been able to speak honestly and critically to Israel if he had not already earned their respect and honor.   

And so it is with us. Our integrity is everything in our lives.  Alan Simpson, a former US Senator said this: "If you have integrity, nothing else matters.  If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters."  I recently give a presentation to my leadership team at work and one of the key points that I made was that we all need to have the highest integrity.  I told them that for me to trust them, I needed to have the utmost confidence in their integrity and honesty.  

I implore all of you that no matter what happens in life, do your best to protect your integrity and your name.  But of course none of us is perfect and there will be times that we fall short of our goal. If this happens, simply admit your short-coming, ask forgiveness from anyone you have wronged or deceived, and finally repent to your Lord and ask him to give you the strength to succeed next time.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!  

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Family Update: We went to the medical oncologist last Friday and discussed a few aspects of Kay's treatment.  First, we agreed that we wouldn't put Kay on any long-term medication as a preventative measure for any returning cancer.  Because of Kay's clotting disorder, the typical medications are problematic.  Second, he said that Kay's hematomas are healing gradually and it will just take time for them to work out.  We will check back in a few months and then make a decision about any further treatment.  Third, and maybe most importantly, we decided that Kay will no longer need to take ongoing anticoagulants (Coumadin).  Since she has not had a recurrence in 13 years and there are also inherent risks in taking blood thinners, we decided that this was the best course of action. This should make Kay's life even easier going forward and will be a real blessing. Thanks as always for all your prayers!

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