I Messed Up...But God is Not Finished With Me Yet!

This past Sunday, we had the privilege of celebrating Father’s Day. And what an amazing time of celebration it was. In our children’s services we had numerous children give testimonies of how their father’s have made such an impact in their lives. Many of them were moved to tears with the thought of the love and security they felt from their fathers. It was simply amazing! And for me, it was doubly rewarding. You see, I was brought up in a single parent home. My mother worked two jobs just to try to provide the basic needs for us.

 

And when I was growing up, there was nothing to celebrate on Father’s day because there was no father around. But I’m immensely grateful that today, I can give my son, what I didn’t have. I’ve often told the story of how my life was in school, and having succumbed to the influence of gangs and being a troubled boy. This was in large part, because there was no man to influence me and encourage me that there was another way. One of the most moving times during the service was when some of the children gave testimonies of what it was like to KNOW that God is their Father. That He is their provider and that He loves them unconditionally. What an awesome day!

 

This brings me to the thought of what is “The Measure of a Man”? I’ve found that while part of our life’s outcome can be attributed to our surroundings or the conditions in which we are raised, the truth is that 90% of what we see in our lives is the result of 5 key areas that we have complete control over.

 

  1. WHAT WE INPUT - What goes in, will come out. There was an old saying that goes, “Garbage in, Garbage Out.” We may overlook the fact, that our children are incubators. What you give your kids is also what they will give back to you. You give them knowledge they will give you facts, you give them skill, they will produce something, you give them a substandard life and they will look like you. Dad and mom, we must remember that our children are a reflection of who we are, so let’s take measure and make sure we are putting in them, what we want to see.
  2.  WHAT WE THINK - Now what most people don’t understand is that what comes out of you is based on your THINKING. The Bible declares, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. What is in your heart? That’s where your thinking comes from.  And your thoughts come from several sources. They can come from your associations, books or magazines you read, television programs that you watch or music and radio programs you listen to. That’s just to name a few. The true measure of a man is limited by his thinking. So if you want to advance in life you have to make a conscious decision to change your thinking. Embrace change whole-heartedly and that means deciding to make a change, which can be a difficult thing.  We usually don’t make a change until pain forces us to.
  3. WHAT WE EXPECT - What are you expecting from your family? What are you expecting from your children? What are you expecting? If you expect great things, great things will happen. If you expect the blessing to overtake you, the blessing will. We should define our ((LIFE)) in such a way that it will attract everything God has purposed for us like a magnet. 2011 is a phenomenal year in the calendar of God. We have declared and are expecting this to be a year of Double Portion and overflow of blessing. We are determined to see a double portion of souls saved, a double portion of healing for the sick, a double portion of anointing, a double portion of financial overflow; a double portion of the blessing! This ministry is expecting a boundless, superabundant supply – spiritually, physically and financially – and we are encouraging YOU to EXPECT your double portion and step into your destiny of abundance. God has empowered you to prosper. He EXPECTS you to be the head and not the tail, above ONLY and not beneath. You were created to be blessed going in and going out. You are the blessed of the Lord. This is not just a suggestion from our Creator; it is a command! Deuteronomy 28:1-13. Jesus said, “…I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance until it overflows” John 10:10 (AMP). He went further to say in Luke 4:19 “…and acceptable year of the Lord, the day when salvation and the free favors of God abound.  This means the blessings will flow with abundance, plentiful, extravagantly and freely. Now that ought to make you shout HALLELUJAH! EXPECT great things! That’s the kind of favor God has prepared for His children. And His word cannot change and it will not return to Him unfulfilled. It will do what it says. Your world is birthed by what you EXPECT, which is a product of what you THINK and what you think is based on what you INPUT, which leads to…
  4. WHAT WE CREATE - When we are really taking measure of our lives, we will find that we are creating the life we always dreamed of. If you are allowing time to pass by, never taking inventory, not evaluating and measuring your progress or simply going with the flow of life, you will find that life has passed you by. At 66 you’ll be looking up and saying what happened? Where did the time go? What did I do with my life? We’ve only got one life to live and without taking measure, we are wasting this one great life we’ve been given. This year, my lovely wife and I will celebrate 11 years of marriage. When we first met, I would come over from the Bahamas to visit her. As with every young couple looking to get married, there will be “talk”. So the “talk” with me was that she was only marrying me for my money. Wow! Can you believe that?! That was about the funniest thing I’d ever heard. You see, when I was growing up, there were four of us who slept in 1 room, having to share everything we had, what little that was. The early part of my life, I was raised on an island where we had to pump water from the well to live everyday. This is in the 80’s and it wasn’t for pleasure, but for survival. So for someone to make such an outlandish statement as if to say “I looked like I had some means” actually made me lift my head a little. When my wife asked me why I didn’t correct them, I simply laughed and said, obviously they just don’t know where I’ve come from. My day is changing and I’ve begun to CREATE a new kind of life. There can come a time in your life that you don’t even look like what you’ve been through. I’m so grateful to God that we CAN CREATE, through faith, what we want to see in this life. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. The world has a habit of making room for the person whose WORDS and ACTIONS show that he knows where he is going in ((LIFE)). Which leads us to our final point. All of these things, what we INPUT, how we THINK, and what we EXPECT all work together to CREATE the LIFE we want.

  

5. OUR LIFE - For things to get better in your (((LIFE))), you have to become better. Nothing will EVER change if you don’t decide to take measure of YOUR life. Your life is a result of the decisions and choices you have made to this point. Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. The true measure of a man is determined by these five things. What we input, how we think, what we expect; which leads to what we create and ultimately determines the outcome of our life.

 

It’s all in your hands. If you have not made a commitment to invest and make a difference in the lives of children, we would like to encourage you to prayerfully consider joining us in monthly partnership. We are continuing to take the Gospel to children and equip children’s ministry workers for the work of the Kingdom. Please pray with us for partners and if the Lord is speaking to you to join us, please don’t hesitate; act on it. The harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. Ministry partners help us continue to do what He has commissioned us to do.

 

You can also give securely online by visiting www.RicardoMiller.com or mail to Ricardo Miller Children's Ministries, PO Box 40103, Fort Worth, TX 76140

 

Reaping the Harvest of Young People for Christ,

 

 

 

Ricardo Miller

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