Blog Archives - COACH Toby Schwarz

COACH Toby Schwarz

Under Appreciated!

3/29/2024

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

CHRISTmas and Easter Sunday get a lot of pub, as they should. Jesus was born. Jesus has Risen. Unfortunately, Good Friday often is passed by with little fanfare. It makes sense. Jesus death on the cross is not comfortable and "celebrating" does not seem appropriate. However, if Friday didn't happen, Sunday would not exist.

Lord, help me to take time, not only on Good Friday or Easter, but every day, to remember how much You sacrificed and how much I gained from that sacrifice.

False ... Humility!

3/28/2024

“When arrogance comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

True Humility always remembers that the gifts and talents we possess are not our own - they are gifts from God. False Humility, on the other hand, forgets about God’s presence in our gifts. Nick J. Longo

Unfortunately, one of the most common reasons that humans fail to be confident is because they mistake confidence to be arrogance or cockiness. Confidence requires true humility. Cockiness is confidence with the absence of humility. Arrogance is exaggerated or overly confident. There is nothing wrong with having confidence and belief and even being HIGHLY CONFIDENT. God has given us much. We must acknowledge that fact. Not acknowledging ALL that God has given us is as bad as being cocky.

Lord, thank You for who I am and what I have and don't let me forget what I have and where it came from.

Common, Not Common!

3/27/2024

“Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.” – Acts 2:44

Now wouldn't that be nice!

Lord, help us to look at what we have in common and agree with more than focus on what we disagree with and on the things that separate us.

Lonely Reminder!

3/26/2024

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” – Psalms 23:1-3

It amazes and saddens me how often I come across people who are lonely. If you find the same, you can read this to them.

Lord, thank You that I do not need to feel lonely, ever!

VROOM VROOM!

3/21/2024

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works?” James 2:14

As one of my mentors used to say, "You can stand in your garage and go 'Vroom Vroom', but it doesn't make you a car. You can tell everyone you are a Christian if you want, but it doesn't make you a Christian." Faith alone or Works alone. Neither work alone.

Lord, help my actions be the only words that I need to speak today to let others know that I believe in and Love You.

Firm Foundation!

3/20/2024

“There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you! And there is no rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2

A parent would never hand over a tray full of glassware or fine china to a toddler and expect them to make it across the room without all of the expensive items crashing to the floor. Yet, we trust our lives to equally "wabbly" and "uncertain" and "frail" things and then wonder why our life is not going the way we may expect. Feel free to jump out of an airplane with only a child's kite to keep you from splatting on the ground. I choose Jesus ... and a fully-functional parachute.

Lord, help me to examine what my foundation is made of and if it isn't You, help me to fix that problem.

Want vs Need!

3/19/2024

“Give us today our daily bread.” – Matthew 6:11

Try this today. Ask yourself "what do I NEED today"? This simple question and change of perspective will open your eyes to two things ... 1) we tend to WANT more than we NEED and 2) we always have exactly what we NEED and that is because God will always provide what we NEED.

Lord, help me to look at my NEEDS more than my WANTS, so that my day is full of GRATITUDE instead of frustration, bitterness, anger, and disappointment because of my WANTS not being met.

I only Ask One Thing!

3/18/2024

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

We unfortunately tend to see what we don't have instead of what we have. God has given us SO much and His generosity and grace is limitless and abundant. We, on the other hand, think we do a lot to deserve what we have and often times we overestimate what we actually do. All we must do is to attempt to do our best to follow God and to be as obedient as we are able AND THEN when we screw up, own it.

Lord, thank you for ALL You provide and thank You that all that You ask in return is that I own my selfishness.

Never Ever ever Alone!

3/14/2024

“The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Everyone has and will have a sense of loneliness at some point or points in their life. Some people are more comfortable being alone but can still feel lonely. Others can be amongst a huge crowd and feel lonely. That sense of loneliness should only be a flashing yellow neon sign that is a reminder that says, "I get it, I am right here. What do you need? - God"

Lord, thank You for be the solution for anything I may feel that I lack in my life, including a relationship with someone that is unconditional and consistent.

We Get What We Give!

3/13/2024

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:

We unfortunately fall into a trap in life where we become frustrated that life isn't going the way we want and we look for others to blame when the answer is pretty simple ... most of the time, if we aren't getting what we want, we need to examine if we are giving what we want.

Lord, help me to see Me as I am and not as who I think I am.