Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. James 4:1 (The Message).
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that is where life starts. Prov. 4:23 (The Message).
I write fully aware of my own need of grace to watch over my heart, my talk, and my walk. I confess how easy it is to lose sight of God's higher purpose for my talk with every person in every situation. I often speak as if I were unaware that the Lord is listening or forgot that I am called to speak in order to benefit others. (Eph. 4:29-30).
I believe that love and grace deficits in all of us will remain to some degree until Christ returns. I write to remind myself that our awesome God provides the way to overcome the power of indwelling sin in our heart through a grater power! The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit! (Eph. 3:14-20).
Have you attended marriage seminars, classes on effective communication and listening skills? Have you taken personality tests, read books on anger management and problem solving techniques? What about Bible studies that you have attended? Knowledge is wonderful but not enough. Paul prayed that we may have power to grasp the depth of Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).
The indwelling power of the Holy Spirit is activated by God's grace as we genuinely seek to listen and please Him. We can't keep a vigilant watch over our heart on our own. It is done by the Holy Spirit (His grace) plus our cooperation.
Just a couple of hours ago I received a phone call, as the person was talking to me, I noticed my not too gracious thoughts, at the same time I sensed the Holy Spirit reminding me that this person may be encouraged or discouraged by what I say. By His grace I chose to focus on the needs of this person and responded in a gracious and generous manner. It is always a choice! The more sensitive to the Holy Spirit we are, the more automatic our gracious responses become.
Interested in improving your communication skills ?
First. Pay attention to your communication style with people close to you and not too close to you. What happens? Do they bring out the best in you because they are pleasant, agree with you, approve of you, understand you, don't challenge, demand, or interfere with your interests or agenda? Is it all well because you are not crossed?
What happens when you interact with difficult people? Do they bring out the worst in you because they don't understand, agree, or value you? How do you communicate when people challenge, demand, interfere, disrupt, irritate you? Is it all out of control because your desires and expectations are discounted?
Second. Pay serious attention to what the Lord says regarding your heart and communication style -"If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? In a word, what I am saying is, grow up. You are kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out God-created identity.
Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you" Matthew 5:46-48 (The Message).
Third. Practice the habit of personalizing and internalizing Scripture to activate God's glorious grace available to you at any moment. Choose to put off your old-self and to put on Christ's love. Speak (live) graciously and generously.
Remember my last posting? If we let Christ's love fall on us, we can let that love fall on others!
More in Letter six of my book "Letters From Your Father God"
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The secret of loving relationships? Live loved!
"And I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breath! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the hights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19 (The Message).
In this amazing prayer, Paul asks God to help us internalize the extravagant love of Christ so that we may settle in our hearts, once and for all, the fact that we are totally, completely, absolutely loved and treasured by Him.
I often hear, I can't take in that extravagant love! I know it in my mind, in my heart it is another thing. I am rather empty. I want to believe that I am loved. I want to love others and have good relationships.
Growing up in imperfect homes around imperfect people in an imperfect world created love deficits and rendered us mistrusting, dissatisfied, self-preoccupied, strong-willed...
It is extremely difficult even for believers to take in Christ's supreme love for us when we allow the lies of Satan, the World, and our own flesh to take root in our souls.
God knows our backgrounds very well. He prepared precisely what we need to re-order our thought life, heal our emotions and memories so that we may walk in His fullness for His honor and for His purposes. We must take in His love on His terms though. By faith.
Faith is a gift of God, it comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Romans 10:17
No matter what family of origin we come from or how bad choices we have made, if we change our thinking (repent), Christ's love will move us from emptiness to fullness. We will grow conscious of His hand of love in our daily interactions with people and in our life circumstances. We will learn to respond not react to persons or life situations. We will discern how the Lord is working in us. Our relationships will improve.
The following is an excerpt from Max Lucado's -"A Love Worth Giving You"
And the love of Christ -
"bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Cor. 13:7
Think for a moment. Drink from that for a moment. Drink deeply... It is time to let His love cover all things in your life. All secrets. All hurts. All hours of evil, minutes of worry.
The mornings you awoke in the bed of a stranger? His love will cover that. The years you peddled prejudice and pride? His love will cover that. Every promise broken, drug taken, penny stolen. Every cross word, cussword, and harsh word. His love covers all things.
"He loads me with love and mercy" Psalm 103:4
Picture a giant dump truck full of love. There you are behind it. God lifts the bed until the love starts to slide. Slowly at first, then down, down, down until you are hidden, buried, covered in His love.
"Hey where are you?" someone asks.
"In here, covered in love."
Let His love cover all things. Do it for His sake. To the glory of His name. Do it for your sake. For the peace of your heart. And do it for their sake. For the people in your life. Let His love fall on you so yours can fall on them... Let His love fill you, flood you, and change you forever. Live loved!
Ready to apply insights learned through this posting?
Be intentional. Every day this following week keep a mental picture of Christ's love falling on you until you are totally covered with His love. Observe how you respond to pleasant and unpleasant people and circumstances. See your love falling on them!
Write your comments to mayagraves@yahoo.com
More on loving relationships in the Fourth Letter of " Letters From your Father God" by Maya Graves.
In this amazing prayer, Paul asks God to help us internalize the extravagant love of Christ so that we may settle in our hearts, once and for all, the fact that we are totally, completely, absolutely loved and treasured by Him.
I often hear, I can't take in that extravagant love! I know it in my mind, in my heart it is another thing. I am rather empty. I want to believe that I am loved. I want to love others and have good relationships.
Growing up in imperfect homes around imperfect people in an imperfect world created love deficits and rendered us mistrusting, dissatisfied, self-preoccupied, strong-willed...
It is extremely difficult even for believers to take in Christ's supreme love for us when we allow the lies of Satan, the World, and our own flesh to take root in our souls.
God knows our backgrounds very well. He prepared precisely what we need to re-order our thought life, heal our emotions and memories so that we may walk in His fullness for His honor and for His purposes. We must take in His love on His terms though. By faith.
Faith is a gift of God, it comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Romans 10:17
No matter what family of origin we come from or how bad choices we have made, if we change our thinking (repent), Christ's love will move us from emptiness to fullness. We will grow conscious of His hand of love in our daily interactions with people and in our life circumstances. We will learn to respond not react to persons or life situations. We will discern how the Lord is working in us. Our relationships will improve.
The following is an excerpt from Max Lucado's -"A Love Worth Giving You"
And the love of Christ -
"bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Cor. 13:7
Think for a moment. Drink from that for a moment. Drink deeply... It is time to let His love cover all things in your life. All secrets. All hurts. All hours of evil, minutes of worry.
The mornings you awoke in the bed of a stranger? His love will cover that. The years you peddled prejudice and pride? His love will cover that. Every promise broken, drug taken, penny stolen. Every cross word, cussword, and harsh word. His love covers all things.
"He loads me with love and mercy" Psalm 103:4
Picture a giant dump truck full of love. There you are behind it. God lifts the bed until the love starts to slide. Slowly at first, then down, down, down until you are hidden, buried, covered in His love.
"Hey where are you?" someone asks.
"In here, covered in love."
Let His love cover all things. Do it for His sake. To the glory of His name. Do it for your sake. For the peace of your heart. And do it for their sake. For the people in your life. Let His love fall on you so yours can fall on them... Let His love fill you, flood you, and change you forever. Live loved!
Ready to apply insights learned through this posting?
Be intentional. Every day this following week keep a mental picture of Christ's love falling on you until you are totally covered with His love. Observe how you respond to pleasant and unpleasant people and circumstances. See your love falling on them!
Write your comments to mayagraves@yahoo.com
More on loving relationships in the Fourth Letter of " Letters From your Father God" by Maya Graves.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Understanding Your Circumstances
Concentrate on God's love for you and His Word, not on your circumstances!
"If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves. But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed" Proverbs 29:18 -The Message.
Daily life events and circumstances are one of the many ways God uses to speak to us about Himself, His love, and His agenda for us. It took me a long time to genuinely believe that nothing in my life is arbitrary. It took me even longer to believe that I am loved by a perfect Father who is working in me what is pleasing to Him (Hebrews 13:20), and that every detail in my life of love for God is worked into something good (Romans 8:29).
What would a life of love for God look like? Examine John 14:23-25 (The Message)
…If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him – we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words...The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you…
What a glorious promise! If I highly respect Jesus’ word and humbly respond to Him, I would live a life of love for God. Then the love and wisdom of the Trinity - Jesus, the Son, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit will clarify my life situations and make every thing work for my ultimate good.
I am convinced that our life circumstances are opportunities to hear God’s voice, to experience His presence, and to allow the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in us (Galatians 5:22).
The following excerpts from "Hearing God’s Voice", Henry and Richard Blackaby give us insights and guidelines to understand our circumstances -
CIRCUMSTANCES: A TIME FOR GOD TO SPEAK (taken from the seventh chapter)
"Life happens whether you are ready for it or not! To many people life is merely a series of random experiences- some good, some not so good…God does things intentionally, not randomly.
Circumstances can take many forms. They might be a job offer, a marriage proposal, a promotion, a natural disaster, a sudden death, a car accident, an unexpected gift, a surprise phone call, a letter of encouragement, an illness, a miraculous recovery, an unusual conversation, a failure or a success. The key is not the occurrence itself but the presence of the Holy Spirit as He communicates through life events. This does not mean that we should seek a hidden meaning behind every traffic jam or thunderstorm. It does mean that we should be sensitive to what God might be saying during the course of events in our day.
Circumstances are events that God uses to speak about Himself and His will. We face circumstances every day. Unless we see God’s activity in the midst of them, we will be unaware of their spiritual significance. They will simply be events in a long succession of confusing occurrences. But if we are sensitive to God’s voice, these same events can hold enormous significance for us… Hudson Taylor described God as "The One Great Circumstance".
Guidelines for Understanding Your Circumstances
Set in your mind that God forever demonstrated his love for you on the cross. That love will never change. Regularly revisit this truth.
Do not try to understand God based on your circumstances. Go to God and ask Him to help you see your situation from His perspective.
Wait on the Holy Spirit. He will take the Word of God and help you understand your circumstances. Learn patience! Patience means trusting God (James 1:2-4). God’s timing is always best.
Adjust your life to God and to what you see Him doing in your circumstances. Let God work in you thoroughly, so He can work through you effectively and completely.
If there is no clear instruction, wait and do the last thing you know God told you to do. Waiting is not inactivity but continuing until God speaks.
Do we live loved? Are we seeking to understand what God's is doing in our life so that we don't stumble all over ourselves?
Colt McCoy did not stumble all over himself. He lives loved! He gave glory to God!
Many of you perhaps already heard Colt McCoy, the Longhorn's quarterback, on his post-game interview. He did not concentrate on his circumstances. Before millions of people he focussed on God's love for him. He spoke words that reflected his knowledge of God's character.
The reporter asked him - How did you feel, watching the game from the sidelines? ..."It was unfortunate that I didn't get to play, would have given everything I had to be out there with my teammates... I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. I know God is in control of my life, and I also know, if nothing else, that I am standing on the rock". McCoy became the game's biggest winner before many people and especially before God!
With God's grace, we too can live loved and allow the Holy Spirit to help us understand the spiritual significance of our life circumstances and give glory to the Lord.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
