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Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category

Do Not Forget the Lord

Posted in Religion, WEBS, tagged on February 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

We are called to follow Jesus on a daily basis – to make God the center of our life and the center of our thoughts and deeds and to love one another.  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” [Matthew 22: 37-39]  These commandments, when lived out, are transformational.  We are called to a new life based on the gracious and undeserved love God has for us.  We are humbled and acknowledge that we have standing before God based on God’s grace alone and not based on anything of ourselves.   Because of God’s gracious love to us, we are compelled to reflect that love to others.

Our “new life” as Christians does not relieve us from our problems, however.  As humans, we are naturally prideful and sinful.   We can get distracted by the challenges life brings – the extreme busyness of life, hurts and disappointments from those we trust and love, health issues, and problems we encounter that are sometimes difficult to comprehend, let alone solve.  We can easily lose our focus on God.  When we weaken this relationship,  the problems of life can cause anxiety, stress, and confusion.  We may begin to make God a lower priority or perhaps even engage in open rebellion against Him.

It is important that we are disciplined in maintaining our relationship with God.  We need to engage in daily conversation with Him through prayer; find time for silent contemplation to hear Him; engage in Bible study to better understand the nature of the God we love.  As we mature in our relationship with Him, we will be able to recall God’s faithfulness and love and feel His continued presence in our lives.  Bad days, when handled in obedience alongside a loving God, can humble us, renew our faith and we can continue to try to live a life that is both pleasing to God and helpful to others.  We are only prepared to do that when we remember all He has done for us.  As you worship God today, thank Him for his everlasting and ever present grace and faithfulness.  Pray that He will be the focus of your life today.

love-God

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Live a Life of Love [Ephesians 5:1]

Posted in Religion on February 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God [Ephesians 5:1-2]

Live a life of love … a seemingly simple command in the Bible that will better our lives and glorify God.  What happens when we decide to glorify God in our daily lives by demonstrating love to all around us?  If we begin the day thinking about good we things can do for our family, our friends, our neighbors, or those we casually encounter, we start to focus our attention away from ourselves and to others.  When we take the time to think of ways to lift up others, and less about what others can do for us, we allow our egos to step aside.  If we start to think of others the way Jesus would think of them, we can live our lives in a way that brings glory and honor to God, and positively influences the lives of those we encounter. We can begin to live the life that God would have us live.

So start concentrating on how we can be more loving.  While getting ready to start the day, come up with three special things you will do for someone that day that is a reflection of a caring and loving heart.  Strike up a conversation with someone who is thought of as an “outcast” in the neighborhood, work or school.  Offer praise to your child for something you catch them doing that is good.  Give a hug to someone who is going through some pain.  At the end of the day, reflect on how these acts of kindness and love demonstrate the way that Jesus would react to those in his circle of life.  Offer a prayer that you will touch more lives each day and that your behavior will be a living witness to the loving hand of God to those around you.   Each morning think of ways that you can be the hands and feed of Jesus — find ways to treat others in the way that Jesus would treat them if he were standing in your shoes.

As we practice the discipline of kindness, we will find ways to help others at all turns — not just those we pre-plan.  Our lives will be transformed as we focus our attention on the needs of others.  Our actions will be a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

February 27, 2011

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