We need to speak affirming words over people. We need to resurrect this benediction in Numbers 6:24-26: "The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; the Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace" (AMP).
In other words, God's smiling at you. Think about it. Every time you smile at someone, you're saying to them, "I approve of you. I accept you. You're cool."
God not only approves of you, He's smiling over you. He loves you! You need to get that so deeply rooted within your heart that nothing can ever take it from you.
When you're rooted in God's love, He's going to help you stand up in faith and start walking in obedience to Him. But you can't go ahead of Him trying to do good works on your own. You have to know the Word so that you can know who you are in Christ.
In Psalm 18:19, David said, "God is pleased with me." David wasn't perfect, but he knew God delighted in him. God is pleased with you too. Get that truth down inside you. He is smiling over you and He loves you very much. God approves of you!
Prayer Starter: God, thank You so much for loving me and for approving of me. Thank You for smiling over me. Your love has changed my life and I know that it will only continue to do so as I grow in You.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Being an imitator of God
Being a Christian isn't about making a weekly trip to church. We need to develop the character of God so others can actually see Jesus working in a practical way.
Ephesians 5:1 says that we are to be imitators of God. Unfortunately, saying it is a lot easier than actually doing it.
So many times we do things that don't reflect God at all. It's easy to get discouraged, give up on and condemn ourselves when we fall short.
Thankfully, God isn't bothered that we haven't arrived yet. He knows we're only human. He knows that we're not going to instantly, perfectly mirror Him overnight, but He does want us to continue growing.
We're not meant to live stagnant lives, never moving forward in our faith. Where's the adventure in that? We need to be able to look back on our life and see some changes taking place.
I used to be a Pharisee. I think I could have been the chief of Pharisees. I had a real religious act going on, but I wasn't really doing anything to truly "imitate" God. At some point, God led me to ask myself: "What am I doing to be more like God? Am I actually helping anybody? Am I just in this thing so God will make my life better?"
When we're in a place of questioning, that's the best place to be. It's a place of constantly striving toward being more like Christ.
As you're striving, don't fall into the trap of perfectionism and self-condemnation. We all make mistakes but the important thing is to be willing to take steps every day toward being more like God.
Prayer Starter: God, I thank You that even though You see my mistakes, You still love me and help me live a godly life. While I refuse to be discouraged by my failures, I also refuse to stay the same. I choose to follow You and imitate You more and more each day.
Ephesians 5:1 says that we are to be imitators of God. Unfortunately, saying it is a lot easier than actually doing it.
So many times we do things that don't reflect God at all. It's easy to get discouraged, give up on and condemn ourselves when we fall short.
Thankfully, God isn't bothered that we haven't arrived yet. He knows we're only human. He knows that we're not going to instantly, perfectly mirror Him overnight, but He does want us to continue growing.
We're not meant to live stagnant lives, never moving forward in our faith. Where's the adventure in that? We need to be able to look back on our life and see some changes taking place.
I used to be a Pharisee. I think I could have been the chief of Pharisees. I had a real religious act going on, but I wasn't really doing anything to truly "imitate" God. At some point, God led me to ask myself: "What am I doing to be more like God? Am I actually helping anybody? Am I just in this thing so God will make my life better?"
When we're in a place of questioning, that's the best place to be. It's a place of constantly striving toward being more like Christ.
As you're striving, don't fall into the trap of perfectionism and self-condemnation. We all make mistakes but the important thing is to be willing to take steps every day toward being more like God.
Prayer Starter: God, I thank You that even though You see my mistakes, You still love me and help me live a godly life. While I refuse to be discouraged by my failures, I also refuse to stay the same. I choose to follow You and imitate You more and more each day.
God's Agape Love
The Bible talks about various kinds of love. There's the Greek word "phileo," which means friendship or tender affection. Then there's "eros," which is the passionate love we feel for a lover. But there's a third kind, a higher kind of love.
"Agape" is the kind of love God has toward His Son and the human race. It's a love that sacrifices, the love that we see in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..."(NIV).
There are so many scriptures on this topic. It's really something you should sit down and study personally. Another scripture that teaches the concept of agape love is Matthew 5:44. It tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
It's not difficult to pray for people who are good to you. But it does stretch you to pray for people who have wounded you. It's easy to hang out with your friends at church. But it's harder to seek out that person who looks like they're miserable and alone and just listen to them for awhile. That's agape love. It's sacrificing your comfort to do what's righteous.
You can "agape love' people by being patient with them, by being understanding with them, by saying something encouraging or by not saying anything when you could. As humans, we are inherently selfish, constantly asking, "What about me?' It's time to declare war on selfishness with the power of agape love.
It's time to be good and loving to people on purpose as we study and understand what scripture says about love. And let the agape love of God in you overflow to others.
Prayer Starter: Lord, Your powerful agape love is amazing. Empower me as I declare war on selfishness and make a decision to, on purpose, live a life of agape love.
"Agape" is the kind of love God has toward His Son and the human race. It's a love that sacrifices, the love that we see in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..."(NIV).
There are so many scriptures on this topic. It's really something you should sit down and study personally. Another scripture that teaches the concept of agape love is Matthew 5:44. It tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
It's not difficult to pray for people who are good to you. But it does stretch you to pray for people who have wounded you. It's easy to hang out with your friends at church. But it's harder to seek out that person who looks like they're miserable and alone and just listen to them for awhile. That's agape love. It's sacrificing your comfort to do what's righteous.
You can "agape love' people by being patient with them, by being understanding with them, by saying something encouraging or by not saying anything when you could. As humans, we are inherently selfish, constantly asking, "What about me?' It's time to declare war on selfishness with the power of agape love.
It's time to be good and loving to people on purpose as we study and understand what scripture says about love. And let the agape love of God in you overflow to others.
Prayer Starter: Lord, Your powerful agape love is amazing. Empower me as I declare war on selfishness and make a decision to, on purpose, live a life of agape love.
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