------------------------------------------------------------------------Day 16
Point to Ponder: Life is all about love.
Verse to Remember: "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Galatians 5:14 (NIV)
Question to Consider: Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?
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I like the scripture that Rick makes reference to on pg. 124: "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples." It's true. I think this played a big step leading up to my accepting of Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Through my growing up, I was distanced from the Lord. When I started going to Oak River Church, everyone that I met there the first day exemplified this love, and it drew me like a moth to a lantern. It was from that first day that I began to wonder why these people were so genuinely happy, friendly, and loving. Then I came to realize, as I was seeking, that it was Christ in this body that created that glow. Soon after this realization, I accepted Jesus in my heart as my Lord and Savior. God certainly puts you in the right environment that you need to be in to come back to Him. Sometimes a silent witness can be most effective in sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others.
ReplyDelete"God wants you to be in regular, close fellowship with other believers so you can develop the skill of loving. Love cannot be learned in isolation." pg. 124
ReplyDeleteIsolation. That is what Lynn and I felt when we lived in Richfield. We lived in a very rural/suburban area. No friends, the neighbors were very private, the church we were attending was way too big (about 1,200 attenders). Some people like the bigger crowds, but we really missed knowing everyone and the feel of intimate connection with the church body. We definitely were not in close fellowship with anyone around us. Depression and loneliness set in, it felt like we were going at life alone.
After reading this chapter on loving God as the first command, then loving others as our second, I decided to read 1 Corithians 13, known as the LOVE chapter. There are so many definitions to what love is. Our society has really watered-love-down. Revisiting this chapter showed me the true meaning of love: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..."
This is a journey that I will continue to evolve. It starts with God, then my wife, my kids, and to the hurting people around me. Boy, talk about missing the mark! I need to strive toward making love the most important part of me.
I think that I can ensure relationships are my first priority by making sure that I spend as much time as possible actually paying attention to and interacting with others instead of just being in the room with them, even at home. I can try and think of the other person beofre I act or speak.
ReplyDeletePage 125 hit me with "Busyness is a great enemy of relationships." Today is no exception for me. The whole reason I'm late in posting is because I spent literally all day and night working on a laptop. And as much as I hate the fact that I simply had to get work done, the thing that really stinks is that I didn't spend time with my wife other than a brief meal together. I could have, now realizing should have, taken a small break for us to just connect for a little while. Our time is precious and we can't get it back, so it is important to share it with those we love. That's what I need to work on - better utilizing my time to love on people, especially those closest to me.
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