“He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him."
Psalm 103:13 (TLB) God loves for you to talk to him about anything. Whatever you’re interested in, God is interested in it too. He wants you to talk to him about your interests for three reasons. God loves you. You exist because God wants to love you. It’s the reason you’re alive! When you love someone, you’re interested in what they’re interested in. There are many things you’ve become interested in because your spouse is interested in them—because you love them. God feels the same way about you, but a thousand times more. God gave you those interests. You know all those hobbies and sports and all the things you like to do? You got those desires from your Creator. He wired you with them, which means he actually knows what you’re interested in more than you do. He loves you, and he delights to see you enjoy the things he made you to love. God enjoys talking with his children. He is your Father. Parents are interested in what their kids are interested in. Are you ever bored while you’re praying? If you are, that’s because you’re talking about stuff that you think you should talk about, not what you’re actually interested in. God is a good Father, and he’s interested in what you are interested in. The Bible says it like this: “He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him” (Psalm 103:13 TLB). If you’re a parent, did you wait until your kids could talk in order to start loving them? Of course not. You loved them deeply, even before they were born or said a word. Whether you ever talk to God in prayer or not, he loves you deeply, just like a parent loves a child before they can communicate. But as children begin to grow, parents desire to have a conversation with them. You want to know what they’re thinking and feeling and share their burdens and joys. You want to delight in their interests and hear their perspective. That’s the kind of relationship God wants to have with you. He loves you, whether or not you communicate with him. But he longs for the day that you grow up and talk to him about the stuff that’s important to you.
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“The message of his grace . . . is able to build you up and give you the blessings God has for all his people."
Acts 20:32 (GNT) When you feed on the Word of God, you grow. The Bible is your soul food. You can’t be physically healthy if you eat junk food all the time. In the same way, you can’t be spiritually healthy unless you feed on the truth of God’s Word. Would you like to have all the blessings that God has for you? Of course you would! I want that for you too. How do you get those blessings? They’re a direct result of spiritual maturity. The Bible says, “The message of his grace . . . is able to build you up and give you the blessings God has for all his people” (Acts 20:32 GNT). The Word of grace will build you up. When you grow in spiritual maturity, God can give you all the blessings he has for you. There are some gifts you can’t give a baby or a young child because they aren’t mature enough for them yet. In the same way, there are some gifts God wants to give you, but he’s waiting for you to grow up. You can actually use your hand to help you remember how to use the Bible to grow in spiritual maturity. You feed on the Word of God by doing six things: You hear God’s Word—that’s your pinky finger. You read it—that’s your ring finger. You study it—that’s your middle finger. You memorize it—that’s your pointer finger. Then, you meditate on it—that’s your thumb. Your palm represents applying God’s Word. It’s important that you do all six of those things as you feed on God’s Word. If the only spiritual input you get is hearing the Word of God at church, then you won’t have a very strong grip with just your pinky finger. We forget 95 percent of everything we hear within 72 hours! Satan will be able to steal your joy very easily. If you hear the Word of God and then you read it every day, you’ve got a better grip. Satan can’t pull it away from you as quickly. If you hear it and read it and study it, then you’ve got a stronger grip. When you do all six things, you’ll have a firm, strong grip on God’s Word. No one will be able to take it away from you. And you’ll find yourself growing toward spiritual maturity and receiving the blessings that come with it. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV) Have you noticed that human beings have a tendency to mimic the emotions of people across from them? The reason we do this is because of mirror neurons in our brains. They allow us to sympathize and also to mirror what other people feel. For instance, if someone gets angry with you, you get angry back. If somebody is really sad and you hang around that person long enough, you start to get sad. In the same way, when people raise their voice against you, you usually raise your voice back. Then they raise their voice higher. Then you raise your voice higher. Then pretty soon it’s escalated, and your emotions are out of control. But the Bible says you actually can choose how you respond: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV). Here's a tip that will save you a lot of heartache and conflict in your life: When other people raise their voices, lower yours—in your marriage, in your parenting, in your friendships, and at work. That’s called strength under control. Gentleness defuses conflict. It deescalates anger. Here’s a good verse you’re going to need someday—maybe even this week. Ecclesiastes 10:4 says, “If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes” (NLT). When your boss tears into you or your spouse raises his or her voice in anger, realize it may not have anything to do with you. Instead of getting defensive, practice gentleness. Let your gentle answer disarm the other person and defuse the situation. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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