RELATIONSHIPS: 27-31

continuing with

"Jesus Is the Loving Refuge Who Provides All You Need"

AMEN!
[This above Truth is the One that has kept me going year after year]
Yet, I still believe that Jesus expects me to do my part in every
RELATIONSHIP
DAYS 27 -31

Day 27 Jesus Speaks to Our Father about Us- Hebrews 7:25

Day 28 Jesus is Our Friend and Our Home -  John 14:23 and John 15:15

Day 29 Jesus Considers Us His Family - Mark 3:34-35

Day 30 Jesus is Our Bridegroom - John 3:29-30

Day 31 Jesus Invites Us to Join His Mission - Ephesians 2:10

I have enjoyed every day with Jesus as my focus as my Loving Refuge, because He is and has been throughout my life. Each day points us toward a healthy RELATIONSHIP, shown to us through Jesus' example. However, DAY 30 stands out as the most significant for me personally. This Truth has been my saving grace since I first became aware of this for myself, and really needed it but also for His Church, relating to Jesus as Bridegroom. "...God planned all along to RELATE to His People as their Bridegroom (Isaiah 62:4-5)

 

"... The word translated as "complete" in John 3:29 and "full" in John 15:11 means filled up or perfected. This filling, perfect love is what Jesus our Bridegroom offers His people, His Bride. His spousal love isn't like that of the most devoted wife or faithful husband; those human examples are like Him. In fact, what spouses can offer to each other is a reflection of the majestic love that our King and Bridegroom Jesus shares with us, His people." ...

As you may already know or surmise,  my earthly marital RELATIONSHIP of many years is and has not been this ideal RELATIONSHIP that God intends for marriages yet I am so thankful to God that He revealed that Jesus' love stands in the gap and He alone can bring the fullness of this joy into my heart (and He has). My spiritual marriage with Jesus has provided me with this closeness in our RELATIONSHIP; Jesus is a (com)passionate and protective Bridegroom, always ready to draw near to me, as His Bride. This is true for you, too! We, as His people, are the Bride of Christ!  

{in my opinion, it's time to return to Jesus so that we, the Church, are known to act as we should, reflecting that Christlike love, in words and action daily, as we expect a Bride to be, holy, united and pure; following and devoted to Jesus alone; for we are not so righteous on our own, only through Jesus, as we reflect His love and grace in the way we love people - certainly not the violent, evil and bullying ways that are prevalent in our words and action in these days. We have fallen far from the kind of faith and love that Jesus has given us. We truly need to repent, which calls for a change of heart and these ways. God is calling all of us to be ...}
TAKING REFUGE IN CHRIST
After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares a metaphor to guide us
in building strong
RELATIONSHIPS
in
Matthew 7:24-27

Consider reading and rereading this devotional that I've been sharing for October:
Toxic Relationships: Taking Refuge in Christ byEllen Mary Dykas
or
Change My Relationship365 Daily Devotions for Christians in DifficultRelationshipsbyKarla Downing
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So now that I have shared my source; I may need to take down these last 31 daysif I have shared more than copyright allows.I still am unsure of this, but consider this a warningin case these posts go missing
I hope not - but what I shared from the book(s) is "boxed" so that you know it is from the book, including the scripture verses given.

RELATIONSHIPS: 22-26

Once again I needed to divide this last section into 2 blog posts for: 

"Jesus Is the Loving Refuge Who Provides All You Need"

It's for days 22-31 but this blog post will just be 
Days 22-26

Day 22 Jesus is a Refuge We Can Trust - John 14:1-3

Day 23 Jesus is Our Constant Companion - Colossians 1: 27 and Colossians 3:3

Day 24 Jesus is Our Redeemer Who is the Good News - Luke 4:18-20 NKJV

Day 25 Jesus Sees Us at Every Moment - Luke 19:3,5 and John 1:48

Day 26: Jesus Mercifully Listens to Us - Luke 23: 42-43

so the rest of these Days (27-31) will be in the next blog post
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As I glance ahead at these last 10 days, I realize this is the more spiritual side of this entire devotional of 31 days - where the 'rubber meets the road' - so to speakwhere we actually deepen our RELATIONSHIPwith Jesus
...as we learn that "Taking Refuge in Christ" is showing us the healthy ways that only Jesus can fulfill in us and be, as we will see the Perfect example in Him.
The Intro to this section begins with a quote from C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity:

"... If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthy pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. ... I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and help others to do the same." ... C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

" "

My saving grace has been 
TAKING REFUGE IN CHRIST 

 

daily in our 

RELATIONSHIP

RELATIONSHIPS:17-21

the continuation of

How to Pursue Relational Health

This is just a reminder because I added it to the end of previous blog post. I generally try to define/explain terms so I would like to do so for Relational Health:

 

"Relational Health refers to the capacity to develop and sustain safe, stable and nurturing relationships, which in turn prevent the extreme or prolonged activation of the body's stress response systems" Garner 2021

DAYS 17 - 21

Day 17: Stop Living for People's Love and Love Them Instead - 2 Cor. 5:14-15

Day 18: Live Hidden in Plain Sight - Col. 3:3; 2 Corinthians 2:14

Day 19: Practice Joy, Prayer, and Thankfulness - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Day 20: Set Your Heart on Heaven - Hebrews 12:1-2

Day 21: Anchor Your Hope in Jesus - 1 Peter 1:3-4. 13

I will continue to pursue Relational Health in my life.

"... To set our hearts on heaven, we must live now in light of where we are ultimately going. ... by "looking to" being fixed on) Jesus (Heb. 12:1), who is enthroned in heaven (Col. 3:1-3). This biblical truth has helped me so much in my RELATIONAL struggles."

Day 20 (quote above) ends with a prayer in ACT to consider praying:

"Lord, I confess that I think so much more about this life and what I see, feel, and hear. Help me fix my eyes on Jesus and warm my heart with love for Him. Give me a desire to be sober minded and alert to the enemy's schemes to hijack my focus off of You and onto this life. Most of all, Lord, deepen my understanding to set my hope fully on You."

Then on Day 21, we "Anchor ... Hope in Jesus" because we have a living Hope through our RELATIONSHIP with Jesus ... because "when we seek our living hope in an earthly RELATIONSHIP, we unanchor ourselves from Christ's promises, setting ourselves adrift in an unpredictable sea. A person's love, words of affection, need, and praise of us can never be "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading"; they don't have the power! We undo healthy hope we've placed on people by honestly expressing to God our pain, sin, and fears; renewing our thinking; practicing prayerful thankfulness; living through Christ's life and love...". I know what it is like to be 'unachored' and adrift in an unpredictable sea until I was tossed and turned enough to be awakened by Jesus - and the Truth. Thank You Lord Jesus, my Anchor, firm and secure is set in You, amid any tossing of waves that has crashed or may crash; my future hope is anchored upon the grace, love, mercy and peace of You, Jesus - our Lord.   

Our Living Hope has a Name, His name is Jesus!

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It's taken me years to understand and become aware of dysfunctional behaviors,
which is long overdue.
I am far beyond thankful that I have been saved & in a wonderful 
RELATIONSHIP
with
JESUS
as I'm
TAKING REFUGE IN CHRIST
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A dear sister and friend began a YV plan (20 day plan) on 10/17 and by mistake it appeared publicly when it was suppose to be with a group privately, but for me - it's a God-incidence and blessing, because it goes so well with this topic of Relational Health. It was provided from a Church in NZ and they started this series on October 17th with their first Message of a 7 week series until November 27th: Wellbeing: An invitation to a flourishing life . I recommend it and I will be doing it also along with the Church and YV plan. If you go to the website linked, you will find out more and they also offer a short "wellbeing self- assessment"  free, through another church. Perfect timing for me (in the middle of this 31 day journey) to discover a continuation of seeking to 'live a flourishing life' (which for me, just means healthy, the way God desires me to in all my relationships and the rest of my life) so I will continue this journey through the different areas of well-being from physical {ouch}, emotional, and spiritual to relational, financial and  even vocational well-being - since I'm retired, I have plenty of time to address and focus on these and perhaps I don't need vocational as much but God still may have a vocational purpose for me (beyond what I do or have done). We're not finished until God says we are 😉