Building RELATIONSHIPS and Making Changes

Starting July 25th (tomorrow)
with
Pastor Rick Warren
on Daily Hope 

"One of the great tasks of life is building awesome RELATIONSHIPS." ~Rick Warren

The 10 day plan at You Version begins with "Authentic Friendships", whereas the previous Pastor Rick teaching series on Daily Hope (back in 2016) began with "Fighting for an Awesome Marriage" (parts 1, 2, 3, 4) followed by "Fighting for an Awesome Family" (4 parts) and then "Making Friends for Eternity". The next part in the Daily Hope teaching series is "What Destroys Relationships and Builds Them". For me, this is the major message that I need, since having and making healthier RELATIONSHIPS really is what I need to change and work on in my own personal life the most. Dysfunctional RELATIONSHIPS throughout my life have weighed heavily on me and my life journey, when I finally discovered that they were. So, in addition to my 365 days of daily devotions for Christians in difficult RELATIONSHIPS, entitled "Change My Relationship" by Karla Downing, M.A. (her fabulous website and You Tube channel) share invaluable information & help.

The teaching series ends with "Becoming Best Friends with God" (3 parts) which so far has been my main concern, but it's my earthly RELATIONSHIPS, which need more work (and prayer). "Positive Prayer Strengthens Your RELATIONSHIPS" is day 8 in the You Version plan - I couldn't agree more in the necessity of this. All of your RELATIONSHIPS will benefit from positive prayer and strengthen them. Even though I am far from an expert on RELATIONSHIPS, I know and have learned through God's Word (in the Bible) what I should aim toward & change. I really am not the one to explain how to build RELATIONSHIPS but I'm sure Pastor Rick will share key points. The following are the scriptures that he shares in the 10th message of the series in the message outline (pdf)- (of course, this new teaching may change or maybe it won't; we won't know until we see it) but these are the scriptures that "destroy or build RELATIONSHIPS" in his teaching notes:

 

“Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other.” Rom. 12:5 (GW) “What causes fights and quarrels? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but you don’t get it.” James 4:1-2 (NIV) “Selfishness only causes trouble.” Pr. 28:25 (TEV) “Look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.” Phil. 2:4 (TEV)  “The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others – and ignoring God – harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, and eternal life.” Gal. 6:8 (Mes)  “Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness.” Gal. 5:16 (Mes)   “Pride leads to arguments.” Pr. 13:10 (LB)  “Pride will destroy a person: a proud attitude leads to ruin.” Pr. 16:18 (NCV)  “First pride, then the crash – the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” (Mes)  “Live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble.” 1 Peter 3:8 (GW)  “ …Be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves…your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God.” Phil. 2:3, 5-6 (NCV/NLT) “The fear of human opinion disables.” Pr. 29:25 (Mes) Adam: “I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Gen. 3:10 (NIV)   “Love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid… it shows that His love has not been perfected in us.” 1 John 4:18 (NLT) “All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them… We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in Him. God is love … And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid…” 1 John 4:15-17 (NLT) “To worry yourself to death with resentment is a foolish, senseless thing to do.” Job 5:2 (TEV) “Since my heart was embittered and my soul deeply wounded, I was stupid and could not understand.” Ps. 73:21-22 (NAB) “Look after each other… Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives.” Heb. 12:15 (LB)  “You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Col. 3:13 (NLT)  “Once our lives were full of resentment and envy. But then… Christ saved us – not because we were good enough to be saved but because of His kindness and love – by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit… all because of what Jesus our Savior did so that He could declare us good in God’s eyes.” Titus 3:3-7 (LB) The Lord says, “Forget what happened before and do not think about the past. I am going to do something new… I will make rivers on dry land.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (GW)

God can turn around any RELATIONSHIP, even ones that seem hopeless. Perhaps God is showing you that this RELATIONSHIP is one that needs work; or one that you should consider leaving (due to its dysfunction) but still nothing is impossible for God; so first take the RELATIONSHIP to Him for healing or rebuilding or restoring; and let God determine the transformation needed and how you (& your mindset) may need to change, as you learn & discover healthy RELATIONSHIP standards versus the unhealthy or habitual rut that you have allowed to take root.

God is in the business or REDEEMING, RESTORING & REBUILDING our RELATIONSHIPS, because He can & He wants to establish with the right tools & plan. Your life and RELATIONSHIPS can be different. We all want a better life so key RELATIONSHIPS need boundaries and true truths and guidelines. 

"Making the Hard Changes in Me"

[Rick Warren's message on Mother's Day at Saddleback Church]

Karla Downing shares 10 RELATIONSHIP-changing Principles (which is another book I have but also available to read by following that link to her website) and then each principle for specific details. Right now, I am reading "Dealing with Dysfunctional Relationship Dynamics" and have found her Resources with Challenges & Quizzes to be so helpful as well as her many videos available. Her words of wisdom and clear teachings are just what I need - my personal licensed, Christian therapist (marriage & family) and a daily dose of her 365 devotions offer me great insights into RELATIONSHIP dynamics & possibly changes I need. It does not take long for me to find a devotion that seems to be meant just for me.

God definitely is guiding and directing this 2022 One Word RELATIONSHIPS for me - I hope and pray that your lifetime RELATIONSHIPS also are being blessed by His changing, transformative - aMazing Grace & Principles of His Love - always available, always the best, as He's building us to be better at all our RELATIONSHIPS, deepening the most important One with Him, and then all the earthly ones that He deems are in need of more work and more healing and more Godly principles! I believe both Pastor Rick Warren & Karla Downing have valuable lessons to share with us. Perhaps you'll give them a try. 

Let me know if you plan to join me either with the YV reading plan Awesome Relationships or with Pastor Rick Warren at Daily Hope. Blessings on all of you and your RELATIONSHIPS!

 

"AWESOME RELATIONSHIPS"

"AWESOME RELATIONSHIPS"

[image credit: You Version/Rick Warren]

This is not my title so I'm borrowing it to share an upcoming study in July with Pastor Rick Warren (he has done this one before in May of 2016, but is doing it again) at Daily Hope, however, I also found a 10 day sample version at You Version BUT I mostly like this title because it contains my One Word for 2022 and I hope that ALL my RELATIONSHIPS become better & more AWESOME by the time I complete this year! [This also is a book (DVD small group) by Pastor Rick, who (by the way) is retiring from Saddleback Church & has now shared his new successor.] 

[image credit:Rick Warren]

"The bedrock of every friendship is trust. It takes time and intention to create awesome relationships. In relationship we learn to be unselfish and we learn to love. Life is a laboratory for learning how to love. We crave the safety of a relationship where we are fully known. Everybody wants soul intimacy. We all long for genuine connection." (book description)

According to a daily devotional email I receive from Daily Hope, this "Awesome" study begins July 25, so I will start my You Version plan then. 

relationship (n.) 1640s, "sense or state of being related" by kindred, affinity, or other alliance, from relation + -ship. Specifically of romantic or sexual intimacy in 1944.

Since 2022 began, I have wanted to do an "etymology"of RELATIONSHIP (my One Word) but decided it was just a compound word of relation + ship so I wasn't thinking it was necessary, although I found this short version - interesting, plus the definition: 

relationship (n.) noun relationship; plural noun: relationships the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected. the state of being connected by blood or marriage. "they can trace their relationship to a common ancestor" the way in which two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other. "the landlord–tenant relationship" an emotional and sexual association between two people. "she has a daughter from a previous relationship"

Clearly, RELATIONSHIP is how we RELATE with one another. God created people to be in RELATIONSHIP with Himself and one another in friendship, marriage, family, society and the church. Yet I believe what's important in each RELATIONSHIP is that it is healthy and built on godly principles. I found this article from Christianity Today to sum this up nicely: "What Does RELATIONSHIP mean in the Bible?" and I can agree with almost entirely. From my own personal life journey, I realize that I lack much in having 'healthy RELATIONSHIPS' and I don't think I had any clear model of this except later in my observation of church family RELATIONSHIPS. I found many I respect and wished to emulate yet knew I need(ed) to discover in my own RELATIONSHIPS how God would show me to develop and not compare to others. I'm still working on this and know that it will be a continual lifetime (improvement) project - my best example is Jesus, found in His Word, with God, the Father & then unconditionally with other humans, by His Spirit (because truthfully, some RELATIONSHIPS will take the work of the Holy Spirit to be able to do this). We might get parts of it wrong so that's why we keep on working on it to develop better and healthier aspects by following after those godly principles, given by Jesus, in the Bible - His Word & basic instructions for our time on earth. Here's another good article on "what does the Bible say about RELATIONSHIPS?" I am sure that Pastor Rick's "Awesome Relationships" study starting on July 25th will share good building block material on helping us have and make our RELATIONSHIPS Awesome! Perhaps you might consider joining me in this endeavor either through the Daily Hope program (you can watch or listen online) or by reading the one at You Version (or both). I'm positive it will bless you!

God is always open to having a closer & better RELATIONSHIP with us and showing us how to do that in our earthly RELATIONSHPS with others to draw them closer to Him while making our RELATIONSHIPS more healthy and changing us so that we love more authentically and extending much grace as we do. I hope and pray (one of the best ways to connect with God) that your summer is filled with better days and better RELATIONSHIPS with one another as Jesus fills you with the fruit of the Spirit and power to accept & build godly ones. Our world is desperately in need of Jesus and His LOVE which starts with us & how we RELATE.

Wishing you a Happy 4th of July weekend! Stay safe and enjoy the freedom we have in Christ Jesus! (little by little our country has less freedoms, but that is an entirely different topic and one which brings me great sadness and concern). 

May Almighty God bless America once again, have mercy on us, and bring revival hopefully as  we repent & humble ourselves, with liberty & justice for ALL!

[*image is a snapshot from Jesus Listens, Sarah Young, p.195]

MY PRAYER FOR YOU 

this 4th of July

that everyone in your circle of love is

AWESOME

and that your celebration is

AWESOME

too

because

GOD

is so

AWESOME

*may need to remove due to copyright

{if you follow the link to Amazon, it's marked down & also has used copies, 

great book for the entire year - one of Sarah Young's best (imho)!}

 

"Fully Devoted" RELATIONSHIP

In this mid-June, when the One Good Word for the Day was "DEVOTED", I came upon this 9-part devotional reading plan provided by Life Church at You Version and decided to save it to do based on the 1st question I read in the Introduction: 

"...Are you wanting to grow in your RELATIONSHIP with God, understand the Bible better, and learn how to faithfully follow Jesus in our world today? ..."

And of course, the word 'RELATIONSHIP' just pops out at me so how could I not say :

YES! 

Followed by, on that same day, the reading I had in "The Divine Romance" from the Song of Songs:

"... I’ve made up my mind Until the darkness disappears and the dawn has fully come, in spite of shadows and fears, I will go to the mountaintop with you— the mountain of suffering love 4:6 Literally “the mountain of myrrh”—the emblem of suffering love. To become the bride, she must experience Calvary, as did her Lord. We must be his co-crucified partner who will embrace the fellowship of his sufferings. See Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10. and the hill of burning incense. Yes, I will be your bride.  .." Song of Songs 4:6 TPT(Solomon)

Clearly, God was speaking to me ... and as my last post long ago shared: 

Enjoying Our Relationship

... although I never really mentioned how or updated about Enjoying Our RELATIONSHIP, I find myself truly trying to avoid 'doing things out of duty ..." by checking this or that off of a list-of To-Do's, and seeking to walk and talk with Him more in 'pure bliss simply' because of our RELATIONSHIP and His love for me & mine for Him, wanting to draw much closer every day this year & every year until we actually meet! So clearly, I need to be and become more FULLY DEVOTED and dive deeply into pursuing God in my RELATIONSHIP as He pursues and has since our beginning, with Him as my First Love. So I will learn & re-learn how I can be FULLY DEVOTED in our RELATIONSHIP (as He always has & is & will be faithful), I too need to be & will be better at this. 

Since I also started an online study of Ann Voskamp's book "WayMaker - Finding the Way to the Life You've Always Dreamed Of ..." at this time, I am seeing a correlation of this with our LOVE RELATIONSHIP and my desire for being DEVOTED! I don't think I can come close to explaining the connection as beautifully as Ann does (so I recommend highly reading her book) however, I sense God clearly saying "Come Let Me Love You" (chapter 3 in Ann's book also), a God-incidence, that allows me to see how intimately God continues to weave my winding life journey and show me the Way - His Way, the Way He Makes for me - He will also Make a Way for you to come closer and closer, no matter how many detours or repairs are needed, He delights when we let Him make our wrong direction right; our expectations His and even bring our thoughts & hearts in line with His. 

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 NIV

[which actually comes from Deuteronomy 6:5]

"What Is a Fully Devoted Follower of Christ?  A fully devoted follower of Christ is a student of Jesus. It’s someone who loves God with all that they are—heart, soul, mind, and strength—and loves others the same way that Jesus loves us.  Loving God with all our heart means desiring God over the things of this world.  Loving God with all our soul means trusting God more than we trust ourselves.  Loving God with all our mind means knowing God personally, intimately, and deeply.  Loving God with all our strength means serving God with our very best.  Loving others the same way that Jesus loves us means loving sacrificially, selflessly, and unconditionally. The most perfect picture of Jesus’ love is His voluntary death on a Roman cross for the sake of the world. He sacrificed Himself for the good of others when we didn’t deserve it. And that is a beautiful picture of how we’ve been called to love others.  Becoming fully devoted doesn’t happen overnight. It happens over time as we commit ourselves to the ways and words of Jesus every moment of every day. This journey has traditionally been called discipleship." (day 2)

I recall that the first time I decided to commit my life to following Jesus and devote my entire life to Him (and that), my prayer (of salvation, in my own mind) had those exact words from the scriptures of Deuteronomy 6:5 & Mark 12:30-31 perhaps with a small influence of the song "Day by Day": "O dear Lord, 3 things I pray: to see You more clearly, love You more dearly, follow You more nearly ... day by day". At that time and understanding in my spiritual life, I would need to do this by becoming a religious Sister (a nun) and dedicate my life to teaching, like a missionary (Sister). Although I never did take the 3 vows of a religious Sister, in many other ways, I eventually did much of this, as a sister in Christ, and now I want to be more FULLY DEVOTED to this verse to finish my life; my commitment to Jesus Christ and His Word; so after reading this day 2, it seems like the call is discipleship. I think most of my life has been, in part, a journey of discipleship in many facets and outreaches or involvement; yet I'm sure I need to develop and further my discipleship. It's a continual process in our life journey, like much of our spiritual journey is ... the Way is to follow Jesus' Way, Jesus' Truth and Jesus' Life "Day by Day" ... {sort of a "Godspell"} fixed on Jesus/God/and Holy Spirit. I want to start learning to "Be Still" and Know God (which actually is where Ann V. starts in her book, demonstrating a compass with points to show us a 'practical and transformative way of life' that is S.A.C.R.E.D. with the "S" being the Stillness to Know God. Yes, that's where I need to start and learn as I hope to live a better life DEVOTED to our WayMaker, Jesus Christ. 

Perhaps as I complete the "WayMaker" online study (book & study guide), I will know better what I will proceed to do as a FULLY DEVOTED follower of Jesus, which I've been, but at this point, I hope to deepen my RELATIONSHIP and enjoy it more completely, rather than simply checking off stuff on a to-do list. Although having a routine or discipline daily, is really part of discipleship (at least there seems to be the same root in both words of disciple). Much to do ... but remember, I am starting with STILLNESS to know God. My actual first prayer included words to God that "I truly want to know You, God, by loving, learning and living a life that serves You more and more each day from this day forward." And now, more than 50 years later, I still intend to devote myself to this, God willing, I will come closer to Jesus through renewing to my initial first love & commitment. 

{the above was a complete post, but I wanted to add that when I received RELATIONSHIPS for the One Word for 2022, I pretty much thought it had to deal with my earthly RELATIONSHIPS, however, so far I have found that my focus has been with my RELATIONSHIP with God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I realize that God plays a major role in my daily life RELATIONSHIPS and has a great influence on me and thus, on them (I hope). So you can't do one without the other - or better said; since God is in control but not physically here, it is how we relate with all our earthly RELATIONSHIPS that indicates how much we love God & respect the heavenly RELATIONSHIP by how we live and love those earthly RELATIONSHIPS, which is backed up by the OT & NT scripture verses (also above) and explained well in the FULLY DEVOTED box of day 2 - Loving Others is how we tangibly show our love for God!} 

So this Father's Day, tell your heavenly Father how much He means to you & you love Him as you remember your earthly father(s) & be blessed. I know I will! Happy Father's Day, to my dad (in heaven) & yours (or the fatherly men in your life)! whether your earthly father was in your life or not, good or bad; your Heavenly Father has been there all the time, waiting for you to have a good RELATIONSHIP with Him & know Him (perhaps to help you heal any other RELATIONSHIP and forgive) - it's a good place to start! God, our Father, loves us perfectly, even if our human fathers might have failed or erred, God will not. The truth is, none of us had a perfect father. Even the best dads in the world mess up. But our Heavenly Father will never make a mistake or fail us, even if it feels that way sometimes. Your relationship with your Heavenly Father will always outshine even the best RELATIONSHIP with an earthly father."

... Enjoying Our RELATIONSHIP

"God wants you to stop doing things out of duty and walk with Him in pure bliss, 

simply because He loves you."

I just wanted to share this fromPassion and Fire Ministries{I received in an email 3/10 so don't have the specific link}perhaps it's from their Passion & Fire Ministries Facebook page~ TPT Brian & Candice Simmons~

I really NEEDED TO HEAR THIS!
"God calls you to respond and enjoy the relationship."

"... He calls you to respond and enjoy the relationship. A love relationship with God is a joy. {He wants you to stop doing out of duty & checklists -try just being with Him and enjoying His Presence - read the quote at the top again}

 Here’s how Jesus described it: 

John 15:9–11 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Remain in His love so that His joy may be in you and your joy complete!"

So now, I'm contemplating how to enjoy our RELATIONSHIP (and looking into it) ...

This is my go-to song to be "In Your Presence"
I'm caught up in Your Presence and I never want to leave.I just want You ... and Nothing Else will do.

Centering our RELATIONSHIP around Jesus in our World

As I open to write this blog post, I have no idea what to say or pray or share except that in the recent blog posts I have been sharing from "Jesus Listens" and focused on "Centering RELATIONSHIPS around Jesus" and that most certainly encompasses other countries in our world, such as Ukraine (currently being invaded by Russian troops sent by Putin and finally today the 2 countries - Ukraine & Russia, are meeting in Peace talks, I pray that there is some peaceful resolution). I've read & heard that Ukraine is asking for immediate ceasefire and a withdrawal of all Russian troops. This photo above that has been circulating definitely depicts Jesus centering (and praying) over Ukraine, which means He is not only Listening but answering, at least to my pleas for Divine Intervention, because I trust with God all things are possible. His will. His deliverance from all evil. Isn't this what He taught us to pray in the Our Father?(Matthew 6:9-13) verse 13. Please keep Ukraine in your prayers; the country, their leaders, their families, their homes, their children, their faith, their refugees and the wonderful surrounding countries opening their arms and helping/assisting as best they can.

PRAY FOR UKRAINE

The next week in Jesus Listens would be "Week 24: Building Trust" (which would be really great for what is happening in the world) however, just like last week, I will be skipping ahead to the following week; Week 25: Pouring From and Refilling Your Cup - which you and I and Ukrainians all need! I cannot imagine what they are facing (or you in your own world) yet I also can't believe that Jesus wouldn't want us to pray and center our RELATIONSHIPS around Him (Jesus) AND our relationship to others - such as other countries in this world in peril, and other people outside our own personal relationships. Just like that first photo image, Jesus lays His life down & covers Ukraine as we pray, as we pour from ourselves to fill and be filled so that we might pour out to the many souls in Ukraine but we must (as they must) daily refill our cup to overflow on others. 

The scriptures referenced & prayer are from Jesus Listens the July 18th entry:

"Ephesians 2:8-9; Psalm 62:5 HCSB; Psalms 23:3 NKJV; Psalms 23:2 AMPC "

written to

My (Our) Shepherd

HE is the SHEPHERD for Ukrainians also

[the discussion guide question #3 follows]

"When we're deeply rooted in our RELATIONSHIP with God and have a restored soul, {which far too many of us truly need now} we are more effective messengers of His love. What are some ways you can relax in God's Presence now? How do you think that rest will benefit those you serve? {and my question: how can you be a more effective messenger of Jesus to/for the Ukrainians?} Please do it.

The Sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine!

Plant some seeds

PLEASE

PRAY

{I'm sure that you can find places that are helping, our local news even provided a list but this is one place I found: Convoy of Hope listening to prayer service}

STAND WITH UKRAINE

1. Pray for God’s peace to be a source of strength. Pray for the workers there — that they would have opportunities to share with others because they do not trust in governments, but in God.

2. Pray for God’s protection. Pray for the safety of people on both sides of this border. Ask God for their physical protection but also their spiritual protection — ask him to help people seek the truth during the conflict.

3. Ask God for comfort. As the war continues from the 2014 Russian invasion of the Crimea region, the thought of more intense war seems overwhelming to the many families who have already lost fathers and sons.

 4. Ask God to intervene. Pray for wisdom as world leaders maneuver, strategize and speak out. Pray that God would move in their hearts and guide their steps and plans.

 5. Pray that Ukraine and Russia would be places without corruption. Pray for leaders of both countries to know God’s truth and peace and be transformed by his Holy Spirit, that they would seek to lead their countries in the way of peace. Ask for repentance, grace, forgiveness and reconciliation throughout Ukraine and Russia. Pray not only for the leaders of these countries, but for the people — that they would not have animosity between them but be united in reconciliation.

Ask that this would open doors of opportunities for the gospel. God has a way of showing up when things are difficult. Pray that he would make his name known across Ukraine and Russia as the result of this conflict

JESUS LISTENS

HE IS LISTENING

Centering RELATIONSHIPS Around Jesus (part 2)

Last week I shared on Valentine's Day about JESUS LISENS and the discussion guide for 56 Weeks available to accompany the book. I skipped ahead to the 5th section on LOVE since it was Valentine's Day but also because it focuses on a key Word for 2022 for me: RELATIONSHIPS. I shared Week 21 discussion questions and an image of my book of the Jesus Listen devotion. Even though the guide calls each one a "week", if you have time, it can be done in a day or read the devotion the first day and then do one question each day, making it a 4 day week. I suggest that you use the 5th day to review and maybe write your own prayer like Sarah does in JESUS LISTENS. 

Week 22 is "Finding Confidence", which goes with the entry in the book JESUS LISTENS for August 24th and the scriptures given are Romans 8:31; Matthew 28:20 NLT; Numbers 6:26 AMPC; Romans 8:39 with the prayer written from these scriptures to "Triumphant God... starting out with "If You are for me, who can be against me? Please help me to grasp -- in the depths of my being ---" which is the first scripture given. That's what I like about her books that Sarah shows us how to take scripture and make it our prayer or Jesus Speaking to us. I'm only sharing this much of week 22 and not the 3 discussion guide questions because I plan on moving on to the next week for this week (or this day's blog post) BUT not because I don't need "Finding Confidence" ... since graduating from college & my experience right after graduation, I have struggled to regain my confidence. Some days are better than the others, however before as a teen & child, I would say that I was a pretty confident person. So on to ...

Week 23

Centering RELATIONSHIPS Around Jesus

Falling in Love with God

The Daily Devotion in the book JESUS LISTENS is the entry for October 8th to our

"Delightful Lord, ..."

The Scripture referenced are:

Psalm 37:4; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 118:28 HCSB; Psalm 62:8

1. Think of the people you most respect in life. What are the attributes they have that make them loveable? Do these characteristics make you want to draw closer to those who have them? Why? Now, think about God -- what are the things that delight you about Him? What keeps you close to Him? 2. When your life is God-centered, and you find yourself delighting in His Presence, do you notice a difference in the way you show up in life? How does receiving God's love in your own life strengthen your bond with others? 3. Psalm 37:4 says, delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart. What do you desire in your RELATIONSHIP with God? What specific things can you do to keep that RELATIONSHIP vibrant and strong?

My RELATIONSHIP with God is the most important. My RELATIONSHIP with God started through my RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. I've learned throughout my entire life that the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit are One. Yet my RELATIONSHIP needed to grow with each entity separately. Perhaps many of you, won't understand this, since the 3 facets are One, why would I need to develop a RELATIONSHIP with each. Perhaps even I don't understand it completely, yet I know that my entire RELATIONSHIP became more intimate based on each person in the Trinity and the aspect and attributes I attribute to each identity. I find characteristics in each one that stand out more and since we have the New Testament to learn about Jesus, as Man and as God, it's easier to begin with Him.

Jesus Himself tells us, "No one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6 NIV) so this is where I began. However, doing this allowed me to close the gap between myself and God, the Father, who I love deeply and revere with a deep reverential respect (that has changed to more endearing in the latter part of my life) but at first it was a RELATIONSHIP kept at a distance. Of course, I am in awe of the entire Trinity, especially Jesus yet the Holy Spirit became the second person I drew near to ... and truly respect that person of God alive in me & to each of us in one another as believers. Perhaps, I am treading on dangerous ideas to some of you that may not understand my perspective (but trust me, it is/was not altered by "The Shack"). It just is how my RELATIONSHIP has deepened with God as I look at all of the aspects of each person in the Trinity. No, I don't believe in 3 different Gods, they are and always have been 3 in 1. I distinguish this, for myself, and with some when I attempt to explain our One God, by referring to a human example (it could be any human but I most often use my dad). He is my dad (father) biologically or adopted (in my case, it's biological) but he is also the son of my grandpa (and grandma) and he is also brother to his siblings, or uncle to their children, or many other roles to others, even Santa Claus (to some children; my cousins, our neighbors, some of his friend's or coworkers families, etc.) He is not a different person; he's the same person, just one, but has a different role or title for each RELATIONSHIP. 

I am not answering any of the above discussion questions, however my explanation is an expansion with hopes that you might be able to tell how my God-centered life revolves around Jesus, centered on Him, yet He has deepened my RELATIONSHIP by showing me through His life how He communicated with the Father, as I should. How He came into His Presence, as I can. How He promised that the Father will send in His name, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. (John 14:25---) Staying in His Word, listening to Him speak and teach and living out His Word in my life, spending time with Him, first & last part of my day & throughout my day, deepens our RELATIONSHIP, keeping me walking with Him closer every day, surrounding myself with All that He is in me, for me & through me to others (but I'm working on this, it's a continual process to keep the RELATIONSHIP alive & well; close & personal). More important to me than most other human RELATIONSHIPS because I can depend & trust (have confidence) that HE is who He says HE is & will do ALL that HE says He will do. This RELATIONSHIP is key to my entire life for more than 60 some years. And I pray it will be fresh & new every day until my last.

RELATIONSHIP

is defined as

"the way in which two or more concepts, objects or people

are connected, or the state of being connected"

"An INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP is an *interpersonal relationship that involves

physical or emotional intimacy. Humans have a general desire to belong and to love."

I do BELONG to GOD, He LOVES me and I love Him!

*An interpersonal relationship

is a social connection or affiliation

between two or more people.

{To me, it does not need to be only people, but also spiritual beings.}

There are four basic types of RELATIONSHIPS given in a search:

Family

Friendships

Acquaintances

Romantic

I believe my RELATIONSHIP with God should be listed

especially since it the most important one

and

I believe our RELATIONSHIP is one of all four types

it encompasses being part of a family;

knowing Him as an acquaintance that develops into a friendship

and our intimacy certainly makes it romantic

We have a Divine RELATIONSHIP with our Creator!

My RELATIONSHIP has grown & changed with God from the beginning but I remember when it began (before I even knew for myself the Bible scripture which says this) I prayed: Lord God, I want to know You and love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength. (Luke 10:27) and to serve You through whatever I do in my life. My love for God must be shown in and through love for people. This is my continual prayer as I build my RELATIONSHIP with God. To have a personal RELATIONSHIP with God (it's like any other human one), it takes fellowship (communication), love and trust. He knows the depths of my being and so I too desire to know Him and be known by Him, which is more than just going to Church or even reading the Bible. I want our RELATIONSHIP to be strengthened.

Perhaps you may not have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, so I offer you this Link (one of so many) that can get you started. I do not know this "foundation" nor am I affiliated with it but if you want to find out more, their website has an ABOUT tab which drops to a menu giving a Statement of Faith & more. It's worth a start.

I pray that whatever your RELATIONSHIP status is with God that you would understand that HE is waiting to start one, start over or go deeper with you & HE will meet you right where you are so that you can start a fresh RELATIONSHIP unlike any other human one that will grow day by day, step by step, breath by breath ... He so desires to have a RELATIONSHIP with you, His Creation, His Child. He created you to be one with Him and desires that today be your first day of a new beginning. 

That's what having a RELATIONSHIP with God can be - one on one, not just a Church (though they can become your "family" of support & if not keep looking) relationship; but a REAL, Personal RELATIONSHIP with HIM, God alone or first! It's a spiritual connection ... a RELATIONSHIP meant to be & become! I fell in love with God at a very young age & I fall in love with God more and more every day! In fact, I choose to love God but He loved me first! (1 John 4:19) God is Love!

Centering RELATIONSHIPS Around Jesus Today

One of my books for the year 2022 is "JESUS LISTENS" and after only a month or so following along daily, it's one of my favorites by Sarah Young. I'm pretty sure I either have them all or have read most of her books, but because I love Prayer, this one, by far, is my favorite (however, this blog post is not intended as a book review). I recently received an email that promoted an accompanying discussion guide for this book and so I downloaded it, but have not used it yet. As I was preparing for this post, I wanted to link you to the Jesus Calling website where you can also download it, but I found out that currently on Amazon Kindle it is available for 0.00 also. You can't beat that! Whether you have the book yet or not, I recommend that you download this discussion guide while you can at this unbeatable price, before it changes, because that way, I can share with you on my blog by pointing you to that section of the 56 Week guide. That is the reason I am here sharing this today ... because I'm skipping ahead to Weeks 21-25 in honor of this day ... Valentine's Day (also known as Day of Love and Friendship in most Latin American countries) so we can share the discussion on 

LOVE!  

There are 5 weeks (or 5 pages) which could actually be done one a day (5 days) whatever time you have to fit this in for the LOVE Discussion divided as follows: 

Week 21: Relationships Week 22: Finding Confidence Week 23: Centering Relationships Around Jesus Week 24: Building Trust Week 25: Pouring From & Refilling Your Cup

{some of you will understand why I chose this section out of this Discussion Guide}
Week 21 - RELATIONSHIPS
[based on the devotion and Scripture passages from April 19th in Jesus Listens]

photo from my book of Jesus Listens -April 19th

Scripture Passages (used in the prayer devotion above):

Psalm 139:1-3 NASB; 1 Corinthians 13:12 HCSB; Romans 3:22; Psalm 21:6

Reflect or Share any of your responses in the Comments:
[Questions taken directly from the Discussion Guide for Week 21]

1. Think about your RELATIONSHIPS - family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances. Do you believe that they are all accepted and loved by God? If you know that God loves them, how does this inspire you to treat each RELATIONSHIP (even the difficult ones) with that "love lens" in place? 2. Each of us has a unique identity as one of God's beloved children. Do you or anyone you know struggle with feeling known by God? What are some ways you can remind yourself and others of the depth of love God has for each of us and how He longs for us to know and be known by Him? 3. When a problem arises in your RELATIONSHIPS, is it your natural inclination to bring it to God in prayer? If not, how would your problem solving change if you had God's love at the core of how you respond to problems?

The following box has which devotion entry is used for each week from the Jesus Listens book:

Week 21: Jesus Listen entry dated April 19th Week 22: Jesus Listen entry dated August 24th Week 23: Jesus Listen entry dated October 8th Week 24: Jesus Listen entry dated October 22nd Week 25: Jesus Listen entry dated July 18th

The Discussion Guide has sections for these topics with 3 questions like above: PEACE (Weeks 1-5); HEALTH (Weeks 6-10); DISCIPLINE (Weeks 11-15); JOY (Weeks 16-20); LOVE (above); FREEDOM (Weeks 26-30); HEALING (Weeks 31-35); HUMILITY (Weeks 36-40); COMMUNITY (Weeks 41-46); OBEDIENCE (Weeks 47-51); RESPONSIBILITY (Weeks 52-56)

Each of these topics are wonderful, but I chose the one on RELATIONSHIPS - the one for Week 23 focuses on our RELATIONSHIP with Jesus and reads "Falling in Love with God" on the Discussion Question page. For me, this is the perfect LOVE for this Day of LOVE & Friendship! So I'll be turning to the Prayer (devotion) for October 8th and reading Psalm 37:4; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 118: 28 HCSB; and Psalm 62:8 as I LISTEN to Jesus and sing some LOVE songs back to God because there is no Greater LOVE to celebrate on this day then JOHN 3:16!

[various versions of this image have been around for quite some time, 

although many have it on Pinterest now; it didn't originate there]

I don't do Pinterest but had this image saved from previous blog posts

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I am so thankful for God's LOVE for each one of us and that JESUS LISTENS & demonstrated this Great LOVE willingly & sacrificially at Calvary! Please remember to thank God for His LOVE on this day celebrating LOVE! 

A NEW YEAR - 2022 STRONG Start & ReConnecting (with 21 days of Prayer)

{Actually continuing with more Prayer after just finishing 21 days of Prayer}

SELAH

As usual, I cannot believe that the entire month of January has come & gone without any blog post sine New Year's Day ... and ending 2021 with my One Word STRENGTH strong with my recap, I chose to do this wonderful You Version plan

so that
I would continue into 2022 STRONG with the STRENGTH I discoveredthrough Jesus Christ that He strengthens me daily

Although STRENGTH is not the 2022 One Word for me, I must remain STRONG and most certainly needed a Strong Start (as this one definitely is). Since I finished it today (later than Belong Church), I wanted to at least share it briefly.

The following are the 14 days: (I personally needed some just to be ReFreshed & remain STRENGTHENED)

STRENGTH ... 1. ... for the Journey 2. ... to Overcome 3. ... to Endure 4. ... for your Weakness 5. ... for Impossibilities 6. ... in Suffering 7. ... to Seek 8. ... to Surrender 9. ... for the Work 10. ... to Grow 11. ... in Waiting 12. ... to Love 13. ... to Obey 14. ... for Success

with the Scriptures, video teachings, devotionals & prayers(I was going to also list the Scriptures for each day but it's better to just go do their plan)
One Word like STRENGTH needs to be a continual processbecausedaily we need His STRENGTH in all the strugglesand all the battles in this new era that we face after this coronavirus pandemic hit usfollowed by so many variants
We need all the STRENGTH available in God's Word.

Can you guess which ones I really needed?Which ones might you be needing for 2022?
ormaybe there are other areas that you can think of that you're sure you need more STRENGTH ... X-tra STRENGTH 
TogetherYou & I & JESUSHoly SpiritSTRONG& reinforced with His powerdaily we need to be filledby The Word - The Bread of Life

Start your year with Belong Church (who provided this plan for) finding strength in the Scriptures for 2022! {It looks like Belong Church did this together on Facebook or Instagram or both in January (the 10th -24th) of 2022}

I hinted about the One Word for 2022 in 2021but still not ready to reveal the2022One Word
meanwhile
for FebruaryYou Version has a Challenge
so I chose theReConnectingplan(which kinda connects a little to my 2022 One Word but that isn't it)

21 Days of Prayer: Reconnecting

There are seasons of life when we feel completely disconnected from

 the things we once held most dear. 

This plan is designed to help us reconnect with God, community, and our mission to the world.

{Sorry, but I could not connect with the link to the plan & a Google search gave me others but then I got it}

Looking forward to

RECONNECTING

This year also marks the 50th Year of our High School & a Reunion is planned in September 2022.

[Please pray that Coronavirus is better under control and behind us by then, for all of us.]

Also for Tracy (2nd time going through Covid, she's vaccinated & has pneumonia & worse) & her family also. Thank you.

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS in 2022 FOR YOU!

[*credit on image]
A special video of"The Blessing"

fromNumbers 6:24-26




{I read the note on copyright for this choice of image but I still don't know if it is. I will gladly remove it if it is. I saw that you can share to various media sites so I hope that means it is not copyrighted.}