WHO LOVES YOU - Part 3 - God's Healing Love

 

Some people seem to laugh easily; others laugh sparingly, almost grudgingly. Some cry at commercials; others hardly shed a tear if hit by the worst of personal disasters. 

Emotions are often frightening. They are so intense that they cause us to feel insecure and unsure of our self. We feel out of control and unstable. This causes many people to shut off their emotions.

They function from their mind and refuse to feel. They do not want to experience the pain which accompanies many emotions. They do not like feeling vulnerable and defenseless.

Men are taught that emotions are a sign of weakness. They will not allow themselves to cry or to admit being hurt. Their macho identity is in peril. They often despise emotions and disdain anyone who expresses them.

They think people will reject them if they knew how they really feel. This hinders them and their significant others from the free exchange of expression from their souls.

They separate from this vital part of their existence. They only connect to others through their mind, body and choices. They stop considering how their behavior affects another person's life.

Some people are very independent. They are self-sufficient, having their own agenda and they prefer not to interact too intimately in relationships unless they are in the mood for companionship.

Others are quite the opposite. They are dependent on others in order to survive. They feel no value in their abilities and are incapable of living alone. They lack confidence and self-esteem.

Some are codependent. They live for others and are only happy when they can rescue or enable someone else. They deny their own needs as a martyr.

Then they feel resentful and grow angry and bitter about all the sacrifices they make and responsibilities that they carry, which are not reciprocated.

Ideally, we all grow from these tainted and lopsided philosophies into interdependent people. We learn to accomplish things with our God-given talents and to form equally mutual relationships. We enjoy alone time, but also intimacy as well.

These healthy people recognize that positive emotions improve our life. They understand that negative emotions flag some issue, which need our attention. They easily commit to others as the Lord leads, and they readily forgive others.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to have the mind of Christ and allow us to feel Your healing love. Help us to love what You care about and to hate what You despise. Lead us on the pathway to wholeness. We are Your children and You spend every second of Your time showering us with Your abundant love.

Sometimes, we get so busy that we are not even aware of You communicating the unfathomable depth of Your love to each of us personally. You know us intimately and You want us to love You intimately as well. 

As we allow Your Spirit to bring us gradually closer to Your perfection as well as harmony with one another, we come together as Your Body, knit together with You as our Head and as the lover of our soul (Ephesians 4:16; Isaiah 38:17; Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

God only asks that we repent and ask for forgiveness when we fail; then He wants us to open up to the Holy Spirit’s direction so we can walk in obedience to His will for our individual lives. - Acts 3:19

Healing Relationshiips - Part 1

There are four types of human relationships. We all fit into one of them, or a combination of several:

Independent - self-sufficient

Codependent - live for others

Dependent - despise living alone, have no personal
                   identity 

Interdependent - mutual, reciprocal relationship 

These relational types describe how we relate to other people. If we are already functioning in interdependent relationships, we are healthy and have healthy interactions.

Otherwise, we are in needy, dysfunctional relationships, which are unhealthy for us and the other people in our life. Changing our beliefs about life and our self, and altering our attitude will bring needed healing to our soul.

In dysfunctional associations, we expect the magic of a fairytale existence; we pride our self in living as the martyr or savior; we give sacrificially and then feel anger and bitterness when we do not receive the love we believe we are owed in return.

In unhealthy relationships, our self-worth is based outside of our self, in people, places and things. We desire financial security, privacy, status in society, respect, degrees or popularity. We resent any change or adjustment required of us.

However, everything in life is fluid, temporary and undependable. We even disappoint our self. We cannot look to external values and relationships for our security.

When we concentrate on maintaining the status quo, we fail miserably every time we try. That is why the Serenity Prayer has grown in popularity.

Following its advice will ensure that we keep our focus on eternal matters, rather than on temporal issues, which cannot help but to disappoint us. We will also walk in God’s will each moment of every day.

Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

“Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.  
-by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

Thought for the Day:

Attempting to control our environment and relationships will guarantee that we suffer from stress-related issues, as well as to alienate those who mean the most to us. 

An Alien Within

Prior to coming to Christ, we determined our daily routine by our priorities. We valued, worked toward and pursued anything that would assist us in reaching our goals. We developed this habit, day in and day out, living by our human reasoning and working to please our self and to secure our future. Then, the Spirit of God moved in and encouraged us to entirely shift our mind-set.

Prior to Salvation, our flesh formed habits as we trained our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions to respond and react in certain ways to the challenges and trials of life. We were used to living independently of any restraints or parameters for our behavior (Romans 8:7-8). We served our self and made sure we would come out on top (Romans 1:25; 2 Corinthians 5:15). We did good deeds for others, but we wanted the praise.

Salvation sets up a dichotomy in our life, which causes a tug-of-war within our soul. God wants us to put to death the carnal deeds of our flesh, so that we can live an abundant spiritual existence (Romans 8:13-14). Yet, our flesh wants to maintain the status quo and control our own life. The tie-breaker is God’s Spirit, who rebirths our human spirit, which was formerly dead in sin (Ephesians 2:5).

Now, our old nature is dead and we are Born Again by God’s Spirit. Spiritually alive, we partake in the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4). The nine fruit of the Spirit replace our formal carnal character (Galatians 5:22-23). We no longer live independently, but in dependence on God’s love and will.

Our former traits, alien to God’s ways, still influence our thoughts, words and behavior. However, we can crucify these independent and willful tendencies on a daily basis (Matthew 16:24-26), and obey the will of God instead. We willingly submit our old fleshly habits to the work of God’s Spirit within us (Romans 8:12-13). We restrict the deeds of our flesh by renewing our mind and surrendering our life to Christ (Romans 12:2; Mark 10:28-29).

Prayer:

Father God, by Your saving faith, a gift to us from Your mercy and love, we receive Your Holy Spirit who influences and transforms us. You draw us to Your heart and You renovate every aspect of our life by Your Spirit. This free gift is priceless and we thank You for the sacrifice Jesus paid for our eternal life (Ephesians 2:8). Teach us to walk in Your Spirit every moment of our life (Galatians 5:16-25).

Thought for the Day:

Each day we walk in more victory over the flesh by dwelling in the Spirit and following God’s desires for our life. - Galatians 5:16-26

Apart from Christ

Prior to coming to Christ, we determined our daily routine by our priorities. We valued, worked toward and pursued anything that would assist us in reaching our goals. We developed this habit, day in and day out, living by our human reasoning and working to please our self and to secure our future.

Our flesh formed habits as we trained our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions to respond and react in certain ways to the challenges and trials of life. We are used to living independently of any restraints or parameters for our behavior (Romans 8:7-8). We serve our self and make sure we come out on top (Romans 1:25; 2 Corinthians 5:15). We do good deeds for others, but we want the praise.

When the Spirit of God moves in, He encourages is to shift our mind-set entirely. This sets up a dichotomy in our life, which causes a tug-of-war within our soul. God wants us to put to death the carnal deeds of our flesh, so that we can live an abundant spiritual existence in Him (Romans 8:13-14). Yet, our flesh wants to maintain the status quo and control our own life.

The tie-breaker is God’s Spirit, who rebirths our spirit, which was formerly dead in sin (Ephesians 2:5). At salvation, our old nature died and we were Born Again by God’s Spirit (Colossians 3:3). Spiritually alive, we now partake in the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4). The fruit of the Spirit replaces our formal carnal character (Galatians 5:22-23). We no longer live apart from Christ, but in dependence on God’s love and will.

Some of our former traits, alien to God’s ways, still influence our thoughts, words and behavior. However, we can crucify our independent and willful tendencies on a daily basis (Matthew 16:24-26), and obey the will of God instead. Each day, no longer apart from Christ, we walk in more victory over the flesh by dwelling in the Spirit and following God’s desires for our life (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:16-26).

Prayer:

Father God, by Your saving faith, a gift to us from Your mercy and love, we willingly submit our old fleshly habits to the work of Your Spirit within us (Romans 8:12-13). He influences and transforms us. He draws us to Your heart and renovates every aspect of our life. This free gift is priceless and we thank You for the sacrifice Jesus paid for our eternal life (Ephesians 2:8).

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit exchanges the deeds of our flesh by renewing our mind as we surrender our life to Christ. - Romans 12:2; Mark 10:28-29