“After all this time, it seems to me like straight and fast is the only way out- but I choose the labyrinth. The labyrinth blows, but I choose it.”
THIS IS FOR REAL MY FEELINGS!!!!! Do you know the feeling when you spend so many time hating someone for hurting you? It hurts you too to the point where you don't want to experience such thing ever again. But do you know the feeling when that same person did all those disgusting things in order to save you? When you hear those words and see their hurt face, when you notice that they are wounded just like you are? And, finally do you know the worst part of it? That part when it hits you that you showed your hatred so freely and literally poured that salt on that person's wounds.
No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 1 Corinthians 13:3b (Msg)
Love means living the way God commanded us to live. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: Live a life of love. 2 John 1:6 (NCV) Life is all about love. Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. Paul echoes this sentiment: "When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers." 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. You have to be around people-irritating, imperfect, frustrating people. Through fellowship we learn three important truths. THE BEST USE OF LIFE IS LOVE Love should be your top priority, primary objective, and greatest ambition. Love is not a good part of your life; it's the most important part. The Bible says, "Let love be your greatest aim." Life without love is really worthless. Often we act as if relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. We talk about finding time for our children or making time for people in our lives. That gives the impression that relationships are just a part of our lives along with many other tasks. But God says relationships are what life is all about. Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. We become preoccupied with making a living, doing our work, paying bills, and accomplishing goals as if these tasks are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning to love-God and people. Life minus love equals zero. Love will last forever. Another reason God tells us to make love our top priority is that it is eternal: "These three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” Love leaves a legacy. How you treated other people, not your wealth or accomplishments, is the most enduring impact you can leave on earth. As Mother Teresa said, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." Love is the secret of a lasting heritage. When you transfer into eternity, you will leave everything else behind. All you're taking with you is your character. That's why the Bible says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing to invest in them. The more time you give to something, the more you reveal its importance and value to you. If you want to know a person's priorities, just look at how they use their time. Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E." Relationships are what life is all about. The greatest gift you can give someone is your time. THE BEST TIME TO LOVE IS NOW Why is now the best time to express love? Because you don't know how long you will have the opportunity. Circumstances change. People die. Children grow up. You have no guarantee of tomorrow. If you want to express love, you had better do it now. The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now. --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) God is the one who made all things,and all things are for his glory. He wanted tohave many children share his glory.Hebrews 2:10a (NCV)
See how very much our heavenly Fatherloves us, for he allows us to be calledhis children, and we really are!1 John 3:1 (NLT) God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it. This is God's second purpose for your life, which he planned before you were born. God has always existed in loving relationship to himself, so he has never been lonely. He didn't need a family-he desired one, so he devised a plan to create us, bring us into his family, and share with us all he has. This gives God great pleasure. When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become his children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future. Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a child of God. The only way to get into God's family is by being born again into it. You became part of the human family by your first birth, but you become a member of God's family by your second birth. God "has given us the privilege of being born again, so that we are now members of God's own family." As children, of God we get to share in the family fortune. Here on earth we are given "the riches ... of his grace . . kindness ... patience ... glory ... wisdom ... power ... and mercy." But in eternity we will inherit even more. The Bible says, "God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefined, beyond the reach of change and decay.' This means that your eternal inheritance is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected. No one can take it from you; it can't be destroyed by war, a poor economy, or a natural disaster. This eternal inheritance, not retirement, is what you should be looking forward to and working for. Paul says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." Retirement is a short-sighted goal. You should be living in light of eternity. Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong. Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5 a (NLT) I am the vine and you are the branches. John 15:5 (CEV)
Christ makes us one body... connected to each other. Romans 12:5 (GWT) The LORD had hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him. Isaiah 8:17 (TEV)
God is real no matter how you feel. The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering and loving him when he seems distant. The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. Wrong! In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won't depend on them. Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship. God's omnipresence and the manifestation of his presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is of the en a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of him, and his presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion. Faith, not feelings, pleases God. Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotions that you're feeling. God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. Did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God but feeling despair at the same time. Focus on who God is- his unchanging character. He is good, he loves me, he is with me he knows what I'm going trough, he cares and he has a good plan for my life. "Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light." Trust God to keep his promises. Don't be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God's grace is still in full force, he is still for you , even when you don't feel it. When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him in spite of your feelings, you worship him in the deepest way. Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for. --"For God has said, 'I will never leave you, I will never abandon you." Hebrews13:5 (TEV) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 (NIV)
God wants all of you. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. God is pleased when our worship is accurate. Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture not our opinions about God. God is pleased when our worship is authentic. The worship must be genuine and heartfelt. God pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads. God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful. Be specific. God is pleased when our worship is practical. Real worship is rooted in the word. God wants all of me. |
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