This New Life, Eternal Life, Abundant Life, which ever way you want to call it, is all about our relationship with God. Now that we are His child, He will raise us up by teaching us how to live as His child. And as a relationship, there are some parts He will do, that we cannot do, and some parts we must do, that He will not do for us. That’s what a relationship is, right? Give and take on both parts. God gives us everything and, in gratitude and love, we return a tiny portion of His gifts back to Him. For instance, God pours down His Mercy on us. So when we choose to forgive someone who has offended us, we are returning a tiny portion of that Mercy back to God, showing Him how much we are thankful for His Love in our lives. See? What we give others, we are really giving to God. Check out Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” God, of course, never owes us anything, but this is simply to show that, when we choose to follow His way, displaying the gifts He has given us, like the kindness this verse talks about, we are giving back to God a tiny piece of that gift. Again, in gratitude for all He gives and does for us, this is the very least of what we can do.
A huge part of cooperating with God in this most lovely relationship is paying attention to who we are listening to. After all, we cannot follow His lead if we do not sense His leading. The first obstacle for many Christians is to believe that God desires to speak with us. Which righteous parent wouldn’t want to speak with his child, right? God is certainly the same in that respect. Yet if we refuse to believe He desires to talk with us, then we can easily miss His voice, or worse, mistake it for one of those three enemies!
So HOW does God speak to us? The simplest way is in His Word. Yet God can use others to speak to us also. This includes music, TV or any other means…my goodness, in the Bible, God even uses a talking donkey, for crying out loud! (check out the whole amazing, and kind of funny story in Nu 22:22-35) Another often misunderstood way God speaks to us is by placing an impression upon our hearts. I often will say, “God told me,” certainly NOT because I heard an audible voice, but I sense His Voice deep in my heart. Of course, I caution us here. If this “impression” contradicts the Bible, then it is not the Holy Spirit. Can you see why reading and studying God’s Word is vital for us to enjoy the Abundant Life? Do everyone a favor, including God, go read your Bible today…and every day!
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
<>< Peace, Diane
