To Listen Is to Love

To answer before listening—  that is folly and shame.     
                                              Proverbs 18:13   NIV

And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.           1 John 4:21  NIV

   Love is about treating someone like they have great value to you.  One of the best ways to show someone that you value them is to listen to them.

   This week, share love with someone by taking the time to listen to them.  Put down your phone.  Set aside your book or whatever task you are working on and give someone your undivided attention.  You may want to start your conversation by asking them to tell you about something in their life that they are happy about right now.  As they answer your question, ask more questions to try to understand why this is important to them.  Listen carefully for other things you can learn and affirm in this person.  The more you listen, the more they will feel that you value them.

Sowing and Reaping

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.      Galatians 6:7-8   ESV

   Scripture is clear that the choices we make determine the character and the fruit of our lives.  We can choose our choices, but we can’t choose the consequences of our choices.  We will reap what we sow. 

   Reflection is a helpful spiritual practice in which we partner with God to examine the character and fruit that have been produced in our lives by the choices we have made.  If we like what we see when we reflect on our lives, then we can keep making the same choices with our time and other resources.  If we don’t like what we see, then we must make different choices.

   This week, set aside 20-30 minutes for quietness and reflection, perhaps with a walk outside to help clear your mind.  As you begin reflecting, consider the verses above and ask God to help you understand  how the choices you have made have determined the life you are living.   Ask him to give you the wisdom to understand what choices in your life need to change.  Believe that God wants to help you.  When you have finished your time of reflection, take a few moments to write down what you have discovered and ask God to give you strength and courage to follow through on new choices that will help develop the life of Christ in you. 

Two Key Spiritual Practices (and a warning)

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right,giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.   Psalm 19:7-8   NIV

   Two key spiritual practices are memorizing Scripture and meditating on Scripture.  We often underestimate the power of Scripture and the life that comes to us through the words of Scripture, but these two practices help us experience that life and power.  When we memorize Scripture a seed of life is planted in our heart.  When we meditate on Scripture, it’s like feeding and watering that seed.  As that seed grows it produces life and wisdom in us.

   This week, write out the above verses on an index card or a piece of paper.  Seek to memorize them by repeating them to yourself phrase by phrase.  Even if you can’t memorize it completely, you will be meditating on it and it will increase your appetite for God’s truth in Scripture.  You might also want to write down the benefits of Scripture listed in these verses in a journal or in the margin of your Bible.

  * WARNING:  Be careful not to treat these practices, or any other spiritual practices, as required activities you must do for God to accept you.  If you fall into this thinking you will become discouraged, not encouraged.  God fully accepts us because of Christ’s work on the cross.  Spiritual practices are simply pathways to draw closer to God and strengthen our trust in him.  That’s what these SPAs are all about.

A Simple Step to Living Life with God Now

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.      1 John 1:3   NIV

   Fellowship sounds like a religious word but it simply means “communication” and “partnership”.  In the verse above, John is inviting those to whom he is writing to “partnership” with him and other Christian leaders.  Then he says that their partnership is with God the Father and God the Son.   We shouldn’t miss the idea that John is inviting people to have the same kind of partnership with God as they have with humans.

   This is the great news of the Gospel!  Through his death on the cross and his resurrection, Christ  makes it possible for us to be reunited with our Heavenly Father so that we can live our everyday lives WITH him now and also spend eternity in the new heaven and earth he is preparing.  Christ has broken down the wall between us and God so we can live in peace with the God who made everything and who is present everywhere.  If you have not received this amazing gift, you can change that simply by returning to him as your God and King and humbly receiving the forgiveness he offers you in Christ.

   Once you have received this peace with God, you can begin living a “with God” life.  He is always everywhere we are.  It’s not about asking him to show up, but about learning to acknowledge his presence in all places and  at all times.  It’s about living with a conscious awareness of his presence. 

   This week, start each day by acknowledging to God that you know he will be with you everywhere you go today.  Then ask God to help you remember his presence throughout the day so that you can live in “partnership” with him.