You CAN love your wife deeply, even during the times that you don't "feel" love. True Love is not a feeling. True Love is a verb. Love involves the things that you think, say, and do. It has properly been said, "Proper emotions follow proper actions."
Many of our problems in this life happen because events and ... happen according what we told ... to do. The problem is often that we don't know what we told .. to do.
This life is set up to operate by specific guidelines and proceedures (often called laws). When we violate those laws, then we cause problems both to ourselves and to others.For example, some of the principles of life are:
How can I know that I'm saved? How can I know that I will not go to hell? How can I know that my sins will be forgiven? Will God send me the hell? And
These were all fear based questions. These are all assume an angry god who is out to get sinners.
I was listening to the radio and, as part of his sermon, i heard this today:
"When I say I love you, my commitment to you is, "I will not get upset or irritated (not even a little bit) by anything that you do or say."
You can't control your initial emotions.
It begins with self talk, "It's OK, It's OK, It won't matter, I won't remember this next year."
Dee Duke, Jefferson Baptist"
In traditional experience much emphasis has been place on getting people to believe "correct doctrine". In other words, the church leaders, both from the past and the present, have determined and written what they believe to be the "right set of beliefs" to "get you to heaven, etc." That whole premise is based upon the idea that everyone has a wrong set of beliefs and need to be sold a "correct" set of beliefs. It puts the church members and leaders in an uneven relationship with the "unbelievers" or the "unsaved".
In Ancient times very few people could read or write. To share information people could talk to others one by one. While that is often the best way, it takes a long time to tell anyone about the news or message. The other way to share information or messages more quickly was to get everyone together and have a speaker get up in front and tell everyone what needed to be told. That was the best method during that time in history. But, since the advent of the printing press, then later newspapers, radio, television, and now the Internet, the methods of sharing information has exploded.
The longest journey begins with one tiny step. Can you take one tiny step?
In examining my life I see many changes that I'd like to make, but haven't, for whatever reason. Here, at last, is an idea that gives me some hope. Make each change tiny and easy. Watch the 17 minute video and see what you think.
“God told me to move my family to Saudi Arabia.”
Alex stared at his friend, wondering if he was just joking or had gone mad. Alex had known Tom for more than 10 years. He’d been best man at Tom’s wedding, and godfather to Tom’s and Alicia’s twin girls. Alex knew that Tom and Alicia were as suited for missionary life in Saudi Arabia as toads are for an omelet.
“That’s, well, a pretty big decision, Tom. How do you know it’s really God’s will for you?”
Ask not how you can serve God. Rather, learn how to live life, how to serve mankind, how to work in such a way as to bless those around you.
"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." 1 John 4:20
Spending time with Jesus
A Relationship with Jesus
Well, we are told that the (the people in) the church are the body of Christ. We are also told that we can't love God if we don't love people (1 john) When we want a relationship with... the Lord, we do it by developing a relationship with the people in the body.
Victor Frankl, his relationshiop with his wife.
I presume that you can convince yourself of anything, if you tell yourself over and over again.
How often have you heard someone say (or have you said it yourself)? "Well, umm, I know that I should be reading my Bible every day. I really want to, really I do! Really, I mean it." There is the guilt plainly laid out. However, feeling guilty about not reading the Bible doesn't make that person actually read the Bible.
Deep calls to deep. By going deep we are not referring to knowledge. Rather, we are talking about going deeper in our relationshipw with one another. Developing deeper relationships with other men. "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." It is only as we learn to openly and confidently bare our souls and open our lives fully to our brothers that we can learn to go deeper.
