August 21: MAKE CONTACT!

 

 

“Then He turned to the host. ‘The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be – and experience – a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned – oh, how it will be returned! – at the resurrection of God’s people.'” (Luke 14:12-14 – The Message)

 

1. Today I will live in the now! I will live in the now because the love of God in me is enlarging my heart to such a size that it is having to break out (and break free) of the little fortress of selfish interests that I have built around it in a vain attempt to protect it from harm. My enlarged heart will reach out to make contact with someone, even if it is risky . . . even if it is dangerous . . . because there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear!

2.  Today I will love the unlovable and touch the untouchable. The Christ in me will flow like a river of reconciliation to those who have been rejected and refused. I will gladly fill the role of a good Samaritan when the opportunity presents itself and, in so doing, the Kingdom will come and the will of the Father will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

3. Today I will not be overly and unnecessarily concerned with protecting my reputation when it comes to reaching out to someone who really needs my help. I will lay down my life for them, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

4.  Today I will make time for people and will show a genuine interest in what is happening in their lives. I will show respect for others and make the people around me feel important and special — by making eye contact when we speak; by a firm handshake; by listening and reacting appropriately; by calling people by their names; by displaying good manners; by being thoughtful and considerate; by being helpful and generous; by showing them the real Jesus.

5. Today I will pray for someone else’s needs, taking them as seriously as I would take my own.

6. Today I will communicate to others on their level – relating to them in a real way. I will not be insensitive or judgmental, accepting people as they are and ushering them to the mercy seat of the Christ Who loves them unconditionally.

7. Today I will be kind to strangers, knowing that I may be unwittingly entertaining angels (Hebrews 13:2), and today I will live in the now!

 

Father, help me to make the right contacts today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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March 4: LOVE YOURSELF!

“Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others AS WELL AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” (Matthew 22:37-40 – The Message)”. . . he who loves his wife LOVES HIMSELF. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.” (Ephesians 5:28, 29)  1. Today I will live in the now! I will live in the now, because the power of God’s unconditional love allows and enables me to live my life in the present. Because I am accepted in the Beloved, I can give myself permission to love myself as I am now, knowing that I am improving by continually being conformed to His image. 2. Today I will love myself without being conceited, arrogant, puffed up with pride, or condescending. I will not feel inferior to anyone else, nor will I feel superior to anyone else, but will be balanced and mature in the way that I relate to everyone around me. 3. Today I will love myself, and still maintain a mindset of servitude and humility. I will selflessly consider the needs of others by taking up my cross to follow Jesus. 4. Today I will forgive myself for the ways in which I have disappointed myself. I will stop being angry with myself, and punishing myself for my mistakes, having the same patience with myself that God has with me. 5. Today I will speak well of myself, building a healthy self-esteem with verbal building blocks. I will not sin against my own potential by speaking self-destructive words, but will say about my life what God says about it, because I am in agreement with His word. 6. Today I will be good and kind to myself. I will not feel guilty for doing something nice just for me, with no obligation to any bogus, religious ideas of my own unworthiness. 7. Today I will walk in the God kind of love with the people in my life, and will be a blessing to them. They will see Jesus in me today, and today I will live in the now!

Father, give me the courage to love myself today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

February 19: HELP SOMEBODY!

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'” (Matthew 25:40) 1. Today I will live in the now! I will live in the now because of my God-given ability to move beyond the limits of my selfishness, into the universe of usefulness. I will make my life count today by being a blessing . . . translating what I believe into what I do . . . making a positive difference in the surrounding environment.2. Today I will make a genuine effort to bring Kingdom solutions to the people in the world around me, using my covenant prosperity to be a blessing to mankind. I am a giver . . . a contributor . . . a benefactor . . . a participator in the pursuit of purpose . . . an opener of doors and a builder of bridges. 3. Today I will invest in my future as I sow into relationships that will prove to be part of my destiny. I will lend a helping hand, knowing that I may need help later. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10). 4. Today I will look beyond the faults of those who need my help, and will supply their need, to the best of my ability, with a spirit of non-judgmental, unconditional love. I will help someone, just because it is the right thing to do. 5. Today my mind will be full of ideas of how to help, and my creativity will give birth to those ideas. I will be a light in the darkness . . . a healer . . . a world changer. 6. Today I will really listen to God, and to the people who need my help. I will follow His leading in how to meet needs, and I will hear with spiritual ears the cries of the hearts of those that He has placed around me. The field is the world, and I will be a laborer in the harvest. 7. Today I will not be overwhelmed by the demands of those who need my help, because the Spirit – the Paraclete – the Helper – will be with me today to help me as I help others. By His grace I will do what I can, but I will also rest in Him, and cast my care on Him, because the government is on His shoulder. Today I will help to make the world a better place in which to live, and today I will live in the now!

Father, show me how to be there today for someone who really needs my help – help me to be helpful. In Jesus’ name, amen.