My goal for 2016 is to open my heart more. To love others extravagantly and without measure. To give grace abundantly and to open my life to my fellow brothers and sisters.
2 Corinthians 6:12-13 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.
It troubles me that we are not bound together in our everyday lives. We come together on Sunday and praise the Lord yet on Monday or Tues we don’t even talk. The body is hurting. And we are not even talking about it. It’s time to get real – and share our struggles. I’m not talking about a church function where we all out on our ‘religious faces.’ It’s the ordinary, everyday lives that we should share with each other. Let it begin with me Lord.
When did fellowship become an event?
When did a meal together become an event?
What happen to just sharing our lives?
I pray for humility this year. To stop the religious ‘busy-ness’ of events and just ‘be’ with other believers. To be spontaneous and have fun together. To be the family that laughs together and cries together and prays together.
Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Let me put others needs above my own this year Lord. Open my eyes to see where I can help my brothers or sisters. Let me see and fill their needs – whether it is time, money, food, prayers, or just sitting down long enough to listen – use me Lord to build up the Body of Christ, in Jesus Name.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
