Wow! It's been a long time since I have written and I have missed it so. Life sometimes throws us a curveball and that is certainly what happened to us this year. As most of you know, my husband hurt his back in January and was out of work until just last month. Thank God, he is back at work full time now and doing well.
I wanted to share something that God has laid on my heart this week with you guys. Earlier today, I was looking for a verse for our family to memorize this week and came across Romans 12:10. The verse reads, "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." What a message!
The word genuine really caught my attention. I began to ask myself if I show my family genuine affection as often as I should. The word genuine means "sincerely and honestly felt."
Of course, I love my family more than I could ever put into words. They are my everything. However, I often get caught up in day to day life and fail to take delight in honoring them.
I believe that God longs for us to love each other in the same that Jesus loves us. He wants us to love each other unconditionally and genuinely. He wants us to delight in each other the way that He delights in us.
Proverbs 37:23-24 "If the LORD delights in a man's way,he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand."
This verse tells us that God's desire is to see us walk in favor with Him. Because He delights in His children, He has promised goodness and mercy.
What are some ways that you can show your family and loved ones genuine affection?
* Make them a priority. Let them know that they matter and come before other things in your life such as your job or hobbies.
* Tell them you love them and show that love with your actions.
* Spend quality time doing things that THEY enjoy.
* Pray that God will give you a servant's heart when it comes to your family and allow you to love them in a way that is reflective of Jesus' love for you.
I know that I am going to spend time this week meditating on this verse and asking God to remind me daily to genuinely love my family and take delight in honoring them. Take some time to write this verse down where your entire family can see it and claim it over your household. God will do amazing things when we pray scripture over our families and our lives.
Words of Worth:
"If the LORD delights in a man's way,he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand." Proverbs 37:23-24
"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10
Some Things to Think About:
What does genuine affection mean to you?
What are some practical ways that you can honor your family?
When was the last time you actually took delight in honoring someone that you love?
Have a great week!
Blessings,
Andi McNair
mcnairandrea@aol.com
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
People-Pleaser or God-Pleaser
People-Pleaser or God-Pleaser
Pleasing others…I don’t know about you, but for me, pleasing others is a huge part of my life. I like knowing that I have been pleasing to my parents, my friends, my family, and co-workers. We all enjoy a little pat on the back now and then and love to hear the words, “job well done.”
However, sometimes, I feel that my longing to please others can be a downfall. I focus so much on pleasing others that I begin to lack in other areas of importance. It wasn’t long ago that I felt God reminding me that my ultimate goal here on earth should not be to please others to please Him.
I was gently reminded that while God wants us to be pleasing to others to a point, He does not want that to overshadow our desire to please Him. If pleasing others is taking time from your family, causing stress and tension, or giving you an excuse to remain “too busy” for God, it may be time to reexamine your priorities.
I want to suggest to you that rather than being “people-pleasers”, we should be “God-pleasers.” Instead of struggling day after day to make others happy, we should be joyfully serving the very God that gave us the lives that we have.
Many of us don’t know how we can make God happy. We wonder what in the world we can do to bring joy to our Father in Heaven.
Deuteronomy 30:10 says, “The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey His voice and keep the commands and laws written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.”
God longs for us to be obedient to Him and His word. Giving Him our heart and soul and allowing Him to reign in our lives, brings Him joy. And ultimately, bringing Him joy, is the only way that we can have true joy.
Proverbs also lists several ways that we can bring our King joy.
”The Lord…delights in honesty.” Proverbs 11:1 ~ God wants us to be honest with ourselves, others, and honest with Him. He knows our hearts and there is nothing that we can hide from Him. Honesty with God allows our relationship with Him to grow and without that honesty, God cannot move in our lives.
“The Lord…delights in those who have integrity.” Proverbs 11:20 ~ People with integrity do the right thing no matter what the circumstances might be. God wants us to make choices based on His word and His instructions. He does not want us to base our choices on what the world says or what the world offers.
“The Lord…delights in the prayers of the upright.” Proverbs 15:8 ~ God loves to hear from us just as we love to hear from our children. He longs to have His children come before Him for advice, wisdom, comfort, and love. He waits with open arms for us to submit our cares to Him and promises to not only listen, but bring a peace that we cannot receive from anywhere else.
And finally,
“The Lord…delights in pure words.” Proverbs 15:26 ~ The Lord delights when His children speak according to His word. When we are kind, encouraging, and loving to others, we are allowing God to work through us. We are allowing God to use us in a mighty way and in doing that, we are pleasing our Father.
Pleasing God instead of others. Try to make that your goal for this week and you will be amazed at how much easier it is and how much more joy it will bring. And the amazing thing is that from pleasing God and bringing Him joy, will come the amazing ability to bring joy to the people around you.
Ask God today to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him what you can do to please Him today. Be obedient to His word and let honesty, integrity, prayer, and kindness be your desire. Give Him your heart and soul and watch as He transforms your desire to be a people pleaser into a desire to be a GOD PLEASER!!!
Have a wonderful week!!
Some Things to Think About:
Are you a people pleaser?
What have you done lately to please God?
Do you have a desire to please others more than your desire to please God?
Words of Worth:
“The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey His voice and keep the commands and laws written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.” Deuteronomy 30:10
“The Lord delights in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4
“Give me happiness, O Lord, for my life depends on YOU.” Psalm 86:4
Pleasing others…I don’t know about you, but for me, pleasing others is a huge part of my life. I like knowing that I have been pleasing to my parents, my friends, my family, and co-workers. We all enjoy a little pat on the back now and then and love to hear the words, “job well done.”
However, sometimes, I feel that my longing to please others can be a downfall. I focus so much on pleasing others that I begin to lack in other areas of importance. It wasn’t long ago that I felt God reminding me that my ultimate goal here on earth should not be to please others to please Him.
I was gently reminded that while God wants us to be pleasing to others to a point, He does not want that to overshadow our desire to please Him. If pleasing others is taking time from your family, causing stress and tension, or giving you an excuse to remain “too busy” for God, it may be time to reexamine your priorities.
I want to suggest to you that rather than being “people-pleasers”, we should be “God-pleasers.” Instead of struggling day after day to make others happy, we should be joyfully serving the very God that gave us the lives that we have.
Many of us don’t know how we can make God happy. We wonder what in the world we can do to bring joy to our Father in Heaven.
Deuteronomy 30:10 says, “The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey His voice and keep the commands and laws written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.”
God longs for us to be obedient to Him and His word. Giving Him our heart and soul and allowing Him to reign in our lives, brings Him joy. And ultimately, bringing Him joy, is the only way that we can have true joy.
Proverbs also lists several ways that we can bring our King joy.
”The Lord…delights in honesty.” Proverbs 11:1 ~ God wants us to be honest with ourselves, others, and honest with Him. He knows our hearts and there is nothing that we can hide from Him. Honesty with God allows our relationship with Him to grow and without that honesty, God cannot move in our lives.
“The Lord…delights in those who have integrity.” Proverbs 11:20 ~ People with integrity do the right thing no matter what the circumstances might be. God wants us to make choices based on His word and His instructions. He does not want us to base our choices on what the world says or what the world offers.
“The Lord…delights in the prayers of the upright.” Proverbs 15:8 ~ God loves to hear from us just as we love to hear from our children. He longs to have His children come before Him for advice, wisdom, comfort, and love. He waits with open arms for us to submit our cares to Him and promises to not only listen, but bring a peace that we cannot receive from anywhere else.
And finally,
“The Lord…delights in pure words.” Proverbs 15:26 ~ The Lord delights when His children speak according to His word. When we are kind, encouraging, and loving to others, we are allowing God to work through us. We are allowing God to use us in a mighty way and in doing that, we are pleasing our Father.
Pleasing God instead of others. Try to make that your goal for this week and you will be amazed at how much easier it is and how much more joy it will bring. And the amazing thing is that from pleasing God and bringing Him joy, will come the amazing ability to bring joy to the people around you.
Ask God today to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him what you can do to please Him today. Be obedient to His word and let honesty, integrity, prayer, and kindness be your desire. Give Him your heart and soul and watch as He transforms your desire to be a people pleaser into a desire to be a GOD PLEASER!!!
Have a wonderful week!!
Some Things to Think About:
Are you a people pleaser?
What have you done lately to please God?
Do you have a desire to please others more than your desire to please God?
Words of Worth:
“The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey His voice and keep the commands and laws written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.” Deuteronomy 30:10
“The Lord delights in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4
“Give me happiness, O Lord, for my life depends on YOU.” Psalm 86:4
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