" Found this while surfing the web and wanted to share it with you hope you like it, if so pass it on to someone else you feel it may help or make feel good, may all you trouble leave you as we start a NEW YEAR...Read Below>>>
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
The key to every successful relationship is the giving of ourselves. This is especially true in covenant relationships such as our relationship with God and with our spouse. John 3:16
Describes how God demonstrated His love toward us by giving of His Son sacrificially. He did all of this to restore and establish a relationship with us.
I sat with a man once whose wife had left him. This man was extremely wealthy. He and his wife had everything—and I mean everything! He was deeply grieving over the fact that his wife had moved out and was talking about divorcing him.
As I talked with him about what he needed to do, he kept mentioning in the conversation the things he intended to buy for her if she would come back to him. Over and over I kept stressing to him that it wasn't the lack of things that caused his wife to leave it was the lack of him.
He was a driven, workaholic man who was away from home constantly and distracted when he was at home. I had already spoken with his wife before I talked with him. She told me she was fed up with taking second place to everything else in his life. He, on the other hand, couldn't understand why she was unhappy. As he said to me, "I have given her everything any woman could every want." Everything, that is, except himself...(think about this could this be you?)
Just a few days ago I consoled another man whose children had accused him of never being there for them. He literally wept as he talked to me about it. According to him, he had always worked hard to be at home and he regularly attended his children's sporting events and other activities.
As I talked to him, it was obvious that he was a very caring father. It was also obvious that he confused his physical presence with his emotional investment. You see, it doesn't matter how present you are if you're closed off and emotionally stoic. Undemonstrated love is the same as no love at all. Even though we may say to ourselves.
"If they only knew how much I love them..." they are saying, "Why don't they ever tell me they love me."
I'm thankful that God didn't send gifts on the first Christmas. I'm glad He sent Jesus. Even today, God is totally committed to the relationship with us and sacrificially gives of Himself. Of course, God also blesses us in physical, material and monetary ways. These things are really important. However, God doesn't give in that manner as a replacement for His personal investment to us, He does it as an extension of His relationship with us and love for us.
At this time of the year when commercialism runs rampant, we must understand that our love or happiness can't be bought or sold with material things. The essence of our lives is found in relationships and they thrive on personal investment. Even though we give presents to each other at this time of the year let's remind ourselves that these aren't replacements for us they are representations of us.
Bonding or Friendships are the deepest human relationship on earth and it mirrors our relationship with God. (Ephesians 5) As God demonstrated His love by giving of Himself we must do the same.
Have you invested of yourself in your spouse, family or friends lately?
Have you become lazy or taken them for granted?
Do you try to use things too much to show your love?
Do you outwardly demonstrate the love you feel inwardly?
Be like God. Show your love by giving of yourself, the greatest gift of all that you can give anyone your care and love for them.
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE......MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
The key to every successful relationship is the giving of ourselves. This is especially true in covenant relationships such as our relationship with God and with our spouse. John 3:16
Describes how God demonstrated His love toward us by giving of His Son sacrificially. He did all of this to restore and establish a relationship with us.
I sat with a man once whose wife had left him. This man was extremely wealthy. He and his wife had everything—and I mean everything! He was deeply grieving over the fact that his wife had moved out and was talking about divorcing him.
As I talked with him about what he needed to do, he kept mentioning in the conversation the things he intended to buy for her if she would come back to him. Over and over I kept stressing to him that it wasn't the lack of things that caused his wife to leave it was the lack of him.
He was a driven, workaholic man who was away from home constantly and distracted when he was at home. I had already spoken with his wife before I talked with him. She told me she was fed up with taking second place to everything else in his life. He, on the other hand, couldn't understand why she was unhappy. As he said to me, "I have given her everything any woman could every want." Everything, that is, except himself...(think about this could this be you?)
Just a few days ago I consoled another man whose children had accused him of never being there for them. He literally wept as he talked to me about it. According to him, he had always worked hard to be at home and he regularly attended his children's sporting events and other activities.
As I talked to him, it was obvious that he was a very caring father. It was also obvious that he confused his physical presence with his emotional investment. You see, it doesn't matter how present you are if you're closed off and emotionally stoic. Undemonstrated love is the same as no love at all. Even though we may say to ourselves.
"If they only knew how much I love them..." they are saying, "Why don't they ever tell me they love me."
I'm thankful that God didn't send gifts on the first Christmas. I'm glad He sent Jesus. Even today, God is totally committed to the relationship with us and sacrificially gives of Himself. Of course, God also blesses us in physical, material and monetary ways. These things are really important. However, God doesn't give in that manner as a replacement for His personal investment to us, He does it as an extension of His relationship with us and love for us.
At this time of the year when commercialism runs rampant, we must understand that our love or happiness can't be bought or sold with material things. The essence of our lives is found in relationships and they thrive on personal investment. Even though we give presents to each other at this time of the year let's remind ourselves that these aren't replacements for us they are representations of us.
Bonding or Friendships are the deepest human relationship on earth and it mirrors our relationship with God. (Ephesians 5) As God demonstrated His love by giving of Himself we must do the same.
Have you invested of yourself in your spouse, family or friends lately?
Have you become lazy or taken them for granted?
Do you try to use things too much to show your love?
Do you outwardly demonstrate the love you feel inwardly?
Be like God. Show your love by giving of yourself, the greatest gift of all that you can give anyone your care and love for them.
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE......MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
