February 14th is
Valentine's Day. It's a great time to think about relationships,
especially the relationship that you (hopefully) have with the One who
loved you so much that He sent you His only Son.
"Because of this, the love of God is a reality among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we could find true life through Him. This is the embodiment of true love: not that we have loved God first, but that He loved us and sent His unique Son on a special mission to become an atoning sacrifice for our sins." --1 John 4:9-10
There is so much emphasis on the health of the earthly, human relationships we value here on Earth; but what about the relationship you have with the Savior? There are plenty of books out there with advice about strengthening your relationships. What if we took their advice and applied it to the BEST relationship you can have, the one that is ever-lasting?
CREATING A HEALTHIER RELATIONSHIP
1. Constantly praise and
appreciate your partner. Imagine how much God would enjoy hearing praise and appreciation from us. "I will praise You, God, with my whole heart." (Psalm 9:1)
2. Don’t try to change your
partner. Don't try to change God to make Him into what you think He should be; instead, let Him change You into the person He wants you to be!
3. Ask rather than demand. God is not a "cosmic vending machine." Our attitude in talking with God needs to be one of respect and one where you don't necessarily know what the result will be (but one you will accept, regardless).
4. Relive the happy moments of
your relationship. Do you remember those "high points" of your walk with God? Not only when you first made those "wedding vows" of commitment to God, but those special moments where you felt His love and realized He was close to you? Think about those times and thank Him for them. If you don't feel close to God, who moved?
5. Connect on a regular basis: How frequently do you take some time out of the day to communicate with God? Some folks have a "quiet time" set aside each day to not only talk with God, but to listen. Reading the Bible and prayer are good ways to keep the lines of communication open.
6. Don’t become complacent: The Christian walk/life is not one where you simply "coast" along, taking God's love for granted. Look forward to those one-on-one moments with Him. Strengthen your commitment and seek to grow closer to one another.
7. The little things really
matter: Don't just come to God when you are in "crisis mode." Involve Him with even the seemingly insignificant details. If God cares about birds and flowers, He certainly cares about you. (Matthew 6:26)
MAKE EVERY DAY A VALENTINE'S DAY!
dm