Less of me and more of Thee…this is one hard prayer! It’s easy to pray it, but when the evidence that God heard the prayer starts kicking in…it becomes the hardest thing I have ever prayed. Why? Because praying for less of me is in essence praying for the stripping of SELF. And, quite frankly, though I want this stripping, this type of stripping is hard, very hard.
This stripping of selfishness seems to hit most in our relationships with other people. God created us for relationship, so it makes sense that he strips us and changes us the most while in the context of relationship. I think it would be easy to follow the way of LOVE if I was in a cave by myself with no people to deal with. In that place I could come up with great theory and live large in my head with thoughts and words of love….blah, blah, blah….
Getting real, I live in a world with people, and so do you. People who rub us the wrong way, hurt us, push every last button…you know what I’m talking about…real life, real relationships, real people. WE DO need a Real God and the power of His love. We also need some practical instruction.
Today’s Truth: Luke 6: 27-31
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others at you would have them do to you.”
Get real, there are people who don’t like us….even hate us. There are people who feel like foe not friend. What to do?
- Love them ( agapao them) God’s love through you to them
- Do good to them. This takes an action step
- Bless them. Speak kindly of them and to them.
- Pray for them. Speak to the Father about them and for them
- Give to them. Seeds of kindness.
Do to them, what you would wish would be done to you
Today’s Prayer
Father, I can not live in your lovee without YOU in me doing it. I ask you to teach me to live IN YOU, in such a way as to Lose myself in your love, your way, your life. I desire to follow you, paying attention to things like your words to the Disciples so many years ago. I hear you. Now, help me obey you. Obedience and following is the WILD part of this journey. I want to be THAT kind of wild!
******To follow the WILD study, you can get free downloads of the teachings of the Different Kind of Wild class, held at Cornerstone Fellowship on Wednesdays. www.cornerstoneweb.org, or on itunes. You can also get a Wild book, we are on chapter 5 this week! God is calling us to a Different Kind of Wild…Wildly Surrendered to Following Him! In the Livermore area? Join us at Cornerstone Fellowship. Women’s Connection has Bible study classes at the Livermore Campus 9:30 am and 7:00 pm every Wednesday.
