I’m prone to foot-in-mouth-disease. In other words, I often end up putting my foot in my mouth. We’ve all said or done things that we wished we hadn’t. The questions is how to deal with it?
Welcome to “Mornings with Bishop Robert” — thanks for joining me … You’re always welcome here. My goal is to introduce people to the Jesus they never knew, and help them get to know Him and His word personally – and better ! If our time together today speaks to your heart, then let me invite you to like, subscribe and share it with a friend!
Today’s verse says FORGIVE AND YOU WILL BE FORGIVEN
This devotional is a lesson in forgiveness, and I’m the lead illustration. I’m one who can easily allow a relationship to get into a rut, and forget to invest the time and effort to keep things vibrant. It’s far too easy to just “go with the flow” – except that the flow doesn’t always bring you closer together. What holds true in our relationship with spouses and friends is also true of our relationship with God.
So how can someone keep their relationships filled with life? Here’s two quick lessons that can have a BIG impact.
LESSON ONE:
We all tend to put people (AND God) in convenient boxes. Some of them may come from our childhood, others from societal expectation, or any number of places. Part of the boxes may be good, other parts less so. Either way, these boxes can become habitual, they can rob us of relational joy. Letting ANY relationship fall into a rut of similar expectation can ruin it. Relationships are intended to be shared experiences of discovery. I know couples, for example, that have been married for over fifty years; and they kept their relationship vibrant.
So, too, with God. Perhaps you’ve allowed your relationship with Him to grow a bit stale. Possibly you’ve let the habit of church become rote. Liturgy is neither alive nor dead; liturgy is expressed and experienced by people who are in relationships with The Almighty that are either alive or dead, vibrant or stale. It is a wise person who asks themselves “Is my faith in Christ as vibrant and strong as it should be?” If not, then it is a wiser person still who asks God and people who’s walk of faith IS vibrant and strong how to get from where they are to where they ought to be.
Let God out of the box you’ve placed Him in, and He’ll impact your life, your relationships, and your spirit in ways you could never imagine. And He can lead you in actions and adjustments that will bring new life to all sorts of relationships.
LESSON TWO:
We all fall short. We all miss the mark as we walk out our lives. We offend and we fail. And when we do, we ought to apologise and ask forgiveness. While that may or may not restore an earthly relationship; your Heavenly Father is always ready to forgive those who are truly repentant. He models what He calls us to. He is always willing to forgive us when we come to Him, admit our failures and ask for His grace as we seek to walk in accordance with HIs will and His word.
Actually, these two lessons are intertwined. Letting God out of His box and into your life will reveal areas which require repentance and change.
God is waiting for you to open the door of your life to Him and enter into a new and vibrant stage of your relationship.
He’s knocking. Will you open your heart to Him and invite Him in?
