My Favorite part 4
An attitude of gratitude. A lifestyle of praise and worship. And prayer. Praying without ceasing. Communing with God. Hearing the Word of God--which is Jesus, which is love--and speaking that Word. Receiving and releasing the gift you've been given. Understanding that is IS a gift, and not something that can be earned. If you're trying to earn something that can't be earned, something that you've already been given in fact, then what you're really doing is robbing yourself from being able to experience and enjoy it. And, believe it or not, that's what life is all about. Its about enjoying the gift you've been given. By giving it away. By sharing it. Receiving and releasing the love of God. Receiving it by releasing it. Releasing it by receiving it. And that's not something we have to try to do. That's something that happens naturally. When you know and believe that the love of God is inside you--when you fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with--that when it comes out. With every move you make and every breath you take. That's when, and how, you can pray without ceasing. Its not about ignoring people so you can "spend more time with God." And, listen, I'm not saying there aren't times when you probably should get away by yourself. Jesus did it all the time. I'm simply saying, connecting with people IS connecting with God. Because God lives in people. He lives in us. When we connect with each other we are connecting with Him. Whatever we do unto the least of them we do unto Him, right? I think God would be offended if someone needed our help and we told them, "Sorry, I'm too busy praying." We think big long prayers will get God to move. But guys... He already moved! 2,000 years ago on an old rugged cross He did everything that needed to be done. He gave us everything we would ever need by giving us Himself. His Son. His Spirit. So that we might know what He's saying. So that we CAN listen to that still, small voice. Prayer is every bit as much about listening as it is about speaking. Look at Romans 8:26 in the Message Bible, "Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans." See, everything God requires from us, He first provides for us. Even prayer. When we don't know what to say, He does. And He only says one thing: I love you. That's the Word of God. That's Jesus--God in the flesh, love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So when God is doing the praying (for us and as us) then its easy to pray without ceasing. We don't even have to do anything. Just rest in His loving arms and let Him do what He's going to do in us, and as us, and through us. Its easy to be grateful when we know what God has done. He did it all so we could get it all. And now we have it all. Now we can GIVE it all. We are loved. That means we are love. And that means we CAN love. Everybody. All the time. No matter what. And that's kind of the best. That's my favorite.