GETTING THE GIVE

Happy New Year... I wasn't writing this blog at this time last year, and in less than ten months I have so many, so many new friends.  

So here on this first day of the new year...I would like you to pay very close attention to the next few sentences because... Someone who really IS the smartest person in the world gave us a bit of simple advice about how to live life in such a way that life is truly worth living.  He is the originator of The Give. The concept He gave is the best marriage advice EVER. Best parenting advice. Best advice ever.

I call it "The Give" and in 2013 I pray that you will choose to make "Getting The Give" your NUMBER ONE PRIORITY in 2013.  What is "The Give"?  

"The Give" is caring more about what you can give to others than what others can give to you. "The Give" is getting a new kind of heart.....a heart like God's. It's a free gift. It's a new heart.  It's a way of living that is the way God created you to live.

But I'm not talking about volunteering more, or giving more money, or going on a missions trip to some needy country - though after you Get The Give you will be doing that because it is WHO you are and not just WHAT you do.  
 
Here is how you Get The Give:

1- Let God love you.   
Huh?  You have to GET this before you can GET THE GIVE.  
I don't mean accept His salvation, and then just be happy you aren't going to hell.  No, I mean what Paul said to Christians in Ephesians 3... that... they would have power from the Holy Spirit to KNOW the deep, wide, overwhelming LOVE of God. And that KNOWING this love.. far surpasses knowledge.  Too many church women KNOW the facts, know the verses, know the doctrine, but have never FELT His love.   God loves you. Yes you, reading this on your iPhone, reading this on the computer. YOU.  If you want to GET THE GIVE...then...tell God, "Let me understand and feel and know how MUCH You love me."  You cannot Get The Give unless you do this first.

2- Let God lead you.
Fear is the crippler of our lives. Sometimes we do things - and won't do things - out of fear.  We make plans and we refuse to change them... because we are afraid to. God's love casts away fear. Let God change your plans if He chooses to.  Following Jesus.. being His follower... requires... letting Him LEAD.  Yup.  You cannot be His follower - truly - if you refuse to let Him lead. Turn in to a TRUE follower this year.  Let Him LOVE you and then let Him LEAD you. 

3 - Believe.
The reason so few of us do not Get The Give is that we don't believe Jesus is being truthful when He teaches us that giving our lives away - FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD -  is the only way to keep it.  To take up our Cross, deny our own rights, and FOLLOW HIM.    But if you refuse to believe that... you will lose all the abundant life He promised.  So we cling to our rights, we cling to our plans, and we cling to our stuff... and it will weigh our hearts down. But when we open our hand and let it all go... and when we are willing to GIVE ... our very lives away.......that's when we GET the peace, rest, joy and contentment we crave. 

And in your marriage...Getting The Give means you focus less on what you aren't getting from your husband and more on what you can give.  This spills over in to every relationship.

And if you are afraid that you might be taken advantage of, remember #1 -  God loves you. And because God loves you, He will protect you. 
You cannot give too much.  God will be sure you are cared for.

I am going to close now... because.. Getting "The Give"  is such an IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON for all of us.. that I could write a book about it.
Oh wait,
Someone already wrote a Book about it.
We just need to reread it.

XOXO,
Mrs. Older

P.S. Tell me what you think.
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Thanks.