Title: *To what is God asking you to say yes?

 Life Question: *To what is God asking you to say yes? 
                         What sacrifice may be involved?

1. The very act of God becoming human in the person
of Jesus Christ was the amazing act of God saying yes
to humanity. And this act of God saying yes to us has
been understood and celebrated since the very earliest
church gathered.

2. By Saying “ yes ” to God, we are essentially
Saying that He is the most important thing in our lives,
and that all good things spring from that wonderful fact.
In the book of John, Jesus says : 34 ”I give you a
new commandment: love one another. Such as my love
has been for you, so must your love be for each other.
This is how all will know you for my disciples—
your love for one another.” We have a special challenge
each and every day to live with love.
Some days are easier than others.

3. There have been a few times in my Christian walk
when I know that others, and some of them very close
to me probably wanted to rebuke me and thought I’d
lost my mind. But when God the Holy Spirit speaks
to your heart and gives you a Divine purpose, a Mission,
a Vision and a Dream it’s always best to say “YES”
to His will. In the end, it is always the best!

4. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary says yes to angel Gabriel,
who asks her to bear God's son. And she
does so in perfect freedom. As do we—in our own lives.
Mary was that faithful follower, she said her “yes”
to God both in moments of joy and sorrow. God meets
us in myriad ways, through nature, through prayer,
especially through people “For Christ plays in the
ten thousand places, lovely in eyes and limbs not his,”
as the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote.
God invites us to join him, he invites us to follow him,
he invites us to create with him.

5. You have a plan for the rest of your life.
God has a plan for the rest of your life.
Are they the same? What if God’s plan for your life
is far bigger, far more risky, and far more fulfilling
than what you had planned?

6. Who did Jesus call as his disciples?
Plain, ordinary people like you and me.
God issues us all an invitation to a fuller life.
We first received the invitation at our Baptism,
but God’s plan for us doesn’t end there.

7. He calls upon us to use the precious gifts
he has given to us throughout our lives. Let me emphasize:
we don’t have to be perfect to say “yes” to God…and
He doesn’t expect us to be perfect after we say “yes”.
He loves us as we are…although it certainly becomes
more difficult to do bad things once we start dong
good things.

8. Mother Teresa could have lived a very rewarding
and relatively comfortable life in a Polish convent,
but God asked her to consider another path, which led
her to the “poorest of the poor” in India.
He didn’t command her to go there, but he asked and she
said yes.

9. Now, obviously, we aren’t all called to do to heroic things
like Mother Teresa, nor like many of the saints and
martyrs— but each and every one of us has our own
unique talents that God asks us to share.
God values all of these.

10. We know that God will ask things of us again
and again, just as we ask God for his help time and
time again. And by continually saying “yes” to God,
we can have the satisfaction that the Apostle Paul
felt near the end of his life, when he knew that he had
“fought the good fight, and run the good race”.
What a tremendous blessing that must be.

11. God will not ask anything of us that we are not capable of doing.
But how will he ask us? Probably not by letter, Fed-Ex,
telephone call or even e-mail. Not even via Twitter.
For some of the saints in the Bible he appeared as
a burning bush or as a voice out of a thundercloud,
but I wouldn’t count on that. He certainly has plenty
of other ways. It may be a gentle stirring of the soul,
a pang of conscience, or an unexplained feeling of elation.
God does ask us to do things—or not to do things—in subtle ways.

12. Then too, let’s not forget that prayer
is a two-way conversation…where we listen as much as we talk.
We ask many things of God, so we shouldn’t be
surprise if he asks many things of us.
If we listen carefully, we will discern what God is asking.

13. And when God does ask something of us,
what can we say? We have the right to say “no” because
He doesn’t make us slaves. We can say, “let me think
about it and get back to you” or we can say “too busy now,
perhaps when I retire” or “I’d rather serve you in some
other way” or any number of other answers.
But the answer most pleasing to God is most likely this one: “YES”.

-----------------------------
Peace and Love
Rev.Bola

Title: *A More Intimate Relationship With God*

Title: *BORN AGAIN*  Light_Orb43 - from set painted by Rev.Bola  *A More Intimate Relationship With God* 1. Our confusion begins with the word “intimate,”  which has become cheapened because of our culture’s  obsession with sex. The essence of an intimate  relationship, especially with Jesus, requires sharing.  2. What sets the Bible apart from other books is that  through it, God speaks to individuals. The Holy Spirit unfolds Scripture so it becomes a love letter written  specifically to you. The more you desire relationship with Jesus, the more personal that letter becomes.   3. When you are intimate with someone else, you trust them enough to share your secrets. As God, Jesus already knows everything about you anyway, but when you choose to tell him what’s hidden deep within you, it proves  you trust him.  4. You’ve probably been betrayed by other people,  and when that happened, maybe you swore you’d never  open up again. But Jesus loved you and trusted you first. He laid down his life for you. That sacrifice has earned him your trust.  5. Many of my secrets are sad, and maybe yours are too.  It hurts to bring them up again and give them to Jesus, but that is the path to intimacy. If I want the closest of relationships with Jesus,  I have to risk opening my heart. There’s no other way.  6. When I share myself in relationship with Jesus,  when I talk to him often and step out in faith,  he will reward me by giving me more of himself.  Stepping out takes courage, and it takes time.  Held back by our fears, we can move beyond them  only through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.  7. At first we may notice no difference in our connection with Jesus, but over weeks and months, Bible verses will take on new meaning for us. The bond will grow stronger. In small doses, life will make more sense. Gradually we will sense that Jesus is there, listening to our prayers,  answering through Scripture and promptings in our heart. A sureness will come upon us that something wonderful is happening.  8. John 16 talks about our communication with Jesus when it says "Until now you've not asked for anything in  my name. ask that your joy may be complete."  Much prayer, much joy. Little prayer, little joy. No prayer, no joy.  The more continual our communication with God, the deeper our intimacy with Him will be.  9. What kind of relationship do we have with the Lord? Is He a distant Deity or our closest friend?  In one way or another, everyone has an association  with Him, whether it’s acknowledged or not.  Even those who say they don’t believe in God are bound  to Him simply because He created them. Sadly,  the majority of people in this world have no idea  who their Creator is.  10. But when sin entered the human race, it rendered everyone spiritually dead and thereby alienated from God. Our spirits were no longer able to unite with the Lord in close communion. However, Jesus came to pay the penalty for sin with His death, and now all who trust Him as  their Savior are spiritually reborn. Their connection  with God has been reopened through Christ (Ephesians)  11. Yet God doesn’t want our interactions with Him to end at salvation; that’s where they begin.  If we communicate with Him only on a surface level, we cheat ourselves and hinder fulfillment of the  Lord’s ultimate goal for us—an intimate relationship with Him. Though this is His desire for each of His children, many believers, unfortunately,  do not live in the close fellowship that He’s made  available to them.  12. Believers can be saved and eternally secure  yet relationally distant from the Lord. Some Christians  show little interest in spiritual things and are unaware  of the shallowness of their interactions with God.  Others are confused and frustrated, wondering why they don’t hear His voice or feel His presence.  Even though they attend church, read their Bibles, and pray, He still seems to be far away and disconnected from them.  13. The first step in our quest for intimacy with  the Lord is getting to know Him—who He is, what He does,  how He thinks, and what He desires. Even though God is invisible and inaudible to our physical senses, a close relationship with Him is cultivated the same way human friendships are—through time spent together,  communication, vulnerability, and shared interests.  14. We will never achieve closeness with the Lord unless we invest time and effort in getting to know Him.  A neglected relationship simply won’t grow in richness or depth. Are you too busy to spend time each day with Him?  If that is the case, the immediate demands of your schedule are robbing you of an awesome eternal treasure— deep, satisfying communion with God.  15. The most obvious way to become better acquainted with the Lord is through two-way communication.  But our prayers are often monologues rather than dialogues.  We come to Him with our list of concerns, but how often  do we take time to listen for His response?  Although God delights in hearing our prayers,  He also wants us to be still and listen to Him.  16. Since He speaks to us primarily through His Word,  that’s where we will most likely hear His voice.  Try interacting with the Lord by praying as you  read Scripture.  Meditate on His words and ask Him questions:  “What are You saying to me? How does this apply to my life?”  Then be still and listen, giving Him time to speak  to your spirit. Just remember that whatever He says will never contradict His written Word. The more you listen,  the more you’ll hear His voice, and soon your time with Him will become your greatest delight.  17. Another important factor is our willingness to be open and honest, exposing every area of our lives to the Lord. No one can be forced into an intimate friendship with God.  In fact, the depth of this relationship is limited by  the extent of our transparency with Him. Although the natural response is to shrink from such vulnerability, we need to remember that He already knows us inside and out and loves us more than we can comprehend.  18. If we’re going to grow in oneness with God, we must learn to share His interests.  He is always attentive to our concerns, but do we really care about His desires and purposes?  Are you more interested in the Lord or in what He can give you? Self-focused prayers, neglect of His Word,  and overly busy schedules send an unspoken message to Him: “I’m not interested in You!” If your relationship with the Lord seems stagnant, maybe you have drifted into a  self-centered focus that is hindering your friendship with Him.  19. Sometimes as Christians we confuse knowing the Lord with knowing about Him. But no experience we have with  Him or fact we learn about Him should ever be a strictly  academic pursuit. Rather, such knowledge ought to  continually transform us, influence others, and prepare us for heaven.  20. No one can have an intimate relationship with God  and remain unchanged. A “Sunday Christian” lifestyle  will no longer satisfy. As we begin to understand who He is,  our love for Him grows and motivates us to radical obedience.  Our experiences with Him teach us that He is faithful and  can be trusted.  Recognition of the wisdom and goodness of His plans  prompts willing submission to His leadership.  And before long, time spent with Him becomes the best part of each day. Instead of watching the clock, we’ll want to  stay longer because His presence satisfies our souls as  nothing else can.  Peace and Love Rev.Bola