About That LIFE: Living LIFE to the Fullest... God's Way!

"The Domino Effect"I'm sure we are all familiar with stacking dominoes in various patterns just to later watch them all neatly fall down.  Just as you reach out to tip over the first domino to set off the chain reaction, such is LIFE. Our words and actions have powerful effects on others.  Every time you something to people to encourage or discourage them; or do something to serve or disserve them; you make an impact on their lives.  Then those people go on to impact others around them in similar ways.  God calls every follower of Jesus to give a "kingdom tip" to the domino in front of him or her.  Our words and actions cause a consequential and exponential impact on the lives of others around us.  Each person impacted because we intentionally touched just one.  Though we seldom see past the domino in front of us, we can trust God to take our seemingly inconsequential actions of obedience--spiritually prompted prayers, inspired words and individual encounters--to make a much wider impact over time than we could ever imagine. Matthew 9:37 reads, "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few".  Jesus didn't try to reach the masses all at once.  He always focused on the person directly in front of Him, performing single acts of service and changing one life at a time.  Neither should we waste our energy worrying about the second, eighth or twelfth domino down the line. All we need to focus on is tipping whatever ONE domino God has placed in front you.  It's not necessary to wait until all the dominos are lined up and all questions answered before touching the person in front of us.  Every heart has multiple entry points. Jesus didn't live by a formula. He saw a need, engaged a person's heart and compassionately reached out toward each situation differently.  Do not allow fear and self-consciousness to rob you of blessings others and being blessed yourself.  We must first get over ourselves, engage our hearts and LOVE will show us what to do.  And the domino effect of allowing God to love through you will change not just one life, but countless others.THIS WEEK'S CHARGE:  Love the person in front of you, as God leads.Inspired by the book, "You Are God's Plan A", by Dwight Robinson

"Be Filled"Romans 8:26-28 The Message.  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. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.Before Jesus was crucified He promised that God would send "another counselor" in His place who would refresh, empower, Lead and keep us connected to him.  The Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in our hearts and remind us that we've been adopted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit also keeps us in line with the will of God.  We can't fulfill God's dream without being filled with the love and power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul states in Ephesians 5:18 we are to be filled with the spirit.  The verb tense means to 'keep on being filled' suggesting a strong ongoing relationship with continuous conversation. As we commune with God our hearts overflow with His traits of kindness, forgiveness, love and wisdom so much so that we share them with others.  When we conform to the image of God it results in a vital , soul-satisfying, stimulating relationship with Jesus.  The Holy Spirit ensures us of God's love, giving us real hope and helps us in times of difficulty and confusion.  We can always have confidence that the Spirit of God knows and is praying to the Father on our behalf.  God's dream for us is introduced by the Spirit of God and confirmedou by the Word and people of God.  The dynamic interaction of these three gives us hope, heart and a handle on God's dream for us.  They inspire, correct and propel us to persevere during hard times.  Being filled with the Spirit is understanding the entire scope of God's will and ways. Our relationship with the Spirit is a process that is a beautiful blend of HIS activity and OUR obedience.  Learn to listen to His whisper, absorb the truth of His Word and make the fruits of the Spirit the building blocks of our daily lives--only then are we able to truly LIVE THE DREAM!THIS WEEK'S CHARGE:  Empty yourself completely to make room for Holy Spirit to fill you completely."Dreaming In 3D", by Doug Clay