I pray that you ... may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and longand high and deep is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17-19).
If you aren't sure about God's love for Us—or about God's love for you—you aren't alone.
(Note: This free online Bible study is adapted from the biblically-based book Who Do You Think You Are?.)
When counseling with people suffering from anxiety or depression, I often take them to one of my favorite passages in the Bible: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). I love this verse because it says why we can cast our anxiety on God—because he cares for us. Imagine that! God, the creator of everything that exists, actually cares for you and me!
Do you experience God's love for us? Or do you sometimes think you are all alone in the world? Or that God doesn't love you? If so, you are not alone. Multitudes of people today, Christians and non-Christians, have similar thoughts. This was also true when Paul was alive. Look at what he said when he prayed that the Ephesians would deeply know God's love.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:16-21).
The Ephesians did not fully grasp God's love for them. If this is true of you, too, prayerfully study the following Scriptures on God's love for you. As you read, ask God to help you believe and accept the wonders of his mighty love for us.
Accept God's love for us and the new life Jesus offers.
Jesus offers each of us a walk with God and a fullness of life that is not possible without him. As he said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35), and "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He also said, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Jesus' death, resurrection, and offer of eternal life is the greatest manifestation of God's love for you.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5).
If you have not been born again—that is, if you have not become a Christian—let me invite you to surrender yourself to him now, for "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). Give your life to God by accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Let me invite you to read the following as a prayer.
Dear Lord, I confess that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sins and accept me as your child. I invite you to be my Savior and the Lord of my life. I surrender myself to you in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord.Click here to learn more about salvation (or how to be "born again").
Meditate on Bible verses that illustrate God's love for you.
Make it a project to grasp how much God loves you. Read the following verses slowly and prayerfully, and ask God to make them real to you.
Write three of these verses on God's love for you on a piece of paper and carry it with you. Then read them from time to time, each time asking God to help you more fully understand his love for you.
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Psalm 36:5).
How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 36:7).
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love (Psalm 48:9).
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:8).
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15).
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:26).
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends John 15:13).
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (John 15:9).
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5).
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).
Pray this prayer about knowing God's love for you daily.
In addition to meditating on the above verses on God's love for you, print the following out or copy it on a piece of paper and read it as a prayer two or three times a day. (It is based on the prayer for the Ephesians about knowing God's love for us that you read at the beginning of this study.) Read this and other scriptures on God's love for you whenever you start to feel down.
I pray, Father, that out of your glorious riches you may strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within me, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. [Adapted from Ephesians 3:16-21]
Keep praying this prayer until you grasp the reality and the wonder of knowing that God truly loves you!
Respond to God's love for you.
The greatest sacrifice someone can make for another person is to die for him or her. Jesus did that for you and for all of us so that we could fully know God's love for us. Read this brief Bible study on becoming reconciled with God to better know God's love for you. There's nothing more strengthening than to bask in God's love.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
How to Find Inner Peace: 5 Timeless Thoughts
1. Simplify.
“The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that places harmony in one’s life.”Peace Pilgrim
Making thing simpler has certainly brought a lot of inner peace to my life. So, a few of my favorite suggestions on how to simplify your life:
Use a limited to-do list. Only 2 or 3 of the most important things.
Set limits. Set limits for daily checking of inboxes. I do it only once a day. Set time limits for small decisions and make them within seconds after you have thought about them to avoid procrastination and overthinking. Set time limits for tasks such as 15 minutes each day for answering emails or for using Twitter. Set a limit for commitments and say no to be able to feel less stress and produce better results.
Remember to “keep things extremely simple”. I have written down that sentence on my white board and it is a daily and constant reminder that helps me when I lose my way.
2. Accept.
“Acceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, bring you an inner peace and tranquility – instead of anger and resentment.”Unknown
When you accept what is you stop feeding energy into resisting what is. You don’t make a problem more powerful and sticky in your mind. Instead, somewhat counter intuitively, when you accept what is it loses much of its power. It just is.
And you feel stillness inside. Now, accepting what is doesn’t mean to give up. It just means that you put yourself in a better position take action if necessary. Because now you can see more clearly, you can focus your energy towards what you want and take the appropriate action to change your situation.
3. Forgive.
“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.”Gerald Jampolsky
By accepting what is it is much easier to let go of things and to forgive what has happened.
Forgiveness is important because as long as you don’t forgive someone you are linked to that person. Your thoughts will return to the person who wronged you and what s/he did over and over again. The emotional link between the two of you is so strong and inflicts much suffering in you and – as a result of your inner turmoil – most often in other people around you too.
When you forgive you do not only release the other person. You set yourself free too from all of that agony.
One thing to keep in mind is to not just forgive others but also yourself. By forgiving yourself – instead of resenting yourself for something you did a week or 10 years ago – you make the habit of forgiveness more and more of a natural part of you. And so forgiving others becomes easier too.
Also, what you think is a question of forgiving others you may sometimes – after some time and inner struggle – discover is just as much, if not more, about forgiving yourself rather than the other person.
4. Do what you enjoy.
“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you’ll have more success than you could possibly have imagined.”Roger Caras
When you do what you enjoy there is a natural peace that arises within. You are in alignment with your outer world. This also leads to a lot more success than if you have a lot of inner turmoil and really don’t care that much for your work.
One of my favorite tips for finding things you enjoy or love doing is simply to explore life. To be curious and try things out and see what you think of them. This can bring many insights both about yourself and about how things really are when you do them rather than when they are just theories floating around in your head.
If you have read my ebook The 7 Timeless Habits of Happiness then you know that there is a whole chapter in it about finding and doing what you love with exercises and tips for further reading. So if you haven’t checked out the book yet, go to this page for instructions on how to get you own free copy.
5. Be careful with your inner peace.
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”St. Francis de Sales
By using the tips above and by living in the present moment you can find a lot more inner peace. Not only during days when things go as planned. But also on days when your world is upset and things aren’t so easy. On such days your inner peace will be very useful to help you make good decisions and to get things done. So be smart, stay calm and be careful with your inner peace.
“The simplification of life is one of the steps to inner peace. A persistent simplification will create an inner and outer well-being that places harmony in one’s life.”Peace Pilgrim
Making thing simpler has certainly brought a lot of inner peace to my life. So, a few of my favorite suggestions on how to simplify your life:
Use a limited to-do list. Only 2 or 3 of the most important things.
Set limits. Set limits for daily checking of inboxes. I do it only once a day. Set time limits for small decisions and make them within seconds after you have thought about them to avoid procrastination and overthinking. Set time limits for tasks such as 15 minutes each day for answering emails or for using Twitter. Set a limit for commitments and say no to be able to feel less stress and produce better results.
Remember to “keep things extremely simple”. I have written down that sentence on my white board and it is a daily and constant reminder that helps me when I lose my way.
2. Accept.
“Acceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, bring you an inner peace and tranquility – instead of anger and resentment.”Unknown
When you accept what is you stop feeding energy into resisting what is. You don’t make a problem more powerful and sticky in your mind. Instead, somewhat counter intuitively, when you accept what is it loses much of its power. It just is.
And you feel stillness inside. Now, accepting what is doesn’t mean to give up. It just means that you put yourself in a better position take action if necessary. Because now you can see more clearly, you can focus your energy towards what you want and take the appropriate action to change your situation.
3. Forgive.
“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.”Gerald Jampolsky
By accepting what is it is much easier to let go of things and to forgive what has happened.
Forgiveness is important because as long as you don’t forgive someone you are linked to that person. Your thoughts will return to the person who wronged you and what s/he did over and over again. The emotional link between the two of you is so strong and inflicts much suffering in you and – as a result of your inner turmoil – most often in other people around you too.
When you forgive you do not only release the other person. You set yourself free too from all of that agony.
One thing to keep in mind is to not just forgive others but also yourself. By forgiving yourself – instead of resenting yourself for something you did a week or 10 years ago – you make the habit of forgiveness more and more of a natural part of you. And so forgiving others becomes easier too.
Also, what you think is a question of forgiving others you may sometimes – after some time and inner struggle – discover is just as much, if not more, about forgiving yourself rather than the other person.
4. Do what you enjoy.
“Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you’ll have more success than you could possibly have imagined.”Roger Caras
When you do what you enjoy there is a natural peace that arises within. You are in alignment with your outer world. This also leads to a lot more success than if you have a lot of inner turmoil and really don’t care that much for your work.
One of my favorite tips for finding things you enjoy or love doing is simply to explore life. To be curious and try things out and see what you think of them. This can bring many insights both about yourself and about how things really are when you do them rather than when they are just theories floating around in your head.
If you have read my ebook The 7 Timeless Habits of Happiness then you know that there is a whole chapter in it about finding and doing what you love with exercises and tips for further reading. So if you haven’t checked out the book yet, go to this page for instructions on how to get you own free copy.
5. Be careful with your inner peace.
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”St. Francis de Sales
By using the tips above and by living in the present moment you can find a lot more inner peace. Not only during days when things go as planned. But also on days when your world is upset and things aren’t so easy. On such days your inner peace will be very useful to help you make good decisions and to get things done. So be smart, stay calm and be careful with your inner peace.
But not with God…
On my way to work I started reflecting on a couple of minor inward struggles that I face, as we all have short-comings. I started to think, “If I were to tell people, how would they react?” Think about the things you say under your breath, our thoughts, our actions in private, our addiction’s, etc. I then begin to feel fearful because I know that some, not all, would judge, misinterpret, or ignore me. There is an underlining human fear that is married with letting people know our weakness or “sin(s).” Therefore, we, or in I this case, do not express to our brothers or sisters our struggle(s) out of fear. But, we do not have to have this fear with God. The beauty of God and what Jesus did for us is a miracle. When we come before the Father, we can open ourselves completely before Him and HE DOES NOT JUDGE. His love and forgiveness extends to the deepest part of our soul. Upon confiding in Him, He penetrates the heart with understanding and grace.
I find that the more open I am with God, even when I know that He knows everything, it is easy for me to deal with my load. Learning to leave my struggles, thoughts, words, etc, at the cross is a blessing, a humbling gift from Jesus. Of course its good to talk to someone you trust about whatever it is you need to. Luckily I have a great husband and wonderful family that are good listeners and help me out. If you know me, then you know that I am all about keeping it real. God, rudy and my family help me keep it real! LOVE IT!
Anyhow, this quick note is to express that we do not need to have humanly fears with God. He loves us so much that Jesus came to us in human form, as a slave; dying a criminal’s death. His humbleness and love is so great that He would wash the feet of His disciples. DUDE, you reading this? You get that? Jesus would wash the feet of His disciples. Look, he is the Son of God. He loves us to the point of simply serving us AND THEN…. Dying for us. THEN… he rose from the grave to break the ugly chains of sin and all that is coupled with it. So, today, I am living without humanly fear before God. I am going to open my heart and allow Him to do what He came here to do. And I will worship Him for He is good and worthy to be praised. AND… when I fear, I will say silently… But not with God! AMEN!
I find that the more open I am with God, even when I know that He knows everything, it is easy for me to deal with my load. Learning to leave my struggles, thoughts, words, etc, at the cross is a blessing, a humbling gift from Jesus. Of course its good to talk to someone you trust about whatever it is you need to. Luckily I have a great husband and wonderful family that are good listeners and help me out. If you know me, then you know that I am all about keeping it real. God, rudy and my family help me keep it real! LOVE IT!
Anyhow, this quick note is to express that we do not need to have humanly fears with God. He loves us so much that Jesus came to us in human form, as a slave; dying a criminal’s death. His humbleness and love is so great that He would wash the feet of His disciples. DUDE, you reading this? You get that? Jesus would wash the feet of His disciples. Look, he is the Son of God. He loves us to the point of simply serving us AND THEN…. Dying for us. THEN… he rose from the grave to break the ugly chains of sin and all that is coupled with it. So, today, I am living without humanly fear before God. I am going to open my heart and allow Him to do what He came here to do. And I will worship Him for He is good and worthy to be praised. AND… when I fear, I will say silently… But not with God! AMEN!
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