Receive God's Blessings

Happy Tuesday! If you are reading this I am sending love and kindness your way! Now let's have a wonderful day! 

Scripture of the day- 2 Samuel 7:28- Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

Quote of the day- It's not that any relationship is perfect, but that both people don't ever give up. 

Positive word of the day- retrieve- get or bring (something) back; regain possession of, recoup, recover

It's better conversations week!! 

Listen – While listening seems to be an obvious tool, it’s essential to a good discussion. If you tune out and don’t hear a question or another speaker’s story, you might be missing out. Of course, if you’ve listened to the story ten times before, be polite and allow others to hear it for the first time.

Active listening enhances the chance of a better conversation. Don't cut people off. Don't try to be right. Don't try to steal the show. But listen. Thoroughly listen. You may learn something or it may be a gateway for you to heal. 

To learn more, follow the links below. 

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/better-conversations-week-week-of-thanksgiving/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2012/11/09/10-steps-to-effective-listening/?sh=33f456d43891

Don't "Get"...Receive!

Adapted from the resource Love Out Loud - by Joyce Meyer

There are certain words in the Bible that I like to refer to as "power words," which simply means that they can be extremely powerful for us if we understand and incorporate them in our lives. One of those power words is receive. In our world, we’re accustomed to working for everything. We struggle to "get," but God wants us to simply "receive" from Him.

Throughout the Bible, we read about receiving from God. Some of the scriptures that teach us to receive are John 1:12; John 1:16; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:17; Acts 10:43; 2 Corinthians 6:1; Galatians 3:2, Colossians 2:6, Hebrews 4:16. Each of these verses specifies something we are to receive from the Lord, and then remind us how important it is for us to receive instead of trying to "get."

To getis "to obtain by struggle and effort", whereas to receive is "to become a receptacle and simply take in what is being offered".

This distinction between getting and receiving helps us understand why so many Christians struggle in their walk with the Lord. They’re trying to get everything from Him when they should simply be asking and receiving.

Today's scripture is one of my favorites on the subject of receiving. It sounds so simple—and that's the point—receiving is simple! Jesus came to deliver us from striving, not to invite us to struggle continu¬ously. When we cease our efforts to "get" and learn to ask and receive, then our joy will be truly full. Once we have freely received, then we can freely give.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You that I don’t have to work or strive to receive Your help or Your blessings. Please give me the grace I need to simply ask and freely receive, so I can freely give. In Jesus’ name, amen.