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| The DISCIPLINE of appreciation, the cure for lost passion? |
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Lost your fire and passion for God? Do your devotional times seem dry and empty, lacking any real depth? Not motivated to even have devotions or spend time alone with God? You’ve lost APPRECIATION for God!! And likewise, for all that he’s done for you!! (Think about that!)
When I forget, my mind easily becomes occupied with thoughts of myself and how things affect me, or how I feel. This is a self-centered perspective, and one that makes appreciation very difficult. We can get caught in a self-perpetuating cycle! Lack of appreciation leads to selfishness, which leads to greater lack of appreciation, which leads to deeper selfishness...
Appreciation takes discipline! Appreciation takes effort! Break out of the cycle of selfishness! We humans have such a tendency to allow the focus of our thinking to rest on ourselves. Selfishness is a gravitational force with us, while the Holy Spirit is a supernatural anti-gravity. Yet we still need to make a conscious effort to live by the Spirit!! (Gal. 5:16)
I had a hard day Saturday, however everything started to turn around for me on Sunday as I praised God, giving thanks! My thoughts went from feeling sorry for myself, even doubting myself, to recognizing the beauty and splendor of the Lord, and all that he has done for me! Appreciation turned self focus into God focus, and passionate joy returned!
16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever!
Scripture repeatedly exhorts us to be thankful. Note, it doesn’t say to feel thankful. However, I’m sure that as we continue to express our appreciation to God, recognizing all he’s done for us, our heart will surely follow, birthing (or re-birthing) the passion of our first love. Then we need to remain in the habit of appreciating him. Given that ol’ gravitational pull of selfishness, this takes discipline!
5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
So what in the heck are we waiting for?? Let each of us BE THANKFUL, and (re)turn our heart to God!!
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| To add a comment to "The DISCIPLINE of appreciation, the cure for lost passion? " |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| Haha, Mike! With you, Voice, and a lady at my church, I think God's trying to get something through to me, ya think? lol Actually, the first thing I did when I awoke this morning, was thank God for another day, period. Joyce Meyer teaches this too, and it really is a dicipline. The Christian walk is a disciplined life. |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| And remembering from whense we came: What God has saved us from! Tré important! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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Lara, I'll admit your blog got me thinking further along the lines of another recent blog of my own. According to Jesus' word to the church in Ephesus, the key to recapturing that first love is to "repent and do". My conclusion is that appreciation is part of the "doing". And you know, when I commented on your blog last week, I was confident that I was right on track, in the perfect sweet spot w/God. But an interaction w/a close friend on Saturday (mentioned in this blog) suggested that I might not precisely be in the place I thought I was. Granted, what hurt most wasn't anything I discovered about myself, but what I discovered about my friend. Sometimes friendship can be a one-sided illusion.
ps... What you said in your comment to my other blog about it being applicable to marriage...most definitely applies here as well! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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Great reminder Mike! Thanks! It's about who we are present to. Are we present to ourselves, our circumstances, the cares of this life, or are we present to the things that are eternal. The song goes "This is my daily bread. Your word [rhema] spoken to me!" How true. We do, however, have those times when we go though those dry times. I have come to believe it is more about what God is going to reveal to me about myself than it is about anything I have stopped doing. That's because I've learned to be thankful in those times. :-) It isn't merely a "praise" or "thanksgiving" method that I use to attempt to affect a change in my emotions...it's having gone through it enough to realize when we have been called to turn from the fruit to the vine. Like when King David "comforted himself in the LORD." However, I think most of the time it is because the word has been choked by the cares of this life and the desire for other things. He keeps him in perfect peace who mind is set upon him [Isaiah 26:3]. Best regards,
Craig |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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12:28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe;
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| Mike: My dad used to wake up, sit on the side of the bed and thank the Lord for the priviledge of another day. His favorite saying was that we're all born dying. Ken used to kid me, cause wherever I am, I'm usually thanking God for something......like red lights that turn green when I get there, like seeing something beautiful in nature.....I just thank him all the time, LOL.....guess I learned that from my dad ;) BTW, Ken quit laughing when he saw that just in my being verbally thankful to God for little things, God presents more for me to thank him for, hehehehehe |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| Ahh, another timely blog for me. It is so easy to get stuck in the rut of my little life with the busyness I experience helping my children fulfill their dreams and calls. I lose sight of God and see only what I am doing--selfish, I know. Thank you, Mike, yet again for letting God use you to help me!! I am grateful that God has seen fit to call to me so consistently so that I will return to Him. I really feel "woed" by HIm. Praise God that He loves me more than my little pea brain can comprehend! :-) I so would not want to put up with me!! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| Thanks Mike! Good stuff Bro! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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Craig, excellent remarks!
Pandabear - what an AWESOME verse!!
CL, your dad's example served you WELL!
Coreena.so glad we can learn together as we walk together. :-)
Stu...thanks, much LOVE bro! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| Appreciation takes discipline and effort...it certainly does. We as humans, are naturally self centered. If you see someone who is "others" focused, it is by sheer discipline and effort that they are. It is not a natural thing for us to be unselfish. This is a "me" society, so it is only natural to be that way, when everything and everyone around us is. It takes effort and discipline. Great blog again Mike! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| You sure are good at writting these blogs there Mike and to be honest, I am losing my way with God, have for a number of years. Guess I wasn't destined for heaven after all. |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| I love your blog, Daddy!! I really like how you said 'appreciation takes discipline'; well put!! Love you! =) |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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Amen Deb! Appreciation can even seem easy, coming with very little effort at all when a relationship is going great. (ANY relationship!) But I think that when my focus is on what the relationship is doing for me, I am most tempted to slack off on the discipline of appreciation. And when I'm not appreciating, I think that's when I'm in the most danger of falling prey to bitterness, doubt, and other emotions that threaten relationships.
Thanks Megan, and I hope you don't lose your way.
"Sherlock" my dear!!! Your first comment....superb!! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| Mike I learned a lomg time ago no matter how my day went or my yr to thank God when I wake up & when I go to bed because I know tommorrow is not promise to me but, I'm grateful because yes I do too at times drift into mode me me me, but when I think about the Goodness of God and where He has brough me from I must give Him all the praise & I know there are others who do not have the saving grace of God because that have not surrender them lives to Him, I repent right away because I know I was choosen by Him & His unfailing love for me is unconditional. |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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..as Mike swells with pride!!!!! hehe
What a blessing~ |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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THANK YOU MIKE......Lost it for a moment today, just for a moment. (one hour)
Thanks be to God, Tonight the FIRE is BACK.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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MaKelly, you are among a handful of folks whose every post on here seems to speak of thankfulness and appreciation to God. Thanks for your comment here, I'm honored and blessed!
Cher, you know it! =)
Terry, just an hour? You're in great shape sister! :-) |
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| January 19, 2009 |
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| OK...SO NOW I'M TORE UP FROM TH FLOOR UP!!! OH HOW I NEEDED TO HEAR THIS TODAY MIKE!!! OH HOW I NEEDED TO HEAR THIS. GOD IS SO MINISTERING TO ME TODAY...BECAUSE I HAVE FELT(YES, FELT) STAGNANT IN THE AREA OF DEVOTION AND QUIET TIME WITH HIM LIKE I USED TO HAVE. I HAD BEEN SO CONSUMED WITH WHAT HAS BEEN GOING around and with me that I have forgot about the time with my Daddy! Well...not so much as forgotten, because He ever so much keeps whispering in my ear, ' I need your fellowship Tania" and I ignore the call sometimes because I get so caught up in, me, me, me!!! I have to not allow the enemy to keep trying to wrap me in a spirit of heaviness...when I have got to wrap myself up in the the garment of praise and press through what I am feeling and what I am 'not' doing!!! |
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| January 20, 2009 |
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| Great thoughts Mike, right on the mark for me! (Ouch), but it's better now! Thank you! |
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| January 20, 2009 |
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Really, really good words, Mike, and very timely. I've been going through some physical problems of late and find it hard to concentrate on the things of the Spirit when I'm in pain. I know if I can just get passed 'how I feel' and focus on Jesus and others, my woe-is-me attitude seems to disappear and I actually begin to feel better. For me it has a lot to do with being grateful, even in the bad times. There's a great little song that goes:
In, in everything, give Him thanks, give Him thanks,
In, in everything, give Him thanks.
In the good times I'm gonna praise His name,
And in the bad times, I'm gonna do the same,
In, in everything give Him thanks!
It can be hard to thank the Lord for pain, debt, rebellious children, a failing marriage, etc. because it is so against our carnal nature to do it, yet Eph. 5:20 commands us to do just that:
Ephesians 5:20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
The above verse of scripture tells us to give thanks ALWAYS for ALL things. I believe that is a very important key to empowering us as Christians. To be able to say, "Lord, I know you love me and are FOR me and therefore I can lift holy hands to praise you and to thank you, even in the midst of my trials, disappointments, pain and afflictions, for none of those things are bigger or more powerful than you, who is my ever present help in time of trouble. It's so important to keep in remembrance WHO our God is! He's not a little, namby-pamby god, but THE GOD WHO SPOKE THE WORLDS INTO EXISTENCE!! Can he help us? Yes. Will he help us? Yes.....for His Word declares:
Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Is it easy to thank him when you have that knowledge? You bet it is!!!!! Okay, so now I just encouraged myself in the Lord, (like David did) and I'm pumped!!!! So, I think I'll just go and have a little talk with Jesus. I love being back on track!
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| January 20, 2009 |
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| Hi Mike, great blog, gratitude is hard for me to live but oh, how blessed I am when I do, have a wonderful day, ~T |
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| January 21, 2009 |
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Thanks Mike. I thank God every day for another day! Even those days where I find it so hard to be thankful for anything when my seasonal depression trys to take grips over me, I thank God for being there and helping me through, for putting little things in my path to help me, sho wme the way and to NOT get stuck in the poor me's! Ive was stuck there way to long, and I think that is what helps me today. I am grateful for so much and I too thank God as I drive along, for the sun, for the traffic, for the deer along side the road, for the sunsetting, for getting me to and from safley etc.
He is so worthy of our thanks & prasie! He so deserves it!!
God Bless Mike |
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| January 21, 2009 |
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Linda..awesome, awesome post!! You got me pumped while reading it! :-) You said, "if I can just get passed 'how I feel' and focus on Jesus and others, my woe-is-me attitude seems to disappear and I actually begin to feel better." This is an amazing truth, one I hope more Christians make a reality in their lives. It is possible to rejoice always, or Paul wouldn't have "commanded" it! (1 Thess. 5:16)
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| January 21, 2009 |
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| Oh Donna....wonderful to hear, absolutely wonderful!! Way to go sister! ENJOY GOD!!! That's why he made you! |
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| January 21, 2009 |
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| Teral, I think you've expressed a universal truth there. It ain't natural for selfish mankind to feel or express gratitude. It's a God-thing! Then why do Christians and non-Christians alike recognize the importance of gratitude? We were originally made in God's image, and I believe some of the original programming is still in there. But the difference between us and non-Christians is, we have the power to be thankful always through the Holy Spirit, don't we? I still believe this requires some self-discipline though -- it's just not natural to live by the Spirit. It's not just important to others that we discipline ourselves to be thankful, we benefit too, if not most of all! |
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| January 21, 2009 |
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Thanks Tom, me too!
Tania, I prayed for you! I hope the fine tuning worked! A little appreciation can't hurt, and in fact probably always helps! |
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| January 21, 2009 |
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Thanks Mike for All You Do !!
There has been a lot of amazing & Wonderful things Going on here on Mychurch.
Many Many Very Cream of The Crop People Here All Building Each other up in a Special Fellowship.
Bless The Lord in Everything We Do....with the ZEAL & Excitement Displayed toward Him such as He Deserves.
He Loved Us when We were entirely unlovable....Likewise We must Love Our Enemies when They are undeserving.
But OUR GOD.....DESERVES OUR VERY VERY BEST & Every Fiber of Our Be-Ing.
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| January 21, 2009 |
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Thanks Mike, there is nothing like being SLAPPED back into reality, I praise God for the things He allows me to go through, with an understanding now that there is purpose, not to just linger in self-pity but to grow to another level of maturity. |
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| January 22, 2009 |
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Oh Sheree, I sure didn't mean to be slapping anybody! (though I too have felt the slap of the Spirit...it's more like the slap in those old Aqua Velvet commercials than the slap of an angry lover)
Michael, I agree there are some amazing things going on here...to the praise of God's glory! You are a part of it too, mister! (Thanks for dropping by and speaking up!) |
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| January 25, 2009 |
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| A couple of decades ago, a fellow pastor said that my wife and I were not yet jaded. I didn't know what he meant until after it happened. Some years of abuse from above and below in not one, but several denominations, a few stabs in the back (figuratively speaking) and we were both there - jaded - we lost passion. Was there repair? My personal experience follows your advice as well: Never forget that Jesus will NEVER do to us what people have though he may allow it for our good, NEVER forget to be thankful, ALWAYS forgive, and ALWAYS look to the invisible Christ alone behind the church scene for ultimate justice and salvation even in the little things of this present life. |
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| January 26, 2009 |
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| Grant....thanks so much. What you shared from experience has confirmed scripture (and why wouldn't it?). Appreciation...a spiritual discipline, like all disciplines, for our benefit. God bless! |
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| January 26, 2009 |
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Very inspiring, Mike.
Thanks and may we never ever forget who truly loves us.
Praise God
JR |
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