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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Change Your Heart Change Your Life Part 2

More from Dr Smalley's book, Change Your Heart Change Your Life.

The janitor has the same worth as the CEO. The busboy has the same worth as the restaurant owner. The checker at Wal-Mart has the same worth as the president of Wal-Mart. And that value resides in the fact that we are created and beloved by he sumpreme Master and Controller of the universe. p. 19

Every time we show love to another person, we show love to God Himself. He loves all of us so much and identifies with our needs so much that He makes no distinction between loving our fellow humans and loving Him. p. 120

C.S. Lewis understood the high value of loving others and the value God places on them. He reminded us of the potential for eternal glory in heaven that each person bears when he wrote:

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked with a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations-these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit-immortal horrors or everlasting splendors... Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. p.120

Most humans have enough love for at least one unlovable person whose life is filled with terrible deeds, attitudes, thoughts, and flaws that would make an angel blush. Who is that person? It's the one whose face you adore every morning in the mirror. p. 121

Let me tell you how I have learned to love my enemies. I force myself to think not of what my enemy has done to me but rather to think of what he is created to be. He is created with what Lewis called a tremendous "weight of glory" as a being made in the image of God and capable of becoming like Him. p. 125

When the relationship between parent and child is right, this transfer of beliefs and values happens naturally, by the process of osmosis, with love as the catalyst. p. 193

Love [crave after, to know deeply] the LORD [your King] your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6: 5-7) p. 193

Yet there are many ways for you to find time to memorize and chew on scriptures, even in your crazy schedule. Here are just a few:

  1. Havig a quiet time.
  2. Attending your Bible-believing church regularly.
  3. Listening to Christian radio or watching Christian TV.
  4. Learning and singing Christian songs.
  5. Placing reminders printed on cards or pictures on the wall of your residence.
  6. Excercising, hiking, and visiting your favorite place to meditate. pp. 216-217

This is a great book, especially for men.

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