CoreLife

CoreLife Four Core Principles For Life To The Full In this book you’ll discover four CORE principles or steps that lead to the thriving relationship with God we are all searching to enjoy. TABLE OF CONTENTS Connect Obey Relationships Engage INTRODUCTION Your most important decision of your life is to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. By choosing to do so, you begin a new life that Jesus described as “life more abundantly” (John 10:10), which He came to provide for you. A full relationship with the living God fills our emptiness of purpose, peace and meaning that is missing in life without Him. We are all born with an innate desire to know God; but how do we pursue and grow in our relationship with Him? This book will serve as a guide to strengthen your bond with God and thus thrive in your everyday experience with Him. By putting the principles included into practice, you’ll find yourself growing stronger each day and developing a life that is rich and fulfilling. In regards to taking care of our bodies, many health experts speak of benefits such as balance and stability in daily activities, even on the bumpiest terrain. Likewise, I hope to provide some exercises that will build your spiritual core, bringing life balance, and a vibrant relationship with God that stabilizes you in the roughest of days. To do this we will focus on the following areas: Connection Obedience Relationships Engagement —Let’s get started! CONNECT To start any kind of relationship, there must be connection. How does a person get connected to God? First of all, understand that this connection started with God and not with you. God is the initiator of the relationship in that He sent His Son to this earth for the purpose of serving as a substitute payment for your sins and offenses against God. Sin was, and is, a roadblock to a relationship with God, but He removed it. In the Scriptures we read: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. —Romans 3:23 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. —Romans 5:6 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 6:23 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. —Romans 10:9-10 God made the first move in establishing a connection with you by paying the penalty of your guilt. As a righteous Judge, someone had to pay, but as a Loving Father, He personally paid it in full. The next step in connection is ours, as we call upon Him as the bridge that allows us to crossover the divide caused by our sinful nature. By calling out to God for help, we are “justified,” which in simple terms means, it is “just as if I’d” never sinned. Friend, that is good news! To maintain and grow any relationship, there must be ongoing, two-sided communication. I’m sure you have people in your life that make it all about them. Any time you attempt to communicate, they always have a way of focusing on themselves. How does that make you feel? Are you valued? Does it make you long for their company? In the same way, we cannot make what the Bible refers to as prayer, all about us. By reading the stories of the Bible, we discover that prayer is a two-way street. In the same way that a relationship with an earthly friend is built by two-way communication of speaking and listening, it works the same way with God. We find that there are times for sharing our thoughts, feelings, cares, concerns and burdens with God. Likewise, there are times of God sharing His thoughts, feelings, desires, and perspective with us. I believe He has more important things to share with us, than we do with Him. These times ought to happen each day. Your closest relationships are built by the quality and quantity of time spent together. How do you make this happen? Pray Consistently When asked by His disciples to teach them to pray, Jesus said to ask for “daily” bread. In other words, He insinuated that you will be going to your Heavenly Father each day. You won’t just wait to talk with Him on Sunday mornings, or only times you need something. Just like I can connect with my spouse in the car, at home, at church, and wherever else we may be; in the same way you can connect with God. Use your time wisely. Make your connection with God a priority. Establish times to get together. These are all principles my wife and I use to keep our relationship alive and well. Pray With Intensity A good relationship is one in which you don’t have to hide how you feel. Don’t you just love being around people where you can just be yourself? Well, the Bible teaches that God even knows the thoughts we are thinking, so trust me, you’re not fooling Him! If there’s anyone with whom you can just be yourself, it’s God. So, feel free to share how you’re feeling and doing each day. Believe me, He can handle it.