Happy Monday! Yesterday was another great day at Albany First! Today, I am enjoying the company of my daughter and my beautiful little granddaughter as I write this blog!
The following are some questions to consider this week as we continue to lean toward actions that cultivate healthy progress in our relationships.
1. Acceptance is valuing another person the same way God values us. Describe a time when you felt accepted by a person or group. How did that make you feel? What about a time when you didn't feel accepted?
2. What are some practical ways to show biblical acceptance? Discuss the difference between acceptance and approval. How does understanding that the two are different help you with showing the biblical value of acceptance.
3. The Bible teaches that communication includes seeking to understand and be understood. How does this help or change the way you approach a conversation? Describe a time when you felt a person was listening with the goal of formulating a response versus listening with the goal of understanding. How did it make you feel?
4. Describe a time when someone hurt you, and you were able to work through the process of forgiveness. How did that impact your relationship with one another? How did it affect you? In other words, how did forgiveness impact your life?
May our great God's love, acceptance and forgiveness fill your life this week!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Frank
Until we really get our mind around the fact that Christ died for all and God loves every person equally we continue to have a difficult time accepting others who are different from us.
ReplyDeleteRecently had a conversation with a person who was going to the wedding of their ex-wife who was marrying another woman. They wern't accepting what she was doing, but showing their support for her as a creation of God.
That is a real example of showing God's love and acceptance. Our society is so polarized that it is easy to be condemming of those who we do not agree with. "Making relationships central" is a good reminder that people are more important than proving we know the "only way".