Book Quotes: Showing God's Love

From The Love Revolution by Joyce Meyer (pp. 34-36):

For most of my life, I woke up every day and lay in bed making plans for myself. I thought of what I wanted and what would be best for me and how I could convince my family and friends to cooperate with my plans. I got up and went about the day with myself on my mind, and each time things did not go my way I became upset, impatient, frustrated, and even angry. I thought I was unhappy because I wasn't getting what I wanted, but I was actually unhappy because all I did was try to get what I wanted without any real concern for others.

Now that I am discovering that the secret of joy is in giving my life away rather than trying to keep it, my mornings are quite different. This morning...I prayed and then took some time to think of all the people I knew I would come in contact with today. I then prayed through Romans 12:1, which speaks of dedicating ourselves to God as living sacrifices, offering up all of our faculties to Him for His use. As I thought of the people I would work with or probably see today, I asked the Lord to show me anything I might do for them. I set my mind to encourage them and be complimentary. Surely we can all find one nice thing to say to each person we meet....I trust the Lord will lead me as I go about my day.

....You will never know the joy of living like this unless you actually try it. I call it a "holy habit," and like all habits, it must be practiced to become one. On some days, I still get all caught up with myself and forget to practice my new habit, but I am quickly reminded when I lose my joy and enthusiasm for life that once again I have gotten off track.

....At times when I realize that I've been selfish again, I don't get upset because getting upset with myself only keeps me involved with me....We spend far too much time feeling bad about ourselves because of the mistakes we make--and that is a waste of time. Only God can forgive us and He is quite willing to do so if we simply ask Him.