Mivoden Tuesday Morning

Oh, wow. Desert for every meal, sounds fun, but I think they’re right, it’s not something that will sustain you. You get a sugar high, then you crash. It just doesn’t stick with you or give you all the nutrients you need.

We’re talking about love this week. What kind of nutrients do relationships require?

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When my wife and I were dating she lived in Michigan and I lived in Arizona. We were a 27 hour drive or a four hour flight away from each other. Once a month or so one of us would fly over to meet the other one. She came to visit me for Christmas. I went to stay at her family’s house over spring break. One time we met over a mission trip in Los Vegas — yes, it was a mission trip… Those visits were exciting and wonderful, but we couldn’t sustain a relationship with just a visit here and there. We needed regular inputs into our relationship.

For her birthday I sent her a gift basket with a bunch of nice things. On valentine’s day I had flowers delivered with a note. I would send her emails and letters, but the most important thing we did was talk on the phone. EVERY DAY we talked on the phone.

My father-in-law told me about this idea he had read about, that a dating couple needs 1,000 hours of quality communication before they are ready for marriage. So, just for the fun of it, we kept a spreadsheet of all the time we spent together talking. And since we lived so far away from each other, pretty much all the time we spent together was talking on the phone. Most days we spent 2 or 3 hours together, and a few times we talked for 4 hours or more. By the time Spring Break rolled around, we had already spent 1,000 hours talking and I asked her parents if I could marry her.

Every relationship needs regular inputs.

If you’ve got a good friend that lives down the street, but you never play with them, then before long, they won’t be a good friend. Plan a visit, ask them over to play, go to the park together, hang out at church, invite them to a game… time together, playing, talking, imagining, dreaming… that’s the stuff that makes a friendship thrive.

Whether its a childhood friend or a lifelong marriage, your relationship needs thoughtful communication, shared activity, fun and imagination, planning and time together.

Let’s say that Joelle never picked up the phone when I called, or would plan a trip away with her friend whenever I flew out to be with her. Even though I was showing love towards her, if she didn’t respond and receive my love, then our relationship would have turned sour pretty quickly. It’s not good enough that someone loves you, you have to let them in and receive that love.

This is true for our relationship with God as well. God loves us so much and He has communicated to us in the Bible. It’s filled with stories about God’s long-interaction with humanity, so we can get to know the kind of character He has. It’s got love letters, poetry, and careful instructions so we can see who God is and what He desires for us. And it’s even filled with God’s promises and predictions for the future so we can know what to expect from Him. But none of that is helpful unless you open it up and read it. If you want to know God, read the Bible. If you want to stay close to God and have a living, intimate relationship with Him, read the Bible.

You can and should spend time in the Bible all on your own. But you can also study together in a small group, and sermons at church are often really helpful to understand the Bible better. Get all the inputs you can. Don’t settle for occasionally reading a love letter from God. Fill your life with it.

Relationships are two-way streets, so we can’t just read God’s letters, we need to talk back to him and pour out our hearts to him. We need to pray.

In Psalm 55:17 king David prayed to God and said, “listen to my prayer, O God, don’t ignore my cry for help! Listen and answer me.”

He goes on to talk about how he feels like his life is falling apart around him. His friends have left him. His enemies taunt him. And then in verse 16 he says:

Psalm 55:16–17 NLT

16 But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me. 17 Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.

God loves to hear your thoughts and desires and needs and challenges. Talk to him just like you’d talk to a friend. He loves to hear about your life. And, you want to know something really cool? When you get to know God’s voice by reading His Bible, He’ll start whispering in your ear when you pray, so make sure when you’re praying to ask God questions, and listen for the Holy Spirit to respond.

Camp is fun, and it’s going to be filled with all kinds of valuable spiritual inputs. Enjoy this time. Revel in it’s sweetness. But make sure to add reading God’s Word and Prayer to your everyday experience and I know you’ll grow closer and closer to God.

Some people think that reading the Bible and praying are necessary so that God will be willing to save you. That’s not the case. Its more like me talking to Joelle—I didn’t wait for her to read my letters before I expressed my love for her. I expressed my love for her in order to draw out her love for me. God loves you first. He loves you best. He loves you always. AND he is delighted and overjoyed when we return His love.

Do life with Him and I know you’ll find it will be the best life ever.

Let’s pray