Letter to God

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for Pastor Tony's sermon today. Thank You for using it to speak to my heart. Thank You for drawing me closer to You. I walked away with a new desire to pursue You. It seems there are many things drawing me away from You- distractions, really- from my "to do" list. Where would you like to meet with me today? Where can I go to focus more clearly on You?

What I learned today:

While Praising You: When You call, Lord, I won't delay. I will see in my mind, a beautiful picture of You, reaching for my hand, to spend intimate time with me alone. For You and I to dance together, You are jealous for me, as a husband is for his wife. "But I have things I must do," I say. As a husband takes his bride from cooking in the kitchen or doing the dishes and into his arms to remind her of his love for her, so I will turn into Your arms each day. I need to spend the first hours in prayer so I can be focused for the day and ready for it. Focus…clarity…drive…determination…God first and all these things will be added unto me.

Sermon: True Food and Drink- A Deeply Offensive Analogy for them. A Deeply Illuminating Analogy for Us...

John 6 Verses 40 and 52 are saying the same thing in different ways. There is nothing more intimate about a person than his flesh and blood. It is what makes me, me and others, themselves. To know Steve, I know his body, am familiar with his body, and what makes him, him. To know Jesus' flesh is to know what makes Him uniquely Him. To eat His flesh is to know Him, believe in Him. To drink what is uniquely Him, is to have Him living inside of me, to have eternal life.

Eating His flesh and drinking His blood is believing in Him, salvation.

Eat and drink: one time, for possession of salvation = justification = bath

Eating and drinking: continuing the process of salvation/of becoming what I possess=santification = washing feet

John 13:8-10

1 Corinthians 1:18

Philippians 2:12, 13 and 1:6

So, first to eat and drink is to accept Christ as my Savior-done deal, forever.

Second is the eating and drinking which looks like this:

1. Abide in Jesus/bear fruit John 15
1. You are always somewhere-where are you? You can tell if you are abiding in Christ by what you are thinking of, meditating on.
2. Mimicking the relationship of Jesus to His Father, between Jesus and I
1. Figure out how Jesus and His Father relate
2. Relate that way with Jesus John 15: 9-11

If I am to eat His flesh and drink His blood (believe in Jesus and have eternal life), I must pass a sentence of death on myself and my desires. Laying down the good for the GREAT! Life to the FULL.

SO WHAT NOW?

What is the action step I need to take with this new information?

1. Watch my thoughts and take them captive. Change negative thoughts into positive ones. As I meditate on the words of a card given to me by Steve for our 1st Anniversary, I will meditate on God's love letters to me (the Bible and what He has spoken to my heart personally)
2. Study this week-how do Jesus and the Father relate? Go through the Ponder questions on the back of the sermon notes.

Thank you , Father, for speaking to my heart. Please continue to show me this love relationship and find joy and anticipation in spending time with You. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN!

Reference	Father and Jesus' Relating	Jesus and April Relating	Specifically
John 15:9-13	Father loves the Son; Son loves the Father	Jesus loves me; I love Jesus	talk to, listen, obey, trust God