Woo 'Em

God loves to woo us and others constantly. The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life study in 230 countries as reported in the January 8, 2013, issue of the newspaper USA Today found that Christians make up 32 percent of the world's religions followed by 23 percent of Muslims, 16 percent of unaffiliated, 15 percent of Hindus, seven percent of Buddhists and another seven percent of Jews and other faiths.

God and believers have been loving and living Matthew 28:18-20 Amplified Bible which says, "Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be)."

Pastor and author Francis Chan says about making disciples in his article "A Time to Make Disciples" in the January/February 2013 issue of Relevant Magazine, "Realistically, the task will require a life-time of devotion to studying the Scriptures and investing in people around us. Neither of these things is easy, nor can they be checked off a list. We are never really "done." We continually devote ourselves to studying the Scriptures so that we can learn with ever-greater depth and clarity what God wants us to know, practice and pass on. We continually invest in the people around us, teaching them and walking with them through life's joys and trials."

Making disciples is starting and stretching relationships by investing in people qualities like the love and the truth of God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost. Ephesians 4:15 Amplified Bible says, "Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."

What a tall order! Don't feel up to it? No worries mate. God's got your back. Philippians 2:13 Amplified Bible says, "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." God lives inside of believers, and He passionately desires and is able to love people through us the way they need to be loved. Trust God. Don't listen to the terror tactics of Satan trying to convince us love doesn't work or is too much trouble.

Today we have so many ways to communicate love, truth and the other goodness of God not only in person but also through cellular telephones, email, Skype, instant messages, text, mail and other modes of communication. Be creative and consistent in cultivating loving communication. It's impressive that Christianity is the world's number one religion, but still billions are not lovers of Christ and the billions who are lovers of Christ need to be nurtured to new levels of overflowing with the character of God for all eternity.

An eternity doesn't mean that God has called us to love beyond our limits. Sometimes we need to say "no" to say "yes" to the best disciplining. Our first relationship is with God, then our spouse and ourselves, then our children, then other family and then others. If you talk to God and find that a business colleague has priority over God, spouse or family, ask God for forgiveness and transformation. God is willing, able and faithful to fix it.

Some of us don't like differences and change and tend to just develop relationships with family not wanting to do anything like African-American Jarena Lee who in the 19century in one year traveled 2,325 miles on foot to preach 127 sermons. She also became the first woman approved to preach in the African Methodist Episcopal Church which is the first black-controlled Christian denomination in the United States of America. Neither Lee nor Jesus limited themselves to biological relationships, so neither should we. Imitate God. Stretch out. Ask God to prune out criticism and judgement from your heart. Someone beautiful is waiting to be shared. Embrace a diversity of people instead of noxious, needless, negativity. Cooperate with God to lose the "No es posible" attitude. Romans 15:7 Amplified Bible says, "Welcome and receive [to your hearts] one another, then, even as Christ has welcomed and received you, for the glory of God."

Biblical disciplining contains much common sense that can be corroborated in scientific research. Proverbs 25:2 the Message Bible says, "God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things." John Gottman, Ph.D., has a Love Lab at the University of Washington where he conducts counseling and research on couples. Dr. Gottman writes in his book The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work that friendship between partners is critical. Friendship is desirable in marriage and other disciplining efforts. All relationships are disciplining opportunities.

Ask God today to cause you to not act distant and difficult but rather overflowing with the love of God and all the goodness of God that lays the foundation for new love and nurtures old love. A new friend/disciple and an old one will appreciate and thank you for eternity.