"I promise it’ll make you better."

A thought by Michael Todd, from his book, Relationship Goals (p. 39). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Yes, it will.

Michael says, "Maybe you’re exploring this whole faith thing and this idea of cultivating a relationship with God seems a little intimidating. Well, my boy James gives us some advice and a promise: 'Come close to God, and God will come close to you' (James 4:8). It’s just that simple. You take a step, and you become more aware of how close God is. While you’re cultivating your relationship with God from your side, He’s doing even more to cultivate it from His side."

He continues, "For you, what does this require?

"You need to have a daily devotional life. I’m not going to tell you how to do that or when or for how long, but somehow you’ve got to crack that Bible open or scroll on that app every day. I promise it’ll make you better. It’s the only book where you read it and it reads you.

"And you need to pray. That’s simply talking to God. 'God, I’m frustrated about this traffic that I’m stuck in right now. I just need You to help me not cuss these people out.' God’s not mad at that... He just wants you to talk to Him, and He’ll speak back to you.

"And then you need times of worship. Worship is expressing our love to God through our lives. One of the best ways to express worship is to play music that magnifies God and minimizes our doubts, anxiety, fear, and frustration."

He goes on, "At different seasons of life, your time with God might look different. If you’re single, you may have a lot of time to really invest in learning about and experiencing God. So, go for it. Do intensive studying on your own, attend Bible college, go to conferences, or live out your faith on a mission trip. Being engaged is a time to establish habits of praying together as a couple and talking about faith, encouraging each other. This is also a great time to establish community with other couples who are going the same way. When you’re married, you’re going to want to make attending church together a habit and figure out how your quiet time fits in to your schedule together. The thing is, wherever you’re at, you keep your priority but you adjust."

He then says, "Your season of life may have to dictate how you go about pursuing God, but as long as you do it, it’s going to be so beneficial, the basis for winning in other areas of your life. I’m convinced God has to be the center of your life."

Will you do that, will you put Him at the center? Yes, yes! #continuethought

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