Thought of the Day !!

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

No matter where you go, God is with you. As a matter of fact, wherever you go, He's already been. There's nothing that surprise or scare the Holy Spirit within us. Wouldn't it be great if we could say the same about the trembling bodies that He resides in?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer to everyone.
Colossians 4:5-6 (NLT)

On the surface I see Paul trying to teach us to be different from non-Christians. We must use our time with them as opportunities to minister and evangelize. This doesn't necessarily mean that we ask them if they're saved or try and preach to them. Instead, we are to live and act like Christ would around them. We are to care for them and teach them about Christ whenever possible. We are to show love to them by what we do and what we say and how we say it. We are to lift them up, being gracious to them.

This is just as important in our daily walk with other Christians as with non-Christians. In today's world there is so much falling out in our churches and denominations. One person believes this and another believes that. One person does this and another doesn't like it. And when this happens, I wonder just how much of the conversation is "gracious and effective"?

Maybe it's not fighting over beliefs or actions. A lot of us may just be critical or rude or negative. Maybe this is you or me and we don't even realize it. Do you know how many times that you make someone think to themselves "I wonder what side of the bed he/she woke up on this morning?" Do you realize that you may be turning some people off by what you say to them? I've wonder that about myself at times. Maybe it would be a good idea if we all stop and really think about how we come off to others.

And then let's never forget that the original purpose of this passage was for our conversation to "be gracious and effective so that (we) will have the right answer for everyone." We want our answers to those who are non-Christian to be positive instead of negative. And our answers may not come after we've been asked questions. Many times we may answer their questions by how we speak to and show respect for each other as Christian brothers and sisters.

So today let's focus on how our conversations with each other (Christian and non-Christian alike) can be more gracious and effective.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Blessed Be Your Name

Thought of the Day !!

This is a devotional that came to me this morning from bibleleague.org. Seeing as I preached on the True Vine Sunday, I thought I'd pass it on to you today for our "Thought"

Matthew 12:33 -- [Jesus says,] "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." (NIV)

Maybe you have a few bad apples in your life. Maybe you see flaws in your spouse, your kids, your friends, your neighbors. What you see may say more about you as a tree than about them as apples. How would you describe the fruit in your life?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (TNIV)

Some people find themselves at the end of their ropes and don't realize that there is anything left but to simply hang themselves with what is left. Others try hard to fight through difficulties depending on nothing more than their own prideful efforts. And then there are those who find solace in their Lord and Savior when the chips are down. They feel like even though times are hard, God will make something good come out of their situation.

One such lady that fits this last description is named Patty. She is a dear friend of mine who was in my first church. During my appointment there, she faced some struggles and deserved much more than a first year minister's failing to say just about anything right. But even through those times, God produced some good things for her and that young dumb pastor.

Not too long ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. After that, she lost her husband (one of my closest friends). Obviously, this was devastating. A harder time I doubt she has ever gone through as I hope she never has to again. But as you will see by her testimony below, she knows her Lord has been with her and seen her through. He has even made good things happen out of terrible times. Thank you for you testimony, Patty.


GOD has lifted me and carried me thru THE most difficult emotional times I have ever experienced this past year and that too, was an answer to so many prayers!! You know they say the trials of life can either bring you even more closer to GOD or tear you away, if you let them..... Well.... I can honestly say, my trials have brought me much closer and continue to do so!!! There is a song on one of the Christian music stations ..... I don't know who sings it (cause I never pay attention to that stuff... :) ) but anyway the chorus is "Jesus, bring the rain!! If that is what it takes to PRAISE you....Jesus bring the RAIN!!" (not sure if those are the exact words or not....but you get the idea! AND thru the "rainy days" of my life I have learned to PRAISE HIM from the very depths of my being.......
My prayer for each of you is that you feel these same yearnings to have Jesus in your life....not just IN your life but that JESUS IS YOUR LIFE!!!!

Amen!

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.
Psalm 44:8 (NLT)

I read this as part of my devotional reading this morning and it hit me how just untrue this can be at times. I want to strive to give God glory all day long and to constantly praise His name. But is it glory that I give to Him when I get angry, act selfishly or neglect others feelings?

How many of us think more about "us" in a day than we do about God and others, whom we are supposed to love at least as well as ourselves?

My God wants more from me. He loves me and just wants to see me succeed. And when I fail, He lifts me up. No matter how down I get or even how ugly I get, no matter how selfish I seem or even superficial I can feel, He is there waiting for me to bring glory to Him simply by coming to Him for help. He's the ultimate Parent that never leaves our side, who cheers us on like a dad at a kid's soccer game and a cares tenderly for us like a mom after we've scraped our knee.

If anyone deserves my praise today, it's Him. Lord, I love you. Thank you. This is my prayer today. I hope it will be yours as well.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question about being "Slain in the Spirit"

I was over at Brother Marty's blog reading about where he said a friend wanted to be slain in the Spirit. It brought back a time not too long ago for me and I wanted to share it. My question today is how do you feel about this subject?


I was in a room where a small group of us came to worship after Annual Conference let out one night. It was not a healing time, but a time of worship. I experienced people I knew and loved speaking in tongues (people I never would have thought about because they never mention that kind of thing). I saw a person being prayed over and he limply fell while everyone prayed over him.

Yet I didn't feel any different. I may can relate to the person you are speaking of though. You see, I was led to pray in my normal way and then to pray for this same person (even though I knew not what was wrong). In the process, the leader (a friend of mine) took me and started praying for me (partially in clear language and partially in tongues). I was caught up in what was going on. I wanted to "be slain" or speak in tongues, not for the excitement, but because at that very moment I wanted to feel God's presence in a mighty way.

They all began praying over me. I let myself go so that I wound up laying on the floor. And nothing happened. I actually felt in some ways like I had failed that night. Everybody else was experiencing God in a way I couldn't. They kept telling me to allow my spirit to speak and not to try. I had no idea what that meant evidently.

I am back now to my belief before that night. I know some are slain in the Spirit and will speak in tongues. I have seen friends do that now. But God evidently doesn't have that in store for me. Am I saddened? Not really. I want to experience Him in any and all ways. But I guess some of those ways will just have to wait till I get to Heaven.

(Taken from my comment on Brother Marty's post)

Thought of the Day !!

Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king.

1 Peter 2:17 (NLT)

It's often said that people have to earn other people's respect. But why is this? Does this go along with the Golden Rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? I mean don't we want others to respect us. I know I want people to respect me enough to let me know when they'll be late or won't show for an appointment. This is respect of my time. And I believe I owe it to others. None of us should have to earn that.

There's also respect in regards to others' feelings. Should we not all have a certain respect for others by not saying things that might hurt their feelings? What about respect for their property...their beliefs...their possessions...and so on.

Respect is not something people should necessarily have to earn. It's a gift. And it's one you can give everyone you meet. Who is someone you've not shown proper respect to? How can you change that today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When they arrived and found [Jesus], they asked, "Teacher, how did you get here?"

Jesus replied, "The truth is, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you saw the miraculous sign. But you shouldn't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose."
John 6:25-27 (NLT)

This passage comes on the heels of the story of the feeding of the five thousand in which these people were miraculously fed with five loaves and two small fish.

I’m saddened by what I see with these people. I see people who are thinking of nobody but themselves…who think about what Jesus can do for them without a thought of what they can do for him.

I’m saddened when I see these same kinds of people today. But I’m probably most saddened when I see myself in this picture; when I see myself wondering what God has done for me lately…when I place my own demands upon Jesus…when I think of temporary satisfaction instead of looking at the bigger picture. What about you? Can you see yourself as ever acting like this?

The people asked Jesus how he got there to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He didn’t bother to answer that question…but as Jesus so often does…he gets right to the heart of the matter. He tells them that they’re not looking for him because he produced a miracle, but instead for selfish reasons. They just want to see if they can find a free meal again.

His response is to tell them that they shouldn’t be so concerned with temporary things that will be here today and gone tomorrow. Instead of seeking another meal of fish and bread, they should be searching for the greatest thing that Jesus can give them…eternal bread…eternal filling…eternal life.

May we all be seekers of things eternal today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12 (NLT)

Do for others what they did to you?
Do for others what you would like to do to them?

NO!!

Jesus says to do for them as you would like for them to do for you. Think about how others would act towards you in a perfect world. Then do your part in making the world more perfect by doing the same to them.

If we continue to try to get even or let our anger force the way we act towards others, then we're no better than those who treated us badly. What's more, we're awful reflections of the light of Christ.

But when we speak to others or treat them in a kind way, we just might make a difference in someone's life. It might be the person who calls us by mistake because he/she has dialed the wrong number. It could be the checker that was rude to us at the grocery store. It may be someone standing by that we never notice or meet.

What Jesus did...and what he wants us to do is to act Christ-like. Even though it was easier for Christ to actually be Christ-like than it is for us, He wants us to try. And when we do, we'll realize that our day is better. You actually feel better when you've been nice to people instead of treating them poorly. Why not give it a try today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:2-3 (NLT)

Wow! Let heaven fill our thoughts. What does that mean?

I think it means that instead of focusing on what we can accomplish here on earth, we should focus on what we can accomplish in heaven. Or as Jesus put it, we should focus on the treasures we can store up in heaven instead of here in this world. I'm also led to think about the Lord's Prayer where we pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. When we focus on God's will for His kingdom and how we may be of help to Him in bringing it about, our thoughts are filled with heaven.

Of course letting heaven fill our thoughts is not only about thinking how we can do the work of Christ in God's kingdom. It's also asking for and allowing God to fill them with things such as goodness and peace and assurance. I think that when we let heaven fill our thoughts, we think more about the good things that are happening and that can happen in God's name. We think about how blessed we are instead of how much we've had to struggle. We think about how happy we can be even when we don't have all the worldly possessions we desire.

So let heaven fill your thoughts this day...this week...this lifetime. And allow Jesus to fill your soul.

In the love of Christ,
greg