Thought of the Day !!

Notice - I will be gone to a conference tomorrow and then my vacation begins next week. The Thoughts should be back going around May 5 or 6.

Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done.
Galatians 6:4 (NCV)

It's easy to judge others. It's much harder judging ourselves. So how do we do this. Should we look to a friend, a neighbor, a mentor, a pastor? Do we gauge how well we're doing by others? If so, I say gauge yourself by someone like Mother Teresa and see how you stack up instead of the old friend from high school that's been in and out of jail and marriage. I bet you'll get different results. Ha ha!

Seriously though, others can be good role models for us. My dear departed friend, Wayne McCord, had a heart for people and tolerated so much that I do wish I could be more like he was. And I thank my God for placing Wayne in my midst to influence me. But should I compare myself to Wayne? No. I can learn from Wayne and his witness, but when I judge myself it should be by what I hold true in the Scriptures.

Jesus is ultimately the one that we should model. Will we live up to his example? Probably not. But as long as we're trying, God is happy. So if I'm going to compare my life, my lifestyle, my actions, my thoughts, etc. to anyone, it should be to Jesus. And then I can remember that Jesus grades me on a curve, so that I don't have to be perfect. I must simply strive to be. Then I can be proud of what I've done.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NIV)

A lot of Christians are at work today doing great ministry in the world. Numerous homeless shelters, food pantries, evangelistic efforts etc. are being run to help tons of people. The question we might ought to ponder today is why we are doing these ministries. Are we doing them for our own glory, or the glory of God? And is our work more important than who has called us to do it?

We can get so caught up in doing good things that we forget why we started, and the work becomes what we worship instead of God. I remember hearing a quote from Oswald Chambers one time that described this. He said, "We slander God's name when we work for Him without first knowing Him."

Are we slandering God's name by doing a plethora of ministries simply because we're "supposed" to or for our own good feelings? The key to successful life-giving ministry is to get to know the God that calls us to it and stay in constant touch with Him. We can do that by spending time worshiping Him and studying our bibles and simply speaking to Him (and listening).

Today, make sure you get to know your God, your Savior, your Spiritual Guider, before you go to work for Him. And find joy in the ministry that He leads you to.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Always be joyful.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NLT)

I shared this verse with the children for children's sermon on Sunday morning and again that afternoon with the folks at a local nursing home. It doesn't matter if we're 2 or 102 or anywhere in between, this is good for us to hear.

I shared that whooping cranes migrate every year. And sometimes they have to light to rest. But when they come down to the ground, they start jumping up and down. For a long time scientists tried to figure out if this was a kind of ritual or something. But the conclusion that they came to was that the birds were simply dancing. They were being joyful.

King David came home with the Ark of the Covenant. And the Bible states that he danced before the Lord. The Psalms teach us to sing out and make a joyful noise. Abraham was so happy at times that he built altars for God. People that Jesus healed were so thrilled at what happened that they told everyone they saw about what had happened.

How do you show your joyfulness? Do you feel that you've had much to be joyful about lately? Let me point out that joy and happiness can go hand in hand at times. But happiness and joy are not the same. I've come to love a song called "Sunshine" by a Christian group called Stellar Kart. In it the singer says that the day can sometimes steal his happiness, but he still has joy. This is because real true joy is what comes from God and is placed in our hearts. It's what assures us, comforts us, and at times brings us happiness. It's a glimpse of Heaven right here on earth.

I read from another devotional that happiness depends on happenings, but that joy goes much deeper. Instead of coming from things outside, it comes from within where our dear Savior lives. Allow Him to bring you joy today. Always be joyful. Then share this joy in a variety of ways. As a matter of fact, I urge you to see just how many ways you can show joy today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."
Genesis 12:1 (NIV)

I remember hearing similar words when I was struggling with the call to ministry. In a nutshell God said to me, "Leave the house you have and the dreams you have of buying a nice home. Leave your friends, especially those you had before you changed that are not receptive to your life change. Leave the area where you can always just pop in at your mom and dad's place. Leave your job. And go. Go where I tell you. Go to seminary. Go to Mt. Pleasant to learn how to preach on a weekly basis. Just go where I tell you...and have faith."

That's kind of what I heard. Michelle...Now that's another story all together. She thought I was delusional. But God did finally convince her that I wasn't being called to just do "more" work in our church (I already seemed to volunteer for everything that came up).

Since Michelle and I've accepted that call to leave and to go, there have been ups and downs. I've learned how unChristian Christians can sometimes be. And I've learned a lot about the love of God from others. We've gone through tough financial times and made it to a point where we actually have money to give others in need at times.

All in all, it's been a journey of faith that has led me to my current appointment in Vicksburg. And I wouldn't change a thing. Well...maybe that's an overstatement. :)

What is God calling you to? Your call may not be as life-changing as the one He placed on my life. And then again...maybe it is. The question is, how are you responding? Will you say "Yes" when the LORD says to you to go? Or will you chalk His calling up to indigestion or something?

It takes faith to say yes. But it will be worth it. Take it from me. I know.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

Can you cast your cares (or your burdens) on the Lord? There are some things that God doesn't necessarily take away. Paul said that he had a "thorn in his flesh" that he prayed would go away three times. But he understood that God had a purpose for whatever this "thorn" was.

We may have thorns that God will use to strengthen us. But we were never meant to carry around things like doubt and sin. He wants us to cast these things upon Him so that He can dispose of them. Obviously, sin has affected each of us. But doubt is something that I struggle with from time to time. How about you? Do you doubt that God could love you? Do you ever doubt that God would call you? Do you doubt your capabilities or your strength or your witness? Do you doubt your righteousness before God?

When we, as Christ followers, doubt these things, we doubt God who is behind them. For He has faithfully made us and is behind us all the way.

Cast your doubts on the Lord and he will sustain you. He has made us righteous by the blood of His Son. And He, who has the power to raise Jesus from the dead, has the power to keep you and me up, not allowing us to completely succumb to doubt, fear or sin.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Romans 13:7 (NIV)

It's the day that many wait till to get that check in the mail. And many will complain about the taxes they will pay today or have already paid. But if we owe them, we owe them. And Paul says to give what we owe to those whom we owe.

Even though today is the dreaded April 15 "tax day", there are other things we owe people as well. Paul speaks of respect and honor. We may think that there are those who don't deserve our respect, and we don't want to show honor to those who've wronged us. But being a Christian means doing things like Christ would do instead of how the world would do. So think about who you have not shown respect or honor to, and ask yourself how you think Jesus would treat that person. Then go and do likewise.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it."
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Have you ever, or are you now in a place of confusion about the direction of your life? I know that there have been times in my life where I just wanted to scream out "Which Way God?!"

God is watching and caring for us no matter where we are. He's also guiding us. It's just that sometimes He lets us find our own way to where He wants us to be. The cool thing is, though, when we're getting too far off course, we'll hear His voice or feel His touch bringing us back on track.

I know that there have been times in many of our lives where we were just unsure. My advice is to keep struggling. And most importantly, keep seeking the Lord's guidance. If we do, He'll speak to us saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

May today be a day of searching. May we all search for God's guidance in our lives.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)

Have you ever considered how you might "spur" another person towards love and doing good? We can do this partly by showing love to each other and being an example of one who does good deeds for others. Another way we can do this is by holding each other accountable. Let us spur each other on towards love by gently (and maybe not so gently at times depending on what the situation warrants) pointing out where love and forgiveness should be had.

But remember, if we're going to spur others, we must also be prepared to be spurred ourselves. Too often we can forget to do good or allow bitterness or anger to spur us on without even realizing it. It is in these times that we have to welcome those who may be gently (or not so gently) trying to point this out to us.

This is part of what Christ was saying when he commanded us to love one another as he loves us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NIV)

Paul is telling the people of Thessalonica that they speak for God and that God is whose approval that they seek. Often times we will seek the approval of people around us. This can be very detrimental if we're not careful.

Ask yourselves today, "Am I doing the things I do today to look good before others? Or am I doing everything, seeking to make my Lord proud of me?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again -- my Savior and my God!
Psalms 42:11 (NLT)

We all have things that get us down from time to time. And it is our Heavenly Father that understands far more than anyone else. Put your hope in Him. Go to Him in prayer and ask Him to bring you out of the muck. And then trust Him to do it.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

“You see the depths of my heart and you love me the same. You are amazing God.”
(From the song Indescribable by Christ Tomlinson)

What an amazing God to love me in spite of who I am, who I was, and even who I can still be at times. Our Lord's love for us is truly indescribable and it was given to us before we were even born.

You truly are amazing, God.

I sit here this morning and think about how yesterday had a nice blue sky, and I was praising God. This morning the darker clouds were bringing on an overcast mood to the morning. But even in this overcast sky, I can see the sun shining through from time to time. Isn't that just like God? Even when our lives get dreary or burdensome or overcast, He'll still shine through at times just to let us know He's still there.

Our God is truly amazing, and I'm not sure I tell him this enough. But I plan on praising Him more and more often. I don't deserve all He's done for me. How about you? But His love is so that we can expect good things from Him. So speak to Him today. Sing to Him. Yell out to Him. Cry out to Him. However you do it, communicate to your Lord that you know He's amazing and loving and that you love Him too. I think He just might be waiting to hear from some of us, just like a parent waits to hear from a child.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others?

James 2:1(NLT)

Sometimes we can tend to forget this. We place good-looking famous actors and actresses on a pedestal. We give honor and glory to the athlete in the Reebock or Nike commercial. We look up to the rich and powerful people like Donald Trump and Bill Gates because of their billions.

But these are the ones we most likely will never meet. Others around us may be given certain honor or favor because of who their family is...how popular or attractive they are...how much money they have...how they're able to influence our future in one way or another. And sometimes we need the reminder of James not to give favor to these over those who have less.

The fact is…this world honors the rich, famous and powerful people because much of the rest of the world wishes to be like them. But God places honor in another place all together. He honors those who will give up the limelight to minister to the poor.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Pray continually.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

Why not fill our days with speaking to the one who loves us more than any other?

In the love of Christ,
greg