Thought of the Day !!

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

Jesus tells us Christians that we are the light of the world. He specifically chose us believers to be this light. For some of us our light has been dimmed because we have gotten caught up in worldly beliefs that are the opposite of Christ's example to us. For some the light has dimmed because something has taken top priority over Christ in our lives. For some the light has been turned off because what was once believed as a child has become the unbelief of skeptical adults. But the truth is that we are the light of the world in Christ's absence. And if our lights go out, what will be left?

Maybe we need to get our lights checked out. We can do this by going to church and actually paying attention to what the Spirit may be saying to us through the sermon or the hymns or the prayers or any other part. We ought to get in some kind of support and accountability group (maybe a bible study, small group, Sunday School or just a group of Christian friends) and talk about Christ and our faith and our calling.

And then what we all need to do last (as well as first) is pray. Pray constantly. Just talk to God. Ask Him to let your light shine today somewhere, somehow. And go and be the light of the world.

Remember, this is an awesome responsibility. And it's not just given to preachers and missionaries. It's been given to you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The LORD will work out his plans for my life -- for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me.
Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

God does have a plan for each of us. We have to make the choices in life. But He still has a plan for us that is what would be not only best for us, but would bring us the most joy.

He goes to all this trouble to guide, nudge or point us in the right direction because of His faithfulness to us and that great amount of love He has for each and every one of His children.

God's desire is for us to follow Him (through the ways of His Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit) so that we can be happy. Be blest this week seeking your happiness in the Lord.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

These nine things are often times called "Fruits of the Spirit". These are like the attitudes and actions that define our Christian lives and set us apart from others. They become who we are when we allow the Holy Spirit to control us. Put another way, this is who we are when Jesus truly abides in us as Lord and Savior.

Look at this list of fruits very closely today and meditate on them. Ask yourself, "Which of these are obvious in my life?" and "Which ones do I not seem to produce?"

This will probably give us all a list of things to work on to some degree or another. The key might simply be to give up more control to the Holy Spirit in our lives. I know I would like to bear more of this fruit, not failing as often as I do now. How about you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[Jesus says,] "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest....For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28;30 (NIV)

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 5:11 (NIV)

When things are getting hard to handle in life, we can take our refuge in Jesus. He told us to bring our burdens to him, and the Psalmist tells us that when we take refuge in our God we can be made glad. I wish I could say that whenever a personal crisis comes up that you could take the burden to Jesus and he would snap his fingers and the pain would go away. But on the other hand I guess I'm not glad seeing as how God knows better than me. And even though that's what I would like, He takes care of us in a different way.

You can spoil children by giving them everything that they want and taking everything bad out of their lives. But what kind of person will that child grow up to be. No...God knows what's best for us, and He doesn't allow anything to come our way that we cannot handle. So we are taught to bring our burdens to Him and take refuge in Him. Then He will hold us up when we can't stand on our own two feet. He will carry us when we don't want to walk any further. He will make us stronger for allowing us to struggle through the hard situations of our lives, all the while walking right next to us. And He will make us better children for it. Thanks be to God. Amen.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Today's thought is different. Instead of giving you a verse of Scripture along with my thoughts about it, I'm encouraging you to pick up your Bibles and do some investigative work. Throughout the rest of the week turn the pages to some of those old stories you grew up with like Jonah or Moses or Abraham and Isaac. Read through Genesis for instance and recapture them. Or if you've been there lately, go to another place in the Bible and read about how Daniel was rescued or Nehemiah rebuilt the city.

But this time through, look for those things that you may have missed in the storytelling of your youth or your reading as an adult. See if the story is exactly how your remember it. Are there elements to it that you forgot or overlooked? For instance did you remember that Noah got drunk after they got back on land? Do you remember what happened to Abraham's first child? Can you remember what Ellijah went through on the mountain and why he was running away?

Study one of the old stories that you learned in VBS or Sunday School and see if you remember it the way it actually was written. We can learn so much from Scripture, even the umpteenth time through. May God bless you in your reading this week.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

These instructions that come from the Torah (or the law, or first five books of our Old Testament) are written for the Israelites. But when we read them today, we can add to the commandments of God the stories of biblical heroes and the life-giving instructions of the New Testament.

Think about the commandments of God today and about how Jesus lived out his life on earth; how he treated others; what he taught; who he was in general. Then talk about your favorite stories or sayings in the bible with your family or friends. Share these stories that are meaningful to you with others and ask them to share theirs with you. Before you know it, the Good News is being spread and the Kingdom is being expanded.

All around our country today people will be talking about their weekends, sports, top new stories, high gas prices, the stock markets and much more. They'll gather around water coolers, school hallways, front yards and many other places. And they will chat about one thing or another.

Let today be a day of remembrance of what you've learned from God and a sharing of that with as many as possible.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
James 2:14-18 (NIV)

Think of it this way. Of all the people in the world that you have known, who would you say had or has the most faith? How do you know? Is it because they claim it, or because they live it?

Lets look at it from another person's perspective. Who had the most faith ever? Jesus! What if Jesus walked around all his life and claimed to have faith in God the Father, but never showed it with his deeds?

My last question in this. Are you claiming to have faith, or are you living your faith?

Have a faith-filled weekend.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'
Job 37:5-6 (NIV)

Think about all the things that God does that affects our lives and that we need. What are some of the small things or things you might take for granted today that you could praise God for?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Let everything you do today be done as if we were doing it on God's behalf, and see how your day changes.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Today I would like to share with you an excerpt of one of my favorite devotionals, My Utmost for His Highest written by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917).

"Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1 - KJV)

Jesus' instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, "Don't." The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but mist be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.


This last sentence resonates with me this morning as I think about how when we criticize anyone, we've placed ourselves above them. And Jesus told us to be great is to serve, to be first is to be last, to humble ourselves. Humility never sees oneself as above anyone.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT)

The problem with anger is that if it goes unchecked, it can fester and lead to other sins such as unforgiveness, getting even and lying. At it's worst, it can become hate. And hate is only good when you hate what is evil. I would assume though that most people we get mad at are not evil people. Often times they are the ones we love the most. And that is why we shouldn't let the sun go down while we are angry. Or put another way, we shouldn't allow ourselves to stay angry for a long period of time because we are called to love one another, not sin against one another.

Being angry is no way to go through the day. It doesn't do any good for others. It doesn't do any good for you. Either talk to the person you are angry with, or get over it. But don't allow the devil to use your being mad at someone to tempt you into other sins that go along with anger.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
Psalm 103:1-2 (NIV)

I've been working on my sermon for this upcoming Sunday, and the theme is praise. So when I came across this scripture this morning, I thought it would be a good one to use. We should begin each day with praise for God. It doesn't matter how bad things are going, if you can find something to be thankful about and praise God for it, things will be at least somewhat easier to handle.

Looking at the Psalm, it tells us not to forget all God's benefits. What are His benefits to you? What can you praise Him for today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example.
1 Peter 5:3 (NLT)

Could it be that this would not apply to everyone? Could there be some of you out there that might say that I'm at the lowest level in my job and I have no kids so I must not have anyone assigned to my care?

If you think that there is no person or persons assigned to your care, then you are mistaken. Some of us will have kids and others will have people working under them. But even if you take these people out of the equation, you still have people assigned to your care. God will bring people into your life for you to influence, not by force, but by example.

How many people have you influenced lately by the words you have spoken and the way they've seen you live your life? Are they learning good lessons or poor ones?

Let us all be encouraged to teach those whom we meet this week lessons of forgiveness, of humility, of goodness, and especially of love.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
James 1:3

Has your faith been tested lately? Did you rejoice? Probably not. But remember that in Romans 5 Paul says that we rejoice in our sufferings because they bring about endurance, which brings about character, which in turn brings about hope (the hope we have in God).

Ok, so maybe we won't always rejoice when we suffer and/or our faith is tested. But bear in mind that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him. He allows our faith to be tested to make it stronger. So keep the faith, therefore keeping the hope in God to see you through any testing in your lives. God bless.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
John 6:14-15 (TNIV)

This comes immediately after Jesus miraculously feeds thousands of people with nothing but 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. The people have now seen him heal people and satisfy their physical need of hunger. And they want Jesus as their king.

Jesus, though, did not come to satisfy the needs of the people. He didn't come so that everyone could lead a comfortable life here on earth. These are the things that people then (and still today) want. But Jesus is about the will of the Father in Heaven, not the will of those he came to save. Because of his of great love for us, he desires to what His Father knows is best. He desires for us to have eternal fill instead of temporary.

How often might we have our own agendas where we want Jesus to fall in line with our needs; our desires, instead of us falling in line with his will for our lives? Remember, if Jesus is really King of your life, then you follow Him, not vice versa. You are to be about fulfilling His purposes, not the other way around.

Let us follow our King and receive eternal joy.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Philippians 3:8-9

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:14

Listen to yourself as you read these verses, and you just might hear the passion of a man who desires nothing but to know, love and share Jesus with others. Most anybody will get passionate about something. Many get passionate about sporting events. Start up a conversation about the Atlanta Braves and you'll see excitement come over my face. Many are passionate about politics or books or their favorite television program. And while none of these are bad things, how many of us are as passionate about serving Christ as we are the football games on Friday or Saturday nights or the next election or upcoming "season premiere of the hottest new drama on TV"? How many of us have the attitude that Paul displays when he makes the claim "to live is Christ and to die is gain"?

As individuals, we are all given a passion when we turn our lives over to Christ. That's why many new Christians seem on fire and want to join everything in the church. I believe that our passion is a gift just like our faith or ability to love. And I believe that God instills in us a passion for ministry as well. It's a fire within us to do something. But if this passion is not fueled and used, it will burn out and we will become comfortable doing nothing.

I've heard that a church's vision can be viewed as the pastor's passion plus the congregation's passion plus the needs of the surrounding community. The pastor cannot do it on her/his on. And then there are of course those pastors with burned out passions as well. So the pastor and the people must both seek out their passions and together do something with them. Otherwise, the church will die.

So what is your passion for ministry? What desire has burned in you before or is burning in you today? Do you need God to place a passion for Christ and doing ministry with Him in your heart? Think about it. Pray about it. And ask God to fire you up. This is not for you to take a side of an issue or to have an agenda. Instead, it's to find the love of Christ burning in you and leading you to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called (you) heavenward in Christ Jesus".

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

I’ve been listening to a Casting Crowns song entitled “And Now My Lifesong Sings”. It’s a slower song of prayer to God. You can check it out at the bottom of the post.


And Now My Lifesong Sings by Casting Crowns

I once was lost, but now I’m found
I once was lost, but now I’m found
So far away, but I’m home now
I once was lost, but now I’m found
And now my lifesong sings

I once was blind, but now I see
I once was blind, but now I see
I don’t know how, but when He touched me
I once was blind, but now I see

And now my lifesong sings
And now my lifesong sings
And now my lifesong sings

I once was dead, but now I live
I once was dead, but now I live
Now my life to You I give
Now my life to You I give
Now my life to You I give

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Let my lifesong sing to You

“I once was lost, but now am found”. Sound familiar? Sound like Amazing Grace? Sound like what happened in your life? Sound like something you would like to happen in your life?

I once lived a totally dedicated life. The problem was that it was dedicated to myself. I didn’t know it at the time. I didn’t understand what it meant to be lost. But lost is the best way to describe just where I was.

God had been calling out to me, but I just hadn’t really listened. I believed in a God and a Jesus because surely they wouldn’t lie to me in Sunday school when I was little. But I didn’t know that God wanted me to have this close connection with me. I didn’t know that Jesus wanted to abide in me and be not only my Savior and Lord, but also my friend.

I was lost, but finally God’s call connected. And I was found. I hope that many of you have a similar story…about being found I mean. And if you’re still in the lostness, know that God doesn’t give up…even if we think we’ve given up in Him. He loves us so much that the bible tells us “…He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him, shall not perish.”

But as the song goes, that’s only half the story. When we are found; when we’re no longer dead, but alive, we are to give our lives to Him. He doesn’t want our lives to rule like Kings of old who took control by force. He wants to rule our lives like someone who truly cares for us. He wants to see us succeed. He wants to show us His peace and mercy and love. And He wants us to live our lives sharing these things with others. This is what it means to be a Christian.

So how about it, huh? What kind of song will your lifesong sing?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. ...What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT)

When one becomes a Christian, the supposition is that Christ has come into that person's life. On one hand, change in all facets of a Christian's life doesn't always happen over night. On the other hand, if someone does truly accept Christ and His ways, change will occur.

Today I would like to ask each one of us to look not at other Christians, but at ourselves. Let us each ask ourselves if we are living lives, thinking thoughts, doing certain things that we once did before Christ was a part of our lives. How have we changed? Are we allowing Christ to continually change us? Are there parts of us that we won't allow God to change for one reason or another?

Peter writes in his first letter that we are to be holy, just as Jesus was holy. Jesus once told us that we were to be perfect, just as our Heavenly Father is perfect. Do we make excuses here, claiming these as impossibilities. Or will we lead lives where each day we make an effort to do what the Bible commands us to do?

Know that God doesn't expect perfection over night. And to be quite honest, I don't think He expects complete sinlessness. But if we are willing to try, Jesus can make us holy (or right with God) and we can obtain perfect love of God and neighbor.

The question for us today is this. In a world where it's easier to give up, forget, or get lazy, are we really trying?

In the love of Christ,
greg