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)

The real problem is that we can show favoritism by neglect. I will be honest. I will favor my wife over others. I will want to spend more time with her and show her love more often. But this scripture is not about having a favorite person or persons in your life. It's really about neglect.

We might be tempted to favor people with money, power, prestige or celebrity status over those who have little or can do little to help us. But our faith is a faith of love for each other regardless of status.

We can begin this by doing away with our preimagined ideas about status. Don't automatically think that just because of the way a person is dressed or how many places they've got tattooed or pierced or where they live that they are less important than other people.

God loves each of us. He created us. And we are all special to Him. I think He'd like for us to put away favoritism and show His love to everyone.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:2-3

We are precious in God's sight. He promises to be with us through the troubling times in our lives and to lead us out of them if we will allow Him to. This is one of the greatest promises that God offers us...to not abandon us. People often times abandon Him. But even in the case of those, He never forgets them and accepts them back if they wish to come.

As His children, we should emulate this kind of behavior. I once knew a lady that didn't care much for the Church. That is, until her father was on his death bed. When she saw how her parent's church members gathered around, supporting and showing love to the family, she was changed. And she began going to that church. In her deepest hours of need, she found something out about God. She found out that He would never abandon her. He is not only there when we need Him, but He's not opposed to presenting Himself in tangible ways either. You might not hear Him speak through a burning bush, but you just might through a friend.

Life is supposed to be about relationships with God and each other. It can be as long as we realize that God will not abandon us...and we commit ourselves to never abandoning Him or each other.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.
Genesis 1:31 (NLT)

I've got a friend (Andy Stoddard) who's gone to Chattanooga for the first time this week and has posted on Facebook and Twitter what a gorgeous site the mountains are. He's not one to go on a lot of vacations, but he posted that his next one (in 20 years) was going to be there.

I too, have noticed the beauty of God's creation as I've driven through the Smoky Mountains and various other wonderful places. And at these times I just couldn't help but give God thanks and praise for all He'd created.

We don't have to go to the mountains or the beach or some far away land to see God's created beauty though. Take special notice today to see where you might be missing God's beautiful creation. And when you see it, stop and give Him thanks that you have been blessed with the opportunity to do so. Give Him praise, for only He is capable of such magnificence.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

As I was riding in to work this day a thought kept coming to my mind. It was that there are so many things in this world that can bring us down. Yet at the same time God offers us His Holy Spirit to empower us against the demons of depression, guilt, and sin. This being the case, I plan on asking the Holy Spirit all day to refocus my thoughts on those things that will bring me joy. Remember, Jesus never promised that our lives would be easy. But His promise to us is that with Him, we can make it through and find joy in our lives.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

In today's world of suicide bombers, rapists, killers, muggers, thieves, etc. there may be very little desire to entertain strangers. As if the real world stuff wasn't bad enough, we then turn on the TV or watch movies that are more violent than ever. And we believe we have to think of our safety and those with us when a stranger comes up to us looking for a handout.

It used to be ok to pick up someone on the side of the road who needed a ride. But how many are willing to pick up hitchhikers today? And then, of course, there's all those out there that are trying to take advantage of us. There are people who don't want to work for a living and would rather con people and work the system.

And still the Bible teaches us to entertain strangers. Jesus says that those who give the hungry something to eat and the thirsty something to drink, who welcome the stranger or visit the sick or imprisoned, will be the ones who will have a place with the King.

Sometimes we just have to step out on faith and ask God to protect us. At other times we have to use our common sense. Cell phones can be used to call for help for someone on the side of the road (instead of stopping) if we're not sure. If somebody comes to us each week needing money for gas to get their momma to the same doctor's appointment, we can say "No more". We can buy the gas for them (instead of giving cash) or help them find a job. The truth of the matter is that even if we're being conned, duped, taken (or however you want to put it) nine out of ten times, we may entertain an angel once. Or to put it another way, we may entertain Christ. For He said if we do for the least, we've done for Him.

I, for one, would rather be duped 9 out of 10 times and do the work of Christ once than let my Savior down.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

I like to say a "Good morning" to God each day as I wake. It just seems to get the day started better. But as the scriptures say, we can also lay our requests before him after we wake.

They also say that we are to wait in expectation. There are two key words here, "wait" and "expectation". Don't expect God to fix all your problems with a single word or motion right then. God works in His own time, sometimes immediately...but more often later, teaching us patience.

Even though we shouldn't expect God to answer us immediately every time we come to Him, this doesn't mean we shouldn't expect Him to listen and respond. He hears every word that you breathe or think. I shudder to think of all He's heard me say (good and bad). And He does respond in His way and His time.

So each morning (or anytime for that matter) don't forget that God is listening. Give Him thanks and praise first. Then lay your requests before Him. And then wait in expectation.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT)

Beware of false prophets (teachers, preachers, etc.). Jesus told us this. Paul warned of them in his letters. And Peter is writing the same here. Some will try to get your money, while others will try and lead you away from the Truth. These who are leading people away from the truth are being guided themselves by the devil. Some of their own free will, while others have been trapped and fallen into temptation.

But either way, these false prophets are condemned by God. Test all things that they say by scripture. And when they use scripture to back things up, look it up yourself and make sure they are not taking it out of context with the Bible as a whole. And above all, pray for protection from the Holy Spirit so that you do not fall into their traps and become condemned yourself.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

As he (Saul) was nearing Damascus on this mission (persecution of the followers of Jesus), a brilliant light from heaven suddenly beamed down up on him! He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

"Who are you, sir?" Saul asked.

And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do."
Acts 9:3-5 (NLT)

Two separate thoughts today...or more like two separate questions to ponder:

1) When Saul was persecuting the early believers, he was doing so without even knowing this Jesus that they were following. Question one today is simply, "Do we?" Do we really know the Jesus that we follow, or have we just heard about him? Please don't dismiss this question with a quick "yes, I know him". If the answer is to the positive, you might follow it up with questions like, "Just how well do I know him ?" or "Do I know him as well as he would like?" or "Do I know him as well as I would like?" or "Have I neglected to honestly get to know him as well as I know myself?"

2) Paul persecuted people he really knew nothing much about. He thought he knew that they were misled and that they were causing problems with his organized religion. And this was the basis of his persecution. The question for us today is simply, "Who might we be persecuting...or judging...without really knowing them?"

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

When we do something in God's/Jesus' name, it means that others know what we're doing is because we belong to Him. Many good deeds are done everyday by people of all faiths and backgrounds. How will people know that your words and deeds are done in the name of the the Lord Jesus?

One way is to make it known that you are a Christian. We are not to boast. But when we're not afraid to bring Jesus into conversations with others, they will begin to get a clue. When we're given praise, we may give a humble reminder that we would be able to do nothing without our Lord and Savior.

What I get from this scripture is that we should be speaking and doing deeds that are Christlike, but that we should also be letting others know why we do them.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The earth is the LORD's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
Psalms 24:1 (NIV)

Give thanks today for all you have, for all you have is on loan from the Lord. He is the one who created everything. So all you have - your possessions, your talents, your relationships, your body, your soul - is His to share with whom He pleases. They have all been handed over to you for a period that we call a lifetime (except the soul, which is eternal). So the question is this. What will you do with what you've been loaned?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him.
John 21:15 (NLT)

According to the Gospel of John this is Peter's third encounter with the Post-Resurrection Jesus. He's sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after a night of fishing where the disciples have caught nothing until Jesus arrives and tells them to cast their nets on the other side. Jesus asks Peter a very important question about his love here. "Do you love me more than these?" But what is the "these" that he's talking about?

Is he pointing to the disciples asking if Peter loves him more than the other disciples do? Is he pointing in their direction asking if Peter loves him more than he loves the other disciples? Or could it be something more?

I believe that Jesus is pointing in the general direction of the boats and the nets and catch of the day. Peter knows fishing. Peter is comfortable as a fisherman. It's familiar to him. It's what he's done all his life. And Jesus is asking if Peter loves him more than the things that he knows, understands or is comfortable doing.

Peter has left this life (the life of a fisherman) once to follow Jesus. Now he's being asked if it's all worth it. If he loves Jesus more than his old life, then he will again be offered the chance to follow him.

What about us? Is there anything in our lives that might be getting higher up on our priority list than our Lord? Are there things that may be inching Jesus out of the role of what's most important in our lives? Jesus asks us the same question that he asked Peter so long ago. Do we love him more than "these"?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

John Wesley used to say that the Word of God is twice inspired, once when it was written and once when it is read. This Word is just as much alive today as it ever has been. But it can only live in us and through us if we delve into it.

Is a sampling enough? Is this one verse that you've just read enough to truly come alive in you? I believe the answer to be "No". If we want to grow in Christ...if we want to mature as Christians...if we want to be guided by the Holy Spirit and not our own sinful nature...then we must dedicate time to spending with our Lord and Savior, Jesus. We do this through two ways. One is prayer, and the other is prayerfully reading His Word.

Set aside some time today to get to know Jesus again through reading your Bible. If you haven't picked it up in a while, may I suggest taking a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). Don't think you have to read from beginning to end starting with Genesis and ending with Revelation. That is quite alright for many. But for those who are not accustomed to reading daily, begin with something easy and build your way up to all those laws and genealogies in the first few books. The key is to spend time with God.

May you be deeply enriched and grow in Christian maturity as you delve into God's Word.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places?"
Job 38:18-20 (NIV)

Job has asked God, "Why am I suffering?" How many of us have done the exact same thing? Or maybe you felt that you were not supposed to ask because that might mean your faith wasn't as strong as you thought?

It's OK to ask God. Job did. And Job, though he suffered for a season, was a blessed man whom God loved. But what it all boils down to is this. There are things that we just don't understand. Just as we don't know the "way to the abode of light" or "where darkness resides", we don't always have a clear cut answer for our sufferings. The one thing that we can know is that God does know and God does care. He will see us through the times of suffering. He saw Job through his, and He'll see us through ours.

I don't know it all and will be the first to admit that. Something my pastor, John Sudduth, taught me when I went into the ministry was that sometimes the most important three words I can utter will be "I don't know".

But I do know that Christ loves you and so do I.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18 (NIV)

What do you think this might mean for you? Are there angry people in your life that you'd like to respond in kind? Does revenge ever enter your mind...even in a slight way? Do you ever want to treat others as they treat you instead of as you would like for them to treat you (Golden Rule)?

When Jesus told his disciples that he was going to leave them with his peace, it was a peace that passes all understanding (Paul's words). It was a peace that went beyond the absence of conflict. It was the ability to live joyfully even in the presence of conflict.

Can we live at peace in a world where people will try to take advantage of us and it seems that everyone wants something? Can we live at peace with those who hate us or even might want to do us harm? Can we live at peace with people who don't care about us?

We can if we ask and allow Jesus to give us His Peace. This truly is the peace that passes all understanding. It can get us through anything because it never promises us a rose garden. It promises to strengthen, sustain and never leave our side. That peace is Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

May the peace of Jesus be with you today.

In the love of Christ,
greg