Thought of the Day !!

As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life.
2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

Knowing Jesus better means growing in our relationship with him. We do that through finding out more about him and speaking to him constantly, while allowing him to speak back.

When we do this, His divine power (being used through God's Holy Spirit) enables us to do things we couldn't do before we grew in this relationship. For instance, before I had a strong relationship with Jesus, I was a follower. In high school I would do just about anything to be accepted by others, even if it was something bad. But now, I know I am accepted by my Lord and Savior and do not feel as though I have to do anything to be accepted by others. And this has led to me living a more godly life.

This is merely one example of how the divine power of God gives us everything we need for living a godly life. Jesus knows each and every one of us and sees where there are things in our lives that we can battle on our own, but will never win. For the temptation to do them is too strong. If we will only seek the help of our Savior, his divine power is enough to defeat whatever the devil throws at us. It may not be all at once, but as your relationship grows, so will your ability to fight sin.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Do not be like the horse or the mule,

which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
Psalm 32:9-11 (NIV)

First of all, we're told to not be like those who have no understanding. Our understanding of God's ways, His will for our lives and His plan of salvation for us can be found through reading our Bibles and praying to Him.

Secondly, David makes it clear that the wicked have many problems. Sometimes it may seem as though the worst people are the ones with all the luck or all the stuff. But what they don't have are the things that only God can give. Peace...Assurance...True Joy...Eternal Life.

Lastly, we find in verse 11 that we should rejoice. Now I don't feel like rejoicing all the time. Sometimes I get down. But even in my worst moments I can always know that God is with me and that He is not going to let anything come my way that will completely sink me. And that is something to rejoice about.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:35-37 (NLT)

This life is but a fleeting moment of time. Even if it doesn’t feel that way, it’s true. We cannot comprehend eternity, and so these sufferings that we go through seem to be much longer than they really are.

But is all life suffering? No. There are joyful moments even as we go through pain. There are the sunny days in the midst of what seems like a sea of dark clouds. And for those of us who are lucky enough to have the heart and attitude of Christ (especially attitude), we will find the joy in the midst of a hurting world; the light in the midst of a darkened world.

Why? Because Christ Jesus loves us that much.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

When we pray, God will instruct and teach us. He will guide us. BUT, what good is this if we're not listening?

Don't let your prayers be monologues where you do all the talking and hang up the phone with an "Amen" while going about your business. A good prayer life is a dialogue with God. It's a conversation where we speak...but we also listen. Sometimes God will speak to us right then. And often times He will speak to us in His own time. So our lives have to be lived out in prayer. We must live a life of prayer, where we may not always be talking to God, but we're always listening.

God might speak to you through the reading and studying of your Bible. He might speak to you through other people like a pastor or friends or even complete strangers. He could also speak to you through an inner voice or gut feeling.

So the key is to be listening at all times. Then we can hear when God instructs and councils us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 32:6-7 (NIV)

David wrote that when the mighty waters rise, "they will not reach him" (meaning them who are godly and pray). I think we need to look at this very closely and not read into this that we won't have any problems if we will only pray. Jesus talked a lot about taking up crosses and suffering. He never promised us a rose garden. But he did teach us that his yoke was bearable and that the world's is not.

So I like to think of this passage in this way. Those who are godly and pray won't be drowned by the waters. We'll still have pain and problems in our lives, but when we take our burdens to Jesus (God), we have a help that will continue to hold us up above the waters.

One time after a funeral a neighbor made a statement that was something like, "I just don't know how those people who don't know Jesus get through times like these." The waters can drown people who don't have a relationship with God through Jesus or even those who simply aren't in constant contact with their Lord and Savior through prayer.

Keep God first in your life. Pray continually to Him. And ask for His protection from the waters of this world that can drown you at times without that protection.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6 (NLT)

Where will our minds go today? We will think about daily things such as what has to be done at work or what to have for lunch or supper or what’s going on with the kids. These things are necessary as we go through our day.

But our minds will go so many places today that have nothing to do with the mundane daily stuff that has to be done. Will we think about sinful things? If we are controlled by our sinful (human) nature, we will. If we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, or if Jesus rules our heart, then we will think about things that please God.

Does this mean that if we’ve accepted Jesus then we’ll never have another sinful thought again? No. For we fight a battle with the temptation of sin on a daily basis. Sometimes we lose this battle. But if we have the Holy Spirit within us, we realize that the sinful thoughts are contrary to God’s will and it bothers us. When the Holy Spirit is in us, we want to be better people who obey Jesus and live within God’s will.

And when the Spirit lives in us and controls our minds, we have a peace that cannot be found when we allow our sinful nature to control them. So find peace in living in God’s will and thinking about the things of God today. Praise Him, thank Him and walk with Him. And your day will brighten.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Today I'm taking the easy way out and forwarding what was sent to me this morning. These are the thoughts of my brother in Christ, Rev. Andy Stoddard on this Ash Wednesday. If you have any questions about Ash Wednesday or giving up something for Lent, feel free to send those my way. And if you're in the area, our Ash Wednesday service begins at 7pm tonight. Hope to see you there.

In the love of Christ,
greg


This is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 Days of Lent.

This is a time to stop. To pause. To reflect.

Reflect upon our sin. For it was our sin that sent Jesus to the cross. It was my sin. It was your sin. It was for our sin that He suffered and died. It was in this that He has given us grace.

And how we take that grace for granted. How we abuse that grace. How we disregard His grace.

We do not take seriously all He has done for us. He has given His all for us.

What do we give Him?

Do we give Him what He deserves? Or what is left?

Is serving Him our primary goal, or do when place God on the very bottom of our list?

Do we talk about God and faith, do we make it our Facebook Status and have very little of it in our lives?

When did we last read our Bible? Pray? Serve someone else? Share our faith?

God has given so much for us. As we start this season of Lent, may we give back to Him.

What will you give up for Jesus this Lent? What will you start for Jesus this Lent?

May we take seriously all He has done. And may we live with an abundance of thanksgiving for it.

Andy

Thought of the Day !!

Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
Romans 7:6 (NLT)

We are not bound by the letter of the law and its penalties when we accept Jesus as our Savior. He died to pay the penalty for us.

Instead we live in the Holy Spirit. Or you might say that God’s Holy Spirit lives within us. That’s what we mean when we say that Jesus is in our hearts.

This does not discard the law, however, because God’s moral law guides His Spirit, which in turn guides us. This is, I believe, what Jesus meant when he said that he didn’t come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it.

If Jesus lives within us through the Holy Spirit, can we simply disregard God’s moral laws, such as the ones found in the Ten Commandments? I don’t think we can. We may not always remain faithful to keeping the moral law, or what’s right in God’s eyes. But when we fail, we feel bad. We are not penalized like in the Old Testament. We are forgiven. But we know we’ve done something wrong and don’t want to continue. This is living in the Spirit.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Revelation 3:20 (NLT)

I've used this verse before when giving talks at spiritual retreats. I'll knock on the podium and tell people that Jesus is knocking on the door of their hearts. If we'll but open the door and let Him in, we will be complete.

Of course this verse was written not for people to invite Christ into their lives and be saved. In its original context, these words were written to the Church of Laodicea in Asia Minor. They had become a lukewarm church who had become indifferent to Jesus and his message. And Jesus speaks these words to Christians, asking them to open the door and let Him back in.

Unlike other major religions like Islam and Hinduism and Buddhism, we Christians not only seek God, but also have a God that continuously seeks us. Jesus seeks to be in relationship with the unsaved. But He also seeks us when we become complacent or stray away from Him.

If you've become complacent, indifferent, lukewarm, etc., Jesus is at the door of your heart. And He's knocking. All you have to do is open the door (again). He's waiting to come in because He loves you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
Romans 6:4 (NLT)

Paul says that through baptism we go through a death. I take this to mean that it's death to this world and its control over us.

He also tells us that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so can we be raised. We can have new lives. These are changed lives that matter. These are second chances. And these new lives are gifts to each of us.

Being born again with Christ is an opportunity to live life in a better way and to find unseen joys in Christ that we never thought possible before. This gift is available to all and enjoyed by many.

The problem is that when we accept Christ into our lives, we can squander this gift by still trying to find our joy and peace in how the world brings it to us. And so before long our new lives look not unlike our old ones.

I encourage you to think about this gift that you received when you were baptized (or when you accepted Jesus and were born again). Are you living a new life with all its possibilities? Or has the old life crept back in?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Psalm 32:5 (NIV)

They say that confession is good for the soul. And whoever they are, they're right. But in most cases I would presume that people are talking about a mental or emotional well-being. In other words, when we confess to one another, it can make us feel good.

But confession to God is good for the eternal soul as well. God knows what we've done. He doesn't need us to tell Him. But when we confess we take the first step of repentance and we humble ourselves before God.

So confess before God and God will forgive you when you do so with the right attitude of humility and repentance.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
Revelation 3:8 (NLT)

John is relaying Jesus' message to the church in Philadelphia here. These words of encouragement for people back then can be words of advice for us today. First of all John writes that they had little strength. This equates to being weak, but Jesus sees this as a strength. For when we are strong on our own, we can fall into the temptation of leaning on ourselves as opposed to leaning on Jesus. In reality we are all weak when it comes to sin, temptation and salvation. The sooner we learn to find our strength in the Lord, the better.

Secondly, we see that they obeyed Jesus' word. They didn't have the Bible but did have the Apostles' teachings. We do have the Word of God today, known as the Holy Bible. If we're going to obey this Word of God, then we must first know it. That means we should consume ourselves with it daily.

And lastly, the people of the church in Philadelphia did not deny Jesus. They remained faithful due to their obedience to Christ and the strength that they found in Him. They had many more persecutions than we do today. They had as much temptation as we do today, though maybe just fewer avenues such as media, television and Internet for the temptation to come their way. But through all the persecution and temptations they did not deny Jesus.

It's embarrassing to think about how little persecution we have today in America, yet how we deny Jesus so often. As Christians we may never deny him like Peter did and say that we don't know Him. But how often do we deny Jesus by our harsh words, our unChristian actions, or our lifestyle choices? Philip Yancey wrote, and DC Talk later made the introduction to one of their songs with these words. "What an unbelieving world finds unbelievable is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny him with their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world finds so unbelievable."

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalms 9:10

Seek God in your life and He will be there in any circumstance. His promise is to never forsake you. So no matter how bad things seem to get, seek His face, His love, His peace, His encouragement, His strength...His grace in all places. He may speak to you in your innermost being or through something outside such as a friend or an occurrence. Just seek Him, for He's there for those who know His name and trust in Him.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV)

People judge others all the time. We judge and are judged based on attributes such as sex, skin color, political beliefs, religious beliefs, and on and on. If a person looks a certain way or acts a certain way or believes a certain way, then there must be something wrong with that person. And judgments are often incorrect. Nathanael judged a man because of where he came from..."Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" This judgment was not a very good one indeed. For Jesus is the one he was talking about.

When we judge others, we take on a privilege that has not been given to us. For Jesus, the only perfect one to ever live, is the true Judge. We may disagree. We may argue about various things. We may try and persuade others against a certain behavior. But the difference in this and judging is when we start believing that we know the totality of God's will on the subject and that the other person (or group) cannot possibly be trying to listen to God. In other words, believing something like "I know what's right and what's wrong, whereas you cannot since you disagree with me".

Issues like homosexuality and abortion and the death penalty, along with environmental, economic or political issues can divide us because we believe so adamantly that we're right and the other side is wrong. This can lead to believing that the person on the other side is a bad person. And so we judge that person based upon his/her belief.

You may be right on an issue. And on the other hand you may be wrong. For when two sides are so far apart from each other, one or the other side has to be wrong. But never let the devil use these issues to convince you to break the second greatest commandment...love of neighbor.

You may sense that God is calling you to stand up to support or go against a certain issue. And if that's the case, by all means, do what God is calling you to do. But even though you may find it your calling to make a stand for what you believe is God's will, never allow yourself to get caught up in judging someone else. For the other person may honestly believe that they're just doing what God wants them to do as well. And only God knows for sure what is truly right. So let someone who's more qualified have the job of judging. Allow Jesus to do this. Anyway, we're supposed to be in the business of loving, not judging.

As for me, I ask for God's forgiveness where I have judged and will judge in the future. And I ask that You, oh Lord, will be more lenient in judgment of me than I have been with others at times.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

Often times we Christians can be too timid. Of course the opposite is true too. We have been know to beat people over the head with our Bibles, go on Crusades (or wage war) in the name of Christ, and to condemn folks for their sins while hiding our own. So we can go too far in either direction.

But in the things that Paul is speaking of here, we can never go too far. God gave us a spirit of power. If we have God's Holy Spirit in us, then we have a power unparalleled by any other. We have the power to serve, to forgive, to love. This kind of power knows no bounds and is greater than any of the negatives that the devil tries to throw at us.

God gave us a spirit of love. This means that we are capable of loving no matter what. Here is one of the places we are too timid at times though. Many feel embarrassed to show love in today's world. It's not the "manly" thing to do. Or even for women, it may not be proper in places. But we have been given the spirit of love of neighbor, and the Bible teaches us to use this gift generously. I've seen this in several ways in the past like after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina or recently with the Haiti Earthquake relief. But don't let it come down to a disaster occurring to give you a reason to show love to others.

God also gave us a spirit of self-discipline. Look deep inside yourself. It's there. For some of us though, we just have to look a little harder.

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)

The LORD has a plan and a purpose for you. You're not a robot that He controls to do this and that, but instead, you choose to follow His design for your life or not. Which will you choose (His faithful plan or what this world may tempt you with as an alternative way)?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Question of the Day ??

What is the most important part of the worship service to you? And why?

Thought of the Day !!

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)

Have you ever heard (or said) something to the extent of "I can worship God in the woods on Sunday mornings" or "God is in nature and can be seen or felt on a golf course (or lake) just like in a church" or "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian". I know I have. I even used to say that last one.

The fact is, there is some truth in these. You CAN worship God anywhere. You CAN see God anywhere. And you DON'T have to ever walk inside a church building to be a Christian. BUT...every time I've heard these or said these, they were used as excuses not to go to church and not explanations of how someone actually planned on being with God.

The Church of today may not be what it was in the book of Acts. But when anything grows tremendously it's going change. So maybe we should look back to the early church that is detailed in Acts to remind us of our roots and where we need to be more like our beginnings. And as for coming together, we have to do this. We need it for accountability, for learning, for lifting up and being lifted up. God wants it, for it shows that we're putting Him first before ourselves. I really do believe that the Church would have never been formed if God didn't want us to gather together. You can debate if this gathering should be on Sunday mornings at 11:AM or Saturday or Wednesday nights. You can debate whether or not you go to a big church, a small church, a home church or whatever. The point is simply that we gather with others for the purpose of placing God first and being guided by His Holy Spirit.

So in the end, I say to you today to be a part of the Church. You'll make God happy, and you'll be blessed for doing it. Remember, the Church is not a building...it's all of us who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, putting our faith and trust in Him for our salvation.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
Romans 2:1,4 (NLT)

When we judge others or are intolerant of them, we should remember how kind and tolerant and patient God has been with us. If we are Christians, then our goal should be to be more and more like Christ. And if this is so, we should remember to treat others as He has treated us.

In the love of Christ,
greg