Thought of the Day !!

Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT)

Even though the suffering that Peter was talking about here was the persecution of the new believers in the first century Church, I believe we can receive a comforting message as well as 21st century Christians. He first tells us that the devil is real. And that's something we must come to terms with. Satan is not a red guy with a tail and a pitchfork like you see in the old cartoons. He is a spirit. And he is always lingering and "looking for some victim to devour".

His greatest weapon is temptation. And it is here that we can, oddly enough, find comfort. You see, the devil can tempt us Christians who are robed with the righteousness of Christ. But he can never make us do anything. The temptations may be so strong sometimes that we believe we were made to do something. But in reality, we all have the ability to choose. There will be times when we choose unwisely. But the great thing about Christ is that He's willing to forgive.

Peter reminds us that we are not alone. If you are struggling with sin right now in your life, be it something big or some smaller things you just seem to continue to struggle with, know that you're not the only one. We are in this together. "Your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are", Peter wrote.

What makes this comforting is the fact that there are others out there that we can talk to and that can help. Find someone you trust and hold each other accountable in love. Help each other fight the temptations of the devil. When we do this, he hasn't got a chance.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Is Anybody Out There?

If I were to quit blogging but kept up my Thought of the Day !! on Facebook and via email, would anybody notice?

Thought of the Day !!

Then Gideon said to God, "In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said."
Judges 6:36-37 (NRSV)

I was reading through Judges last night and came across the story of Gideon and this small segment that has always given me trouble. In actuality Gideon demands not once but twice that God prove Himself to Gideon. I compare this with the scripture that Jesus quotes when being tempted by the devil that goes, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Or at least I always have. Today I'm looking at things a little differently. Allow me to explain.

In the Bible I was reading last night there was a heading above this passage that read "Gideon asks for a sign". Now this is much different from my understanding of a man who tests God. Maybe Gideon, who'd heard God speak to him for the first time, wasn't quite sure what God sounded like. How many times, even after knowing God's voice in the past, have I wondered if it were God directing me or something else? Maybe Gideon had to be sure it was really God.

I've often wondered if it showed a lack of faith to ask God for a sign and specify what that sign might be. For instance, as a child I once was looking out my window late one night at the lightning storm. I remember as the lightning was getting almost nonexistent I asked God to give me a sign. If He were really there, to make it lightning right now. And a huge bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Well, not sure if it were coincidence or not, I asked again and it happened again. I kept asking...as kids just like to be amazed by things...and it stopped.

I wonder today if I should ask for particular signs? Actually, I have done so from time to time. At least once God gave me the sign that I asked for. It was when He called me into the ministry. But there have been others when it seemed like my request fell on deaf ears. Was He not listening? Or could this be a test of patience for me? Or might He be telling me that I must learn faith by not always knowing?

My point is this. If we ask for signs from God with good intentions and a well-meaning heart, we might or might not get the sign we ask for. But there will be those times when God will show us a sign so that we can hang on to the memory of it and it will keep us going.

Seek signs from God, the ones He chooses and even ones you might ask for. And thank Him for however He chooses to speak to you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)

Is the Spirit of the Lord being reflected in your life? Or do others see something else when they look at you?

Be honest. I hear so often "Well, I hope...." Don't look at what you hope is true or what you would like to be true. Take a good hard look at yourself today and ask yourself what others would say that they see in you if they were completely honest with you. How many would say that they see a selfish person or a hypocrite? How many would say that they see someone who is prideful...or how about undependable...or how about quick to become angry...or how about neglectful of others' feelings? I'm sure I couldn't count the number of times that these have been what others have seen in me over my life.

How many would say that when they look at you they see a little piece of Christ? My desire is that when people look at me they see a small reflection of the one who lives in me. My goal needs to be to be more reflective of Him and less of me. How about you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)

Our days may be planned out, but we never know when something will come in and mess up our plans. Surprises can happen at any time that will derail us. But when we rely on God's strength each day, He will see us through the days that go according to planned, as well as those that don't.

This verse from Isaiah sounds like a good prayer to begin the day with. "O Lord, my God, please be gracious to me today for I long to be with you constantly. Be my strength this morning and save me from all the distress that will come my way this day."

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 (NIV)

Not in some things...not in most things...not in the good things that happen in our lives...but in "ALL" things God works for the good of those who love him.

In the midst of our personal trials, we may not think anything good can happen. But if we will look close enough, we will see that God even uses these times. It may be to build our character or strength. I remember one of the Star Trek movies where someone "playing" God told Captain Kirk, the captain of the starship Enterprise, that he could take away the things from his past that caused him pain. Kirk replied that he didn't want his past pains taken away. These were the things that brought him character and made him who he was.

We would not be who we are today if it were not for the good and bad things that happened in our lives. We are strengthened by trials and tribulations that we've overcome. And this is just a sample of how God "can" work for good in all things.

Other times that seemingly have no upside to them are times of disaster. We all remember 9/11. This was a terrible event in the history of our nation. But afterwards our nation banded together and you didn't hear about political parties and other kinds of disputes. We were all on the same team, even if only for a short while. How did God work good in this? Church attendance rose in the weeks following this event. I know that many of those who started coming after 9/11 have long since quit coming again, but you and I will never know how many came back and stayed and how many found a deeper relationship with God because of it. And God works for good.

Lets not forget tragic natural disasters like the earthquake in Haiti or the tornadoes that ripped through Mississippi early this year or the devastating hurricanes that hit our Gulf Coast within the last several years. Where was God through events such as Katrina? I saw Him in the aftermath where people learned that they could make a difference. He was there when neighbor helped neighbor (even if that neighbor was someone they'd never met). People learned how to care for others and feed others and pray with others. Many learned how to be a Christian, maybe for the first time. And so the love of Christ has been shared throughout our lands. And God works for good.

We can see God working good in ALL things if we will only look close enough. He didn't make 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina happen. He didn't start the fires that seem to sweep through different places out west each year. He didn't flood Nashville or wreak havoc through tornadoes and oil spills. He wasn't trying to test us, punish us, or see how we would react. But in these events He does see us through and works good for all of us who love Him and are called to live according to His purpose.

Today you may be going through trials of pain in your life. This pain could be physical or mental or emotional. But whatever kind it might be, know that God is with you and that He can even bring good out of whatever you're going through. May God bless you in whatever circumstances you live. And may there be more good ones that bad ones. And may you see the good that God does in your life through both.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:1-3 (NRSV)

There was a little girl who attended church and Sunday school each week. She loved her church and wanted to be there all the time. One day at school an older boy who was picking on her told her that there was no such thing as God. He kept telling her that she was just a little girl and that she didn't know anything. Finally he asked her, "Why do you believe?" She responded very simply with "I just do".

Later in life when she was older and in the workplace and confronted with the same question, she made a very similar response, but she would always add that her faith gave her hope. Without it, life just wouldn't be worth living.

Jesus didn't want us to become childish. He wanted us to become childlike. There is something about a child, or more specifically for today's thought, a child's faith that is incredible. They simply believe. So often we become calloused by the world in which we live in and lose some (or all) of our childlike faith.

Sometimes we can't know all the answers. We have to rely on a childlike faith and the hope that it brings us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.
1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)

What does it mean to grow into the fullness of our salvation? I see this as maturing as Christians. When we are born again, we are changed in a miraculous way. But at the same time, our behavior and thinking may not be totally changed.

The new birth is just the beginning, not the end of our salvation story. It is then that God justifies us...that He forgives us and makes us worthy of His redemption. Then we are to begin a new life where we look at things differently. We'll continue to have pitfalls, failures and successes. We can learn from each one and grow in our relationship with God from each one. These are the things that will build us. And we should be able to look back daily and say to ourselves, "I'm not where I should be yet, but I'm much better off than I was."

After we're born again, the goal is for us to continue to mature, or as Wesley put it, to go on towards perfection. So what we must realize is that the new birth and/or baptism is not the end of our salvation story. These are just the beginning. Let us all crave the pure spiritual milk that God has to offer us and grow into the fullness of our salvation.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

It's easy to tell people how they'll fail. Be different, and encourage others to succeed. Then help them do just that. Both their lives and yours will be better for it.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.
Acts 2:42 (NLT)

These members who made up the beginnings of the Church were devoted people. Devotion means to have a profound dedication for something. It means making sacrifices or giving up things for whatever you're devoted to. For instance, I was devoted to band for a few years in Jr. High and High School. I gave up much of my time and social life for practice and performances. A man and a woman who are devoted to each other and marry give up their single life and much of what goes with it because they see that what they're gaining is much better. A person who is devoted to losing weight will give up certain foods that they love to achieve their goal.

God wants us to become devoted to Him. What are you willing to sacrifice, or give up, to become a devoted believer?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house."
Haggai 1:9 (NIV)

I came across this verse in another devotion and the question was asked "Do you spend as much time on God's interests as you do on your own?" The author was trying to say that if God isn't a part of what we're doing, then it will all be blown away.

This reminded me of another passage from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus speaks of building houses on rock instead of sand. The same question could be asked after reading this verse. Do we spend as much time on God's interests as we do on our own?

The verse from Haggai refers to God's people spending their time doing for themselves while the Temple (God's house) remained in ruin. If we update this to today, it might speak to us saying that we spend so much time thinking about ourselves that we forget that the Church (not referring to a building, but the people of God) is in decline in many ways.

So the question must be asked yet again. Do we spend as much time on God's interests as we do on our own?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:20 (NIV)

Christians (Christ-followers) have a different set of standards than those of the world. They also have a different home. For their permanent home is Heaven, not this earth. And so they are called on to live by these standards set forth by Jesus and for this home called Heaven. Yet so often we live like our citizenship is here and not in eternity. We worry about tomorrow. We hold on to anger and revenge. We think more about what we want than what Christ wants from us.

I wonder how Christ, whom we're supposed to be placing first in our lives, feels about all this? I wonder how disappointed our Father in Heaven must be when we forget whose we are and whom we're supposed to be representing?

I've been reading through the book of Joshua and have been reminded of those great words, "Choose this day whom you will serve." and "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Let us take these words seriously today as we remember where our citizenship is. Let us live as though we are foreigners in this land so that we don't get too accustomed to its ways. Let us reach toward Heaven in all we do and eagerly await the time when we will see our Savior in that place we call Home.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11 (NIV)

Some days we need to just begin our day praising God and thanking Him. Actually, we should do this every day. But maybe some days more than others because we got up on the wrong side of the bed. Or we know of a confrontation that will be coming our way. Or we know it's gonna be a long tedious day. Sometimes we just (especially) need to begin our day praising God and thanking Him.

No matter what you think your day is going to wind up being like, it will be better if you go through it with an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. So give God thanks for something He has done in your life. Praise Him for something He's doing now. And rejoice in what He can accomplish through you in this day as you have a Godly attitude of praise.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NLT)

The race that Paul speaks of finishing was not a sprint. It was a marathon, which is very important. In a marathon, it's not how well you start (many of us may start slow). It's how you finish.

Just about anyone can finish a hundred yard dash. It may take a while for a lot of us. But we can finish the race at least. But a marathon is different. You have to train hard for a marathon or you'll never even make it to the end.

Our lives are like marathons with three legs to the great race. Consider which leg you may be in, and ask yourself how well you are staying trained spiritually for the marathon life of a Christian.

1st Leg – to come into a deeply personal relationship with God through Christ – to learn of His love and to share in that love with Him by giving it back to Him

2nd leg – to listen to Him and His calling on our lives and then train for these callings through prayer and worship and Bible Study

3rd leg – to live out this loving relationship and this calling with all His other children (our brothers and sisters)

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)

How often do you need strength to get days or situations that come up unexpectedly and bring you down?

There are times when I wonder how I would've made it without the strength of the Lord. It might not be evident to others. It might not be an escape of whatever trouble is building up. But an unexplainable and yet undeniable strength comes upon me that helps me hang on.

Jesus tells us that our God will not allow us to go through things that we cannot handle. I believe this is because with His strength we can handle anything.

So seek God's strength for your life today. Rely upon that strength when times are tough. And rejoice in it when everything is well and your life is heading to great heights.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
Psalm 90:2;4 (NIV)

In the book of Revelation Jesus says that he is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Our God (Father, Son and Spirit) have always been and will always be. That is why we can count on God. In an everchanging world, He is the one constant. Take courage today in the fact that your God will outlast any enemy, any ailment, any distress. Take comfort in the fact that your God is awesome and can create not just the mountains and the earth, but also a place of perfection called Heaven. Take joy in the fact that His grace is sufficient to forgive you of anything as well as the fact that He wants you with Him for eternity.

Our God is an Awesome God!

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

For some reason there are times when people just rub us the wrong way. It might be the way that they say something. It might be the particular mood we're in. It might be that we're just defensive by nature. But the advice of this proverb should be stored away in our memory so that every time we answer someone, we'll be reminded of how God would want us to do so.

No matter what someone has said or done to you, biting back with harsh words will just stir up more trouble. The reason for this is that harsh words leave no room for forgiveness. And forgiveness comes from love. And love comes from God. And so does everything good and holy.

So when we snap with harsh words, stirring up anger, we're pushing ourselves farther from God and His love instead of bringing ourselves closer.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)

I would like to share a quote by C.S. Lewis:

"Do not waste your time bothering whether you "love" your neighbor. Act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."

Love is an action verb. It's something that we have to put to work in our lives. We can say that we love people all day long. But that won't make it so.

God created us as beings with free will. We have the ability to choose. Will we choose to claim that we love others. Or will we choose to act out love towards others? How about this? Why don't we do both? And as Lewis pointed out, even when we have a hard time loving someone, we will be able to make it happen through behaving in a manner that is loving toward them.

In the love of Christ,
greg