Thought of the Day !!

Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:30 (NLT)

Just like Paul, I am always appreciative of your prayers. But Paul is asking for his readers to join in his "struggle" by praying for him. Ministry is the most awesome thing I can think of to do for a living. I love my calling because it's a special privilege that God has given me. But it's also a daily struggle, whether it be putting our fires, fending off the devil, battling complacency or striving for something better for those I minister to.

Join the struggle today for those in ministry at your churches, in your neighborhoods and wherever God's people are called to go. Pray for strength against temptation and peace of mind in carrying out God's will. Pray for me. Pray for our mission team going to Nicaragua from Gibson next week. Pray for your own pastor if you don't attend Gibson. Pray for your own ministry wherever it might be. Join the struggle by fighting the spiritual forces of evil with God's Word and by joining the Holy Spirit in prayer. And may God bless you in the battle.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Today is the last Thought of the Day for a couple of weeks. I will be in Nicaragua next week and in West Tennessee the week after. While in Nicaragua I will have the privilege of teaching local pastors how to come up with simple sermons and bible studies. While in West Tennessee I will be conducting a three day faith rally with the hopes of restoring the true nature of Christian faith to those who may have lost what they once had (or never had before). God brought this devotion to my mind today, and I understand why as I ask you to struggle with me as I attempt to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in two different areas of the world in two totally different ways. Love ya. Will be checking back in as soon as I can.

Thought of the Day !!

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

I was meditating on this verse last night with the help of Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest classic devotional book when these thoughts came to me.

If we are to take Paul seriously here (and I hope we will) then we must be crucified with Christ as well. This doesn't mean imitating Jesus, believe it or not. We are not to do our best to be someone who is like Christ. We can't try our best to be like Jesus because our best simply won't do.

We must die to ourselves, to the selfishness that is at the heart of our human nature and the desire to sin. We must crucify these things within us, allowing Jesus to take their place. Then we won't be like Christ, but actually be a vessel of Christ. If invited, He will come in by the way of His Holy Spirit.

So our best prayer always is simply this. "Come Holy Spirit". For when He comes He brings the perfection of Christ Jesus with Him. We will still get in the way from time to time, but even then, God the Father, forgives us.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this. Quit trying to be like Christ. Instead allow Him to come in and take control of you so that you and Christ will be one. That is my ultimate goal today. It's a goal that may not be accomplished today. But that's no reason not to begin.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
Psalm 71:8 (NIV)

As the book of James says, with the same mouth that we use to bless people we also use to curse people. If you think about it, all kinds of things will come from your mouth today. You might speak about the weather or the news of the day. You might ask for help or give advice in a certain area. You might share a memory or speak of the future. I bet we would all be surprised if we actually knew the amount of words that we speak in any given day.

So as we think about this, what percentage of these words will be used to praise God today, "declaring [His] splendor all day long"? May God's splendor and His love be in the forefront of our minds so that our mouths will be "filled with...praise".

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)

Either on purpose of by accident someone leaves the hot coals of a camp fire and a wind begins to blow fanning the coals. A fire begins, at first a spark, but then flames that get higher and higher. They are carried by the wind to the nearby brush. And before you know it a forest fire begins. The fire rips through acres and acres of beautiful trees and leaves a huge barren wasteland where animals have fled and ashes now remain.

A horrible death comes to much of God's beautiful forest and to many of His creatures that couldn't escape. Can anything good come from this?

Actually, the ashes are used by God as fertilizer to produce another wonderful forest where the sunlight can get to places it couldn't before and even more growth occurs. And God works good in ALL things.

In our lives we may see God at work in our successes. He may be seen when we arrive at church or go on a mission trip. But know that Paul doesn't say that in the "good things" God works. He says in "all" things God is at work doing good. Even when we fail. Even when we're in pain. Even when tragedy strikes. God is there and will work something good out of it for those who love Him.

Remember this today. God is at work in your life, in all the things you are doing. And His plan is to work something good today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field."
Matthew 13:44 (NLT)

This is what it's like to have an obsession. The man found a treasure that he felt he just couldn't live without. He didn't take any shortcuts. He didn't try to steal what wasn't his. He hid the treasure again and ran off to get enough money to buy the field where the treasure was.

He was so obsessed that he willingly sold everything he owned. Do we understand what that means? He sold his wedding ring, his car, his insurance policy, his home, his television, his computer, his books, his clothes and then emptied his bank account. He was so obsessed with having the treasure that nothing else mattered until he had what he was so desperate for.

Can you feel the man's intensity? Can you sense the urgency? Can you understand the passion and desperation that he had?

Being obsessed with God means that without Him nothing else matters. It means that we're desperate enough to do anything to sense His presence and feel His touch. This is what true life is all about. It's Kingdom living, which is asking, seeking, knocking constantly and receiving what God has for us.

Is God and the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth an obsession for you? Would you do anything for the mountaintop experiences that come only from being in the presence of God? Keep on searching, knocking and asking, for we're told that if we do, we will receive.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 32:1 (NLT)

Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Law for God’s people. He was there on their behalf finalizing the covenant between God and Israel where God had already promised to be their God and take care of them. But down below something horrible was taking place. The people had lost patience and within a forty-day span had already become spiritual adulterers. They were ready to cheat on God.

They come to Aaron, who’s been put in charge in Moses’ absence, and demand that he make them some gods. First of all, how many gods do they need? Is one not enough? Surely this idea came from the Egyptians who might have had several idols of gods in their households.

We see how impatience can lead to sinful behavior. They had been waiting a mere few weeks and were giving up on God because He had done nothing for them lately. In our own case, Jesus has been gone for 2000 years. And impatience has led many to forgetting that He teaches us how to behave and love others. We abandon Jesus’ ways for our own in many instances and bring disappointment and maybe even anger to God just like the Israelites did.

How has impatience led you to sinful behavior?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
Romans 14:13 (NIV)

It's easy to criticize or judge others, but it's not the Christian thing to do. If we were to try to work together, instead of placing stumbling blocks in each other's way, we could get so much more done for Christ.

Today, search for places where you might need to put your feelings for someone aside and work with him or her. Sometimes when we do this, we find out that we're not nearly as different as we thought.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?” Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:14-15 (NLT)

We see here that Jesus was expecting his disciples to fast after he was taken away. As his disciples today, are we to take that as a command to us as well? After all, he never stated, “Thou shalt fast!”

I think this passage makes it clear that Jesus expects us to fast as a spiritual discipline. Maybe it’s been forgotten, because unlike the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, it’s not something we really want to do. But should this keep us from doing what He desires of us? When I was growing up my mom told me to eat vegetables that I didn’t want to eat and expected me to do so. It was because they were good for me. And in the same way, fasting is good for us. So even though Jesus never said, “you shall fast.” He did expect that members of the Kingdom of God would practice fasting so that they could be strengthened by this spiritual discipline.

In the biblical sense, most fasting is doing without food but not without water for a certain period of time. In Esther’s case, she did without both for a period of three days in preparation to go unannounced to see the king. In Daniel’s case, his fast was not eating the choicest of foods. For us it could be doing without anything that’s important to us for a period of time, as long as this time is used to help us understand our reliance on God and bring us closer to Him through prayer and reflection on His Word.

There comes a time in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus even tells his disciples that a certain kind of healing can only be done with prayer and fasting. So let us not forget this great discipline that allows us to intentionally spend more time with our God while giving something up to remind us just how utterly dependant upon Him we are.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)

The Israelites are given a choice and asked by God to make a decision. They are told to choose between life and death. Now at first glance one might say, "That's easy. I'd choose to live rather than die." But this is not God holding a gun to their heads telling them "your money or you life" kinda thing. This is not a question of whether or not lightning will strike them dead or not. God plans on them surviving the day and existing after this day.

So what is God asking the Israelites to choose between?

He's telling them that they can choose between a life of purpose and meaning and fulfillment and a life that has no purpose, meaning, or fulfillment. He's telling them that they can choose between being a people that are blessed and a people who are cursed. They must decide.

Again, at first glance one might think this an easy decision. But what are the consequences of the decision to choose life? They are consequences of change. And often times people would rather stay in the same old rut rather than become blessed. This is because staying the same is easy. It's familiar. We can grow accustomed to it and settle for it.

Today we have the same choice. Will we either choose life or death, blessings or curses, change or whatever is most comfortable? Which will you choose?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[God] has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NIV)

This is our true offering to God...more than any amount of money that can be put in Sunday's offering plate. When our lives are filled with seeking God and then lived out in humility, acting justly and showing mercy to others no matter their color, status or disposition, we become who we were meant to be.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
Psalm 77:11-12 (NLT)

Today I sat on my back porch sipping my coffee and reading these words, and my mind wandered to the great things that God had done throughout the history of the world. Even if they could be remembered, they could not be all thought about in a lifetime. God created the world and everything in it and saw that it was good. Sin came into the world and corrupted it. But even then God gave us a way out of our sin through His Son Jesus.

We can also look to nature and see God's great love poured out in the detail of the mightiest majestic mountain and smallest part of DNA that makes up you and me. Then think about each pleasant thought you've ever had, the things you were able to accomplish, the things you've created. Every single thing about us is here because God made it.

Do you see what I mean about taking more than a lifetime to think about everything God has done?

Today, don't try and wrap your head around every little deed God has done, but think about one great thing that shows His love for you. And give thanks. Praise Him for all He's done for you and will do for you in this life and the next.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over." Joshua 13:1 (NIV)

Joshua had already lived in the Wilderness, brought the Israelites to the Promised Land, taken the city of Jericho and defeated many enemies. He was well passed normal retirement age. But God had more for him to do.

In our lives many will look forward to the day that they retire. Celebrations will be had. Plans will be made for life after work. And there's nothing wrong with this. But remember that we never retire from doing ministry. God will use those who are willing until the last remaining days of their lives. Our ministries will change from time to time. We might not be physically able to do what we did when we were younger. But we can always be a part of God's work in some way.

So don't ever plan a retirement party from doing ministry, for the Lord may still have something important for you to do.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD -- and he will repay you!
Proverbs 19:17 (NLT)

Who are the poor around you?

What do they need?

What can you give?

Did you realize that every time you give to someone who is poor, or in need, you are lending what you give to God? Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew that whenever we do unto the least, we do unto Him. So be blessed as you show kindness to those less fortunate while at the same time giving back a little to the one who's done so much for you.

In the love of Christ,
greg