Questing Parson: Doubt / Believe

Questing Parson: Doubt / Believe

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence."
Jeremiah 17:7 (NLT)

Trust in the Lord for all things and He will see you through. What areas of your life might you need to place a little more faith in Him and His ways and have a little less confidence in your own?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile.
Romans 1:16 (NLT)

Have you ever been ashamed of the Gospel (Good News)? If you've ever been embarrassed to say anything when others around you are speaking and acting totally unChristian, then you have.

There are times when we're around non-Christians that we must allow a certain latitude, knowing that they don't know Christ. Hopefully this will lead to a time when we can share the Gospel with them. But how often are we around Christians that are acting in ways that go against what Christ and the Bible teach us? How often do we keep quiet because we don't want to upset the apple cart? Are we ashamed to speak out in gentle and loving ways to our brothers and sisters?

There have been times when I wasn't acting at all Christ-like and was called on it. I know what that feels like. It's embarrassing and can become an opportunity for us to get defensive. We must allow others to share constructive words with us when we've gone astray as well. I give thanks for the times when people have set me straight, even if I did have a hard time with it at the moment.

The Good News about Christ is the power of God at work in us and through us. We must be open to it, allowing God to use it to make us better people and create better relationships with Him and others. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed of the Gospel. And don't be afraid to be shown this Gospel when you're acting or living contrary to it.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. Then at three o'clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"*
Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. "Wait!" he said. "Let's see whether Elijah comes to take him down!"
Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "This man truly was the Son of God!"

Mark 15:33-39 (NLT)

Easter is right around the corner. When it gets here, let us celebrate the Resurrection. Let us celebrate life. Let us celebrate hope. Let us celebrate the love of God that is so deep that He would do what he did. Let us celebrate LIFE.

But today is Good Friday. Before we can celebrate life, we must remember the death. For Easter is just another Sunday without the darkness and death of this day. Remember today what Jesus did for you. Remember what he suffered for you to have a way out of this sinful life leading to eternal death. Remember the sacrifice that he made to bring us all back to God. Remember.

On Easter let's celebrate. But for today, let's remember.

May you have a meaningful Good Friday and a true celebration on Sunday.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Romans 15:7 (NIV)

God loves you no matter who you are or where you've been or what you're life has been like. That's called grace. He accepts you and is lovingly patient with all your flaws.

Paul tells us to accept one another in this same way. And when we do, we'll bring praise to God.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
Romans 1:5 (NLT)

As Christians we are called to be Christ-like. If we call Jesus "Lord" then it means that He is the one that we put above us, and that we have decided to obey Him. And when we obey Him, we bring glory to His name.

So if obeying Jesus brings glory to His name, consequently disobedience by Christians would take that glory away. To put it another way, to not do as Jesus wants us to do brings dishonor to His name, therefore dishonor to Him. Is this what we want to do to the one we choose to call "Lord"?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
Romans 14:13 (NLT)

Have you ever been in a situation where others around you are talking about someone else, condemning them for something they’ve done? Maybe you’ve been part of the condemning party. We often find it easy to see the wrong someone else has committed, while forgetting all the wrongs in our own lives.

The Bible teaches that if someone is sinning, we should confront the person. It also teaches us to do so in love and gentleness. But often is the case that someone has something in their past that they’ve done wrong. They’ve messed up. It may have been a one-time mistake or a habitual lifestyle. In these cases, we must remember that If Jesus is to forgive our many mistakes, then we must forgive others, not condemning them for the past.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.
Matthew 11:29-30 (HCSB)

How many of us are always complaining about our lot in life. "My struggles are so bad." "Nobody knows what I go through." "Woe as me." And our struggles in life bog us down because we allow them to become our focal point.

Maybe you've heard the story of the room of crosses where someone is complaining to Jesus about how his cross (burden) is too heavy to bear. Jesus opens a room filled with crosses and tells the person to pick out any other cross he would prefer to bear. They are many and varying in sizes. He looks and looks and after a while he sees the smallest one in the room, only to notice that it's the one he carried in with him.

Maybe our burdens are too heavy because we're carrying them all alone. We complain to others, but they can't carry them for us. They can't take away the pain. Before we run people off from all our complaining, they are able to help somewhat. But what we need more than anything, no one but Jesus can give to us. He's the one that offers peace and assurance and true rest. Come to him and take up his yoke, and He will give you the help you need with yours. Then both will become bearable, and joy will be found...even in the pain and hardship.

That's what Jesus does. Instead of taking away the pain, he gives us a way to joyfully suffer for His sake and grow from it. We can choose to complain about everything, or we can choose to grow into Christ and become strong enough to get through anything (because He's with us).

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (TEV)

Many pastors fight the call to ministry and miss out on many years of fruitful ministry because they don't want to accept what God's calling them to do. Many people fight the urge to share their faith with somebody because they don't think that they are gifted enough to do so. Others claim that they're not leaders and are unwilling to be an example for others.

Could it be that many of us are waiting for all the stars to line up in just the right position and for God to speak to us from a burning bush and mystically change something about us before our very eyes before we will be the people God wants us to be already? Obviously this is not all of us. But how often would it take a miracle from God to get you going on something that He's calling you to do? If we wait too long for that perfect moment or that perfect calling, we just might miss out.

It takes stepping out in faith for real miracles to happen in this world. St. Augustine once said that we should pray for miracles, but work for results. Are we waiting for the perfect moment to arrive? Or are we working for the results of daily miracles?

In the love of Christ,
greg