Thursday, September 29, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 2:16 (ESV)

If you love me, obey my commandments. - John 14:15 (NLT)

God is love. Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. - 1 John 4:16 (NCV)


We love because God first loved us. If people say, "I love God," but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen. And God gave us this command: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters. - 1 John 4:19-21 (NCV)


Recognize a common thread here? Yes, love...from God, for God, for each other. That's what everything is really all about. You want salvation? Love Jesus, therefore loving one another. You want to be happy in life? Love God, who already loves you. You want to know what you were created for? To love.

All this love talk is not sappy romantic movie talk. It's powerful, sacrificial, take a stand, be brave kind of stuff. It means putting your life in Jesus' hands. It means standing up for those who are bullied, taken advantage of, or simply down on their luck. This kind of love is the kind that makes men real men and women strong.

Think about it today. Do you have the real kind of love that makes a difference in other people's lives? Is it making a difference in your life? If not, begin with loving Jesus. Everything else will flow from that. For if you really love Him like you say you do, you will obey his command to love others.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.’
Numbers 21:4-5 (NRSV)


As I read this passage, I couldn't help but smile as I thought of how my response to the Israelites' complaints would be if I were Moses. They complain that there's no food. Then they follow that complaint up by saying that they "detest this miserable food." Hey, wait a minute. I thought you said there was no food. Which is it? No food...or miserable food? It can't be both.

I guess what really made me smile was thinking back on how I've gone through my kitchen before and opened all the cabinets and the refrigerator only to shut the doors and complain, "There's no food in this house!" Was there actually no food for me to eat? Oh there may be a can of chicken noodle soup. There may be some peanut butter and some saltines. There may have been something I would have to take the time to cook. But the truth of the matter is that I didn't want what I had in my kitchen. And so I've complained before that there's no food, when in reality it was right in front of me.

The Israelites were getting spoiled. They evidently had access to food. They just didn't want it. And so they complained.

The problem was that the Israelites forgot. You see, they forgot just how miserable they were in Egypt. They forgot how they prayed for God to save them. They forgot how God sent Moses to them. They forgot how God brought them out of Egypt and how God saved them again at the Red Sea and how God had produced food and water for them and protected them. They evidently forgot all that God had done for them because they complained. And if they had thought about how good God had been, they would realize that there was nothing to complain about.

I think we can get just like the Israelites from time to time. We forget all the blessings we have. We forget how good we actually have it when we see someone who has it better than us. We forget that life itself is a blessing, and that there is much good to find in it. We simply forget. And we do the same as the Israelites. We complain. Why did I get.... Or why didn't I get.... Why did so and so do better.... Why oh why. And the whys become whining. And negativism or envy or jealousy or whatever turns us into complainers.

I wonder what would happen if every time we started to complain about something, we found something to be thankful for first. Maybe this world would become a more positive place. And maybe God would be happier with us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)


Once we give our lives over to Christ, our bodies, along with the rest of who we are, belong to Him. That's kinda what happens when you give something to someone. It becomes their property. In the case of Jesus, we give them to Him who cares about them even more than we do.

I wish I cared as much about my body as God does. Before I go to Heaven I will try to take care of my body. But at the same time I will give up when certain foods come around or when it comes to exercising regularly. I desire to do right in these areas, but I guess I desire other things more at times.

Are you like me? You want to take care of your body but you just have such a hard time doing so? Well, don't give up. Remember that if you're a Christian you've given everything over to God, including your body. So honor it to the best of your abilities. That will include taking care of it with right foods and exercise. That will also include not putting harmful substances like drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol in it.

We're not perfect. But we can strive to be. This includes taking care of the bodies that God has created for us to live in and that we've dedicated back to Him when we accepted Christ into our lives.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Monday, September 26, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.
Philippians 4:13 (NLT)


Have you ever had a situation in your life that seemed nearly hopeless? Christ can give you the hope you need to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Have you ever had something go really, really wrong in your life? Christ can give you the strength you need to recover.

Have you ever had an problem you didn't know how to handle? Christ can give you the discernment you need.

Have you ever needed a little direction in your life? Christ can give you the wisdom you need.

Christ is our help in times of distress and trouble. He's our help in times of joy and satisfaction. He gives us the strength we need everyday to do what's right and good. He gives us the strength to make it to a place where we can be happy and have peace. He can do all these things if we will only let him.

Have you ever...Christ can help you do everything.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Friday, September 23, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the LORD. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the LORD by sailing to Tarshish.
Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT)


Here we see a conflict of wills. God's will was for Jonah to go Northeast to Nineveh and preach to the people there. But Jonah didn't want to go. He probably hated these people, who were wicked Assyrians. So his will was to go anywhere but Nineveh. This led him to go down to Joppa and head west...the opposite direction of God's will.

How often is it that we're like Jonah? How often does God have a will for us to live, behave, give or receive differently than what our own will is? I'd say that this could be often for many of us. The question is, what will we do about it? Jonah decided he could do whatever he wanted, no matter what God's wishes were for him. If you already know the story of Jonah, you know that he created a mess for himself (If you don't, check it out in the Old Testament for a good short story). When we are so stubborn as to continually do things our way instead of God's better way for us, we create a mess for ourselves just like Jonah did.

God's will is for us to have a more abundant life. Even when we don't understand how this works out with what He's calling us to do or who He's calling us to be, we can be sure that His way will lead to a better life for us.

So will you be like Jonah and run from God's will for your life? Or will you be like Jesus as he prayed at Gethsemane "Father not my will, but yours"?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6 (NRSV)


Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness have a deep desire to be right with God and to have a right relationship with God. That's basically what righteousness is. So Jesus teaches us that if we truly want to be filled with God through the Holy Spirit, then we will. But how many of us truly desire that?

Something to think about today - Do you really want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, especially if it might mean going places you now don't want to or acting in different ways or giving up some things you'd rather hold on to?

If you truly hunger and thirst for God, you will receive God. But I think that many people claiming to be Christians don't really have a hunger or thirst for righteousness. Imagine what this world would be like if we all did.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry."
Amos 5:23 (NLT)


Does God want us to worship Him in song? Of course. Does He want us to praise Him? Yes. So of course He desires to hear hymns of praise from us. But when these hymns of praise come from people who are not being obedient, who are something totally different within the walls of the church than they are outside them, then He'd just assume not listen to their false praise.

As Christians, God wants us first and foremost not to become hypocrites, thinking we're better in any way than others. Neither does He want to see us becoming the kind of people that put ourselves and our selfish desires before Him. So let us submit ourselves to a life's purpose of putting God first, through the life and teachings of His Son Christ Jesus. And let us strive to live that life out to the best of our ability. Then justice and righteous living will flow from us naturally. And our worship will be pure and received by the Father with joy.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:1-5 (ESV)


Matthew Henry, in his commentary wrote that the devil (the serpent) did three things in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Eve to disobey God. He questioned whether this was actually a sin or not.

“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

He denied that there would be any punishment.

“You will not surely die."

And he pointed out the benefits.

"When you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Today as Satan tempts us he does the same thing. He tries to convince us that the sinful things we do are not really all that bad, that their will be no problem with it, and that there will be benefits if we will only do, say or think whatever it is he's trying to get us to do.

Be very aware that the devil is always there stalking you, waiting for his opportunity to tempt you to sin so that he can come between you and God. He hates God so much that he'll go to any extreme to try to hurt Him. And you are his only way of getting back at God who kicked him out of Heaven.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Monday, September 19, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 (NAS)

Today I could complain about having to pull over on the side of the interstate because a mud flap had torn and was beating against the side of my truck. Or I could thank God that I have a reliable truck that now has matching sides where neither flap is attached anymore. I could complain about the cloudy day. Or I could enjoy the coolness of the air as I road to work with my window down. I could complain about how the internet connection this morning at the office is very slow for some reason. Or I could simply think about what all I hope to accomplish this day as I sit waiting for something to load.

Actually, we all need to be able to share unhealthy feelings with someone at times. We have to get some things out in the open so that they don't fester. And there are times when constructive criticism is needed. But so often people can simply allow negativity to rule their day, week or even lives. And when this happens, nothing helpful will come out because no one will want to listen.

A cheerful attitude can help others find joy in their day, whereas an ugly attitude with "unwholesome talk" can ruin people's days. Which do you think God prefers? Which is best for you and for those around you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 19:14 (ESV)


In my church on Sunday mornings I have a special time set aside for Children's Sermon. We do not have many kids at our church, but at times the little ones can number upwards to ten or twelve. Whether it's two or twelve though, I love to see them come forward. Though I'm not Jesus (by a long shot), I get a sense of how he felt when they would come and sit with him. There is such life in these little ones. Some will crawl around and not understand a word I say. Others will be inquisitive. Others will interrupt me every five seconds with their wisdom that they want to share. And I love every minute of it.

There is such an innocence and unwavering faith with children. They might not understand a lot of theological concepts. But they belief that Jesus loves them. They may not be able to read the Bible. But they've been told that God takes care of them. And the great thing is that when we tell them this, they believe it.

Jesus does not want us to be childish, especially in our behavior. But he does want us to be childlike in our faith and love for Him, "for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven".

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)


God sees when no one else does. This means that when we lie or are deceitful in any way, even though we may think we get away with it, we don't. You can fool some of the people all the time. But you can never pull a fast one over on God. He knows what you do, what you say, and what's in your heart.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

O LORD, I am your servant;
yes, I am your servant, born into your household;
you have freed me from my chains.
Psalm 116:16 (NLT)


Chains bind us. Mere human strength cannot break them. But God can. Metal chains can physically bind us. But there are also those invisible things in our lives that hold us down and keep us from living a life of freedom.

We can struggle with things like addiction, low self-esteem and depression, among other chains that the devil uses. But we cannot defeat these things on our own. The Psalmist understands that it is God who frees us.

So what chains might have you tied up in bondage? Are you struggling with something that just seems to be hopeless, that you feel helpless against? If so, know that the God that freed the Israelites, who freed David, who freed us from our sins through Christ, can also free you from your chains here on earth.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)


Satan knows our buttons to push, our most temptable sins and our weakest moments. On our own we would be doomed. "But (as Paul says) the Lord is faithful." He comes to our rescue, often when we don't even realize it. He sends His angels to fight on our behalf in a spiritual realm that we don't see or even know is going on. That's exactly what Paul is speaking of when he says that our fight is against the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12).

Our part in this battle is prayer. Pray today that God would send His angels to fight on your behalf. Pray for protection against the evil one, the tempter, the one who wants so much to destroy you. Pray for forgiveness for where you have failed Him and help in your struggles for the day. Pray today, and ask the Lord to be faithful as His Word promises, and then give thanks for the faithfulness and protection that He will provide.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

God's way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. This "foolish" plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
To an unbeliever in Paul's day, the message of God coming to earth in the form of a man to suffer and die for the sins of the world must have sounded foolish. I suppose nothing has changed though. Many today have a hard time believing in a loving God when there's so many bad things going on in our world. Many have a hard time grasping how a person can be 100 percent human and at the same time 100 percent God. Others can't understand how any being has simply always existed without having a beginning. And so the message of the cross is foolish to them who are perishing, for they simply cannot believe.
The problem is that much too often we try to package things up into something we can understand so that we can believe. But faith is not logically thinking things through until they make sense. Faith is believing even when we don't understand or comprehend.
We'll never completely understand the totality of God's wisdom. And that's alright. We don't have to. We simply have to have faith.
In the love of Christ,
greg

Friday, September 02, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)

Today's "Thought" is simply a reminder of something I hope you already know. And that is that God loves you. He loves you so much that He created you. He gives you breath. He gave you His only Son to die for you. He gives you, who believe in that Son, a new life without defect or fault or hate or sadness after this one is gone. He loves you.

As you go through this weekend be reminded by everything you see just how much God loves you. And when you see the things in your life that don't look like evidence of His love, remember that it's not Him that brought sin into this world and made it imperfect. It is humanity that messed up His perfect creation. But I thank the God who loves me that He's giving me a second chance and one day a new life that will be perfect again.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Thought of the Day !!

Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
James 4:13-16 (NIV)

We want to control things don't we? I think it's in our nature. I'd love to be able to control the weather today. I want the sun to come out and the temperature to stay in the upper seventies to lower eighties.

It is God who is in control. Now this doesn't mean that He moves us around like pieces on a chess board. He gives us the ability to choose our own actions; what we will say, do, accept, etc. But He is in control of what happens in this world. Only He can decide if it will rain or not. Only He can miraculously cure someone's body. Only He can stop time. Only He can add another star to the night sky. Only Him. This is because He created all these things.

The two most important prayers in the bible to me come from our Lord Jesus. One is when he teaches us to pray the Lord's prayer and the other is when he is at Gethsemene. In both he prays that God's will be done. And isn't it of comfort to know that the one who created and controls everything knows how all things should work out? We may want this or that, but God knows so much more than our limited minds can handle. He knows how the things that we ask for will affect us. He knows the outcomes of all things and we can only know the here and now.

He also answers "No" to us at times because we need to go through the fire and be refined like silver. Sometimes the impurities of our lives must be burned out to make us better. Sometimes we have to go through hell to see heaven on earth. And only God knows when those times are.

So let us submit to God's will in our lives through our actions and through our prayers. Let us all pray today that God's will be done. And if that is the same as what we want, then great. If not, then let's learn to accept that God knows better and He is still listening and still in control.

In the love of Christ,
greg