Thought of the Day !!

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish."
"Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again." And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
Luke 5:4-7 (NLT)

Peter’s obedience in the face of his doubt that there was anything to be caught opens the door for a miracle. There’s no reason that they should’ve caught such an abundance. But Jesus uses this blessing to open the door for Peter and the others to go even deeper in their commitment with God.

Obedience in the face of doubt can open the door for miracles for us as well. Our faith can be shaky at times (we all know that), but it’s then that we must strive even harder to obey Jesus and His will for our lives. When we do, we open the door for God to perform great things.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

In two of my Bible studies the issue of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit has come up. At both it was claimed that denial of Christ is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but I simply couldn't accept that easy of an explanation. This would mean that a person who denies Christ at age 20 cannot be saved later in life and should be given up on. Also, we all deny Christ with our lifestyles at times. So I've done some meditating on this subject and would like to share my thoughts. Feel free to do the same with me if you so choose. We'll use this passage from Matthew 12:22-32(NRSV) to discern what it means.

Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.”

The Pharisees were indicating that Jesus was using the power of Satan to cast out demons. Jesus goes on to explain how this is a foolish notion.

He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.

Jesus now shows that it is by the Spirit of God that he casts out demons. He is not working with the devil, but with God. It is His Holy Spirit that is at work.

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

"People will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy". (Obviously this is if they repent and turn to Jesus.) It is one thing only that will not be forgiven. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. But before we finish that thought, lets go to the next sentence. Jesus also says if we speak against the Son of Man that we will be forgiven. So if we speak out, or in my mind even say something like "I deny you Jesus", this can be forgiven. (Again, if it is repented of.) "But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

Let's remember that the Pharisees here were speaking against the miraculous casting out of demons that Jesus was doing and attributing these things to Satan. Attributing the workings of the Holy Spirit to Satan would surely seem to me to be blasphemy. This leads me to believe that by reading this passage in the context that it was written, that Jesus is saying that if you know the power of God's Spirit and claim that He is in cahoots with Satan, working along side Satan, then you are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. This would be knowing the truth and goodness of God's Spirit and still choosing to attribute it to the devil.

Some have told me that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is rejecting God's work in their lives until the very end when they have no more chances. Though this is true and unforgivable seeing as how when we die we don't get any more chances to choose Christ, blasphemy by definition is speaking ill of something. It is not rejecting something.

So I say it would be a bad idea to do either, speak ill of God's Holy Spirit, attributing His work to the devil, and reject Christ's work in your life until it's too late. For either would lead to an eternity away from Christ and with Satan.

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

When (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.""Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again."
Luke 5:4-5 (NLT)

Jesus has been teaching the crowds from a small fishing boat that was rowed a little ways into the cove. He finishes his teaching, looks to Peter and says, “Go to the deep water and catch some fish”.

What must this have sounded like to Peter? I can only imagine. I can see Peter wanting to say, “Uhh, Jesus, hey man, you know…you may know a thing or two about preaching or carpentry. But I’m the fishing expert here. I won’t tell you how to preach and you don’t tell me how to fish. Deal?”

But he didn’t. He had every reason not to want to go back out in the boat. He’d been out all night fishing. He had to be tired, wanting to get home and get some food and some sleep. And on top of all that, the nets were now clean and would have to be cleaned again.

The excuses are always there for us to not do what we need to do or what God calls us to do. It’s too hard…I don’t have the time…I’m busy that day…I’ve got to work…I don’t know what I’m doing…etc. But Peter does something amazing. In the midst of all the excuses that he could’ve made, he chose to obey. We can all learn a lesson from Peter here.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When (Jesus) had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.""Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again."
Luke 5:4-5 (NLT)

Jesus has been teaching the crowds from a small fishing boat that was rowed a little ways into the cove. He finishes his teaching, looks to Peter and says, “Go to the deep water and catch some fish”.

What must this have sounded like to Peter? I can only imagine. I can see Peter wanting to say, “Uhh, Jesus, hey man, you know…you may know a thing or two about preaching or carpentry. But I’m the fishing expert here. I won’t tell you how to preach and you don’t tell me how to fish. Deal?”

But he didn’t. He had every reason not to want to go back out in the boat. He’d been out all night fishing. He had to be tired, wanting to get home and get some food and some sleep. And on top of all that, the nets were now clean and would have to be cleaned again.

The excuses are always there for us to not do what we need to do or what God calls us to do. It’s too hard…I don’t have the time…I’m busy that day…I’ve got to work…I don’t know what I’m doing…etc. But Peter does something amazing. In the midst of all the excuses that he could’ve made, he chose to obey. We can all learn a lesson from Peter here.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
Luke 5:1-3 (NLT)

Jesus’ popularity was growing. He began his preaching in the synogogues, but then expanded this teaching to the masses. A similar thing happened to John Wesley, the father of Methodism. He was heard to say that he much preferred the comfortable surroundings of a church with a pulpit, but it was in the fields where he preached where souls were saved.

Jesus began field preaching so as to save souls as well. His pulpit was a boat. This would’ve been a good solution to the crowds pressing in on him. Preaching from the boat here on the Sea of Galilee with the backdrop of a rising shoreline and a nice easy sloping hill would make a natural amphitheater with very good acoustics.

The key here for both Jesus and John Wesley was that they understood that often times you have to leave the comfortable surroundings of the church (synagogue) if you want to reach people and make a difference in the world. Will we take a lesson from them? Will we be willing to leave the walls of the church and bring the gospel to people outside? Or will our faith be practiced on Sunday mornings and maybe Wednesday nights when we gather together in the comfortable surroundings of our sanctuaries?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6 (NLT)

I read this verse in another devotion yesterday and was reminded that we are all called to look at the Jesus of the Bible to see how we should live today. Later, I listened to a Casting Crowns song off their new CD. The song is called "Jesus, Friend of Sinners", and it has this line in it; "The world is on its way to find you but it keeps tripping over me."

I wonder how often the world has a hard time finding Jesus because its tripping over me because I'm not living my life as Jesus did? How often do i allow Satan to speak softly in my ear and convince me to do or say something that Jesus never in an eternity would? I call myself a Christian, but how many see something else at times?

Could we all ask these questions? Or is it just me?

In the love of Christ,
greg

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)

I've got this verse of scripture tacked to my bulletin board in my office. Sometimes I need to look at it when I feel like I'm failing at something or nothing seems to be working out like I had planned. I look at it to remind me that I can accomplish anything that is within God's will for my life with the help of Jesus.

Is there ever anything in your life that you feel would be God's will for you, but you just can't do? With God anything is possible. With Christ by our side we can do all things. We can forgive. We can find peace in a troubled life. We can bring joy to others...and ourselves. We can accept the calling that God has placed upon our lives. We can take that step of faith. We can survive on less income. We can trust again. We can...we can...we can...do all things with Christ who strengthens us.

If you're living your life for yourself and trying to build it up alone, it will all fall down, and you will fail. If you're living your life with Christ by your side and allowing Him to guide you, you can do anything.

So the question is, will you allow Christ to be your guide through this life? If so, you will accomplish much. And one day you will realize this...even if that day is not today.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And Amen for that.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other."
Zechariah 7:9-10 (NIV)

Zechariah is reminding the people that they were created to care for each other, to love one another, to not only act out of this love, but also think about each other out of this love. We can get caught up in how we're supposed to act, but as Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, it's not only our actions, but also our attitudes that are important. We are to keep ourselves from doing evil towards one another. But we're also to keep evil out of our hearts as well.

I read this morning that we can't be right with God and wrong with people. If you think about it that sums up not only this verse, but also the teachings of Jesus.

In the love love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success.
2 Chronicles 26:5 (NLT)

We can learn three things from King Uzziah here. Number one is that he sought God. We can seek what's pleasing to us in this life and surround ourselves with things that will pass away. Or we can seek the Lord and be blessed in much greater ways.

The second thing that we learn from King Uzziah is that he learned from Zechariah, a godly man. Uzziah was sixteen at the time that he took the throne. He was enough of a man to think he knew it all and could do no wrong. But he chose to take wise council of a man who spoke for God. How easy it is to always go our own way and do it our way. But Uzziah understood that he didn't know it all, and that God could use others to guide his paths.

Lastly we learn that because Uzziah sought guidance from the Lord, he was successful. When we seek (and listen to) guidance from our Lord and Savior Jesus, we will be successful. Notice that I did not say that we would necessarily be wealthy, influential or successful as measured by worldly standards. But we will be successful nonetheless. We will find the comfort and joy of God here on this earth and store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven where moths and rust won't get to them and no one can take them away. This is true success.

Seek the Lord's council through godly men and women. Learn to live in accordance with God's desires. And be truly successful for all eternity.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done.
Galatians 6:4 (NCV)

Why do we compare ourselves to others? Why do we think that if "everyone else" is doing things that it must be OK?

As Christians we are called to be different from the world...to change it...not to conform to it. How can we be world changers for Christ if we look so much like everyone else?

So don't look to others to gauge how good your actions are. Look to God's Word. Only when our actions coincide with God's plan for us, will we be able to be proud of ourselves.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 (NIV)

Isn't this an outlandish command by Jesus. I mean how can we be perfect? We're the ones born into original sin. We're the ones who keep messing up this world of ours. We're the ones that still need a Savior. How in the world can we be perfect, Jesus?

As we look at this seemingly impossible statement, lets put it into context. It comes immediately after Jesus teaches to love our enemies (another seemingly impossible statement). When he tells us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, he's not saying that we can be like God in a perfectly sinless way. He's telling us to love like He does.

John Wesley spoke of Christian perfection, and this is exactly what he meant by it. We all need to strive daily and pray for the gift of perfect love. When we see things from His point of view instead of our own, we will be able to love like Him. In this way, perfection can be achieved.

It's up to you. You can become perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect, loving God and neighbor more than self. Or you can be less than perfect, loving yourself and a select few more than others. With perfection, comes God's sense of happiness and joy that anyone can have, no matter what their economic or social level is here on this earth. So it's time to choose. I choose to strive for perfection. How about you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Psalms 94:19 (NLT)

Is there any turmoil in your life today? If there is, take a few moments and ask God to bring you His promised comfort and hope.

I there isn't, pray for someone else who may need these gifts today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3

We live in a world of my, my, my and take, take, take. Our society teaches us to strive to be the best we can be. In our country we're taught that we can do anything we want to do. We're raised going to school and college to better ourselves.

All these things have one thing in common. The emphasis is on ME. It's not bad to do things for ourselves, but we must remember that this life is NOT all about us. When it all boils down to it, we aren't even our own. We are God's creation; we are His people.

Let us live as His people, enjoying life, but putting Him first and serving others. It's then that we'll find true joy.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

...in the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Matthew 5:16 (NLT)

Here we see Jesus teaching us to let our good deeds "shine out for all to see". Yet a mere chapter later in this Gospel he will teach us, "Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven." Is he saying one thing and then changing his mind?

We are not to do good to others so that we can be seen doing good and receive the glory for ourselves. As people who are in love with Christ Jesus, we won't be able to not do his will, which so often is doing good deeds for others. And when we do them out of our love for Him and the people we do them for, giving God the glory, we will make our Father in Heaven proud of us. When we do them so that the glory comes our own way, He will look down disapproving on us.

Do good deeds so that others will know the goodness of God and not the goodness of you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?
Matthew 6:26 (NLT)

How cool is it that God knows everything about you and loves you just the same?

How cool would this world be if we, who in comparison know very little about others, would try to do the same?

This may seem like an impossibility. But it's only an impossibility if we never make the attempt.

In the love of Christ,
greg