Thought of the Day !!

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:7 (NIV)

People are so different. How many ways can you think of that we are totally different? There are different skin colors, genders, lifestyles, aptitudes, ways of thinking, ways of talking, ways of walking, interests, skills, personalities, agendas, likes, dislikes, eating habits, sleeping habits, etc.

But no matter how different we are, we are all loved the same by God. And that is why God sent Jesus for all of us. That is why the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Every single one of us has a chance now because of Jesus.

When we accept Christ, Christ accepts us. So as Christ has accepted us, let us accept each other; those who are in his fold now and those who may possibly be in it later. In doing this, we will bring praise to God.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth."
John 1:45 (NLT)

Jesus has issued the call to Philip to become a disciple. What's the first thing that Philip does after this? He runs and tells his friend Nathanael the good news. Can you hear the excitement in Philip's voice as he proclaims that he's found the one they've all been waiting on? He's excited because he's met Jesus.

Imagine yourself in a prison somewhere halfway across the world after being sentenced to death and waiting for it to come at any moment. Now imagine how excited you would be when the Navy Seal team shows up and tells you that they are there to save you. I imagine you'd be pretty excited.

Yet Jesus has done just that. He's saved us from eternal death. How excited are we about that? Maybe you wake up every morning excited about Jesus and what He's done for you. Maybe you once were, but have become complacent. I don't know about you, but daily I seem to see unexcited Christians walking this earth who not only aren't excited about Christ, but also hardly ever even mention His name.

How will the world know the Good News if the ones who supposedly have it aren't even excited about it? Get excited about Jesus today. Show others this excitement. And it just might spread.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:13b-14 (NLT)

The Christian life is a continuous struggle. We’re caught in tension within ourselves. It’s a struggle between our worldly desires and God’s desires for us.

This is why it’s so important to do as Paul did. He left his past behind. This is not a one-time thing. Instead it’s a daily decision we must make. For Paul, there was hatred and arrogance and self-righteousness in his past. Did he continue to struggle with his past sins…possibly so. Will we struggle with past sins…surely. That is the very reason we have to leave the past behind each and every day.

Paul knew that even though this was difficult, it wasn’t impossible. The devil tries to convince us that past failures, guilt over past sins or pain over past hurts will keep us from being made right with God. The devil also tries to get us to give up maturing in our faith, telling us it’s too hard. But the devil is all about lies and deceit. Don’t listen to him. For doesn’t this idea contradict the very things we proclaim about a loving and forgiving God?

Each day live for the day God has given you and don't let the past get you down. Each new day brings about new possibilities. We choose what we do with these possibilities.

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! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NLT)

Every day we make choices, some big, some small. We choose what time to get up each morning, what to eat or whether or not to eat breakfast. Throughout the day we’ll choose what to say, where to go, and what to be involved in.

We make priorities…sometimes without even realizing it by our choices. Do we take off work early to be involved in a child’s school play or continue to work? Do we check-up on a parent or clean the gutters? Do we spend money on groceries or new clothes? Do we cook a healthy meal or take the family out for fast food? Do we watch TV or take a walk? Do we sleep in or go to church?

Choices are so ingrained into our life that often times we don’t even realize we’re making them...until it’s time for a big decision.

The Israelites are given a choice between life and death in today's reading…between being blessed or being cursed. Life is found in an obedient relationship with God, while choosing anything else leads to death.

The theme that echoes throughout the Old Testament is the choice of life. And it continues into the New Testament with Jesus. What we will choose this day?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!" But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!" Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"
Matthew 14:25-31 (NLT)

If you only take one thing away from this passage today, let it not be that Peter lost his nerve. Let it not be the fact that Jesus scolded him for not having enough faith to continue. Don't take away anything to do with wind or waves or water. Instead, remember the fact that Peter got out of the boat.

Eleven men remained in the safety of the boat. Eleven men chose to stay in their comfort zones instead of taking a chance on moving forward towards Jesus. Eleven men remained complacent. But one didn't. Peter left the comfortable surroundings of the the boat and took a chance on Jesus. He is the one who risked his life for his Lord. He is the one who after failing called out to Jesus for help and received it.

Will our lives be lived more like Peter's was this night? Or will they be lived like the other eleven? Will we choose comfortable and safe, or reckless abandonment to our Lord and Savior?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Matthew 5:42 (ESV)

A story I found somewhere and once used in a sermon goes like this:

There once was a monk who found a precious jewel. The monk was a traveler, and during one of his travels, he met a man. The man had no food and asked the monk for some. The monk, happy to share with the hungry man, opened his bag to get some provisions.

Upon opening the bag, the man saw the jewel. On impulse the man asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the monk gave the precious stone to the man.

The traveler departed quickly, overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came back searching for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request: "Please give me something more valuable, more precious than this jewel. Please give me that which enabled you to give it to me."

A person's earthly instincts would be to keep the jewel, yet a person's spiritual insight tells him or her that the jewel is not as important as another human being.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?" When Jesus heard this, he said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do."
Matthew 9:10-12 (NLT)

The Pharisees are offended that Jesus would be giving his time to “those” people. They see themselves as better than them. This leads to them asking why a supposedly reputable teacher would hang out with such “scum”.

Jesus is sharing a meal with the lower class instead of the home of a good upstanding Pharisee. This is important because in this culture sharing a meal implies acceptance and even approval. It’s a relationship thing.

But Jesus teaches that he did not come for those who thought highly of themselves. He came for those who knew that they were in need. Those who think awful highly of themselves don’t have a need for a Savior because they can always work things out for themselves. This was the feeling of the Pharisees. And ironically they were the ones who needed Jesus the most.

The Pharisees are like a lot of Christians today. They do all the right things and at their heart they love being moral people and love the rituals of the church. But the one thing that they’ve missed out on is the most important thing. They don’t really love others as they love themselves. Jesus taught that we are to love all, not just a select few. And loving people can sometimes be messy. Just like the Pharisees, many of us don’t like messy. We don’t want to be unclean. We don’t want to get our hands dirty. We like a cleaned up religion because it’s easier and more comfortable.

Don’t let this be who you become without even realizing it. Don’t judge people as worse than you. Instead see all as no better and no worse. Then love them unconditionally…like Jesus does.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkeness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man."
Luke 21:34-36 (NLT)

WATCH OUT! Don't let me find you dilly-dallying around when I come back! – (a pretty straight forward warning if you ask me)

Jesus tells us not to live our lives carelessly or in a drunken state. When a person is drunk, he or she doesn't know much about what's going on around them because of impaired judgment. He or she is always right and thinks mostly about himself/herself. The person has very little control and often times can do much harm to themselves or others. And this is pretty careless.

The thing is that we can all live a life of drunkenness without ever touching a drop of alcohol. We live lives of drunkenness and careless ease when:

1. We live for today and what today will bring us, without much thought of Jesus.

2. We live lives where our actions (and especially lack of actions) will cause harm to ourselves or others in some way or another.

3. We live lives that revolve around how much we earn or what position we have in the community or some other selfish ambition.

4. We live out our lives trying to be a bare minimum Christian who comes to church, gives ten percent, but can't really be defined as a Christian in our dealings throughout the rest of the week. Our judgment is impaired because we think we are something that we aren't.

OR - We can live our lives prayerfully and faithfully trying to be who Jesus wants us to be everyday, while showing our great love of God and each other.

Jesus says that the day where we stand before him will come for every one of us. It may be at the end times. And it may be at our own death. But it will assuredly come. His warning is to simply be ready, not living our lives for ourselves and the things of this world.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)

In my own devotional time this morning I was reminded of a great truth through reading the writings of E. Stanley Jones. I'd like to sum up what he said.

We are all looking for happiness. It must be a God given instinct to want to be happy, and there is nothing wrong with this. The problem comes in how we go about seeking happiness. When we are bent on being happy and continually seek it by our own means, we will fail. It will elude us. There will be brief encounters of it, but lasting happiness simply cannot be found by us. As a matter of fact Jones said that the most miserable and fed up people he knew were people who were most bent on being happy.

So it seems that there is a dilemma, at least until we realize who created everything, including happiness. We stumble upon Jesus, and he tells us to "follow him". We walk with him. The journey takes us to others who are saddened and broken. We want nothing more than to alleviate their pain. And in the process we forget our own happiness. But as we do, our hearts are filled with joy. This is when we're used by God to love others.

That is what Christianity is all about. That is what denying ourselves is all about. It's about putting aside our own desires for happiness to love others and finding complete joy in the process.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
Luke 21:29-33 (NLT)

Verse 32 of this passage of scripture is one of the most difficult verses for me to understand in the whole bible. In it Jesus says that "this generation" will not pass away before he comes back. But wait a minute Jesus. Hasn't there been many generations to come and go since you walked this earth?

After checking out what some scholars have said, I will briefly paraphrase some different opinions.

1. Jesus (and Luke) believed that the end would come quickly –– within their generation. Jesus himself did say that no one knew the day or hour. But Luke writes this about 3 decades after Jesus' death and resurrection. Surely many people have been dying since then and Luke would have to wonder.

2. The word generation is imprecise. "The word can refer to a period of approximately thirty years or to a period of an indefinite number of years but characterized by a particular quality such as suffering or waiting or witnessing." (Craddock, Interpretation, 247)

3. This means "the evil generation of humankind", from Adam until the last man and woman who walk the earth.

4. Or, this might refer to the generation of the end. In other words, the end will occur within one generation; the same group that sees the start of the end will see its end" (This is my interpretation.)

It's clear that the interpretation of "this generation" is, at best, tentative. It's also clear that this issue is hardly the central theme of the scripture. So let's not get too bogged down with the issue of what this generation means and understand that the deeper meaning is that Jesus will come again.

Jesus concludes this section with "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever." --- A reason for hope. No matter how the earth changes…no matter how old it gets…we can be assured that the words of Jesus will still ring true for people. Nothing can stop the Word of God…not earthquakes or famines or floods or wars…and especially not Satan!

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

God wanted the Israelites to learn His law, to make it a part of their lives, and to share it with their children and each other. Is this concept any different today? Are we not called upon to learn all we can about Jesus by studying the Bible? Would we not be better, more complete and happier people if we made Christ a part of our lives? Are we not supposed to share the Good News of Christ with our children and others whom we know or meet?

When Jesus becomes a real part of our lives the answer to these questions are obvious.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
Matthew 9:9 (NLT)

Jesus is walking along the road in Galilee. He sees Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth where he would collect taxes for the Romans and for himself as well. In 1st Century Palestine tax collectors were hated by the populous for being traitors and cheats. They worked for Rome and typically got rich at the people’s expense.

Jesus chooses this guy to help him spread his message. Not a real good business plan. Everyone knows you wouldn’t go out and hire someone people hate to convince them to buy into something. But of course Jesus isn’t everybody is he?

Jesus calls Matthew to give up a life of comfort for a life of uncertainty. He calls him to give up a home for not knowing where he would sleep night after night. He calls him to give up material possessions so that he could be heir to a fortune. And Matthew drops everything and follows.

This takes absolute commitment. Today we often times look for the easier way or the short cuts. Then we don’t have to commit as much of our time or efforts to anything. And to be quite honest I think way too many of us have tried to take short cuts in following Jesus. We want rewards without the work. We want the relationship without the hassle. So we commit just enough time to “Church” without committing our lives totally to Christ.

Following Christ takes total commitment. Are you willing to go all in to follow Jesus as your Lord?

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)

One purpose of being a Christian is to be a reflection of Christ. After we are born again from the Spirit, or come into the "New Birth", as John Wesley puts it, we take on a life with Christ. This is a life where Christ abides inside of us, glowing for others to see.

The question today for each of us to think about is this. If we were to open ourselves up, what would we find inside? The answer should be Christ and His love if we are truly Christians. But sometimes people forget what they are supposed to be reflecting and allow themselves and their own selfishness to take over where Christ once supposedly abided.

This life is not about you or me. It is about love of God and love of each other. If our lives begin being all about what we can do or what we can earn or what we have accomplished, then our reflections will be of ourselves.

If, on the other hand, people see in us kindness, humility, unselfish behavior and the other aspects of the love of Christ, then we are reflecting Christ. Which will you reflect today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Romans 15:7 (NRSV)

Paul teaches us to welcome others. We should be willing to welcome friends and neighbors. That's easy enough. We should be able to welcome all people who come into our churches, our conversations even our lives. We are called to welcome our neighbor, whoever that person might be, and to welcome him or her just as Christ welcomed us into His family.

How often is is hard for you to welcome someone into your life because of a past history or presuppositions about the person? Do you think if Jesus looked at your history or judged the kind of person you might be that he would have allowed you to be called one of His own?

Let us welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-47 (NIV)

These are the original members of the Church. They started the Church under the guidance of the Apostles and the Holy Spirit. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from them.

First of all they continued to meet together. How many Christians today find other things to do on Sunday mornings or other times of worship?

They broke bread together. They shared meals together. They were sincere. They praised God and enjoyed the favor of others. Even when we do meet there may be those of us who are not sincere in our love for each other. We may half-heartedly praise God, all the while looking at our watches to see how long before the service is over.

Let us learn true worship from the earliest Christians. True worship is about sharing and showing love for each other. It's about coming together for God's glory and gladly giving Him our time and efforts.

May we come to see God as an awesome and powerful, yet gracious and merciful Lord. May we all realize that worship is about Him being glorified. May we all seek Him steadfastly today, much like the believers of old.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless?
James 2:19-20 (NLT)

What James is trying to tell us is that simply believing that God exists and that He created us is not enough. It's not the kind of belief that Jesus speaks of in John 3:16 when he says that "all who believe shall never perish, but have eternal life". This kind of saving belief (or faith) has good deeds attached.

He is not telling us our good deeds will save us, but that true faith (or belief) in Jesus is life changing. When we accept, we not only accept Jesus as our Savior (the one who saves us), but as our Lord (the one whom we invite to run our lives). And when Jesus is in control, good deeds will naturally follow.

So it's not that good deeds save us, but that they point to a person who is living out his/her salvation. As Jesus said, "We will be known by our fruit."

So what kind of fruit have you produced lately? Are there signs that you are a Christian? Do good deeds pour forth from you? Or do you claim to have faith while having no deeds to show the authenticity of it?

May we all have a fruit-producing day today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 3:3

I once heard a revival speaker compare the physical growth of babies to our growth as Christians. As babies we need to be fed and taken care of. If we don't grow, then we will die. It's the same with being born again. If we try to stay the same old person we were without allowing the Holy Spirit to grow us and grow in us, we are going to wither away and die. Life is all about change. And the good news is that God will change us when we are born again. It may not happen over night, but it will happen if we will allow Him to work in us. Before I was born again I had a lot of desires that are either not as predominant now or I flat out don't have anymore. That's because Christ worked in me to change me and take away those desires. He comes to us where we are and calls us as we are. If we will simply have faith in Him and allow Him to work in us, things will change...things will become more complete.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
Ephesians 2:14 (NLT)

The Jews were the "chosen" ones of God. They were the ones that God made His covenant with to be their God. But God never meant for His love to be only for one group of people. Through Christ, He brought His love and salvation to all who would accept it.

He came to break down the walls that divided Jews and Gentiles. There should no longer be hostility between us. Of course if this is true for Jews and Gentiles, should it not be true also for us and anyone else? There is so much hostility in this world today by Christians and non-Christians alike. There are walls that we've built up that still need to be broken.

What are these walls that divide us today? They are numerous. Some are huge and made of stone and impossible to push over by our selves. Others are made of clay and can be broken easily if we simply try.

One wall is the wall of hate. It stands stronger than any wall. Sometimes we put it up because we have differences of opinion. This difference of opinion over religious or political views, or the color of the church, or how money should be spent or how it should be made, or who should do what and how they should do it….you get the point don’t you? How many times have you seen a difference of opinion turn to anger? And anger can eventually lead to hate if we aren’t careful. And the wall is up all because we couldn’t agree. Sometimes on a big issue, but more often on something that doesn’t mean a hill of beans when it comes to the Kingdom of God.

Hatred is a wall that is made out of a substance that can only be broken down with love. The only way that these walls today can come down is if we allow the love of Christ to work through us. The question today is, "Are we willing to love ALL people unconditionally so as to break down walls of hatred?"

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

What is this life lived for? Is it for your job, your family, your spouse? Is it lived for adventure, getting the most out of life?

All these things are important and God-given gifts to humanity. But Paul knew that there was something (or I should say someone) much more important to live for. He saw how special living for Christ was. He lived to make Jesus proud of him. He wanted his Father in Heaven to look down and say, "That's my boy!", for Jesus to say, "Good job".

When we have the attitude that to live is Christ, the emphasis of pleasing the world and ourselves is replaced with pleasing Jesus. We now have someone whom we can please because the world and our selfish selves are never happy for more than a short while. And ultimately it makes us feel better inside to know we are pleasing our Father and our Savior who sits at His right hand in Heaven.

So if living is Christ, what then is dying? Dying is gain for those of us who love Jesus. For death is not the end, but simply the beginning. When our lives are up here on this earth and we've lived for Christ for as long as our bodies would allow, we gain access to a much deeper and richer relationship with God. Yes, dying is gain because it is then what we will see God and be with Jesus and experience His Spirit in ways we can never imagine.

Live for Christ. Your life will be a better one for it. And remember that when the time comes, it will only get better.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

After a little time off for the holiday I'm back online with your "Thought of the Day !!" devotions. My prayer is that God will speak to you this year through this ministry. - greg


God began a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
Philippians 1:6 (NCV)

Do you ever fill like a failure? Have you ever wondered why it is that you try to plant seeds for Jesus but never see any fruit? Do you think you ever make a difference for God?

God created you. He began a work in you. You might say that this means that we're a work in progress. Sometimes we will see how this work plays out. Other times we won't. But know that if you allow God to do so, He will build and strengthen you, as well as calling you and seeing that you produce for Him.

In the love of Christ,
greg