Thought of the Day !!

God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NLT)

God calls each and every one of us. He first calls us into a loving, self-giving relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. And then He calls us to what I call secondary callings. Some are called to preach. Others are called to be missionaries. Still others are called to care for others in various ways like being doctors, dependable workers, good stewards of other people's resources.

Some of our callings may be vocational like those called to be nurses or social workers. Other callings are short term like the calling placed upon one's heart to visit or pray for someone or stop and pick someone up on the side of the road.

No matter what we're called to do though, God will be faithful to us to help us live out these callings. He starts something special in our lives and helps us to complete whatever it is. What has God called you to do lately?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.
James 5:13 (NLT)

James asks if we're suffering. If so, we should take these sufferings to God in prayer. Hand them over to Him. It ain't easy. I know as much as anybody how difficult it is to let go of some things. But if we can learn to be totally dependent upon God, it is possible.

James goes on to ask, "Are any of you happy?" Well...if you are...he says act like it. Actually, he says to "sing praises." How many of us get so excited about what Christ has done, is doing and will do for us that we can't help but sing?

As you go through your day, keep in mind that God is with you wherever you go. He isn't there to "keep you straight". He's there to lovingly encourage and help you through whatever comes your way. So when the victories come your way, don't forget to include him just as you did when you felt like defeat was almost upon you. He will be by your side through both.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1 (NRSV)

John goes on to say that any spirit that confesses Jesus is from God, and that any spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. There are evil spirits in this world that try to manipulate people by deception. These are from the devil. There are also good spirits, often referred to as angels, that help people. If one were to hear a spirit, one could know the truth by whether or not the spirit acknowledged Jesus.

But what about people? False prophets have been around since Old Testament times. Kings would often times surround themselves with prophets that would tell them what they wanted to hear. These were false prophets. There were also the prophets of Baal, a pagan God. These were false prophets. But the scariest ones to me are the ones who claim to be from God, but are working out of deception.

Jesus told us to beware of false prophets (Matthew 7:15-20) and that they would claim to come in his name (Matthew 24:5). These are with us today. So how do we test whether or not they are from God. Test them, not by what they say, but by the fruit that they produce and how their lives are lived. Don't believe anything that goes against what they Bible teaches. Confirm your theories about them by sharing your concerns with other good bible based believers. And by all means, pray about it.

I wonder how many false prophets are out there today leading people along the wrong path with teachings that are what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. I wonder how many lead people into even more selfishness instead of closer to God.

Test those who try to persuade you one way or another. Test me. But when you find those Godly leaders that can help you come closer and closer to God. Listen and learn from them because they are the ones that have been given a gift from God. Don't worship them. And remember that they're not perfect and won't ever know everything. But ask God to bring you to those who will lead you to Him and not those who will lead you astray.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 (NLT)

"Jesus is Lord" was the earliest confession of faith for the Church. They didn't need a bunch of Creeds or sets of beliefs because this was really all that mattered. The Greek word used here for Lord is "Kurios", which is the same word that the Roman Emperor would use when he would say that the people were to call him Lord. It's the same word that is used over 6000 times in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) when referring to the name of God.

So when the early Christians claimed that Jesus was Lord, they were setting him right up there with where the Roman Emperor wanted to be and where the God of Abraham was. They were in essence saying the same thing that the author of John claimed when beginning his Gospel by writing that he was with God and that he was God.

When we honestly make this claim, we are stating that he is the only one worthy of our worship, our time, our efforts, our lives. We will either be enslaved by the love of self, leading to love of what this world offers, or a love of the Kurios. Making this statement claims the latter.

Believing in our hearts meant something much different in the early Church. The heart was not a symbol of love and romance. It symbolized the core of one's being. And to believe with our hearts that Jesus was raised means that we believe this in the core of our beings. It's not simply an intellectual belief. It's what motivates us to live our lives.

If Jesus had just died, we'd have a dead faith. But the resurrection was the surest sign that Jesus was and is the Kurios. And this leads us back to Jesus IS Lord...not Jesus WAS Lord. If he died, he would have been. But since he defeated death, he not only lived...but still lives as well.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:3 (NRSV)

Our lives are chances to magnify God. They come in large and small ways. With every breath we take, we have a chance to glorify God or thank Jesus for what he's done. With every move we make, we have an opportunity to put love of neighbor into action. Yes, every second of our lives are filled with chances to magnify the One who first loved us. But we must choose. What will your words and your actions say about your choice today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

"Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!'
Matthew 25:34-40 (NLT)

(For I was hungry and you fed me)
• You bought food and donated it to the local food pantry.
• You shared your lunch with me when I sat outside your office, instead of calling me a bum and telling me to scram.
• You took me some place and paid for me a meal.
• You invited me to a potluck at your church and said not to worry about not bringing anything, there was plenty.
• You gave me a couple of dollars when you saw me on the side of the road.
• You worked at the local soup kitchen where I had a hot meal.

(I was thirsty and you gave me a drink)
• I worked for you out in your yard on a hot summer’s day and you brought me a cool glass of lemonade. You told me to visit your well and take all I wanted.
• You saw me in the form of a child at a school outing and noticed that when all the other kids got drinks from the concession stand, I stood off by myself, and you brought me a coke.

(I was a stranger and you invited me in)
• I knocked on your door and asked to use your phone to call someone to come and pick me up because my car broke down, and you did not send me away.
• I came to your church and you made me feel welcome. You spoke to me as if you were excited that I was there.
• I was the one trying to get my license at the courthouse that looked confused. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I didn’t speak very good English. And you took time out to make sure I went to the right place.
• I was the one at the amusement park that was lost, and you stood with me until we found my parents.
• I was the one in the doctor’s office that was trying to hold back the tears. The expression on my face gave me away though, and it was very noticeable that I was frightened. You are the one who laid your worries aside and came to me and offered comfort.

(I was naked and you gave me clothing)
• You gave your spare coats to the downtown mission, and because of this, I stayed warm even though I had to sleep on the streets at night.
• My home burned down and among other things, you donated clothes to my children and me so that we would have more than what was on our backs when we got out of the house.

(I was sick and you cared for me)
• I was in the hospital and you came by to cheer me up.
• When you heard that I had the flu, you made a pot of soup and brought it by.
• When I got hurt, you offered to take me to the Emergency Room.
• When I was sick, you prayed for me.

(I was in prison and you visited me)
• You came and visited me in jail, knowing that no one else would.
• You took part in the prison ministry so that I would know I wasn’t forgotten that that Jesus still loved me.
• When I got out, you did not avoid me at the store or the bank when you saw me coming your way. You did not judge me as a worse person than yourself.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Why does God Love Me? I mean why would he care which decisions I make or if I'm on top of the world or at the bottom of the heap. I ask myself, "What makes me so special?" I know it's true that He loves me for as the song says, "The Bible tells me so." I can look to the Gospel of John to see that He loved me so much that He gave His only begotten Son for me. I can go to the Psalms and see these words written on the page, "For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens." (Psalm 57:10) I know He loves me, but why?

Does God love me because He created me? In part this is true. He loved all His creations in the beginning and made the claim that they were good. But I've made things that I really loved. I probably drew a picture when I was a kid that I loved, but would not have the same affection for it now. I might have grown tired of seeing it. Or maybe the decline of my love would be because it had become torn and faded, in imperfect shape. So does God love me simply because He made me. Maybe. But I believe that answer goes further than this.

Does God love me because I am good? Surely not because I am not always good. Isn't it true that even when I stray that He still loves me?

Maybe the answer is not in who I am, but who He is. God doesn't love us because of what we've done or even how we were created. The simple fact is that "God is love." (1 John 4:8) His love comes out of who He is. We don't define love and give those attributes to God. We look to God to define love.

So He loves me because that's Him. That's His essence. That's who He is and who I want to be like. I want to have that love in me so I can share it with others. Love is not given to be kept. It is given to be shared. God's love is inside of me. He loves me just because that's who He is, and He wants me to share it with others today. I hope I'm up to the task. How about you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.
Psalm 119:9 (NLT)

Don't get caught up in the word "young" here. You could say that we're all young when compared to God. So let's look at this question that the Psalmist asks in this way; "How can a person stay pure?"

Now that we've decided that the same advice goes for all people no matter what age they are, let's listen to the answer; "By obeying [God's] word." Yes, obedience to God is how we remain pure when it comes to righteousness. We'll never be perfectly sinless. But we can be pure (or right with God) when we give our whole heart over to Him through our relationship with Jesus. And to do this, we must obey God's word as it is in the form of the Bible we read.

I've been preaching a Lenten Sermon Series based on the Sermon on the Mount. For those of you who are not familiar with this, it is found in Chapters 5-7 in the book of Matthew. It is where Jesus is teaching is disciples how to live with each other and the rest of the world. I encourage you to start here with your reading to see how well you are obeying God's word. Then see what you might need to do to become more pure (or right with God).

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20

We can't love God and hate others. It's as simple as that.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)

There are some who try to run away from God. They try to run away from responsibility, or possibly the moral implications of their actions. Jonah comes to mind. He didn't like what God was calling him to do, so he went the other direction. We're just like Jonah if we fool ourselves into believing that God doesn't speak to us and that this or that ministry is for someone else. God is always with us and calls to us regularly. Will we try to hide or will we accept His calling upon our lives?

Then there are those who find comfort from the fact that God is always with them. When we learn that God is not an angry Parent ready to discipline us for the least little thing, but is instead a loving and caring Parent watching over us, we will see God more clearly.

When understanding that God is omnipresent (ever present; present everywhere), there should be a mix of respect for our Creator to do as He sees best for us to do as well as a sense of security that only a parent can lend to a small child.

Go with God today, for He is already going with you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.
1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)

Peter tells us that we must crave pure spiritual milk. Now there are two things that jumped out at me here. First of all there’s this phrase “pure spiritual milk”. Well, what is it? You could say that it’s the Word of God, it’s the wisdom of God, or it’s the Truth of God. And I think you’d be on the right path with any of these. But to put the phrase in context here where Peter has just warned us to rid ourselves of various things, I would have to say that the spiritual milk he’s getting at is the gifts that allow us to combat these things. It’s the power and strength to overcome selfishness and move towards self-giving love. The pure spiritual milk that all born again Christians must crave is the gifts that help lead us to the purity of a new life in Christ.

Secondly, Peter says that we MUST choose the pure spiritual milk. We must choose that which will lead us to maturity. And we must wait patiently for this. This is part of the reason people have a hard time choosing the lifestyle of a true Christian. They want everything right now.

We live in an “instantaneous society” that expects news as it happens, quick returns on our investments, and instant retrieval of information. Plus our children have to grow up much faster as they watch after each other while both parents work. Therefore full maturity is demanded quicker than it should be for some.

But maturity is a process. It’s not instantaneous. It’s a process that takes time. And it takes more time for some and less time for others. Rather it’s a child’s maturation or the maturing of a Christian, we have to remember that it is still a process. And so that’s why baptism is just the beginning and not the ending of our salvation story.

Salvation isn’t defined simply by one moment and then that’s it. Our salvation as Christians is a process of being formed into the image of Christ where we make mistakes…are forgiven…try again and again…looking back every day saying to ourselves, “I’m not where I should be, but I’m farther along than I used to be.”

We can do this if we crave the pure spiritual milk that God has to offer us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)

I know how hard it can be to get up in the morning sometimes. But whether the alarm clock goes off and we jump out of bed, or we wear out the snooze button, we are waking each day to a new and glorious day that our Lord has made. There are so many possibilities for it at that moment. It can be a day where we make a difference...where we share the good news of Christ...where we help someone out of a jam...where we notice the beauty of God's handiwork.

At that point we don't know the outcome of the day. We might fail, winding up frustrated at the end of the day. Or we might have such a glorious day that we're smiling all the way to bedtime. But no matter how the day ends, we need to know that it's God who is there when we awaken. And it's God who will show us the opportunities to succeed. He's there when we wake to speak to us if we will only listen.

Let today, and everyday, begin with your Lord, and you'll soon find out that they all start getting better.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

Luke 17:17-18 (NLT)

This is the ending of a story where Jesus heals 10 lepers, at least one of which being a Samaritan. They were told to go to the priests, and on the way they were each healed. But only one came back to thank the man who had made them whole.

I once read the story of Edward Spencer who in 1860 risked his life to jump into Lake Michigan and save 17 people from a sinking passenger steamer. In his later years a reporter came to him to do a follow up piece about the wreck and his heroics. He stated that what he remembered most is that not one of the 17 people that he saved that night ever thanked him.

Spencer risked his life for those people, but Jesus gave his for us. How many of us are like the other 9 lepers and go on about our business?

Thanking Jesus for what he has done for us isn't merely saying the words or even sending a thank-you card. It's living a life of thanks and obedience. It's remembering daily what Christ has done and the love that brought Him to do it. Of these two stories, out of 27 people only 1 showed a thankful heart. I wonder how many of us Christians live our lives expecting more that we deserve instead of being grateful for what we don't?

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

Don't speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God's law.
James 4:11 (NLT)

God's ultimate law is the law of love. He commands us to love Him and love each other. There are no laws more important than these. When we are hateful to others, whether they deserve it or not, we sin and break God's law. For we are all deserving of worse than we receive from God. But instead of the punishment we deserve, we received grace.

You will have many opportunities today to be hateful or negative or to say bad things about the people around you: the officer who gave you a ticket, the co-worker who laughed at your idea, the cashier who didn't treat you as you thought you deserved, the person who owes you money. Or you can choose to forgive and be kind, showing the love of Christ to all the people you meet, instead of just the ones who are nice to you.

Which kind of person would Jesus want us to be? Which will we be today?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Ramblings of a Broken-Hearted Pastor

Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, was quoted as praying this prayer, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." This prayer has been on my mind since I read it a couple weeks ago in the book The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision. The Holy Spirit has used this prayer to influence and guide me as I've traveled to Nicaragua, thought about hurting people in Africa and read about injustices in the poorest parts of the world.

All around the world young girls are forced to have sex over and over several times a day, seven days a week with no break.

Over 30,000 boys have been captured and made to fight for the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) in Uganda. The leader of the LRA is Joseph Kony, the number one war criminal in the world. One of the first things that he makes these boys do is kill their parents.

Many children in Africa can't go to school and be educated for one simple reason. They have to get water from the only water supply available to them, which could be as much as an hour away. And it takes several trips to get enough water for the day. So most of their day is walking back and forth to get water that is also filled with parasites and diseases. This is where most kids won't grow past age 5. Those who do may wind up burying their parents who will die from AIDS and then live on their own with no income.

People not only die of AIDS and other deadly diseases. They die of treatable problems as well. One of the biggest killers in the poorest countries is diarrhea. The people get dehydrated and can't hydrate the way they should, so they die. Another treatable disease is Malaria. I took a pill before leaving for Nicaragua, one while there, and will take a couple more in the upcoming weeks. But so many people simply don't have access to the drugs that I do. And so Malaria kills tons of people every day. Then there's tuberculosis. I read where it's estimated that 1/3 of the world's population is infected with the TB bacillus (2008 - World Health Association). That is two billion people. Fortunately only 5-10 percent of these people will develop full-blown TB. But still that's 1-2 million people. Those who have no access to the medicine or to doctor care (whether in Africa or America) will most likely die from it.

I could go on with information that God has placed in my path over the past few weeks. But I will not, so as to not overwhelm. Instead I want to share a few ramblings of a broken-hearted pastor.

I to pray that God will break my heart for what breaks His. Even though these injustices weigh heavily on me, they are the things that weigh on God. Think about this. Our earth produces enough food for every man, woman and child in the world to be fed. So why aren't they? INJUSTICE.

There are war-torn areas of the world where kids are the armies. Why? INJUSTICE.

Innocent people live in fear all around the world. Why? INJUSTICE.

People die daily of very curable diseases. Why? INJUSTICE.

So why is there so much injustice? First, the devil is at work ruling this world. Jesus called him the ruler of the world, so who am I to disagree. Second, the Church in areas where things are good is not doing the job she should be doing. Paul urged the Corinthian church to give to the church in Jerusalem knowing that they had more to give. So do we. As we worry about attendance and buildings and programs, we are missing so much. We have so much and others have so little. Yet we give out of our abundance instead of like the poor widow who gave all.

I'm not saying that any one of us can solve the world's problems. Instead, I'm saying that too many of us aren't doing enough -- or anything to help solve any problems. We are the Church of Jesus Christ. We Christians are the hands and feet of Christ and the adopted sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven. We are called to feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned and sick. So how are we doing? If so many in this world are hurting, then we're not doing as well as we should. The Church as a whole must step up. But as individuals all we can do is our part. So I urge you to do just that. Listen to these words of God and meditate on them to see if the Holy Spirit decides to speak to you.

Woe to those who make unjust laws,

to those who issue oppressive decrees,

to deprive the poor of their rights

and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,

making widows their prey

and robbing the fatherless.

- Isaiah 10:1-2 (NIV)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

- James 1:27 (NLT)

There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

- Deuteronomy 15:11 (NLT)

"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well.

Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.

- Jeremiah 22:16 (NIV)

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

- Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)

Then the King will say, "I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me-you did it to me."

- Matthew 25:40 (MSG)

Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.

- Saint Teresa of Avila

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV)

It is obvious to us that if we murder someone that we will receive judgment in this life and the life to come. God will judge us for this. But what Jesus is saying here is that the less obvious acts of anger will bring judgment as well.

We'd all like to think that those who murder innocent people will have to pay in the end for what they did. Even though we've not allowed our selves to be pushed that far, we are still guilty of the feelings inside that we hold against our brothers and sisters. Jesus understands, and wants us to understand as well, that the feelings of anger, malice, hate and so forth are barriers to loving our neighbor. He wants us to break down these barriers. A beginning to this is to simply pray for God's Holy Spirit to break our hearts for what breaks His...to see others through His eyes and not our selfish ones.

Once we are humbled by God instead of made proud by the world, we will see others in a new light. And God will praise us for how we treat others instead of judging us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)

On the first day of creation God said, "Let there be light." He saw that it was good. Light represents goodness, whereas darkness is goodness hidden. Jesus teaches that we are the light of the world. I find it curious that he didn't tell us to strive for this, but instead proclaimed that we were it. We are light. Sometimes I know my light is dimmed by frustration, selfishness, doubt and other things. But as Christ's hands and feet in this world I am light. And so are you if you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

So often we act like our light should be kept inward instead of being cast out into the world. A church building might hide out lights when we only shine on Sunday mornings. A basket is put over our light when we choose to go along with the norm instead of being the different person that Jesus wants us to be. When these things happen, I can only imagine how our Father in Heaven feels about His children. The word that comes to my mind is disappointment. I don't know about you, but I hate it when I know I've disappointed my Father in Heaven.

Let us shine before men and women and children today. Let us all be the hands and feet and voice of our Lord and Savior, seeking His will for us over ours or the world's.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
Matthew 5:13 (NLT)

Salt adds flavor. It seasons. So if we are the salt of the earth, the question could be asked, "Where does our seasoning/flavor come from?" You could say that we're seasoned with the Good News of Christ. We are also seasoned with the Grace of our God in Heaven. Therefore, if we are the salt of the earth, then we will know and share the Good News as well as show the same love and mercy of our Heavenly Father.

Are we doing these on a regular basis? If not, we will lose our flavor, and salt that has lost its flavor is worthless according to Jesus. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be worthless. May we all be salt today, bringing good flavor to a world that already has many flavors that only wind up being bitter in the end.

In the love of Christ,
greg