Thought of the Day !!

This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.  So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness.  We are not living in the truth. 

                                                1 John 1:5-6 (NLT)

 

God is light.  Ok, that's great.  But what exactly does it mean?  As I read this passage, it occurred to me that light is what makes it impossible for things to be hidden.  The Gospel of John teaches us that Jesus is the light but that people loved darkness.  This is because people don't want what is hidden in them to be seen. 

 

The truth is that God already sees.  But often times we still try to hide our ugliness from Him (and especially from each other).  But if God is light, then who we are, what we've become and that which we want to ignore will be seen.

John is saying that people will claim to have fellowship with God while still living in spiritual darkness.  I believe these are the ones who claim to be Christians while hiding something inside.  I think that these are the ones who have deceit in their hearts or are trying hide their true intentions from God. 

 

I can only imagine the number of people who look like a child of God, talk like a child of God and even do the acts of a child of God while all along doing everything for their own benefits.  I'm reminded of the Pharisees who prayed in public so that they could be seen. 

 

We can speak and act like Christians.  We can claim to have fellowship with Jesus.  But if we are spiritually dark, being filled with self instead of the Holy Spirit, then we are liars.  And "we are not living in the truth".

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And after the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face....
                                                       1 Kings 19:12-13 -- (NIV)

This is one of my favorite verses where Elijah is told that God will speak to him, and then God makes the earth quake and sends a fire.  These are powerful examples of God's might.  Elijah might have expected the great God of his forefathers who spoke the world into existence and wiped out enemies at will to be heard in these forces of nature.  But instead, God came in the quietest and most humble way possible, "a gentle whisper". 

We can become distracted by so much in our daily lives; TV, cell phones, the internet, and much more.  There seems like there's hardly ever a quiet moment in our fast paced lives. 

To top it all off, many expect that when God speaks to them that it will be in some spectacular way.  But how many of us will receive a burning bush?

If God is whispering to you today, will you hear Him...or will you be so distracted as to miss His message for you.  Take time out to listen, for you never know.  You just never know.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

                                                                          Luke 22:39-42 (ESV)

On the night that he was taken into custody, where he would be unjustly accused and beaten and eventually crucified, Jesus prayed for God’s will to be done.  How often does our prayer life lead to things like, Lord please do this or please do that? Please bless this thing that I want to do, or pave the way for me to get the thing I want? 

On the other hand, how often might we truly let go and ask God to have His will be done, even if it’s contrary to our own?

That’s exactly what Jesus did.  We see that he didn’t particularly want to be tortured and die on a cross.  Remember that Jesus is fully human as well as being fully divine.  His humanity would have loved it if the Father would chose another less painful way.  But he lets go of all his desires and tells his Father in Heaven, “Your will, not mine”.  Can we do that when we think we’ve been called to do something we don’t want to do?  Can we do that when we have a great desire for something to happen a certain way?  Can we let go and pray “Your will, not mine”?

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
                                                 Luke 22:44 (ESV)
This all happens right before Jesus is betrayed and turned over to the Jewish leaders and then to Pilate.  It takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

As Jesus prayed, he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.  What was Jesus agonizing over so much?  Was it his impending torture and death?  Was it that his closest friends still didn’t understand?  Was it how the religious elite had become so corrupted and misused their services to his Father in Heaven?  Was it the lostness of world?

Maybe he was agonizing over all of this.  And the agony of it all led to him pray his heart out.  I can just imagine him pouring his heart out to the Father.

How many of us have prayed till we sweated drops like blood?  How often are our prayers so intent that we get lost in ourselves and absorbed in the presence of God?  It’s then that we really connect and often times are strengthened, given understanding or given peace.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

     As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road.
     When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
     "Lord," he said, "I want to see!"
     And Jesus said, "All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you." Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.
                                                             Luke 18:35, 40-43 (NLT)

If Jesus were to ask you what you want, would you ask for sight?  Maybe not, seeing as how you may not be physically blind.  But think about just how important sight is.  We need a vision for our lives, a vision for our churches, a vision for service, a vision for ministry.

Lots of people are walking around today and are spiritually blind.  They don't know Christ, or if they do, they don't know what His desires for them are.  Let us seek God's counsel through the Holy Spirit as we pray for sight.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

    Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: "Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"
    "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: 'You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.'
    The man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young."
    When Jesus heard his answer, he said, "There is still one thing you haven't done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
    But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
                                                           Luke 18:18-23 (NLT)
 
The problem with the rich leader is not that he has wealth, but that the wealth is so important to him.  Jesus has told us to take up our cross and deny ourselves.  He speaks openly about humility and serving as opposed to being proud of what we've got.  Wealth is not a problem, but if it's just too hard to give up what we have to help someone else, then what we have is coming between us and God.  

The same can be said about our time.  If we decide that we're going to spend the bulk of our time doing something that we love there is no problem.  But if we cannot give this up so that we can serve God, then it's become a hindrance.  You can say this about anything that might come between us and God's calling on our lives.  

The question is, "What do we have that we could not do without if God so desired it?"  Is there anything coming between you and God because it's become more important than God in your life?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

       To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

    "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

    "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

                                                                       Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

Do you remember those teen movies or TV shows where the kid with glasses and older clothes, having a low self-esteem comes into the cafeteria?  The kid goes to put his/her tray down at a table and is told right off that he/she is at the wrong table and directed to the table where other kids like him/her are at.

Kids can be so mean, can't they?  They can form groups and proclaim that they're better than the other groups.  But then again, can it not be the same with adults? 

I've heard of denominations that believe people, even Christians, are going to hell if they don't join their denomination.  I've seen people, who go to church on Sunday, look down on people at work because of their position, color or level of education.  I've had bosses (before going into the ministry) that treated me like an object instead of a human being.  And I've read in my bible about a religious man who prayed to God and said "Thank you Lord that I'm not as bad as that person over there that is far beneath me." 

Have you ever been looked down on by someone?  How did it feel?  Do you think you've ever looked down on somebody else and thought about how they weren't as good as you?  How do you think God felt?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
                                                                               John 8:12 (NLT)

When I was a child, sometimes my friends would be over at night, and we would play a game.  My room was in the back of the house away from all the grown-ups and the lighted rooms that they'd be in.  One person would be chosen to be "it" while the rest would go into my room and place obstacles like toys or pillows or chairs all around the room.  When the room was set up, the lights turned off, and the ones inside were hidden, the other child would come in and try to find the rest.  Of course the object was to place as many obstacles in that kid's way as possible.  

In the darkness there are many obstacles that we can trip over and fall.  They are placed there not by little children, but by the devil.  And he's there waiting for us to fall. 

But Jesus is the one who brings the light to show us the way around these obstacles.  And if we will follow him, it's not that the obstacles won't still be there, but that we will be able to see more clearly how to navigate around them.  Or in the very least, we'll be able to see the other side and have confidence that there is safety over there.

Maybe you're stumbling today through a bad relationship or a job that is very demanding.  Maybe you've been in the deep dark waters lately that seem to engulf you with the pain of worldly problems.  If so, let the Light of Christ shine in front of you.  Follow that light and the path will sooner or later become more clear and easy to navigate.  The reason for this is that when we follow Christ, wherever we go, He's already been there to light the place up.  

May you receive the blessings of the Light of Christ through the good days and the bad days.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "...The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
                                                                  1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

He's not strong enough.  She's not smart enough.  He's too fat.  She's unattractive. 

These are things that people might say about a person.  But not God.  God doesn't pay attention to what's on the outside when choosing people.  He loves all, no matter what the qualifications.  And those who love Him will be chosen for His service where they will find joy. 

This passage is written about a small shepherd boy whose older, bigger, stronger brothers were passed over by God for the anointing of being the greatest king Israel would ever have.  All this came about not because what was on the outside, but because of what was on the inside.  David had a heart for God.  He loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength.  And because of this, he was chosen by God.  And King David was anointed long before he was actually appointed king by the people.

What this says to us today is that it doesn't matter if we're the most athletic or not.  It doesn't matter if we're the skinniest or not.  It doesn't matter how much education we have or if we won't win any beauty contests.  What matters is what kind of person we are on the inside.  Where our heart is will be always be most important...no matter who we are. 

So where is your heart?  Do you have a heart for God or a heart for the things of this world?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
                                                              Romans 8:11 (NIV)

If the Holy Spirit lives in us we will have life, not just in Heaven, but right now.  But what does this mean?  Does it mean that the Holy Spirit is what keeps our pulse going, our hearts beating, our lungs expanding our brain functioning? 

What Paul wants us to understand is that God's Holy Spirit is what gives us life worth living.  When we have the Holy Spirit within us, we have meaning because we are doing what we were created to do.  We were created with the purpose of connecting to God in a relationship of sacrificial love. It's only then that we will be totally complete.  Nothing else in this world will give us true life.

So what does this mean for us?  Will we be happy all the time?  For a select few it seems like it.  These are the ones who've submitted their lives so totally to God that even when they're persecuted or go through trials they see it as a time of leaning on Christ.  This doesn't happen overnight though.  It comes with surrendering more and more daily.  But with our surrendering and emptying ourselves of the world, more room is made for God to come in. 

Maybe you're not there yet and you struggle like most of us with trials and hardships.  Think about how much worse they would be if you did not have the Holy Spirit in you because you had not let Jesus into your heart.  There would be no Rock, no Foundation to lean on.  Think about how you would grieve loved ones who've died.  There would be no hope for them after they are gone...or you either.

Jesus came to bring life and through the Holy Spirit we can receive that life.  Let us surrender more and more until we've got so much life in us that every moment can be one of joy...even when things are difficult for us get through.

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)

How many times during the week will we be given the opportunity to say something ugly about someone?  How many times will somebody make us mad and "deserve" an unkind rebuke?  How many times will we want to explode into a tirade of "colorful metaphors" when somebody messes up our order at the drive-thru? 

We are given many opportunities to give in to anger, jealousy, envy and a whole host of other things that stem from hatred, which is what all these can eventually lead to if not held in check.  When given the opportunity, will you give in to the temptation to speak evil against someone?  Or will you rise above the situation, relying on the strength of God and remembering your own imperfections, to hold your tongue (or your thoughts if that be the case)?

May God bless those who have a desire to be blessings to others (even when they deem them undeserving).

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the day !!

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)

Have you ever felt like a failure?  Don't worry.  God isn't finished with you.  His desire is to work with you today and everyday to bring you along towards perfection.  Simply take your failures, your burdens, you times of selfish behavior and ask for forgiveness.  Then ask Him to help you change whatever is in you that is causing you to fail.  It might be pride.  It might be fear of speaking out.  It might be a whole host of other things.  Just don't expect to be changed all at once because the majority of time we are changed little by little.  The key is that we must be willing to allow God to help us change.  And we must stay connected with Him through prayer and bible study.  Then each day we'll grow a little closer to God and become a little less of a failure. 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
                                                                John 11:25 (ESV)

I was listening to K-Love on the radio this morning and the DJ shared a perspective on a common question among Christians.  Sometimes we see God doing great things in other people's lives or we hear a story about how God miraculously healed someone or how He is credited by someone who's come through a huge crisis.  There can be times when even the best of us can wonder why God is doing so many great things for others, but our pain, disease, problem is still there. 

What I heard this morning is this.  It's all about perspective.

Think about it.  We all want healing as soon as possible for whatever problem we have.  But there is temporal healing and eternal healing.  We're cursed with the punishment of sin and all the hardships that come with it as soon as we enter this world.  From then until the time we die, we need a healing.  Some healings will last a short time, even a mortal lifetime.  But the truest healing is being free from sin and the effects of sin.  This healing will come when we live forever. 

Jesus said that even though we will die (because of sin) we shall live (if we are believers).  That living is eternal healing.  So if others are being healed and it seems like you are not, rejoice in their healings.  Know that you are right now being healed as you move through this life coming closer and closer to God until the day you meet Him face to face.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
                                                                      John 14:27 (TNIV)

There is a difference in the peace that we get from the world and the peace we receive from Christ.  The world's idea of peace is the absence of conflict.  But there will always be conflict in a sinful world.  

Jesus' gift of peace is what gets us through not only the good times, but also those times of conflict.  When you have a sick child…when you're stressed over your job…when you aren't sure how the bills will get paid, these are times when we don't think about peace.  That is, unless we seek it from the only one who can give it without any strings attached.

When speaking of this verse of scripture in his Explanatory Notes on the New Testament, John Wesley wrote these words.

"Lord, evermore give us this peace!  How serenely may we pass through the most turbulent scenes of life, when all is quiet and harmonious within!  Thou hast made peace through the blood of the cross."  

This is the peace of Christ…when no matter what's going on outside, there is quiet and harmonious within.  Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Do not let them be afraid.

Do you know this kind of peace today?  Do you truly feel that you'll be taken care of in a dangerous situation?  Can you take the laughter or jabs or innuendos of unbelievers when you stand up for what's right or share Christ with them?  When someone has brought you pain can you allow yourself to be healed within from the One who created you?

My you have the peace of Christ with you today and forevermore.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'
                                                                                Mark 7:15 (NIV)

 

Man or woman...it doesn't matter.  What he or she eats...it doesn't matter.  What's on the inside...Now that's what matters.  Filthy mouths that spew venom cannot come from a clean loving heart.  There may be mistakes made with the mouth, for as James says,"...no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."  But when hateful things constantly come from this mouth, it means that the heart is filled with more selfishness and/or hate than love.  On the other hand, a mouth that is constantly lifting people up means that the heart is filled with love.  Which do you have?

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
                                                         2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)

We see many things in this world from the beauty of creation to the ugliness that we can make of God's creation.  We also see struggles; ours and other people's. 

But the fact is that none of these things will last forever.  There will come a day when our eyes will be opened to unimagined beauty.  We will experience things in a whole new way; a way that won't be troubling anymore. 

We have a choice in life of whether or not to accept this future.  When we place our hope and trust in Christ Jesus, coming into a relationship with God, we will be fixing our eyes on what is unseen, eternal and perfect.  It's this hope that can get us through any temporary troubles that come our way. 

Be blessed with the hope of salvation today as Christ abides in you through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the love of Christ,
greg