Thought of the Day !!

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field."
                                                                            Matthew 13:44 (NLT)

This is what it's like to have an obsession.  The man found a treasure that he felt he just couldn't live without.  He didn't take any shortcuts.  He didn't try to steal what wasn't his.  He hid the treasure again and ran off to get enough money to buy the field where the treasure was. 

He was so obsessed that he willingly sold everything he owned.  Do we understand what that means?  He sold his wedding ring, his car, his insurance policy, his home, his television, his computer, his books, his clothes and then emptied his bank account.  He was so obsessed with having the treasure that nothing else mattered until he had what he was so desperate for.

Can you feel the man's intensity?  Can you sense the urgency?  Can you understand the passion and desperation that he had?

Being obsessed with God means that without Him nothing else matters.  It means that we're desperate enough to do anything to sense His presence and feel His touch.  This is what true life is all about.  It's Kingdom living, which is asking, seeking, knocking constantly and receiving what God has for us. 

Is God and the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth an obsession for you?  Would you do anything for the mountaintop experiences that come only from being in the presence of God?  Keep on searching, knocking and asking, for we're told that if we do, we will receive.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us.  We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

                                                Exodus 32:1 (NLT)

           

Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Law for God’s people.  He was there on their behalf finalizing the covenant between God and Israel where God had already promised to be their God and take care of them.  But down below something horrible was taking place.  The people had lost patience and within a forty-day span had already become spiritual adulterers.  They were ready to cheat on God.

           

They come to Aaron, who’s been put in charge in Moses’ absence, and demand that he make them some gods.  First of all, how many gods do they need?  Is one not enough?  Surely this idea came from the Egyptians who might have had several idols of gods in their households. 

We see how impatience can lead to sinful behavior.  They had been waiting a mere few weeks and were giving up on God because He had done nothing for them lately.  In our own case, Jesus has been gone for 2000 years.  And impatience has led many to forgetting that He teaches us how to behave and love others.  We abandon Jesus’ ways for our own in many instances and bring disappointment and maybe even anger to God just like the Israelites did.

How has impatience led you to sinful behavior? 

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!"
                                                                   Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)

The Israelites are given a choice and asked by God to make a decision.  They are told to choose between life and death.  Now at first glance one might say, "That's easy.  I'd choose to live rather than die."  But this is not God holding a gun to their heads telling them "your money or you life" kinda thing.  This is not a question of whether or not lightning will strike them dead or not.  God plans on them surviving the day and existing after this day. 

So what is God asking the Israelites to choose between?

He's telling them that they can choose between a life of purpose and meaning and fulfillment and a life that has no purpose, meaning, or fulfillment.  He's telling them that they can choose between being a people that are blessed and a people who are cursed.  They must decide.

Again, at first glance one might think this an easy decision.  But what are the consequences of the decision to choose life?  They are consequences of change.  And often times people would rather stay in the same old rut rather than become blessed.  This is because staying the same is easy.  It's familiar.  We can grow accustomed to it and settle for it. 

Today we have the same choice.  We will either choose life or death, blessings or curses, change or whatever is most comfortable?  Which will you choose?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over."
                                                                          Joshua 13:1 (NIV)

Joshua had already lived in the Wilderness, brought the Israelites to the Promised Land, taken the city of Jericho and defeated many enemies.  He was well passed normal retirement age.  But God had more for him to do.

In our lives many will look forward to the day that they retire.  Celebrations will be had.  Plans will be made for life after work.  And there's nothing wrong with this.  But remember that we never retire from doing ministry.  God will use those who are willing until the last remaining days of their lives.  Our ministries will change from time to time.  We might not be physically able to do what we did when we were younger.  But we can always be a part of God's work in some way. 
 
So don't ever plan a retirement party from doing ministry, for the Lord still has something important for you to do.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD -- and he will repay you!
                                                    Proverbs 19:17 (NLT)

Who are the poor around you? 

What do they need? 

What can you give? 

Did you realize that every time you give to someone who is poor, or in need, you are lending what you give to God?  Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew that whenever we do unto the least, we do unto Him.  So be blessed as you show kindness to those less fortunate while at the same time giving back a little to the one who's done so much for you. 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up.
                                                             Exodus 3:1-2 (NLT)

In sermons I will often refer to a "Burning Bush Moment", meaning a significant way in which God will get our attention.  In doing so I draw upon how we would know it was God speaking to us because it would be be some spectacular event like a bush speaking to us.  Things like this just don't happen every day.

Of course there's another way to look at this event that happened to Moses, other than how it was an eye-opening and mouth-dropping event.  It's that God used something ordinary to be His way of getting Moses' attention.  Though it was a bush on fire that would not burn down, it was still only a bush, and for that matter only fire. 

My point?  It's that these are two ordinary things that a person of Moses' day would see every day.  Bushes were scattered around here and there.  And fires were made and used to cook with and keep warm.  These are not extra ordinary things by themselves.  Even a bush being on fire might not be too out of the ordinary.  But what makes this a special burning bush is that God uses it to get Moses' attention.

I believe that God is using ordinary things to try to get our attention as well.  They may not be as dramatic as us hearing God speak our name from them.  But He uses them all the same.  Today as you go about your day, seek how God might be trying to get your attention using ordinary objects or ordinary events.  Allow yourself to be a God-seeker, and just maybe He'll speak to you through your own "burning bush".

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
                                                                     Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

Sometimes we just need to be reminded not to get discouraged.  It can be so easy at times when nothing seems to go right.  I've surely had those days/weeks.  But the truth is that God is with us whether or not we can feel His presence.  When things aren't going right, it might just be then that we're hanging on only because he's holding us up.  And even though we may seem to be getting nothing accomplished or no rewards for our service, remember that Jesus said that we are storing up treasures in Heaven.  And there's nothing here on this earth that can compare to those treasures to come. 

 

May we all be kept strong.  And may we all stay the course of Jesus.  And may we all keep our eyes on the rewards of the future when there's nothing but dismay in the present.  And may all these come through the work of God's mighty Holy Spirit.

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you [God]. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer.

                                                                             Psalms 143:8 (NLT)

 

Could there be any better way to begin each morning than for us to listen for God to speak to us?  The more we pray and open our eyes, ears and hearts to what God has to say to us, the more we will receive.  For God's love is truly unfailing.  Our God does desire to share with us his blessings. 

 

So begin each day with the Lord, and spend the rest of the day alert to where he might be speaking to or sharing with you.  As we do this, we will come to realize just how much God does for us.  And we learn how to place our trust in him for every detail of our lives. 

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me."

But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."
                                                                    Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

There's an old story about a factory in the Soviet Union.  It seems that there had been a lot of petty theft, so they hired a guard and placed him at the entrance of the factory.  This particular guard new all the workers quite well.  And so when a man named Petrovich came out with a wheelbarrow that had a bulky sack in it, the guard said, "All right Petrovich, what have you got there?"  

Petrovich replied, "Oh, just sawdust and shavings."

"Oh come on now.  I wasn't born yesterday," said the guard.  And he made Petrovich start to empty the bag.  Sure enough, all that was there was sawdust.  So he let him put it back in and go on.

Well this went on for a week.  And the guard, frustrated, finally told old Petrovich, "OK Petrovich, I know you.  You're as crocked as they come.  I know you're stealing something from the factory by carrying out these bags every night.  You tell me what you're stealing, and I promise I won't turn you in.  But I just have to know."

So Petrovich, who knew that guard was a man of his word, said, "OK, you're right.  I have been stealing from the company."

The guard asked again, "What is it then?"

And to this Petrovich replied, "Wheelbarrows."

The guard was so preoccupied, or distracted by what was in the sacks, that he failed to see that Petrovich kept taking home wheelbarrows.

Martha was distracted by work, that while was not unimportant, was also not a priority at the time.  She was distracted by her many tasks.  And this upset her, and led her to tell Jesus what he should do.  "Tell her (Mary) to help me."  

Jesus' reply is that that Mary has chosen her priority.  And this priority is Jesus.  Even the most important things of this world fail in comparison to growing our relationship with Christ.  So let us not become so distracted by anything in this life that we lose focus of what's truly most important.  

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
                                                         Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)

I wonder how many people go to churches every week that don't have this assurance.  I'm talking about the people who come every week, but honestly don't know if it makes a difference or not.  

Faith is a gift.  It's truly believing the unbelievable.  It's God's assurance that what we believe is true.  And this comes to us when we ask for it.  

John Wesley was having problems with his faith once, and he was about to give up preaching.  But after asking a mentor about it, he was given this advice.  Preach faith until you got it.  And when you get it, you'll preach it because you got it.
 
If you don't have that assurance deep down in your heart that Christ died to save even you…pray and ask for it.  Prayerfully read your bible.  Pray until you got it.  Then when you get it, pray because you got it.  

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." And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
                                                                            Luke 5:4-6 (NLT)

Simon (or Peter) and the guys have been out all night fishing.  They knew what they were doing.  They weren't amateurs.  They fished for a living.  But there was just no fish to be found this evening.  They had failed miserably at their task.

Jesus tells Simon to go out into the deep water, and go fishing.  Simon tells Jesus that there's nothing to be caught.  Maybe then there's a pause.  And then he says "Well, ok, if you say so.  We will do what you say."  And a miracle happens.  There's more fish than they could ever imagine.

How often have you gotten discouraged by failure?  Maybe it was a failed business…maybe a failed marriage…maybe a failure in school or in raising kids…maybe a health that has failed you.  

How have you handled it?  Have you given up and become defeated.  Do you live in the past, all the while becoming bitter.  Or do you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and commit yourself to moving forward?

Giving up on life only leads to depression, sour moods and ultimately a bleak existence.  Living in the past with bitterness and unforgiveness only leads to unhappiness.  But moving forward with the help of Jesus, will lead to life…to victory over any defeats that may come our way.  But moving forward takes commitment.  It's a commitment not to give up.  May we all commit to never giving up.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
                                                                                Joshua 3:5 (NIV)

Joshua wanted the people to prepare themselves for a sacred event that was about to happen.  They were about to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  They had been wandering in the Wilderness for 40 years, and now was the time for something special to happen.  They were about to take the land that was to be their inheritance. 

If you knew that tomorrow God was going to perform some sacred event around you, would you do anything special to ready yourself?  Would your prayers be more plentiful...more penitent...more sincere?  Do you think that you'd clean up some things that had gotten out of hand in your life by apologizing or forgiving?  If God asked you to consecrate yourself for the "Big Event" (whatever that might be), what would you do?

Tomorrow could be the day that God performs a sacred event in your life.  It could be the day that brings you to a crossroads.  It could be the day that He blesses you with something special or gives you a specific calling that will change your life.  It could even be the biggest of events...the day that Jesus comes back.  As Christians we believe that Jesus not only died and was resurrected, but that He will come again in glory.  Tomorrow could be that day!  Who knows?

Since we don't actually know if tomorrow will bring a sacred event or not, maybe the lesson for us is to simply consecrate ourselves, or ready ourselves, for whatever God might decide to do in our lives.  It might be HUGE!  And it might be small.  But anything that God does is important.  So let us ready ourselves for God, expecting Him to do something each day.  And if we do this...He just might exceed our expectations.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O LORD, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God.
                                                                       Psalm 69:6 (NIV)

As we go about our day we can do things that make God proud of us.  On the other hand, we can also do things that let Him down. 

When people who know we are Christians see us, what are they seeing?  Do we make our Maker proud by the words we say and the things we do?  Or do we bring shame upon the name Christian?

Think about your actions today.  They make a difference.

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 !!

     As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. [Saul] fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"
     "Who are you, lord?" Saul asked.
     And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
                                                              Acts 9:3-6 (NLT)
Saul was shone the light (literally) in a fascinating way.  Leaders are called everyday, but don’t pay attention.  I believe it’s because we don’t really think that God would call us.  But if God will call a man such as Saul, He’ll call anyone.

Odds are that He’s not going to blind you with a powerful light like in Saul’s case.  But maybe this is because most of us are already blind.  We might be saved, but in many ways we’re just as lost as a child meandering through the mall looking for a parent.  What I mean by this is that we’re lost (or blind) to God’s plan for us (and He does have a plan for each one of us).

     Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias!"
     "Yes, Lord!" he replied.
     The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again."
     "But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers* in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name."
                                                            Acts 9:10-14 (NLT)

We make excuses…just like Ananias.  He was afraid because he knew this was a dangerous situation and that this Saul fellow was a dangerous dude.

We can use fear as an excuse not to go where God is calling us just like Ananias.  Yes, some things we’re called to do are dangerous.  They might require us to be around unsavory characters and unsavory places.  It will definitely mean getting out of our comfort zones.  But what if nobody goes?  God’s plan of salvation and His plan of caring for the poor and needy will never come to fruition.  And many will die without ever knowing Jesus because everybody was scared to bring Him to them.

There are other excuses like I have no time, or I’m not qualified, or I don’t have enough money, etc.  But if God really wants us to do something, will He not have a plan for it’s success like he did for Ananias?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.
                                                             Psalm 7:9 (NIV)

 

In a world full of violence and hate this verse can have great meaning for us today.  God, who is righteous, is the only one who can completely eradicate war and greed and abusive power and hate.  He is the only one who can supplant these things with love.  He began this when He sent His Son to us.  And He will finish the process one day when He sends Him again.  It is then that the righteous will be secure.  It is then that we will all sing for glory.  It is then that we will all worship Him with gladness. 

But we do not know when "then" will be.  Jesus said that it would be like a thief in the night.  We must be patient, knowing that God's time is not our own, and that in His perfect timing it will all happen.  Jesus will come back, and Heaven's doors will be opened.  Oh what a day that will be.

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 make my bed in the depths, 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)

Has anybody ever left you?  Have you had a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse ever give up on you?  As a child, did you ever have a parent forget you at someone's house or any other place?  Have you ever fought with a friend and part ways (even if only for a short time)?

The thing about God is that no matter what happens, He'll always be right there.  We can't go far enough to get away from the love He has for us.  In Psalm 36 the Psalmist tells us that God's love "reaches to the heavens".  It is so great and so deep that we can never make Him fall out of love with us. 

I know that God is with me when I mess up and sin.  This brings me a guilty conscience often times.  But He's there because He loves me and won't leave me.  And this brings me comfort and joy. 

How about you?  Can you feel God's presence with you today?  Do you feel that you've let Him down lately?  Have you gotten numb to Him because things are going pretty well and you haven't had a need to call out to Him? 

No matter how you feel or what you sense, He's there.  Call out to Him.  Beg Him to make Himself known to you.  And then seek for the signs of His love.  They can be found in the beauty of His creation, the ways He cares for you or others, and many other ways.  Seek them and you will find them.  And may you be blessed in the seeking of God today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

                                                                    James 1:27 (NIV)       

 

Some people see religion as something they do on Sunday mornings.  Others see it as a topic not to be discussed, along with politics.  Others see it in terms of denominational beliefs.  But James tells us that true religion means caring for those in need and keeping ourselves from getting caught up in our secular activities while forgetting the things of God.

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
                                                                     Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

We get mad at people who deceive, harm or simply irritate us.  We lash out at men and women trained to kill our own country's men and women in places like Afghanistan.  We worry about the effects of what people are doing around the world in Egypt, Iran, North Korea, etc.  What Paul is telling us is that it's not the flesh and blood people that we are struggling with.  It's the evil forces that have convinced them of a lie. 

The devil is behind all the evil in this world.  I've said it before, and I'll say it many more times before I die.  The devil is REAL!  And he ain't the old cartoon character with a pitchfork!  And he ain't what we see in all these modern horror flicks!  The devil is with you and me daily struggling to get our attention.  He's tempting us with things that God wouldn't use.  He's trying to get us a little further away from our Father in Heaven on a daily basis.  And he's good at his job. 

So just remember that instead of hating people that you see as enemies, it would be better to feel sorry for them.  Jesus said to love them.  Maybe this is because he knew that the truth was that they were merely pawns in the devil's game. 

Whether an international terrorist or the person next door that you have an ongoing feud with, remember that it's the devil working behind all the evil things going on.  Then look to see if part of the evil going on is coming from you. 

Pray for your enemies, said Jesus.  Pray that those who are being used by the devil would see the light and change their ways.  Pray for yourself so as not to fall into temptation (Jesus actually said that too).  And know that your struggle is not against people, but against the liar who's convinced them that it's alright to be a part of evil.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
                                                  1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NIV)

Paul was a well-educated man.  He debated the great thinkers in Athens about Jesus.  In his life before Christ he was on the fast track up the ladder to success as a Pharisee.  But when he came to the believers in Corinth he became what they needed, a servant of the Lord.

I often times struggle with just whom I bring attention to in my ministry.  It can become very easy to get caught up in accolades or become upset when we don’t get the credit we think we deserve.

What I want to learn from Paul is this.  He came to Corinth and did some great things by “the demonstration of the Spirit’s power”.  But he put himself aside so as to not receive any of the credit that God deserved.

Let us go through this day humbly seeking to bring glory to God in any way possible, putting ourselves aside so that He receives the credit that He deserves.

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 don't know about you, but I have a difficult time waking up most mornings.  The alarm goes off and there's a great temptation to hit the snooze button.  Anybody else with me on this?

Whether we bounce out of bed or need that first cup of coffee to wake us up, God has been up waiting for us.  He helps unscatter that brain of mine as we together wipe the sleep from my eyes.  He's calling to me even before my eyes are open, telling me that this is His day and that He has a purpose for me being awake (even though I may not feel awake yet).

If we would train ourselves to awake with our Father in Heaven in mind, we might just awake in a better mood, more easily get a grasp on the day, and even learn something in the process.  One way to do this may be to go to bed with Him on our minds.  Reading a single verse of Scripture before nodding off could help.  Another possible idea is to place your bible in a place where it would have to be moved for you to get ready.  This way you will see it each morning...even those mornings your eyes are barely open. 

The next step of waking up with God would be the same as anyone else you see in the morning.  Simply tell Him good morning.  For some of us, that's all we might be able to get out.  For others, talking to Him while getting ready could ensue.  And before you know it, you've made it a habit of waking up with God.  I think it'd make our Father happy to at least be acknowledged first thing in the morning.  Who knows what all He might start doing with us if we'd just make that a habit.

In the love of Christ,
greg