Thought of the Day !!

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
                                                            Psalm 32:5 (NIV)

They say that confession is good for the soul.  And whoever they are, they're right.  But in most cases I would presume that people are talking about a mental or emotional well-being.  In other words, when we confess to one another, it can make us feel good.  

But confession to God is good for the eternal soul as well.  God knows what we've done.  He doesn't need us to tell Him.  But when we confess we take the first step of repentance and we humble ourselves before God.  

So confess before God and God will forgive you when you do so with the right attitude of humility and repentance.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
                                                                 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)

Have you ever thought about the message of the cross?  I mean today we speak of Jesus and God the Father, even the Holy Spirit.  We wear crosses around our necks.  We place them in important places in our homes, have pictures of them on our walls.  But how often do we look at them and wonder about the message that it has for us.

When Paul spoke to the Corinthians about the message of the cross being foolish to those perishing, he was meaning that the idea of a condemned criminal (which Jesus was in earthly terms) dying so that the world could be saved was ludicrous.  And all who believed this idea to be a crazy made up fairy tale would perish, never knowing the Truth.

The message of the cross is all about how Jesus, the Son of God, gave up the greatness of Heaven to come to this earth and die for our sins to give us a way out of our imprisoned lives.  But it doesn't end there.  For you cannot have the cross without the resurrection, at least not if there is a powerful God.  The cross showed the love of God in sending His Son.  The Resurrection showed the power of God over death. 

Has the message of the cross (and subsequent resurrection) changed you?  It is easy to say that it has saved us.  We can claim Jesus as Lord and Savior and say that because of the cross we are saved.  But has it changed us?  You see, when the Holy Spirit enters in and Jesus truly lives within us, it's not just that we believe that we must be morally better people.  The presence of God in us changes us.  Have you been changed?  If so, then Christ resides in you, and the message of the cross is alive in you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?  Does this mean nothing to you?  Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
                                                            Romans 2:1,4 (NLT)

When we judge others or are intolerant of them, we should remember how kind and tolerant and patient God has been with us.  If we are Christians, then our goal should be to be more and more like Christ.  And if this is so, we should remember to treat others as He has treated us. 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

   Then the commander [of the Assyrian army] stood and called out in Hebrew: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you.  He cannot deliver you from my hand.  Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'"
                                                                  2 Kings 18:28-30 (NIV)

This might seem like a strange passage of scripture to study.  It comes after Assyria has conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and taken the inhabitants off as slaves to Assyria.  It is the word of a pagan king's emissary that is trying to convince the people of Judah to give up on their king Hezekiah, and even more importantly, on their God.  It's a voice coming to God's people saying, "your God is not sufficient".

Do we not continuously hear these same voices today?  Are there not people in our own lives who try to convince us that if we want to be safe that we must lock our selves up and not go around certain people.  Surely our God is not sufficient to protect us.  Are there not voices that tell us that if we don't work harder and longer hours to prove to our bosses that we are worthy of bonuses, raises and promotions that we cannot provide the extra things that will make our families happy?  Surely our God is not sufficient to bring us joy.  Are there not voices that tell us that if we give our possessions away to those who don't have that we ourselves will be without?  Surely our God is not sufficient to provide.

This is what happened to the people of Judah during Hezekiah's day.  They were protected from the Assyrian army.  One night the angel of the LORD killed 185,000 men in their sleep.  The next, day those who remained, got up and went back to Assyria.  God had protected Hezekiah and his people. 

If our God is sufficient to protect King Hezekiah and the people of Judah from a much stronger army, is He not sufficient to protect us, provide for us, bring joy?  Is He not sufficient to care for the needs of those He calls His children?

Call out to the Lord today and seek His ways.  Like a good Father, He will provide, He will guide, and He will care. 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
                                                                      Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)

The sand along the Sea of Galilee would become very hard during the hot summer months.  But a wise builder wouldn’t be fooled by this and would dig down…sometimes as much as ten feet…to find bedrock.  This is what Jesus was talking about when he spoke of the wise person building on solid rock.

Picture this image in your mind.  The storm is coming. Long hours have been spent on the strengthening the Levees to handle the floods.  But alas, too little too late.  The levy breaks.  The sandbags do little against the massive push of water, which makes its way down street after street until it comes to your house.  It’s vacant because everyone’s been ordered to evacuate.  And the water rises and rises and rises.  Pretty soon all the surrounding areas are under water.

Weeks later you go back to find everything in your house destroyed.  The house is a shambles and must be torn down.  And you know that you will have to start all over from scratch.  Water, though a life-giving agent, can also be a destructive force.  That's why problems in our lives are sometimes referred to things flooding us. 

The rains come on both the wise and the foolish.  God doesn’t shelter Christians from life’s storms (illness, accidents, death, job loss, etc.)  So we must be prepared to live through the storms and tragedies that are common to humankind.  Putting our faith in Jesus and listening to what God has to say to us will make us wise so that we can live through the storms of life.  But Jesus doesn’t only say those who listen will be wise.  He says that those who listen and follow are wise.

How will you choose to live your life; wisely or foolishly?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

                                                                     2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

 

Often times we Christians can be too timid.  Of course the opposite is true too.  We have been know to beat people over the head with our Bibles, go on Crusades (or wage war) in the name of Christ, and to condemn folks for their sins while hiding our own.  So we can go too far in either direction. 

 

But in the things that Paul is speaking of here, we can never go too far.  God gave us a spirit of power.  If we have God's Holy Spirit in us, then we have a power unparalleled by any other.  We have the power to serve, to forgive, to love.  This kind of power knows no bounds and is greater than any of the negatives that the devil tries to throw at us.

 

God gave us a spirit of love.  This means that we are capable of loving no matter what.  Here is one of the places we are too timid at times though.  Many feel embarrassed to show love in today's world.  It's not the "manly" thing to do.  Or even for women, it may not be proper in places.  But we have been given the spirit of love of neighbor, and the Bible teaches us to use this gift generously.  I've seen this in several ways in the past like after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.  But don't let it come down to a disaster occurring to give you a reason to show love to others.

 

God also gave us a spirit of self-discipline.  Look deep inside yourself.  It's there.  For some of us though, we just have to look a little harder. 

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
                              Psalm 119:14 (NIV)

We find God's statutes (or laws) in scripture.  These teach us how to live in harmony with God and people. God's Word fills our deepest longings as we find Christ there.  His Word teaches us how we can be protected from Satan and his harmful traps he has laid out for us.  It is His road map for our lives, His love letters to His children. 

If we will realize these things about God's statutes instead of thinking of them as a list of do's and don'ts, we would rejoice as well.  Read God's Word as laid out in scripture and rejoice in growing nearer to Him daily.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
                                                                             Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)

Have you ever heard (or said) something to the extent of "I can worship God in the woods on Sunday mornings" or "God is in nature and can be seen or felt on a golf course (or lake) just like in a church" or "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian".  I know I have.  I even used to say that last one.

The fact is, there is some truth in these.  You CAN worship God anywhere.  You CAN see God anywhere.  And you DON'T have to ever walk inside a church building to be a Christian.  BUT...every time I've heard these or said these, they were used as excuses not to go to church and not explanations of how someone actually planned on being with God. 

The Church of today may not be what it was in the book of Acts.  But when anything grows tremendously it's going change.  So maybe we should look back to the early church that is detailed in Acts to remind us of our roots and where we need to be more like our beginnings.  And as for coming together, we have to do this.  We need it for accountability, for learning, for lifting up and being lifted up.  God wants it, for it shows that we're putting Him first before ourselves.  I really do believe that the Church would have never been formed if God didn't want us to gather together.  You can debate if this gathering should be on Sunday mornings at 11:AM or Saturday or Wednesday nights.  You can debate whether or not you go to a big church, a small church, a home church or whatever.  The point is simply that we gather with others for the purpose of placing God first and being guided by His Holy Spirit.

So in the end, I say to you today to be a part of the Church.  You'll make God happy, and you'll be blessed for doing it.  Remember, the Church is not a building...it's all of us who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, putting our faith and trust in Him for our salvation.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
                                                                   Genesis 4:9 (NRSV)

God was asking about Abel because He knew that Cain had murdered him.  Cain was responding by asking if he was responsible for his brother's whereabouts.  Over time this famous line "Am I my brother's keeper?" has become an expression to mean that in general one is not responsible for another person.

When Jesus came into the world, he taught things like "Love one another" and "Do unto others and you would have them do unto you" and "when you've done to the least of these, you've done to me".  In doing so, he answers the question "Am I my brother's keeper?" with a resounding "Yes!" 

We are our brother's (and sister's) keeper.  We are told to care for those who can't take care of themselves.  These people are our brothers and sisters.  They are God's children.  And God desires us to care for each other, no matter what family name, race, background or social status. 

So let us be our Brother's/Sister's keepers today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
                                                2 Corinthians 12:10 (NLT)

More than just about anything, I would like to be able to sing and play guitar (mostly sing).  I love to sing praise songs.  I love singing to the Lord.  But I have to keep it down because nobody around me should be subjected to that kind of torture.  :)

I guess you could say I'm weak in the area of singing.  But singing is a part of worship.  And God has made me stronger in other areas of worship so that I can still be strong in worshiping Him. 

We all have weaknesses.  We all have times when we feel weak.  If we didn't, we'd rely more on ourselves and our own abilities.  Our weaknesses can be used for good in that they point out our reliance on God.  Don't worry about being weak...as long as you are strong in the Lord.

In the love of Christ,
greg

▶ Sept 14 Sermon "Does God Want Me To Defend Myself - YouTube

▶ Sept 14 Sermon "Does God Want Me To Defend Myself - YouTube

Thought of the Day !!

My eyes fail from weeping,

  I am in torment within,

my heart is poured out on the ground

  because my people are destroyed,

because children and infants faint

  in the streets of the city.

                             Lamentations 2:11 (NIV)

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
   the bitterness and the gall.
 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
                         Lamentations 3:19-26 (NIV)

Lamentations is a small book in the Bible that is written by the prophet Jeremiah as a lament about the condition of Judah.  The Babylonians have come and destroyed the temple and taken many into slavery while killing others and leaving still others destitute.  This is not a good time for God's people.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel has already been taken by the Assyrians and now the rest of God's children are being conquered.

This is definitely not a good time in Israel's history.  So why would God allow such a thing to happen to those He has called to be His people?  The answer, in a nutshell, is sin.  Sin is our turning away from God.  The Israelites turned their backs on God by worshiping other gods and the idols of neighboring countries.  For this, they were punished.

In 2 Kings there is a king named Ahaziah in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  He falls and hurts himself.  Instead of seeking help or understanding from his God, he chose to sent a group of people to a far away country to consult the god Baal-Zebub.  Baal-Zebub is referred to in the New Testament by Jesus but by the more common Beelzebub (a term sometimes used for the devil).

Even today we can ask the question why.  Why do such bad things happen?  Ultimately, the answer is sin.  It's not that the good folks that are suffering today from this or that have reached out to Beelzebub.  But we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  And over time, since the beginning of this world with Adam and Eve, sin has occurred and changed God's perfect creation into something much worse.

I look out my window and see a beautiful scene.  The sun is up.  The grass is a pretty green.  If I stay here long enough I might catch some deer coming into the yard.  But even this beautiful scene is not without it's flaws.  There are still brown spots and places I cannot get grass to grow.  There is a dead limb hanging from a tree in the middle of my view.  This is typical of God's creation; greatness skewed by some flaws.  It's humanities flaws (or sin) that has made God's creation less than perfect.  And the domino effect from Adam and Eve forward has made things go bad in this world.

Oh there's more to it than this.  But in a nutshell, bad things have always happened as a result of this world becoming imperfect through humanity's sin.  But instead of leaving with this dismal thought, let me finish up with Jeremiah's conclusion.  He stated that God's faithfulness to us is great, even though ours to him may not always be.  He said that our salvation is in Him.

One day this good, yet imperfect, world will pass away.  Salvation comes to those whose hope is in the Lord.  On that day sin will be eradicated.  On that day perfection will be restored.  On that day there will be no more suffering.  Praise God who is faithful to His children.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
                                                                     John 8:12 (NIV)

 

When the light is turned on in a room, all in that room is seen.  We see the television in the corner, or the picture on the wall that we bought because it made us feel good.  We may see that comfortable chair that we have sat in many times before, or that certain item that we've been looking all over for.  But there are other things that can become painfully visible to us as well.  The dust that has piled up an inch thick or the stack of bills that is a reminder to us that they're all due now.  The point is, we see the good and the bad when the light is turned on. 

 

Jesus said, in the Gospel of John, that the light came into the world but the world loved darkness.  Think about that room and it's reminders of a cleaning that is needed or debts owed.  When the light comes into our lives, we see the greatness of God, but we also see the same as in the room I just mentioned.  We don't want to be reminded that our lives have become dirty or that we owe a debt to the one who created us.  We don't want to know that things are not as perfect as the front we put up.  And so, seeing the light can hurt.  But the light is not turned on to make us miserable.  It's turned on so that change can happen.  And when this change happens, we will be made better and happier people. 

 

The only way to be really happy is to be clean and debt free.  And the only way we can be clean and debt free is through the powerful love and forgiveness that comes from the light of Christ.

 

In the love of Christ,

greg

Sept 7 Sermon "What Do Bad Things Happen to Good People" - YouTube

Sept 7 Sermon "What Do Bad Things Happen to Good People" - YouTube

Thought of the Day !!

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

                                                              Ephesians 4:1-5 (NIV)

It's not just pastors or missionaries who are called by God.  Each of His children are called.  First we are called to accept His invitation to be in a relationship with Him through His son Jesus.  Secondly, we're called to love one another as Christ loves us.  And thirdly we are each called for different purposes here on earth according to the gifts that our Father gives us. 

 

Some live a life worthy of the calling that God has placed upon their hearts.  Others fall short of this.  Which are you doing?  How is your everyday living?  Is it worthy of your calling? 

 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
                                       Psalm 103:8-12 (NIV)

Let's take a moment or two today to think about how great God's love for us is.  Think about what a perfect parent would be like.  He/She would not be hot-headed and easily angered.  He/She would not hold grudges against the child.  He/She would punish to teach, not for his or her own enjoyment.  And the love that this perfect parent would have for the child would be deeper than the deepest ocean and higher than the farthest heaven.  The perfect parent is God the Father.

There is a song by Matthew West called "More", which is a song from God's perspective.  The chorus goes like this:

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more
I love you more

Today think about just how much your Father in Heaven loves you and how He shows it by what He does...and also by what He doesn't do.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

     One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
     The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!
     He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples.
     In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

                                                                  Luke 8:22-25 (NIV) 

The disciples had just witnessed the great power of Jesus.  And they were afraid.  This just isn't supposed to happen.  This should encourage them that they're following the right guy...shouldn't it?

Yet today I feel like we can be afraid of the power of Jesus as well.  Paul tells us that we're saved from a life of fear, but sometimes we just won't let it go.  Now some fear can be good.  I know that if I go down a dark alleyway or see a bear in the woods or a snake in my back yard under my feet, I'm going to be afraid.  That just might save my life. 

But some of us are afraid of truly experiencing the power of God in our lives or our churches.  And often times this fear is the fear of change.  If I receive power from God then He may expect something out of me.  If my church experiences the power of the Holy Spirit we won't know what we'll look like after He's finished.  We may not have the same people leading us, or we may not look like the same church anymore. 

And then there's always the fear of death.  As born again Christians we're supposed to have assurance of what will happen when we die.  But plenty of people still have a sliver of doubt, which I'm sure causes fear. 

Jesus said to ask and we will receive.  If you're afraid of the power of God changing you or your church or your family etc., then ask for courage...peace...assurance.  And keep asking for it until you get it.  Your Father in Heaven awaits you.  Tell Him what you fear most.  And ask Him to see you through.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "To an image carved from a piece of wood they say, 'You are my father.' To an idol chiseled out of stone they say, 'You are my mother.' They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out for me to save them!"
                                                                Jeremiah 2:27 (NLT)

The Israelites turned from God to worship the many gods of the pagans.  These gods were worshiped by bowing down to and praising statues or carvings called idols.  Today we may think this is a ludicrous idea.  There is no way that we would worship some statue out in the yard or some figurine on our living room mantle. 

But when we place other things in our lives before God (Jesus), then we've worshiped an idol.  If our priorities are centered around how much money we can earn, then we've worshiped the god called the almighty dollar.  If nothing in this life is more important than our friends, then we've become friend worshipers.  It can be the same with our family or our job. 

You might notice that none of these things I've mentioned are bad things.  They are all wonderful things when they fit in their place right behind the love of God.  For when we get into deep financial trouble where will we turn?  When we have a fight with a friend or a family member...when friendships cease or divorce happens...where can we turn?  When we lose that job, or it has lost it's appeal, then what can save us from turmoil?

Only God is perfect.  Only God will last forever.  Only God loves you more than all these put together.  It's perfectly OK to cry out to God (Jesus) when you're hurting or in trouble.  He will listen.  And believe it or not, He understands you...even more than a spouse or best friend.  But don't forget Him in the good times as well.  Let us live our lives daily praising and worshiping the one true God found in the Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). 

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

                                    Ephesians 2:8-10 (NRSV)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it sums up salvation for me.  Paul teaches that our salvation is a gift that cannot be earned.  The only part we play in it is by having faith enough to accept the gift. 

This passage doesn’t end with just telling us that God gives us salvation.  Though we cannot do enough good works to earn salvation from God, He did prepare this as our way of life.  In other words Paul is telling us that God created us to have good works be a part of our natural lives.  We were created, not to sit around, but instead to do good works.

What are these good works?  They are too numerous to list and can be different for each one of us.  But the thing that they all have in common is that they come out of the love of Jesus and are a way of sharing that love with others. 

James, in his letter, teaches us that faith without works is dead.  God did not create us to have a dead faith.  He created us to live out a faith that is vibrant and alive.  When this faith is alive, works simply come naturally instead of being forced.

How is your faith today?  Is it alive or dead?  Are you living your life “created in Christ Jesus” for the good works that share Him with the world?  Or are you keeping Him all to yourself?

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thought of the Day !!

I know about your suffering and your poverty - but you are rich!
                                                 Revelation 2:9a (NLT)

How often do we let money and/or "stuff" define how rich we are?  Do we look at people who have very little and think automatically that they are poor?  Do we believe that in these hard economic times we are poorer than we once were?

To be honest, money has nothing to do with how rich we are because true riches come from God and are stored in Heaven as well as given in this lifetime.  Riches are gifts given to us by God.

Count your riches today and see just how wealthy you are?  Count your abilities, the beauty God has placed around you, the freedoms you have, the people in your life, the love God has for you, etc. 

As you count your riches (or blessings) today, may you see just how wealthy you are.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
                                                                   Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)

How easy it is to find fault in others.  How much harder it is to find fault in ourselves.  Almost daily we can find someone somewhere pointing out the flaws in another person.  How often is it that this person is you?

Jesus is telling us that we need to realize that no person is perfect.  And even though some believe that they're better than others, that pride may be the one thing right there that makes them less perfect than someone else.  The key to this scripture, as with many other of Jesus' teachings, is humility.  Let us try to work on fixing the imperfections in our own lives before we go pointing out the flaws in other peoples' lives.

In the love of Christ,
greg