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 !!

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 

                             Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)

Paul writes that love must be sincere.  People can fake a lot of things; intelligence, happiness, being in control of one's life, etc.  But true Christlike love can not be faked.  We can say that we love people, but the true love of Christ that Paul is speaking of will always be backed up by our actions.  

Just as he teaches us to obey the Great Commandment of love, Paul tells us to hate one thing.  "Hate what is evil."

Remember, we are not to hate people.  We are to hate the evil that is in this world that corrupts people.  This is what we will battle in our own lives.  The same temptations that others have fallen to are right there in front of us if we do not live our lives in love.   So hate the things that are corrupting your brothers and sisters (and tries to corrupt you) instead of the people who are hurt by doing evil.

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