Monday's 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 to get through.

In the love of Christ,

greg

Thursday's 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

Wednesday's 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?

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

In the love of Christ,

greg

Tuesday's 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