Thought for Thursday, November 1st

November 1, 2012

Do You Really Care

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.”

-       Dr. Suess (from ‘The Lorax’)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:12-13

How often do we become, frustrated, exasperated and even overwhelmed with the affairs and concerns of our daily lives to the point, that even if we don’t throw up our hands and say it out loud; we still say in our hearts and minds; I just don’t care?

Probably more often than we would like to openly admit.  Yet we must remember that even if we don’t speak this attitude out loud; often our actions and reactions to things tell the tale for us.

Often, it seems that many Christians, when faced with the challenges of keeping the faith and fighting the good fight, often give up, get frustrated and adopt an I don’t care frame of mind when it comes to their spiritual lives.  This truth is personified by the lack of time they spend in God’s word, praying and also in the way they interact with their brothers and sisters, as well as their support and commitment to the work and ministries of the church.

In the gospels there are multiple accounts of Jesus being moved with compassion and even weeping because of the condition of the situations He observes: are we ever moved with that degree of compassion when it comes to the lost souls and the spiritual condition of our communities and our world at large?  Do we care enough to be willing to be an agent of change and to roll up our sleeves, so to speak, get our hands dirty and do what needs to be done to make a positive difference in the hearts and lives of the people around us?

Or do we find it is just easier to pretend like we care, while acting like we don’t care at all?

It is really hard to make a difference in something if you don’t really care: so what do you really care about?

Today’s Prayer

Father, help me to care about those things that you care about and may I be moved to action by those things that move you and may my heart be touched by the very things that touch your heart.

“There is a candle in every soul

Some brightly burning, some dark and cold

There is a Spirit, who brings a fire

Ignites a candle and makes His home.

Frustrated brother see how he’s tired to

light his own candle some other way.

See now your sister she’s been robbed and lied to

Still holds a candle without a flame.

So carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn.

Hold out your candle for all to see it,

Take your candle, go light your world.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Go Light Your World’ by Chris Rice

Thought for Wednesday, October 31st

October 31, 2012

Satan Is Real

“I don’t suppose God laughs at the people who think He doesn’t exist.  He’s above jokes.  But the devil isn’t.”

-       Robertson Davies

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about , seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8

I have often heard it said, that we don’t, ‘give the devil his due:’ but sadly I think I have met a few too many Christians who give the devil more than his due and they don’t take him seriously for the damage he wants to do to the spiritual lives of every human being.

It is often common to think of the devil as this impish little dude in a skin tight red suit with a pitch fork and horns, yet we are told in scripture he was the most beautiful among the angels.   Sometimes I wonder if we haven’t tried to make his appearance more palatable by symbolizing him as a comedic entity.  Yet the reality is the influences he attempts to impose and the destruction he sets out to create in the lives of humanity are not very funny at all.

As a youth, I often heard the catch phrase; ‘the devil made me do it;’ yet we must also remember that the devil’s influence on us is only successful to the degree we are willing to listen and follow his suggestions.  Tristan Bernard wrote: “God created the world, but it is the devil that keeps it going.”  And John Lincoln wrote this about the devil; “The devil is a gentleman who never goes where he is not invited.”  I’m not certain that I agree with this assessment of him but the truth of this statement remains, he can not influence or control unless he is allowed to.

Satan or the devil is real and it is his purpose to take as many souls to hell with him as he can: and then to interfere with and impede the work of God’s kingdom whenever and wherever he can.  Our duty and responsibility is to not let him.

On this, one of the highest of holidays for the church of Satan; Christians need to unite, take a stand and invoke the power of the blood of Jesus and the authority of the name of Jesus, which binds, weakens and makes the devil’s efforts of little or no affect.

Remember scripture tells us to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7

If you doubt that the devil is real; just look at the world around you and sadly you don’t have to look very far, even within the walls of many churches to see the affects of his influence and the results of his misguidance.

Spiritual warfare is real.  We do not fight each other, though it often seems that way: rather we struggle with principalities and powers of wickedness according to Ephesians, chapter six.

We need to take the devil seriously as the crafty, deceitful, father of lies, enemy that he is: and in so doing we need to stand resolute and firm in our faith, knowing he looses: and God wins: the choice, for us to make, is which side of the battle, do we want to be on.

Today’s Prayer

Father, my hope is in you; so may I stand boldly, fight fiercely and allow you to win the battles and have praise for the victories over the enemy of my soul, each and every day of my life.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Tuesday, October 30th

October 30, 2012

The Power of Positive Speaking

“Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us worldly evidence of the fact.”

-       George Elliot

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Ephesians 4:25

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

 Proverbs 20:15

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

Ironically, it seems, that most parents and grandparents can’t wait to start teaching a baby to talk – yet over the course of a lifetime it is often that ability to talk that causes a majority of life’s problems

It is not the inability to speak that causes the issues: rather most frequently it is the failure to speak correctly.

Often we feel we have to speak with clever words of deception to avoid hurting some ones feelings: and though we don’t intend to be dishonest; we in effect avid the truth.

Or at other times we speak rashly without thought or concern for fact or appropriateness of the words we choose.

The fact of the matter, is simply this, we need to always speak truth, with love, not to hurt or condemn, but rather to encourage and help.

Scripture tells us life and death is in the power of the tongue.  Amazingly our tongue, which is what we use to make the sounds we emit, is one of the smaller parts of our body: yet if we would use our minds, and be influenced by our hearts, I often wonder if our sounds would be more productive.

Speaking positively does not necessarily mean we have to use only flowery words: but it does mean we need to speak with purpose for good and we need to allow our communications to be seasoned with love and when we don’t have anything worthwhile to add or contribute, sometimes it is good to remember that ‘silence can be golden.’

Today’s Prayer

Father, I know I often have a lot to say: may I learn to make what I say be more profitable and positively productive to help others draw closer to you.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Monday, October 29th

October 29, 2012

Oh How Sweet To Be Forgiven

“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

-       Mark Twain

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

Daniel 9:9

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you.

Psalms 86:5

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.  In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 38:17

I, even, I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalms 103:12

When God does something, He does it right, totally and completely, without fault, error or mistake:  Aren’t you glad He is in the forgiving business?

We of whom much needs to be forgiven: have available to us the greatest degree of forgiveness and still I wonder how often we fail to avail ourselves of the optimum potential His offer affords us?

He has said if we will confess our sins: He will be faithful and just to forgive us with the qualifier that we too must be equally willing to forgive others.

How many times does His qualification that we forgive so that we can be forgiven keep us from experiencing total and complete pardon?

The Bible says, to whom much is given: much is required – this holds true for forgiveness too.

Are you totally forgiven today?

Today’s Prayer

Father, I know that I am right up there with Paul when he claimed to be one of the biggest sinners around: thus I know I require a lot of forgiveness: help me to be equally forgiving to others too.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Saturday, October 27th

October 27, 2012

Do You Need A Jailbreak

“Praise is warming and desireable.”

-       Phyllis McGinley

“The sweetest of all sounds is praise.”

-       Xenophon

  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 6:25-31

When you face a challenge in life that makes you fill like your entrapped or imprisoned you need to take the same approach that Paul and Silas took and let your praises ring forth: in spite of the circumstance or situation.

Sometimes, one of the best ways to overcome adversity is to declare your praise and lift up your expressions of adoration and exaltation to the Lord.

Casting Crowns has a song entitled “I’ll Praise You in the Storm:” this song title should serve  as a dictum to us when we are in the midst of some calamity or other; that we need to praise the Name that is above every name.

You may not need a literal jail break like Paul and Silas did, but figuratively speaking if you find yourself in a bad situation or in a difficult spot and you want the power of God to move mightily in your midst: open up your mouth and let your heart ring forth as you declare how great and mighty is the Lord your God and just what an awesome God you serve.

You might be amazed how things will get shaken up and how much liberty and freedom you might experience if you will just get your praise on.

Today’s Prayer

Father, in everything I do, whether in good times, bad times or in between may I always sing forth and declare your praises: for there is no one more worthy than you.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Firday, October 26th

October 26, 2012

For What Do You Hunger

“Always rise from the table with an appetite, and you will never sit down without one.”

-       William Penn

  In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 4:31-34

Most of us, at some point in life have experienced cravings or a desire to have some particular type of food or sustenance.

Spiritually we need to have hunger cravings too.

We know we need to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness.

We know we need to desire the bread of life and thirst for the water from which when we drink it we will not thirst again.

We need to earnestly desire the meat of the word.

We need to hunger for more of God’s presence in and around us.

And we also need to hunger for the same thing that Jesus mentioned in our passage above.  We need to hunger to do the will of the Father and we need to let the fulfillment that comes from doing His work and His will be nourishment to our souls and strength for our spirits.

Often we only want the milk, the soft and the gentle things of God: but are we ready to feast on those things that will bring true satisfaction and purpose to our spiritual appetites?

One thing is for sure: spiritually speaking we don’t ever have a need to go on a diet.

Today’s Prayer

Father, let my spiritual appetite be satisfied with your work, your will and your provision for my life.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Thursday, October 25th

October 25, 2012

Encouraging Words

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.”

-       Helen Keller

  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The scriptures are filled with so many encouraging words.

Many find comfort, encouragement and solace in the Psalms: especially Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want….”

Others find encouragement in the passage that tells us that Jesus is a friend that sticks closer to us than a brother and those that remind us that He will never leave us or forsake us: or maybe it is in those that remind us He is our defender and an ever present help in times of troubles.

For still yet others; it might be the countless verses that remind us of how much He loves us and how He desires to bestow His loving kindnesses and tender mercies on us.

Many of us find great encouragement in the passages that remind us that we are more than conquerors and that we are over comers and victors in the spiritual battles we encounter.

But I think for me one of the most encouraging and promising passages that bring hope, motivation and expectancy to me is:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:1-3

This passage reminds me that everything here is temporary and I will one day see Him face to face and live with Him for all eternity.  That knowledge gives me encouragement to face whatever comes, knowing that better days are coming.

Today’s Prayer

Father, thank you for all your words of encouragement: but thank you most of all for the hope, the joy and the knowledge that someday soon I will be at home with you for eternity, because of Jesus dying in my place.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Wednesday, October 24 2012

October 24, 2012

To Be Or To Do – Which is Better for You

“Let us never forget that what we are is more important than what we do.”

-       Hudson Taylor

  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Philippians 2:1-7

Have you ever known someone who seemed to do all the right things, but for all the wrong reasons?

Sometimes it seems that church people have a tendency towards trying to do the right things but sometimes there reasons for doing them are not always what they should be.

For example, the dear brother or sister who wouldn’t dream of missing a Sunday service or not being in Sunday School, but they never lift a finger to reach out and touch someone’s life with the hope and message of God’s gift of love and salvation.  They attend because it is what they perceive others may expect and God’s word does instruct us to not forsake the assembling of our selves together: but it also tells us to go and make disciples.

We have probably all known a person or two who seemed to embrace a form of Godliness, while they still seemed to deny the very power of God, by not allowing His Spirit liberty and freedom to move in their lives and by trying to influence the forms and structures of worship in such a way as to stifle the very presence of God from having freedom to move among His people.

It would seem that it is more important to be sincere, genuine and real when it comes to our faith: than it is to act like we are.  There is nothing wrong with works and bearing the fruit of the spirit: and if we are being who we should be for God we will by default end up doing those things we should be doing: yet if we get all tied up in doing and we fail to be real: then our efforts are really of no effect or depth.

To be or to do – I want to be so that I can do – what about you?

Today’s Prayer

Father, I know Your word tells us to be a doer: but it also tells us to be humble, to be a servant; to be submitted and to be genuine and real: so help me to both be and do so that I can be the very best person I can be for you..

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen

Thought for Tuesday, October 23rd

October 23, 2012

Obedience School for Christians

“God’s laws last longer than those who break them.”

-       Anonymous

  And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22

Parents desire obedience from their children.  And sometimes it is achieved, while at other times it is not.

Pet owner’s desire obedience from their pets: hence some even send them to obedience school to be trained.

Boss’ want their employees to comply with their directives and to meet their expectations: which is a form of desiring obedience.

But more importantly God wants His children to follow the teaching, guidelines and directives of His word: which is also a desire for obedience.

Yet, many of us just like employees with bosses or children with parents try to circumvent direct obedience by making some other sacrifice or appearance of sacrifice when it comes to our obedience to God.

Rather than give of our time and talents to the service of God’s work, we will put an extra few dollars in the offering plate.  Now understand there is nothing wrong with putting extra offerings into the plate; but it is not a fit substitute for working for the Lord.

Or maybe we will volunteer for some one time project rather than commit to a ministry that will require continued time, effort and energy from us.  Hence we try to tell God we are making a sacrifice for His kingdom.

God doesn’t buy it: He is not into excuses or seeming sacrifices in lieu of outright obedience.

God has an obedience course for His children and the text book is the Bible.  But, sadly too many of us don’t ever open the cover, so we sometimes aren’t or at least try to pretend that we don’t know what the instructions and expectations are.

It is great to make sacrifices for others, especially for God: but remember this even though Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins: it was obedience to His Father’s will that took Him to the cross.

Today’s Prayer

Father, keep me willing to make sacrifices for You as well as others: but may I never be guilty of attempting to substitutes an act of sacrifice for a lifestyle of obedience.

“Purify my heart

Let me be as gold

And precious silver

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within

And make me holy

Refiner’s fire

My hearts one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You my Master

Ready to do your will.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Refiner’s Fire’ by Brian Doerksen