Looking forward, not back

Philippians 3: 13-14

 

¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

There is one direction to travel on this road of life, and that is forward. We look forward, we travel forward, and we hope for the future. We are given the gift of salvation, life everlasting. Anything that has happened in the past is just that, the past. You cannot hold on to all of the things that have already transpired. We learn, we stumble, we ask for forgiveness, and we, with the help of Christ, pick ourselves up and move forward. The past holds nothing for us any longer, it has been blown away like dust in the wind. Erased forever in the eyes of Christ. All that is left is for us to continue on. To languish in the past is to waste time and emotion. When we hold on to the past, we rob ourselves of time that can be spent working on our present lives. We all should be straining toward what is ahead, reaching for the goal not bound by what lies behind.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 27th

2 Corinthians 10:18

 

¹⁸For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

 

I had a CEO tell me one time, that is did not matter what kind of job I thought I was doing, the only thing that really mattered is what kind of job he thought I was doing. It was a pretty humbling experience to say the least. Well it is the same when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. We are all blind, searching around in the darkness for the light. When we find it we are so joyful, and so happy the first thing we want to do is take off in a run and cover as much ground as possible. The problem is that we do not allow our eyes to adjust to the light. Our hearts are ready, but we are not processing everything yet, because while we can see better, we cannot see enough yet. The result is us running a race, and we think we are at the front on a well lit path, but in reality there is a group ahead of us, and shadows that we cannot see. We end up thinking that we are well on the way, and we are being great Christians, but the Lord knows there is more work to be done. Each day that passes is another day that the path becomes clearer, hopefully you are working on your spiritual course daily, and you see that the more you learn…..the more there is to learn! Do not allow yourself to be fooled, and become comfortable where you are. You will find yourself over confidant, and not as far down the path as you thought. You end up boasting about your progress, and your righteousness, not realizing that there is still more work to be done. The runner who is running forward does not have time to boast, he is saving his oxygen for the task at hand. The large group wandering all over the path, talking, and bragging wildly……they will find that they have a ways to go. They think they are doing great, but their progress is not as far as they think it is! Remember that you are working for the Lord’s approval, not your own, or the approval of others. In the end the Lord will not be overly concerned with what everyone thought about you……He knows the truth!

 

Peace,

Brian

nothing compares

Philippians 3:8

 

⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

 

The Bible speaks often about giving up everything, or as Paul says here considering everything a loss. This often leaves people with a feeling of “what, I am supposed to give everything up for God?” Well…….yes, and no. You are going to acquire things in this life, you will buy a house, you will try and save for your retirement, and your children’s college fund, and let’s be honest here, you want a new car! There is nothing wrong with striving to meet those goals, however you cannot live your life for them. You have to understand that what you have in this world today, can and might well be gone tomorrow. They are nothing more than things. They are truly nothing when compared to the greatness of knowing Christ. That is our driving force, that is what we live for, to grow in our relationship with Christ. That is the only thing that can be depended on in this world. It is the only constant, and the only thing that is worthy of our life pursuit. As Christ told us, we can have only one master, and that choice will decide what you live for.

 

Reflect on that thought for a while today, where are your thoughts and desires taking you? Who do you give your dreams and desires to? Are you chasing that brass ring? Looking for the angle to work for that new house? Thinking up a way to slight your neighbor to get a leg up? If so, set all of that aside. Focus on getting the Lord into your life. The Lord will take care of the obstacles in your life, if you will trust him enough to let him do the work. When the sun sets on the day, and you reflect back, let your remembrances be that you have cast your hopes, dreams, struggles, and cares upon the dependence of Christ. He is the one thing worth living for, because He is the only person that has come in to this world and died for you, so that you might be one with Him.  All things are truly rubbish when compared with the glory of gaining Christ!

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Thursday the 26th

2Corinthians 10: 12

 

¹²We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

 

 

Be wise. The measuring stick that many measure themselves today is a very short stick; for some strange reason that stick looks much longer when they use it for it seems that the measure us quite well. However when you get that measuring stick in your hands you see it for what it is. The ruler only looks long when it is in others hands, the measurements are not even, and the numbers are skewed. There is but one way to measure ourselves and that is the measuring stick of Christ. Yes, that ruler is long, and precise, often when looking at it you might think that you will never measure up!

 

The difference is that the Lord loves you; all he is worried about is that you are measuring yourself correctly. The world will always be happy to let you measure yourself against their standards. The deck is stacked in their favor. You will always come up short with the world because the measurement is always changing! Hold yourself accountable, not to the expectations of this distorted world, but to the expectations of the truth, the light, and the way, which is Jesus Christ. His ruler is always the same, and you can depend on the accuracy. You might feel rather small at times, but I promise you that just like a seed that turns to a sapling, when we hold to the expectations, and measurements of Christ, we will all blossom into red oaks, tall, and straight reaching to the heavens with out stretched branches. We will not be the scraggly underbrush and thorn threes that are twisted and gnarled from trying to bend, and sway to the ever-changing world around us.

 

Peace,

Brian

The call of the dogs

Philippians 3:2-3

²Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. ³For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.

Watch out for the dogs. Paul is referring to the false prophets, people who would distort the teachings of Christ for personal benefit. There were many during the time of Paul that tried to take the teachings of Christ, and turn them into their own. People would try to blend the old Mosaic laws of the Old Testament, with the teachings of Christ, or they would blend in aspects of the Gnostic faith in an attempt not to glorify God, but to extend their vision of what they wanted faith to be.

We find that not much has changed today! Every book store is full of the next best faith, believe in yourself, believe in nothing, believe in the universe……believe in anything other than the truth that is Christ. In Matthew 24 Christ foretold of this happening : ⁴Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many. So the warning that Paul carried so long ago still holds very true today, watch out for those dogs! When you live with the faith of Christ in your heart, you can see the half-truths that the “new” religions profess. You can see that they offer lies, and earthy pleasures, in exchange for your eternal soul. So where are you at today? Have you heard the calling of the dogs? Are you tempted by the promises of “ the secret”, or tempted by Oprah’s latest guru? Do not allow yourself to be hijacked on the path or the Lord. Hear the dogs calls for what they are, broken promises, and half truths. They will always be calling in the distance, remember that the treasure that they promise here on earth, pale in comparison to what the Lord has in store for you.

Peace,

Brian

Wed the 25th

2 Corinthians 10: 3-4

 

³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

 

Paul was really referring to himself here, yet he uses “we” as an act of humility. This gives us a picture of how we should strive to live; with the meekness and gentleness of Christ. We do not fight a worldly fight. We fight on the spiritual plane. Our battle is not against sin, and the devil, as much as it is about fighting for our salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While the weapons of this world can destroy buildings, our weapons can bring down the strongholds of the walls around hearts. The weapons we wield, which are the Word of God, the righteousness of salvation, and the Truth that is Jesus Christ; these weapons can penetrate where no worldly weapon can go. Wars are waged for treasure, and resources, our war is waged for the one true thing that matters, the salvation of souls! We are all called to arms, the battle flags are flying, and the war drums are counting time. Do not be caught in the rear with the gear. Make your way to the forefront of this spiritual battlefield. This is the battle worth fighting, this is the truth worth spreading, and this is the war that must be won! Suit up for battle today, be a spiritual warrior on the battlefield of Life….not the life that ends with death, but the life that is granted through Christ, the life everlasting!

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

No self ambition

Philippians 2: 2-3

 

²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

 

This is a hard one for a lot of us! We might be able to get two or three of them, but for us to hit all of them is a task……..do nothing out of selfish ambition?? How is your day stacking up? For most of us, the whole day is deduced to nothing more than advance our ideas up the corporate ladder, and cover our backsides! If that is not selfish I do not know what is.

 

SO make tomorrow different, start tomorrow off doing for others. Work to advance the agenda of the Lord. The person that makes you feel so aggravated…..find them, and work for them tomorrow, try and do something that is going to encourage, support, and build up that person. Work to build a relationship. I know what you are thinking….I REALLY don’t like that person….. Why would I want to do anything for that person?? A very smart woman once said “that we are all created in His likeness. That means that inside of everyone of us there is a piece of God.” The people that are easy to love, the people that are hard to love, and the people that you really do not want to love….they all have it. It is in you as well. We are the body of Christ and we all, while very different, are very much the same. Find that person tomorrow, go the extra distance, you might be the person that changes that difficult persons outlook, but then again, the life you change, might just turn out to be your own.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

Tuesday the 24th

2 Corinthians 8: 1-3

 

¹And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ²Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own

 

It has been said that if you want to see what is important to someone, all you have to do is open their checkbook and take a look. Our money goes where our heart lies. So where is you heart? Where is your family’s heart? I know no one likes to talk about money…..especially when it comes to Church, but the truth is the truth, and very few of us leave enough in the offering plate. I have talked about this to many people and the common theme that comes up is that either the church has enough money, or they don’t really trust the church. SO here is the alternative, support something in the name of God. There are many organizations out there that carry out the word of God to all corners of the world. Send them something. Get financially involved with a ministry that is local, and help support them.

 

I get it, we all can save for that flat screen, bass boat, or new house, but when it comes to sending money out to support the preaching of the word, many get tight fisted. Do not give because you have to, find something that you WANT to give to. Find something that the Lord leads you to.  You can spread the word of God, you can practice, and profess all of the qualities that a Christian has; but if you are not a cheerful giver, you are missing out on a very important piece. You are robbing yourself of the chance to do something beyond what you can do on your own. Give, and give freely, you will find that the more you give the more you will receive.

 

Peace,

Brian

Be Fearless

Philippians 1: 27-28

²⁷Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel ²⁸without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.

Be fearless! One thing that will get us every time is second-guessing! We are encouraged to conduct ourselves in a manner worth to the gospel of Christ. Then we are told that the evidence of the lifestyle will be confirmed by not being frightened by our opposition. As soon as you let a little fear creep in, the second-guessing starts. Fear is a useful tool used by the devil. It starts off small, and if left un checked, it will grow into something that will cause you to question everything. There is nothing to fear, there is no reason to second-guess. You know the direction to go The Lord has told us how it would be under the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31 the Lord says of the New Covenant:

I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

SO live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, do not second-guess; do not be frightened by the opposition. The Lord will protect you, he will replenish you, and He will never forsake you! The laws are written on your heart. No matter the hardship, hold true to your heart!

Peace,

Brian

Monday the 23rd

2 Corinthians 7: 2

 

 ²Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.

 

Have you ever noticed that it is easier to allow the bad in, and keep the good out? Paul is asking for the people of Corinth to make room in their hearts, he even justifies why room should be made. Why would he need to do that? One of the greatest Apostles that ever preached, and he is asking for room to be made! I would love to blame society, or the media, or maybe even our parents, but this all falls back to good old human nature. Most people, when given the choice, will take the easy way, they will go with the flow. People are more willing to accept the wrong if the group is accepting it, than stand up for the right even if they KNOW that is the right thing to do. A major University, did a study back in the 60’s they put one person in a room with a group of “control” group people. They showed a chart with several lines on it, they were all asked to openly say which line they thought was the longest. All of the Control group people chose a line that was clearly shorter. Guess what happened…….the majority of the test subjects either agreed right off the bat with the group, or after a little “convincing” from the control group, the test subjects would change their answer.

 

We should not ever feel the need to blend in with the group. We should not let our will be bent by the inner feeling of wanting to belong. We already belong to a group…..the group…..We are sons and daughters of the most high God. Our direction is given by the one who made the plan. We strive to show the way, and we will ask to be part of the group, but we will not compromise. We do not have to. We will justify ourselves, we will seek others out, but we will not be swayed by the undercurrents of wanting to belong to a worldly group.

 

Peace,

Brian

Another opportunity

 

 

Philippians 1: 12-14

 

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. ¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

 

 

Did you know that the hardship you are going through right now, is serving a purpose that has nothing to do with you, as much as it does with the Lord? I am not saying that the Lord visits hardships upon you, but every hardship you go through is a chance to show the world your faith. It is easy to smile when things are going well. Everyone is quick to shout out, a praise the Lord, or a Thank God! When things are going well, but do we do the same during the low points in our life? It would have been very easy for Paul to kick rocks and complain about his situation. Instead he proudly wore his persecution, and in spite of it, he boldly preached the Gospel! Peoples faith was encouraged, people converted, Paul used his hardship to strengthen his bond with Christ, instead of letting his hardship tear down his faith.

 

I know you have heard the saying attitude is everything……well it is. We choose if we want to keep the Lord first in our lives, we choose to believe that even in our darkest hour, that time can still be used to glorify the Lord. May we all be encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously, and fearlessly!

 

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 20th

^{2Corinthians 6: 4-7}

⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.

Running with the Lord is not a part time gig. You don’t get to be a warrior on the weekend, then go back to a heathen during the week. This is service to the Lord not a ride along program! There is nothing that can keep the love of the Lord from us. No matter the depth, height, hardship, or struggle, the Lord is there for you. Are you there for the Lord? We always hear about how great the Lord is, yet, not many people focus on the fact it is a two way street. The Lord may be willing to go further, and climb higher than you can on your behalf, but you have to put the work in as well. Troubles, and hardships will never cease, they are part of our life here on Earth. Will we be able to stand and say that we had the endurance no matter the hardship? Will we be confident that each day we suited up for battle with the weapons of righteousness? As we go into the weekend where are you at? Will you stand in patience, and kindness? There is little doubt that it can be a daunting task to undertake, but The Lord does it for each of us, the least we can do is put our best effort forth daily.

Peace,

Brian

A Prayer for All

Philippians 1: 9-10

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,


Everyday is an opportunity to advance your relationship with Christ. It is your chance to make a choice between staying where you are at, going backwards, or moving forward. Many find a comfortable spot and curl up for a long stay. Don’t fall in to that trap! Our journey started with turning to Christ, we cannot stop there! Do you notice where Paul says it all starts? Love….”may your love abound more and more in knowledge, and depth of insight” The more steps you take forward the more your love will grow. It comes naturally, it is part of loving Christ. When you love Christ, not because you want something, but because you realize just how much He loves you, you start to let that love grow, you start to understand the relationship, and you gain insight daily into how that effects your life positively. Then you are able to discern what is best and pure.

You might think that it is a hard row to hoe. I can promise you that it is not, but you do have to go to the shed and pick up the hoe! You might think that from where you are starting that there is no way to make the journey, I can promise you Christ will meet you right where you are at, and he will walk with you every step of the way. You take one step, He will take many to get to you! SO Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is my prayer for everyone, may your love abound more and more in knowledge, and depth of insight.


Peace,Brian

Thursday the 19th

2 Corinthians 5:20

 

²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

 

Ambassadors for Christ. No matter what you have on your business card, I cannot think of a better title to place above it! Our lives are our first and most prominent ministry. Each of us are ambassadors for Christ, what we say, what we do, how we treat others…..when we put the word Christian next to our name we are bound to that role in life. So will you accept the challenge? Will you take up the banner of the Lord, and all that comes with it? Paul puts it well. Be reconciled to God on Christ’s behalf. Much too high a price was paid for us to be flippant about it. The death of one, so that all might have eternal life; for that, I for one, will fearlessly carry the banner, and I know many will be with me!

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

 

Wed. The 18th

2 Corinthians 5: 17

 

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

 

When we turn to Christ we become dead to sin. All of the past is just that…..the past. It is over, done, period, next chapter. We cannot continue to live in the past, and for most that comes as a relief, but even with the knowledge that turning to Christ is the start of a new life, we still hold on to the old hurt, the old pain, the old wrongs in our life that have hardened pieces of out heart. We have to let go of the past, not just the easy stuff, but the old things that we have clung to, and in some cases still define who we are today!

 

Putting a new coat of paint on a car, does not make the old car new again, under that paint it is still the same old car. When we start making Christ a part of our life, we do not just spray a new coat of paint, we get a whole new car. DO NOT take all of the junk out of the old spiritual car, and throw it in the trunk of the new one!  Leave it at the dealership! Christ is the salesman, and He has plenty of space for all of the garbage, and His warranty does not expire. The old is gone, embrace the new, relish the beauty, and love that comes with the new, don’t let it become muted by the regrets of the past. Christ forgives all, so you need to forgive yourself!

 

 

Peace,

Brian

Suit up for battle

 

 

 

Ephesians 6: 10-11

 

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

 

There is nothing that they Lord would not give you to make you successful in your fight against the devil. Every morning when you wake up it is alive inside of you. The armor of God is at your disposal, all you have to do is take the time to put it on! Would a soldier go in to battle without his helmet, or would he leave behind his bullet proof vest? Perhaps he might not want to lace up his boots, or put in his strike plate…..Of course not! Everyday the soldier wakes up and readies for battle, some days he might feel tired, or he might feel defeated, but he does not forget to dress for battle. He knows the first day he does might just cost him his life.

 

We might not have IEDs, and snipers, that we can easily identify, but I promise you. There is a battle going on for your soul, and every day you have to dress for that battle. The first day you don’t might just set you on the path to defeat! While a soldier is only as strong as his squad, platoon, or Company; we have an unlimited, mighty strength that we can depend on, that is the strength of the Lord. So I urge everyone each day, every morning put on the full armor of God. God will never forsake you, he will always protect you, but you have to use the tools that he gives you!

 

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Tuesday the 17th

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

¹⁴For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Out of love He died, so our of love we live! I cannot think of a simpler way to say it. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Yet today we stand and scratch our heads as if the question of how we should live or lives is an unfathomable question. Love, we live and die for, and out of love. I get lost on that concept sometimes. No record of wrongs, not anger, just love. We think that it is a good day if we can make it through without blowing our tops, yet here we are reminded that the true example is not holding back anger, but to live a life full of love that gives glory to God. Let your heart be full of love. We know how to do it, but all to often we do not for fear of being hurt. If Christ can love us so much that he could die for us, we all can withstand the small amount of pain that might come from putting glove out there, and it not being returned.

Peace to the brothers and love in faith,

Brian Thetford CTB

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"A great many of those who 'debunk' traditional...values have in the background values of their own which they believe to be immune from the debunking process." C.S. Lewis

Family First

Ephesians 6:4

4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.


The base of all our labors here on this planet start at home. If we go out into the world and profess the word of the Lord, yet neglect our family, we are failures. The person who spends all of their time at the Church, and leaves no time for their family is just as much a failure as the person who never turns to God. Our families are the Lord’s future, and that future depends on us loving, and teaching our families first. We cannot extend the kingdom of the Lord if our children are lost.

How are you spending your time, how are you raising your family? Take time for your children, take time for your spouse. Pray as a family, read the bible as a family. Give up 15min of your evening to talk about God, and instruct your children in the good news that is Jesus Christ. Love your spouse, let your children see the love that comes from both of you as an overflow of the Love the God has put into your hearts. Be gentle with each other, love one another, and most importantly, do not take each other for granted. There will always be time for that church group, or the ministry that you want to be involved in, and I promise you the television is not going anywhere…what is on tonight will be reran after sweeps week. When you see a family move through this world as a unit, as one group joined in Christ, joined in love…..that family shines with the light of the Lord, and will touch every person that sees it.

Peace,
Brian

Monday the 16th

2 Corinthians 4: 18

18So 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.

It is my prayer that we can all start to look for the unseen. It seems that every day advances the thought of now. The car, the job, the promotion, the money, and the power. Christ spent time with people just like me and you. People who could not focus on the after, because they were so caught up in the now.

I am not saying we should let everything go, however we should all realize that all of this is temporary. That being said, we should look at why we let it consume our lives. Our daily trials, joys and misfortunes, are just that, daily milestone to tick off on the roadmap of life. We need to get our eyes off of the map, set the compass down, and look at everything that the Lord has set in front of us. He will show us the path, He will carry our burden, all we need to do is fix our eyes on the unseen. The Lord will do the rest.


Peace,

Brian