Tuesday the 29th

John 14:  ¹"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

 

Do not let your heart be troubled. This is a phrase that is carried throughout the Bible. Trust in the Lord. That one single phrase that is so easy to say, yet so hard to fully submit to. There is a place already made, and already waiting on you. The Lord has been working on it. It is just for you and only you. Yet we drag through this life troubled….plagued by indecision, fear, and uncertainty. Oh I know what you are thinking, I KNOW where I am going , I am not scared of anything, and I am certain of my path….but are you? When you say those phrases out loud, are you not questioning them on the inside. I know what I am doing….(I hope)….I am not scared of anything…..(at least I hope no one can see)…I am certain of where I am going……(why am I going through this) We are taught by the world to trust no one, it is a concept and teaching that serves the ole’ devil well. God loves you, and as with any love, in any relationship, love comes with trust. If you want to live fearlessly, then don’t just love God with half your heart, love Him fully! Give Him all of your love, and that comes with all of your trust. Then you can fearlessly shout to the world that “ I know what I am doing, for it is the work of the Lord” I have no fear of this world, because my Lord will protect me.” And “I know where I am going, I am working towards the place that the Lord has prepared for me.” Trust in the Lord, not in this world, and not in yourself, trust that the Lord will provide, for He always has. As Christ said, if it were not so He would not have told us. The Lord is not a liar, He is a promise keeper. Love Him, and trust Him, He has been working for you since before you were born. He has a place prepared for you. It is not where you live in this world that counts, it is where you spend eternity that you are working for. Trust in God, trust in Christ, trust in the Holy Spirit, do not let your heart be troubled.

God Bless,

Brian Thetford
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Monday the 28th

I am back up and running…..well at least in some form!

 

Matthew 13: ¹⁵For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

 

As I always say, the more things change the more they stay the same. Today we also hardly hear. The truth is often painful to hear, the truth can be a very ugly sight. The world tells us to close our ears, and close our eyes. When we do this we serve the world well. It will not be the great rulers of great nations that will destroy this world. It will be the indifference of good men and women. The Lord reminds us where to seek the truth, where we can hear it, and see it. All it takes is to turn to the Lord. When we decide to live our lives with open eyes, and open ears, something else is opened, it is our hearts. An open heart will turn to the Lord, and that heart will be healed, it will be forgiven, and it will be filled with the love, the peace and the understanding that only our Savior can provide. Living with our eyes open means that we will see things that we don’t like, and often those things will be seen in the mirror looking back at us, the sounds we hear might just be the sounds of pain that  we cause to those around us. When we allow ourselves to be healed, indifference is no longer an option, if one thing counts….it all counts.  Those around us can be seen for what they are, brothers, and sisters in Christ. Soften your heart, and allow the Lord to work His wonders through you. Open your eyes, and see the life that the Lord has laid before you. Open your ears and hear the heavens sing the praises of the Lord. Allow yourself to be healed, so that you might help heal those around you!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

Monday the 14th

Isaiah 44: ² This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. ³ For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. ⁴ They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.

God is a promise keeper, and just look at what has been promised! How much has the Lord already given us, that we have missed? We have each been given the Spirit, our land has been made fertile. Look how the Lord opens up, “He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid”…. We are the descendants, and we have been given the same blessing.

We have been blessed….. we are blessed! What we are given by God is not taken back. He has been with us from the beginning, from the time we were formed in the womb…before we knew our earthly parents, our Heavenly Father already knew us, loved us, and blessed our lives! I know, this is no new news right? It might not be new news, but it is news that we all too often overlook! We allow this world to drag us down, we allow this world to make us afraid of taking chances, we allow ourselves to be hammered into submission…..but we don’t have to! That is the part we forget. Imagine this…there is a battle field, and on one side there is all of those that oppose you, on the other is you. Those who would oppose you can see the army or the Lord surrounding you, they know this will be a hard battle, one that they will most likely lose, yet they are still ready to fight. Just as the opposing force is ready to attack, they see you hang your head, turn, and leave!….WHAAAT? yes it happens just like that everyday. Instead of charging into battle with the Lord paving the way, we choose to turn and allow the opposing forces in our lives to give chase! We don’t think we can win, because a lot of times we just don’t believe that we are worthy of the Lord’s love, we think that we are not good enough because of our past….but I want you to listen to verse 22 carefully….²² I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." You are worthy, you are redeemed, the Lord is asking you to come home, He is asking you to let Him fight for you, He is asking you to take the blessings that He has offered. So go get them! Do not hang your head on the battlefield of life, you are worthy of the Lord, He is looking for you to let Him in! Hit the battlefield each and everyday knowing that you will be victorious, you are blessed, and you are loved. Follow the Lord into the battle of life, He will level the mountains that stand in your way, and he will decimate those who would oppose you. He is calling you, He is blessing you, He is protecting you. Put on the full armor of the Lord, and march fearlessly on the battle field, you have a war to win!

I will be out for the rest of the week on vacation, and my computer will be going into the shop while I am gone. As a result, I will be down until next Monday. Be blessed, and fight the good fight. Keep the faith!

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

http://www.thenewcovenantchurch.com/

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Friday the 11th

1Thessalonians 4: ¹Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

 

Living to please God, that is why we are here right? TO give glory through God by way of our lives; but let us look at what it is to please God as Paul is instructing us in this passage. The Greek word that Paul used is: areskō ar-es'-ko  (through the idea of exciting emotion); to be agreeable

This is different form the Hebrew word tobe or the other Greek word used in the New Testament which is arestos  Tobe has a meaning of liking something, and arestos has a meaning of to be fit, or suited for. Both of these words fit well into what we think of as pleasing. However the word Paul used here is meant as to be agreeable. So when we think of living our lives to please God, we must realize that what is being said is that our lives should be lead in agreement with God. So what is the difference? Well a person can run around and do many things that people might today say "well all of those good works must be pleasing to the Lord" But if that persons is not working out of a life that is in agreement with God, then those works are missing the mark. What Paul is reminding us, is that there is a lot more to living a life pleasing to God than the works that we do, and if we are going to continue to work and make our lives ever more pleasing to God, then we have some work to do , and that work is done on the inside of us. Paul goes on to list out concepts of a moral life that is pleasing to God, all of the concepts have one thing in common, they are all about our self control, and how we interact with others. So, once again we are left with working on our relationship with God, and working on ourselves. That is the key, God, and you. While life might seem like a struggle, when you put God in the driver seat the struggle becomes bearable. Christ did not hang on the cross so that we could fight this fight alone, He died for the chance to live with you…..to live IN you. Depend on the Lord, not the world. Strive for a life that is agreeable with God, and continue to fight for it. A life that is pleasing to God, is not a destination, You don't arrive, you continue the journey daily; there is no end point before death, and even death is only a way point!  Paul ends the chapter with the result: "so that your daily life might win the respect of outsiders, and so you will not be dependant on anybody." So to please God we should become dependant only on God, we should be walking in agreement with Him, and be such an example to outsiders, that they respect us. Now that is a challenge if I have ever heard of one!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Thursday the 10th

Philippians 2: ¹³for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. ¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

God is at work in you……that sounds good doesn’t it? What is God doing? Working….oh, where is He working? In YOU! That desire to do the right thing, that nudge that you can’t explain to go left instead of right, the unexplained time that you held your tongue even though you were ready to unload on someone….God is at work in you. So we should do that work without complaining. We are walking this earth, guided by the Trinity, So really…..what is there to complain about? Is it too hard, too inconvenient, disruptive to your plans. About 2000 years ago I know of a Man who had good reason to grumble, and complain, He had every reason to argue His innocence yet he never said a word. When we grumble, when we argue, we damage our relationship with Christ. How you might ask? Well, to put it in human terms, and for ease of illustration, Have you ever taken a friend to a party, or a gathering? You have known the friend for a while, but this is the first gathering in public together. Not 15 min. into the evening you look around and see that your friend is complaining to everyone around about the music, or the food, or worse yet, he has started arguing with others at the party……Don’t you suddenly feel about 3 inches tall, and start thinking it is about time to leave, if you can’t get your friend under control? You are embarrassed. Now we could have a whole conversation about how Christ is never ashamed of us, and that is the truth, but when we argue and bicker, and moan, and complain all of the time, we are most certainly not living up to the example that Christ has given us. This passage closes with an important reminder when we do live our lives in the light of God, we will be found without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, we will shine like stars in the universe. Shine like stars, how often do you look at the stars in the sky? They are a thing of wonder for sure, you know their light is seen long after they are gone. How unusual to think that we navigate from the light of stars, some of which are long gone, yet they bring us home safely. May we all live to shine like stars, as lights, and examples that continue to radiate God’s love well after we are gone.

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

http://www.thenewcovenantchurch.com/

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Wed the 9th

Luke 4: ²⁸All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. ³⁰But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

 

What a model our Savior gives us here. Jesus has just finished explaining that a prophet is never accepted in his hometown, so seldom is there any signs or miracles preformed there.…..to say the least the folks did not like it. We read that they were furious, they drove Him out of town…..and they don’t mean they loaded Him up and took him to the outskirts of town. No, back in the day when you were drove out of town, it was all done on foot! Imagine that for a moment, a large group of people shouting, and for all intensive purposes herding Christ out of town. I am sure there was some pushing, and shoving involved, some choice words shouted, many accusation, all the way from the Synagogue to the edge of town, until they were at the edge of a cliff…and how does Jesus handle the situation? Well, he walks right through the crowd and went about His business. No anger, no condemnation, just a look around, then a I gotta go. Now I don’t know about you, but I have never been chased out of town by a mob, honestly I can’t remember having more then 2 or 3 people upset at me at any given time, but when I think of those time, and I think of the emotions that I felt. Very seldom do I recall felling calm, peaceful, or ready just to walk away. Oh no, I remember very clearly being ready to scrap. If I am to be honest, I would have to say even today I find myself if put in the right situation I still am ready to labor the point, ready to defend my ground….but all too often the truth is the truth, and if people don’t like it, or do not want to accept it, well, all of the arguing in the world will not change their mind. Christ knew that, and since we have a piece of Him living inside of us….well we know it too. Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins, but He also died so that He might give Himself to every person alive, and every person who will live. His death gives us a direct line to God, and a shelter of peace in our lives. This is what we need to draw from. Instead of giving in to the world, we would do well to surrender to the Lord. Learn to walk through the crowd, and go on your way. There is one relationship that counts, and that is your relationship with Christ. That is the one to fight for, that is the one to chase after, and that is the one that will deliver you. Christ’s focus was His task at hand, His relationship with His Father. By focusing on His Father, He allowed the unimportant to be just that. He did not beg, He did not plead, He did not debate. He spoke the truth, and then went on about the work of His Father. Might we all learn to do the same. The world might be driving you to the cliff, but don’t take the bait, walk through the crowd, and go on your way…..doing the work of your Heavenly Father.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Tuesday the 8th

Proverbs 3: ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

I often think I know exactly what I am doing. I trust the plan I have come up with, and trust in my ability to get it accomplished. Then out of the blue, it all falls apart. I then would be left trying to figure out what went wrong….well I trusted in me, I trusted in others who ended up just having their own interests at heart, I trusted in everything but the Lord. I have learned that the way I see it….well it is not always the way it is. I might always see the iceberg, but I seldom see the huge chunk of ice beneath the surface. So I have learned to start trusting in the Lord. So what does that mean anyway? Does it mean that the Lord beams down a daily message? While I will be the first to say I have received good direction and clarity during prayer, by and large that is not what we mean when we say trust in the Lord. A lot of days I wish I did get those messages so clearly though….. When we say trust in the Lord we mean that we should trust in the Lord, His way, His example, His guidelines for our life. If we entrust the most precious thing we have, our life, to the Lord then we see what it means to trust the Lord. When we live our life according to the example that Christ gave us, then we show the world that we trust not just in a plan, or a day, but we trust in Him, totally, fully and completely. Then when the day goes bad, or the deal goes south, we know it is not a matter of what went wrong, but what went right. When we trust completely we know that if it has happened, in the end it will be for the good. We know that it is our whole life that counts not this one bump in the road. Set the expectations and the promises of this world to the side, and bet your life, and your soul on the One who always delivers, always fulfills His promises, and exceeds every expectation. Trust in the Lord, and free yourself form the disappointment.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Thursday the 3rd

Luke 17: 1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.

 

 

Tough choices are not an option, we don’t get to select them or choose not to have them in our lives. They are a fact. We read here Christ flat out telling us, things will happen that will cause sin. Choices will be presented, opportunities will arise, and we will from time to time stumble, and make the wrong choice. The big piece of this scripture comes at the end….woe to that person through which they come…..Life really comes down to two choices, are you hanging on the cross, or are you driving in the nails? I know in my young life I found that it was A LOT easier to drive nails than it was to hang on the cross….truth be told I never really gave a lot of thought to the hanging on the cross gig. I found an even better way to get things done, I would get other people to do them. See….I knew better, I knew that it was not the best idea, or it might damage, or hurt others, so instead of being that sin, instead of doing the work myself, I got others to do the heavy lifting, In short I brought sin into the lives of others. Looking back, I see that I was a pretty good agent for the devil. Oh it was not something I signed on for, but all too often that is how evil works. As I think of those days, I remember them to be pretty dark, there was some good times in there, but overall it was a season of trial, a season of  selfishness. Yeah, I am saddened to say that I have driven a few nails in my life. How often are you driving nails? It is quite easy to do, I promise, How many times have you let others take the fall, all the while thinking well, “there is nothing I can do for them, all I did was bring it up, it is not my fault they did it.” or how often do we turn our heads as we watch our friends walk down the same path they have seen us walk down? We survived, they might not. Just because we did not pull the trigger, does not mean we had no part in the tragedy. What I have found is that the more you choose to live on the cross with Christ, the more opportunities come up to step in and save others from the sin you have already lived. The time spent with the Lord, is time spent building up the lives around us, not tearing them down. Hanging on the cross with Christ allows us to drop all of our anger, our frustration, our envy, and our pride. Once those things are gone, the thought of even allowing others to try and walk your path is unbearable, let alone the thought of helping them down that road. I know I have found, and I am sure you will agree, it takes a big hammer to drive spikes,  life become a lot more bearable when you quit dragging that hammer around. We each have a choice to make, where will we take those around us? Will we teach them to hang or to hammer? Sin will come into each of our lives, will we work to beat it back, or will we work to get others on board the sin wagon? I don’t know about you, but my days of driving nails are over, I find myself out of spikes.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Wed the 2nd

1 Corinthians 12: ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

 

 

We are all part of the body of Christ. This is sometimes a hard concept to get your head around. I say hard because when we hear that phrase we so often put it in the worlds perspective. We are all part of the body of the company we work at, but that company, and I don’t care how cool that company is, (I work for a company that rivals Google in the coolness department) the company works for one goal, and we all support it, but we also work for our own goals within the company. That is cause of a lot of back biting, plotting, planning, and sometimes breeds a win at all cost mentality. You want the company to be successful, but you want the promotion, not the other guy, you want the raise, even if it means someone else goes without one. We are out to preserve ourselves, that is what the world teaches. That is not being part of the body of Christ. The body of Christ has one job and one goal, we work to glorify the Lord. We compliment each other, we support each other, and we put the needs of others before our own needs. Sounds a lot different that your secular job huh? It does not have to though. You can be the one to start the revolution, you can be the one that brings the body of Christ into the body of your company. I will go as far as to say we are encouraged, no, we are directed to make that happen. We are not told that we are part of the body of Christ only on Sunday, or we only have to support the body of Christ when we are not at work. It is a calling for a lifestyle change that encompasses 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We don’t go find God on Sunday morning at the Church. He is supposed to be coming in the door with us! I know, you are saying that is can’t be done. You can’t combine work and the body of Christ. One person can’t make a difference, no one works like that, they will just take advantage of you, they will exploit you, and they will walk all over you…….But I can think of a man who dared to challenge the way the world thought. He walked along the path of righteousness, and He too was taken advantage of, He was exploited, He was shunned, and He was murdered…..but He changed the world as we know it. What started off as one man, has grown into a force that spans the globe. You think you can’t make a difference by yourself, well you are right….but that man is still around today, and Christ will show up in your life so you do not have to work alone. Then an amazing thing happens, the body of Christ starts to come together at work. You find a set of legs that can help carry you, you find arms, and hands that can help reach out to others, you find a heart that will drive and feed the body. In short you become the one person, that one spark that sets a brush fire to the soul of those around you. Will you be that one person? Will you rise up and follow in the foot steps of the Man that set the world afire with His Spirit? We are each a part of the body of Christ, and we are called to bring more people into the body. That means at home, and at work. It means on Sunday, and every day that ends in y. You do not have to do it alone, you are not expected to. Christ is inside of you waiting for the chance to help you change your world…..you are not alone….you are never alone, and if you will take the first step, if you will rise to the challenge, you will find that there are others around you that are just looking for the spark, waiting to ignite……will you put the flint to steel?

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Tuesday the 1st

1 Thessalonians 4: ¹Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

 

There is no finish line in this life. We don’t attain a certain lifestyle, and then we are done. Our Spiritual life is an ongoing ever changing, ever expanding life. Each of us are asked to live our lives to please God, but to do it more and more. We are called to continue, to turn over the next rock, to open the next door. I have talked to several people over the years who have said that they just don’t really learn anything anymore, as if to say that have a handle on their faith, and they know the Lord as well as they can possibly know Him. To them I say press on. God has, since the beginning of time, revealed Himself a little at a time to this world. I dare say that there is not a person alive that has absorbed all that the Lord has to offer, and has actively put it into practice. There is always the next chapter, there is always the next step. Some might say well that is just too much, I can’t do it, I will never be successful, I can’t get much further, I almost did not make it to where I am now!  To them I say, that is not the point. The ground we cover is not the achievement. The achievement comes in pressing forward. The point is to get on the path. Some people will spend their entire life just figuring out how to get the Lord into their lives, for others their journey will take them through countless libraries, book, and for some even other countries. A lot of people I talk to say they feel like their faith has not grown much over the last few years. Well, a crop will not produce if we quit watering it! If we never turn the soil, we will never get a new crop, we will never get the next blessing. We can’t start a new chapter unless we choose to turn the page. As Paul urges the Thessalonians here so I urge you. No matter where you are on your path with the Lord, press on. The blessings continue, the life gets brighter, the peace becomes deeper, and the joy……well it is without end. Do not become stagnant, and do not become discouraged. Keep stirring the waters of the Lord. The stream, becomes a river, which will become an ocean. Swim for the deep water, and immerse yourself in the Lord.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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