Friday the 9th

1 Samuel 12: ¹⁶ "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!

 

 

Living in expectation…..stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do! Did you know that the Lord does great things in your life everyday? Oh he does, I promise he does, all too often we are just to busy to see it, or too selfish to acknowledge that it is the Lord that has brought favor to us. As a result we often end up living well short of the fullness that the Lord has to offer. Here in this scripture we see the Lord about to bring the rain. Now imagine that feeling that everyone within earshot of Samuel must have felt. You know of what I speak. It is that tingle in the pit of your stomach, that rush of anticipation. Stand still and see this great thing. Form the moment that the words are spoken to the moment the event happens…that feeling of expectation is electrically charged with the power of the Lord! We should awake with that feeling every morning!  We should kick in the door of the morning with the expectation that we cannot wait to see the great things that the Lord will do in our life! If we train ourselves to look for them, we will see that the Lord showers us with blessings, big and small, each and everyday. When we open our eyes and start the day, that is the first blessing in and of itself….yet another day to go out and proclaim in word and deed our faith in God, and His Son Jesus Christ. You have not even put a foot on the ground and the blessings have already started! Sure you can allow yourself to be pulled under by the world, you can greet the day with the same feeling a lot of people do…..”uggghh, I hope I survive this day”, or maybe your morning prayer is “Lord, just get me through the day” but I encourage each one of you to change that starting today. Instead of trying to get by, start living in the blessings that God puts before you. Instead of hoping that the day goes OK….expect it to be better than yesterday, expect to see the beauty, and the love of God surround you, expect to see the blessings that God will lay along your path throughout the day. Make it a point to take the time to acknowledge the great accomplishments, the little battles won, the simplicity of a strangers smile, and the warm kiss from a loved one for what they all are great things from the Lord. May we all learn to stand still and see the great thing the Lord is about to do before our eyes!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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Thursday the 8th

Acts 3:   ¹²When Peter saw this (people astonished at the healing of a beggar), he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

 

How did he do that???? Even today we ask that question. Sickness healed, life’s needs met even when all looks lost……How did that happen? We look to the answers that the world would have us believe….”well he was lucky”…..or “nothing was really wrong to begin with” …or maybe even “they were given something they did not deserve”……and perhaps that is the correct answer! Why would we be astonished at any great feat being accomplished? Is not our God the God of the living? Have we not been told that He will sustain us, and never forsake us? Have we not be promised that through our faith, we would be rewarded with more than we deserve? These things happen because God is in the middle of it all! There is nothing that happens that God’s hand is not on. It is not because of any of our greatness that these things happen, it is because of the Love God has for us. That love is transferred to each of us, and we are encouraged….no we are commanded to go out and spread that love. The Lord used the Apostles to accomplish great things. By their faith in the risen King they lived spectacular, spiritually filled lives, carrying out the Lord’s work. You might think “well that was the Apostles, not me”. To that I must disagree. Within each of us is the power to accomplish great things in the name of Jesus Christ. Each day lends us the opportunity to go out and make a difference in others lives. It should not seem foreign to us, yet I can promise you it will seem foreign to the world! Through the power of Christ you may not heal a beggar physically (not saying you won’t), but you can heal them spiritually, and emotionally….when the world sees that changed person you will hear that all familiar question….how did he do that? Feel free to ask the same question asked so long ago…….why does this surprise you? Let them know that it is the Lord that heals us all!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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wed the 7th

Acts 1: ⁷He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

 

It is not for you to know….If I had a dollar for every time I said I do not know…..I would be a very rich man indeed! And if I became rich form that….well I still would not know! This is a concept that we as Christians sometimes struggle with, no matter how hard you study, no matter how hard you pray, no matter what you do…..some things are just not for us to know. That is what our faith is for. Saying that we do not know when Christ will come back, or when we will die, or what the future holds….this is not an admission of ignorance, it is a profession of faith! For us the statement is not simply that we do not know, it is that we do not know, but we are sure that the Lord will direct us, and guide us. It is the simple act of doing exactly what the world tells us not to do, we trust in God. The world would have you believe that we MUST know the answers, we must live our life in search of what they call the truth….however we already have the truth, He lives inside of us everyday. The world will shout to trust yourself, or trust in man….I do not know about you, but that never really worked out for me very well. Come to find out, I do not always have the best sense of direction, and as for mankind…..well many around me would / have tried to lead me down in to their service if I was to trust only them. I have learned to live with my I don’t know box, honestly I find comfort in knowing it is there. We simply will never know all that we want, but we can know the One who knows all!  We will never fully see where we are going, but we can trust in the One who has the map. We might not ever know the time or the dates of life changing events…but we can have a close personal relationship with the watch maker. Follow the Holy Spirit, rely on Christ, and trust in the authority of God, the Father.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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Tuesday the 6th

John 20: ⁶Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

 

I love this part of the Scripture in John. Notice that John makes a point to notice that the cloth around Christ’s head was folded up and separate. Most read over this and don’t give it a second thought, but this small detail reminds me of a custom of the time that most have forgotten about. When the master of a house excused himself from the table during dinner, the servants paid attention to the masters cloth. If he crumpled it up, and put it in the middle of the plate it meant that he was not coming back (many of us do this at restaurants today to show that we are done eating) but if he folded that cloth, and set it to the side, then the servant knew that the master was coming back, he was not done. Here in this scripture we see that the cloth was folded and set to the side….our Master was not done, He was going to return, there was still work to be done. That linen is still folded today, there is still work to be done, and our Master is still set to return. He has put us in charge of carrying out His work until He returns again. There is no doubt that it is a long row to hoe, but as my Father always told us, “it will never get done, if you don’t start” And start we must. Through the direction of the Holy Spirit, the strength found in Christ, and the Love of God, each one of us will find the path we need to take, it might not be a smooth path, and the journey might be a long one, but we will persevere, we will overcome, and we will be successful. The cloth is still folded, and we await the Masters return, but there is much still to do. As we continue through this Easter season, on our way to Pentecost Sunday, let us each resolve to start down the path, the journey might be long, but it must be started if we are to finish.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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Monday the 5th

John 20:  ¹⁹On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

 

Peace be with you! I think of how this must have played out….then I realize this is EXACTLY how Christ works. Imagine the setting, the disciples had to of been at their lowest point in their life, the Man that they had spent over three years following now was gone…and how human of them! Yes, Christ had told them all He was leaving, but would return. Yet Here we find them huddled in fear wondering what to do next. In walks Christ….Peace be with you! Does He ask them what’s wrong? Does he chide them for fearing when He had given reassurances that He would be back? No, Christ knows us, He knows us better than we know ourselves. I am sure that He was not surprised to find them locked up in a room, just like He understands when He finds us cowering in a corner. Christ did not admonish, He reassured…Peace be with you. That is what He does to this day, and I am sure will continue to do. He comes to us at our hour of need, and fortifies our faith. He understands our fears, and our weaknesses, and does not hold them against us. We all go through our tests of faith, we all sometimes feel like the rug has been yanked out form underneath us. We all feel lost, and out of sorts…..maybe you are feeling like that now. Let us continue to celebrate the joy of Easter, and our risen King. Let us allow Him into our hearts fully, and completely, let us accept the peace that only HE can bring, so that our doors might become unlocked, and our fears become quiet. Christ is with us always, especially in our hour of need…..”peace be with you”  Seize that peace, rend your heart to the Lord, and set out into the world knowing the we are more than conquerors, we are brothers, and sisters of Christ, and children of the Most high God.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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Good Friday

John 19 : ¹⁷Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

 

As I woke this morning all I could think about was Christ carrying his cross, and I think of Matthew 10 where Christ says “³⁸and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” I think of how heavy the physical, and Spiritual cross of Christ was, then I feel so weak and selfish when I think how I grumble under the weight of my light and insignificant cross. As if I have reason to complain!  I think of the pain, the brutality that Christ endured today. The beatings, the insults, the pain of the nails, the slow death,  the humiliation the Christ suffered without question, without blaming anyone, without anger, or malice. He bore it all majestically, even at His lowest he was truly the King.   Then I reflect on how I grumble when I feel I am treated poorly, or look to find someone to blame, or become hot headed because of a situation I find myself in. I think of these times in my life this morning, and feel move to tears of shame. Then I think of the man on the cross next to Christ. The man that deserved to be hanging, next to the man who never deserved an ounce of pain dealt to Him. I think of Christ telling that man, “today you will be with me in paradise” and I realize, I am that man next to Christ. I am the man that deserves death for the life I have lived, I am that liar, that thief, that blasphemer, Yet I see Christ’s face and I hear his voice and I know that because of Christ’s love, and forgiveness for me, I too will join Him in paradise. This man, the Son of God, the human who endured more pain that I ever will, who suffered more humiliation that I could stand, who gave His life even for those that might still turn their back on Him….through all of this Christ still has more love in His heart, than I dare say I will ever have in my entire life. At the end of His human life His last request was for forgiveness for a world that does not know what they do. It is that forgiveness that sets me free, it is that love that heals this old sinners heart. SO here I sit on this Good Friday, and openly weep. I weep for the death of a man that did not deserve to die, and I weep for the forgiveness of a world that certainly deserves death. It is a debt that I can never repay, an honor that I did not work for, and it is a blessing that I do not deserve. May we all proclaim Glory, Honor, and Praise to God Almighty!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Thursday the 1st

Isaiah 61: ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

 

Jesus read this text while teaching at the synagogue, then after he was finished Luke Chapter 4 recorded Him as ²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  Today is the day of the last supper, Holy Thursday….the last day Christ will walk as a free man on this earth. But look at what Christ came to do, Preach the good news to the poor, mend the broken hearted, free the captives, and release from darkness the prisoners…the King James is even more detailed The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. In short Christ is here to set us free.  We were poor in Spirit, but now we are rich in the Lord, our hearts were broken by this world, but Christ heals that heart with salvation, and forgiveness, We were captives to our sin, and He has set us free. We were blind to the Love, Hope, forgiveness, and compassion, of the Lord, but He gives us our sight so that we might see the beauty, and promise that is found in the ever-living Lord.  This is it…..the beginning of the events that will forever change the face of this world. It is the beginning of events that were carried out for you, for that is how much God loves you.  Let this weekend serve as not just a remembrance of Christ’s triumph over death, let it serve as a remembrance of Your victory over sin! If this is your first Easter, your second Easter, or on in a long line of years spent with the Lord, let it serve as a platform to launch your faith to the next level.  Gather your family around and honor the King of King and Lord of Lords, don’t allow this weekend to pass as some commercial holiday. Hold it in your heart, share it with your family, and shout it from the mountain tops. This weekend we remember that by the death of Christ we are given life, by His resurrection, we are given eternity. Be blessed, bless those around you, and have a Happy, joyful, and faith filled weekend. Give thanks and praise to the Lord, for on Sunday we will proclaim,  HE HAS RISEN!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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