Wed the 14th

Luke 6:45 ⁴⁵The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

 

You can’t un-ring a bell. Once the words have left your lips you can say you did not mean it, you can say you did not know what you were saying, but the damage is done. Just as this scripture points out, our words reflect our heart. Many people, including myself might not like to hear that, because a lot of harsh, hurtful words come out of our mouths on a daily basis, but it is a call for us, not to examine the words we use, but to examine our hearts. I know a woman whom I do not think is capable of speaking a hurtful word. Her heart is so full of love. Love of life, love of the Lord, love of her fellow man, that she never feels the need to speak harshly. Why? Because She holds no malice in her heart. That is the key. And if you read the scripture again, you will see it is spelled out for us very plainly….it is what we store up in our heart. It is what we hang on to. This scripture does not say that the good man never experiences bad things, or that he never has negative emotions. I am convinced that it is quite the opposite, the devil seems to assault the good people with more and more temptation to store up evil. We have to learn to let go of the evil. When you think of it that way, isn’t it strange that we even have to point that out? We have become a society of people who are taught to hold on to the bad, and let go of the good. As if the good intentions, the good words, the love given freely, is just a fluke, and it is the evil, hurtful things that count, and we should never forget. Think about it. The next time you are in a disagreement with someone, what pops into your head? The last time that person wronged you, or the last time they were good to you? Could you imagine how the disagreements with our spouses would go? “oh yeah honey, what you say might be true, but do you remember that time that you came home after a long day at work and cleaned the house? Well I have not forgotten that, and I want to say thank you, I love you, I am sorry that I hurt you, you did not deserve it.” Huh….what a concept…..Oh you might be thinking, well you don’t know…they deserve harsh words…..but can you really think of the Lord, and say that? Have we not been instructed to gently correct? Who had, in the time of Christ, or even in today’s world, more of a reason to store up evil than Christ? Yet He did not. Even at the time of His death, he looked upon man with love and forgiveness. He had chosen all of His life to store up good, and let the evil pass on by. As it so often does, it comes down to a very personal choice, what do you choose to store up today? What will you fill your heart with? Will you choose to reverse that though process of this world, and let the evil pass you by? Choose to store up the good, let it fill your heart to the point of overflow. Let that good spill out from your mouth, not because you have put a lot of thought into what you are going to say, but because it is all you have stored up. It will take some work, but if Christ could love the very people  that killed Him, I would think at the very least we could store up good for the people that irritate us.

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

 

Tuesday the 13th

1 Corinthians 1: ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

 

I was reading an article about a local Austin man who put together a big fishing event to for the local kids. I am sure you have seen one before. They stock a big tank with catfish then cut the kids loose. It is a great day for the kids, and it does a great job of raising awareness of kids that are hurting in our own communities. The man is 25 years old, and he was recounting how when he went to several businesses to get their support, he was met with resistance, they did not know him, he was considered young to be doing something like this, they thought that he might not be able to pull it off. His response was always the same….God will make this happen. He continued unwavering in his quest, and he was successful to say the least. He are starting to plan another fishing event, and wouldn’t you know it, a ton of people are on board. All along the way, when asked how he accomplished it he says God is a great God, and He was with him, and opened doors for him. Now people are coming out of the woodwork to be a part of this. When I read that story, I though of this passage. God uses each and everyone of us, and the person He chooses usually is not the person the world would expect to see for that job…..but that is nothing new for God, He has been using people from all stations of life to accomplish His plan. Noah, David, Moses, these did not start off as man who people would listen to. Christ did not show up in the world the way many expected Him to. Take a look at Paul’s life, He started off trying to kill Christians. God moves in the people He chooses to move in. He raises up the weak, the unknown, and the foolish, so that the strong, the famous, and the wise, might see that what the world considerers strength is no match for the power of the Lord. So when people say you don’t look like you can pull it off, or that you might be to young, or to old, just smile and say “thanks, but there is no limit to what the Lord can accomplish through me.” We serve a great God, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish, there are no heights that we cannot rise to, there is no barrier that we cannot overcome. It is in our weakness that God’s strength shines through. When the world says you can’t, know that the Lord says not only that you can, but that you will be better than expected, you will be more than conquerors, you will be successful as only a child of the most high God can be; physically, mentally, and spiritually you will victorious.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

 

Monday the 12th

John 10: ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

 

We have all heard the story of the pig, the chicken, and breakfast. The Chicken is just involved, but the pig is committed. We have a lot of chickens in our life….or hired hands, however you would like to look at it. We have a lot of people who would steer us down a path for their own gain. You can usually tell someone’s true intentions when they are trying to “help” you, by how much they benefit by your participation. Typically your best interest is getting them paid, or increasing their status, or elevating them…..but of course they are just trying to help you out……and of course it never fails, when the plans go south, your life long friend, your mentor, your shepherd……..well he has gone missing. The wolf can be a pretty intimidating creature, and when he comes, you find out what those who have been your leaders are made of. Fair weather friends are a dime a dozen. They will be with you through thick and thin….but when it gets thick….well they thin out! We have but one shepherd in this life, and that is Christ. Why do I feel so confident in this statement? Because Christ has nothing to gain if I show up….. I know that sounds harsh, but really, there is nothing I can do for the Lord, that He cannot do for Himself. He does not need me for anything. He created everything you can see, what could I give to Him other than my worship, my praise, and my unwavering faith…..a pittance compared to what He gives me. This is why you know that Christ is the true shepherd, He asks for next to nothing, yet gives more than we can attain without Him. Christ said He is the good shepherd, and will lay His life down for His flock, and in fact He did just that. That is why we should cling only to Him in our time of need. He will be out in front, leading you to safety, He does not fear the wolf, and as a result, you have no need to fear the wolf either. Christ sees the wolf, and it is the wolf who runs, for even the devil himself knows that he does not stand a chance against the Lord. So take refuge in the good shepherd, unlike the hired had, Christ is committed, not just involved.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

 

Friday the 9th

Hebrews 11: ⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

There are many stories of faith that can be found in the Bible, but Noah’s story always stands out. The guy built an ark! Why? Because God told him to. Period paragraph…..next subject!

 

That is faith, hard core, God loving, unwavering faith. When I think of Noah, I always think….who do I know that would build an ark? Would I be willing? We are not talking about a 5 year or even ten year project. We are not talking about a project that you have to spend a few hours on each day….no , we are talking about a labor in faith that lasted somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 years. If we were to take Noah’s age into account, it would be like us working on a project for about 20 years (I will use the 20 year number for perspective). Now that being said, would you build an ark? Right out in your front yard, because God told you to? I think of the ridicule that Noah must of endured (you know his neighbors had to think he was crazy) Everyday for what we would think of as 20 years Noah got up and worked on that ark……How many of us have worked on ANYTHING for 25 years? I think the faith that Noah had in God is often overlooked. We think , “oh yeah, Noah, the guy that built an ark, and saved his family and the animals” but we forget the time that Noah put in working for God on the front end. Now we know that Noah was a good man, Genesis tells us he walked with God. He was also the one person that God could find righteous in a wicked world. But we also know Noah was not perfect. In short, Noah was not much different than you and me. He was a common man who loved God, in a time when not many did. So what was it that made Noah so spectacular? His faith! His faith put him out there everyday tirelessly working on what God needed him to do. He was focused on God, not the world. What did Noah get for this service? Life! Not just for him, but his family as well. Paul tells us that things like Noah, and the Israelites in the wilderness, happened so that we might learn from them. What do we learn? To fear the Lord? Sure, one might take that away, but what I see is the love God has for those who follow Him. When you hear of these things you might only hear what happened to those that fell away, but I urge you, do not miss the importance of what happened to those who had faith in God…… they were given life.  Now God may not be asking you to build an ark, but what is He asking you to build today? He may not be asking you to work on one specific project for a fifth of your life, but He is asking you to commit 100% of that life to Him! So will you? Will you build the ark that the Lord needs you to? Will you follow with faith in your heart, and walk with God, or will you allow the taunts, and the ridicule of the world to draw you away form your ark building? It is through faith that we will be given life, and it by faith that we must live!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 8th

1 Corinthians: ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it.

 

We are all in this together. Each one of us plays an important part, each one of us has a crucial role to play.  You might think, oh Brian, you are just being dramatic, we all are not that important. I beg you to see that I am not. This illustration that Paul uses shows just how important each and everyone of us are. Think of your body for a moment…then think of one part that you would gladly give up…..can’t do it can you? Every part you might be willing to give, would start with the statement “well, I could get by without”…..Christ did not hang on the cross so that we might all just get by, He did not give His life, then think well you know without John, or without Sarah, we will squeak by…..No, each and everyone of us are called, each and everyone of us is precious, needed, and depended on by the Lord…..and that means you. We all have a role to play…and every one of them is important. Everyone might want to be the brain, but what good is the brain without the fluid that surrounds and supports it? and what good is that fluid without the skull to hold it in place? And what good is the skull without the skin to protect it? There are no unimportant parts, each part in some way depends on the other. Even something as simple as a fingernail is important, try opening a can of food, scratching an itch, separating papers, or picking a guitar. Even the simple fingernail plays an important part in taking care of the body, and glorifying God. You are important. I hear it all of the time, “well there is not a lot I can do”, or “I am not good at anything”, “I am not smart enough”, talented enough, or important enough”…..the Lord is not in the trash business, He is in the recycling business. Everything God makes is good enough, smart enough, and important enough.  He does not care what you were before, He sees your worth for what you are now. A member of the body of Christ. There is nothing to small that can be done for the Lord, the extra prayer, the time given in His name….no we do not all get to be the brain, but without all of the other parts, the brain is very useless, as a matter of fact without the other parts the brain will wither and die. Some support, some will lead, some will work and not be seen, while others will be seen everyday. The difference is, no part is taken for granted by the Lord. There is not one single part he is willing to give up, there is not one single part that He is willing to get by without…..and that means you. You are needed, you are important, you are loved, and you will make a difference. We all depend on you, there is no one better qualified to do what you do.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

 

Wed the 7th

Galatians 4: ⁸Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. ⁹But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

 

The slow fade is the phenomenon that Paul is talking about. We are taught by this world to want more, always. No matter what we get, no matter what heights we attain, there is still the desire for more. As a result what we wanted no longer holds the same appeal once we get it. We are slaves to the world. We allow our status, our belongings, our friends, and our bank accounts to be the masters of our day. When we accept Christ into our lives, and we allow Him to change our hearts, it is truly an amazing event in our lives. But all too often we fall victim to the slow fade in our relationship with Him. We start equating what we get from the Lord with our satisfaction level in the Lord! Like any new relationship, in the beginning it is full of “me” loaded payoff. Our lives improve, our relationships improve, often as a result of our relationship, and our new found self control, our bank accounts improve.  The mistake is made when we look at all we have been given, and then start to expect more. We forget that all of those improvements in our lives are just fluff, extras, given to us because we begin to understand how much God loves us, and how much He loves it when we love Him back….but life rolls on, as life always does. We get comfortable with our new gifts, we grow accustomed to having the Lord bless us so generously, and we start to look at the blessings instead of the Lord. We fall right into the trap that has been set by the world, and we begin to look for more blessings without looking for the Lord. We start down the path of enslavement to what we have all over again, and find ourselves very far from the Lord. It is when you hear people say “well the Lord just does not take care of me like He used to”, or “I just don’t feel that the Lord is with me like He used to be.” To those who might feel like that, all I can say is that you are 100% right! Although don’t make the mistake and think it is the Lord that has withdrawn from the relationship…..no, that is all our doing. The Lord might not take care of you like He used to, because we don’t take care of our side of the relationship, You might not feel His presence with you, but it is because we push Him out of the way searching for that next blessing. We start asking what has the Lord done for me, instead of what more can I do for the Lord. Do not allow yourself to become a slave to the world again. God has a purpose for you, a purpose that only you can accomplish. He has placed his hand of blessing on you, and has promised to never leave you. You are no longer tied to this world by the chains of it’s rulers. Through the love of God, and Christ, even the chains of death have no power to bind you. You are the Lord’s, and the Lord is yours. Do not look for the next blessings, search out the Lord. Don’t spend your time waiting for the Lord to give you something, go find Him, so that you might stand at His side and not just see the next blessing, but you can see His path for you. Don’t let the slow fade of the world enslave you again.

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

 

 

Thursday the 1st

Luke 12: ⁴"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.”

 

Death is certain, life is not. As a species we are the most infatuated with death than any other that walks the planet. We have bucket lists, we pile our money into accounts, and as Christ points out, we live in fear of those who might do us harm. So many of us come into this world kicking and screaming, and go out the same way. We hold on so tightly to this world that we cannot grasp the blessings God has in store for us. We will all pass form this world, we will all be called home….but that is what so many often forget. We are going home, we are not being taken from our home here on earth! As a result we should lead a fearless life. We should recognize that there is nothing, and no one that can do anything to us here that amounts to much in the big picture. The One to fear, loves us, and already knows what we are capable of. We should live as the image of the One that created us. The only reminder that death should bring, is the reminder that we have a lot of love to share before we go home.  We have a lot of hope to give, and a lot of hurt to heal. The only fear we should have is the fear that we will have to stand before our Lord, and explain why we let the fear of leaving this world keep us from fully committing to His will. That is what fear does you know. It takes the focus off of God, and puts it on your problems. Fear of death keeps us from fully trusting the Lord in our lives. As Christ points out in this same chapter, why worry about the insignificant things? Does God not provide for even the smallest of His creatures? Free yourself form the fear of losing this life, do not allow others to hold your life out as if the end here is the end forever. God will take care of your needs, if you will take care of His will…..and His will is for you to be a giant in this world. His will for each of us is to trust Him, glorify Him, and live a life that reflects Christ’s image. Christ lived a life that was epic, all the while He knew He was marching to His earthly death. Let each of us allow that same determination to drive our lives. Death comes to all here on Earth, but it is nothing to fear, it is only the ending of the first chapter. Your choice, will your chapter read like an owners manual or will it read like the opening of a saga? Will the One who reads all books read a story of someone who lived gripped in fear of losing this life, or will the chapter be the introduction to a book of a person who lives fearlessly, a person who knows that with God at their side there is nothing that cannot be done, and no need that will not be taken care of? It is your chapter to write. God give you the binding, the paper, and all of the ink you could use. What will you choose to write?    

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford