Wed the 31st

Matthew : 26 ²⁴The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

 

Woe to the man who betrays the Son of Man……Judas betrayed Christ for some coin in his pocket. I do not mean to harp on this subject, but in light of this week I can’t help but feel compelled to reflect more on our relationship with Christ, than His relationship with us! A lot of times in life we have to make a choice of which side of the fence do we come down on. As Christians we are taught to offer compassion, and to offer that compassion…we often have to get down on the level of the person or situation so that we might truly understand the need, or problem. However the danger in that comes in the form of sympathy. Sympathy causes us to pick up the cause of the very person we set out to help. When we allow our hearts to be ruled by sympathy we find it very easy to adjust our moral compass. We change sides because we allow sympathy to distort our view. What does this have to do with Judas? Judas, on some level, had to of allowed himself to become sympathetic to the Jewish point of view. Be it for personal gain, notoriety, or immunity….we will never know the full story in this lifetime….but  when all was said and done, something in Judas made him believe that it would be easier, and more beneficial to side with the Jews. Even greedy men have morals, and no one follows a man for years, then betrays him for money if he still believes in him. So why do I bring this up? Because this is how we betray Christ on a much smaller scale today. We shrink form the hard tasks, we allow ourselves to become sympathetic to the world’s view, we find personal gain or notoriety, and as a result we sell out Christ a little bit at a time. As Christ told us, we are either with Him, or against Him. We cannot allow ourselves to have our bond with the Lord become compromised because of a sympathetic ear to the world. We can be empathetic all day long, We can try to understand, we can work to see opposing viewpoints, and search for common ground, but what we can not do is betray Christ by siding with the world in the name of peace. Debate is good, and Christ told the Disciples that they should not fear when they have to speak in front of the authorities, for the Holy Spirit will fill their mouth with the words they need. He will do the same for us. There is no amount of material things that could tempt a heart bound to the Lord, but a heart that has become sympathetic…..well thirty pieces of silver just might do the trick. In a few short days Christ will hang on the cross, He will suffer such human stress that his skin will weep blood tinged sweat, He will be beaten, He will be spat upon, He will live through such brutality that it is not imaginable. He has done that for you, not us, not the world, but on a very deep, personal, and individual level, He gives His life blood. Do not betray that love, do not allow the world to turn you sympathetic to their cause.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Tuesday the 30th

John 13: ³⁷Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

 ³⁸Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

 

Will you really lay your life down for me? What a question. For as we know, there is no greater love than for one to lay his life down for his brother. Yet here we find Jesus telling Peter that not only will he not lay his life down, he will actually deny Christ 3 times. This event does come to pass, and Peter does deny the Christ. Out of fear for his life Peter acts like he does not know Christ at all!  Now we know that in the end Peter does give His life for Christ, hanging upside down on a cross until dead; but this does give us a chance to see Peter as ourselves. Don’t we have a good relationship with Christ? Don’t we follow him, and try and model our lives after him?? But do we deny Him? Are there times in our life when it is easier to act like we just do not know Him? Sadly that answer is yes. Take heart though! God’s plan will be fulfilled! It is what we do once we realize the denial that counts. Do we correct it? Do we let that become our first step off the path? What happened in Peter’s life that made him go from denying Christ to an unabashed, unashamed, boldly speaking disciple once again? Christ came to him, and gave him the Holy Spirit…... That same Spirit that lives inside of you! Peter’s denial was a low point in his spiritual life, and we all have those moments. The question is do we define the moment, or does the moment define us? Do we shrink form the challenge, or do we allow the Holy Spirit to give us the words to speak? Do we trust our worldly instinct to cower and hide when we find ourselves in a low spot, or do we turn that weakness over to God and allow Him to be at His strongest?  If Christ can take His cross and march it to His human death for each one of us, I believe we each can take our smaller and lighter cross and carry it proudly through our lives. Will we drop it? Occasionally yes, I am sure we will, Jesus himself fell under the weight of His cross. Yet we cannot allow that low spot to become our resting point. No, we will have an eternity of rest with the Lord, until that time, may we each recognize our low spots, our denials, and our transgressions for what they are,….they are not our end, but a new opportunity…. a chance for the Holy Spirit to direct us, Christ to protect us, and the Almighty God to give us the strength that we will need for our journey. 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<))))><

 

 

Monday the 29th

John 12: ⁷"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

 

As we get this week started, the final days before the death and resurrection of Christ, I want to bring up one of the things that always seems to hit me this time of year. Christ knew he was going to die, He knew and He never wavered. He understood that His life would offer freedom for the world. So He never wavered. I can’t help but think how we are in the same situation. We might not know when or how, but we all know that we will die. Yet how often do we waver? How amazing that Christ lived a sinless life, and we struggle to live a sinless day! Christ marched to his demise without dodging, or shying away (and we know from Gethsemane, that He was not Crazy about the idea!) Yet we tend to live each day, all too often, looking for how we can do less, not how much more we can do. As we go through this final week of Christ’s human life we see His strength, His humility, His honor, and His greatness. Christ did many amazing things during His time on earth, He taught great concepts, and preformed many miraculous healings. But it is during this week we see His true strength, a strength that can be found inside of each one of us….yes inside of you too. We have that strength specifically because of the sacrifice made by Christ. Just like Christ we know we too will meet our earthly demise. We have a choice to make…..we can choose death, or we can choose life. We can look to the last week of Christ’s life, and draw on the strength He showed. We can choose to allow ourselves to be tossed around with the current direction of the wind, or we can decide to chart our course, and walk with Christ daily. As we go through this week resolve to draw on the strength of Christ, allow His love, and direction to fill your heart. Resolve to live your life knowing that while death might await many, it does not wait for you! The power of Christ is alive in you today, tomorrow, and forever, Let us each live our lives accordingly.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<))))><

 

 

 

Friday the 26th

John 10: ³⁷Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. ³⁸But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

 

Here again we see Christ setting out a great example. Do as I do. You don’t believe what I say? Fine, believe what I do. How different is that from what we see today? We have political leaders, bosses, co workers, maybe family members, and even in some cases Church leaders, who all live a life of do as I say and not as I do……in other words, “I will tell you how to live, but don’t expect me to follow it.” That is no model for the Christian life, believe me I know. I spent quiet a bit of my life telling people what they need to be doing, but never following it myself. Guess what happens? People quit listening. One thing that cannot be refuted, one that that cannot be challenged, is how we live our lives, not by what we say, but by what we do. We can memorize bible verses, we can write great speeches, and sermons. Unless we back that up with actions it means very little. If we are to be taken for brothers, and sisters of Christ….if we want the world to see us as children of God, then we must do the hard task of walking the walk. That means putting our selfish needs aside, and working for the good of those around us, it means turning off the T.V. and praying as a family, it means that maybe that Sunday game is not as important as the poor who need food, or the lost that need witnessing. Christ came to serve, not to be served, He came to heal, not to destroy. He came to save the world not himself. As Christ committed his life into His Fathers hands, let us strive to commit our into the hands of Christ. AS Christ set about doing the work of His Father, let us set out to continue the work of Christ. People will have no choice but to believe when they see that your words, are backed up with actions. People might think you love the Lord because of what you say, let them KNOW that you do by the way you live out your life.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Thursday the 25th

1 John 4: ⁴You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

 

I have to admit that I tend to forget this on some mornings. I wake up get the day started and start worrying. Worried if I can accomplish all I need to, worry if I will get the raise I asked for, if my kids will be alright…..I catch myself halfway through the morning, and realize that I have wasted a huge amount of time worrying, and lost a lot of time getting done what I was worried about doing! It is then that this scripture comes to mind. The people who speak against me, the gauntlets that are thrown down in my path…..these things are nothing to waste my time worrying about. Why you might ask? Because the One in me is greater then the one who is in the world. In my darkest hour, up against my fiercest adversary, or facing my toughest tasks, I have no need to do anything other than put one foot in front of the other, The Good Lord will clear my path…….if I will let Him! See, for the devil to win he does not need you to turn back, he needs you to quit moving forward. He does not depend on you losing faith, he depends on you giving him the opportunity of doubt. The devil does not need a doorway to walk through, all he needs is a cracked window. There is nothing to big for my God, there is no obstacle that can’t be cleared, no foe that cannot be overcome. Christ does not have to travel far when you call on Him. He is inside of you each and every day. The Holy Trinity will guide you, protect you, and clear the path of your life. We have already overcome those that would oppose us, for we have the One in us that is greater than anyone or anything in the world. So make it a point to start your day off with the Lord. Remember each and every morning that you are a child of the most high God. The world has already been overcome, we are saved, we are strong, and we are forgiven. With that knowledge step out into the world knowing that the world does not stand a chance.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Wed the 24th

John 8: ³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 

The truth shall set you free. This is a term we hear a lot. While it is a true saying by itself, when taken in context we really get the full understanding of what it is to be free. To know the truth, to have that truth in your life, we have to hold to the teachings of Christ. We have to acknowledge, and trust in God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. When we do that, it does not just make us  free from this world, or from death, but the truth that is found will set you free from sin. It is a truth that once found, must be held onto at any cost. That is what we do with the truth, we uphold it, we stand up for it, and we protect it at all cost. We have to keep that truth close to us, and hold it in our hearts where it can never be tarnished. It reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They can be found in Daniel Chapter 3. These men stood before Nebuchadnezzar and refused to bow to his god. These men knew the true God, and they would not be moved. They were so committed that they were willing to give their very lives instead of denying the one true God. God was watching, and God was with them, and when thrown into the furnace they were saved, not just saved as in they did not burn, but in their time of need a fourth man showed up, not on the out side of the furnace, the man did not tap the king on the shoulder and ask why he was burning the men…..no He showed up in the furnace right along side the men in the flames, a man that Nebuchadnezzar himself said looked like the Son of God. That is how the Lord works when you hold His truth in your heart! He is not some cold spectator idly watching as His plan unfolds. He gets involved, He is a God of action, and it is no surprise that His Son was busy saving people from the flames back then, just as He is still doing today. The truth will set you free. Do you feel chained down by this world? Do you think that you are stuck where you are at, destined to trudge through life? Maybe your life is pretty good right now, but you still feel like something is missing…….I urge you to let the truth set you free. Don’t just read the Word of God, don’t just say “sure I believe in the Christ”. Allow that truth to open up and blossom in your heart, allow the flood gates of the Lord to open up and overflow into your life with the truth. The Lord will show up in your life, He will work on your behalf to improve your life, and move you through your current season. If you want to be free of the chains that bind you down, if you want to experience the fullness of all this life has to offer, then I urge you to seek the truth, not the truth of this world, but the true truth, the one truth, the way, the truth, and the life, that is Jesus Christ. Then you will know the truth, and the truth WILL set you free. Amen

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Tuesday the 23rd

John 9  ²⁷They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

 

When they have lifted up the son of man, then they will know……if we read the text literally it brings to mind the crucifixion of Christ, when he was lifted up onto the cross. When we read the text surrounding the event in Luke 23 the centurion says surly this is a righteous man. Mark 15 gets to the heart of the matter and recorded that what was spoken was “truly this man was the son of God” Matthew 27 echoes the same words form Mark. It brings to mind the account in Numbers 21 where the Israelites were saved from their sin by seeing the bronze serpent raised on the pole by Moses. So what is the point? All too often we are so lost in our own sin that we do not realize that salvation is right in front of us!  We think we are heading down the right path, we make excuses for our behavior, and our vices instead of lifting our gaze to the cross of Christ and accepting the true salvation that is so freely, and unselfishly offered. As we approach the end of this Lenten season, as we draw ever closer to the passion week; let us use this time as a period of self evaluation. Let us search for the truth, and the life that is inside of us, let us lift our hearts and our gaze to the cross of Christ, and allow Him to purge us of our sins, forgive us of our transgressions, and unite us with Him, His Father, and the Holy Spirit. Do not allow yourself to become like the Israelites lost in their sin. They could not bring themselves to raise their eyes, they could not bring themselves to trust in the Lord. Free yourself, and live the life of abundance that the Lord has planned for you. Lift your soul to the cross of Christ.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<))))><