Monday the 31st

2 Corinthians 12: ⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Happy Memorial Day, I hope everyone is enjoying their day. I love having Mondays off. Not because I am glad that I do not have to start the work week, but because I get to hang on to that Sunday buzz. All day Sunday is beautiful. The batteries are recharged, and it is very easy to let God grace wash over me, and strengthen me. I can see the best in everyone and everything, and the day is just a little brighter. Sort of like when you were a kid, and you put new batteries in your remote control car. It never ran as fast or was as responsive as the first few moments when the batteries are new. SO on Mondays that I am off, I still have that supercharged refreshment of God’s grace. As I sat this morning drinking my coffee reflecting on this I realized just why it is so hard to go into work. My batteries start draining. See, I start trying to run on my own power instead of the Lord’s. As a result I get a little sluggish, I don’t always see the best in people, sometimes, if I am to be honest, I even go so far as to look for the worst! The grind of the week, does weaken me, but not in the way I need it to. The world grinds on us, but it grinds on our ability to trust in God. Instead of recognizing our weakness, we try to double down, and make ourselves stronger. Truth be told, it is one of the reasons I write so much. It keeps me tied to the Lord. It reminds me that it is not through my strength that I will be successful, but through the strength of the Lord. It is by His grace that I make it though the week victoriously. Each morning is a chance for us to reconnect with the Lord. It is a chance to get a mini recharge of God grace. If you think you are strong, you could be stronger, if you think you are wise, you could be wiser, but it all starts with understanding that the weaker you are the stronger that God will be in you. His grace is sufficient. In short, we need to get over ourselves, get out of the way and let God work. Oh the work week will start, it may be one day later, than normal this week, but it will arrive, and our batteries will start to be taxed. Allow yourself to run with a supercharger, replace the batteries that the world gives you, with the batteries of the lord. Boast in your weakness, for you will never rise to the heights intended for you on your own strength. Choose instead to replace your strength with the strength of the Lord. We might think we are good, but if we will clear out the room, He will show us what it is to be great!

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

http://www.thenewcovenantchurch.com/

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Friday the 28th

Luke 6: 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.

 

I have heard you can tell a lot about a person by the way he treats books, or the way they treat their spouse. Here we see Christ telling the world that if you want to know about a person, listen to what comes out of their mouth. I have heard men that I thought were great, speak some of the most vile garbage I have ever heard, and I have heard people I thought to be weak speak of strength, honor, and love to the point that all around them wanted to be a better person. Your stature will only take you so far in life, but your words carry miles beyond your reach. You can do good works, you can go to church every Sunday, but your words can erase all confidence in the matter of one sentence. Our words are a reflection of not just what we think, but who we really are. They can cut like a knife, or repair the deepest, most painful injuries. In our ongoing effort to live a Christ like life, we should all take heed to this. When we look to Christ, we see He had no malice in His words. He did not walk this earth to destroy those around Him. He came to repair, and rebuild hearts and souls. We are commissioned to carry out that work, and the place that it will start will be our mouths. Christ is the champion of the scorned, the mender of the broken, and the caretaker of us all. Many bibles make it a point to print His words in red because they are so important, that we do not want to miss one. What are our words like? Are they worth printing in red? When we speak, do we honor Christ, or do we tear down His work? We know that the Lord is always working in our lives and the lives of those around us. Are we helping Him in His task, or are we the wreaking ball of life that destroys what He has built? It comes down to your heart. What you fill it with, will be what overflows out of it. We choose what goes in, and what is thrown out. I know, because I can speak from personal experience, that it is easy to fill your heart with evil. Harsh words, envy, malice, retribution, the heart can hold a lot of this, and when it overflows it is almost uncontrollable. You are in a hurry to lash out, and in a hurry to hurt others, before they can hurt you……but there stands Christ, the one who took the worlds hate, yet still returned love. The One who stood through the harsh words, the beatings, the mocking, and instead of returning malice, returned love. There is our model, and there is the way to peace. Choose to fill your heart with the love of the Lord. Cast aside the insults, and the hatred, and fill your heart with love. When you do, you will find that the feeling that comes form the overflow is one of peace, one of joy, and of the Lord. We are earthen vessels, we choose what we a filled with. Will it be the sludge of evil, or the light golden honey that is the Word of God? Will we be known as the dark horse, that carries pain and unhappiness, or will we be know as a builder of people and a winner of souls? Whom will you serve with your words?  To quote Dylan, it might be the devil, or it might be the Lord, but you are gonna’ have to serve somebody.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Thursday the 27th

Psalm 22:  ⁵ They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

Isaiah 49: ²³ Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

Jeremiah 2: ³⁶ Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria.

Romans 5: ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Disappointment is a tough emotion, it is one that no one likes to deal with, it is one that people try to avoid. We don’t want to disappoint our family, or our friends, and most importantly we do not want to be disappointed. What if I were to tell you that you never have to suffer disappointment again? It is a useless emotion that the devil depends on. Disappointment leads to self doubt, doubt leads to inaction, and inaction leads to death. The devil does not have to win you over, he only has to hold you back! If we read through the scriptures above we see that we are given the keys that release us from disappointment. The Psalmist tells us the that those who trust in the LORD are not disappointed, Isaiah reminds us that those who hope in the Lord are not disappointed, and Paul reminds us that hope does not disappoint because the Holy Spirit dwells within each of us. OK great Brian, I can read, but I still get disappointed….what is the point? I find Jeremiah giving us the missing piece. Why do we go about changing so much? We will be just as disappointed by Egypt, as we were by Assyria. See, disappointment is an emotion of failure, we have failed, or someone has failed us, we feel ashamed, duped, or let down. So, what do we do? We find something else to count on, we find the next bigger, and better deal. Yet we never seem to find the answer. We are disappointed yet again. If you want to quit the disappointment shuffle look to where you are putting your trust. People will always fall short, you will always fall short. There is no need casting out hope like a net into the water, hoping to catch something that will feed and sustain you. It has already been given to you. If you don’t want to be disappointed, then place your trust, and your hope in the One who never fails. You might think well I do place my trust in the Lord, but nothing seems to work out. Well I would ask who are you working for? Are you working for yourself, or the Lord? That my friends is the key. You can hope, and you can trust, but if you are not putting in the work on God’s plan then you will be disappointed. Each morning I wake up and pray, among the things I pray for daily, I ask for guidance to carry out His plan. I cannot fail if I am pursuing God. Does that mean that my life is all rosy and full of flowers? No, not by a long shot! It does mean that I have no reason to feel disappointment, because while I might get it wrong during the day, I have faith, and I trust that the Lord will redirect my steps, after all I am out trying to do the work of the Lord, He will not leave me to stumble in the darkness. When people fail me, why should I feel disappointment? Do I not fail as well? Does the Lord not pick me up and place my feet back on the path? Will He not do the same for each and every person? It is ok to fail, it is not OK to give up! We can leave behind the shackles of disappointment by trusting in, and working towards the One thing this life that will never fail. Many felt disappointment when Christ died on the cross, yet that disappointment was turned to joy! Choose to side step the disappointment. The Son has risen, and the sun will continue to rise! Trust in God, Work with Christ, and follow the Holy Spirit, there is no disappointment in that life, and that is the life that will take you on to the next.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Wed. the 26th

Luke 4: ⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.

 

Jesus knows a thing or two about temptation (He was offered the world, and then some), He understands the desire to sin, and, the assault that the devil hit us with daily. He has walked in our shoes. It is one of the great things about Christ, and it is something that makes Him such a perfect partner in life. He looks at our life, and understands us. So that got me to thinking (a dangerous thing sometimes)…I wonder what it is like to be my wife…the demands that are put on her daily, the trials, the successes, the failures, what about my kids….my friends….my co-workers…..How much time have I spent trying to know them versus just expecting them to know me. How much time do any of us spend looking at the lives of others before we jump in to “help” better yet, how often do we assume that all is good in everyone else’s world, because no one can have problems like mine? What if Christ had the same attitude towards us? Well…..we would think Him to be quite a jerk. SO where does that leave us? Could you imagine going to Christ with your worries, and frustrations, only to have him look at you and say “uhhhh yeah, that is a tough one….have I told you about the problem I have going on over in Africa?” We would be floored! Yet don’t we often treat those around us just like that? We are mirrors of Christ to the world. We all know that we will never attain the perfection of Christ, but should we not still make the valiant effort to get as close as possible? I made a comment the other day to my wife about a friend who is in a tough situation right now, I told her that he needed to love others more, and love himself less……When I looked in the mirror this morning all I could think was “hey Mr. high and mighty…..maybe you should do the same” Christ knows us so well, because that is where His time is spent, not loving Himself, but loving us……. walking in our shoes.  I believe a good place for each of us to start is by trying on the shoes of those around us. Some might be too small, but I suspect that we will find that most are quite a bit larger than we anticipated. When we start to look at others temptations, their trials, their failures….well, we start to see a very human, very clear picture of the true person…..we start to see others as Christ sees us, and when we see that picture….we will have nothing but love to give, for we will have tried on their shoes, and found them to be just the same as our own.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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Tuesday the 25th

Luke 11: ³⁴Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.

 

What are you looking at? We take in a lot from our senses of touch, taste, and hearing, but the main way we process is through what we see….or more importantly how we process what we see. So I ask again, what are you looking at? I can say without a doubt the one thing we all could use work on is our spiritual eyesight. What are we letting in? When we see the bum on the corner, is he a worthless bum, or a person who has lost their way, the young man with his pants sagging down, and bandanna around his head, is he a thug, or a soul crying out for family, acceptance, and salvation? The person in the mirror, are they the best that they can be, so there is no need to work on anything, or are they much like the bum, and the thug, and searching for the best they can be, and working on it daily? What are you looking at? This passage states that when our eyes are good our whole body is full of light, but what light, where do we get it? The light that we search for is the light of the world. The light of life that is Jesus Christ, the light that cannot be overtaken by darkness. So we if we are to be full of that light, then we must set our gaze on Christ. Christ sees no bums, thugs, or perfect people, He sees brothers, and sisters one and all, the first no better than the last. Christ never has and never will focus on the negative, He knows that all things are possible, Christ does not look to tear down, but looks for way to build up. If we are to be a continuation of that light we must work to see things as Christ sees them, so that we might carry out His work, in His light. I know, I know…..the world does not like the light, the world knows it is easier to tear down, it is easier to point out the negative, and it is easier to hide in the shadows. The shadows will not last in the presence of the light. nothing is hidden from the sight of God, all things are laid bare before the One that we must all give account. Choose to live in the light, set your eyes on the cross of Christ, and choose to see world as He does, Love, Compassion, Faith….these are the things that should taint our sight. Let us see the good, and disregard the negative. Let us cultivate the love, and leave the hatred on the shelf. Let us all see the world through the lamp light of Christ, so that our eyes are always clear and burning brightly.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Monday the 24th

Psalm 118:  ⁶ The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ⁷ The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. 

It is hard to find a partner in life. It is difficult to find an assistant, someone who knows what you need before you need it. Someone who knows you well enough to save you from yourself. It is rare to find someone in this life who not only meets those qualities, but to find someone who does all of that and will make you triumphant…..well that is impossible. Yet we spend a lot of time looking for that person. Be it in our business life, in our personal life, emotionally, and spiritually, we seek out someone who we can count on. Time and time again we think we have found that perfect assistant, only to be let down once again. The problem is that no matter how good you are, another person can only be as good, or maybe a little better than you are. Oh they might excel in one area, but you will have to pick up the slack in another. While that is indicative of a great relationship, it will still leave something to be desired when it comes down to looking for someone to fill the void in your life. In our search for the perfect person (and we know that there is no such perfect human out there) we should give the opportunity to the One who applied for the job before we were born! By allowing God to be your helper, you have the opportunity to see perfection in your life, not by your hand, but by the hand of God. When the Lord is at your side you have no reason to fear, He will save you from yourself, He will show you the best path, and He will protect you from those that would plan against you. If you want to place your trust in someone, if you are looking for someone who can help you defeat your enemies, then turn to the One who defeated death. If we take that step, if we fill that space in our life with the only applicant who is truly qualified, then we too might shout The Lord is with me! What can man do to me? He is my helper, I will be triumphant!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Friday the 21st

Colossians: 2:  ⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

 

You know…..who leads you has a lot to do with your attitude. It has a lot to do with how you approach the day, and how you interact with others. Think of how many people that you talk to who can’t stand their boss, oh you hear it time and time again….”man, I can’t believe I have to work for that guy” or “who does he think he is”…..Or “I could do such a better job, if he was not holding me back” You know what all of those have in common? They are words spoken by people who are defeated. They are words spoken by people who look to a person who has authority over a very small, very limited part of their world, as if that person controls everything…..I guess in some ways they do control everything, because we give them that permission. As a result, we start our day off negative, and we carry that through the day. Even the weekend holds little comfort, for you know Monday is right around the corner. My thought on the matter? Quit messing around with lower management! There is but one who has head of every power and authority. There is only one who we have to answer to. You might have someone in your life who thinks they are the second coming, but I promise you the one that counts is the one who was first to come, and will be the last to come! We must make it a point to live our lives in joyful celebration. Our fullness is in Christ. He is the one who we will answer to. It is Christ who is the head of our lives here on earth. It is Christ we are working for. I know….how does that change your work week? You still have a difficult boss, sibling, spouse…….I say take them to God. Ask the Lord to handle those problems for you. Get that off your plate so you can get the tasks done that your true boss, your eternal boss has in store for you. If you will let Him, the Lord will work in your life, He will get you through the rough parts, He will change the hearts of those around you. Don’t believe me? I can think of a couple of Pharos that would back me up on that. Start your day looking at the to do list of the big boss. The one who we all will ultimately answer to. Do not allow a limited person to have unlimited control over your life. Let the Lord lead the way, let Him direct your steps, and turn your problems over to Him. Depend on the One who has power over everything to control those that seek to have power over you.  

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

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