Thursday the 28th

Romans 5:3  More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

 

A lot of people are hurting now, as I read the e-mails that come in, I read of hope, desperation, joy, fear, faith, and uncertainty. I find it of no coincidence that as we focus on, and talk of things that have been lost, I happen to be traveling to a funeral tomorrow, to lay to rest a childhood friends father. It brings into very sharp focus the larger picture…..if you are reading this, you are alive, you have been given another day to be the champion of your world. Suffering will come, is it punishment? Is it a sign? Why is this happening? Do I deserve it? Loss can come as something as little as a loss of some money, up to loss of your entire estate. It can be the loss of a friendship, or as big as the loss of the life of a loved one. No matter the size of the sorrow, no matter the depths of the suffering, I believe that God loves us….and we will praise the God who gives….and the God who takes away. For me, I do not believe that God punishes us. He might allow things to enter our lives that cause us pain, but I do not believe it is a punishment. Why do I say that so confidentially? Because God said He would write His laws on our hearts, and He would remember our sins no more. God is not a liar. If God forgives us our sins when we seek that divine forgiveness, then it is forgiven, and there is nothing left to punish. So why the suffering? Much like Job, suffering enters our life so that we might show our faith to the world. We are given problems so that we might learn to deal with them, and continue on with our faith, all the while giving thanks to God for another day to show the world our faith. As Paul points out in this scripture, it gives us endurance.  There is nothing tangible that can be taken from us in this world that cannot be regained. Loved ones pass on, but to the believer, death has no sting. Death is nothing more than another transition…..a continuation of this eternal life that God has blessed us with. So yes we suffer, but during our suffering is the exact time that we should rejoice. For we serve a loving God, we serve a forgiving God, and through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, we are given an eternity to say thank you. What you lose today, you can regain tomorrow, the loved one that is lost, is but a temporary loss. Today, we are alive! What will we do with that gift? What will we do with that opportunity? You might find yourself in a dark time today, but the light of Christ will cast away all of the shadows and light the way for you to see. What if today is the day? What if today is the day that we do not make it home?……or to be more precise, what if today is the day that we do in fact go home? Have we lived a life rejoicing in the Lord each and every day? Or have we cussed Him for our trials? What if today is the day that we lose it all? Is our faith at a point to where we can see that the salvation through Christ is all that is needed on this earth? Or will we hang our heads and let depression overtake us? I say to each of you…..REJOICE! This suffering that you might be going through is nothing more than a perfect opportunity to praise the Lord. Let this time of struggle, and suffering, produce the endurance needed to run this race as one who intends to win the prize, not just cross the finish line. Suffering will enter all of our lives, what we do with it, where we turn, who we blame, or who we praise, is totally up to us. Rejoice in your suffering, give thanks to the Lord……you are alive…..LIVE it!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com

 

Wednesday the 27th

Philippians 4: ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

 

Don’t be anxious…there it is, one of my favorite topics to talk about. It is one of my favorites because it is one that I used to struggle with daily, and even now still creeps into my life. I used to live in a state of anxiety. Stressed, not just about one or two things, but I was worrying about everything. Bills, relationships,, my job, the promotion I wanted. I had become so used to it, that I did not even notice it. I was walking alone. I was carrying all of that stress around with me everyday, because I thought it was mine, and mine alone. I was wrong. You do not have to live with that ball of stress buried in your chest. You do not have to carry around that bag of bricks. The Lord will take it from you. The fella that owns the company I work for is a great example of that. He does not stress about much. I have watched him for over six years, and even when the heat gets turned up, he may move quickly, but it is deliberate. Now if you know him, you might be inclined to say the he in a comfortable place, and has nothing to stress about. I will tell you that I believe, it is because he does not let anxiety drive his day, he has risen to where he is. You see…… he will be the first to tell you, he does not work alone. I know, I know you are thinking “what, I am just supposed to turn it over to God?” the simple answer is yes, exactly, 100%, now you get it! I have had people ask, well how exactly do you do that? I would ask how exactly do you tie your shoes, or drive a car? These things too at one point in your life seemed impossible. But you do them everyday now. You practice, you pray, and you learn. This scripture lays it out there for you in very simple instruction. “In everything by prayer, and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Drop it off at the cross of Christ. No, it is not an easy thing to do. We have spent a life time holding on to things that cause us anxiety. You start with prayer, get in the habit of not just asking the Lord to take the stress, but actually let it go. We were not created to walk this world miserable, waiting for the other shoe to drop. If our life is full of stress, then how will we see all of the blessings that we have been given? How will we see the direction we need to go, if our thoughts are not clear?  If you have not already, make it a point to add into your time of prayer a request for the Lord to take your stress from you, and most importantly, start working on letting it go. Think of it this way, God can’t fix it if your hands are all over it. you have to release it to Him, so that He can fix it for you. Request it from God, and do not be anxious about anything. 

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com

 

Tuesday the 26th

Mark 9:  ³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" ³⁴But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.  ³⁵Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."

 

When I read this passage I am struck by verse 34….they kept quiet. I can just see it now Jesus walks up like a Father figure, and ask what were you arguing about….and there is no response, just looking down kicking rocks….no one wants to say anything. We have all been there…called out, put on the spot. Busted worrying about how we will fare in this world, instead of how this world will change with our help. Just like the disciples, when we are caught, we do not seem to have much to say…..we stammer, we try to cover, we try to change the subject. Christ calls them all around and reminds them, if you want to be the first, then you must be last, you must serve all…..hummmmmm not exactly what we had on the program for today is it? Servant to all? We have to be the last? We have been raised to live our lives for ourselves, it takes a lot to break that cycle. It is ingrained into our lives. I see it everyday, not just at work, it is even in the church. We want to be in the spot light, we want to be the one noticed, we want to be the one known as the one who made a difference……When we strive for that recognition, we are working for ourselves, not Christ. Think about Christ’s life for a moment……here we have the Son of God….God as man, here on earth……He can command the world, He can calm seas, there is nothing He is incapable of doing……all of that power, all of that glory, and He chose to serve us. He did not serve just 12, He did not serve just the people that came to see Him, or the people who agreed with Him, or accepted His help…..no Christ showed us what it meant to be last, He showed us what it means to serve all. Imagine that, here is Christ telling the people I will serve you, I will give my life so that you may live eternal, and when he was rejected……well He said that is ok, I will serve you anyway. I will still give my life for you…….He did not care if He became famous, He did not care about His status. His Job, His goal, was to bring salvation to the world, by becoming a living sacrifice for each and everyone of us. That is being a servant to all. That is the role that we must strive to follow. I am sure that we all want to be known as great, but at what cost? I am sure that we are all offended when our help is rejected, but does that cause us to want to help all the more, or does it cause us to feel scorned, and make us with hold our help? A servant to all is a tall task to take on. As a matter of fact Christ is the only one I know of that pulled it off perfectly. Remember that when we serve others we serve the Lord, when we give selflessly, we glorify God. When we offer up our time freely, even if we are rejected…..we are walking with the Lord.    

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com

 

Monday the 25th

Philippians 4: ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

 

Rejoice in the Lord….let your gentleness be evident to all. The actual Greek word used for gentleness in the original test is epieikēs  meaning: appropriate, that is, (by implication) mild: - gentle, moderation, patient. The Bishops Bible from 1586 used the word patient, KJV uses the word moderation, all three of these words, gentleness, moderation, and patience,  encompass the same thought…..wait on the Lord. We are not out in the world forcing change, we are not out and about going over the top, taking everything to the extreme, we are not known to act in haste. We wait on the Lord, and we rejoice in the Lord. When I think of waiting on the Lord, I always think of a child at their own birthday party. That is how we tend to go about life sometimes, just like that child we do not take the time to see all that has been done on our behalf. We do not stop to rejoice in joy for all of the things God has provided…..we are more apt to be found pulling on God's robe saying "now? Can we open the presents now? I don't want to wait" there is nothing gentle, moderate, or patient about that!  We miss the effort put forth to prepare this party that we call life. The Lord has given us so much to be thankful for. First and foremost is the simple fact that we are all still drawing a breath as we read this. Yes, perhaps the greatest overlooked gift is life itself. Everyday we wake up, is another opportunity to give God thanks, and to rejoice in the Lord. It should be evident to all of those around us. The parry is happening all around us, we must remember to stop and take it all in. The gifts will come soon enough, but don't forget to give thanks for the party! The challenges we face, the victories we look so forward to the people who touch our lives, the lives that need our touch…..we will run them all over, if all we are trying to do is make it to the present table! Make it a point to spend your time rejoicing, not forcing, be known as gentle, not overpowering, let your patience be your calling card, and moderation be your signature. The Lord is near, the celebration is in full swing, and the crowd is awaiting your arrival. Spend your time rejoicing with those that are in attendance, take notice of  each streamer, each balloon, and every centerpiece. The Lord has worked hard to make every detail perfect for what you need right now. Don't miss the true gifts, as you head towards your next present table, the true gift, the true treasure is Christ in your heart. Let that be evident to all.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com

 

Tuesday the 19th

2 Peter 3: ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

 

I was thinking this morning about bonsai trees. No, I do not know why either, but I was thinking about how much time and effort is taken in cutting the right branch, tying off the right cut. A snip here, and a twist there, a few years down the road and you have a full grown tree……that fits in a flower pot. If you look at one close up, it is an amazing thing to see, there it is, a fully developed, thriving, blooming tree that never grew to it’s full extent. Then I realized why I was thinking about the trees……you see, all too often we are bonsai trees, and the world is our shears, and twine. We do not think about it really, a little snip of a small branch here, and there goes a little bit of our self-worth, a little bit of binding there, and it cuts off some of our faith, or maybe some of our compassion. We really do not notice, we still feel like we are growing, we still have our branches, our trunk is developing, but when we look in the mirror, when we reflect on our lives….it is then that we see that while we are alive, we really are not growing to our full potential. Our lives are not becoming as large as they should be because we are trying to grow in the wrong things, we are trying to become the best bonsai tree we can be, but we are intended to grow like a redwood. We have to look at where the Lord is pointing us if we are to grow into the plans that God has in store for us. We experience that true growth when we grow in our knowledge of our Savior, Christ. When we make Him our focus, then the shears have nothing to cut. When we put the Lord first in our day, all things that will spring forth will only serve to fortify us, and give our roots the food they need to sink deep into the ground. When we follow Christ we see that our branches become strong, and thick so we can go out and support those around us. When we accept the grace, and the love that is so freely given, then our leaves grow so that we can provide that same love and protection from the harsh world to those in our lives. We are growing, all of us experience growth. We have to make sure that the world does not keep us contained to a flower pot. We are intended for more. The plans that God has for you, require you to break out of that pot, and sink your roots deep into His word. From there, the knowledge you gain, the grace you receive, will give you the base, and the life that you need to grow up among the clouds. You are destined for great things, break free of the pot, shake off the bindings of the world. The Lord will heal any harm done, He will repair you, sustain you, and give you the strength to grow…….We all will grow, to what heights you grow……..well it will depend on where your roots are planted.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com

 

Monday the 18th

Romans 14: ¹³Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

 

You know some of the best intentioned people in the world are exactly what stand between people in their life, and Christ. Sometimes things in your life will not happen, simply because you will not get out of the way and let them happen. We create stumbling blocks all of the time in our spiritual life, and in our worldly life. I know my favorite stumbling block is almost 6’3” and weighs 220lbs! Folks…..that is a big block to trip over. As a matter of fact it is so big, that it would be hard not to trip over it. We often are our own worst enemies. We judge those around us, we carry grudges, we covet, and we demean, all in the name of Christ! That sentence does not even sound right does it? Yet that is what we do. This is what Paul is calling our attention to. We cannot spend our time judging those around us, then expect them to believe that Christians believe in God’s sovereignty. We can’t carry grudges, then expect people to believe that Christians are forgiving, and we sure can’t expect people to believe that we are a group of givers, and servers, if we spend our time looking for ways to take from people. Sometimes the best thing we can do, is step out of the picture. We need to get over ourselves, and remember it is Christ that saves, we just make the life raft available. It is the Holy Spirit that directs, we can only offer that map.  It is God who decides, we just pose the question. So as Paul urged so many years ago, I too urge today, do not put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother, or sister’s way…..Step back, and let the Lord do His work

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com

 

Friday the 15th

John 16: ²²So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

 

Christ new He was leaving this human world. He knew that His time was short, and that those who followed Him would feel lost. Ahh but the words of comfort do always follow. You will rejoice…..no one will take your joy away. What brings that joy? What safe guards our happiness? It is not anything this world has to offer, actually our true joy comes form the very thing hat the world wanted to take away. Christ is the answer, and just as He promised, once you see Him again, no one can take your happiness. Look How Jesus framed that statement. You can go all the way back to the original text in Greek, you can read any translation currently available, that phrase has not changed, and the truth of it holds true to this day, and every day forward. No one will take away your joy. No one, not one person, nothing will take your joy. You know Jesus made many statements like this, you will be saved, you will be full of joy, you will be successful…..we know one thing for sure, Christ is not a liar. You can read all that has been written about Him, you can read all of His teachings, you will not find one place that He contradicts Himself, or one place that He is made out to be a liar. So what does that mean? If all this is true then (and it must be because Christ told us) why are we not successful? Why are we not full of joy? The answer is very simple, yet hard to grasp. Christ makes all of these things available to us, but we either give them away, or we choose not to take them. Oh I hear you now…. What? Excuse me? If it was so available, why would I not take it? If I have it why would I give it away? I tell you the truth, You have Joy, we have the risen Christ in our hearts, He surrounds us, He is at our every turn. He fills our heart with Joy everyday. I want you to think about the last confrontation you had, did you leave feeing anger, did you feel slighted, or belittled? You just gave that person your joy. Are you chasing a promotion, or giving your all for that pay raise? You just gave it your joy. Did you believe that person when they told you that it could not be done? You just passed up a chance for your success. We believe the lies, we believe the negative, we listen to the trash talking, hate filled ridicule of the world, and we take it to heart……and we hand our joy over to the world, and become exactly what we fight against…..a joyless, hopeless, lifeless, lost soul. Why would you do that? Why would you allow anyone to take from you the one thing you are freely given? Joy, the Joy of Christ, the Joy of salvation, the joy of being counted as a child of God! It is yours, from the time you open your eyes, to the time you lay your head down at night, and every moment before and after that Joy is surrounding you. Does that mean that your life is full of roses? No of course not. But let me ask you something…..are people speaking poorly of you? They hated Christ. Are people trying to bring you down? They beat Christ. Are you seeing your dreams falling apart? They hung Christ on a cross until he was dead. Are you ready to give up? Christ never did. He never gave up on Himself, He never gave up on the world, He never gave up on His father, and He will never give up on you. He fills your heart with Joy every morning what you choose to do with it…..well that is up to you. You can focus on God, or you can focus on the negative. You can take comfort in knowing that Christ has already lived a life none of us would want to endure, as a result we have the joy of eternal life, or you can spill that joy on the ground, and fall victim to the world. No one can take your joy away. He is risen. Not one person, not one thing can’t take that joy form you. But know for a fact, it is yours to give away.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

<((((><

 

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com