September 2020 week 1

Monday August 31

Being a Christian is a full time job-   Charlie Tremendous

John 5:16 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I, too, am working.”

There are pastors who are full time employees of a Church and there are some who are cosidered part time as they may have other employment.  As a part-time employee they may not be expected to be at the Church everyday or be available to members of the Church at all times. However as Christians there is no such thing as being a part-time Christian.  God expects us to be on constant duty at all times. We have an obligation to reflect the love of God to those aound us continuously.  In studying the difference in the words continually and continuous the difference is that continually means  on a regular basis while continuous means never stopping. I eat and drink continually but the sea moves continuously. I hope you see the difference.  Being a Christian part-time is being a Christian continually but being a full time Christian is a continuos  job.

Thought for the day:  Are you a part-time Christian who practices the word of God when it suits you or do you strive  to be a full- time Christian in who others can see the love of Christ regardless of the situation.

 

Tuesday, September 01, 2020

Galatians 5: 22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law

 

Ordained to bear fruit

Benjamin Franklin wanted to be a better person so he identified a number of traits which he thought if followed would allow him to accomplish his mission.  He then shared the list with a friend who told him he needed to add the need to be humble. Benjamin Franklin then understood that being humble was interwoven throughout the list and that for him it may have been the most difficult. We must understand that this is one fruit where each item listed is interwoven and can not be removed and the fruit remains the same.  Furthermore a tree can only bear the same fruit as the tree.  In other words an apple tree cannot bear oranges.  The Bible says that one tells a tree by its fruit.  If we want someone to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit then we must exhibit those traits of the Spirit. We must continually examine ourselves to determine those areas of the fruit where we may be lacking.

Thought for the day: Good fruit can only come from a good tree

Wednesday

Is It Really True

Acts 17:11  Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true

I from time to time like many people go on facebook  or read the newspaper to get some idea of what is going on in the world today.  I see many articles that are true and many articles that are half truths  and a significant amount that are just not true at all and are there either in fun or to intentionally harm someone. We must be careful in how we blindly accept things written using today’s technology. With photoshop a picture can tell a thousand lies. With newspapers often the article is really not news but someone’s opinion of the news and the article is written slanted to support their personal views. If the Bereans were so concerned about the truth that they checked up on Paul, how careful should we be today where anyone can say anything on the internet.

 

Thought for the day……  clipping and pasting can be just like spreading gossip.

Thursday

Who is running your life?

Scripture:  Genesis 3: 6  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Too often we have heard the stories of sports figures who sign big contracts and then have family members, friends and others ask for money. Often times the ask becomes expectations and demands.  The sports figure is then faced with the issue of how to deal with such financial demands. This scenario exist in most of our lives. While it may not always be financial, some people expect us to resolve their problems which were not caused by us.  Their problem becomes our problem.  For some this can become a significant burden especially for some cultures. We can take the position of Adam and just do what is being asked without consideration of our personal well being or we can take the opposite approach. Adam allowed Eve to run his life resulting in a life changing experience. Be careful that you do not allow the demands or wants of another to cause you to make financial and spiritual decisions that can become life changing.

Thought for the day:   Change begins at home. It is ok sometimes to just say no.

Friday

Who is in your inner circle and why?

Scripture:  Matthew 26: 37-38   ⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Most people can truthfully say that they can put people that they know into three groupings: 1) associates 2) friends and 3) best friends (inner circle).  Christ did the same. He had associates (other disciples and people that he encountered. He had friends ( 12 disciples) and he has his inner circle (Peter James and John). In today’s world we are taught that the inner circle of friends must be mutually beneficial ;however, I think that most would agree that this was not the case with Christ. Christ chose to see what he could offer to them rather than what they could offer to him. He gave much more than he received. Understand that members of your inner circle are not infallible and can fail you as Peter denied Christ three times and also fell asleep three times.  Your inner circle should be comprised of like minded value people but look at them not for what they can do for you but look at what you can do for them. The one attribute that seperates a great athlete from a very good athlete is that great athletes make those around them better.

Thought for the day:  A wise man once said meet the needs of others and you will never be broke.