Thought 4 Today

"Now all I need is ___________" (Fill in the blank). When it comes to things I like to do, I really never have a problem getting motivated. On the other hand, when it comes to things I would rather not do, I can procrastinate with the best of them! My mind can come up with just about any reason not to get started picking up after my dog, for example! I've also seen that many who claim to be interested in starting a solid and growing relationship with Christ seem to come up with reason after reason why they just don't have all the things they need quite in place yet. They might say, "Well, I don't like the version of the Bible I have," but as soon as I get a Study Bible I'll get started reading every day." I find it interesting that a whole book of the Bible (Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament) was written at a time when Israel had overcome just about every problem they'd faced for generations. They were no longer in slavery. The Temple had been rebuilt, and the walls of Jerusalem had been put back into place. Still, God uses the prophet Malachi to speak boldly to them about their spiritual condition even in seemingly perfect circumstances! As for the rest of us, perfect circumstances will never occur. That's why we've got to get started anyway, and with whatever we have! Whole churches in China have as little as one or two pages of the Bible and they grow like crazy! The difference is not what we have or don't have, it's the condition of our hearts! "But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate." Ezekiel 3:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I've heard a lot of Bible studies and sermons where people are warned about living a faith where they keep God in a box. It's basically a warning against compartmentalizing our lives in such a way that God is only involved in the things we let Him out of His box for; like Sunday mornings, Easter and Mother's Day. Maybe I'm just dense, but it seems to me no matter how hard anyone tries, God will never be put into anyone's box! God is everywhere all at the same time (omnipresent), and He knows everything (omniscient), among many other "omni's" I might add! The bottom line is God is quite aware of every part of our lives, including the parts we try to keep Him out of. Those are the parts where we actually put ourselves in boxes and wind up keeping out His healing and His blessings. "He says to himself, 'God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.'" Psalm 10:11 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

If you're a Christian for long you'll quickly get the feeling that the world just doesn't understand you. What's more, when you speak of the things of God, many will think you're flat-out stupid! Don't do like some folks and argue with them because you'll be wasting your time. Pray for them, and ask the Lord to open their eyes. Without the Holy Spirit, the things of the Lord will always seem like foolishness. "The world cannot accept him [Holy Spirit], because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I [Jesus] will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:17b-18 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Can you imagine if all of your thoughts and private sins were broadcast across the big screen at your church? There's not a person alive who wouldn't have things on the screen that would cause people to gasp in horror! I know I wouldn't want my thoughts up there. But then again, if they were broadcast across the big screen or on the television during primetime, a friend of mine recently said, "It would be the best thing that could ever happen to any one of us. It would leave us with nothing left to do but run to Jesus!" "Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me." Hosea 5:15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

What is your first reaction when things aren't going your way? When you've had one of those days where nothing seems to go as planned and you just feel attacked from every side, where do you turn? Most people will complain, wail to anyone who's listening, or even strike out in anger. In the end, when things are really bad, most do the same thing--they go somewhere no one will see them and they cry and blame God. What we really need to do is to go to God in the first place and put it all in His hands. He's the only one who can handle it anyway! "They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail upon their beds." Hosea 7:14 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I was chatting with a young friend once when the news came on about the war in Iraq. We listened to the headlines for a minute and then he exclaimed, "We should not be in this war!" When I asked him why, he didn't really have any reason other than the same one's I've heard coming from the same television for a couple of years. Most of them were far beyond his ability to even understand, and so I assume he's most likely just developing his opinion from things he's heard. With just a few probing questions from me, I had him questioning everything he believed. I've got plenty of other friends who are on the other side of the political realm and they don't have much more of an understanding of "why" than he does--They just hear things and repeat them. When it comes to Christianity or even things of other faiths, most people do exactly the same thing. They hear things, begin to believe them, never really investigating the truthfulness for themselves. When it comes to a time of testing (like high school or college for sure), they have no real foundation for their beliefs and they begin to doubt their faith. Friends, being a Christian means allowing the Spirit of God to change us from the inside out, teaching us every thing about Himself. That is most typically done through His Word. If we're never really reading it, how will our faith stand a chance in the time of testing that will soon come? "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Have you ever said to yourself, "Why doesn't God do something about this?" Maybe it was in response to a huge problem that would seemingly take hundreds or thousands of people to deal with. Or maybe it was something smaller you might have been able to do yourself if you really put your mind to it. I believe many of the things God would have us do are either not done or wind up being done by another servant because instead of just asking Him to send us, we beg Him to send someone else. We're actually refusing to do it but pretending to hide behind our questioning or our doubt that we're qualified. No matter whether the task is huge or something small, with God we have enough resources if we'll just ask Him to send us! "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here I am. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Years ago, there was a tragedy in Atlanta, Georgia where a man killed a judge (among other people). A pastor friend of mine pointed out that the guy was obviously desperate, believing he was going to be convicted of another terrible crime. So he struck out when he saw the moment, killing who he believed was the person responsible for his situation--the man sitting in judgment of him. No doubt the criminal's conscience wouldn't let him see that HE was in fact the one responsible for his situation. He undoubtedly felt hopelessly trapped by the very situation that he got himself into. The truth is that although he may have gone to prison for a long time, there WAS HOPE! And that hope was (and still is) found only in Jesus! And while all of this may seem terrible far away from wherever you are in your life, the truth is that ALL of us will one day stand hopelessly guilty before the One who will judge the world--unless the Judge finds that Jesus has already paid for our crimes, that is! "For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds." Matthew 16:27 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate