Thought 4 Today

If you ask the average person what the worst thing that could happen to them would be, they would tell you something that would involve their personal suffering. Humans don't like suffering much, and we will do just about anything to avoid it. That's unfortunate for the well-meaning Christian because suffering is quite surely part of our calling. God draws us into all types of difficult circumstances so we can pull others from eternal fire, to teach us different things, and to even help relieve the sufferings of others. The answer to the "worst possible things that could happen to us" question is not "suffering," but rather "disobedience." From that there is simply no hope if we remain in it! Now. honestly, how many openly disobedient Christians do you know? Believe it or not, the answer is not many, because true Christians, those that love the Lord like He loves them, would die suffering before they would openly disobey the One they love. Most "suffering avoiders" are just faking "Christian." "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him." Hebrews 2:1-3 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"'Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes every three years,. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings--boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,' declares the Lord." Amos 4:5 This passage may seem a little weird to the average person living in 2000-something, but it will make perfect sense when you think about this? Have you been bragging about the things you've done for others, or things you've supposedly done for God, when you were clearly doing things He wouldn't approve of in the mean time? Of all the things God shows us that He hates in the Scriptures, this is one of the greatest--a sinner who likes to brag about all their good deeds while they continue in their sin. The right thing to do is quite simple; stop your sin, and give without looking for anything in return--even from God Himself. Only deeds done with this type of heart and covered by the Blood of Jesus make any sense at all to God. Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When Jesus walked this earth in bodily form, do you think He ever broke a blade of grass as He strolled along? What about the fish and the bread He ate, did they not give of themselves so that His purposes would be fulfilled? Did anyone cry for them, or did they simply do what they were created to do? The Scriptures are filled with examples where God's creation calls out to Him, praises Him, and brings glory to Him--all but one member of His creation that is! Man took on a sin nature the very moment we decided to go against His will. Now we have to struggle and cry out just to do what once was natural for man. Now, because Satan has blinded us, we don't want to die for God, we want to live for ourselves. Now, only through the hope we find in Jesus Christ is there even the slightest chance of us ever being able to bring Him Glory again. Only after we allow ourselves to be broken by His Spirit and redeemed by His blood can we ever really be alive again--alive and bringing Him Glory with every action, every thought, and every motive! And that's what we hope to do for all eternity! "He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." Revelation 14:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When you pray, whose agenda are you praying for? Are you praying to God and hoping He'll start working your list of miracles? If so, you'll be waiting a loooong time! That's not how God works at all. God has an agenda, and He's inviting us to join with Him in HIS work. The goal of prayer is not to advance our agendas, but to make us senstive to His agenda. Surely God is near us when we pray, but our prayers are only answered when they're in alignment with His will. "the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? Deuteronomy 4:7b Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Conform: To assume an outward appearance that does not accurately reflect what is really true on the inside. To put it in smaller words; "to live a lie." "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.' And this is the word that was preached to you." 1 Peter 1:13-25 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I was working on an engine awhile ago, and I got so frustrated that I wanted to put away the tools I was using and hit the thing with a hammer instead! Aggravation strikes every human now and then, but if we give into our desire to use a sledgehammer on something, we'd not only have a lot of broken stuff around us, but we'd look like childish idiots, too! My dad used to say that there is always a right tool for the job, and that's the tool we should use. And my heavenly Father has slowly taught me that you also have to use a great amount of patience and love for the work along with it. Now, just for a moment look at the way you use "truth" with the people around you. Do you use it like a sledgehammer with a lack of patience and in childish fits? Even things that may to be true like, "you look fat in that," or, "You're soooo dumb sometimes," should never be used to hurt people. Our job as brothers and sisters in Christ is to love one another and help one another along the path of righteousness. That often may require the tool of "truth," but never without a great amount of patience and love along with it! "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

We live in a world where the strong survive and the weak get trampled! As the famous T-shirt says, "It's a dog-eat-dog world and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear!" We learn to defend ourselves early, too! When I was in first grade a non-Christian step-father of mine absolutely demanded that I beat-up the boy who lived next door because he had stolen something from my room. He told me to beat him up every day until I got it back or he'd beat me! The truth was that I didn't want to fight, but I did it anyway because I didn't want to look like a wimp in the eyes of my father. Truth be told, I was being taught wrongly, and it's taken decades for my heavenly Father to chip away at that attitude in my heart. I'm not suggesting that we just stand there when someone is trying to kill us, but Jesus tells us that there is great power in simply turning the other cheek. Friends, the struggle in not against people, but against evil! And the world is not about us an our personal desires. Let's face it, even if we were killed Jesus would have our backs! What's important is that we mirror His love to those around us. How else can they see that He is working inside of us--that He is our everything? "But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 5:39) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Have you done any good deeds lately? I certainly hope so, and I believe the Lord does, too. Unfortunately for many of us, even the good deeds we do wind up meaning little if anything in heaven. Deeds that are done for any type of selfish reason or those that are done just so others can see or somehow find out you did them are absolutely worthless in the end. Soooo, do good deeds whenever you can, but make sure you do them for the right reasons! "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 6:1) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate