Thought for the Day
... says: Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Thought for the day: You see it in a school playground sometimes – a child standing just away from a group of friends, lonely and not accepted into the circle of friendship. It can cause a great deal of unhappiness. Let it never happen in church - Let us leave none outside the circle of Christian love and friendship! Wonder of wonders, Jesus accepted us! So we are duty bound to accept and love one another.
Submitted by John R on 15 September, 2006 - 02:00.
... says: Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Thought for the day: What a difference it makes to a relationship when there are no hard feelings after something has gone wrong! Both people in the relationship have to do something – one has to apologise and the other has to graciously forgive. God has given an absolute promise to forgive us when we confess our faults and turn away from sin. As we learn the pathway of repentance and forgiveness our relationship with God is deepened.
Submitted by John R on 14 September, 2006 - 02:00.
... says: The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Thought for the day: What a story this man had to tell! Meeting Jesus had radically transformed him and he wanted everyone to know. We all have a story to tell of how much Jesus has done for us – tell it somewhere today!
Submitted by John R on 13 September, 2006 - 02:00.
... says: But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
Thought for the day: Martha had real 'Get up and go'. She was a hard worker, and wanted to do her level best to please Jesus. Resentment crept in however when she assumed that her sister was a slacker. The good work Martha did distracted her from something better – listening to Jesus and strengthening her relationship with Him. Christian work – however well intentioned – can sometimes spoil the Christian life.
Submitted by John R on 12 September, 2006 - 02:00.
... says: We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
Thought for the day: Our new Homegroup series begins next weekend, so this week's readings and daily thoughts are designed to focus our minds on worship as a theme.
Think this week about what worship means to you – is it the daily offering of yourself to God 24/7, or is it just an hour or two each Sunday?
Daniel approached God in worship with a sense of personal unworthiness, but linked that with an awareness of God's mercy. Worship can never be taken lightly – we are part of God's creation and have been given the special privilege of knowing Him and communicating with Him.
Submitted by admin on 4 September, 2006 - 05:00.
... says: Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Thought for the day: As we worship, God communicates with us. We prepare ourselves to listen to His word, and submit to it. Reading God's word, and listening to it carefully is another vital element as we worship God either on our own or corporately.
Submitted by John R on 6 September, 2006 - 05:00.
... says: In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
Thought for the day: Every now and again a single word leaps out from the pages of the Bible, and I find myself reflecting on it for a while. I write a few lines each time, and occasionally it gives rise to a sermon. There will be a different word for us to think about each day this week.
Partnership with others as we serve Jesus Christ is more than just useful; it encourages us, keeps us up to the mark, provides a greater measure of wisdom, helps us resist wrong pressures and maintains continuity if someone has to drop out of the work. Working in partnership is much to be preferred to going it alone.
Submitted by John R on 11 September, 2006 - 02:00.
... says: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Thought for the day: Here is the end point of an occasion of worship. Isaiah responds to God and becomes willing to do whatever God wants. Worship is a life-changing event – if it leaves us unchallenged and unmoved then just maybe we are missing the point!
Submitted by John R on 8 September, 2006 - 05:00.
... says: So that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
Thought for the day: Worshipping God and knowing Him for ourselves is something that Christians want all the world to know about. Once we get excited about the prospect of communicating with God, the desire grows in us to tell all the world that God is Lord of all.
Submitted by John R on 7 September, 2006 - 05:00.
... says: I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you.
Thought for the day: Nehemiah was ready to confess his own sin and the sin that surrounded him in society. Confession is an essential element of worship. Until sin is acknowledged and dealt with we have no freedom to approach God.
Submitted by John R on 5 September, 2006 - 05:00.
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