Philippians 2:14-15

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings:  that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shinie as lights in the world."

Philippians is my favorite book in the N.T.  I challenge you to take time this week and read it.  Paul makes some great points.

Do you know the problem with many of us when we obey God?  We murmur about it while we are doing it.  And God is taking notes because half-hearted obedience isn't obedience at all.  Remember God is looking at the heart, not the deed.  Do you know why we murmur?  Because we have taken our eyes off of Calvary.  Jesus didn't murmur on the way to the cross.  Oh no......Do you thank God for the pains in life?  Or only the gains????

God Bless,
Brad Thompson

Psalm 133:1

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."

Do you know what the Lord wants from us today?  He wants reconciliation.  That's far more important than singing in the choir, preaching a sermon, serving in nursery, or giving an offering.  When we learn this, the Lord is going to bring great revival to our churches.  Revival begins when we begin to confess our faults to one another, pray for one another, and forgive one another. 

Revival isn't raising the roof with a lot of emotion.  It is getting the walls down.  It is not just saying, "I am going to get right with God."  It is saying, "I want to get right with my brothers and sisters."  When we are reconciled, revival will come. 

And rejoicing will surely follow.  And not any kind of rejoicing, there will be Holy Spirit joy when you know there is nothing between your soul and and Savior and nothing between your soul and a brother!  Joy unspeakable!

Psalm 97:10

"Ye that love the Lord, hate evil:  He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked."

This may come as a surprise to you, but just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you are supposed to love everything.  Now, we hear that Christians are to be a people of love, and that is true.

But, did you know that if you're a Christian, not only must you learn to love, but you also must learn to hate?  If you love God, then you are to hate what God hates.  It is true in every realm. 

If you love flowers, you hate weeds.  If you love health, you hate germs.  If you love God, you hate evil.  It is just that plain.  Romans 12:9 tells us in even stronger terms to "adhor that which is evil."  A hypocrite, which is something none of us want to be, is someone who says he loves God, but then he doesn't hate sin.  Don't tell others you love God, if you don't hate that which nailed His Son on the cross. 

Ask God to break your heart with the things that break His heart.  Ask God to teach you to hate sin, yet love the sinner.

God Bless,
Brad Thompson

Isaiah 54:10

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."

Sometimes the grandest revelations come through confrontation.  Why did God bring the Israelites to the Red Sea?  That they might have a confrontation with Him and discover His greatness and deliverance. 

Many times the things we think are tragedies and problems are God's way of drawing us to Himself.  God shuts this door.  God shuts that door.  It seems that there is no way out. 

But, we must cling to the fact that God makes Himself known to us in the storm and He plants His footsteps in the sea.