Rom 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
(NIV)
honor \: 5092 time (tee-may');from 5099; a value; by analogy, esteem (especially of the highest degree), or the dignity itself: precious, price.
Webster: outward respect, recognition
I recently had to purchase some equipment for our company. I called a vender out of the phone book and was very surprised by this young mans attitude towards me. I was younger them him but every chance he had he addressed me as “sir.” It was amazing! He did not miss one chance: Yes sir, No sir, Thank you for calling sir, It was good meeting you sir.” He was respecting me and making me feel important. I know he was making a sale, and our purchase was a very small purchase compared to the normal amount of business they are accustomed to, but that did not change his attitude towards me. His professional attitude towards me challenged me to be more professional in my own career.
Although this was just a daily business situation it is a biblical principle. To often I find myself so consumed with my life that I can be short with people at church and at work. As I make the decision to be devoted to loving others and honoring them above myself it makes others feel loved and valued. How do people feel after they have had a conversation with me? Do my conversations inspire people or bring people down? Am I discouraging or am I encouraging others? Our words are way more powerful then we take for granted. Not only do we need to encourage others with our words but also with our actions. Think of ways how you can encourage others. What acts service towards others can I provide that would make someone feel honored? Look at how Jesus honored and loved us. He washed the disciple’s feet; he healed the sick; he feed thousands of people; and he even took our sins upon himself so that we could be forgiven. Just as we want others to love and honor us we need to take the time each day to make sure that we are honoring and loving those around us.
Copyright 2006 Greg Graham
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Remember Me
Watch this video about our troops.
http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
(from New International Version)
Every day my family enjoys living in an air conditioned house, safe from the rain and bad weather, and we have the luxury of taking a hot shower when ever we want to. As I relax in the comforts of my home, it is easy to forget that there are soldiers with the American flag stitched on their sleeve laying in a foxhole praying to stay alive another day.
I get to work and I am quickly consumed with my task list, phone calls to return, faxes to send, and emails to read. The deadlines are always pressing and there never seems to be enough time to get everything done on time. It is easy to forget that as I am taking my coffee break at work in my leather chair and in my air conditioned office that there is a soldier in a tent in the dessert on watch for enemy combatants that seek to destroy America.
As I get in my air conditioned vehicle and turn on the radio to listen to some music or a talk show on my drive home from work, only to get frustrated as I get stuck in traffic, because someone got in a wreck and now it is going to take me twenty minutes longer to get home; it is easy to forget that there is a soldier that hasn’t seen his family in a year.
My wife and I go out eat for a dinner date at our favorite restaurant. We are enjoying our appetizer and iced tea in the air conditioned restaurant and everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. The waitress brings out my steak and as I take a bite I become greatly disappointed because it is room temperature. I call the waitress over and send it back for a hot off the grill steak. It is easy to forget that there is a soldier using his helmet as a chair and eating his lunch out of a can that he warmed up on the engine of his jeep.
America we are blessed beyond what we can imagine. We have so many freedoms that it is easy to take for granted. If it was not for the soldiers of our country we could be in an entirely different situation in America today. Thank God that we live in a country that we can choose where we want to work. Thank God that we live in a country that we can live where we want to live. Thank God that we live in a country where we can turn on the radio and listen to Christian music. Thank God that we live in a country where we have plenty of food to eat and water to drink! Thank God for the Americans that enlist in the armed forces and lay down their lives.
1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Copyright 2007 Greg Graham
http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
(from New International Version)
Every day my family enjoys living in an air conditioned house, safe from the rain and bad weather, and we have the luxury of taking a hot shower when ever we want to. As I relax in the comforts of my home, it is easy to forget that there are soldiers with the American flag stitched on their sleeve laying in a foxhole praying to stay alive another day.
I get to work and I am quickly consumed with my task list, phone calls to return, faxes to send, and emails to read. The deadlines are always pressing and there never seems to be enough time to get everything done on time. It is easy to forget that as I am taking my coffee break at work in my leather chair and in my air conditioned office that there is a soldier in a tent in the dessert on watch for enemy combatants that seek to destroy America.
As I get in my air conditioned vehicle and turn on the radio to listen to some music or a talk show on my drive home from work, only to get frustrated as I get stuck in traffic, because someone got in a wreck and now it is going to take me twenty minutes longer to get home; it is easy to forget that there is a soldier that hasn’t seen his family in a year.
My wife and I go out eat for a dinner date at our favorite restaurant. We are enjoying our appetizer and iced tea in the air conditioned restaurant and everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. The waitress brings out my steak and as I take a bite I become greatly disappointed because it is room temperature. I call the waitress over and send it back for a hot off the grill steak. It is easy to forget that there is a soldier using his helmet as a chair and eating his lunch out of a can that he warmed up on the engine of his jeep.
America we are blessed beyond what we can imagine. We have so many freedoms that it is easy to take for granted. If it was not for the soldiers of our country we could be in an entirely different situation in America today. Thank God that we live in a country that we can choose where we want to work. Thank God that we live in a country that we can live where we want to live. Thank God that we live in a country where we can turn on the radio and listen to Christian music. Thank God that we live in a country where we have plenty of food to eat and water to drink! Thank God for the Americans that enlist in the armed forces and lay down their lives.
1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Copyright 2007 Greg Graham
Monday, May 21, 2007
On Time
Ps 119:88-97
88 Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.
97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
(NIV)
Think of how many things have changed since this psalm was written. Governments have changed tremendously since then. The geography of earth has changed. Society has changed. Transportation has changed. Technology is changing every second. Thank Goodness that the word of God does not change like technology. God has not changed and will not change. Psalm 119 will mean the same thing 10,000 years from now as it did when it was written!
God is consistent, faithful, and trustworthy. Nothing can compare to the dependable faithfulness of God. Our car may have started today, but tomorrow it might not. Your computer might be running great today, but tomorrow it may not work at all. God works 24 hours a day 7 days a week. God is never early, never late, he is always right on time! He was right on time with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego in the blazing furnace. He was right on time with Daniel and the lions den. He was right on time with David and Goliath. You can count on it, he will always be right on time for me and you in every situation, everyday!
Copyright 2004 Greg Graham
88 Preserve my life according to your love, and I will obey the statutes of your mouth.
89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me, but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.
97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
(NIV)
Think of how many things have changed since this psalm was written. Governments have changed tremendously since then. The geography of earth has changed. Society has changed. Transportation has changed. Technology is changing every second. Thank Goodness that the word of God does not change like technology. God has not changed and will not change. Psalm 119 will mean the same thing 10,000 years from now as it did when it was written!
God is consistent, faithful, and trustworthy. Nothing can compare to the dependable faithfulness of God. Our car may have started today, but tomorrow it might not. Your computer might be running great today, but tomorrow it may not work at all. God works 24 hours a day 7 days a week. God is never early, never late, he is always right on time! He was right on time with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego in the blazing furnace. He was right on time with Daniel and the lions den. He was right on time with David and Goliath. You can count on it, he will always be right on time for me and you in every situation, everyday!
Copyright 2004 Greg Graham
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Weakness
Rom 8:26-28
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
(NIV)
When my sons are playing superheroes in the living room with their friends they all are invincible, bulletproof, supernaturally strong, and have cosmic powers of infinite proportions. I love to listen to their creative dialog. Here is a sample of a battle that took place in our living room:
Jake: ”I saw you coming and then I cut your head off with my laser sword.” Donovan: “Then I grew another head and came back to life. Then I blew you up with my atomic hand grenade.”
Jake: “But I had on my force field and it protected me from the blast.”
One thing is for sure none of the kids wants to be defeated or be the weaker one that loses the battle. Sometimes as adults we still play that same game just with less drama. Have you ever noticed that adults never want to talk about what their weaknesses are? No one wants to appear weak and no one wants to brag about the sin that they constantly give into again and again. We want to look good and powerful, sharp and classy all the time.
The question is can we live without the help of the Holy Spirit? Surly not. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit we are left powerless to change and overcome sin. A good question to ask ourselves is; “Do I have the Holy Spirit?” If you are not sure if you have the Holy Spirit or not, then I suggest studying the bible and find out how to receive the Holy Spirit.
Now if there was anyone who had some bragging rights about being a “Super Christian” I would say it was the Apostle Paul. Notice what the Apostle Paul said: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.(2 Cor 11:30NIV) The point is that only by the grace of God does the Holy Spirit help us overcome our weakness. When we are humble and honest is when the Holy Spirit can work powerfully in our lives. By admitting our weaknesses we are allowing the Holy Spirit to take over our weakness and empower us with true supernatural strength.
Copyright 2003 Greg Graham
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
(NIV)
When my sons are playing superheroes in the living room with their friends they all are invincible, bulletproof, supernaturally strong, and have cosmic powers of infinite proportions. I love to listen to their creative dialog. Here is a sample of a battle that took place in our living room:
Jake: ”I saw you coming and then I cut your head off with my laser sword.” Donovan: “Then I grew another head and came back to life. Then I blew you up with my atomic hand grenade.”
Jake: “But I had on my force field and it protected me from the blast.”
One thing is for sure none of the kids wants to be defeated or be the weaker one that loses the battle. Sometimes as adults we still play that same game just with less drama. Have you ever noticed that adults never want to talk about what their weaknesses are? No one wants to appear weak and no one wants to brag about the sin that they constantly give into again and again. We want to look good and powerful, sharp and classy all the time.
The question is can we live without the help of the Holy Spirit? Surly not. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit we are left powerless to change and overcome sin. A good question to ask ourselves is; “Do I have the Holy Spirit?” If you are not sure if you have the Holy Spirit or not, then I suggest studying the bible and find out how to receive the Holy Spirit.
Now if there was anyone who had some bragging rights about being a “Super Christian” I would say it was the Apostle Paul. Notice what the Apostle Paul said: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.(2 Cor 11:30NIV) The point is that only by the grace of God does the Holy Spirit help us overcome our weakness. When we are humble and honest is when the Holy Spirit can work powerfully in our lives. By admitting our weaknesses we are allowing the Holy Spirit to take over our weakness and empower us with true supernatural strength.
Copyright 2003 Greg Graham
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Loving Actions
I Jn 3:16-24
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(NIV)
There once was a young man that was dying and decided to give his vital organs to people that needed transplants to continue living. The time came that he died and his mother grieved greatly at the loss of her son. For over a year she could not get over the death of her son. The Chief Surgeon that oversaw her son's death heard about the grieving mother and scheduled a meeting with her at a minister’s home. He also contacted all the people that received an organ transplant from her son. They all came to this meeting with their spouses and children. When the grieving mother arrived she did not understand why there were so many people at the minister’s house. As she came in the Minister talked with her for a bit and told her these people had something to tell her. The first man introduced himself, his wife, and his children. Then he took her hand and said, "Thank you, your son saved my life." He put her hand over his heart. Your son gave me his heart so I could live. One by one they came to her and thanked her for her son.
Although she lost her son she could now see that her son was a hero. He gave of himself so others could live and be spared of the grief of death.
Anyone can verbally say, "I love you." It is easy and effortless to say those three words. The real challenge is to communicate, "I love you" without using words at all. That is what Jesus did. He did not say that he loved us he demonstrated with his everyday life how much he loved people. Actions talk louder then words. The way we live everyday communicates how we love God and how we love others.
Copyright Greg Graham 2006
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
(NIV)
There once was a young man that was dying and decided to give his vital organs to people that needed transplants to continue living. The time came that he died and his mother grieved greatly at the loss of her son. For over a year she could not get over the death of her son. The Chief Surgeon that oversaw her son's death heard about the grieving mother and scheduled a meeting with her at a minister’s home. He also contacted all the people that received an organ transplant from her son. They all came to this meeting with their spouses and children. When the grieving mother arrived she did not understand why there were so many people at the minister’s house. As she came in the Minister talked with her for a bit and told her these people had something to tell her. The first man introduced himself, his wife, and his children. Then he took her hand and said, "Thank you, your son saved my life." He put her hand over his heart. Your son gave me his heart so I could live. One by one they came to her and thanked her for her son.
Although she lost her son she could now see that her son was a hero. He gave of himself so others could live and be spared of the grief of death.
Anyone can verbally say, "I love you." It is easy and effortless to say those three words. The real challenge is to communicate, "I love you" without using words at all. That is what Jesus did. He did not say that he loved us he demonstrated with his everyday life how much he loved people. Actions talk louder then words. The way we live everyday communicates how we love God and how we love others.
Copyright Greg Graham 2006
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