Growin' Up Gregory

Each week our study of Experiencing God has 5 days of study and then a review section for our weekly meetings to discuss any questions we may have had come up during our studies.  I had this thought at the time and it has become more impactful for me since then. Day 4 was titled "You Come to Know God".  It was only a one page devotion for the day with no response section or summary statements like we typically have.  As I first glanced I thought this was kind of an "off" day that meant I could do my God duty quick and get on to something else for the day.  The focus of the lesson was to go through a list of names, titles, and descriptions of God and list ones that we have come to know Him by through our experience.  It then asked us to spend an extended time in prayer for that day since we had less book time. Day 5 was titled "Questions and Answers" and addressed the questions below: - Why does God seem to work so slowly in my life? - Why doesn't...

I was asked to share with the children during group time at AWANA this week so figured I would share here as well, plus it helps me with preparing for that.  And with Thanksgiving coming up, guess what the topic is, thankfulness. When do we give thanks?  Most often we give thanks and bless our food before meals.  We say thank you when someone gives us a present.  And we may say thank you when someone holds a door open or does something nice for us.  But God wants us to give thanks all the time.  "Give thank in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" - 1 Thessalonians 5:18.  It is God's will for us to always be thankful, not just during November, so we should always be grateful for the things that we have. How do we show thanks?  We can say 'thank you', Or give them a card of gift, or even do a favor for them.  We need have an attitude of thankful when we do everything though.  "And whatever you do, whe...

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and the he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 Wow, powerful right from the start.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  You cannot walk with him, you cannot please him if you don't place your faith and trust in him.  To come to him, we must believe that he exists.  We are not to believe in some supernatural being like a fairy tale creature, but in the one true God of the scripture.  Not believing in God is essentially calling him a liar. While believing in God, we must also believe that he rewards men's faith if we are truly seeking after him.  Those who seek him are rewarded with both GRACE - receiving something that we do not deserve in form of eternal salvation; and MERCY - not getting what we do deserve, being fully punished for our sins. We must keep the rewards we receive here on earth in perspective...

"You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16 We are described here as being light.  We have to remember though that we are not the source of the light but that we are the reflectors of the light, and that Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12).  We as his followers are the ones who are in the light cannot be hidden.  Light is put up and out in places to be seen, it's not stuffed back in the box so people don't know that it exists.  Then v.16 gets real on us.  "Let your light shine."  Live your life, the daily things you do, in such a godly way that the people around you cannot help but see the awesome saving power o...

In this verse, Jesus is responding to Jewish hostility of his claims of being equal to God.  This is why he says "very truly" or in some translations "truly truly".  But he does not back down and he tells the people emphatically that his actions were in perfect alignment with the Father's will, thereby showing that he is equal to the Father since he does the same things the Father does. Jesus is telling the people that he never did work independently, he always followed God's will in his activities.  Shouldn't we be doing the same?  If Jesus turned to God for guidance, why aren't we listening to His voice to see where He is inviting us to join Him? This verse can be applied to parenting as well.  Thomas is only 15 months old but he already copies me and Brittnee by doing what he sees us doing.  Are you raising your children to do things that exhibit love, joy peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and se...

I've been a little hesitant to post much about Veterans Day because when I consider the sacrifice they made for our freedom, saying "thank you" seems so insignificant.  I mean I've never actually put my life on the line for people I know, much less for people I don't know, and some of whom don't even respect the very thing soldiers stand for.  How can I say thank you on a beautiful day downtown on Main Street and feel like I did something good for you?  When you spent years away from your family in foreign lands in real life or death situations?  Am I even worthy of telling you thank you and not doing more to honor the sacrifice you made for me and my family?  I cannot begin to say thank you enough for your sacrifice of so many aspects of your life; your time, your family presence, your finances, and too many more to name.   I remember it being instilled in me from an early age just how great the United States of America was and having a sense of ...

I have been blessed in life far more than I deserve. And I'm not talking about money, house, or anything like that. I mean with my family, my friends, my church, and health just to name a few. Sometimes I take things for granted but when I take a minute and really look around and while going through the prayer requests we've had at church it's obivous that the Lord has looked out for me thus far in my life. My world may come crashing down tomorrow, next week, or next year .  But I am thankful for what he has provided for me and blessed me with thru today. "Outward appearances of success do not always indicate faith, and outward appearances of failure do not always reflect a lack of faith. A faithful servant is one who does what his Master tells him, whatever the outcome may be." - Blackaby (Experiencing God) "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us...

I'm pretty sure that all Christians want to hear what God is saying to them.  But in order to hear God, we must belong to Him.  While that sounds like such a simple thing for us to say, does our daily walk show it?  Are we acting like Christians in how we treat each other, talk to each other, and handle difficult situations?  Or are we acting like the world, those who don't belong? If you're having trouble hearing God, get closer to Him.  Don't you hate it when someone is trying to tell you something and you're in different rooms of the house.  I know it's easier for me to hear Britt when we're in the same room together and I'm focused on her and not something else, like the computer of TV.  The same principle applies to hearing God.  You've got to be in relationship with Him and the closer you are, the better you will be able to hear.