Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. Status – it’s a challenge for most people. One of the more honest statements by the religious leaders of Jesus’ day came from a meeting of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high court). Speaking about Jesus they said, “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation (John 11:48).” At least we can see why they hated Jesus so much – status. They were diminishing and he was increasing.

Compare their response to that of John the Baptist when John’s disciples suggested that everyone was turning to Jesus: To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less (John 3:27-30). We struggle to be seen and heard. We want our voice and our name recognized. Deep down we grave status. Our goal should be the same as John’s - he must become greater; I must become less. Our status should be wrapped up and clothed in Jesus. Keeping status in check requires submission; submission to Christ as LORD and embracing His mission, not our own. May the LORD bless you as you become less so that your status is none other than Christ in you. May you find encouragement in this day.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. I stand amazed at the creativity of God. Recently my wife and I were able to sneak away for a day and half to Mackinaw Island. It’s a step back in time for most people – horse-n-buggy or bicycles for transportation; a reminder of a simpler life. We’ve been to the island several times over the years, but on this trip we strolled away from main street and spent some time on the interior of the island biking. The flowers are everywhere. The older I get the more I appreciate the beauty of flowers – especially the different types with all their intricacies. I’m trying to have the same appreciation for people – especially the different types with all their intricacies.

To appreciate the beauty of a flower you have to stop and take time to see it in its natural setting; notice the flower as it participates with others to bring about a kaleidoscope of color. I need to do the same for people. . . in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be (1 Corinthians 11:18). For us to live in harmony with each other we must learn to see people as God sees them . . . made with a purpose and arranged just like God wanted them to be. I don’t think you change a lily to a rose, or a marigold to a begonia. I’m quite sure that the flower would be destroyed in the process. Let’s encourage each person to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13). Let them bloom the way they were created so they may shine like stars in the universe (Philippians 2:15). May you find encouragement in this day.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)

Friday, July 23^rd, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. The earliest disciples seemed to have had a sense of urgency in their mission. Maybe it was their belief that Jesus would soon return – something that we might all benefit from as well. It could have been a clear understanding of mission – they were to plant the seeds of the kingdom that it might grow and influence the world in which they lived. Jesus had said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough (Matthew 13:31-33).” Both parables speak to the continual influence and growth that the Kingdom of Heaven (or Kingdom of God in other gospel accounts) is to have upon our world.

The LORD has left us to become the seeds in which the Kingdom takes root and grows. The Kingdom, or the rule of God, is in our lives – our lives should bear witness to whom and what we place our allegiance towards. Unfortunately we allow this seed to be choked out by the deceitfulness of wealth and the worries of life (Matthew 13:22). Our focus must remain on bringing the Kingdom of heaven to earth – a prayerful desire to see the Lord’s will done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). May the Lord give you the strength to be the yeast of influence in our communities today . . . and may you find encouragement in this day.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)

Thursday, July 22^nd, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. I don’t enjoy having my positions or beliefs challenged. I would rather skip through life without the confrontations. I have, however, discovered that the confrontations – the place where my thoughts differ from others – can serve a good purpose. It can give others a reason to pause and rethink their position and for me as well. As a preacher I experience this often. People expect you to have an answer or opinion, especially on spiritual matters. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:15-16). The latter part of this verse challenges us too (i.e. with gentleness and respect).

The handling of God’s word in our lives should be a continual focus. Paul said to Timothy: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Our hunger and thirst for righteousness must be a continual working out of our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We are so blessed to have a God that has given us His written Word to contemplate and study – for in these life finds it meaning. Peter’s words ring true: Lord, where should we go . . . for you have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). May you find encouragement in this day.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)

Wednesday, July 21^st, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. We are living through a very tough stretch of economic history – at least in our Western culture. Companies leave and communities die a long drawn out death. To communities in danger of going that route, the message of new creation, of the beauty of the present world taken up and transcended in the beauty of the world that is yet to be – with part of that beauty being precisely the healing of the present anguish – come as a surprising hope. Part of the role of the church in the past was – and could and should be again – to foster and sustain lives . . . the church, because it is the family that believes in hope for new creation, should be the place in every town and village where new creativity bursts forth for the whole community . . . (N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 2008).

Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them . . . (Matthew 9: 35-36). Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field (Matthew 9:37).  People need hope. We can and do make a difference in the lives of God’s creation – this was His plan from the beginning: That His new creation (us) would bring about a new creation into the lives of the communities in which we live – let them be surprised by hope. May you find encouragement in this day.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)

Tuesday, July 20^th, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. I am willing. Just three small words; however, they are very powerful in our daily walk with the LORD.  One of the greatest challenges when facing decisions about Kingdom work is found in those three little words. Most often it’s not, “Am I capable.” Offering a helping hand to someone in need typically doesn’t give me pause because I think I can’t accomplish the request or fulfill the need. No, most often my pause is simply, “Am I willing.” Unfortunately I work hard at confusing the two phrases (i.e. I am willing vs. Am I capable) – especially when convenience is being jeopardized.

Jesus was approached by a man with leprosy needing to be cured. In faith the man said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean (Matthew 8:2).” The simple response of Jesus should be at the tip of our tongues throughout the day as well, “I am willing (Matthew 8:3) – be clean.” Some would suggest that it was “very” convenient for Jesus – so no big deal. Matthew seems to be reading our minds as we read the text. The very next story is about a Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to come to his home to heal his servant – not especially convenient. Again, the response of Jesus was, “I will go and heal him (Matthew 8:7).” Over and over in the gospels we find Jesus yielding to the fulfillment of Kingdom requirement over his own personal desires. It is this Jesus that I admire deeply, but I struggle in my efforts to follow His example. Lord, give us the strength to live our lives with an attitude of heart that simply says, “I am willing.” May you find encouragement in this day.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)

Monday, July 19th, 2010 – Good morning, may you find encouragement in this day. Can you imagine a world without the effects of evil? Can you picture in your mind what this world would be like if there was no sin – no murder, theft, dishonesty, cruelty, greed, hunger, pain – or even death itself? The Apostle John writes: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4).  The hope within the gospel message is that the Kingdom of God has already begun. The called out of God, the church, are to live in a way that provides a glimpse of this kingdom today – no murder, theft, dishonesty, cruelty, greed, hunger, etc.

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,  nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21).” The Kingdom of God is not just about people, but a place that will be transformed: For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:20-21); the driving out of evil and it’s influences upon creation and the created of God inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Matthew 12:28).” The hope of the gospel message FOR TODAY is communities of people living with the Kingdom of God present and visible for others clearly see and taste firsthand. May you find encouragement in this day as you live as kingdom dwelling people.

Tom Rellinger – Minister Petoskey Church of Christ)