Green Oaks Church of Christ
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Bible Correspondence Course
  • Study Materials
    • Sermons
    • Books
    • Video Sermons
    • Printable Studies
  • Thought For The Week
  • Links
  • Members
    • Monthly News

Thought for the Week

​Each week Brother Joe Norton shares his inspirational insights to Scripture.
Joe Norton

Perseverance

12/28/2021

 
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
Paul has just completed his description of the Christian’s armor when he goes directly into this beautiful expression of his actions on behalf of all fellow saints. He prays for them, and he is intense in doing so.
“Perseverance” means “persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” It comes from “persevere,” which means to “continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty.” He remains steadfast in his prayers for his fellows.
Our determination in our prayers as well as in our worship and in our diligence in living for Christ should be obvious and enduring—we do not “faint,” “grow weary in well doing,” nor allow ourselves to become discouraged in our commitment. Rather, we remain constant and steadfast.
Love,
Joe

A Blood-Bought Church

12/19/2021

 
“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:27-28).
On his way to Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul stops along the coastline near Ephesus and calls for the elders in the Ephesian church to join him there. He takes the opportunity to warn them and to edify them about some important matters.
One of the points of edification is that Jesus purchased the church by the shedding of His blood on the cross. To call the church a blood-bought institution, then, is a scriptural idea. The blood of Jesus Christ was the price paid so that the Lord’s church could some into existence. 
A full awareness of this fact surely stirs some emotion within us—surely it calls to action a feeling of deepest gratitude that Jesus loved us so much that He suffered for us and He established His church so that we would have the privilege of being a part of it. With this solid spiritual relationship with Him in place, then, we have an assured hope of going to heaven.
Love,
Joe

The Great Healer

12/12/2021

 
“I said, ‘Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against you” (Psalm 41:4).
Since the first pair sinned while basking in the Great Garden Paradise God had prepared for them, mankind has had the need for praying this prayer verbalized here by David. Apparently not referring to any particular sin, David just realizes he regularly stands in need of God’s saving mercy.
David knew that justice alone would not heal his relationship with God—it also took mercy, along with grace and love. It was David’s soul that needed healing, not his physical body. The answer to David’s prayer was already at work because God’s plan included sending a Savior to mankind whose sacrifice would blend justice and mercy and make possible forgiveness.
That wonderful plan is available to every individual who desires to come to God on God’s terms as revealed in scripture—that is, to all who will become obedient believers. And at the center of that plan is Jesus Christ who became The Great Healer—it is Jesus whom we serve and to whom we come for spiritual healing.
Love,
Joe

Drawing Near to God

12/5/2021

 
 “For the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:19).
“The Law” in this passage refers to the Old Testament scriptures that governed man’s relationship with God before Jesus came. The Law was not perfect in that it did not offer what mankind needed to give “hope” for a life with God in the afterlife.
Drawing near to God does not mean we picture Him as just another human being with the same kinds of responses to life that we have. As well, we cannot base our relationship with Him on events that happen in our lives whether good or bad nor should we think of Him as a good buddy who will bail us out of all our problems.
Rather, we “draw near to God” by seeking Him on the terms He presents in His word, by depending on Him, and by trusting Him completely. Then we can have that “better hope” that was ushered in with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, making possible the forgiveness of sin and a relationship with God in the here and now as well as in eternity.
Love,
Joe

    Joe Norton

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Attitude
    Christian Living
    Commitment
    Conformity
    Dealing With Life
    Endurance
    Faith
    God
    Goodness
    Jesus
    Peace
    Serious Seer
    Sin
    Thankfulness
    The Word
    Truth
    Wisdom
    Workers

    RSS Feed

4601 SW Green Oaks Blvd. Arlington, TX 76017
Service Times: Sundays 10:00 & 2:30.  Wednesdays 7:30
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Bible Correspondence Course
  • Study Materials
    • Sermons
    • Books
    • Video Sermons
    • Printable Studies
  • Thought For The Week
  • Links
  • Members
    • Monthly News