Category: <span>thoughts by John Grant</span>

By John Grant
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
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“If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.�  2 Chronicles 7:14

During the last election cycle, yard signs, media commercials, bumper stickers and direct mail promoted CHANGE. It didn’t seem to matter that most people didn’t what kind of change it was, but figured they weren’t as happy or as prosperous as they could be and it was probably the government’s fault. So, the people voted for change whatever it might be……. just something different.

Well, I too think we need change and beginning of a new year is a good time to start. Let’s think about what garnered the headlines this year. The banking system collapsed because of bad loans made by greedy bankers and brokers. The automotive industry is on the verge of bankruptcy because executives travel on the most expensive corporate jets while producing cars priced higher than many consumers can afford to pay.

This past month, one of the largest firms on Wall Street closed its doors after its founder admitted it was one big Ponzi scheme and dozens of investors lost in excess of $50 billion. The same week, the governor of one state was indicted for allegedly putting a seat in the United States Senate up for auction, with the governor as the beneficiary. When he was booked, he became the second governor from that state behind bars.

An analysis of state government corruption conducted by USA Today in the wake of  the “pay-for-play� scandal ranking states by a “corruption index,� based on the number of public officials charged and arrested. Florida had more total arrests than any state in the union with 824 arrests of corrupt public officials.

It seems to me that in both the private and public sectors we have not an economic, but rather a character and integrity problem. The real challenges facing our land in the New Year are the systemic problems of insatiable greed as people orient themselves to power, possessions and position rather than humbling themselves before their creator.

The solution to your economic and corruption problems cannot be solved with government bailouts and the appointment of czars where corrupt public people oversee and regulate a corrupt and greedy private sector.

While some pull their hair not knowing how to solve our national problems, the answer is a close as the nearest Bible. More than 2500 years ago, Ezra complied the books of Chronicles and we find the answer for today’s problems in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

First it tells us that God sends judgment for our transgressions and we feel it when the Divine rod falls upon us. But, there is a formula for national redemption. We need only humble ourselves in prayer, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. Then He promises to hear out our hearts, forgive our sin and heal our land.

So, if we want real change in 2009, may we as a nation fall to our knees and return to the Christian roots of this great land, praying that revival will sweep America. How can we ask God to bless America when America is not blessing God?

We can’t do it for everyone, but we each individually do it for ourselves, as we begin the year by falling on our knees, acknowledging our sin and asking for national forgiveness. May America indeed bless God in 2009.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/01/02/jg_change/

by John Grant
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney
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“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to men.  All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. “- Abraham Lincoln

The headline read: “Survey: Floridians expect life to be worse in five years; no faith in governments to control growth, immigration, cost of living.� The article caught my eye as I was scanning the headlines. Two things caught my attention, a feeling of gloom and a lack of faith. It occurred to me that the two sort of go together.

The article noted that people like living in Florida even as they grow pessimistic about the future. That summed up a survey Leadership Florida conducted that polled 1,200 people throughout the state on a range of issues.

A majority said that government has a role to make life better, but a majority also said it is doing a poor job. Strangely, even though a majority said that Florida will be a worse place to live in five years, they still would recommend a friend move to the state.

People surveyed found fault with everything from immigration to education. Respondents also rated homeowners’ insurance rates, health care, affordable housing and growth management as other top concerns, but expressed little confidence in government efforts to improve those situations.

Author Gregg Easterbrook has written a best selling book entitled, The Progress Paradox, which notes that living standards keep rising, yet people are no happier as a result. What does this paradox tell us about ourselves and our future?

Perhaps it says that we have our comfort index hitched to the wrong wagon. Maybe we are looking for all the wrong things in all the wrong places. Madison Avenue spends billions to get us to spend more to have more. We are encouraged to “keep up with the Jones’s“, but once we get there, the Jones’s refinance and we have to run to catch up.

People today live in finer homes, drive finer cars, eat finer food and yet, somehow, they are basically unhappy. Maybe the answer is to turn to the Bible rather than conventional advertising to make our shopping list.

Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10)….. superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient.

As you give your total self to God, God gives His total self to you. That is the supreme message of the Bible. This is Bible based joy, the real possibility of health for your total being (body, mind, emotions, relationships), of your material needs being met. Above all, His prosperity brings eternal life. Stop to think about it. What else is there worth having?
 
As a Christian, what is your prognosis for the future? Really we know not what the future holds, but for the Christian, we know who holds the future and with that assurance, we can have the greatest of optimism.  
(a thought on life from John grant )

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https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/12/31/jg_lack-of-faith/

by John Grant
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“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised thing and the things that are not,  to nullify the things that are. 1 Corinthians 1:26-27

There is a book I probably would not have read unless asked, but when both my daughter and my wife asked me to read it, I did and it profoundly impacted my life.

A Same Kind of Different as Me, is the story of a modern day slave from the bayou country of Louisiana and a rich international art dealer from Dallas and the unlikely woman who bound them together. It’s a book that tells the unlikely story of the unlikeliest of friends—Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

Ron Hall is a wealthy international art dealer who travels the world buying and selling rare and expensive works of art. He has grown rich but also selfish and drawn away from his family. Denver grew up as a sharecropper in Louisiana. Living a life that seemed little different from the life of his slave ancestors.

They become fast friends who endure a tragedy together and who soon grow in their love, respect and admiration of each other. Each man teaches the other about life and faith. Somehow the story of the relationship between these two men is fascinating and inspiring. It offers a glimpse into two worlds that are nearly opposite and shows what happens when these worlds come into contact with each other.

Paul writing to the church at Corinth noted that God usually doesn’t call people who are great by human standards and it was President Lincoln who said that God surely must have loved the common man because he made so many of us.

Together, Lincoln and Paul remind us of a biblical reality when it comes to God. He is not interested in where you came from or how common you might appear to others. God can take care of the common and turn it to His purposes so that He will be revealed through us.

God loves to shower His purposes on those who appear ordinary and cause them to become extraordinary. He always has, right from the beginning. Throughout the Bible, it was not the social and political elite that God called, but average citizens, like most of us… like Joe the Plumber of recent fame. God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.

The point of the story is that no matter who we are or where we come from, God makes us basically the same and we don’t have to be wealthy or well educated for God to use us. We just have to surrender. Read the book. It will change your life! 
(a thought on life from John Grant)

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https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/12/08/jg_different/

By John Grant
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“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.�
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1

On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.� With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that was devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months.

Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, as has the book he wrote based on the same principles, celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer a few weeks ago, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come.

As I read his book, I found it inspiring and causing me to think about what I would say under a similar assignment. Throughout history people have tried to determine what really matters in life. Socrates said it was knowledge; Aristotle said self realization and Epicurus said it was pleasure. I know that for me it is a moving target. What mattered to be in my younger years and especially before I became a Christian are totally different from what matters now.

Years back, I would focus on the material things…. Power, position and possessions. But now my focus is on family, faith friends and relationships. As Paul said to the church at Corinth, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.�

Randy’s last lecture was like that. It was a one of a kind lecture that made the world stop and pay attention. Knowing he had only weeks to live, he said “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.�

As I read his book I thought, what wisdom would I impart to the world if I knew it was my last chance? If I knew I was going to vanish tomorrow, what would I want as my legacy? Randy’s lecture was not about dying; it was about living…. living a life that really leaves a legacy and one that makes a difference for the better in the lives of people left behind. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think.â€? It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

The older I get, the more I realize that it’s the little things that count, but little things can move mountains when they inspire and motivate people and when I focus less on this life and more on the life to come. 
(a thought on life from John Grant)
Question: Where is your focus?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/23/jg_what-matters/

By John Grant
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“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

In these ever turbulent economic times, as I watch my savings deplete, suddenly there are financial lifelines. I get them several times a week, and I am sure you do too. They are like the following: “You won $2.5 million from the Malaysia Sweepstakes. Contact, Andy Jerry via email: with your secret pin code and your reference number.�
 
Or sometimes they are like this: “I am asking for your assistance to claim this inheritance fund belonging to my late client.  Since his death, the fund has been unclaimed because i have not been able to locate any of his relatives abroad and you are the closest relative. Please, if you are interested, sincere and ready to assist me with this claim, do respond to this message so I can give you the detailed information on how to proceed on this inheritance claim.� Or like this, “There is the sum of $30,000,000 in my bank. There were no beneficiaries stated concerning these funds which means no one would ever come for the claims. That is why I ask to you assist me so as to have the sum transferred out of my bank into your account.

I never realized that I had so many rich relatives around the world. Usually the e-mails tell about my wealthy and long lost cousin who has died and strangely, I am his closest heir. I am promised millions, but usually have to pay some legal fees in advance. I know of one man who paid $75,000 to get his millions and never heard a word from anyone thereafter. Most of the time these fraud schemes want your bank account information so they can clean it out. The FBI refers to this as an “Advance Fee Fraud.�

How could anyone fall for this? I have a friend who sits on a bank board and he tells me they average about two customers a month who get taken and usually for large amounts of money. A recent news article confirmed that just in the United States the loss is about $100 million per year.

How does this happen? The answer is greed. People are so excited about getting such a large financial windfall that they lose all sense of reason. This is why as Christians, we should use the Bible as our guide to all actions. Jeremiah tells us that “everyone is greedy for gain,� and Luke warns us to “be on guard against every form of greed; life is not in possessions.� Peter warns of false prophets who “in their greed will exploit you with false words� and whose hearts are “trained in greed.�

It is so easy to get caught up in the world of materialism which stirs our greed and causes us to do foolish things. As Christians let us remember:  In Christ alone I place my trust, and find my glory in the power of the cross. In every victory, let it be said of me, my source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone.
 (a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/07/jg_windfall/

by John Grant
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For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever”  1 Peter 1:24-25

Technology can be a very wonderful thing. Computers, cell phones, text messaging and e-mail all help us to work more productively and efficiently. But there is also an addiction, sometimes referred to as “Crackberry,” that allows technology to consume us.

Recently, a tragic train wreck happened in California because the engineer was “texting” on his cell phone and not watching the track in front of him. This week, a young boy was struck down while he was “texting” when he should have been watching the street he was crossing.

A recent study of traveling executives showed that a third of them prefer their PDA over their spouse. The study showed that eighty five percent bring their devises into the bedroom. Eighty four percent said they check their e-mails just before going to bed and checking them is the first thing they do when the get out of bed.

These electronic marvels have caused serious relationship problems, especially in marriages, because people are so focused on their PDA’s and computers that they are not focusing on what might be going on in their relationships. Experts are now saying “Turn it off, spend some time with your partner and have a real relationship with a living human being.”

What if people had such a tight dependence on their Bible and became equally immersed in the Word of God? Just think what your night and day would be if words of Scripture were the last thing you read at night and the first thing you read in the morning?

Many believers say they want to serve God and obey his word, but how many are reading the Bible in order to learn how?

In 1839 Alexander Campbell wrote, “The Bible is to the intellectual and moral world of man what the sun is to the planets in our system,–the fountain and source of light and life, spiritual and eternal. The Bible contains a full and perfect revelation of God and his will, adapted to man.”

Just imagine how the world would change if people were addicted to their Bibles like they are to their PDA’s.

~Lord, help my focus to be on You and give me a fresh hunger for your word. Amen.

Question: What can you do to focus on God’s word this week in a fresh way? Do you need to discipline yourself and your devices of technology?

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By John Grant
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Election day is only a couple of weeks away. In fact, in many areas early voting starts this coming week. There are many offices on the ballots ranging from the school house to the White House, but none more important and defining as the election contest for the office of President of the United States.

Perhaps never before in the history of this country has there been a more diverse choice of candidates representing such differences in political positions on international affairs, economic policy, social and family issues and a whole host of issues over which the President has vital control and power. Whichever candidate is elected, we in America will see great change in our country and in our daily lives. Each and every one of us will be touched and affected in some way by the outcome of this election.

Yet, what amazes me is the lackadaisical attitude most have to the election. There seems to be more interest in which team is going to win the World Series than in which candidate wins the presidency. With so much at stake how could anyone not be strongly on one side or the other?

As Christians we have a duty to be civically involved. The God who gave us live gave us also liberty and the responsibility to protect it. On issues, especially those dealing with the family and the free exercise of religion, we should take a Biblical position, drive a stake in the sand and fight for all we are worth to preserve those ideals and liberties throughout the land.

On the sea, ships fly the colors of their country and in times of battle, a lowering of the flag is a sign of submission and surrender. But, if surrender was not an option, the captain would order the colors nailed to the mast, incapable of being lowered, and fight to the bitter end.

In nailing your colors to the mast you are therefore proudly showing which side you represent, or the beliefs you hold, and demonstrating your intention never to surrender that position. It is time when we, as Christians, need to nail our colors to the mast and never waiver from Biblical principles.

I am tired of being told that by adhering to Biblical principles I am being politically incorrect. I am tired of being told, even by the courts of this land, that there is no place for either the Bible or prayer in school.

I am tired of being told that by being a Bible thumping Christian that I am some kind of backwoods idiot.

But, I am not too tired to fight and I am ready to nail my colors to the mast and go down fighting.

In 1941, Sir Winston Churchill visited Harrow School and said the following: “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
 
As Christians, we should do no less. May we vote and fight for what we believe in and never give in, no matter the might of our enemies.

 ( a thought on life from John  and Beverley Grant )

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By John Grant
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“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.� Psalm 51:7-10.

According to a recent poll, it seems that many women who work outside the home, including those with helpful kids and husbands, have come up with a new housekeeping standard, according to sociologists and family relations experts. It’s called “clean enough.”

No crumbs visible around the toaster, it stipulates; just don’t look under the toaster. The tub isn’t grimy, but it doesn’t gleam either, which is why God invented shower curtains. And you could knit a scarf with what’s behind the refrigerator. “Clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy.” That’s enough!

“Clean enough” is the inevitable compromise in a country where couples who spent 26.5 hours a week on housekeeping in 1965 now spend just 17 hours. Something had to give — and it was standards.

It occurs to me that there is a spiritual parallel in this age of throw away ethics and selective morality. It’s sort of like the student who says that a “C� average is okay since it is enough to graduate. God doesn’t judge on a plurality. Psalm 51 says: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions, and wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.� It doesn’t say to blot out enough of my transgressions or most of my sins. All is all.

God doesn’t grade on the curve, but rather by a strict standard. There are not different grades of salvation or higher or lower stations of heaven. Either you are in or you are out. When the Titanic went down and rescue ships were picking up survivors, they telegraphed back to New York the identities of the passengers and crew. In the office of the steamship company there were two lists on the wall…. Saved and lost.

Our eternal destiny is like that… a “C� average is not good enough and we can’t cut it by confessing a selected portion of our sins. The Bible in 1 John 1:9 says: If we confess (all) our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us (all) our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. There’s nothing selective about it.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

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by John Grant
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“And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.� Luke 2:7

She opened her gates to the public today for the last time, to be replaced for a bigger, newer facility next door. Yankee Stadium has hosted nearly seven thousand Yankee games since opening in 1923. In addition, she was the venue for a major football team, host site of some of the most famous boxing matches in history and the site of three Papal visits. Yankee Stadium is indeed America’s most famous venue.

She got her nickname “The House That Ruth Built� from the iconic Babe Ruth who hit Yankee Stadium’s very first home run and went on to be one of baseball’s greatest players of the game.

As I sat behind home plate one night last week, I could only think of the history of this incredible place, both the players on the field and the thousands upon thousands who have sat in the stands. In this stadium, the “Bronx Bombers� have won more World Series championships than any other team. When I was a kid, the men in pinstripes were my heroes.

As I watched the crowd cheer for the winning home team, I could not help but think of another house build by another babe…… the baby in a Bethlehem manger more than two millenniums ago. That baby grew up to be the savior of the world.

As an adult, Jesus said “”And I say to thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18. Though centuries have passed, the message is the same… Jesus came into the world to save sinners and to establish his church… a church that will not wear out or get outdated… one that will stand forever, one that need never be replaced.

Though structures build by man ultimately fade away, the church built upon the rock of the baby in Bethlehem stands today as the one true access to God through His son Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and-look – all things have become new!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

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By John Grant
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“Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!'”  Mark 13:33-37

When the alarm went off, I wanted to throw it across the room, but did not have that option, as I had an appointment and more than six hundred miles to drive. Staying up too late the night before was no excuse. As my bride says, “You can’t hoot with the owls and then soar with the eagles.� I quickly splashed some water on my face, dressed, loaded the last baggage in the car and headed down the road.

It was long before dawn and as I drove, it seemed to be getting darker rather than lighter. I was struggling to stay awake, so pulled into a convenient convenience store for a cup of java. I was amazed… there were more than ten selections to choose from….. various flavors and added ingredients.

But, one pot caught my eye. It did not have a fancy name like the others. It was simply labeled ALERT! Alas, I had found my solution, so I purchased a jumbo cup and headed southward. Within thirty minutes, I was wired and the yawns were a thing of the in the rear view mirror. Wow, was I wired!

I thought about how the Bible tells us to stay on alert and to be on guard. Jesus said  ( Mark 13:9) “You must be on your guard.� He knew the risks, temptations and dangers of the world around us.

I enjoy watching wildlife in the woods. Whatever they are doing, they are always on the alert for dangerous predators and they are always looking for a place of security to run to. There are predators in our world…..so many snares and temptations in our world. It is easy to get caught up.

The best way for us to be on the alert is to be grounded in God’s Word and to be ready to seek his security when we run from danger and temptation. As Jesus told us, we must always be on guard and alert to the ways of the world.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

 

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By John Grant
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“Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”  Exodus 17: 15-18

Have you noticed? It is that season of the year. As you drive through your neighborhood, have you noticed all the banners that have mysteriously appeared.

As you overhear people talk, have you noticed how you hear phrases like, “Roll Tide,� “War Eagle,� “Go Gators?� And the list goes on. People are humming songs like “Rocky Top,� and showing pictures of an ugly bulldog named “Uga.� Have you noticed the sudden display of flags flying from cars?

There’s even one tribe that chants an unintelligible chant while pointing all five  fingers towards heaven while the flex their elbow as if they are in a sixty minute physical therapy session.

Have you ever wondered why people, many of whom haven’t set foot on their college campus for years, all of a sudden are identifying with their alma mater, now that teams are on the gridiron?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a good athletic rivalry and am proud to identify with my school. But, as I see all the sudden annual rush to collegiate display, just what matters most… the college one attended forty years ago or the church they attended last week.

We read in the Book of Exodus how Moses built an alter and referred to it as the Lord’s banner. He wanted all to know the goodness of the Lord and his allegiance to him.

How about you and me? How about the body of Christ? What if people were as fervent in flying the Christian banner as they are the banner of their alma mater? Can you imagine the flags, bumper stickers, front yard flags and banners hanging from rooftops? What a display that would be and what a testimony to the Christian faith.

Are you as excited about the Lord as you are about your alma mater’s ball team? Are you willing to display it? Grab a trumpet, start a parade, shout it from the housetops that Jesus is Lord over all.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

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By John Grant
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“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.â€? Hebrews 12:5-6

This was a rough week around our house, as we lost a loved one…. our son Jamie’s black Labrador retriever. Cole was such a good dog. Everyone loved him. Somehow the backyard gate got left open and Cole decided to take an evening spin around the neighborhood…. one from which he never returned, after being hit by a passing car. We have been in a state of shock and sadness ever since.

We all loved that dog so much, but we love our son even more and when he cry’s, we cry. Cole was such a wonderful dog, but largely that was because he had such a wonderful master. Jamie picked him out, as a puppy, then trained and disciplined him in such a wonderful manner and in turn Cole brought out the best in our son. He and Cole were an inseparable team. Cole was devoted to his master.
 
Some would say he was only a dog, but that’s easy to say when you are talking about someone else’s dog. Cole was our dog and his loss is our loss. He was someone very special in our life. Some would say there might be bigger life storms later and maybe (probably) there will be, but this is today’s storm and it hurts. Some would say, fix it now and go get another dog, but maybe they have never had to go through the process of saying good-by to a much loved part of the family. Some will say that time heals, but if all you have to rely on is time, then all it does is to cover the scars.

As Jamie was talking about training Cole this week, he made a poignant observation. He talked about the times when Cole would run beyond his allotted bounds and how Jamie was spank him and pinch his ears to train and discipline Cole. He talked about how he didn’t want to hurt his beloved dog, but how he needed to teach him to protect him. He said that he always somehow tried to tell Cole that the discipline, hurting as it was, was done from love to protect him from danger and was for his own good. He told him that his father knew best and loved him enough to hurt him in order to protect him.

God does that to those He loves too. Hebrews 12:5-6 “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Often God needs to get our attention in a way that often hurts, but He does it because he loves us and wants to protect us as Jamie wanted to protect his dog.

Cole was a wonderful dog, who had a wonderful master, one who cared enough to train and discipline him from the dangers of the world. So too, do we have a wonderful and awesome God who loves us enough to whack our backside and pinch our ears, to protect us from the enemies of life and one who wants our total focus and adoration.

Our father knew best and loves us enough to hurt us in order to protect us. Do you focus on God and adore him as a dog adores his master and do you accept His discipline for your own good.  ( a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/09/05/jg_father-knows-best/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

By John Grant
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“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.�  1 Corinthians 9:24-27

When Romania’s Tomescu-Dita crossed the finish line in the Beijing Olympics, she not only won the gold medal in the Women’s Marathon, but, at 38, she became the oldest Olympian ever to do it, leaving 83 competitors in the dust.

Tomescu-Dita led unchallenged for more than an hour, running alone for more than half of the race — a remarkable achievement given the quality of the Beijing field. I watched her running along the grueling course that snaked through the streets of Beijing from Tiananmen Square to the Bird’s Nest stadium.

I watched her become energized when the stadium came into sight and then as she circled outside before entering the stadium, I was impressed with something the announcer said, declaring that entering the stadium of victory is “something that every marathoner looks forward to.�

Tomescu-Dita looked strong as she entered the National Stadium to a rousing ovation from the crowd of 60,000. The cheers reached a crescendo as she emerged from the tunnel entrance.

I thought of a spiritual and Biblical parallel. Paul speaks 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 of the ancient games where people run to win a wreath that will not last, but that the Christian runs to win a crown that will last forever, life above with Jesus. Just as the marathoner looks to the stadium and finish line of victory, we as Christians look to the goal of victory through eternal unity with God in His heavenly kingdom and the heavenly crowd will cheer.

Life is a race and the finish line is in the arena of victory is heaven. Luke expresses it in Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.â€?  
     
Paul expresses it in Philippians 3:13-14, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.� Now that’s what I really call running for the gold.  (a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/19/jg_living-life/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

By John Grant
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“Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.�
Proverbs 23:23

Alaska’s senior senator was indicted recently for taking bribes (hundreds of thousands) from the oil industry that is so important to his state. He becomes the latest in a string of capitol hill embarrassments.
We watched one drummed out for, let’s say, unhealthy relationships with young pages. Another became famous for cold cash, nearly a hundred thousand dollars, in his freezer. Several have taken lavish paid for vacations. One who took bribes was a former military hero. And who could forget the famous trip of one senator to the men’s room?

Over the past few years, the campaign season has become almost synonymous with corruption in America’s capital city. There is something about power and position that can cause people to lose their moral compass. They think they are so important that they can do no wrong.

I don’t mean to insinuate that only people in high office do these types of things, but those called by the people to high office are called to a higher standard of conduct and morality. When one is elected to public office, he or she becomes public property and is accountable to those people they represent, whether those people voted for them or not.

When I was in office, I followed my own moral convictions and was aware that if I embarrassed myself and my family, then I embarrassed the sacred office I held. Those called to higher places of leadership are called to a higher standard of conduct.

All of the congressional scandals had a common response…. “I didn’t do it and I will appeal.� Once, just once, it would be refreshing to hear one of these disgraced solons of democracy say they were wrong, were sorry and apologize to their constituents.

It seems to me that the problems on Capitol Hill are not ideological, partisan or geographical, rather they are moral and theological. As we go into this election season voting for people of integrity and morality is more important that what party the represent.    
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/18/jg_bad-examples/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net

 

By John Grant
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“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.â€? Isaiah 62:1

It’s been on my calendar for months lest I schedule any conflicts. There’s nothing quite like the opening of the Olympics and it only happens every four years. This year’s was the most spectacular ever. For four hours I, along with nearly three billion other people around the world sat with my eyes glued to the screen. It was the largest viewing audience in the history of television.

The first ninety minutes was a non-stop display of electronic, pyrotechnic and human engineering, followed by a parade of sixteen thousand athletes ranging from teenagers to age sixty-seven. The represented more than two hundred countries, including eighty-four that had never won a medal in any Olympics and who all shared a common enthusiasm that this would be the year. Many were just happy to be there.

But, to me, the highlight of any Olympic Games opening is the lighting of the torch and the declaration of: “Let the Games Begin.�Since its inception in 1936, the Olympic torch has come to represent the history and culture of its host country and city. It also represents the universal spirit of the Olympic Games.

Olympic champion Li Ning ignited the Olympic cauldron at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, concluding the 129-day world trip of the Olympic flame billed as a journey of harmony and peace. It concluded a trip that began in Athens, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games and passed through five continents. The relay covered 85,000 miles and was the longest ever trip of the sacred flame.

As I have followed with interest the flame’s journey over the past few months, I could not but help think of a significant spiritual parallel. It was Jesus who said: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.â€?

Like the athletes who carry the torch of harmony and peace, as Christians, our torch is the Word of God. Our message is the Gospel, our mission is to carry it every day and our mandate was given to us by Jesus himself: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.�  As Christians, we are all called to be torch bearers.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/11/jg_carry-the-torch/

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John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney. He is an active writer and frequent speaker.  He can be reached by e-mail at John.Grant@johngrant.net