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

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“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34

Each year the President delivers to the Congress the annual State of the Union Message and all across America governor’s of their respective states deliver their State of the State messages to the various legislatures.

The purpose is to summarize the status of various things throughout the land and to a change for the chief executive to suggest legislative action… his or her program for the future. Usually, a rosy picture is painted. After all, who would want to admit there are problems on their watch?

I sat and watched our governor give his state of the state message recently. He started by saying that the state of our state is strong. He cited a number of achievements during his administration and glossed over a number of storm clouds on the horizon.

As I watched, I wondered what it would be like if God had strode to the podium in the House of Representatives and delivered His state of the state message. I’ll bet he wouldn’t hold anything back or not tell it like it is.

I wonder what he would single out first. Perhaps it would be the millions of human lives he uniquely created that we have extinguished under the right of a mother to choose. Perhaps he would talk about the rampant proliferation of pornography. Certainly he would mention rampant sexual immorality. Maybe he would remind us that we are about to enter a post Christian era as we have turned our back on Him.

Certainly, He would give reference to tolerance‘? which says we have to tolerate the beliefs of others and not thrust ours upon them. He would challenge us to be bold in speaking of our faith. He would talk about a watered down feel good’ theology and modern preaching that de-emphasizes the salvation message. He might remind us that we seem to have forgotten Him, while focusing our attention on ourselves and our own hedonistic pleasures.

Certainly He would talk about people getting high on drugs rather than looking to Scripture for the ultimate satisfaction in life. I am sure he would touch on sexual disorientation rampant across our land. He would paint a grim prognosis for the land if its people do not return to him. Certainly He would quote from Revelation.

He wouldn’t suggest a legislative program, for the real problems we face are not solved in the halls of legislatures or at the bar of the court. Rather they are solved on our knees at the alter of Christ, where people give their hearts and lives to Him.

Think about it. What is the real state of our state and what are you willing to do to change it?
(a thought on life from John Grant )

by John Grant
used by permission
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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Further Reading

•  Life Can Bring Joy out of Sorrow by Norma Becker
•  Fully Surrender to the Lord
•  Salvation Explained

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by John Grant
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It was a little before six on Wednesday evening when Beverley turned to me and said it was time to challenge the northbound Dale Mabry traffic in order to get to mid-week church services on time. We gathered our Bibles, sermon notepads and were off to the worship center in Lutz.

With traffic a little more heavy than usual, we were a little behind, but I observed all the rules… stayed under the speed limit, ran no yellow lights and otherwise drove cautiously. So, when we turned onto Exciting Idlewild Boulevard, we were about five minutes late. I thought how I hoped we could get a close up parking space to make a mad dash inside and besides, the temperature was in the forties.

As we turned unto the parking lot, there were a total of eight cars. The place was so dark that it looked like they hadn’t paid the electric bill, save from light coming from the windows of a few pastor’s offices. I guess a few were working late or simply forgot to turn out the lights. There appeared to be less life around there than at the local cemetery.

Then a shiver went up and down my spine. Had it really happened? Had the rapture come and we were left behind? Why, that couldn’t be! We paid our tithe, had reasonably good attendance and most important of all, gave our heart to Jesus a long time ago.

But, no one was there but us. Oh, I thought, they must have cancelled services because of the holidays. So Beverley, who has a variety of bulletins stuffed into her Bible, pulled out the most recent bulletin and sure enough, it showed there was Wednesday evening church, here and now. Now, I was really worried.

That’s it, Beverley said, I am calling Pastor Ken. I said to not bother him. After all, if they really did cancel church, something we normally do only when faced with probable atomic attack, he would be enjoying an evening at home and shouldn’t be bothered. And, if the rapture actually had come, he was out of cell range already. So Beverley starts calling everyone else she can think of and all she got from each was a voice mail that they were not available. Now, I was really, really worried.

So we headed back South towards home, an exercise that was easier than our previous trip North. I thought that if the rapture had come, there sure were a lot of heathers on Dale Mabry Highway.

Finally, Beverley could wait no longer and called Pastor Ken. We were both relieved to know that he was enjoying a quiet evening at home, the service indeed had been cancelled and the rapture indeed had not come. I felt better, but it was worth the trip just to know what it would be like to be left behind and to experience the feeling of eternal security knowing that when the time comes our ticket has been punched and we will be on the road to glory. 

You can comment on this devotional online at: 
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/04/03/jg_rapture/

(a thought on life from John Gant)

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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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“He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.”
(Acts 16:30-32)

Spring training has begun and the beginning of the baseball season follows in a few days. Every team starts out with a fresh start. What they did last season is history. Each season is a new beginning. Each team has the goal of winning their league’s pennant and then winning four games in the World Series to make them the champion team.

A team wins a game by scoring more runs than the opposition, but there are a plethora of rules that have to be followed. I once heard of a World Series game that was the seventh of the series and whoever won it would win the championship. A batter clobbered the ball and sent it over the fence for a home run.

The batter trotted around the bases and when he tagged home plate, the hometown crown erupted in cheers, but the cheering ceased when the umpire called the runner out. How could this be? He had hit a home run, but the umpire said he was out because he had failed to tag first base.

There is a spiritual parallel here. Some day we will approach the home plate of heaven and the great umpire of the universe will call us “in� or “out.� It will not matter how hard we hit the ball of life. What will matter is whether we have tagged the proper base.

We can tag the second base of church membership and involvement. We can tag the third base of good works, but what really matters is whether we have tagged the first base of salvation .Many people go through life as good people, doing good works, involved in their church, but failing to tag the first base of salvation through giving their all to Jesus.

We all need to make sure that we have tagged that base in our lives. It is not a matter of who we are, but whose we are. Some day we will all cross the home plate of eternity and we should all be prepared to answer by what right do we have to be called “in� rather than “out,� and our answer should be that we are in because we have given our life to Christ. Have you tagged the fist base of salvation? If not, make sure you do so today.
                            (a thought on life from John Grant)

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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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“Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.� (Nahum 1:15)

For many ladies, birthdays are not necessarily something to look forward to and being a year older is something not always to be celebrated, especially when the first digit  rolls over to a higher number and most would prefer to not identify their age.

Well, it’s not that way around our house, as we remember twenty years ago when Beverley faced cancer and an uncertain survival prognosis. We would not wish our experience on our worst enemy, but we wouldn’t take a million dollars for the experience we had to grow in our family and in our faith. Thanks to good doctors, excellent care and most importantly a lot of prayer and the grace of God, she is still here.

So, we both love to celebrate her birthdays and last week was no exception, especially since it was her twentieth cancer free birthday. I tried to think of something special and memorable, so I booked a ride for the two of us in a 1931 antique bi-plane. This particular aircraft had an interesting history including being seized by the government for hauling illegal alcohol during prohibition.

We donned scarfs, goggles and heavy clothing as we climbed in the cockpit on a brisk and windy winter day. We did lazy eight’s and a few other mild acrobatic maneuvers and thought how blessed we were to be able to do it together. 

It was a memorable experience and a real celebration, but once on the ground I thought about all we have to be so thankful about. Every day is a gift and truly we are blessed. The Bible refers to celebration fifty-seven times. So, as you go about your schedule this week, remember that you don’t have to have a special occasion to celebrate.

Thank God for each day and each blessing and celebrate life to the fullest.  
(a thought on life from John Grant )

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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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“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.�  (Psalm 139:14).

The exhibit recently came to our town and the departure date was several times extended to accommodate the thousand who came to view it. It was the most incredible display of human bodies I could ever imagine, showing in detail each part and system of the body, together with statistics. It was a phenomenal look at the phenomena we call the human body.

For nearly two hours I looked at bodies and body parts. I saw a human heart, one that will pump fifty million gallons of blood during it’s normal lifetime and every ounce of blood in the body passes through the heart at least once every minute. I saw bones tendons, muscles and miles of veins and arteries. I even saw the three smallest bones in the human body, all in the ear.

A walk through the fetal development section reminded us that a baby’s heart beats within three weeks after conception. We saw babies in various stages of development and if that doesn’t convince you of the homicidal nature of abortion then you have some kind of brain block.

As I walked around, I kept reciting over and over Psalm 139 ….. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The exhibit of the brain was mind boggling as I contemplated the vast capacity of the human brain, one that far supersedes even the most powerful and complex computer ever built. Wow!

It was strange that while I was enthralled with the bodies, I had no sense they were people. More than ever I realized they were but a shell where a person had resided and now very much like a vacant home after the family has left. I kept thinking about! Corinthians 16:19: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

Yes, I do have a temple.  As with the temple in Jerusalem, it is to be used in the service and praise of God.  If it is not, then it too needs a cleaning!  What an astonishing idea this is. As truly as the living God dwelt in the Mosaic tabernacle, and in the temple of Solomon, so truly does the Holy Spirit dwell in the souls of genuine Christians; and as the temple and all its utensils were holy, separated from all common and profane uses, and dedicated alone to the service of God, so the bodies of genuine Christians are holy, and all their members should be employed in the service of God alone.

As I walked around the thoughts of “wonderfully made� and “my body is a temple� kept  going through my mind and as I looked at the intricate systems of those bodies, all I could think of was that this is proof of an all loving all powerful God, because only God could make something like that. Well, I could go on and on but my temple just sent a signal that it was ready for lunch, so that’s all for now. 
(a thought on life from John Grant)

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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

“Be Still and Know That I Am God.” Psalm 46:10

Hastily I finished my last appointment on Capitol Hill and made a mad dash for Union Station and not a minute too early, as I arrived one minute before the Acila Express left for New York. I presented my ticket and walked at a fast pace down to Track 15, where I jumped aboard the first Business Class car available. After stowing my luggage I settled in my seat just as the train slowly pulled out of the station. My cell phone rang and just as soon as I began the conversation a lady a couple of rows forward turned to me with her finger to her lips and pointing to the sign overhead which read “Quiet Car.”

The sign explained the rules of the Quiet Car: no talking, no cell phones, no standing in the aisles. In other words, that translates to be quiet and be still, so reluctantly, I did. Where I would normally pull out my lap top, do mail and make phone calls, now about all I could do was sit, read, watch and listen, and I did a little of each.

First, I took out my Encounter devotional and my Bible and proceeded to pour through the scriptures. I just sat back and listened. Listened to God and listened to my inner self. I spent a lot of time looking out the window. A record snowfall had turned the countryside in to a winter wonderland. What a sight as the train picked up speed and we traversed the countryside of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I saw God’s majestic hand in the beautiful ice formations and in the drifts of snow. It was as if I could see God himself. It was an awesome quiet time and when the train pulled into Penn Station, I got off a rejuvenated man, all because I had jumped on the Quiet Car.

The experience on the train last week has given me a lot to think about, He is asking: “How are you with your quiet time?” I was again reminded of the need for a quiet time just yesterday as I checked into a hotel. When I got off the elevator, a large sign greeted me informing that I had entered a “Quiet Zone“, where no children, leisure groups or circus animals will be assigned. It further instructed that in this area there would be no loud TV, no slamming of doors and no loud singing in the shower.

God’s quiet time formula is much like His stewardship formula: “The more you give, the more you receive.” I have found that when I do carve out a time for God, preferably at the beginning of the day, though at first my schedule says I don’t have time, I have to respond and make time. And. When I do, somehow God always stretches my schedule and I am more productive than ever.

This is my busiest season of the year and so easy to shut God out of the schedule, but all the more reason for the Master to gently remind me, whether through a sign on a train or in a hotel, every day we need to be reminded to spend time with Him and then pull apart before you fall apart. I highly recommend a ride on the Quiet Car, actually or symbolically every day in every life.

(a thought on life from John Grant)

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]

a thought on life from John Grant

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (John 3:3-6)

The sign in front of the apartment building caught my eye.

Residents needed: No experience required. All you have to do is sign up and you are in.

Well, it seems that there is a need for residency overall in many countries of the world. Many industrialized countries of the world are struggling with low birthrates and an aging population. A number of European countries have seen a drop in the fertility rate below a level to maintain the present population. Several countries have actually established a “baby bonus” as an economic incentive for people to have children. So, it was newsworthy recently when the National Center for Health Statistics announced that for the first time since shortly after the baby boom ended that the fertility rate in America had reached the rate necessary for a generation to replace itself. Residents created: No experience required! It’s not that human reproduction is all that difficult. After all the human being is the only psycho-cybernetic electro feedback mechanism capable of mass production by unskilled labor. Sadly, too many couples feel that having children would be an economic and social burden that would interfere with their personal pursuits in life. Sad but true.

While we should all be concerned that there enough people to fill enough jobs and enough taxes to keep our country going and a sound economy to support our aging population, as Christians, there’s another “fertility rate” that we should be concerned with that is the rate of those being born again into the Kingdom of God.

According to research done by the Barna Group, the rate of born again Christians in America has remained relatively stable, but not growing significantly. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to pick up the morning paper and see a headline stating: “Christian Fertility Rate Worldwide on the Upswing; Reaches Highest Level in 35 years?

Now, that really would be front page news.