Fantastic Friday #976 - Needy

Needy

12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death. Psalm 72:12-13

I see people on my daily travels who look needy, maybe they need food, clothing or some other form of human need to stay alive. I question what these people did to get themselves in these situations, and I can only surmise that they fell into a desperate hole of self-doubt and loss which has now led to them being physically and emotionally stained. Granted, there are people who put themselves in those spaces due to drug use or alcohol abuse, and they have never recovered from that horrible fall. It may be hard for some of us to believe, but God does love those people just like He loves us. If these people were to cry out and commit themselves to the Lord and His teachings, I don't doubt that He would miraculously pull these people out of their pain and suffering. The same can apply to us, while our need may be different at times, and not as life-changing, we can still ask for our Lord's help and He will provide. God wants us to want Him and all that He can do for us, all we have to do is ask.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #975 - Victory

Victory

12 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies. Psalm 60:12

Don't take this the wrong way but God does not care if my sports team wins or not. I am sure that God does not care whether an athlete gives Him the accolades for their victory. Several times over the last few weeks, I have seen several sports athletes give God the glory for their good performance or victory, but to be honest I don't think God cares. I do think it is great that these young men and women proclaim their faith on national television for all to see, but I am not so sure they realize what is really important to God. When I was growing up, I would pray for our teams that I played on to win, or to do well but we didn't always win or do well. God is concerned with bigger victories and the one He has already completed with the victory over the enemy. We also probably need to reevaluate what victory we should be celebrating and asking God for His presence, maybe it should be the victory of bringing more individuals to Christ and His teachings. God does care about us daily for many things, and when we ask for help He does give it, but honestly I am not so sure he cares whether my sports team wins or not. Pray for victories that are important and result in the greatest reward.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #974 - Prepare

 Prepare

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Exodus 23:20

Like God prepared a place for the Israelites, and he is preparing a place for us in heaven, I believe he prepares places for us here on earth.We just spent the last week setting up our daughter and her husband in a House in Savannah, for the next step in their journey. God allow us to travel safely for so many hours in a U-Haul and towing car in thunderstorms and rainy days.  But when we arrived, we could see His hand on every aspect of our journey, including finding a washer and dryer within minutes of walking in our first store, finding a much needed food pantry for the house for a cost half of what everything else was going for and the ability to get almost everything unpacked so they could start their journey together without worry.  We know they God is present and we know that He loves us, we need to acknowledge when He shows his presence in the smaller things.  

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #973 - Path

Path

104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws. Psalm 119 :104-106



We have paths in life that we travel and there are paths that we take that can make us fearful. My children are all on their separate paths right now, and one is taking a huge step to a path that will bring trial and success. My wife and I are on a path of letting go of our children and allow them to explore their paths on their own, or with their spouse. We just need to remember that this is all part of God's plan and the path He has guided us towards. As long as we take God' Word to light the way, our path will be guided by our Holy Father.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #972 - Perverse

Perverse

28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 16:28

I can think of a lot of things that are perverse in this world, and there is nothing more challenging in life than those people who try to stir up conflict among the people they are around. We saw a lot of conflict being stirred up with the most recent elections of government officials, but even today there are people stirring up conflict with the holidays coming up. Do you ever think about that one person inside the family or outside who makes the holiday season miserable because they stir up a conflict so big that it sucks the life out of the season where we are supposed to focus on our Savior? I know that that in our gift giving frenzy of a season, we are so obsessed with that perfect gift to give and for some to receive, that we forget about the greatest gift that was provided over 2000 years ago, and that is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, avoid the gossip, avoid the negative people and focus on the one true gift that has given and continues to give even after we turn our back. Show by example of what it is like to not be perverse. Turn back to Him this Holiday season and see what difference that makes.


Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #971 - Sinner

Sinner

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:5-8

There are people I know who find it hard to believe in a God that allows bad things to happen, that allows cancer to be in children, that allows people to be harmed. They wonder that if God is all-knowing and all-healing, why doesn't He heal and protect everyone. How do you explain to someone that does not believe in God that everyone is born a sinner and needs a Savior? It is hard to explain to individuals that have such a belief system and find some kind of counterpoint to everything we discuss. I know that through my faith in God and His plan for my life and the freedom to choose, that my view of God and His influence is not just in the here and now, but for eternity. So, my faith is strengthened through knowing that He has a plan for me and my life both now and in the future. I saw something at a funeral home that bothered me recently, and it was that a funeral was to help people cope with the finality of death. It made me sad to think there are people who see death as final and nothing else is after this time on earth. I hope that I can reach those who I know that don't believe in God, His influence, the afterlife and show them that there is so much more to life than just our brief stay here on this wonderfully created planet.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #970 - Believe

Believe

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16-18

This week we lost a dear soul to this earthly realm with the passing of my father-in-law into God's hands. There have been so many wonderful things said about him, but there was one thing that a friend of his said that truly made me sad. He stated that he did not know if there was an afterlife and didn't know if he believed there was one. There are many people like this individual in this world, and even members of family who have stated something similar. It makes me realize that being saved is really not enough and am I really doing enough to impact those who do not believe in life after death and the impact of Christ's resurrection? I strive to do better, but there is always some excuse that I make on why I don't do more. I hope that maybe I can continue to have an impact on individuals like this man who can't see that our next life is going to be one full of joy and wonder, as long as we believe. God made a way for us, we just need to believe.

Have a great weekend.

Matt