Fantastic Friday #1043 - Strength

Strength

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14-16

Do you find yourself lacking the strength to make it through trials and tribulations? I have been able to observe over the last several months the growth of my grandson, and it is amazing the things that he is doing every single month. I know, by watching him, I can relate to certain areas of growth in my life that God has created for me.While the areas of growth may be over several years, I can certainly recognize His hand on me. The picture of every supporting ligament making the entire body strong is a huge visual to show that God gives us our strength to support and help us grow. I know that whenever I feel weakness, I can always turn to the strength of our supporting Father that provides every bit of power we need to make it through any trial or tribulation. That doesn't mean we only rely on Him, we need to strengthen ourselves daily against the evil that can come upon us unexpectedly, and be prepared to the handle the challenges placed before us. God makes us strong and we can rely on that always, keep in stride with his teachings and guideposts.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1042 - Confusion

Confusion

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:6-8

Have you ever found yourself confused about God and His path for you? Maybe it was someone in your religious past who relayed a pathway to God that was slightly different than the one spelled out in scripture. Today we see many "religions" or groups that espouse pathways to God, and many of them go against what God's word states. When this happens, we know the enemy is at work, because he doesn't want you to think it is as simple as accepting Christ as outlined in His Word. He wants you to see a pathway that is so challenging, that God would never allow you to reach Him. Funny thing, that's not what God wants. He wants everyone to come to him, and the simple pathway to accepting Him and allowing us to be saved is truly the roadmap we need to follow. God didn't send His Son to the cross in order for us to go through other hoops, he sent Him to the Cross so we could live again. So, remember that when you have confusion about the pathway to God, it is relatively simple and straightforward. Don't let others pervert the path God has set out for us.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1041 - Wealth

Wealth

People, despite their wealth, do not endure;
they are like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:12

Do you sometimes sit around and wish you were wealthy monetarily? This week I saw a story about a woman who had been arrested for stealing over $320,000 in Lego. I assume this individual was doing this to increase her wealth by trying to sell the Lego sets. The question is, how do you define wealth? Do you define it as the world defines it as a great quantity of money or valuable possessions? Or do you define it in a way that focuses less on material possessions, but more on something of intrinsic value? I look at my life and I am truly blessed in many ways, but the area I tend to focus less on is the true wealth that my family provides me. I keep hoping that God will guide me in the path to focus on this wealth. This also makes me think of the wealth we have in our Father in Heaven. The wealth we receive from the sacrifice of His son, is worth more than any gold, car, house, bitcoin, or Lego set. We need to shift our focus of where our wealth comes from, and focus on how we can share our wealth with others with building blocks that can secure our future in Heaven.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1040 - Attitude

Attitude

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13

How is your attitude? When someone treats you poorly, do you consider how you are going to respond to them? I don't think God wants us to show a negative and unholy spirit towards anyone, but love is what he constantly proclaims is the answer of how we should treat others. I found this week that this scripture, which has many notes of encouragement, is a really telling word that lays out how the word of God judges us and our attitude. If you believe as I do that God's word is living and breathing through Him, then He sees when you have a poor attitude and negative thoughts towards others. We should all look at how we can make an attitude adjustment in our life, for a positive attitude towards someone else may have a deeper impact than you may imagine. Love with a positive attitude this week and see how close you come to God.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1039 - Flogged

Flogged

17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Matthew 20:17-19

Do you ever wonder what it feels like to be whipped? I am not talking about being spanked when you were a child, but actually flogged like Jesus was before he died on the cross. Listening to a sweet young lady talking this week about the scene where Jesus is flogged in The Passion of the Christ and how hard it is for her father to watch, it made me think more deeply about that scene that was produced in a movie and how accurate visually it might have been to the true beating that Christ took. When someone was flogged back in the day, they probably used something called a Flagrum which is described as a short whip with multiple braided leather thongs, embedded with sharp pieces of bone or iron balls to tear skin, muscle, and sometimes expose internal organs. Imagine the pain associated with this, and this is just one piece of suffering that Christ experienced for us. When we enter this season of Easter and think of the fact that Jesus died for us, it is really easy to forget the suffering leading up to that final breath on the cross. We need to remember that Christ did this for us, because God loves us that he gave His only son so that we may live again. So, give thanks today for the suffering that Christ experienced, so that you have a chance for eternal life.

Have a great Easter weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1038 - Risk

Risk

29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me. Philippians 2:29-30

Do you take risks? Some people view risk as doing something out of your comfort zone, while others view risk as something life threatening. Either way, taking risks is something each of us have the opportunity to deal with every day. It may be as simple as taking a risk to get on the highway, or taking a risk to talk to someone you don't know. Do you find living or sharing the Gospel as a risky proposition? In the far past, it was truly a risky behavior, and now some can consider sharing your faith as being risky due to how people react. The risk is not in sharing however, the risk is in the doubt that God is not with you guiding you on your daily path to share the Gospel. If we live with the confidence our Lord and Savior provide us, then sharing the Gospel and our faith is not risky at all. It is just a part of our normal walk. The best way to overcome risky behavior is to remind ourselves that God already took the risks for us in order for us to live with His gift. The riskiest part of your day is ignoring what God has provided, and not showing or sharing it with others.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1037 - Shelter

Shelter

7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[a]
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”

9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city. Psalm 55:7-9


How many of us run for cover when bad weather is approaching? The shelter that we would run to is typically strong and secure, and not standing under a tree that is open to the elements. When we go through a storm in our life, what shelter do we look for to hide us from the coming storm? Is it a person who we love, is it a friend that we can trust, or is it something that we think can shelter us from being hurt. Many times we forget at first about the shelter that our Heavenly Father provides with His love and care. Why is it that we turn to people and things of this world when a storm approaches? Is it because we think they or that thing can make a difference, or is it a way to hide ourselves from the coming storm instead of facing it head on. God allows trials in our path for many reasons, and most of the time it is to see how we handle the trial and who we turn to. I know the times that I get through my trials, it is usually manageable because God is right there providing shelter. We need to remember who our real shelter is, and know that He is always there. He is a lot stronger than a tree, an umbrella, remember Him for who He is in our life, the true shelter.

Have a great weekend.

Matt