Fantastic Friday #1032 - Wisdom

Wisdom

16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good. Ecclesiastes 9:16-19


Do you ask the Lord for Wisdom or Strength? Sometimes when I pray, I ask for both because of what I am going through. What about when you forget to ask God for the guiding wisdom of His word, and rely solely on our own strength? This message is a clear one that strength when used appropriately can be helpful, but the more powerful tool in your belt is Wisdom. We are living in a hurting world these days where people try to show their strength by overpowering people in disputes or even in simple conversations. I think of the kindness of speakers who use God to guide their words and actions, and they seem to be more grounded, compassionate and communicative with their calmness. Even in churches where the pastor raises their voice at times, I tend to tune out and am able to focus more on a calm grounded individual who lets his heart share what God wants for each and every one of us. So as you look to ask God for things, it is not wrong to ask for strength, just make sure you are asking for wisdom to help manage the strength you use. You might be able to reach more people with a compassionate and firm voice that shows God's love.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1031 - Reach

Reach

14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:14-16

Do you think you reach others? If so, what are you reaching them with or what do you hope to reach them with? I wonder many times if I am reaching people with God's word weekly, what does this word do for people? Does it encourage them or help them with questions they may have themselves? A lot of questions here that probably will be answered someday, but until that time, instead of worrying if I am reaching people, I need to think of it differently. I believe I am simply a conduit to people from God who has already reached out to all of us, and we need to view this type of information as God's word, not Matt's words. While I can sit here and type my own personal feelings and viewpoints, we need to remember that as this scripture states, it is all "for your benefit," not mine. If we reframe these weekly visits as a commentary on what God is saying through His word, then we won't worry so much about whether we are reaching others. Keep the faith, keep being renewed and follow God's plan for each of us.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1030 - Derail

Derail

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. James 5:1-3

What derails you from your faith? It may be a simple focus on something of this world. It may be your pursuit of worldly possessions, or it may be that voice of the enemy you are listening to as he tries to derail you. When you think of train tracks, the rail on those tracks runs straight and pure, if it has any reason to be off-center, then the train can derail and fall off the straight and narrow tracks. Our faith can be the same as these tracks, we may have a slight bend from time to time that pulls us on a track going a different direction, but God wants us to be on that straight and narrow track. He doesn't want us to change tracks when difficulty occurs, He wants us to lean into our faith and focus on Him on a straight and narrow rail. This rail is our guide back to him, and our faith that He has something even better than what we have now. Keep the faith and stay strong, for the rail is straight and pure to Him.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1029 - Explanation

Explanation

Who is like the wise?
    Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
    and changes its hard appearance. Ecclesiastes 8:1

Do you look for an explanation when there is none?  Why do we always try to find clarification for what is happening to us?  Maybe it is because we are curious about cause and effect, or maybe we want to see rational reasons for why things are happening. God changes our life by giving us hope and encouragement, and many times that is without a clear explanation, or so we think.  God always wants the best for us, and even if we are going through challenges, we should not ask why but should count on the fact that He will bring us through any challenge we face. We may not see the results on this side of Heaven, but we should trust in God and have Faith His plan will always work.  Leave the explanation simple, that God makes His plan and gives us the wisdom to see His plan for us when He is ready and your face will be brightened.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1028 - First

First

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

What do you do first? This question could be used in almost every scenario in your life. When you receive bad news, when you fail at something, or when you open your eyes to a new day. A lot of times people will seek the things of this world first, and I certainly have done my fair share of seeking things before my Father. Every now and then we need this reminder of what we should be seeking, and this scripture outlines it perfectly. Seek the kingdom and his righteousness is definitely not on the top of my daily list, and my heart needs to change. If we can focus on these two aspects of seeking first, it will put everything else into perspective. So when we receive the bad news, seek Him. When we fail at something, seek Him. When we wake up to start the day, seek Him. I guarantee placing Him at the top of your list and heart will make a huge difference as you go throughout your day.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1027 - Slowness

Slowness

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

How fast is your life? Do you find yourself moving through time and space way faster than you anticipated? We all have a gauge on time internally, times when we need nourishment, rest and reflection. When our lives are going fast, we eat too fast, we sleep very little and reflect on nothing except what is in front of us. We probably need to think of how we view time and what is important to us. Maybe we are asking for something from God, and the answer just isn't coming fast enough. If we stop and think about slowing our lives down, several things can happen. One, we are able to slow down and reflect on God and His righteousness, and the gift to us of life everlasting. Two, within our reflection, our lives are reviewed much more carefully, we are able to nourish ourselves and rest for appropriate periods. I also feel that as we slow down, we can hear the voice of God much more clearly in our lives, and tend not to miss His gentle nudges to a direction we need. Slowness is something that needs to be intentional, and the more we pay attention to a slowed down life, the closer to God we will be, and His teachings for us will unfold during His time frame. Don't let yourself speed past Him and not feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1026 - Strength

Strength

16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.

17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely. Psalm 59:16-17

I am weak, I admit it. I always think that I am stronger, until I find the weakness that overtakes me physically and emotionally. My kids tell me that I am an emotional dad, and that is true, but I also am a dad and husband who wants to fix everything. When I can't fix everything, my weakness shows when I don't rely on our Father in Heaven. Our relationship with God should be one of regular reliance, and not one of, I will call on you when I need you because I am strong enough on my own. Reliance should be daily, and should involve a close conversational relationship with Him, so when you truly need extra guidance and hope, it does not seem like your relationship is just beginning. I love this scripture showing how God is and can be our strength, but we should also acknowledge His strength in our relationship and remember we can't do it all on our own, and we can't fix everything ourselves. Only God can fully fix us and what is going on in our life.

Have a great weekend.

Matt