Fantastic Friday #242-Conspiracy

Conspiracy

9 Then the LORD said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. Jeremiah 11:9-11

Looking around this week made me realize that there is a conspiracy out there, both one that my Pastor is speaking of and one that is among the people that are "of this world." During a season when we should be pursuing Him and all that He has done for us, people tend to pursue that brand new thing that is shiny and pretty and is supposedly making their life easier. Maybe that shiny thing is not something "of this world" but something that is bigger than this world that we should be pursuing. Let us cry out to the Lord with a heart that is clean and pursue what He has for us. Let us pursue what God has laid out in His conspiracy, which is to give us a gift that we cannot return. The gift of eternal life is what we should focus our mind on during this time of year. Thank you God for who you are and what you have done.

Fantastic Friday #241-Deliverer

Deliverer

¹ I love you, LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3

This time of year when you order something online you wait anxiously for the deliverer of that item, whether it be the post office or another delivery service. The problem with delivery in today's world is that most of it is either junk, bills, or the occasional thank you or Christmas card. The world has gotten away from the fine art of writing letters with a pen and paper. I can remember how we used to wait patiently to run to the mailbox for that letter delivery. How many of us look to the Lord for delivery of something that we think we need, but only really want. Maybe we aren't seeing the Lord deliver that thing we think we need, because He is not the post office or another delivery service. He is the Deliverer and has already delivered what we need, and that was His Son over 2000 years ago. Look at this Christmas season with an eye out for our True Deliverer of the only package we ever needed.

Fantastic Frida #240- Hands

Hands

¹⁶ May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:16-17

This time of year brings a multitude of emotions to the forefront. Sometimes I wonder how we keep all the balls in the air juggling with just two hands. Why is this time of the year which is supposed to be a joyous time, such a drain on the physical body? It is amazing to think how we think that our hands are the ones that are doing all the juggling. It is another thing to think that all the work we do is a result of our own effort. It is also amazing to think that the blessings that God has provided us with can be controlled by our own will. In this season of giving, let Him into your heart to guide your hands into the direction He wants them to go. Let Him lead the blessing that you will provide to someone else. Let Him finish the work that He has established for our hands, and have Faith. Don't let your pride get in the way of His Hand on you.

Fantastic Friday #239- Attitude

Attitude

⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:4-6

How many of you dealt with someone that was rude this week? How many of you were able to let that rude attitude flow off your shoulders and you came out as the better person? Well, if any of you are like me, depending on how rude the person was determined your own attitude towards them and how you reacted. Boy this attitude thing is hard sometimes, and I sometimes wonder why there are so many of these people that are out there to attempt to make our lives miserable. Or maybe I am looking at it all wrong, yep I am. God puts these people in our lives to show us and them a few things. Number one, they are there to test our attitude and how we react to them. Number two, they are there because God wants us to show them an attitude of Christ's love. And number three, they are there to allow God to be glorified. Maybe we need to focus on our own attitude before we get to that rude person who needs to see our love of Christ. Show some love this week.