Fantastic Friday #330- Fame

Fame

² Lord, I have heard of your fame;
    I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.

³ God came from Teman,
    the Holy One from Mount Paran.
His glory covered the heavens
    and his praise filled the earth. Habakuk 3:2-3


There are quite a few people in this world that are considered famous.  Maybe they are a famous actor, a politician, or an athlete.  But the question is, what have they done to become famous?  In our society, a lot of people these days are famous for doing things that might not be what God intended for us to do, and sometimes these people are worshiped for their fame.  There are many people who are talented and do good things, but most time these people are forgotten once someone else comes along that does something to make themselves more famous. Jesus was famous for stepping outside the norms of society and bring the Gospel.  I would say He embodies the fullness of what being famous is all about.  So maybe our view of being famous is skewed, and we need to stand in awe of our God and remember to worship Him and not those other so-called famous people who are really just like us.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #329- Something

Something

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load. Galatians 6:1-5

I asked this question today, do you ever feel like you want to do something different?  If you look at sin carefully and the people who sin, the people are pretty much doing the same thing.  They aren't doing anything different from each other and they are living very similar sin driven lives.  What do you notice about those who are truly Christ followers?  These are the people that are living differently than the world around them, they are the ones that stand out because they are living in the light of Christ.  However those who are Christ followers should be careful not to compare their actions to the actions of others around them, as the scripture states, lest they fall into temptation themselves.  We need to remember that we should be doing "something" and that "something" is something different.  Different than the norm, different than our neighbor, different than what the enemy wants us to be.  Praise God for being a person that does something different.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #328- Crying

Crying

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  Revelation 21:3-5

In the last week I have seen many people cry.  There was joyful crying that showed how happy someone was to see their son.  Their was a weeping that had a deep emotional pull on the person I observed.  There was a crying I saw where someone was not very happy to see someone leave them after spending several days with them.  And then there was the eye watering crying that I observed by watching the Olympics, and yes all three of my kids turned around to see if my eyes were watering.  Maybe not everyone is an emotional person and experiences crying, but everyone has some level of emotion when they feel like they might not be where they need to be, or something just isn't happening right for them. I so look forward to the day when we don't have to have these sad, crying, emotional responses to our life and have our Lord and Savior sitting on that throne for us to worship.  We don't have to wait on that day, especially if we continue to realize the hope we have is in the return of our Lord and Savior.  Emotion is something God gave us, we just need to remember not to let it overtake our lives.  Let hope overturn our sadness, our crying and our emotions.

Have a great weekend.

Fanatastic Friday #327- Strength

Strength

4The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.

11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:4,11

Strength is something that we see quite often in many people. Whether is the strength we see in athletes, the strength we see in people's personality, the strength we see through someone suffering an illness, or the strength that we see in someone's faith.  How many times have you heard someone say that I am not strong enough, or I don't have the strength to endure this hardship?  There are really two kinds of strength if you think about it, one is physical and the other is spiritual.  These both work hand-in-hand in people's lives and I am not sure how much they can be separated.  The thing we need to remember is that it is not our strength that makes us strong, it is the strength of our Heavenly Father that He gives to us to get is through those times when we need it.  As long as we take what He gives and use it wisely, our spiritual strength grows, however if we only use that strength to get on to the next task and don't focus on where that strength came from, our spiritual strength can easily weaken.  Remember where your strength comes from, for with this strength comes spiritual growth.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #326- Edge

Edge

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. ⁴³ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
⁴⁷ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8:42b-48

Is there time throughout your life where you feel like you are on the edge of something?  Maybe you are on the edge ready to teeter over and fall off the ledge?  If you look closely, we all live on the edge of something.  Either we are living too close to sin, or we are skirting the edge of doubt.  Maybe we are sitting on the edge of a relationship that we can't seem to pull in off the ledge.  This is what I love about this story in Luke.  A woman who had been teetering on the edge of her health, no one can heal her and she is then healed by her Faith in Jesus.  What if we took that faith into our daily walk and relied on God's power rather than living on the edge waiting to fall off.  Don't teeter on the edge, rely on God for moving you further away from your doubts and sin. 

Have a great weekend.