Explore
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:12-14
How often do you take time to explore outside of your surroundings? Exploring can take many forms, it can be a hike, a walk, a ride or a drive. Depending on how fast you go will determine how much you take in while exploring. I would say hiking or walking can allow you more reflection than riding or driving, and the same can be said for studying the scriptures. How many of us stop and truly reflect while we are reading God's Word. I honestly can say that sometimes I ride through the scriptures rather than walk through the scriptures and listen to what God is telling me. With exploration comes wisdom, as long as you explore at the right pace. See what God has done and listen.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, August 31, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
Fantastic Friday #642 - Curse
Curse
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:9-12
When you start the morning with prayer or praise of our Father, do you think about how you will go about treating other people throughout your day. I observed something this week where two people of opposite beliefs were debating something, however one of the individuals would keep interrupting the other person and also came forward with a degrading comment towards that person. When I was speaking to my kids this week, I talked about one of the biggest problems with our society today is the fact that people spend too much time yelling(cursing) at each other and less than enough time listening. When you look a this scripture and think about people or yourself, I am sure many people praise God, but then out of the same mouth they curse others. How can that be good? How can that be refreshing? How can that strengthen others? The next time you think about talking about, cursing, yelling or berating other people, think about that moment you should treat them like you treat God. Maybe if more people focused on this, there would be less saltiness and more harmony.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:9-12
When you start the morning with prayer or praise of our Father, do you think about how you will go about treating other people throughout your day. I observed something this week where two people of opposite beliefs were debating something, however one of the individuals would keep interrupting the other person and also came forward with a degrading comment towards that person. When I was speaking to my kids this week, I talked about one of the biggest problems with our society today is the fact that people spend too much time yelling(cursing) at each other and less than enough time listening. When you look a this scripture and think about people or yourself, I am sure many people praise God, but then out of the same mouth they curse others. How can that be good? How can that be refreshing? How can that strengthen others? The next time you think about talking about, cursing, yelling or berating other people, think about that moment you should treat them like you treat God. Maybe if more people focused on this, there would be less saltiness and more harmony.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, August 17, 2018
Fantastic Friday #641 - Worthy
Worthy
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
I was on the news this week. It was on a less popular channel of news, but I still asked myself what did I do to deserve this. Do you find yourself asking the question of whether you are worthy? What does living a worthy life look like to you? Some people look at specific rules and procedures when they think of the term worthy. God is very clear in this scripture of what the worthy person looks like, being humble and gentle is a good place to start. I probably wasn't as humble as I should have been by posting the news clip online, but I know that God knows my heart. We should all look at the key words of being worthy and practice these in our life. Humble, gentle, patient, and bearing with one another in love. These are good guides.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
I was on the news this week. It was on a less popular channel of news, but I still asked myself what did I do to deserve this. Do you find yourself asking the question of whether you are worthy? What does living a worthy life look like to you? Some people look at specific rules and procedures when they think of the term worthy. God is very clear in this scripture of what the worthy person looks like, being humble and gentle is a good place to start. I probably wasn't as humble as I should have been by posting the news clip online, but I know that God knows my heart. We should all look at the key words of being worthy and practice these in our life. Humble, gentle, patient, and bearing with one another in love. These are good guides.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, August 10, 2018
Fantastic Friday #640 - Consume
Consume
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me. Psalm 13
Do you sometimes think that God has forgotten you? Do you feel like God is hiding from you? A lot of people can wrestle with thoughts that consume them, and a lot of times these thoughts are from the enemy. The enemy tries to destroy our confidence in God in all of our circumstances. Whether we have a bad day at work, a problem at home, or a significant health issue, the enemy tries to blame God and tries to make you believe that God is the issue. The thing we need to remember is perfectly spelled out in this set of verses. To trust in God's unfailing love brings about joy and peace. It also defeats the enemy because God has already won the battle. When we go through things that consume us, remember to let God consume us more and push the enemy away. God is gracious and as this scripture says, he has been good to me.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me. Psalm 13
Do you sometimes think that God has forgotten you? Do you feel like God is hiding from you? A lot of people can wrestle with thoughts that consume them, and a lot of times these thoughts are from the enemy. The enemy tries to destroy our confidence in God in all of our circumstances. Whether we have a bad day at work, a problem at home, or a significant health issue, the enemy tries to blame God and tries to make you believe that God is the issue. The thing we need to remember is perfectly spelled out in this set of verses. To trust in God's unfailing love brings about joy and peace. It also defeats the enemy because God has already won the battle. When we go through things that consume us, remember to let God consume us more and push the enemy away. God is gracious and as this scripture says, he has been good to me.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, August 3, 2018
Fantastic Friday #639 - Devote
Devote
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
Devote is an interesting word, because it really has a couple of different meanings. It can mean to set apart by a solemn or formal act, but strangely enough it can also mean to commit to evil or destruction. I am pretty sure that God meant the first definition for devote when writing these words. So, the question is, what do you devote yourself to? Do you focus on the evil that is around us, or do you spend time in prayer when the world comes crashing down around you. I know that when I spend time in thoughtful prayer, my mind calms and my spirit is lifted. I think I would rather have these feelings than focus on what the enemy makes us think is right but is really destructive to our soul. Prayer lifts us so why not devote yourself to it.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
Devote is an interesting word, because it really has a couple of different meanings. It can mean to set apart by a solemn or formal act, but strangely enough it can also mean to commit to evil or destruction. I am pretty sure that God meant the first definition for devote when writing these words. So, the question is, what do you devote yourself to? Do you focus on the evil that is around us, or do you spend time in prayer when the world comes crashing down around you. I know that when I spend time in thoughtful prayer, my mind calms and my spirit is lifted. I think I would rather have these feelings than focus on what the enemy makes us think is right but is really destructive to our soul. Prayer lifts us so why not devote yourself to it.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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