Roots
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
I saw a lot of rain in the last week, and with over 6 inches of rain I expected that I would have seen a lot of damaged and washed-away trees. I am not saying there wasn't damage, but what I did see is those trees that had the stronger root system were strong and sturdy and did not fall over. I know that we don't want to get washed away by the enemy and it all starts with our roots, the ones we have in Him. If we spend time with Him and in His word, our roots will grow. If we have confidence in His power and ability to provide for us, then He will provide and protect us. We might feel swayed by wind of a storm on occasion, but if our roots are deep and strong, we don't have anything to worry about. The stronger our roots, the more we can stand against the enemy and not be swayed. Work on your root system and rely on Him for your every need.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Friday, September 21, 2018
Fantastic Friday #646 - Way
Way
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
Do you find yourself running through life? When you take time to stop and look to see what is around you, is it blurry? Quite often the blurriness is related to the time you take with anything. You might be speeding through your walk and not paying attention to the important people in your life. When that happens, you begin to be disconnected from most everything. At times you could begin to head down the path of least resistance and look for the easy way. We should be looking for the way with resistance because through that our faith is tested. When our faith is tested, God is still always with us and will continue to guide us. Walk in the way the Spirit guides and don’t focus on the enemy to take the easy path.
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
Do you find yourself running through life? When you take time to stop and look to see what is around you, is it blurry? Quite often the blurriness is related to the time you take with anything. You might be speeding through your walk and not paying attention to the important people in your life. When that happens, you begin to be disconnected from most everything. At times you could begin to head down the path of least resistance and look for the easy way. We should be looking for the way with resistance because through that our faith is tested. When our faith is tested, God is still always with us and will continue to guide us. Walk in the way the Spirit guides and don’t focus on the enemy to take the easy path.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, September 14, 2018
Fantastic Friday #645 - Mystery
Mystery
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:7-10
I like a good mystery. My favorite mystery writer is Agatha Christie, and one of my favorite books by her was "And Then There Were None." The book includes a group of people who were killed but suffered a great deal of guilt before the killer had completed his revenge. It was a mystery of why all the people felt the guilt, until the very end when it all was revealed. The great thing about God's grace is that He gives us every reason not to feel guilty but to realize through the redemption of Christ we may have the mysteries of God revealed. It is His will to remove the guilt and make us whole, and it is His will that we be a part of God's heavenly family. So remember, this plan is no longer a mystery to us but very clear.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. Ephesians 1:7-10
I like a good mystery. My favorite mystery writer is Agatha Christie, and one of my favorite books by her was "And Then There Were None." The book includes a group of people who were killed but suffered a great deal of guilt before the killer had completed his revenge. It was a mystery of why all the people felt the guilt, until the very end when it all was revealed. The great thing about God's grace is that He gives us every reason not to feel guilty but to realize through the redemption of Christ we may have the mysteries of God revealed. It is His will to remove the guilt and make us whole, and it is His will that we be a part of God's heavenly family. So remember, this plan is no longer a mystery to us but very clear.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, September 7, 2018
Fantastic Friday #644 - Redeem
Redeem
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6
Pay off, exchange, make up for, convert are all terms of definition used to explain the word Redeem. What do you think of when you hear people say "I need to redeem myself," "I need to go make up for my wrong," or "I need to be forgiven." I typically think that they must have done something pretty bad at first, and then if I think, who am I to judge. Doesn't scripture in 1 John 5:17 discuss that all wrongdoing is sin. The important thing about sin is that all can be Redeemed for their sin, if they accept Christ as their savior. They can be forgiven of sin, because Jesus was Redeemed for us. He exchanged His life for us, think about that. He died for us. If you think about the sacrifice that was made, it becomes more clear about the redemption we can experience. I know that my Redeemer Lives.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6
Pay off, exchange, make up for, convert are all terms of definition used to explain the word Redeem. What do you think of when you hear people say "I need to redeem myself," "I need to go make up for my wrong," or "I need to be forgiven." I typically think that they must have done something pretty bad at first, and then if I think, who am I to judge. Doesn't scripture in 1 John 5:17 discuss that all wrongdoing is sin. The important thing about sin is that all can be Redeemed for their sin, if they accept Christ as their savior. They can be forgiven of sin, because Jesus was Redeemed for us. He exchanged His life for us, think about that. He died for us. If you think about the sacrifice that was made, it becomes more clear about the redemption we can experience. I know that my Redeemer Lives.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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