Fantastic Friday #718 - Cost

Cost

1 Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?
Who can live on Your holy mountain?

2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart—

3 who does not slander with his tongue,
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,

4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his word whatever the cost,

5 who does not lend his money at interest
or take a bribe against the innocent—
the one who does these things will never be moved. Psalm 15



Do you think of the cost of fighting for rights of others, or the cost of fighting for someone you are close to? It is common to forget the cost that Jesus paid on the cross, but even during times before Christ came, people were following God at great cost sometimes. Today it is easier because of our freedom to follow Christ and His teachings, but not everywhere around the world. Certainly there are people paying a much higher price to follow the Lord, but honestly it doesn't cost us very much. What about your brothers and sisters in Christ, do you work hard to protect them at all costs, and do you think they would protect you at all costs? What about your past friends you have lost touch with, or just left behind for a closer group of friends. We need to think carefully about our circle of friends and not isolate ourselves. With the short lives we have on this earth, we need to take advantage of every relationship we have now or had in the past. I think sometimes we get caught up in a small circle and routine because we are comfortable, but we probably need to expand our realm at times past the things we are most comfortable. We don't know what is ahead of us and we might not know when we will need an acquaintance outside our immediate group. God puts all these people in our lives for different reasons, but He doesn't expect us to just ignore them if they move away or not rely on them when we need help. All I am saying is love on the ones outside your realm just as much as the ones close to you, and maybe God will show you how you all fit together, and there is no cost to gaining relationships, only losing them.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #717 - Depend

Depend

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

This is a common verse we have all heard many times, but do you really listen to it carefully. The word rely has a synonym, depend, that we don't often think about, in fact we probably think about being independent more than dependent. When you find the path you are are walking as a rocky road, what do you depend on to get down that rocky road. Is it a broom to clear the path, a stick to knock the rocks out of the way, or do you try to find another path to avoid the rough and tumble road. Maybe we are relying too much on ourselves to get down this path, and we should focus on trusting the Lord to get us down that rocky path. Sure we might slip on path during our walk, but God is always there to catch us and guide us. Remember that we aren't strong enough to do these things on our own, we need the Lord in every step of our life.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #716 - Devotion

Devotion

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;
the nations will perish from His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more. Psalm 10:16-18
When you look at your devotion to the Lord and His teachings, do you think about His devotion to you? We spend a lot of time thinking about our plight, about our hurt and not much time reflecting on the Lord's history of being devoted to the people who love Him and follow Him. I can spend all day talking to God, reading His Word, listening to uplifting music and reading devotional books, but am I really devoting myself to Him and His teachings or am I walking a path to look good to Him. When you truly devote yourself to God, it looks very different than what is listed above. Your walk is very different, your thoughts turn to what is good, and you live an uplifting life because of God's guidance. A humble respect of our Father in Heaven is what He wants from us and when we begin to Devote ourselves Humbly, His actions will be more clear to all of us.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #715 - Clarity

Clarity

1 Lord, I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.
2 In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;
listen closely to me and save me.
3 Be a rock of refuge for me,
where I can always go.
Give the command to save me,
for You are my rock and fortress. Psalm 71:1-3

When you are praying for something , do ask for a clear answer, one with full clarity that leaves no doubt. I think a lot of us want that clear answer, but that is not always how God works. Many times we are given bits and pieces of an answer to a prayer or a guiding response that requires something of us. You are probably asking yourself, what could I possibly give that would provide an answer with clarity. Your first step should be to come humbly to the Lord with a faith that He has already lined out a clear path, one that you just can't see yet. God desires us to want Him to help us, because He knows our heart and where we stand with our faith. If we let our faith waver, God knows this and might not provide us the clarity we wish for or want as an answer. The sooner we start to realize that God wants our humility and our faith in Him, the sooner the clarity will occur. Sometimes the worst things that happen to us give us the opportunity to look back on and clearly see why we had to go through them. There will be however some hidden things from us until we are truly ready for the clarity that God provides. Seek clarity through humble and faithful prayer.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #714 - NEW

New

18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19

The past is so easy to look back on and see what we have done and how we have done it. The continual evaluation of the past is not always good because we can dwell on the negative more than the positive. The past has things we can learn from, but we have to remember that not everything in the past is important. God creates a new day for us each day, and it is sort of a renewal to give us a chance to follow Him and what He has in store for us. We all have a constant battle we fight every day against the enemy and what he is trying to do is make us remember and dwell upon the past, including the challenges we are currently experiencing. We have something better than that and it is a true direction of not dwelling on the past from God's Word. God makes a path for us and even though there are times we cannot see it, the path is made clear at the right time. We have to make sure not to get lost in the wilderness by not taking His cues. Have faith in the one that fights all our battles for us and has already won the ultimate battle. Keep on fighting and live a New life every single day.


Have a great weekend.


Matt