Fantastic Friday #757 - Petition

Petition

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

How many of us have petitioned a leader for something? Maybe you wrote your elected representatives or senators, presented in front of the school board, addressed your Elder Board, pleaded with a Pastor or even spoke at your city council meetings. Whatever it was that you petitioned for, you had a strong desire to make a change, and the change was typically driven by something you didn't like, or something someone did that impacted you negatively. In this world of elections in the U.S. democracy, we are given the opportunity to choose someone who we think can do the job well. How do politics and God's word cross? Well, God very explicitly in this set of verses tells us that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving should be made for all people. He didn't say "some people" or only your "family members", He said "all" people. He also clarified who that was to include and that was "kings and all those in authority", and I would say this even includes our elected officials. Whether you are on one side of a political party or another, we all need to remember that these candidates are included in the "all people" category and God wants all people to be saved and come to an understanding of Him. So take a moment to pray for the leaders of your country, because whether you voted for them or not, God can guide these leaders through our prayers.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #756 - Redemption

Redemption

13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Redemption, the act of atoning for a fault or mistake, that is what the dictionary says. However, redemption has a much deeper meaning than just that, especially when we may be atoning for something daily, which could be something you do or say about someone else. To have redemption through God' Son, Jesus Christ, gives us not just forgiveness, but it also rescues us from an eternity of darkness. Just because he has rescued us doesn't mean we don't have a role to play, when you put the preceding verses with the above two key verses, you get the full picture.

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 9a-12

We don't always pay attention to what we need to do to obtain this free gift of redemption, because we are all tied up into our own things that supposedly make us happy. If we stop and remove the vices and disobedient practices from our lives, then bearing fruit becomes much easier and we don't have to spend all our time atoning for mistakes we make because out of that fruit comes a joy that glorifies our father.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #755 - Malice

Malice

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32

As I was reading this scripture this week, I thought how much this fits within the time we are living in now. Don't get me wrong, malice has always been around because the enemy is very influential on earth, but the level of anger and rage that we see daily is continuing to grow. We can all sit back on our high horses and in our houses including groups of friends and say, you know that is such a small percentage of people in the world, there are more good things out there than bad things. So let me ask you a question, how many of you experienced a feeling of bitterness or even slight anger towards someone this week. I know that I have felt a bit of frustration which can lead to bitterness and anger, and if we allow those small moments of bitterness to creep in, this will only cause us to be able to slip into those moments of anger more easily, which could eventually lead to malice. It is a pretty simple directive from God, and if you take a moment to step back and be kind instead of bitter, you can be the change that influences the world around you. So, take this challenge this week, wave at people when you pass them, say hello to complete and total strangers, hold the door for people you don't even know, and don't forget to ask God to guide you through these turbulent times. Get rid of the things that drag us down, you can find those in verse 31.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #754 - Hearing

Hearing

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear. Isaiah 59:1

As I have begun to age I have found that I tend not to hear very well, but if you ask my family I have had this problem for many years. I wonder how many of us actually listen to what the Lord wants us to hear, or do we listen to what we want to hear. In today's world there are so many things coming at us at once, it is very hard to distinguish what we should be listening to day by day. We tend to listen to what sounds good to us. Kind of like music, we listen to things that make us move or feel good. How many of us have ever listened to the enemy and then felt really good after choosing to make a decision that is not righteous? We need to remember that the Lord's reach is far and wide to help us. He can hear everything we say to Him, and all we have to do is ask. If we listen carefully and allow the Lord to reach us, our hearing will improve.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #753 - Recognition

Recognition

3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 1 Timothy 5:3-5

If you were to look at me, recognition is something I hide from, even though Words of Affirmation is my love language. We all look for recognition for things that we do, in fact why would we care about grades in school if we didn't want the recognition for doing well, or why would we want the athletic award for doing well in sport, or the number 1 ranking for a performance. We all strive for recognition and excellence in some way. When life starts on its downhill course, this is when recognition doesn't matter as much to us, and especially when we are taking care of a parent. They took care of us all those years, and then the tables turn where we will take care of our parents. It is interesting that this scripture refers to "repaying" our parents. Our parents paid a price and so it is our turn to pay them back. God also paid a price by having his Son Jesus die for our sins, so maybe we should repay Him with our Honor and respect. Recognize who needs the most recognition and then you won't need it so much.

Have a great weekend.

Matt