Fantastic Friday #851 - Effort

Effort

23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Luke 13:23-25

I am finding something very recently as my years pass by, that effort by some people is not what I would consider full or even half effort. If you think about the people you work with or around, do you see them putting forth their full effort. I can understand how people can be drowning in tasks and they might feel like they can only have the bare minimum effort on some things, but why is that the case? Are they not prioritizing what needs to be done, are they not encouraging people they rely on to get their work completed? The same can be said about putting in our full effort to follow God and His teachings. If we are not prioritizing God in our life, it is really easy to put forth minimal effort with everything. I also think encouraging others is a good way to set yourself up for a day of maximum effort. All of this work and attitude can provide a feeling of putting forth maximum effort in everything we do. Take a moment to evaluate your effort and see where you might fall short. Maybe someone witnessing your exceptional effort will impact them and their less than adequate effort.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #850 - Failure

Failure

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26

Do you sometimes feel like a failure in one aspect of your life? Maybe it is something as simple as you thinking that you are not good enough, it could be an addiction or a bad habit with something that is not beneficial, or maybe it is a complete failure to acknowledge God in your life. We tend to over exaggerate our failure in life at times, and don't spend enough time recognizing who God is and who we actually are with God in our life. The world wants us to think when we mess up or have a personal problem that we are horrible people, but that is not who God sees. He does not see failure in a person, He sees the good and can overturn the failure anyone might have. We just need to make steps to acknowledge that God looks past our failure as long as we are willing to ask for help and forgiveness. God knows our flesh will fail and so will our heart, but He can be our strength any time we need it.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #849 - Drought

Drought


10 He provides rain for the earth;
he sends water on the countryside.
11 The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty,
so that their hands achieve no success. Job 5:10-12


60+ days without rain is what we have seen where I live, but just this week a measurable rain occurred. I always sit back and wonder if these periods of drought can be related to other forms of drought. Sometimes the drought can look like the burned grass we have seen, with almost no life on the surface, but the thing about grass is that it has roots that are still alive, just like God is alive in us even if we ignore Him. God wants to provide the nutrients that we need to grow, but it is up to us to pursue the fertilizer God provides. I know that at times in my life when I don't allow God to lead and guide me that I can be in a spiritual drought that can only be ended with a regular relationship with God. The water can return, but we have to make that effort in the relationship. That will look different for everyone, but the key is to stay away from this kind of drought that is entirely within our control.


Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #848 - Protect

Protect

1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. Psalm 20:1

Do you find God protecting you when you don't even know it? There is something about looking back on a situation and seeing how God was involved. Last weekend my son took my car out of town a significant distance, this is the same car that had been in the shop for six months waiting on a new engine. When he got back, he parked the car in front of the house and Sunday night something told me that I should probably go clean the bugs off the front of the windshield from his trip. As I walk up to the car, I look down and my front driver's side tire is separating. Note, this car does not have a spare and who knows what would have happened had the tire ripped open on his drive. Sometimes God protects us and nudges us through the Holy Spirit to keep us protected. We have to stop and listen when we are nudged and not ignore the simple prodding. I heard a great man say something similar this week about our body, that when something is wrong, our body will tell us and we need to get it checked out. We have to know how to listen carefully, and a lot of times that is shutting things down and just listening for that still small voice.

Have a great weekend.

Matt