Fantastic Friday #1003 - Steadfast

Steadfast

6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. Psalm 112:6-8

Fear is a funny thing, it can sneak up on you when you least expect it. I have had quite a few dreams this week, some of which I still remember, but in a few of them I was full of fear. Fear of what was following me and hunting me. I know that dreams are these subconscious thoughts that can really come sometimes from true thoughts and feelings, but in some cases it can be the enemy sneaking in trying to get to you while you are resting or resetting for the next day. I like this scripture in how it talks about the righteous having hearts that are steadfast and trusting in the Lord. Isn't that all it takes to drive away the fear in our life, is a steadfast pursuant heart of our Father in Heaven. I know a lot of times we can forget how simple it can be to drive away the enemy and the fear that can creep in on us. Take a moment to know that we can Trust in our Father to know what is best for us and can rescue us from fear. Be steadfast and follow Him.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1002 - Creation

Creation




Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples in his faithfulness. Psalm 96:13




This week I’ve been able to focus a lot on God’s creation and the beauty that he put on this earth for us to enjoy. I’ve seen where people have taken care of creation to improve it, and also see people that are destroying creation through different means. When you mention the word creation, what do you think about? The easiest thing to think about is the Earth and that everything around us including the mountains, the ocean, the plains and everywhere in between. Do you ever think about you as God’s creation? We spend a lot of time ignoring ourselves, and where we need to be in our relationship with our father in heaven. This may involve spending time with him in silence, in prayer, or just being grateful and sharing his gospel to those who need it. As the scripture says, God will judge everyone according to their righteousness. I also believe that God will look at how we treat others and how we treat his creation.




Have a great weekend.




Matt

Fantastic Friday #1001 - Worth

Worth

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9

Do you ever wonder how much our lives are worth? I often see the value of human life greatly diminished in our society today, and I reflect on why God would allow something like us, that is worth everything to His plan, to just disintegrate into the world. Then I remembered this scripture about our faith being worth greater than any possession. Can you imagine if more people thought of the unborn babies, or the value of someone else's life as greater than any material possession and what that could lead to? I firmly believe that when we find worth in human life, we also find our faith in our Father who created those individuals. Keep remembering that God created you for a worthy purpose that is worth more than material possessions.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1000 - Cost

Cost

1“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David. Isaiah 55:1-3

One thousand Friday's ago I began a journey that I never thought would have lasted a year, much less 19+ years of providing God's Word along with a few words of encouragement. It all started when a good friend and mentor of mine, Kevin Walker, guided me on finding my spiritual gifts. The key gift I had found after taking a test and counseling with him was a gift of encouragement. While Kevin is no longer with us, his spirit of kindness and words of encouragement have guided me for years on the path God has for me. Kevin told me that having the written word of encouragement can impact anyone, and I should let God's Word guide me. Over the years I have written my words based on numerous promptings of the Holy Spirit. They may have been situations involving my personal battle, friend's challenges, my family's growth, grief with my (parent's, in-laws and friend's) deaths, celebrations of marriage, my children's successes, my wonderful wife or what God had put on my heart. I don't know how many people I have impacted with these weekly devotionals, but I do know I have impacted myself. I have grown and learned so much from putting a few words down that I felt were important for me and others to hear. So, this week when God presented the word 'cost' to me as I was driving to work, I knew exactly what I needed to write about. Every poor decision we make has a cost, and can break us off our path of righteousness. The wonderful thing about life is that someone already paid the ultimate price for us, and it does not cost us a thing. The scripture in Isaiah paints a picture of the freedom of accepting our Savior, by listening to His invitation. Accepting Christ in your life is an incredible cost-free gift that keeps on giving. We just need to remember that it doesn't cost us a thing. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that the cost which was paid in the past gives us a future to be with our Father in Heaven. I would say that is an amazing gift and one that gives us all hope.

Have a great weekend.

Matt