Fantastic Friday #1017 - Revere

Revere

23 The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
24 Therefore, people revere him,
for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? Job 37:23-24

When you think of God, do you revere Him? Are you in awe of His creation, do you honor His plan for all of us, do you adore Him each and every time you think of Him? Revering God, giving reverence to Him and His position is not something that is probably on the top of our to do list. That's why i think we need to be reminded of how we should approach God with our prayer, including forgiveness and requests. God doesn't have to forgive us or provide us what we pray for, but he does provide what He feels is right for us at the time. If we flippantly approach our Lord and Savior with requests, I am sure we can all see that this is probably the incorrect way to approach based on verse 23. He is so far beyond our reach, but He is there for us and we have to revere Him for who He is and what He can do for us. So the next time you approach God with requests, revere Him. Give Him the reverence He deserves, for He can provide relief, calmness, and guidance in our lives if we approach with that reverence.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1016 - Goodness

Goodness

9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

I found out some frustrating news this week in my work, which really made me disappointed, mainly due to the last 11 months spent on this project. I also found that through this process there were some individuals sharing things about this project that were untrue which made other individuals downplay the importance, need and viability of the project. It made me begin to reflect over my years of service in my job on how many good things I have done. It made me think on how I have treated individuals with respect to their humanity and even common courtesy. I have reflected on how I have managed, supervised and interacted with people every day. I am not to judge my own ways of doing good, for there is only one judge, but I can say that I have never undermined anyone to get something I wanted, which you would think after 20 years someone wouldn't do the reverse to me. But individuals are not perfect, they make mistakes and they are sometimes guided by the enemy for their own personal gains. It just put a rubber stamp on how I should be treating people around me, and that is with full respect and goodness. Why goodness? Because goodness comes from our God, and He has commanded us to do Good to all people. We can lose sight of this at times, but I know that there is forgiveness, there is a path forward, and we just need to make sure we are on the right one.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1015 - Willful

Willful

12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:12-14

How many of us think about our willful sins? Probably not often, and when you pray for forgiveness do you lump all those sins into one basket? I never really thought about "willful sins" until I was reading this scripture, and it definitely had an impact on me. We know that the Holy Spirit is with us, but there are many times we don't listen to the prompting and willfully commit sins. I almost think asking for forgiveness of sins needs to be separated from our errors we make and our willful walking away from our Father in Heaven. When we willfully sin, that is exactly what we are doing, walking or attempting to walk away from the path He has given us. One way we can work on stopping our willful sinning is by identifying those sins through our request for forgiveness. When we put a name to a sin, it is much easier to identify how we fall short and need our Father in Heaven. Keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with praying to God to forgive us our shortcomings, but it makes our relationship stronger when we can identify what we need to avoid to make our path closer to God and His teachings. Meditating on Him and His Word is a good place to start.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1014 - Advice

Advice

20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:20-21

How do you feel when you have someone giving you advice? Do you think that you don't need the advice, or what do they know about me? How is what they are going to say going to help me move forward? We tend to rely upon ourselves a lot I assume, and tend to think that no one knows what I am dealing with or going through. There are times when I am sure that we run from advice whether it is solicited or unsolicited. The thing about today's society is that there is not a lot of listening that takes place, but there sure is a lot of talking. Just because someone gives advice, doesn't mean we have to take it and apply it to our situation. However, God's Word is unfailing, and the advice given in His book is something we should definitely pay attention to regularly. While there is always someone who thinks they know better, there is always a God that knows your heart and where you stand. If you look for advice from our Savior, He will give it, even if it is something you may have not wanted to hear. Just like this scripture, the Lord's purpose in our life will prevail, so the advice He provides is best taken to heart. Keep in mind that listening for advice from others and our God are very different, but we need to open our minds to the information being offered.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #1013 - Snare

Snare

4 Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.

5 The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path.

6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy. Psalm 140:4-6



The enemy is very tricky and lays traps and snares for us all the time. These snares may be something that does not seem like a big deal, but every time someone falls for a snare, then it becomes that much easier for individuals to fall further away from the Lord. A snare could be something as simple as a tv show, movie or book that may not be appropriate, or it could be a temptation to gossip or attack someone online. These traps and snares are the way that the enemy pulls us slowly away from the teachings of Jesus. I heard a news story that estimates that in the world there are 5% of the people who are rude, violent and causing issues, and they are the loudest percentage of the population that gets reported on the news or some other media outlet. What happens when the other 95% live their lives and do not engage in what the other 5% is doing. If we are quiet and keep goodness to ourselves, it gives the enemy a better chance to try and entrap those 95%. Instead, we should be open with our goodness to others, be a leader in our community and fight the good fight that Jesus has set us out to do. Remember who our Father In Heaven is, and let Him intervene on your behalf. Stay close to him and he will help you avoid the snares laid out before you.

Have a great weekend.

Matt