Hardened
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24
I watched a brief 4 minute interview clip this week with a very famous individual who believes very strongly in the theory of evolution, and in his comments he surmised there was a .1% chance that there might be a God. He then related a couple of situations in his life of where his life was spared, but even after those close-to-death experiences he still doesn't believe in God. A friend of mine noted after watching the clip "how gracious of God to rescue him knowing that his heart would be hardened." Do you see your heart hardened when you don't acknowledge how God works in your life, or when you don't appreciate the creation God has placed us in. Or do you know someone whose heart is hardened and continues to resist the free gift of grace to all those who believe. Either way, God can soften your heart or theirs which can lead to glorifying God. Keep your eye on the Lord and through faith those hard hearts can turn soft.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Fantastic Friday #279- Flee
Flee
1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds[b];
rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. Psalm 68:1-4
Do you see people running away from God on a regular basis? It is kind of like us when we don't feel comfortable in a situation, we tend to flee from whatever is making us uncomfortable. When sin creeps in, do we flee the other direction or do we allow that little bit of sin into the opening to take hold of us? When we allow that sin through that opening, then we are actually fleeing from our Father in Heaven instead of growing closer. I don't know about you but I would rather flee from a fire and head towards our Father and be happy, than flee away from our Father into a scorched earth and perish. Fleeing from sin for Life Everlasting or Fleeing from God to Perish. What will your choice be?
Have a great weekend.
1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds[b];
rejoice before him—his name is the LORD. Psalm 68:1-4
Do you see people running away from God on a regular basis? It is kind of like us when we don't feel comfortable in a situation, we tend to flee from whatever is making us uncomfortable. When sin creeps in, do we flee the other direction or do we allow that little bit of sin into the opening to take hold of us? When we allow that sin through that opening, then we are actually fleeing from our Father in Heaven instead of growing closer. I don't know about you but I would rather flee from a fire and head towards our Father and be happy, than flee away from our Father into a scorched earth and perish. Fleeing from sin for Life Everlasting or Fleeing from God to Perish. What will your choice be?
Have a great weekend.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Fantastic Friday #278-Say Something
Good Morning Men,
Say Something
22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23
When it comes to your daily life, do you sit back and watch people lie, cheat, or steal and do nothing? Do you sit back and watch people that are lazy, inconsiderate, or gossip and say nothing? These seem to be two very large extremes between the two sets of actions, or is there? All six of these are sin if you really break it down. What about the Gospel? Do we sit and watch people who are lost, without a direction? In our silence do we hear people to say that they are fine and think they are a good person, and do we continue to let them think they don't need to hear about our Lord and Savior. Take a lesson from Paul and say something, for what will happen if you say nothing. We have been given the task of testifying to our Lord's grace, so Say Something.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Say Something
22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23
When it comes to your daily life, do you sit back and watch people lie, cheat, or steal and do nothing? Do you sit back and watch people that are lazy, inconsiderate, or gossip and say nothing? These seem to be two very large extremes between the two sets of actions, or is there? All six of these are sin if you really break it down. What about the Gospel? Do we sit and watch people who are lost, without a direction? In our silence do we hear people to say that they are fine and think they are a good person, and do we continue to let them think they don't need to hear about our Lord and Savior. Take a lesson from Paul and say something, for what will happen if you say nothing. We have been given the task of testifying to our Lord's grace, so Say Something.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, August 26, 2011
Fantastic Friday #277- Correction
Good Morning Men,
Correction
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a crafty man.
3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted. Proverbs 12:1-3
How do you handle feedback or correction? Do you automatically brush it off as something you don't think you need, or do you listen carefully? Do you take in what is being said to you and then evaluate how you can do better? The enemy wants you to react with anger and frustration, because that draws a line between you and the Lord. If that line is drawn by you then wickedness can slip into your life, and that is exactly where the enemy wants you. I like the picture of taking feedback from my fellow brother to gain knowledge that will help me grow, rather than being condemned or stuck in wickedness. Ground yourselves in righteousness and allow that correction in your life so you won't look stupid.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Correction
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
but the LORD condemns a crafty man.
3 A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted. Proverbs 12:1-3
How do you handle feedback or correction? Do you automatically brush it off as something you don't think you need, or do you listen carefully? Do you take in what is being said to you and then evaluate how you can do better? The enemy wants you to react with anger and frustration, because that draws a line between you and the Lord. If that line is drawn by you then wickedness can slip into your life, and that is exactly where the enemy wants you. I like the picture of taking feedback from my fellow brother to gain knowledge that will help me grow, rather than being condemned or stuck in wickedness. Ground yourselves in righteousness and allow that correction in your life so you won't look stupid.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, August 19, 2011
Fantastic Friday #276- Perserverance
Perseverance
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 2 Peter 1:3-9
As people on this earth do you ever find yourself thinking you are a powerful individual? What makes you powerful or think that you are powerful? Our minds can be caught in our world that tells us that with money comes power, or being larger than life/famous is powerful, or having a ton of followers can give you power. But looking at the above scripture, only the Lord has Divine Power, and through that power He gives us those promises when we have faith in Him and persevere. It is interesting how God shows that through His power we can increase our knowledge of Him and be productive. When you are productive we are powerful through Him and can show others where the true power lives. Persevere my dear friends, persevere.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Fantastic Friday #275- Shield
Shield
3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side. Psalm 3:3-6
What do you think of when you hear the word shield. Have you ever thought of what a shield is made of and what good it really is for someone? It all really comes down to being a protective device and in the past they have typically been made out of a strong metal to repel the attacks of another fighter. I really like how we can look at something so simple and see how we can view God and who He is for us. When you feel attacked by the evil one, or beat down by what the world has to offer, put your Faith in the Lord and let Him be the shield for you. He can repel any attack of the evil one, any feeling of inadequacy, any sadness and any general negative situation in our life. Use your Faith to raise up God to His place, and that is your strong protector.
Have a great weekend.
3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side. Psalm 3:3-6
What do you think of when you hear the word shield. Have you ever thought of what a shield is made of and what good it really is for someone? It all really comes down to being a protective device and in the past they have typically been made out of a strong metal to repel the attacks of another fighter. I really like how we can look at something so simple and see how we can view God and who He is for us. When you feel attacked by the evil one, or beat down by what the world has to offer, put your Faith in the Lord and let Him be the shield for you. He can repel any attack of the evil one, any feeling of inadequacy, any sadness and any general negative situation in our life. Use your Faith to raise up God to His place, and that is your strong protector.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Fantastic Friday #274- Prepared
Prepared
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:15-17
How prepared do you find yourself when someone asks you about what you believe and why? On many occasions it might be easy to overlook who we are in Christ, because we get distracted by the speed of our travels, getting a job done, or getting away from the question that is asked be cause we feel uncomfortable. It could be that we might find ourselves unsure of what we actually believe or hold value in, which causes us to be uncomfortable. I hold strongly to the belief that it is important to sit down and write what we believe and why we believe it, so it can be easier communicated when we are asked that question. It doesn't have to be some complex terminology that you have heard the pastor talk about, or a scripture you don't quite understand. It can be the simplest description or scripture of what gives you hope and what keeps you focused on God and not yourself. Remember, Christ paid the ultimate price for us, so we don't need to feel uncomfortable to talk about Him when He already suffered for us.
Have a great weekend.
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:15-17
How prepared do you find yourself when someone asks you about what you believe and why? On many occasions it might be easy to overlook who we are in Christ, because we get distracted by the speed of our travels, getting a job done, or getting away from the question that is asked be cause we feel uncomfortable. It could be that we might find ourselves unsure of what we actually believe or hold value in, which causes us to be uncomfortable. I hold strongly to the belief that it is important to sit down and write what we believe and why we believe it, so it can be easier communicated when we are asked that question. It doesn't have to be some complex terminology that you have heard the pastor talk about, or a scripture you don't quite understand. It can be the simplest description or scripture of what gives you hope and what keeps you focused on God and not yourself. Remember, Christ paid the ultimate price for us, so we don't need to feel uncomfortable to talk about Him when He already suffered for us.
Have a great weekend.
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