Fantastic Friday #380 - God's Love

God's Love

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5
 

I saw a picture this week that was very interesting.  The picture was of sand under a microscope.  I will get back to that picture in a second, but I often hear people say, "does God really love me" or "does God really care about me and what happens to me?"  For those who are very strong in their faith and relationship with God, this question probably doesn't come up.  Or, does it come up but in just a different way.  Have you ever asked God, "why" or "why now" when something has happened to you where you seem beaten down or hurt?  Or, do you ever ask God, "where are you?"  These are all forms of the first two questions, because there is doubt written all over them. I believe people can tend to portray in life that they have a strong faith, but being human we all can have doubt creep into our minds.  Now if you look closely at this scripture, it is very clear that God loves us, and we should boast that He is right there with us through the Holy Spirit.  Now, let's take a look at that picture of sand under a microscope.(See below & if you can't see the picture, Google Sand under microscope)  If God created something which is that beautiful, but can't be seen by the naked eye, how much more beautiful are we as His creation to have a relationship with Him. Certainly God poured and pours His love over us regularly, we just need to have faith that whatever the circumstances we are in, that He loves us and is there for us.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #379- Earthy

Earthy

¹⁷ For I am about to fall,
    and my pain is ever with me.
¹⁸ I confess my iniquity;
    I am troubled by my sin.
¹⁹ Many have become my enemies without cause;
    those who hate me without reason are numerous.
²⁰ Those who repay my good with evil
    lodge accusations against me,
    though I seek only to do what is good.

²¹ Lord, do not forsake me;
    do not be far from me, my God.
²² Come quickly to help me,
    my Lord and my Savior. Psalm 38:17-22

¹⁹ For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.1 Peter 2:19

I heard a famous DJ refer to the Bible as Earthy this week.(@air1brant)  When he began to explain what he meant, it made a lot of sense.  The Bible is full of a lot of good stories and and great endings. However, with that good is a lot of bad that really isn't talked about that much.  That bad includes death, disease, murder, and a lot of pain and sins that we don't highlight that much. "Very Earthy stuff if you think about it" I believe was his quote.  The things that are highlighted a lot of times when we go to church are the really cool stories and great endings, so much of the time our attention is easily captured and all of the main points are simple to remember.  So, you are probably very confused right now by these thoughts I am making, but let's put this into perspective. There is something about this Earthy stuff that could really help us in our daily walk with Christ.  We know that God uses suffering and sin to reveal Himself to people every day.  Once we are Christians, I imagine some of us tend to focus only on where we are heading next.  This probably occurs because life happens and we don't spend as much time in the Word as we should, or maybe we are reading too many feel-good books about being a better follower of Christ, leading a better mission-filled life, or being a better sharer of the Gospel.  However, if we do spend time in the Word, I assume we might look at only the highlights of the feel good stories to remind us of who we are and who God is in our life.  Now, there is nothing wrong with that because we are spending time in God's Word, but I am of the belief that we need to also pay attention to the struggles and sin found in the Bible and look at today's world.  The reason for looking at sin and the struggles of life is because the work that God has overcome for us already through Christ's death and resurrection has already put those things in their place.  If we look at those sins and struggles closely, the good stories mean a lot more, and your story will mean even more than you thought.  Very earthy, huh?

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #378- Heat

Heat

⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.
¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:9-12
Today was a scorcher where we live. I walked outside in my shirt and tie and it was the first time that I have had a wind blowing in my face that actually made me more hot than cool.   For whatever His reasons, God had the heat of the sun beating down on us today. I reflect on how it could have been like that in all of July but instead we have experienced our mildest July in many years.  Days like today have been a nice reminder of who God is and how much in control He is of everything. If you took time today to notice how hot it was, how beautiful the morning sun is, how pretty the flowers were, how green or "brown" the grass was or how the hot wind blew against your face, you were actually noticing God's handiwork.  If you didn't notice any of these things, you probably were moving too fast through your day and chasing the wrong things.  I assume the rich who chase the worldly things of this life and those who don't have a true relationship with God tend not to notice the little things about living that really matter.  You and I might have struggles in this world, but the more we focus on God and His plan for us, the more we will realize God's greater plan for our lives is not located here.  So remember, the heat we might feel from time to time is for our good and growth, and allows us to focus on God's great glory.
Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #377- Lamp

Lamp

²⁷ The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord
    that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27
Have you ever noticed when you walk into a room how much light a lamp puts out?  Typically lamps are only meant for a small area to either accent a room, provide a reading light, or just add to darkened room.  Can you imagine what a room would look like without a lamp?  I think it could be very dark and dreary, and a place I sure wouldn't want to spend time at unless I was sleeping.  Jesus is the Light of the World, so we all know how much light He is capable of putting forth, but have you ever thought about how much light you put out?  When you spend time focusing on the negativity in your life, the human spirit does not shine, however when you take your time to look at how blessed your life is, the human spirit shines brightly.  God uses our spirits to help shed His light to others, so don't spend time focusing on the negative by leaving your lamp turned off in the corner.  Shine your lamp to shed light on all God has to offer, and spend time with those who want to shine their lamp.  Pretty soon you will have a fully lit room and can have a significant influence on those whose lights just are flickering. 
Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #376- Demolish

Demolish

³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Legos are a wonderful invention and toy, and best of all they help build minds.  These toys help you dream big and make you really think about how to construct something.  The wonderful thing about Legos is that you can build something tall and high and wonderful and if you don't like it you can demolish it and start all over again.  I am finding a good correlation between Legos and the walls people put up so they don't have to pay attention to God or His messengers who bring the Gospel. A lot of times these people are so entrenched in their non-belief in God they build high walls around themselves and nothing people say can really make a dent in these walls.  The thing is, the walls that these people put up are really like Legos and something of their own creation.  If God wants to make His Gospel known through people and to people, He is going to demolish that wall that is built.  Once that person opens their ears to what God has to say, then God will rebuild that person into a wonderful creation that cannot be demolished.   So, the next time you think about playing with Legos, think about how God created you, and then once your wall came down and you accepted Him, He built you up into something wonderful and He is still building.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #375 - Delay

Delay

³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.”

³⁸ And,
“But my righteous one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.” Hebrews 10:36-38

While playing a ballgame this week, we experienced a weather delay due to lightning and a storm in the area.  We were ahead by a significant margin, but the game was far from over.  During this delay so many negative things could have happened which could have impacted how the game would turn out, but the team achieved victory by relaxing and maintaining an intense focus on their goal.  The same thing can apply to our Christian walk and our life in general.  Many times there are challenges in our lives like broken cars, health and money issues, and family difficulties that present themselves at the most inopportune time. The thing we seem to forget is that God, who has already won the victory for us, places these challenges in our lives to test our faith and reliance on Him.  We can look at these delays in our life as a major issue that is not easily overcome, or we can look at these delays as a small blip in our lives that is not even close to what Christ has already done for us.  We need to look at the delays in our life as a moment for us to live by faith, maintaining our focus on the end goal of spending eternity with our Father in Heaven.  Stay focused, don't look negatively at these delays, but find the pleasure in our lives that God has provided.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #374 - Enjoyment

Enjoyment

¹⁵ So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. ¹⁶ When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night— ¹⁷ then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it. Ecclesiastes 8:15-17

 My nephew posted a quote this week about life being short and people spending too much time doing the stuff they don't like and not enough time spent on stuff they like, or something to that effect. It makes you begin to think about what we actually enjoy in our life.  Do we take the time to enjoy the things that really matter, or do we spend too much time running from here to there and not having time for a breath or a meal or sleep for that matter, or chase after things we cannot comprehend.  I was introduced to a new sweetener this last week that made my drink tasty and enjoyable.  I would not have ever thought about this unless my nephew had shared with me the joy he gets out of this little addition to his coffee.  Now I am able to get enjoyment out of something tiny in my life because I stopped and listened and took the advice of someone with knowledge.  Maybe that's where our problem lies, because we spend so much time not stopping to enjoy something, much less listen to someone else's opinion about something.  Maybe we should listen to God as he says in this scripture through the writer that he commends the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better under the sun than to be glad.  Gladness and enjoyment go hand-in-hand and if produced in an individual, it can lead to greatness in others. A greatness of enjoying life and all it has to offer.  We are only preparing ourselves for a fuller enjoyment later on while here on this earth, so don't waste your time, live for enjoyment.

Have a great weekend.