Fantastic Friday #746 - Riddles

Riddles

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:5-7


Everyone likes a good riddle right? Some phrases put together to confuse us from finding out the right answer? I mean didn't Jesus speak in riddles so people did not understand him? Maybe riddle isn't the right word, because while the answer cannot be found in a riddle, it can be found in a parable. Riddles are meant to confuse us, but parables are meant to teach. If you work hard enough at a riddle, you can eventually solve it and find that the answer wasn't that hard in the first place. Understanding parables requires something that not everyone has, and that is a fear of the Lord. A humble respect of our Lord can help us understand the many parables shared in the Bible, and much of His word that is not always easily decipherable. We just have to believe and have faith in our Lord and He will guide our hearts to understand His word, whether it be through parables or deep scriptural meaning. The only way to get there is to pray, have faith and study His word regularly. If you don't do these things, then you are just going to be reading riddles where the answer is always right in front of you and you just can't see it.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #745 - Vengeance

Vengeance

12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.

13 Sing to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked. Jeremiah 20:12-13


Do you ever have a desire for revenge? Maybe someone hurt you or hurt someone you love. Inside your mind you probably tell yourself that God would want me to forgive that person, but we are all sinful people and don't always make the right decisions. I know many of us can sit around and think about the vengeance we can have on someone for being hurt, or maybe just talk a little badly about that person. But honestly, God does not want that anger and vengeance in our life. He wants love and forgiveness, just like He gives us every single day. How can we get rid of these thoughts of revenge? We can turn to the Lord and give praise to Him for everything He gives or has given. We can sing a song, we can ask to be rescued, and we can avoid being sucked into the wicked ways of the enemy. Focus on Love and Forgiveness and God will guide you.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #744 - Fort

Fort

16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.

17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely. Psalm 59:16-17

This week I was reading a story about a fort, and how the builders of that fort had strong points to protect themselves from attacking individuals. However strong this fort was built, there was still a weakness that allowed for the enemy of these people to penetrate that fort. We can try and be strong as individuals in our daily tasks and walk, but there is always a weakness in our own fort. This is where God comes in. He is our fortress and too often people forget that. They tend to think of a fortress as something physical and not something spiritual. Do not think of your fort as something that you are strong enough to handle on your own, but think of how God can be your strength.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #743 - Responsibility

Responsibility

4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. Galatians 6:4-6

Taking responsibility for one's actions is not something we see a great deal of in our world today, in fact it is something that can be very difficult if you have someone else you think is responsible for something that impacted your actions. I experienced something this week where I gave direction to a group of people, without assigning specific tasks to specific people which came back to a situation where something was not done that was very important. I could have hid behind the fact that I had given general directions to a group and expected them to accomplish the task, but instead I claimed responsibility for the task not being completed. If I would have hid, I wouldn't have protected those around me, and I wouldn't have received the respect for stepping up and accepting responsibility. I have learned, even at the ripe old age of adulthood, that you cannot place blame on something for which you are responsible. Be responsible, make the right choices and good things will come.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #742 - Presence

Presence

25 David said about him:

“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence. Acts 2:25-28

Do you feel God's presence? I wonder what it was like during Old Testament times when God spoke to people through the Prophets and the Holy Spirit was not active like the Holy Spirit is today. This last week I had a strong, almost audible presence tell me not to go where I was heading, but to turn and go in the opposite direction. I listened and went a different direction and went to a completely different location and felt at peace once I had done that. I listened to that still small voice, but I still don't know why I was sent a different direction and I guess I don't need to know. The fact that I listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit made me realize I too often allow other things to drown out that voice and presence in my life. When you see that if the Lord is always before you and you will not be shaken, how wonderful of a picture is that? Remember, God doesn't always speak through others, but He uses the Holy Spirit to keep His presence known and we can rely on Him.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #741 - Nation

Nation

1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.

2 You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. Psalm 43


Do you ever look at our nation from the eyes of what God sees, what about the world? There are so many things wrong with how people act and live, but really how different is it from when David was King? Minus all the technology, there was still sin and evil in the world, just like today. When David turned to God, he turned to the only One who could make a difference, so why are we so stubborn about turning to God. The question is have you asked for help or do you go about your day ignoring the evil and ignorance in the world. We need to step forward knowing what God can do to change people's hearts and attitudes. We need to remember that God has already won the battle, all we need to do is remind people that He is there with His faithful care. Put your Hope in God just like the scripture says and live a life of change and influence.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #740 - Enmity

Enmity

3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? James 4:3-5

Enmity is a hard word to say and to understand sometimes, but maybe if i use a synonym, it might make it more clear.  Spite is a word that I am sure we all recognize, and I know that we are seeing a lot of spiteful people these days.  When you see things people post for no other reason but to be hateful, this is when spite can be seen. Have you ever gotten so angry that you sit down and write an email or a social media post, and then push send just a little too early?  We all have had that experience where we may have spoken before we took time to think, and it possibly has come back to hurt us or others.  We all need to be careful about what we put out there, and we need to be thoughtful.  Maybe before we post something, write or say something we should ask ourselves these simple questions. Is this going to harm someone? Is this going to make my life more difficult? Is it going to put enmity between me and God?  A lot of times our words can hurt if not arranged and stated in the right way, or these words can attempt to build ourselves up to a place where we really don't deserve to be.  We need to be humble and cautious about how and what we speak, don't use spite to try and make yourself better than you really are, but use kindness and love through your words.

Have a great weekend.

Matt