Resting Place
This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2
This week my mom went to her final resting place in Heaven. Do you ever think about where your final resting place is going to be? God clearly outlines that those that are humble and contrite in spirit and fear His word are the ones He looks on favorably. I can say without a doubt that I am not always humble and contrite, and I don't always tremble as I should, but God has created a way through His son Jesus Christ for us to be ones that He can look on with favor. Knowing that mom was always a humble caring individual gave me strength this last week where I know that she is in the place she needs to be. She is no longer suffering but rejoicing in the heavenly realms, where God created a place for all of us. Keep God at the forefront of your lives so that your resting place will be with Him.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, February 28, 2020
Friday, February 21, 2020
Fantastic Friday #721- His Will
His Will
14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. 1 John 5:14-15
God has always done things according to His will and not ours. We typically find ourselves wondering why my will is not done, but even when Jesus taught His disciples about praying, He taught them "thy will be done" which is certainly not our will be done. I have been wondering this week why He heals some and not others, why some suffer and others are miraculously healed. I know it is all related to His will. We don't understand these things, and it is because God does not reveal His plan for us clearly, but it will all be made clear some day. We just need to have faith in His will and his plan, and He does hear us, it is just what we are asking for may not be in His plan but we should not give up asking.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for. 1 John 5:14-15
God has always done things according to His will and not ours. We typically find ourselves wondering why my will is not done, but even when Jesus taught His disciples about praying, He taught them "thy will be done" which is certainly not our will be done. I have been wondering this week why He heals some and not others, why some suffer and others are miraculously healed. I know it is all related to His will. We don't understand these things, and it is because God does not reveal His plan for us clearly, but it will all be made clear some day. We just need to have faith in His will and his plan, and He does hear us, it is just what we are asking for may not be in His plan but we should not give up asking.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, February 14, 2020
Fantastic Friday #720 - Hope
Hope
3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5
I don't often enough think of how hope and faith intertwine so seamlessly. Maybe we need to look at how feelings turn into beliefs. When we are going through circumstances, people say have faith and the outcome will be there for you, but a lot of times our faith/belief is not there. This is probably because we haven't focused on the hope/feeling we have about what difficulty can be resolved. We must feel first before we believe in any situation, the reason is because our feelings drive our hearts and belief. If we have negative feelings about the outcome of something, then our belief is not going to even have a chance at starting because we have already squashed it. We must have the hope and positive belief that God will provide answers/solutions/healing in our life and that feeling can turn easily into belief/faith that God will provide. We need the one to have the other, and that is why you always see Faith, Hope and Love together. They all rely deeply on each other. So, use your hope to lead into faith. God will provide.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5
I don't often enough think of how hope and faith intertwine so seamlessly. Maybe we need to look at how feelings turn into beliefs. When we are going through circumstances, people say have faith and the outcome will be there for you, but a lot of times our faith/belief is not there. This is probably because we haven't focused on the hope/feeling we have about what difficulty can be resolved. We must feel first before we believe in any situation, the reason is because our feelings drive our hearts and belief. If we have negative feelings about the outcome of something, then our belief is not going to even have a chance at starting because we have already squashed it. We must have the hope and positive belief that God will provide answers/solutions/healing in our life and that feeling can turn easily into belief/faith that God will provide. We need the one to have the other, and that is why you always see Faith, Hope and Love together. They all rely deeply on each other. So, use your hope to lead into faith. God will provide.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, February 7, 2020
Fantastic Friday #719 - Deeds
Deeds
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place. 1 Chronicles 16:23-27
How do you practice good deeds? Is is something you specifically plan out each day saying I am going to do this and do that and then my good deeds are done for the day. Or, do you think, I am going to do one good deed today and they world gets in the way and when you are in bed you think, man I just forgot to do something good today. Or, do you do the right thing and practice good deeds as a part of your normal daily routine? There is nothing wrong with reminding yourself you need to perform good deeds, but they need to come from the heart and not done to just a check box. Maybe a good start is to recognize the deeds that God performs for us daily and do we ever thank Him for His deeds? If we start with praising God and His deeds, then it is a whole lot easier to perform good deeds for others not for ourselves, but to honor Him. Just remember not to get caught up in the "I must do my good deed" to mark it off my list, but perform your good deeds that should come from your heart and show others the love of Christ.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place. 1 Chronicles 16:23-27
How do you practice good deeds? Is is something you specifically plan out each day saying I am going to do this and do that and then my good deeds are done for the day. Or, do you think, I am going to do one good deed today and they world gets in the way and when you are in bed you think, man I just forgot to do something good today. Or, do you do the right thing and practice good deeds as a part of your normal daily routine? There is nothing wrong with reminding yourself you need to perform good deeds, but they need to come from the heart and not done to just a check box. Maybe a good start is to recognize the deeds that God performs for us daily and do we ever thank Him for His deeds? If we start with praising God and His deeds, then it is a whole lot easier to perform good deeds for others not for ourselves, but to honor Him. Just remember not to get caught up in the "I must do my good deed" to mark it off my list, but perform your good deeds that should come from your heart and show others the love of Christ.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, January 31, 2020
Fantastic Friday #718 - Cost
Cost
1 Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?
Who can live on Your holy mountain?
1 Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?
Who can live on Your holy mountain?
2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart—
and acknowledges the truth in his heart—
3 who does not slander with his tongue,
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,
4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his word whatever the cost,
but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his word whatever the cost,
5 who does not lend his money at interest
or take a bribe against the innocent—
the one who does these things will never be moved. Psalm 15
Do you think of the cost of fighting for rights of others, or the cost of fighting for someone you are close to? It is common to forget the cost that Jesus paid on the cross, but even during times before Christ came, people were following God at great cost sometimes. Today it is easier because of our freedom to follow Christ and His teachings, but not everywhere around the world. Certainly there are people paying a much higher price to follow the Lord, but honestly it doesn't cost us very much. What about your brothers and sisters in Christ, do you work hard to protect them at all costs, and do you think they would protect you at all costs? What about your past friends you have lost touch with, or just left behind for a closer group of friends. We need to think carefully about our circle of friends and not isolate ourselves. With the short lives we have on this earth, we need to take advantage of every relationship we have now or had in the past. I think sometimes we get caught up in a small circle and routine because we are comfortable, but we probably need to expand our realm at times past the things we are most comfortable. We don't know what is ahead of us and we might not know when we will need an acquaintance outside our immediate group. God puts all these people in our lives for different reasons, but He doesn't expect us to just ignore them if they move away or not rely on them when we need help. All I am saying is love on the ones outside your realm just as much as the ones close to you, and maybe God will show you how you all fit together, and there is no cost to gaining relationships, only losing them.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
or take a bribe against the innocent—
the one who does these things will never be moved. Psalm 15
Do you think of the cost of fighting for rights of others, or the cost of fighting for someone you are close to? It is common to forget the cost that Jesus paid on the cross, but even during times before Christ came, people were following God at great cost sometimes. Today it is easier because of our freedom to follow Christ and His teachings, but not everywhere around the world. Certainly there are people paying a much higher price to follow the Lord, but honestly it doesn't cost us very much. What about your brothers and sisters in Christ, do you work hard to protect them at all costs, and do you think they would protect you at all costs? What about your past friends you have lost touch with, or just left behind for a closer group of friends. We need to think carefully about our circle of friends and not isolate ourselves. With the short lives we have on this earth, we need to take advantage of every relationship we have now or had in the past. I think sometimes we get caught up in a small circle and routine because we are comfortable, but we probably need to expand our realm at times past the things we are most comfortable. We don't know what is ahead of us and we might not know when we will need an acquaintance outside our immediate group. God puts all these people in our lives for different reasons, but He doesn't expect us to just ignore them if they move away or not rely on them when we need help. All I am saying is love on the ones outside your realm just as much as the ones close to you, and maybe God will show you how you all fit together, and there is no cost to gaining relationships, only losing them.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, January 24, 2020
Fantastic Friday #717 - Depend
Depend
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
This is a common verse we have all heard many times, but do you really listen to it carefully. The word rely has a synonym, depend, that we don't often think about, in fact we probably think about being independent more than dependent. When you find the path you are are walking as a rocky road, what do you depend on to get down that rocky road. Is it a broom to clear the path, a stick to knock the rocks out of the way, or do you try to find another path to avoid the rough and tumble road. Maybe we are relying too much on ourselves to get down this path, and we should focus on trusting the Lord to get us down that rocky path. Sure we might slip on path during our walk, but God is always there to catch us and guide us. Remember that we aren't strong enough to do these things on our own, we need the Lord in every step of our life.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
This is a common verse we have all heard many times, but do you really listen to it carefully. The word rely has a synonym, depend, that we don't often think about, in fact we probably think about being independent more than dependent. When you find the path you are are walking as a rocky road, what do you depend on to get down that rocky road. Is it a broom to clear the path, a stick to knock the rocks out of the way, or do you try to find another path to avoid the rough and tumble road. Maybe we are relying too much on ourselves to get down this path, and we should focus on trusting the Lord to get us down that rocky path. Sure we might slip on path during our walk, but God is always there to catch us and guide us. Remember that we aren't strong enough to do these things on our own, we need the Lord in every step of our life.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, January 17, 2020
Fantastic Friday #716 - Devotion
Devotion
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;
the nations will perish from His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more. Psalm 10:16-18
When you look at your devotion to the Lord and His teachings, do you think about His devotion to you? We spend a lot of time thinking about our plight, about our hurt and not much time reflecting on the Lord's history of being devoted to the people who love Him and follow Him. I can spend all day talking to God, reading His Word, listening to uplifting music and reading devotional books, but am I really devoting myself to Him and His teachings or am I walking a path to look good to Him. When you truly devote yourself to God, it looks very different than what is listed above. Your walk is very different, your thoughts turn to what is good, and you live an uplifting life because of God's guidance. A humble respect of our Father in Heaven is what He wants from us and when we begin to Devote ourselves Humbly, His actions will be more clear to all of us.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;
the nations will perish from His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more. Psalm 10:16-18
When you look at your devotion to the Lord and His teachings, do you think about His devotion to you? We spend a lot of time thinking about our plight, about our hurt and not much time reflecting on the Lord's history of being devoted to the people who love Him and follow Him. I can spend all day talking to God, reading His Word, listening to uplifting music and reading devotional books, but am I really devoting myself to Him and His teachings or am I walking a path to look good to Him. When you truly devote yourself to God, it looks very different than what is listed above. Your walk is very different, your thoughts turn to what is good, and you live an uplifting life because of God's guidance. A humble respect of our Father in Heaven is what He wants from us and when we begin to Devote ourselves Humbly, His actions will be more clear to all of us.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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