Fantastic Friday #787 - Start

Start

5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

6 Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:5-6


I have seen a lot of people talking about finishing the race that was set out before them over the past week, whether it be elementary school, high school or trade schools and college. What is interesting is how we celebrate the finality of those events, and some are quite extravagant. I certainly am not downplaying the importance of them and the role they play in each of our lives. We are finally done with those tasks, tests and challenges, and now move on to something else in our life. I am wondering how much we focus on these past experiences when we face the troubles of the world and the snares and pitfalls placed before us. We certainly don't avoid every one of them, and can very easily steer off our most current course and race we are involved in. If we look back at the start of those events to see how God guided us, or even people who positively influenced us during those times, it might make things easier to deal with when the challenging times come. Don't fret over the current race you are in, look at the start of others to show how God rewarded you in the end. He loves us and wants us to finish every race we start, and He wants us to finish the final race with honors. Before we finish, we must choose to start. Start and finish strong.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #786 - Path

Path

103
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 

I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
105 

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. Psalm 119:103-105

We all have paths that we walk on daily, and these paths never lead in a straight line to anything typically, as there are always forks in the road where we must choose the path that is right for us. I love the old poem by Robert Frost The Road Not Taken where two roads diverged in a yellow wood, it offers so much imagery. While he was disappointed he could not travel both, sometimes our paths have a choice between right and wrong. The path least taken by most these days is probably the one we should take, because the world has trodden down the one with distractions and things in our life that are not sweet like the honey we could taste with the right path. God has taught us through the years not to take the wrong path, even though it might be more simple and flat. God will guide us through the challenging path that will bring us closer to Him. So, when you see the paths before you, take the well-lit more difficult path and that will make all the difference.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #785 - Dismayed

Dismayed

3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done. Psalm 143:3-5

Do you ever get dismayed? Is your courage beaten and battered, so you feel like cowering in a corner? The enemy attacks us from multiple angles and one is when we question our own courage. He will see that crack in our thoughts and try to sneak in which can cause great pain and doubt. We need to remember those cracks of dismay can be filled with something much better, and that is our Lord and Savior. If we turn to strengthen our spirit by ignoring the doubt of the enemy, then we can more clearly see the differences and changes in our life due to God. Don't let your spirit grow faint, but place things and people in your life that make a difference in your feelings in a positive way. Friends become family and family helps with our dismay as well. Don't fill the cracks with the dismay of the enemy, fill it with only the Good of God.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #784 - Fear

Fear

11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land. Psalm 25: 11-13


What do you fear? The dark, being alone, death? These are all fears that the enemy wants us to have, because they are all things that seem to have a common theme. Darkness you can't see, being alone you cannot feel, and death is the end. At least that is what the enemy wants you to think. We should have a healthy fear of the Lord and that is to respect Him and all He has done for us. Tomorrow I will lead a service in remembrance of a dear friend, and the enemy wants me to fear speaking in front of all my friends, her family and extended friends. The thing is, I don't really fear speaking about her or about what Jesus can bring into your life. I fear that I am not reaching enough people with God's Word and there will be many people who will not Fear God but Fear Death. I am not afraid of the Dark, although my brother and sister might tell you differently, but neither am I afraid of being alone or of death. With darkness, there is the light that God shines, with loneliness my friends and family fill that void and with death, I do not fear it because of the faith I have in God and Jesus' resurrection. Do not Fear.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #783 - See

See

23 “Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
25 I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:23-27

Do you ever wonder what it will be like to see God? I will sometimes sit and try to imagine what my reaction will be, or if I will be able to look upon Him. There are a lot of people who don't believe in Him or don't think He will be back. How awful would your life be if you had no hope there was a next life after this one. Hope is what we rely on to see Him again. When I see Job having everything ripped aways from his life, he still focused on the fact that his Redeemer lives. I know that my Redeemer lives and he lived so I can see Him again. Maybe our focus should be more on the hope of seeing Him again, than any of our current circumstances. These daily troubles are just a breath of wind that is here for a fleeting moment, but God is eternal and we can have hope that we can be eternally seeing and living with Him.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #782 - Made Known

Made Known

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20


How do you make yourself known to others? Do you come into a room on fire to make sure everyone knows who you are, or do you slink in slowly to a corner and hope that people might notice you. Everyone has their own way of making themselves known, and it really is a result of their personality. How does God make Himself known to you? Is it through the people He places in your life, is it through the still small voice, or is it through His Word? If you really paid attention, it is probably all of this and much more in how He makes Himself Known to you. Why does God want to be made Known to us is a question that some have asked, but it is very simple, God wants us. God loves all His children and so He will utilize many ways to make Himself known. By making Himself known, this allows those individuals to have a personal and close relationship with Him and live a life of righteousness. So, as you make yourself known, don't try to block God from making Himself known to you, because the more you open your heart, the more God will be shown to others.


Have a great weekend.


Matt

Fantastic Friday #781 - Harmony

Harmony

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:15-16

How many of you experience harmony in your life? The easiest way to identify harmony is by looking at "tones" and when they are played simultaneously, what it sounds like. If they are meant to be a sound that is harmonious, they will bring a joyful noise to your ear, or they just sound right. If they don't match up, it can be like fingers on a chalkboard, or metal scraping metal. The same harmony that you want in your life means that you have to search out those who you should be around. You know that when you share a relationship with someone that has the same values and beliefs as you, there will be harmony in your friendship. There can also be harmony with those who don't share your same beliefs, as long as you set the example of how Christ wants us to act. We need to leave our pride behind and not feel as if we are better because of our relationship with Christ. We have to stay vigilant to help create the harmony in this world, and if you depart from your personal beliefs, it can result in a train wreck of relationships instead of harmony. Be true to who you are while following Christ's example, for He set the perfect tones.

Have a great weekend.

Matt