Fantastic Friday #886 - Intersect

Intersect

15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,”
says the Lord.

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ Jeremiah 6:15-17



Do you ever sit and think where your life intersects with God? With all the roads we travel in our life, there are times where the road I take is no longer parallel with God and His teachings. It is usually a rough road, not paved and smooth, with lots of obstacles to overcome, and certainly no signs for direction. It can typically travel a further distance away from God, where the path to come back sometimes looks too great. The path to come back to God is never too great, but the path could be bumpy along the way. When we travel parallel with God with a smoother road, fewer obstacles and definite signage, there is a clearer path and often that road will merge with God and what He wants for our lives. The intersection between the road God wants us to travel and what the world wants us to venture down are two different paths, and while I fall short, the road to God is a much better choice for me. Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #885 - Enter

Enter

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:4-6

This week I attended a funeral of a colleague who died suddenly at the age of 38. Way too young for someone. I heard during the service mentioned a few times of him entering the pearly gates, entering Heaven, entering the room to be beside Jesus. It really got me thinking about how people that pass from this life and enter another, but not all who pass from this life will enter Heaven. I wonder what makes people think that they can get into Heaven without truly accepting our Lord and Savior, and why does God want some people so young. I wondered what the non-believers, including many muslims felt at this funeral service where the clear path was laid out by the speaker so eloquently about Jesus' love for us and the only path for eternal life. The enemy works to pull us away from God's promise. What is given to us is God's gift to enter Heaven as long as we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. It is a simple step, but a more challenging step to follow Him throughout our days so that we can Enter the next life with confidence in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Don't enter the space where the lies and doubt the enemy spouts draw us away, but focus on our exit and entry from this world to the next.


Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #884 - Freedom

Freedom

16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 2 Peter 2:16-17

Freedom has an interesting connotation these days. In American culture, we were brought up on the values our country was formed on, including freedom of religion. The people who came to America didn't have this freedom in most cases, to practice what they wished. There are also other freedoms we experience that others around the world do not, including speaking against oppressive governments or ideals that we don't agree with. But, we also as human beings have the freedom of choice, to choose the path we will follow. Choices can be hard at times, because of the pressures of those around us, and what society tells us to choose. Having freedom lets us make the best decision for our personal path, and this freedom should not be taken lightly. We should not use this freedom to choose sinful ways at times and the righteous way at another. We need to remember that God expects us to freely choose in a way that is respectful and loving, and we should not judge others for their freedom of choice. We don't have to like what other people freely choose, but we have to respect that they have that choice. Live freely but choose a path to freedom that is righteous.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #883 - Iniquity

Iniquity

4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

I don't think often enough about the true suffering Christ took on for our sins. Iniquity is used in this scripture and has a very strong intent. Iniquity talks about true wickedness in the definition which in our language is a pretty powerful word. When you look at sin, it talks about a deliberate act, so they are almost interchangeable, and they both sound dreadful. These are acts that drive a separation between us and God. Forgiveness can take place because of what Christ did on the cross for us. I do think that if we spent more time thinking about him being pierced and crushed for our iniquity and sin, we might rethink deliberately turning our hearts away from God. I can't imagine the pain and suffering Christ went through, and to think that He went through this for you and me. Take a moment to think about how His death and resurrection has given you new opportunities to overcome these iniquities and sin, and has given us a way to return to God our Father.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #882 - Her

Her


5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:5


I have seen some women struggle recently with various things, whether it be with their appearance, their position of authority, or even their role in the job they have. It can be disheartening to see anyone struggle, and even harder when there is no good reason to struggle when our society can put so much pressure on people to act or look a certain way. The good thing about God is that He sees His children as His beautiful creation and He cares deeply for us. There are ways we can get away from the struggle that we all experience, and by committing to follow God and His teachings, He will always be there for us to catch us when we battle the negative forces. I encourage all those who may be struggling right now with anything, to remember that God is with you. God will always be there to help you and you can find courage in Him. For all those men out there, if you see a woman struggling, lift her up. Without the women in our society, we wouldn't have the wonderful children in the world that grow up into adults to make the world a better place. Our women are strong and beautiful in God's eyes, so they should be strong and beautiful in our eyes as well.


Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #881 - Flip

Flip

4 Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path. Psalm 140:4-5

Have you ever flipped a coin and had it land on its edge? They say the chances are that every 1 in 6000 times a nickel would land on its edge. That's a large chance compared to the 50/50 chance that you can get flipping a coin. Some people flip a coin because there are only two possibilities, but what if it lands on its side? The enemy wants us to flip a coin when we make decisions on our path with the Lord, because he has a 50/50 chance of winning. I feel like God has given us an opportunity to choose our path, because he wants to see us grow. He doesn't want us to flip a coin hoping that His side comes up, or a true reward comes if we flip it on its edge. He wants us to choose the righteous path and not take a chance that could result from deviating from that path. Why not take the sure thing for our future by accepting the Lord and the path He has chosen for us, instead of flipping a coin thinking there is something better out there.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #880 - Precepts

Precepts

27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law. Psalm 119:27-29

Do we sometimes find that God's precepts are hard to digest or decipher? We can get caught up in our work and life and get distracted from the direction that God wants us to go, and this can have some consequences. I find myself at times questioning the precept that is laid in front of me, and that is my first mistake. We should never question the direction, but should ask a different question. How can I accomplish this direction that you have given me? Usually these precepts cannot be done on your own, they may require other people to hold you accountable, or they may require great introspection of your life and your current path. The enemy will be deceitful with you and tell you that you don't need to follow that path, and there are easier ways. We should all know right now that God creates these directions for us to learn and rely on Him for guidance. Keep the precepts and meditate on what He has done in your life. It will make the direction much smoother if you ask the right question, for help.

Have a great weekend.

Matt