 Back in Middle School, I had a friend that I knew pretty well. He was a great person to be around, was very smart, and had an excellent sense of humor. He was also a hardcore Atheist who scoffed at the very notion of God – much less a loving one. He knew I was a Christian, but thankfully that didn’t effect our friendship. We’d always crack jokes to each other about our beliefs, and teased and joked, but it was all in fun. He was a great friend.
I remember this so vividly; one day he came to me at lunch really down. He said he didn’t understand anything about what was going on with himself or his life, and everything was just coming down around him. As a Christian, I knew the only one who could help him was Jesus. He needed him badly, but I had tried so many times before to earnestly tell him about the love of God, and not what he had been taught. So, in this instance, I just assumed he was depressed, like we all get, and just said ‘Sorry man,’ and continued with lunch.
This was on a Friday. I found out on Monday, he had tried to kill himself over the weekend. Thank God he failed, but the very fact he tried shook me to my core. I had given up on him, too. I was maybe the last glimpse to God he had, and I gave up on him.
I haven’t talked to him much since then. Things just were never the same, but every time I think about him, I think about how I was a quitter – I gave up on him, and he gave up on God… and even tried to give up on life.
Maybe you have a friend like this, or know someone who just needs someone to talk to. It might seem like the last straw – YOU can’t take it anymore! It’s like they don’t want help, so you give up. I tell you the truth, the most selfish thing I, or anyone, ever did was give up on someone because they were too big of a challenge. I was a coward, and I was weak.
Friends, I urge you to stay strong, even when it seems like you’re fighting and loosing, uphill battle. You could be someone’s last hope. I often think ‘What if my friend had succeeded?’ I pray that none of you ever have to think of that.
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
That’s so true. It’s not in Vain. Never think it is.
Thanks for reading,
Lots of Love,
-Matt
written by Matt
\\ tags: control, Giving Up, Help, Hope, Jesus, life, Loss, Love, Problems, Regrets, Story, Struggle, Suicide, Worry
First off, I want to give some major props to my Pastor, Steve Whipple, for inspiring this post. You rock, man.
So, let’s talk about ‘that guy,’ That Guy is the one who always wears the Jesus T-Shirts. That Guy is one that knows the Bible inside and out; able to quote any passage at any time, and can speak Hebrew and Greek. That Guy’s the one that points and says ‘That’s sinful’ and accuses everyone of being dirty sinners, where he sits upon his pedestal, holier then thou, thinking he’s an angel.
We all know someone like that. From work, from school, even our own families, and maybe even you might read that and say ‘That’s me!’ They have their actions down to a science, and want everyone to know it, too. Jesus had a word for these type of Religious people: Pharisees.
6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ -Mark 7:6-7
That’s where the analogy of ‘Under the Hood’ comes in. See, a car can be absolutely beautiful on the outside. It can be waxed, buffed, and shined twice daily, it can have the most awesome paint-job, and have spinning rims and all that, but if, under the hood, it’s a lemon, the car is worth nothing.
Same with us. Like Jesus said, if we honor God with our lips and actions, and our heart is in the wrong place, they mean nothing. If we’re broken and dirty ‘Under the Hood,’ then we’re not worth having around.
This, by no means, is saying ‘I can do whatever I want! Jesus said so!’ Like some people who believe that they’re Christians because ‘God picked them to be’ or ‘Because Grace covers me, so I can do what I want without penalty,’ they’re extremely wrong.
1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Romans 6:1-2
I don’t think that needs explaining. Let’s look at the bottom line: God cares about our hearts. That’s it. We can play the Christian game all day, we can be super-religious, live a sheltered life, and say all the right things, but if your heart does not belong to God, then you are, for lack of better or less harsh words, worthless as a Christian. God desires your heart – once you’ve given it to him, your actions will follow.
Thanks for reading! Next time, I plan on extending a bit more on the whole idea of Heart over actions, and talking about the ‘Sheltered’ lifestyle. We all know of some Christians that live in a little Jesus-bubble, and never get out, and I think it’s important to know why you/they SHOULD! Anyway, until next time…
Lots of Love,
Matt
written by Matt
\\ tags: Actions, Bible, Blogs, Calvinists, Catholics, Christ, Christians, control, Fake Christians, God, Heart, Jesus, life, Lifestyles, Mark, Problems, Religion, Romans, Sheltered, Sin, World
 All of us have good days – you know, one of those days where everything goes right and it just feels too good to be true. Whether they’re days of relaxation, enjoyment, or whatever it may be, all of us have those occasional blue-moon great days.
All of us, unfortunately, also have bad days. There are some days where nothing seems to go right – all the odds are stacked against you every which way. Your car broke down. You can’t find a baby sitter. You forgot to pay your mortgage. You were late for work. You fought with your spouse. The list can go on and on.
And then, there are these days that are in between the two I mentioned above – the “average” days. Some things go good, and some things go bad. You may have gotten a promotion at work, but forgot to pick up your son at football practice. Maybe you went grocery shopping, but forgot to balance your checkbook before hand. Again, this list of examples can go on and on.
When we’re going through a hard time (i.e. a “bad day”), many of us, especially Christians, will (hopefully) turn to God. And that’s great – whenever we’re going through a big struggle or the like, He wants us to turn to Him. However, for some folks, this is the only time they turn to the Lord.
There is no problem too big or too small to hand over to God. He wants us to give our problems to Him, and he’s not picky about what they are, either. If you have an infection in your finger and it starts to spread to the rest of your hand, shouldn’t you get help before it overtakes your whole arm?
God wants us to trust in Him from the beginning.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Philippians 4:6
Is there something you want to surrender to God today before it grows out of control?
written by Josh
\\ tags: God, grace, Letting Go, Problems, Worry
It doesn’t take a genius to realize how many problems there are in the world. Hunger. Disease. Poverty. Tyranny. Oppression. Violence. Greed. Have I gotten you depressed yet? It can be pretty overwhelming and really darn depressing when you think about it.
And I’m sure you’ve got your own share of problems, too. Mortgage. Grocery bill. Relationships. School. Your Job. There are a lot of problems, and they can just seem like too much at times, can’t they!? I mean, really, how can you – how can I – deal with all the nasty stuff that goes on around us each and every day?
The answer: God. Clichéd, I know, but just think about it. God, the one who simply said ‘Let it be,’ and the Universe existed, the one who created you DNA strand by DNA strand (1. Psalm 139:13-14) and made you unique, the one the stepped down out of the most glorious place in existence, just so he could become like you and die a horrible death, to pay the price you owed him still says ‘Give me your problems.’
Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of the most popular bits of scripture, but, I think, it’s often one of of the most overlooked.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will show you which path to take.”
God is saying ‘Don’t worry about it! I’ve got this! Let me handle it!’ But really, how often to we let him do that? Why would we stress out about how we’re going to make ends meet this week when God is telling us ‘Let me handle it?’ Why would we worry about the Government, the Economy, or the State of the Union when God is saying “Trust in me; don’t depend on your own understanding.” Why do we make such big deals out of our problems?
We tend to make all of our issues and problems huge, but, no matter what, God is bigger then any of our problems. If we only give them to him, and let him handle it, then really we have nothing to worry about it. Imagine a life without fear, regret, worry, or anxiousness! It’s all promised to you, and it’s as easy as just letting go.
If you want to make that decision to let go and trust Jesus Christ today, let Josh, Amy, or I know! It’s the most important decision of your life, and one of us would be happy to walk you through it; it’s as easy as believing.
Thanks for reading!
Lots of Love,
-Matt Walker
(1. Psalms 139:13-14: 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.)
written by Matt
\\ tags: God, Jesus, Letting Go, Problems, Proverbs, World, Worry
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