Matt's Anthology

Genesis 3:8-9: They heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. The the Lord God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?”

I had a cat named Mocha. I have written about him before.  I like to say goodbye to the animals before I leave for work (Proverbs 27:23-know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds).  So as I was getting ready the other day, I couldn’t find him. He does like to go outside and the back door was open, to let in the morning air, so I looked outside. He wasn’t there. I looked in all of his usual spots. No Mocha. So because my looking was fruitless and he was not in his usual places, I called his name and lo and behold he showed up seemingly out of no where.  Now anyone who has ever owned cats knows they don’t come because you demand it of them, they come because of relationship.

Now in that instance I was like the Lord looking for Adam.  He knew that Adam wasn’t gone from the area, He only knew Adam wasn’t in his usual place.  So the Lord called out to Adam, where are you? And Adam appeared.  Now Mocha didn’t talk to me and say that he knew he was naked and was afraid, so that is where the story differs but you get the point. I believe that even in his shame, Adam appeared before the Lord because of their relationship.

Now when Mocha appeared, he was like the Lord.  I was searching and searching, looking in all of the usual spots but he only appeared when I called his name.  He was in the vicinity, in the area all around me, but he didn’t appear until I called his name.  He appeared because of relationship.

I wrote this to encourage you.  The Lord is in your vicinity, in the areas all around you.  He has not left your presence and all you need to do to see Him is call His name.  Psalm 9:9-10 says, The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You (italics mine).  I encourage you to read all of Psalm 91 but especially verses 14-16.”Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.  He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”

Are you asking?  Are you seeking?   “Where are you?”

Posted in Biblical Lessons

One of the kids in our neighborhood rides his bike everyday.  I will call him “Little I”.  He has this cool chopper type bike with a big back tire and a raked front end. It really does look like a chopper motorcycle without the motor. He got the bike out of a bulk trash pile. That means someone else was throwing it away (one man’s trash is another man’s treasure). Anyway the bike is in good shape but it had a rusty chain.  That didn’t seem to bother him and he has been riding it a long time with that rusty chain.  One day while he was out riding I told him I would oil the chain but since I didn’t have access to my oil, I had to borrow some from another neighbor. That is kind of how it works in our neighborhood, if someone needs something, someone else probably has it.   Unfortunately, the oil container I borrowed would not let the oil out and because it wasn’t mine, I could not modify it to make it work. So that day, I could not oil the chain on his bike because I didn’t have access to my oil from my container.

Go forward about two weeks to this weekend. I had been sick and basically stayed in bed for most of the weekend but I did get outside, and there he was riding the bike. He comes right up to me and reminds me that I told him I would oil his chain. So I told him to pull the bike up to the garage and I would take care of it. He pulls up to the garage and instead of just waiting for me, he actually turns the bike over because he knows I have to oil the chain with the bike upside down.  In other words, he didn’t just wait for me to do all of the work, he wanted to participate in his “blessing”.  I walk into the garage, get my oil which flows freely out the container and on to the chain. As I am finishing and rotating the pedals to let the oil get evenly distributed, “Little I” asks “what does the oil do?” I tell him it makes the bike smoother and makes him ride it faster. I flip the bike over and he proceeds to ride away.  Now this is what is amazes me.  He doesn’t know what the oil does or how it works, but he puts his trust in me because he believes I have his best interest at heart.  The faith of a little child.  Jesus said, “if you have the faith of a little child, then you see the kingdom of God”.

As I am talking with my next door neighbor, “Little I” rides by and says, “its smoother”. I smile and continue the conversation. He rides by again and says “I’m faster”.   I laugh and tell my neighbor that I told him the bike would be smoother and he would be able to ride it faster. Now we both laugh.  My neighbor is a Father of 3 children.  Now I felt the bike before and after the oil and there was some difference and the chain was smoother but “Little I” didn’t feel what I felt.  He was only going by what I said.  He was going by what I said because I had told him I would fix it and I did. Because I told him it was smoother, he would be faster and he believed.  That was all the encouragement he needed to ride it faster.  Not only did he believe, he told the other neighborhood kids and they rode the bike by us saying the same thing.  In other words his belief, his trust in what I told him spread to others.

God is a Father you can believe in.  You can trust His word.  God is a God of encouragement, he knows how fast you can go if you believe.  He is not asking you to go by what you feel.  He is saying, you will go faster, it will be smoother.  All you have to do is believe in what He says.  The Great “I AM” is telling you and me today, “Trust Me, I have your best interest at heart”.

Simply because I said so…

Posted in Biblical Lessons

I like being outside.  Wilderness trails, hills and valleys, mountains, plains, beaches and forests.  Being outside unearths something almost primal in me.  It makes me appreciate all we have in society.  The shelter, the clothes, housing and conveniences.  I can hear things I couldn’t hear before, see things not seen before, go places no vehicle can go.  There is beautiful scenery and wonderful smells but there are also bugs and snakes and wild animals of all kinds.  It is hard to experience the beauty amidst the danger but event though it lurks all around you, I have learned that God is in the wilderness.

The book of Mark Chapter 1:1-13 talks about the wilderness. In the first chapter of Mark, the disciple is writing about the story of John the Baptist and referencing Isaiah Chapter 40: “Behold I send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight”.  John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness.  Jesus appeared in the wilderness.  The Holy Spirit descended on Him in the wilderness.  Here are three things I have learned about any wilderness experience:

Number 1:  Things are not always pretty in the wilderness.  John was clothed with camel’s-hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.  Picture this;  John is in the wilderness and baptizing people in the Jordan River.  Now not only is the Jordan not the cleanest of rivers but this guy is wearing camel-hair clothes with a leather belt.  Can you imagine him being wet from being in the river and eating locusts.  Every Sunday we go to churches, nice buildings with things all decorated to hear someone with their hair just perfect, suit all clean, shoes all shined, calling us to God.  Now there is nothing wrong with those things but John was not all dressed up.  John was not concerned about His appearance.  John knew that Jesus was coming to see Him no matter what He looked like, smelled like, whether he ate or didn’t eat, whether he was wet or dry.  John  knew God was coming to meet him just as he was.

Number 2: God is calling us all to the wilderness and He wants to give you power there.    Verse 5 says all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people were being baptized by him in the Jordan River confessing their sins.  All the people were going out to him.  All the people.  Even Jesus went out to the wilderness to be baptized.  Verse 9-11: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending on Him; and a voice came out of the Heavens: “You are my beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased. Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.

Number 3: God cares for you in the wilderness.  Jesus, in the wilderness, was tempted by Satan and He was with the wild beasts and the angels were ministering to Him.  Now follow me for a minute because I know God knows everything but I believe Jesus learned (in experience)  what it was like to be a man in the wilderness.  He experienced what we experience, He was tempted like we are tempted, He felt what we felt, He got hungry like we get hungry, He needed the Father like we need the Father.  And the Angels were ministering to Him.  God’s created messengers/servants were taking care of Him, watching over Him, present with Him, in the wilderness.

As I write this, my third cousin, “Little Keith” is lying in a hospital bed trying to recover from a devastating motorcycle accident.  The doctors are taking it day by day.  He is in ICU and can’t have visitors for fear of infection…  Wilderness.  The family sits and waits for the reports day by day not knowing the outcome…Wilderness.  Maybe you go to a job you can’t stand, have unhealthy relationships, feel all alone, think that no one cares…Wilderness.  Maybe you struggle with an addiction, a secret you can’t tell…Wilderness.  Whatever it is remember that even though things aren’t pretty, God is there and He wants to give you power.  He wants to meet you just as you are in the wilderness.  He wants to care for you in the wilderness.  So let me be the voice in the wilderness assuring you, He’s out here…

Posted in Biblical Lessons

One of my favorite movies is The Last Samurai. I have always been intrigued by the Samurai Warriors. Their job was to serve the Emperor, protect his interests and lay down their own life if necessary for the cause. Now in the movie there is one particular scene where the Samurai are preparing for battle against a well trained well armed army. The movie is made up of several characters but three in particular stand out in this scene. As they are preparing for this battle, one is in the temple praying, one is reflecting on his life and one is practicing the techniques it has taken a lifetime to learn. That begs a question; How do you prepare for battle?

We all have battles to fight. Now maybe your battle isn’t against an actual army. Maybe it is against work or people at work or finances or health or bad habits or motivation. You can fill in your own here. Whatever your battle is how you prepare is important.  Do you pray?  Do you reflect on your life? Do you rely on the techniques you have learned?

As we have just had the Easter season, where we remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am reminded of how He prepared for battle. His reason for coming down to earth was to serve the higher interests of God to protect the promises God had made and to give His life for that cause. Jesus prepared in the same three ways the characters in the movie prepared. He prayed, He reflected and He relied on His techniques of love, mercy and grace. Here is an interesting thought;  when Jesus reflected, which means to look back, He was actually looking back at what would become our future.  Since He was from the beginning and will be until the end, He transcended time and space and was able to “for the joy set before Him” endure the cross.  He prayed that “this cup might pass from me but not my will, thine be done”. So Jesus was real, He knew the suffering he would have to endure.  He allowed His love, mercy and grace to be evident even on the cross.  He knew that fighting this battle would forever defeat the enemy of our souls.

In the movie only one of characters lives on to pass along a legacy and fulfill the destiny set before him.  In the same way Jesus rose from the dead to carry the legacy of Himself, God and through the power of the Holy Spirit helps us everyday to prepare for our battles.  When you remember the sacrifice Jesus made for your sins remember that He was and is the greatest warrior!

Posted in Biblical Lessons

This Sunday at Church instead of a sermon, our Pastor decided the church should give a report of it’s investment status.  Now with the church we don’t report investments in terms of money, we report it in terms of changed lives.  So we had a structured testimony time.

Testimony has several definitions in Webster’s.  One is, a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience.  That is the one probably most referenced in church.  But I like the other part of the definition.  It is evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.

As the men and women told their stories, I sat and cried.  I cried because I was hearing of the grace and love and mercy of God and I was reminded of how real He is in my life.  I was reminded that everyday, He offers grace and love and mercy to this messed up Dude.  I saw on their faces and heard in their voices real evidence of the existence of something greater than ourselves.

In today’s world of privacy and protection, make sure you are not holding back the one thing that offers you the most protection.  What do I mean by that?  Well, no one can argue with your story.  It is an recounting of an experience but mostly it is the evidence or proof of existence in your life.  Revelation 12:10-11 says,”Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.   And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they did not love their life even when faced with death”.  Did you catch that?  They overcame the accuser because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

I am reminded of when little children say, tell me a story.   A story allows for them to be guided in the expansion of their imagination and makes them feel part of what you are able to describe.  Somewhere deep inside all of us is a little child.  So tell me a story.  But not one of fantasy and imagination.  Tell me one that provides the evidence of a conversion or the existence of God, the One who is greater than you.  It is the one thing no one can ever take from you, accuse you of and allows you to overcome.   So what’s your story?

Posted in Biblical Lessons

Most everyone who knows me knows I am a car guy.  I read about cars, I look at cars, I am fascinated by cars.  But there is one aspect to every car that intrigues me.  It is the suspension system.  While some suspensions give a smooth ride others are set up for a sportier ride and still others are modified or lifted but the main job is to make sure the tires stay connected to the roadway. I know you probably never even paid attention to it or went to buy a car and told the salesman,”I would like to see the suspension”.  That’s because we like to see the outward parts, the shiny things, the parts others see.  But the outward things don’t help you when you hit a bump or a curve in the roadway.  The suspension system is one of the most important systems on a vehicle.  Why is it called a system?  Well, it has many parts but all of the parts work together to achieve what the system was set up to do.

I was driving to church on Sunday and to get there I have to take the Interstate.  Now the interstate is mostly straight with a few bends in the road but usually no turns or really sharp curves.  Anyway, this car passed me in the straight area of the interstate.  I only noticed it because we happened to take the same exit ramp.  Now that vehicle arrived at the exit ramp before I did but because the ramp had a sharp turn in it I caught up.  Why did I catch up in the curve?  Well the suspension system on my car is set up for the curves.   Every aspect of the design, from the dampening of the shocks, to the strength of the coils, to the upper and lower control arms, is built to keep me connected in the curves. Now if you ride in my car you may not appreciate the system set up especially in the straight smooth areas because every suspension set up has it drawbacks.  Mine is that it is not as smooth as a luxury setup.   My vehicle may not ride as smooth as most but it sure can take the curves.  I don’t know about you but I want to go through the curves in life faster.

Psalm 139:13 tells us God formed our inward parts.  Matt’s translation, God set up your suspension and knew how you would handle the curves.   Remember the verse from Habakkuk 3:19, “He makes my feet like hinds feet and makes me walk on my high places.”  He set me up for these situations so I can reach my ultimate destination.  God has formed you as a system.  He knows how to keep you grounded, connected, to give you traction in the curves of life.  But maybe you are going into some curves and thinking, I am not set up right for this.  If that’s the case then for a time ride, you should ride with someone who has the right set up for your situation. To get you through these curves, to put you back on the straight, smooth path again.

Posted in Biblical Lessons

Have you ever walked into your house and had the wonderful smell of something hit your nostrils only to find an empty oven or pan?  You know how frustrating that is?  You smell something great, you get hungry, you travel over to the oven and find nothing.  Or maybe you need something from someone, a word, a look, something, so you go over to them only to find they have nothing to say or give you.  Or maybe you see a plant someone has in their house that is beautiful and well-grown, only to find out that it is a fake.  Disappointment comes and opens the door for hesitation the next time it happens to you.

Jesus is on a journey (Mark 11:11-24) to Bethany from Jerusalem with the twelve disciples.  It was already late according to the passage.  The next day after leaving Bethany Jesus became hungry and sees a fig tree in the distance with leaves on it.  So He journeys over to the tree because fig trees only produce leaves when they produce figs.  So the tree had the appearance of substance.  He found nothing but leaves, “for it was not the season for figs”.  So Jesus speaks to the fig tree and says “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”   The Disciples discover the next day that the tree has withered from the root up.   Now I have a question about the passage. Jesus was from the region so wouldn’t He had known it wasn’t fig season?  Why then did He go over to something and take a group of people with Him when He was sure didn’t have what He needed?

I think Jesus used this entire passage as a teaching principle.  He was traveling and it was late.  He became hungry from the journey.  He sees something in the distance that appears to be able to provide for His needs. He goes over to it only to find it empty.  I think it is to teach us that when it is late and we are hungry we are prone to go after things that appear to give us substance only to find them empty.  And it is dangerous to do so because we could take others with us.

Aren’t we at times like the fig tree? Don’t we try to give the appearance of substance for others?  Don’t we want to provide for people’s needs?  What if it is the wrong season?  Why are we trying to grow fruit in the wrong season and then inviting others to journey over for nothing?  Is Jesus asking you to speak to those trees and kill them?  Speak and kill them.  But not just on the surface. Sometimes things appear to be dead on the surface but still live at the root. Grow real fruit.  Grow the things that God has planted in you.  Grow your God-given dreams and desires and gifts and abilities.  Pour you energy into real trees.

The same story is told in the book of Matthew 21:18-22.  Now Matthew says that the tree withered all at once when Jesus spoke to it.  The book of Matthew is about the Kingdom of God so from a Kingdom perspective when Jesus speaks something it instantly happens.  What if we keep up the appearance of fruit and someone journeys over to us in their time of desperation, needing substance from us, only to find nothing?  Haven’t we committed an injustice against the Kingdom of God?   How much more prone, in the future, is that person to approach a “believer” for their needs?  They are probably going to hesitate.  Kill the appearance producing trees in your life so all of your energy goes into growing real fruit.  If it happens all at once or it takes a day, remember Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them and they will be granted you”.

Posted in Biblical Lessons