Matthew Gaither – Page 12

The Search for Wisdom and Knowledge

August 22, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

I have begun an earnest search for wisdom and knowledge. I have always possessed a strong desire to discover, to ask why and to understand but lately I feel a sense of increased urgency. Something, no, some One has built a fire inside my heart that is leading me in directions I never thought possible.

I believe that it is no accident that as I have prioritized my relationship with God, my search for wisdom and knowledge has intensified. Indeed, the Bible tells us that God is the author of wisdom and has much to say on the subject of wisdom itself:

“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:5-6) Solomon, the writer of Proverbs and one of the wisest men who ever lived, declared the value of wisdom and understanding in no uncertain terms. Here, Solomon describes wisdom as protector and guardian and asserts that no price is too high to pay its acquisition.

“Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” (Proverbs 13:10) I take satisfaction in how the Bible confirms that wisdom and pride are opposites. Wisdom and humility, however, go hand in hand and work well together.

“To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:26) The Bible has some strong words on the matter of wisdom and in this case wisdom (along with knowledge and happiness) is given to him who pleases God. Any search for wisdom must begin with the author of wisdom and He must be glorified by my search or I search in vain.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5) Our Father loves us so much that he always desires to give us good things. God wants for us to be wise and He is waiting for us to ask! I now begin each day by asking Him to grant me wisdom and understanding as I am able to receive it.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17) Earlier in his letter, James tells us that God grants wisdom to those who ask. Here he describes the kind of wisdom that God gives. I can’t speak for you, but I want more of all of these attributes in my life.

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3) Where is wisdom found? Who provides the full riches of complete understanding? Wisdom is found in God through His Son who is the Christ.

That makes the search for true wisdom the search for God Himself, the search for true knowledge the search for His ways and the search for true understanding the search for His love and mercy.

As I learn to be a blogger, as I learn to be a faithful steward, as I learn to be a good husband, and as I learn to be all that I am meant to be I must hold fast to Him. Let us commit, together, to a renewed zeal and a renewed sense of purpose for discovering “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” that are found in Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: discipleship, mentor, wisdom

How Genuine Faith Is Formed

August 15, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

Have you ever said to yourself “I don’t like this, I don’t understand why it’s happening and I wish it would go away!” If you are like me then you have likely uttered similar statements or had similar thoughts on more than one occasion. It seems to be part of our human condition to face adversity and to be in the midst of difficult circumstances no matter who you are or where you might be.

From a Christian perspective, we should understand it is Sin (notice the capital “S”, as in the fallen state of all creation) that is the root cause of the trials that we face but that knowledge doesn’t necessarily help us cope. No, we need more than knowledge of the problem to stand firm and strong in our faith when we are facing a trial. We need that constant connection to God the Father through the Holy Spirit in prayer and meditation on His Word, the Bible.

And the Bible, being one of the first and most important places to go in our distress, has a lot to say about the problems we face during this life. In the 1st Book of Peter, we find the following:

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷that the genuineness of your faith,being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,⁹receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NKJV)

I’ve included verses three through nine because they form a complete thought and need to be read and understood together but take a closer look at verses six through nine. In the midst of our rejoicing (because of what is coming and is yet to be revealed, God’s ultimate gift to us!) we might be grieved (troubled) by various trials, if need be. And why would we need to be troubled? What purpose is served by the problems we face and then overcome with God’s help?

Genuine faith! God works through all circumstance, good or bad, to produce in us a genuine faith that is more precious than gold and has as its goal the praise, honor and glory of God. And what is the end of that faith? What is the sum total of all that God is working in and through us? The salvation of our souls and eternity with our savior.

Something that is genuine is true. It is the real deal. When placed under stress its true colors shine forth and there is nothing fake or artificial about it. If it’s real, God knows it and people can see it in us. Can people see a real and genuine faith in me? Can they see it in you?

To get to that point of having a real and genuine faith we are going to have to go through some things that we might not like and that might be painful. During those times it is only natural to search for answers. As we are searching, I pray we would remember the Apostle Peter’s words to us as recorded in First Peter verses three through nine. God’s still working on us. He’s not finished yet. Hang in there and keep the goal in sight. It will be well worth it all.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: 1 Peter 1:3-9, faith, suffering

For Freshness, Go To The Source

August 8, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

I have recently discovered something wonderful, right here in my own town. As a coffee aficionado, I am always looking for ways to improve my morning cup, and this might be the biggest improvement in flavor and overall enjoyment that I have yet experienced.

Not far from where I work there is a coffee shop that imports and roasts their own beans. I’ve known of the existence of the shop for some time but until I actually went and experienced a bag of coffee made from fresh roasted beans I had no idea what I had been missing. You see, coffee begins to lose its flavor very quickly once it has been ground and the farther away it gets from the date that it was first roasted. For the best coffee, buy whole beans and grind them yourself. For truly exceptional coffee, buy whole beans that were roasted very recently and are at maximum freshness.

The difference in making coffee with a bag that has been sitting on store shelves for a month or two versus a bag that was roasted mere days before is a large one. The key for me was finding a local source of quality roasted beans. The freshness of a bag that is less than a week old takes the flavor to an entirely new and higher level than ever before.

At this point, I have to ask myself a question. Is my spiritual condition more important than a great cup of coffee? Absolutely and unequivocally it is. So why do I have days where I go about my life with a stale and out of date connection to the Holy Spirit? Why would I try to interact with others and be the person that God wants me to be by using yesterday’s provision?

I admit, this happens to me all too often. And I believe that I am not alone in this. We allow ourselves to get distracted and we shorten (or eliminate altogether) our time communing with God through His Holy Spirit. As born again children of God, this has a disastrous effect on our connection to the heart and mind of the Father and erodes our witness to those around us. Quite simply, we can’t be what God desires us to be when we aren’t making the time to stay close to Him in prayer and meditation.

Lately, I’ve been feeling spiritually weak and somewhat dry. Staleness has threatened to creep in. The last few days I have made it a conscious effort to just be still with God and to keep my heart and mind open to what He wants to say to me. As I have spent this time and as I have prayed and read His Word he has renewed my soul and strengthened my inner man. Going to the Source has vastly improved the freshness of my spirit and just as with a great cup of coffee, freshness makes all the difference! Trying to accomplish today’s work with yesterday’s renewal just does not work.

On a basic level it may be silly to compare a good cup of coffee with our relationship to God. What’s important is that we take seriously our connection to the Holy Spirit and we give Him the opportunity to work on us by making the time to be quiet and still before Him. Only He can restore our soul and keep us fresh, new and exciting Children of God. Take care not to lose your “flavor” and to keep your light burning bright for all the world to see.

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;¹⁵nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16) NASB

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Matthew 5:13-16, renewal, revival

My Favorite Hymns

August 1, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

I’ve mentioned before that I love music. It’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and I credit my parents for helping to encourage my musical interest.

I can remember singing in my children’s Sunday School class as a child and by grade school I was taking piano lessons where I learned to read music and to really appreciate the musical process.

In my Christian walk, some of the most meaningful and inspirational music that I have come across are the myriad church hymns that have so long made up a part of our worship process. I often find myself quietly singing or reflecting on a line or verse from a hymn and I know that God’s truth is proclaimed through these songs. Today’s post is about a few of my favorite hymns and what they mean to me.

“It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s Love,
Once you’ve experienced it,
Your spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.”

The first stanza to “Pass it On” is one of my favorites. It’s the first hymn that I can remember singing as a child in either Sunday School or Children’s Church. My class sang it every week and its simple message about God’s love is one that has stuck with me and encouraged me even as an adult.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”

The chorus from “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” contains a message that I come back to again and again. When we focus our attention completely on the Savior there is nothing in this world that has the power to overcome God’s glory and grace. Often when I feel overwhelmed or anxious about something I hear these words in my mind and I am comforted by this truth.

“Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise”

“Come Thou Fount” is just an excellent song to sing and especially in 4 part harmony. I can remember singing this with my wife and a former choir director and his wife as part of a church special one evening and in the process of learning the song I really got to know the words and tune well. It is a song of praise to God who loves us and helps us whenever we call upon Him. Interestingly, the lyric “Here I raise mine Ebenezer” from the second verse refers to events in 1 Samuel where the Israelites finally defeated the Philistines and regained the Arc of the Covenant. An Ebenezer is identified as a “Stone of Help” and was used to commemorate the site as a reminder of God’s real, Holy presence and divine aid. I hope I can raise my Ebenezer every single day!

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus! ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry, His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed”

My wife (who is our church pianist) tells me that she often plays this for prelude on Sunday morning and perhaps that’s why it’s on my mind today. “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus” is a rousing song that speaks of conflict and strife, battle and courage and contains a reminder that although we fight today, tomorrow we have victory. Let us never forget that through God’s mighty power, we win!

“Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,God of glory, Lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,

Op’ning to the sun above.Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;Drive the dark of doubt away;Giver of immortal gladness,Fill us with the light of day!”

“Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee” is adapted from Beethoven’s 9th symphony where it was originally titled “Hymn to Joy”. I consider it one of the finest musical hymns in the Baptist Hymnal although that should hardly be surprising considering its excellent composer. It is both a joy to sing and a joy to meditate on the lyrics penned by Mr. Henry van Dyke who in 1907 adapted Beethoven’s tune for a church hymn.

So far I’ve listed only 5 of the wonderful church hymns that I’ve cherished and grown up with. I may revisit this topic on another day but for today I will end by asking “What is your favorite hymn and how has it inspired you?” Come; let us praise Him together with song!

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: praise

Where True Beauty Resides

July 25, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

I don’t often write about current events or popular culture. They are here today and gone tomorrow and often not worth much in the grand scheme of God’s plan. That being said, I’m going to use an example today that is drawn from a recently aired television show simply because it helps to make a useful point and because of how God used it to show me something that I want to share with you.

Over the past few years, my wife and I have enjoyed watching the BBC television show, Downton Abbey. If you are familiar with it then you know it is a British period drama that takes place in the early part of the 1900’s and deals with the family of nobles that inhabit Downton Abbey, their staff and the way that the world began to change rapidly during that period of time. We follow the lives of these aristocrats through war, modernization, the advent of the automobile and the telephone and many other changes all set against the backdrop of the marvelous house (actually, that word doesn’t do it justice, castle or estate are better descriptors) and grounds that make up Downton Abbey.

And even though we are watching the show to see what ultimately happens to these people, I can’t help but be impressed and sometimes even awestruck at how beautiful and grand the backdrop is for the show. The architecture of the house, the rich woods, the marble, the paintings, the decor and even the clothes and finery are all fairly breathtaking. I enjoy seeing these beautiful things and appreciate the craftsmanship and ingenuity that went in to their creation.

After watching a recent episode, I had the thought that seeing beauty on that scale was inspiring and that I appreciated being able to see it, even if it was just a television show. And on the heels of that thought I thanked the Lord for beauty and my first instinct was to call to mind a sunset, a bird in flight, a night sky filled with stars and other images of God’s creation. But immediately the Holy Spirit spoke to me and took me deeper. He said “the most beautiful thing in all creation is that which I am creating in you”. And as I pondered that thought, it took my breath away.

It’s difficult to put into words, but I know what the Holy Spirit spoke to me is the absolute truth even if I have very little knowledge of the specifics. I know, from what the Bible says, that I am now a new creation. I know that God’s Holy Spirit has come to reside in my heart (the center of my will) and that as I yield to Him and His teaching, He is changing me from what I was into what God intends for me to be. And if you are a child of God, the same holds true for you.

Brothers and sisters, we have something to truly be excited about! The work has begun but it is not yet finished. I believe we’ve barely scratched the surface of what God intends to do with us and reveal to those whom He loves and calls His own. True beauty, the purest and most lovely in existence, resides in the hearts of the redeemed. And it’s only going to get better and better as we keep on following Him and keeping Him in the center of our lives.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: 2 Corinthians 5:17, creation, Philippians 1:6, redemption, salvation

Independence Day

July 4, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

Today we celebrate our freedom as a nation. Enjoy the time with your family and loved ones and take a few minutes to thank God for those who fought for the freedoms that we enjoy and sometimes take for granted. But know this: Today we should also be celebrating our freedom as the redeemed in Christ Jesus.

Freedom and independence are core values for Americans. Our nation was founded on the idea of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as penned in the Declaration of Independence. There is no doubt that this decision to found a nation that is sworn to protect and nurture freedom has had a profound impact upon our world.

As Christians, our freedom from sin should also have impact on the world in which we live. “Give Light to Your House” is the tagline for Matthew515.com and comes from the verse Matthew 5:15 which says “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

If we as Christians are still living as though we are under sin’s curse or are actively involved in willful sinful activity, then there is no way that we can effectively be bearer’s of God’s Light. We are instructed not to cover ourselves with a “basket” of sin and slavery to sin but to realize that God has called us out of bondage and into blessed freedom through Jesus Christ. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NKJV)

You and I would do well to remember that there is no sin so great or problem so big or despair so low that God cannot overcome it. Our God’s great abundance of blessings and mighty power to save the sick and the lost are available to all who would bow down and claim them. Today we celebrate our triumph over death and the grave. Today we declare that we will be in bondage to sin no more. Today we claim our freedom and victory in Jesus forever.

Are you ready to claim it?

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: freedom, Independence day

Better Than Life

June 25, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

Today I want to go back to a verse of scripture that I have written about before. Sometimes God reveals new truths to us through verses we have read many times before, and that is the case here with Psalm 63:3.

Psalm 63:3 is a wonderful statement of praise written by King David when he was wandering in the wilderness of Judah. David makes a statement of intent to praise God because of his love, and although it is unwritten, despite his circumstances. David recognizes God’s love and care as being absolute and unshakable and instead of worrying about what tomorrow might bring, he chooses to praise God instead. And so should we all!

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You. Psalm 63:3 (NASB)

God brought to my mind recently the first phrase of this verse, “your lovingkindness is better than life”, and an amazing truth came out of it. Taking a look at life, we are prone to letting our current circumstances and our current location become our foundation. We get comfortable with where we are living, the things we have and the people we spend time with. In general, we cling to what we know and shun uncertainty.

But if we are to take God’s word as truth, and we should, then Psalm 63:3 tells me that God’s care and God’s love is better than any of those things and indeed, better than all of them put together! In other words, whatever God has for me, be it life or death, will be better than anything that I call “mine” here on this earth.

While it is true that we are called to be good stewards of the resources that God has provided for us, we do wrong when they begin to define us. They, like us, are temporary and secondary to that which God has for us and His work on earth. Sometimes, we need to “loosen our fingers” and allow God to direct us without worry or care about the things we own or the money we make. God is faithful and will always provide what we need.

Going back to our verse of scripture, we are assured that His lovingkindess is better than life and because of that we can be confident that whatever we give up for the sake of God will be far, far less than that which God gives us in return. Let us be reassured that God’s way is the best way and be comforted by His Word and the truth therein.

Author’s note – On a personal level, I find this truth and this verse of scripture to be extremely liberating when I apply it to my life. My affection for “stuff” weakens and my love for God grows in response. How amazing is that?

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: God's love, Psalm 63:3, Truth

Today’s Bread Is Ready, Are You?

June 19, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

Our title today comes from Matthew 6:11 which is part of what we refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus Himself prayed this prayer as an example to us and that makes it especially important for us to learn and understand. It is to our great benefit to apply His words to our lives and when we fail to do so we miss out on many of the blessings that God has prepared for us.

I find it especially important that Jesus included the phrase “give us this day our daily bread”. In effect, Jesus is telling us that we need to recognize that our provision comes from God and that it will be sufficient for “today” (meaning now). Looking at it another way, when we fail to ask God to provide what we need, we are either exercising a lack of faith (we don’t believe God can really provide what we need) or outright denial of God (we ignore His authority completely and count on ourselves or others for provision). Either way, it is a mistake that we can’t afford to make.

It’s also important here to know what the Bible means when it refers to bread. In a broad sense, bread is everything that we need to survive and thrive. It is physical nourishment, it is energy and will, it is fellowship and spiritual renewal and it is most definitely salvation unto eternal life. All of this comes from God and is available to us if only we will ask and believe.

The problem for us comes when we fail to ask or worse, fail to believe. For many of God’s children, even though we have may have made a profession of faith at some point, we leave God out of the most fundamental things in life by simply not asking and by not taking our needs directly to Him. He knows us, He created us and He is standing ready to provide. He has our daily bread ready and waiting for us before we ever ask. He loves us that much and I know it hurts His heart when we struggle alone or look to other sources for what He alone can provide.

The good news is that it is still “today”. There is still time (there is never a bad time) to call upon the Lord and cast all of our cares on Him. He has prepared what each of us needs to make it through whatever we are facing today. Have we humbly asked and then, in faith, expected Him to provide? Or, in the midst of our business and worry, have we forgotten Who created the world and everything in it, and is due all glory and honor forevermore?

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Matthew 6:11, our daily bread, provision

Alpha Predator Author Interview with Steve Taylor

June 13, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

Back on June 19th, I posted my book review of Alpha Predator: How to Be Victorious Over Life’s Ultimate Adversary and What to do When You’re Not. If you have read the review then you know that the book and the man who wrote it holds a special place in my heart.

Today I am excited to be able to post a summary of a telephone interview that I got to do with Steve last week. Steve was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to give me a call and to bless me with his words and his wisdom; he has given me permission to write about that call here on Matthew515.

The first thing you need to understand about Steve Taylor is that even though he is a retired missionary he is still working full time for God. He is currently a full time pastor in Pratt, Kansas and during our conversation he was power walking for exercise in preparation for his upcoming return to Zimbabwe, Africa on a mission trip. More on that later. Let’s get to the interview.

Me: “How did the idea for the book come about? Where did that idea begin and how did it take shape?”

Steve: “I was in a difficult ministry situation at the time. It was very challenging and I was in contact with people who were really struggling. I wanted to tell the story of Africa in the midst of challenging circumstances. Writing was cathartic and it was an outflow of my life experiences through words on a page. My Dad really encouraged me to take what I was writing and turn it into a book so I attended a writer’s conference in Denver, Colorado and came back with a passion to write the book.”

Steve: “Being a full time pastor, Alpha Predator was mostly written between the hours of 10pm and 2am after everyone had gone to bed and the world had gotten quiet. I needed that time that was free of distraction so that I could really hear God speak to me. During those times my thoughts could coalesce into something solid as they appeared on the page. Even then, it took nearly two years to finish Alpha Predator.”

Me: “And did I hear that you were perhaps considering a follow-up?”

Steve: “Yes, two actually. One would tell more of how God called Shirley (Steve’s wife) and I to the ministry and our early years getting settled in Africa. The other will be a Study Guide or Workbook to go along with Alpha Predator.”

Steve: “A copy of Alpha Predator found its way into the hands of a prison chaplain in Texas and that chaplain has shared with me that he is having great success using it as a teaching tool with the inmates there. These are men who live very close to the evil that is described in Alpha Predator. The Workbook is a direct request from the chaplain and others who are using Alpha Predator as a teaching tool.”

Steve: “Speaking with that chaplain and my experience with writing Alpha Predator really got me thinking. Distractions are everywhere and we need quite time alone with God to really hear Him. Old disciplines of the ancient saints like solitude, silence and fasting are necessary. We have an entire generation that does not know how to be still and know God. Solitude and alone time should be a blessing, not a punishment!”

Me: “I agree with you, Steve. I feel like the theme of my life these past few weeks has been prayer and alone time with God. I’ve never had a greater desire to talk to God and to get away from the distractions of this world than I do right now. I think God is trying to remind His people of something.”

Steve: “God wants to reclaim His children. That’s one of the main reasons I wrote Alpha Predator. I feel like there are many Christians out there who have made mistakes and just don’t know how to come back home. The story of the Prodigal Son is a story about a Son who left, made many mistakes, but then came back and was restored by his father. It’s not a story about a lost person, but about a believer. We have many Prodigal Sons today and the Father wants them back.”

Me: “I feel the same way. I had a gentleman in my Sunday School class a few weeks ago tell me that the Lord had given him a thought to give to me. This was right after I started Matthew515 and what he said really affirmed my ministry. He said the Lord told him “My people perish for lack of knowledge” and that’s exactly how he relayed it to me. It just underscored the seriousness of what the Lord had asked me to do and motivated me to not hold anything back.”

Me: “You make an annual trip back to Zimbabwe and I know that is coming up soon. Is there anything you would like to share about that? Are there specific prayer requests that you have about your trip that I could share on Matthew515 in with my church?”

Steve: “Every year I take a small group of men to the Zambezi River Valley near where I lived while I was in Africa. We can’t go in as missionaries anymore so it has to be for the purpose of tourism and sight-seeing but we do minister as we are able. Last year we started 4 churches and had 227 professions of faith in 18 days.

Steve: “We go into the deep bush, 200 miles from the nearest electric light and deliver basic necessities and medical supplies while teaching and preaching the gospel. Through these trips we’ve started 28 churches and have trained men to take them on after we are gone and ensure that the ministry continues.”

Steve: “You should make the trip with me sometime. It would change your life!”

Finally, Steve has asked that any who read this would pray for the safety of those who are going and for safe passage through the many check-points and roadblocks that they will have to navigate on their way into the bush. He also asks that we pray for the well being of the team while in the bush because (in his words) “everything in Africa bites”.

*Follow-up: Although this post is nearly three years old, everything in it is still relevant. Steve Taylor is still taking yearly trips to Africa and is still very much in need of our prayer. I re-post this interview from time to time because I love Steve Taylor and respect the wisdom that he imparted to me through our time together.*

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: alpha predator, evangelism, faith, missions, review

Until The Relationship Is Right, Nothing Else Will Be

June 6, 2016 by Matthew Gaither

As I was pondering and praying about several different things recently, God gave me a thought. It was the sentence that is the title of this post. “Until the relationship is right, nothing else will be”.

This thought, I believe, is a very powerful truth that is worth investigating. Relationships are essential to our well-being and we were created to be in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. This is the first and most important relationship that we should pursue but we must also, as much as it is in our power to do so, seek to have right relationships with those around us.

There is a temptation, when we think of the suffering and the various trials that the people we care about go through, to pray for their problems to be solved and their suffering to end. And it is the same with the trials that we face, to pray that God would solve them for us and to get us to a place where we aren’t suffering anymore.

But is that the right prayer? Is that really the best prayer we could be praying? Is that what God would have us ask? I believe, based on our key thought, that what we should be praying for is that our loved ones always be found in a right relationship with God first and other folks second. This is the order that we have to get right before God can make anything else in our lives truly right.

And then we can pray, either on their behalf or our own, that we all be drawn closer to God and more fully in to His provision and wisdom for our lives. Seek Him first, make Him the center and place Him as Lord over all. Then and only then can He set right what we so often get wrong. Our God wants to fight our battles for us and stands ready to do so. But only after we have acknowledged His Lordship and His Godhood and His desire to be our closest friend and savior can we overcome that which holds us back.

Once we have that right relationship with our Heavenly Father He can grant us His perspective and He will use those trials and circumstances to bear fruit for His kingdom. Through us, His Word can be made real in our world and in the lives of those we know and love.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: relationship, salvation, seek Him first