Matthew Gaither – Page 21

The Power of the Message

March 11, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

I have had the great privilege of hearing some wonderful preaching and singing recently. Both the preaching and the singing were inspired messages from God about His great love, redeeming power and coming judgment.

Even though one was spoken and one was sung, they were both forms of the gospel message presented in such a way that all who heard it were blessed and challenged. The message was consistent even though the delivery and the messengers were very different. And that brings us to an important point about the gospel: no matter who we are, where we come from or what our talents might be, we are all called to share the gospel.

The gospel message is the good news, the very best news that there has ever been. It simply says that God loved us so much that he sent His only Son to die for us, taking the penalty for sin in our place and providing a way in which we might have eternal life.

This world is a fallen one and we are fallen creatures. We inherited a sinful nature from the very first humans and have been making wrong choices ever since. But God was not content to allow His most beloved creation to die in their sins and has provided a way for us to be redeemed. By admitting that we are sinners and confessing our faith in Jesus Christ and asking Him to be our Lord forevermore we can be freed from the power of sin and the certainty of eternal damnation.

And make no mistake, without Jesus, we are eternally lost. The penalty for our sin and rebellion against God is eternal separation in a place that God designed for the devil and his followers. Hell was not created for man, but man may choose hell by the way in which he lives his life. This is the truth that we must never forget. Although we are now living in a period of grace in which all who call on the name of the Lord may be saved, judgment day is coming. And on that day we will all be called to give an account of how we lived our lives and what we did with God’s son; whether we accepted Him or rejected Him.

The power of the message has not diminished although it is thousands of years old. The power of the message is as fresh and real today as it was on that morning that God rolled the stone away from the tomb and Jesus walked out, alive and reborn. The power of the message continues because it is God’s message to His creation and because He still desires all people to come to repentance.

Commit to being a messenger for the One who still has the power to save men’s souls. Share the gospel with those you know, both in what you say and in what you do.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Jesus Christ, salvation, the gospel

Seasonal Allergies and the Garden of Eden

March 3, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

I have just come through a week that was both uncomfortable and difficult. For no reason that I could discern I was achy all over and my nose and throat itched and burned. On top of that I seemed to be walking around in a daze, unable to concentrate and with only enough energy to put one foot in front of the other and remain upright. More than once I thought “there is really something wrong with me, maybe I should go see a doctor!”

But then a discovery was made. Evidently, elm, alder and cedar pollen was extremely high during the first and middle part of the week and my body seems to have no tolerance for it. Then after a few days the pollen count dropped and I felt so much better. It was almost as if someone had flipped a switch. There was no gradual recovery as there often is with a real sickness. It was simply “I feel rotten!” for a couple of days and then “I feel great!”

During all of this I was doing a lot of praying. Prayer for strength to overcome. Prayer for the Lord to be my sustenance because I was faltering. And prayer that I might be able to accomplish what was required of me even when I would have rather been in my bed sleeping.

I also had to remind myself to thank the Lord for being so good to me in so many ways. I am incredibly thankful that the Lord’s mercy and grace is not dependent on how I feel or perform on a daily basis. It’s very easy to forget just how blessed I am when I don’t feel well but the Lord deserves my praise all of the time.

At some point during this running dialogue that I was having with the Lord I had the thought (or perhaps it was given to me) that God did not set out to design his creation so that when one organism flourishes (the trees), another suffers (me). Sickness, weakness, fever, sore throats, headaches and most especially seasonal allergies did not exist before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

Sin’s effects are so far reaching that they even taint the changing of the seasons by making some humans allergic to a natural byproduct of life in progress in the form of pollen. This was not part of God’s design and personally I can’t wait to experience a time when all of creation is redeemed and we finally get to see God’s glorious creation in all of its splendor. I want to walk among the abundance of all of God’s creation and see and touch the world as He meant it to be.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9 NKJV)

God’s word tells us that a day is coming when all will be at peace. Organisms will no longer hurt and kill each other and there will be no more suffering. When one being flourishes it will not cause pain and suffering to another.

Sin is serious and I do not mean to make light of it by holding up seasonal allergies as a form of ultimate evil. Our world has far more serious problems than hay fever. But sometimes God uses silly situations and uncomfortable circumstances to teach us great truths. Now as always all I can do is continue to say “I am here Lord, and I am listening”.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Allergies, Isaiah 11, sin

A Prayer For All Of My Tomorrows

February 19, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

Lord, I ask that you be in the center of all of my tomorrows.

I am so thankful that you care enough to want to hold me up with your strong right hand as I walk through this life here on earth and also into eternity with you.

I want to know more about you, your great love, your mighty acts and your unseen ways.

Help me to be the person that you have called me to be.

I don’t know what tomorrow brings. I can’t see around the next corner or even further than the next step. Everything I do, everything I have and everything I am depends on you.

You are everything. You created all. This world and everything in it belongs to you and exists in you and for you.

I am redeemed because of you.

You have set my life on a path to heaven that cannot be changed, no matter how many dark valleys I must walk through.

You have greatly favored me and blessed me beyond my comprehension.

You provide every spiritual blessing for me; may I have the wisdom and the vision to never stop asking to be anointed for the work that you have set before me.

Never let me be satisfied with less than you. Never let me choose what is good over what is best. And may I always seek you first in everything that I do.

Show me the areas in my life that need to be brought under your Lordship. Mold me and form me into your image as I go.

Keep me from evil and from choosing paths that do not bring glory to you.

Give me eyes to see myself as you see me and a heart to love others as you love them.

May I never forget where I come from. May I never forget how you brought me out of darkness and into the light of your truth and love. And may I never stop looking forward to all the good that awaits me.

Help me to live a life that is visibly different.

Help me to be humble, wise, firm and courageous in proclaiming the gospel.

I want a heart that longs to give you all while at the same time being generous to my brothers and sisters who are in need.

All of my tomorrows belong to you. May I always live in such a way that remembers who holds the future and who is the victorious king.

Thank you, Lord, for being with me through all of my tomorrows.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: prayer, prayer for tomorrow

What Does Loving God Really Look Like?

February 12, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

“The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17 NIV)

I would not suggest that focusing our efforts and attention on loving God in one single way only would be the correct way to go about things. The Bible tells us that we are to love the Lord by keeping His commandments, by offering Him praise and thanksgiving, by worshiping Him in truth and spirit and by abiding in Him. And in John 21:17, Jesus personally tells Peter how He can show His own love for the Lord; “Feed my sheep”.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t consider being called a sheep in any way complimentary. Even so, I have to admit that the metaphor that Jesus is using is accurate. Like sheep we are easily led astray, often not very bright, subject to herd mentality and not very able to defend ourselves against our most dangerous predators (the evil one and those that belong to him). Jesus, being Creator God made flesh, knows us well enough to know that we are going to need a lot of help.

We require constant care and feeding, both physically and spiritually. And although our parents or other responsible adults will most often make sure that we are cared for physically until we can take care of ourselves, spiritual parents are much harder to find, just as they were in Jesus’ day. Spiritual parents are more commonly referred to as disciples, and that is exactly what Jesus was building in the men and women around Him. He was making the first disciples, those who would go on to build His church.

And that brings us back to Peter.

Peter had been tested and in that he failed. He denied Jesus three times and was deeply sorry. Through that experience he learned something about himself, about the nature of man and about the love and forgiveness of His Lord. And now that very same Jesus was standing before him asking him to take his knowledge, wisdom and experience and use it to serve others. Jesus was asking Peter to become a spiritual parent to many and we know from his writings that he did just that. Peter’s words, inspired by God, are feeding us still in the form of his epistles in the Bible.

We all have experiences that need to be shared with others. We all have some way in which we can serve one another and in doing so, bring light to our houses. Jesus’ words for Peter are the same words that He uses for us today; “if you love me, feed my sheep”. Use what you have learned and have been given and be a blessing to those around you. Feed His sheep and in doing so, show your love for God to be real and active.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: disciple, John, Peter

Do We Deny His Redeeming Power?

February 5, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

One of the most central components of Christianity is the belief that by identifying ourselves with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can be born again. “Saved” we call it. And although we are saved in a moment, we do not instantly become Christ-like. (In fact, without a great deal of prayer, Bible study and help from other Christians, we never will in this life become Christ like – but that’s a post for a different day).

If we claim to be a Christian, then we claim to have been redeemed. Where once we were spiritually dead and belonged to this world, we are now alive with Christ, born again in spirit, claimed by God forevermore. This act of redemption is powerful, and in terms of our salvation, once is all that is needed.

But God’s redeeming work does not stop there.

God not only wants to redeem our souls so that we can one day join Him in Heaven, He also desires to redeem our lives while we are here on this earth. Based on my observations, I wonder how many of us really understand that God is actively involved in the process of redeeming his creation in the here and now.

Whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever weaknesses and failures that you are currently experiencing, God can take those and redeem them for His glory. A mistake need not be the end. A failure need not be forever. And a tragedy need not have the final word. Only God has the final word, and there is nothing that He cannot do.

Satan, our adversary, likes nothing more than to see us stumble and fall. He does everything in his power to cause it, in fact. But God, who is infinitely stronger and greater, likes nothing more than to take Satan’s most cunning schemes and turn them on their head so that they ultimately benefit His kingdom and His children.

I am certainly not saying that we should aim to fail, nor am I saying that a tragedy is really not tragic. Heartache and pain come to us all and as long as we live in this fallen world, we will all experience the consequences of sin. What I am saying is that our God is so great and so amazing that He can take our darkest moment and our worst nightmare and bring blessings and goodness from it.

God is still in the business of redemption and he specializes in bringing dead things back to life. Darkness cannot stand before Him and death and Hell have no power over Him. There is no moment or circumstance that surprises Him and there is no time that He is not in control and not actively working for the ultimate good of those He loves and calls His own.

Remember well, brothers and sisters: when we choose to allow our circumstances to defeat us and we become dismayed and bleak because of the trials of this life, what we are really saying is that we do not believe that our God is big enough to redeem even this. May we never deny His redeeming power!

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: God, redemption, salvation

Then Comes the Moment We Ask

January 27, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5 NASB)

Following a period of traveling around the countryside and observing Jesus teaching, healing and disrupting many of the prevailing attitudes and opinions of the day, the disciples found themselves dismayed and amazed.

These men were ordinary people who had been leading ordinary lives until they encountered a man named Jesus who called them out of the place they were in and bid them to follow Him. In most cases, they were not well educated or remarkable. They simply had enough faith in that moment to recognize that Jesus was someone that they could trust their lives to and that He was sent by God to them.

So began their journey and their education. They quickly discovered that this man Jesus was like no one else that they had ever encountered. He had power to heal the sick, to cast out demons and even to bring the dead back to life. And his teaching was unlike anything they had ever heard before. He took the law and the words of the prophets and taught them in a way that cut right to the heart of a man and his motivations.

Suddenly, it did not matter where you were born, what you looked like, how much money you had or even that you were physically whole. Jesus’ message seemed to be for everyone and he emphasized this by spending more time with those in the margins of society than with those in power. He paid particular attention to those who had the greatest needs and seemed to have no patience for the rules and regulations of the Pharisees, angering them on several occasions.

By the 17th Chapter of Luke, it is clear that the disciples’ heads are spinning. The spark of faith that led them to follow Jesus has yet to fan into the flame that will ignite the early church and they are struggling to wrap their hearts and minds around all that Jesus is teaching and showing them. I can hear the eagerness and consternation in their voices as they finally say to Jesus “increase our faith!”

They are, in effect, asking for the Lord to help them understand. They want clarification. They want answers and explanations. But most of all, they want their faith to grow so that they may follow and serve the Lord and do the very difficult things that He has been teaching and asking them to do.

I believe a similar moment comes to all believers. A moment when we may be puzzled and perplexed, buffeted and battered but still honestly wanting to do the will of our Lord. And we recognize that it is not in us or of us that we may accomplish His great work. It is only by the power of the Spirit of the living God that we may accomplish His will and it will require us to put our faith to the test. And small though our faith may be, it can do mighty things when it is placed upon the one who is eternal and unshakable.

Charles Spurgeon said “The eye cannot see itself. Did you ever see your own eye? In a mirror you may have done so, but that was only a reflection of it. And you may, in like manner, see the evidence of your faith, but you cannot look at the faith itself. Faith looks away to itself to the object of faith, even to Christ.”

Are you struggling? Are you questioning? Are you seeking and honestly trying to understand? Cry out to God and ask Him to increase your faith and then put all that you have in His care. Keep walking with Him, one step at a time, and watch as your small faith placed in a mighty God can do miraculous things.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: belief, faith, Luke

America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great – Book Review

January 20, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

If you aren’t already familiar with Dr. Ben Carson and you live in the USA then chances are that in the next couple of years you will be. His life story and rise to prominent humanitarian success has been the subject of a movie (entitled “Gifted Hands” and starring Cuba Gooding Jr.) and he has written several best-selling books, of which “America the Beautiful” is the latest.

Since the release of “America the Beautiful” Dr. Carson has gained popularity as a practical, intelligent and compassionate voice calling for the American people to rediscover what made our nation great. He is seen in many circles as a modern day patriot who even as a registered Independent maintains conservative, Godly principles of government and management. For this reason and others, he has recently been approached by more than one group who wishes him to run for President in 2016.

While he himself has not acknowledged any plans to enter the presidential race as of yet, after reading “America the Beautiful” it is my wish that Dr. Carson be a candidate. He has a clear understanding of how our nation was formed, how we rose to prominence in the world and that we must return to honoring God for our success if we are to continue to survive.

“America the Beautiful” begins with a look back at our nation’s history and its key players and events. This was truly my favorite part of the book because I am a fan of history and because Dr. Carson provides plenty of evidence to support the fact that our founding fathers truly wanted “one nation under God”. From George Washington to Ben Franklin to Thomas Jefferson, every single one of them at some point publicly acknowledged the role of the sovereign God in their lives and in the formation of this country.

Our nation was founded on “in God we Trust” and the basic ideas that government should not interfere in the lives and freedoms of its people but rather uphold and protect “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” equally for all. When we remember and practice these tenants, we thrive. When we forget and personal liberty is trampled we stumble and fall.

Dr. Carson then goes on to show how our nation has had its fair share of mistakes (slavery, the Civil War, the treatment of Native Americans and Japanese during WWII, civil rights) but also how we have learned from those mistakes. He contrasts those periods in our nation’s history with the period we find ourselves in now where there is much uncertainty about our nation’s role in the world and the vast split in political ideology that seems to have occurred.

Dr. Carson is hopeful that with the intelligence and potential that the American people possess we can find the answers to the problems that we face. Dr. Carson calls for the involvement of the best and the brightest in the process of government as well as a return to a government that is “of the people, for the people and by the people”. In other words, we need real human beings from all walks of life involved in our political system in order for it to function properly and not just those who wish to be career politicians. In this, I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Carson.

Towards the end of the book Dr. Carson discusses some of the bigger problems facing our nation at this juncture and the Affordable Care Act is one of those topics. Being a surgeon and well respected doctor, Dr. Carson’s ideas and suggestions in this area carry a lot of weight in my mind. Dr. Carson is a brilliant man who has real experience working in the medical field and he seems to have an excellent grasp on what is needed to truly provide adequate healthcare for our populace while not bankrupting us in the process.

While the Affordable Care Act is not the only notable topic that Dr. Carson discusses in the latter parts of his book, it is perhaps the most timely. I think what he has to say about this and about the direction our country is headed in is important enough that I would recommend “America the Beautiful” to anyone who wanted to read it.

“America the Beautiful” may not be the most fun or exciting book that I’ve read lately but it just might be one of the most important. I pray that God is already working to provide the right leader for our country in 2016 and that we as a nation remember to honor and acknowledge God in all of our ways. Dr. Ben Carson might just be exactly what we need and if you read “America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great” you will hopefully agree with me.

ISBN-13 978-0310330912

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication date: January 22, 2013

Pages: 224

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: America, book review, God

How My Family Personally Experienced God’s Blessing

January 13, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

“That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.” (Psalm 26:7)

I believe the Bible is very clear in its instructions to us to tell of the wonderful blessings that God bestows on us. In most cases, we are not to keep the Lord’s work a secret, but we are to proclaim it and be witnesses to the world and encouragement to each other.

If you are like me, you probably find it easier to experience God’s blessing that to tell about it. I tend to be a quiet person and can be shy about speaking up unless I am strongly prompted. Using this blog I have been able to write about various personal subjects that would have been very difficult for me to verbalize. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to write and to tell about how good God has been to me and my family.

I’ve mentioned my job change several times now, about how it has disrupted my writing schedule and taken up much more of my time than I would have anticipated. I have not been entirely fair in this and I want to correct that today. What I have not talked about is how God has used it to bless my family financially and to restore to us what we once committed completely to Him.

It all started late last summer, in August. I woke up one Saturday morning with one of the strongest, most clear messages from God that I had ever received. I’ve heard of people who had experienced the Lord in a dream or received a message in a dream and this was not quite like that. I don’t recall any images at all nor was there an audible component to it. It was more like a mental stamp that had been placed on my brain or even a branding that left such a clear imprint that I had no doubt as to Who it had come from and what I needed to do.

The Lord was prompting me to give a special offering to our building fund at church. And not only that, He had given me a very specific number that was to be given and this amount was very nearly all of our cash savings. My trepidation was not in the giving, because I knew the Lord was going to take care of us. My trepidation was in how to tell my wife who is far more of a saver than I am.

I should have trusted the Lord and talked to her about it that morning but I found that I couldn’t get the words out at breakfast time or during the clean up afterwards. By then, it was time for me to get ready to go to work and I prayed that the Lord would give me courage at my next opportunity.

That evening I still was unable to talk to Vicki and I went to bed feeling a little bit apprehensive. I knew I needed to speak and that God would work it all out. I resolved to start Sunday morning off by being completely honest and leaving the results up to the Lord.

Vicki was up earlier than I that Sunday and when I entered the kitchen she was busy with breakfast preparations. As we sat down to eat I told her I needed to talk to her about something and I proceeded to explain to her as best I could what I believed the Lord was asking us to do. I purposely did not tell her the amount and concluded by asking her to pray throughout the day for a number that would give us confirmation of what the Lord wanted us to do. She looked a little bit worried but to her credit she agreed to do it and took it on faith that God was speaking and that we should listen.

The very next morning she gave me a number that was exactly the same as the number that the Lord had revealed to me. There was a new excitement about the way she said it and I knew that the Lord was at work and we were privileged to be involved. We made some arrangements that week to go by the bank and make sure there would be no complications with writing a much larger check than normal and then set a date to give our offering the following Sunday.

Two weeks later, a man walked into the retail store where I was working and offered me a job. The starting salary was 50% better than what I was currently making and there was a chance to make commission on any sales that I happened to make. After prayer and careful consideration I accepted the job and started work on Septermber 23rd.

In discussions with the owner of the business (the same man who had offered me the job) I was told I could probably expect to increase my pay by around five dollars an hour through my commission opportunities if I worked hard. Using that information I set goals for myself, both weekly and for one year (52 weeks) in terms of total commission.

Despite a slow start in September as I was learning the job, my end of the year total for 2013 exceeded my original 52 week goal by more than 10%. In other words, I made more in 3 months than I had hoped to make in an entire year. What’s more, we are now back up to the same level of cash savings that we were when we gave the offering back in August.

God is very good. Vicki and I have no doubt that He has completely worked all of this out to His glory and to our delight and amazement. And He continues to work and to bless. Both of us want to continue to be available for His use and this experience has shown us that when we are obedient He can do great things.

Thank you, Lord, for being so good to us!

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: blessings, praise, Psalms

A Psalm of Benediction to Begin Our Year

January 7, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

The dictionary defines “benediction” as an invocation of divine blessing. Usually a benediction is given at the end of a public worship service and is intended for an entire audience although benedictions can be personal as well.

One of my favorite authors wrote a benediction long ago to be read to a group assembled for worship. The author was King David, and the benediction we know as Psalm 20. Examine it now, if you will.

1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
3 May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
5 We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.

This is my wish for all who would read this blog this year. I hope that you will only trust in the name of the Lord and in the power of His name and His truth. Remember what He has done for you and look forward to what He is going to do for you and in you. Know that by His might and His salvation alone we are victorious and none who come against us will overcome us.

Rejoice in Him. Seek Him in all you do and He will give you your heart’s desire. Begin this year with a banner unfurled over your life that declares your allegiance to the one and only King of King’s. Rely on Him and call on Him in times of trouble and praise Him in all things because He is good and He is worthy.

Take this Psalm of Benediction that King David wrote so long ago and imprint it on your heart and mind. Let it be a rally for you to begin 2014 and refer back to it often and I promise that you will be encouraged and strengthened for the days ahead.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: Benediction, King David, Psalm

2014: The Year of I Just Don’t Know

January 6, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

I have questions..

The way God works never ceases to surprise me. Just when I think that perhaps I am on a certain path and heading in a certain direction, something comes along and everything changes.

Looking back at 2013, it was a year of intense spiritual and personal growth. The Lord booted me out of complacency and into action and this blog was one of the most visible results of that upheaval. And if you had asked me last Fall what I thought 2014 was going to look like I would have told you “more time writing, more blogging and an expansion of Matthew515.com”.

And up until around Thanksgiving I would have stuck with that answer. But then, the new job came along at the end of September and I started working 6 days every other week. I also lost my weekdays off and those were the days that I used to get the majority of my writing done. Work got busier and busier and although I tried to stick with the same posting schedule, I just couldn’t keep up. I was soon exhausted and worn out. Something was going to have to give.

So in the month of December I made the decision to take a few weeks off from writing and to rest my mind and body a little bit. It seems to have worked because I’m excited about writing again and I feel a spurt of mental and creative energy that I haven’t felt in several months. I’ve got several topics lined up to write about and I’m also working on another guest poster for later this month that I think will genuinely benefit anyone who reads his work.

That being said, my job really hasn’t slowed down any and the powers that be have told us that everyone in my department is on six day workweeks until further notice. And I’m still a Sunday School teacher, AWANA Club worker, Choir member, Church Secretary and Husband. My responsibilities have not lessened and my time to write has not increased.

For now, the answer seems to be for me to write as I have time and energy to do so and to not try and keep a set schedule of three posts a week. This is a big change from where I thought I would be at this point and I admit I’m having a hard time with it. I’m praying that the Lord would give me wisdom in this area and for me not to be discouraged because things aren’t as I thought they would be. I don’t know how many times the Lord has to show me that His timetable is not the same as mine but it’s a lesson that I am still learning.

As per the title for today, I really don’t know how 2014 is going to turn out for Matthew515 or for anything else. And as far as that goes, I guess you could insert any future date in the title and it would still work. No one knows what tomorrow will bring and only in hindsight do we gain a sense of perspective on what the Lord has been doing. I know that He is working for my good and that is enough. I will keep going and keep trusting His unseen hand.

Apologies all around, then, if my posts aren’t regular and updates don’t happen as often as I would like them to. I hope and pray that I will be able to get back to three posts a week at some point in the future but as to when that might be, only the Lord knows. And I’m okay with that.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: faith, obey, trust