Appreciation

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

Appreciation is the recognition of the good qualities in someone. Appreciation is often lacking in this world.  Every person deserves to be recognized in some way.  The least talented to the most gifted have the right to hear an applause every once in a while. We need to be an advocate for ourselves and let people know how truly thankful we are of them. Each person on this planet thrives on appreciation and gratitude.  The more we let others know how much we appreciate them, the better this world would be.  

As for me, I want nothing more than to show people they are valued, appreciated and loved by the way I speak and the way I act.  Through this experience, I have made more of an effort to express my appreciation to everyone I interact with.  Appreciation goes a long way. 

          In the name of appreciation, let us glorify God by giving Him the credit He deserves and through His life, may we learn to express our gratitude and appreciation to those around us.

Let Us Rise!

I am amazed at the train of events and happenings as of late.  Truly the signs of times are all around us.  I am even more amazed at my spiritual apathy to these obvious events. The more clear the realities of Jesus' coming become the more lethargic, complacent, and ingrained I seem to find myself in the realities of what and who I am.

As of late I have been often reminded of the Apostle Paul's cry saying "who shall save me from this body of death?!"  Yet even more clearly I can hear the clarion response;  Romans 8:34 >> Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Truly this world and the things of it are growing increasingly meaningless, worthless, and empty to my heart.  The realities of those once little besetting sins that seemed almost insignificant years ago now are like mountains in the way of a better country, an eternal inheritance, an immortal intimacy with Jesus.

To me now a relationship with Jesus is the only thing to be prized yet seeing these areas of my heart that steal that reality gives my heart an even deeper heart longing for freedom, victory, completeness, and wholeness in Jesus Christ.  These realities perhaps for me are the greatest reality of Jesus' soon coming.

Lets press on oh saints of God.  Let us realize that being holy and acting righteously is not so much about being and doing.  Being holy is most about being wholly in the loving arms of your Saviour at the expense of all else that would keep you there and being righteous is about being right with Him all the time allowing Him to have the best of you and you to have the best of Him at the expense of those things that would steal this experience. 

Let us not be deceived any longer.  Let us let go of those things that steal our love experience from and with Him.  Let us allow our love relationship with Jesus arise to the top of all things in our lives.

Matt F Mattzela

Praising God Always!

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Psalms 150:1,2

"Praise draws us to the very presence of God. Praise allows self to be forgotten and the power of Christ to be seen in the christian."--Chelsie Mittleider

"Praise God! Praise is not extra credit in the Christian life. It is not the frosting on the Christian cake. It IS the cake! Praise is so very vital because it draws us into His presence where He can finally just be near us and do what He's been waiting to do through us."--Steven Winn

"Each day, I'm reminded how much we have to praise God for. Each morning and evening we experience His loving kindness and faithfulness. And each day, God continues to answer my prayers. It's so unbelievable and amazing--yet it's TRUE! What a great God we serve! And to think that what we see now is only the beginning of what God has in store!"--Melodious Echo

 

Let it Shine!

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.--Matthew 5:16

Like the flame of a candle brings light into the dark room, we are to shine out to others who are in darkness.

However, there is danger of losing our light.  I am sure you are familiar with the popular kids' song titled "Let it shine."  One verse goes like this: "Don't let Satan blow it out, I'm going to let it shine! Don't let Satan blow it out, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine let it shine!"  

Our source of light comes from Jesus.  When we disconnect ourselves from Jesus, we bring in darkness.  How do we lose the light?  Through negligence of prayer and Bible study. Even doubt and unbelief can snuff out the light.  

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2
  
The good news is the Lord is so forgiving and merciful.  Through Him we can shine with His glory!  Let us not bring darkness by our selfishness and sins, but let us repent and ask Jesus to live in use so people can see Jesus' glory through us.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:14-16

Peter's Weakness

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.--Matthew 14:28-32


"Looking unto Jesus, Peter walks securely; but as in self-satisfaction he glances back toward his companions in the boat, his eyes are turned from the Saviour. The wind is boisterous. The waves roll high, and come directly between him and the Master; and he is afraid. For a moment Christ is hidden from his view, and his faith gives way. He begins to sink. But while the billows talk with death, Peter lifts his eyes from the angry waters, and fixing them upon Jesus, cries, "Lord, save me." Immediately Jesus grasps the outstretched hand, saying, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" 

Walking side by side, Peter's hand in that of his Master, they stepped into the boat together. But Peter was now subdued and silent. He had no reason to boast over his fellows, for through unbelief and self-exaltation he had very nearly lost his life. When he turned his eyes from Jesus, his footing was lost, and he sank amid the waves. 

When trouble comes upon us, how often we are like Peter! We look upon the waves, instead of keeping our eyes fixed upon the Saviour. Our footsteps slide, and the proud waters go over our souls. Jesus did not bid Peter come to Him that he should perish; He does not call us to follow Him, and then forsake us. "Fear not," He says; "for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." Isa. 43:1-3.

Jesus read the character of His disciples. He knew how sorely their faith was to be tried. In this incident on the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own weakness,--to show that his safety was in constant dependence upon divine power. Amid the storms of temptation he could walk safely only as in utter self-distrust he should rely upon the Saviour. It was on the point where he thought himself strong that Peter was weak; and not until he discerned his weakness could he realize his need of dependence upon Christ. Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought to teach him in that experience on the sea, he would not have failed when the great test came upon him. 

Day by day God instructs His children. By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act their part upon that wider stage to which His providence has appointed them. It is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life's great crisis. 

Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God will be overcome by temptation. We may now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we shall never be moved. We may say with confidence, "I know in whom I have believed; nothing can shake my faith in God and in His word." But Satan is planning to take advantage of our hereditary and cultivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to our own necessities and defects. Only through realizing our own weakness and looking steadfastly unto Jesus can we walk securely."[i]
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[i] Desire of Ages, p. 381,382--Ellen G White

Happy Love Day

I don't know why, but Valentines has been one of my favorite holidays for years. Maybe it's because I'm a sentimental person and I love all the hearts and roses and nice fluffy teddy-bears I see everywhere.  One of my friends was actually born on Valentines and I always thought that was the coolest thing. 

Valentines is a big holiday in Bangladesh, and as I was leaving to come back to the States this past week, I was piled high with valentines cards and love notes from all my kids. These gifts I will treasure for years to come as I look back on this wonderful adventure.

As they say, "Love is what makes the world go round." But as I was lying awake in bed last night, after just returning from Bangladesh, I was thinking, "Love is what makes the world period."

It was LOVE that created our world to begin with. It was LOVE that rescued mankind when they stepped away from God's original perfect plan. Yes, it was LOVE that sent Jesus, the King of the universe down to our dark dying world to take our place on the cross. And it's LOVE that sends us around the world to LOVE the least of these today.

Unfortunately, I think we all too often forget the gift of LOVE that we've been given. We also forget to pass on the LOVE God has given us.

Think about it: 

God – The greatest being

So Loved – The greatest principle

The World – The greatest people in need (that’s us)

That He Gave – The greatest action

His Only Begotten Son – The greatest gift

That Whosoever Believeth – The greatest invitation

Might not Perish – The greatest rescue from the greatest disaster

But have Eternal Life – The greatest lasting privilege and eternal joy

We are told, “The heart of God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In giving up His Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift. The Savior’s life and death and intercession, the ministry of angels, the pleading of the Spirit, the Father working above and through all, the unceasing interest of heavenly beings, all are enlisted in behalf of man’s redemption.”[i] He did not give just any gift, “He gave the choicest gift of Heaven, and [as a result] the treasures of Heaven are at our command.”[ii]

Do we realize the gift of LOVE we've received? Are we willing to pass this gift of LOVE on to those who still do not yet know? Think about it. And while you do, have a happy "love" day, loving all those nearest. Remember, this isn't just a holiday for boyfriends and girlfriends or husbands and wives - it's for all of us! 

ENDNOTE: By the way, in 2009 I wrote an article called "My Perfect Valentine." The online girls magazine where it was published has since gone through reformatting, so it's not available online anymore, but I still have the short article. I think some of you might enjoy it. CLICK HERE to view!

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[i] Steps to Christ, p. 21

[ii] 1^st Selected Messages, p. 324

The Hand of God

NASA released a picture, just recently, causing great excitement around the globe.  Scientists from NASA said the gas particles, shown in this picture, is the remnant of a star that exploded 17,000 light years away.  Oddly enough the explosion created an optical illusion of a hand reaching out to grab, what looks like to me, a freebee! 

Isn't this picture amazing?  It reminds me of how awesome our Creator God is! 

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you." Nehemiah 9:6

Today I challenge you to reach out to Jesus and let Him draw you in to Himself today.  "I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them." Hosea 11:4

Choose Jesus

Jesus gave me a type of analogy the other day.  Our lives here on earth are simply a test.  The time frame is the time of which we actually are living.  The setting is our daily lives.  The test is whether we will choose to love Jesus and live in Perfect Righteousness before Him throughout eternity or whether we will choose to live for this world living in our own selfishness and sins leading to eternal death.

The problem is that we have no ability to live or accomplish any perfect righteousness.  We are born in unrighteousness and we continue in that state no matter how many righteous things we do.  We are hopeless and helpless.  We do not have nor do we know the answers to the test.

Thankfully God knows this and the plan of salvation was developed to meet our need.  Our understanding of our condition is vital to understanding the reality of what true salvation through Christ really is.

Sense we have no ability to answer the test question right or meet its demands we need something/someone else to do it for us.  The Father sent an open book answer for us in His Son.  Jesus died for lived for us in perfect righteousness so that we could have the answer, His life in place of our own.  We must simply accept that Perfect Righteousness that is His and it becomes ours in place of our own.  He gives us the answer.

Not only that but He takes away our penalty.  We so often focus on Him taking away our penalty through His death in place of our own that we forget we need His life in place of our own.  Lets not make that mistake in this open book test or we shall surely fail.

Praise the Lord though for He does take way the penalty of death that has been laid upon us.  What good would the transfer of His life, His Perfect Righteousness be if we simply died anyway because of our past condition of being in sin.  Truly this is a two part question.

The first question: Will you accept His death for the forgiveness and cleansing of sins. (The taking completely away of sins in your life and the cleansing of sins effects and presence)

The second question:  Will you accept His life for you in which is given to you His Perfect Righteousness which enables you to live a life of righteousness by faith in Him alone.

We in our works, efforts, and abilities have nothing to do with answering these things or accomplishing them.  Yet they are freely given to us to be accepted, incorporated, and utilized in our lives / in this final open book test in the few moments remaining.  Choose Jesus!  In Him you will never fail.

Matt F Mattzella

Connecting - Part 3

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15).

In our continuing discussion of how to connect, we've said that the first step is to have the motivation to connect. We get this by asking Christ to fill us with His compassion for human beings through His abiding presence.

Our next step in connecting is to enter someone's battle. Larry Crabb, in his book Connecting, uses this phrase to describe how we can respond to someone who comes to us with a problem. What does it look like to enter someone's battle and how do we do it?

The key ingredient in entering someone's battle is to be there. It's a commitment to truly listen without formulating the next thing you're going to say, and it's a commitment to never walk away, no matter how helpless you may feel. When someone is convinced that there is nothing about who she is or what she has done that will push you away, she can cling to hope and she will be strengthened. You will be Jesus to her.

When you enter someone's battle, you:

1. Demonstrate God's delight in the person.
God jumps up and down for joy when He sees this person coming. Demonstrate that joy to the person.

2. Diligently look for the good that Christ has built into the person.
It's so easy to look for the reason for the person's problems--a dysfunctional childhood, a traumatic event, etc. Forget about that and look for the positive characteristics God built into her. Identifying the problem does not bring healing, but looking for the good does.

3. If necessary, carefully expose the bad in the person in order to reveal more of the good.
This step is not always necessary, so beg God for wisdom and trust Him to give it to you when you need it. Each of us has good things and bad things about us. We sometimes bury the good underneath the bad, and part of connecting is to gently expose the bad things so that more good can bloom. Jesus did this with the woman at the well (John 4).

According to Dr. Crabb, and as demonstrated in the life of Christ, connecting happens when we pour the powerful life of Christ in us into the good life of Christ in someone else.

Lord, thank you for the person with whom you have called me to connect today. May all believers respond to this call to connect with someone today so that we can answer Your prayer request to be one in You.

Connecting - Part 2

"Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed'" (Mark 1:41).

Last time, we looked at the fact that when someone comes to us with a problem, as Jesus came to His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, she is probably not looking for us to solve her problem as much as she is seeking connection. So how do we connect with one another?

First, we need to have the motivation to connect.

When the leper in our verse for today came to Jesus with his problem, Jesus was moved with compassion. And that compassion made Him willing to connect with him, which allowed God to flow His healing through Him to the man.

Lord, I have no compassion on my own. I desperately need and want You to move me with Your compassion when a struggling person comes to me for connection. Each and every human being is precious to You. May each and every human being be precious to me, too. Thank You for doing this.