Monday Matters

Everyday Redeemer Lives

It has always struck me that Job said, "My Redeemer lives,” when he was in such a miserable place. He didn't know the end of the book that's named after him. What he did know was the loss of his children and all wealth, livestock and material items. His health was afflicted with sores, and he was in constant pain. And he had three friends who only added to his misery, telling him he must have done something wrong. Yet Job said, "My Redeemer lives," (Job 19:25) and not, "my disciplinarian lives." In the next verse he says, "And after even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it, I shall see God."

Obviously, he understood the greatness and omnipotence of God because he understood God in a way that wasn't just about what he was experiencing in the moment. Job had hope. But I love that he could still lament even to the point where he wanted to end his life. Whatever mess you're in, or the troubles from past mistakes or your mistreatment from others, there's a Redeemer who lives, sees and will care for you…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Earth Life

The earth experience is hard. It’s not our home and on this earth, we are served a lot of hard and challenging circumstances and of course, difficult people, too. Ever since our separation from God in the garden, humanity has had trouble with sickness, tragedy, violence, and death which are the results of sin. Jesus made it clear that troubles would be a part of living in the world and He was the remedy, not the source. 

But I struggle with the hard commands from Jesus like, “Love your enemies,” or “Rejoice in your trials,” which are certainly not fan favorites, yet Jesus gives us the way to do the hard things, and He tells us in John 15:6, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” So, listen up, Buttercup, the only way you can do the hard things God commands of you and allows in your life is to be in union with Him and tap into His grace…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Job Explanation

Maybe the reason God doesn’t explain to Job why terrible things happen is that because He knows that Job really doesn’t need an explanation. Frederick Buechner’s shares this insight from his book; “Wishful thinking.” “Suppose that God did explain. Suppose that God were to say to Job that the reason the cattle were stolen, the crops ruined, and the children killed was thus and so, spelling everything out right down to and including the case of boils. Job would have his explanation.

But Job would still have to face his kid’s empty chairs at breakfast every morning. Having a complete theological justification of his boils, he would still have to scratch and burn. God doesn’t reveal His grand design. He reveals Himself. He doesn’t show why things are as they are. He shows His face. And Job says, I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” And this is the same God we too can see…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Treatment of Others

How we treat others, including family members, from day to day, or how we react to the alcoholic who just can’t seem to get their act together or the people we don’t like, says a lot about us. How we respond to interruptions from people and how we deal with the frustrations of everyday life will speak the truth of who we are more clearly than a Christian bumper sticker on our car.

Life is not all about us but about God and His love of us and others. So, as children of God we need to reach out in love to others by listening and responding in love with our actions and words. We are all of equal value with a need for affirmation and real love and acceptance. Jesus tells us in Ephesians 5:15; “Make the most your time on earth with taking advantage of each opportunity and using wisdom because the days are filled with evil. But God is good and He’s love is unconditional. Show others real love by the way you live your everyday…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday “I Should”

Today I want to encourage you to ask God to help you take the “should” out of your life. Think how often you say, “I should read the Bible, I should memorize scripture, I should attend a Bible study, I should lead one.” But remember what Paul says in 2 Corinthians; “The code of the Law kills but the Holy Spirit makes alive.”

When we start thinking “I should” is when we get stuck in being religious. Some religious circles want you to believe that God can only be reached through rule keeping and good behavior. This “religious spirit” was alive when Jesus walked the earth, but He died so we could have a close personal relationship with Him and not a religion. Today, that same religious spirit still trips people up if they don’t know the truth. Remember the Law was given to show people their need for a Savior. A relationship with Christ enables us to walk in freedom and to be loved by grace and not by the law of, “I should,” …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Open Eyes

Jesus meets a man who’s been blind since birth. I don’t know how brief their encounter was but, in that time, Jesus bent down took some mud and rubbed the man’s eyes with it and when he opened them, he could see. Immediately the Pharisees-the Religious Leaders, questioned the man wanted him to proclaim Jesus a sinner…. WHAT? But the blind’s response is brilliant in John 9:25, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” He didn’t know how or why he had been healed but he knew a miracle had taken place and he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth.

We don’t have to all the answers in order to share Christ with others. What’s important is that we tell people the truth of how God’s love and forgiveness has changed our lives. Use your experiences and share your testimonies, to help others see Him too …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Open Eyes

Jesus meets a man who’s been blind since birth. I don’t know how brief their encounter was but, in that time, Jesus bent down took some mud and rubbed the man’s eyes with it and when he opened them, he could see. Immediately the Pharisees-the Religious Leaders, questioned the man wanted him to proclaim Jesus a sinner…. WHAT? But the blind’s response is brilliant in John 9:25, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!” He didn’t know how or why he had been healed but he knew a miracle had taken place and he wasn’t afraid to tell the truth.

We don’t have to all the answers in order to share Christ with others. What’s important is that we tell people the truth of how God’s love and forgiveness has changed our lives. Use your experiences and share your testimonies, to help others see Him too …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Test Training

Sometimes don’t you feel like you’ve been wandering in the wilderness for an awful long time and it’s high time things should start looking brighter? I’ve been there. And what helps me is to understand that the trials I’m facing are like tests given in a course that God has allowed to prepare me for my future. The class in the wilderness is not easy but knowing that God had to first approve what’s happening to me and it’s also no surprise to Him, helps me to understand the scriptures which say; “He who began a good work in you will complete it so rejoice in your trials because they’ll produce character which will bring you hope.”

God permits Satan to contest the believer. We’re given these tests to train us so that by Isaiah 45:3 we will be given treasures hidden in the darkness. But let’s remember the rest of the verse; “He will do this so we may know that He’s the Lord, the One who calls us by name…everyday.”

Monday Matters

Everyday Vegas

Susan had turned her life around by turning to Jesus and now she was on talk radio with three other women still in the “business” discussing lifestyle choices in Las Vegas. The host and others on the panel were repeatedly asking Susan, “Where was God when you were in this business? Why didn’t He save you?” And Susan replied, “God was always with me. It was I who left Him. The others clearly did not have a relationship with Christ, they didn’t know of His great love for them, and so they had no respect for God or His ways but Susan understood completely and she said; Christ gives us all a free will but it’s our choice whether we want to have Him in our lives or not.”

Without knowing the relationship that brings love and freedom a person is only going to see God’s laws as bringing judgment and bondage. But as Proverbs 28:5 says, those who seek the Lord understand fully…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday No Mama

Hearing our children’s first words are memorable such as, “Dada,” “Puppy” or “Ball.” Ball as was the first word of our third son, Joey, but the word “NO” came quickly too. When I was nine months pregnant with our fourth son I told. our two-year-old. Joey that I had a baby growing inside me. Joe took one look at my belly and said, “NO, Mama that’s a ball,” and he stood by his logical word choice. “No,” isn’t always a fun word to hear from our children but “no” is an important word when negative thoughts invade our minds. Maybe there’s untrue and ugly gossip about you, so you need to remember, “NO, that’s not who God says I am,” or “No, my past mistakes don’t determine my future in forgiveness.”

Jesus mostly used the word “no” when speaking to the religious leaders who were trying to boss everyone around. He came to fulfill the law by His grace, not by giving us more rules. God loves each and every one of us fiercely. If you feel or hear that your unlovable then you need to hear “NO” that’s not the truth…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday World Peace

There’s a lot going on in this world. There are a lot of people with different opinions on how our country should run. If you’re not a political person you may feel stuck in the middle because you’re not joining a side. Honestly, I’d be okay holding a sign on the corner saying, “Jesus saves,” because it’s the truth.

I’m convinced no matter your race, your political side of the aisle, your gender, your religion, or your financial status, we will never achieve real peace without a deeper understanding of God. People have become so disagreeable that nothing is able to draw them into harmony. Jesus said the peace He gives is not like the peace in our world. His peace is rooted in mercy, forgiveness, and everlasting life. His peace cannot be removed, just like His love because it’s unconditional and everlasting. As humans our nature is combative, defiant, and selfish. Human nature will never be at peace, because sin cannot know peace. This is why it takes God to remove sin and replace it with His peace and saving grace…everyday

Monday Matters

Everyday Shields of Faith

When my husband had cancer fifteen years ago it was hard, it was scary. But my relationship with God enabled me to receive peace despite the circumstances. Thankfully, Dan is cancer free but at the time of the tumor, surgery and chemo I had to be intentional to stop and breathe and let my anxiousness go to God. We can read in 1 Peter 5:8 that the enemy is always prowling around trying to devour our hope and steal our peace, especially in scary situations.

One night I had a dream of my husband Dan and I standing in a circle between two pillars that spelled the word, “IS.” “What did that mean?” God said: “My grace IS sufficient.” “My power IS perfected in weakness.” And then I saw people praying in a circle around us, facing outwards and protecting us with shields of faith. The enemy was prowling around trying to find an entrance in hoping to shake us up, but the power of prayer and faith prevented him. That was an amazing dream. Remember GOD is always greater than the enemy of our souls and always good…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Your Past

Joshua who served under Moses finds himself ready to lead God’s people into the Promised Land but first he needs to send two scouts to check things out especially into Jericho to see what they might be up against. And it turns out these two scouts are able to lodge at the house of Rahab, a woman who had worked as a prostitute. In Joshua 2:14 we read the promise of the two spies; “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety. If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.” And that’s in fact what happened.

By the end of her life, Rahab too had come to love the God of Israel, and she’s even mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus. No matter how many mistakes you’ve made, always know that God can use everything for the good. He is a Redeemer and has a new beginning for you. You may have a rough past, but you also have a future with Him who loves you…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday What Road?

There’s only one road to God? What? That’s narrow minded. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. You’re right, it sounds narrow but through a relationship with Jesus, not religion, it becomes clear that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. There are amazing people who love others but think there are many roads to God and that true spirituality is just to love your neighbor and help the poor.

How then do you know when you’ve given enough to get to God? What about the people who’ve been taught to hate? Are the poor just virtuous? That sounds right, but listen, if a soldier drapes his body over a grenade to save his friends, we recognize it as a sacrifice. Something we honor, but not something we can pay him back for. The same is true with Jesus. We can’t earn our salvation. It’s a gift we receive by accepting the sacrifice Christ made to pay for our sins and trusting the path He sets before us…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Healthy Marriage

Marriage is not always happy, but it can be healthy. The reason it's not always happy is because what happens isn't always good. There are circumstances, people or problems that can be very challenging. But despite hard issues you can have hope, peace and have a healthy marriage. My husband, Dan and I, have had our share of arguments, fights, and disappointments but through it all we share a love of God.

We share a commitment and an understanding to listen to one another with honor and respect. Yet, even with that shared commitment we still fail and fall but thankfully we get back up. It’s by God's grace we can extend kindness that may not feel deserving. It’s following Colossians 3:13-14, "Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever you have a complaint. Forgive just as the Lord has forgiven you. AND to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity."

So, while you may not be able to have always a happy marriage you can certainly have a healthy and hopeful marriage... everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday To Be Loved

I remember a discussion with girlfriends’ right out of college and the advice was given, “Love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.” Another friend, who had been through a few relationships added, “Debbie, you become who you choose to spend the most time with. Choose wisely.” Girlfriend added, “I mean, if I line up all my ex-loves in a row, I can see the flow chart of my mental illness.” Advice taken.

In life’s journey we all want to be known and loved, and Jesus knows us better than anyone and still loves us. He knows me, my pain, my ache, my disappointments, my shame, anger at myself and the part of my heart that hasn’t fully forgiven others. He knows. HE IS here, waiting to make use of what has happened. He is always on the move. He isn’t wasting time, thinking about all the trouble He has with us or how awful we feel about where we are with ourselves and our troubles. God loves us unconditionally…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Sin Issues

Don’t fret yourself about your sin issues because God first pours out His love to you and then He gently exposes your sin, offering a way for you to change direction, to receive full pardon and freedom.

This is what He did with the Samaritan woman at the well. He didn’t meet her with condemnation. He first met her thirst. He offered her living water (eternity with God), but also let her know He knew all about her. She ran back to town to tell others about Him, not because she felt condemned, but because she had been offered hope and a way out. People are not drawn to judgment. They are drawn to true friendship and that is what Jesus is, a real best friend. No greater love can a man have than to give His life for His friends (John 15:13). Think of the ways you are most loved, it’s when someone meets and loves you right where you’re at. Be that kind person who loves others like that…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Feelings

It’s so important to remember; feelings are indicators, but don’t let them be dictators. Get it? Feelings are valid and they indicate good and bad things happening in our lives, but we shouldn’t let them lead us, especially when we feel afraid.

I read this post on Instagram which said, “And then I realized that to be more alive I had to be less afraid, so I did it, I lost my fear and gained my whole life.” We may feel fear but the way to lose “it” is to go forward in courage despite what we feel which I know is insanely difficult but always worth it. The only way we can do that and leave our fears behind is by leaning into the grace and hope God gives us. Think about what God says in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous.” Don’t give up because of feelings. Don’t let fear immobilize you because God will be the one who keeps on walking with you, and He won’t abandon you EVER…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Needy

There’s someone hurt needing our healing, unloved, needing our touching; old, needing to feel that we care; weak, needing the support of our shared weakness. I get it. Brennan Manning, author and speaker, who has since left this earth for his home in heaven, still inspires me. He said, “One of the most healing words I ever spoke as a confessor was to an old priest with a drinking problem. “Just a few years ago,” I said, “I was a hopeless alcoholic in the gutter in Fort Lauderdale.” “You?” he cried. “O thank God!”

When we bring a smile to the face of someone in pain, we have brought Christ to them. I know hurt, ache and pain. What helps me? It’s NOT to hear more of what I should and should not do. I need to hear; “There’s hope. I’m sorry for this ache in your heart.” What should we do to those hurting around us? Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who have reason for joy. We are all in this together…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Welcoming Table

Come sit down. Let me hear your story, your heart. Tell me what you’re feeling because your feelings are valid, and you are welcome at my table. We all are welcome at God’s table too because we’re all created and loved by Him. He will never reject or withdraw His love from us, but He does reject sin. Sin is not welcome at the table, but sinners are. It’s taken me years to really grasp that God fully knows me and yet He fully loves me, completely, just as am. What God doesn’t love is sin because it’s a barrier to us having a relationship with Him. Sin wins unless pardoned.

Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice on the cross to pay the full price for our sin. He pardons us. His resurrection proves He succeeded. Come and sit, invite others to sit at God’s table with you. Through God’s unconditional love He will show Himself with all we need to be filled with hope and peace…everyday.