Everyday Matters by Debbie Griffith

12/31/2020

Receive God’s Grace

Thursday Matters-December 31, 2020
Everyday Change Me

Oh that place when you know the only change that will happen is if you God ask to change you. So crying in the middle of a dark living room I asked God to forgive me, to change and mold and make me to be more like Him. I didn’t ask that He change the other person but instead I knew the only real solution was that my heart be changed. And still you can cry, “It’s not fair,” and God gets it.

I often don’t often understand why a particular heartache is happening but it isn’t always for me to understand. Know the answer to the question, “Can God be trusted?” And He can because of His grace and comfort to meet us right where we’re at. Humble yourself by swallowing your own pain and pride and look at Peter 5; “Humble yourselves under God and He will lift you up in due time and then cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you”...everyday.

12/30/2020

Humility

Wednesday Matters-December 30, 2020
Everyday Humility

Remember that song, “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in everyday way?” We laugh cuz like yeah right, “as if.” But sometimes we’re so busy pointing out the faults of others that we don’t take time to look at our own that we need to address. My mentor friend Barb wrote, “True humility is not a denial of your positive attributes. It isn’t a humble person who says, “I’m not good at anything.” This is an expression of pride which says, “Look at poor me. I just have to have special consideration because I’m so weak. Please pity me...treat me well.” On the contrary, the truly humble person recognizes their strengths and weaknesses and so rather than a concentration on yourself, humility leads you to look around you for opportunities to encourage and help others.” Snap.

When you understand humility that way it helps you to be confident in the gifts God’s given you rather than feeling bad about what you don’t have. Happy and free people are humble people…everyday.

12/29/2020

Jesus Loves Us: The Sinners

Tuesday Matters-December 29, 2020
Everyday Important

What makes you feel important loved or even liked? How often do you check the “likes” on your Instagram or Facebook post? I know. Been there. Done that. But REALLY the place I feel the most love is when I know who I am and whose I am. I’m God’s girl. He loves all of you and He LONGS to have you rid yourself of the garbage and dirt that makes you feel ashamed or unloved. We’re so important and significant to God. He gets us, gives us gifts to have purpose and He never stops loving us.

Jesus instructs that we’re to be willing to accept ourselves as least in importance. The least is a symbol of those who have the lowest places in society; the poor and the oppressed, the prostitutes, the tax collectors. But Jesus concern was that these should not be treated as inferior (Matthew 18:10). He was well aware of their feelings of shame, and because of their humility and His compassion they were of REALLY great value. Remember with God, you’re always popular…everyday.

12/28/2020

Comfort in Grieving

Monday Matters-December 28, 2020
Everyday Hope Ahead

Life is hard. An unexpected death of someone you love is hard. Yep. I’m a Christian because I am convinced that only in Jesus Himself is there any adequate, calming useful, clear explanation of any of life’s tragedies. When a friend loses the life of a loved one, what can we offer? I’ve found simply sitting beside them to grieve the loss, the shortness of life or perhaps how it all feels unfair, is best. But surely our Savior has earned the right to say to us, at the open graves of our loves, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

The Savior who has been there and back safely, who died and rose again and now can fully assure us. To say a loved, one died because of some sin in our lives is not only unrealistic, distorted thinking for a Christian, in whom “the light of the world” lives, but is an insult to the forgiving heart of the Father. Love others as He does. Share the hope…everyday.

12/25/2020

Trust God’s Path

Friday Matters-December 25, 2020
Everyday The Road Ahead

There’s only one road to God? What? But that view is narrow minded. You’re right, it is 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 have a choice to receive by accepting His sacrifice Christ for our sins. Trust the path He sets and what He’s done for you and then walk-in full freedom…everyday.

12/24/2020

Confession

Thursday Matters-December 24, 2020
Everyday Clear View

Here’s the deal from 2 Corinthians 5:17; "If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here.” However, that doesn’t mean our flesh isn’t at times screaming for what is pleasurable from our old life. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we can truly let the past be the past.
It’s not what we do, but what God does in and through us that sets us free. Our “do” is our choice to listen to His voice and His Word. James 4 tells us that if we choose to be a friend of the world, we take our stand as an enemy of God. Wow. We may say; “I’m a Christian,” but are we really “saved” when we choose to follow what the world has approved but God calls sin? We may still struggle with sin, but it’s important that we ask God to move in and change us. Confess, repent, and stop riding on the fence …everyday.

12/23/2020

Kindness Wins

Wednesday Matters-December 23, 2020
Everyday Compliment Crazy

“It’s not fair. They don’t deserve my kindness and I’m certainly not going to compliment them because they think they have it all together.” Very often those difficult people in our lives are family. We think; “How can they be so clueless to their own junk and continue to point out mine?” But here’s the deal; we may not think they deserve our love or kindness but neither do we deserve God’s grace and kindness toward us.

The advice given me was; “Debbie, just lavish them with love. Compliment and see what happens in your heart and in theirs.” Guess what it works. Love someone with simply acts of kindness by praising the good of who they are and you’ll be amazed at how God changes your heart and theirs. Truth from God in John 13:34; “Love one another as I have loved you.” It’s hard at first…really hard. But the change, the blessing, the beginning of healing in a broken relationship…oh you’ll be thinking; “Why didn’t I do this sooner…everyday.”

12/22/2020

Raising Children

Tuesday Matters-December 22, 2020
Everyday No Greater JOY

I remember the Easter that each of our four sons shared how they knew God was real. Each boy revealed how they talked to God but what was so significant is they shared how they heard from Him too. Their testimonies revealed they had a personal relationship with God. They didn’t give Christian “cookie-cutter” responses. 3 John 1:4 says; “I’ve no greater joy than to hear my children follow the Truth.” Exactly.

In 2010 our local newspaper interviewed our son, Marco about his mission trip to the Philippines and Marco said; “So, I’ve got a relationship with God and it’s great because when I was younger it was the religion stuff—go to church, memorize verses…but when I really started talking to God, He started talking to me, I got better. God is a person that you talk to. Not a person really, but God, and you can talk to Him and He’ll talk to you. And it’s not a one-way conversation” …everyday.

12/21/2020

Choices: Choose JOY!

Monday Matters-December 21, 2020
Everyday Success Key

“A key to success is playing the hand you were dealt like it was the hand you wanted.” I had to really think if there was truth to that. Yes, I may not have wanted what was dealt but “here it is” so what am I gonna do with it? My choices; scream, cry, complain and hide or I make the best of the situation and find the lesson, and blessing in it.

We can let experiences change us for the better or ruin us. Character more often is developed in crisis when we stop focusing on the hurt and search for the good where success may be hidden. During my recovery of scoliosis back surgery, 14 years ago, I was miserable yet I don’t regret what I went through. God taught me things I couldn’t have learned another way. In brokenness we can find beauty and success…everyday.

12/18/2020

Jesus will NEVER give up on you

Friday Matters-December 18, 2020
Everyday Keep On, Keeping on

Do you have prayers where you cry about all that is wrong and list what needs fixing, it’s not you but everybody and everything else? Yep. Been there…done that. God gets you. It’s okay. He cares about our pain and all that happens to us and knows about it even before it hits us. Sometimes we stop praying and give up because God didn’t answer the prayer like we thought – our sick friend got sicker and the marriage we prayed would stay together ended in divorce. That’s hard.

I’m sorry if that’s been the outcome for you. But remember, GOD WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU. Nothing you do or don’t will cause Him to withdraw His love. There’s something redeemable in your mess and pain right now. Get up, bring a gift to someone this day, a card of encouragement or a muffin, something. Serving someone else will help you focus on hope…everyday.