Everyday MattersThere's a reason for everyday.
Despite the bad and the good, everyday matters. |
|
9/23/2022 Loving Every PersonFriday Matters-September 23, 2022
Everyday Best Friends “We’re best friends now!” is something I say when I’ve really made a connection with someone and have met them for the first time. Everyone has a story and I find myself taking the time to listen to people’s stories. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. I always take a selfie afterward too. This fall is Gigi, who is originally from Brazil. She loved this whole concept of “best friends in 30 minutes or less” because when you ask questions and listen to the heart there’s this wonderful joy that turns to love as you begin to fully know a real person and not a performer or poser. Gigi shared her wild child past living in Brazil and as I listened to Gigi, it was fascinating to hear about her life. For many seasons she lived in darkness, making harmful choices and yet, because of her relationship with God, He never let her go and did not let her past define her future. She is fully known by God (I mean Jesus knows the good, bad and ugly), loved and redeemed, which enables her to be me and others…everyday.
0 Comments
9/16/2022 Holy Spirit FilledFriday Matters-September 16, 2022
Everyday Drunk What does mean to be righteous? Well, it means we are in right standing with God and that means we know who we are in Him…. loved, redeemed, not a mistake. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Greater self-effort and determination will never liberate you. Shifting your focus will. This means letting God lead you and not your flesh. Again, in the Bible, Ephesians 5, tells us not to be drunk with wine but instead to be drunk with the Holy Spirit. When a person is drunk on alcohol, they feel, think and act differently. I’ve been there, done that. But the exact same is true when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we feel think and act differently. The Christian life is not the result of trying to act like a Christian; that’s only frustrating. The secret is developing our relationship with God empowered by the Holy Spirit. As God's Spirit fills us, we better understand who God really is. Our lives are changed from the inside out and good behavior is the end product…everyday. 9/9/2022 Words of HurtFriday Matters-September 9, 2022
Everyday Untamed Tongue “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James pulls no punches. That muscle in our mouth can kill or heal, spark wars or absolve a world. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Professor and Author Chad Bird says this; “From beginning to end, the Bible speaks about the power of speech, for good or for ill. With speech, the Lord God worded the world into being. And with speech, the serpent wooed the world into evil. When God commanded, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor,” he made explicit what we all know: that human society, relationships, justice, and one’s own soul are destroyed by lies. Some of the hardest moments in my life were when, knowing a lie would be the easy way out, that it would save me embarrassment, but in speaking the truth, even thought it hurt, it also opened a door to healing. Think how God began our world with the words, “Let there be,” and how He heals through the words, “I forgive you”…everyday. 9/2/2022 Life is HardFriday Matters-September 2, 2022
Everyday It’s Not Fair God is bigger. We may know this in our heart but it’s acting it out like we believe it that makes the difference. One of the hardest things to do is to forgive someone who isn’t’ sorry for what they’ve done cuz “it’s so not fair!” Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. And because it’s not fair we want them to know how wrong they are. What does God want? Go to 1 Peter 3:9 and read; “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That’s what God asks, and He’ll bless you for it.” Do you think God tells us to be good to those who’ve hurt us just because He wants to watch us suffer? No. The enemy works through people to hurt us and if we end up hating that person because they’ve hurt us then Satan’s job has been accomplished two times over. But if we respond with love then we’ve gotten Satan back and he’ll wish he never laid a finger on our lives…everyday. 8/26/2022 QuestionsFriday Matters-August 26, 2022
Everyday Mom Questions I remember the season well in life when I had four sons under the age of 7 years old and it was constant busy and constant questions. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. I love my boys, don’t get me wrong but some days I thought I might explode if they asked me one more question with the sentence beginning with the word, “MOM______!” I remind young moms now, “The days are long but the years are short.” But no matter how many questions they asked I always wanted them to be sure that they knew they were being heard and, no matter what I would never stop loving them. The same is true with the love of Christ. There isn't anything about us or our questions that would cause Him to withdraw from us. He welcomes are questions and He’s okay with where we’re at. But never forget the life changing answer He gives us in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me…everyday. 8/19/2022 Relationship over ReligionFriday Matters-August 19, 2022
Everyday Jesus Follower I’ve been in Christian group settings where Christians say, “I am a follower of Jesus” instead of, “I’m a Christian,” because of the stigma it may bring. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Sometimes we get bogged down about being right and then putting down others who do “it” wrong. We end up talking issues, rules and programs and what’s missing from these discussions is the simple message of the Gospel with is; love God, love others and do stuff to show His love in action. Author Carl Medearis writes; “The Gospel is not a ‘what.’ It is not a ‘how.’ The gospel is a ‘Who.’ The gospel is literally the good news of Jesus. Jesus is the gospel.” HE still lives. He claims to be the way, not just show the way. There is an enormous difference in religion and the relationship Jesus offers. It’s not based on what we do but what He’s done. Are you living is such a way that shows Jesus has changed your life …everyday? 8/12/2022 Do Not FearFriday Matters-August 12, 2022
Everyday Fear Not I don’t like feeling afraid but what’s worse is letting fear make my decisions for me. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Going into mediation with someone you have a conflict with can give you the worst feelings but the way to conquer fear is to press on through it and get to the other side where there’s freedom. Second Timothy 1:7 tells us that fear is not from God and that God gives us power, love, a calm mind and self-control. You may FEEL the fear but you can go forward despite it. When God told Joshua repeatedly to fear not, He let him know that fear was going to attack him but that he must walk in obedience to do what God asked. You are not a coward if you feel fear. We are cowards only if we let fear rule our decisions. Fear produces physical and emotional symptoms. For me, when I feel fearful I get dizzy and sick to my stomach. It’s hard to go forward. But the other side is freedom which is the side of power…everyday. 8/5/2022 Surrender ALL to JesusFriday Matters-August 5, 2022
Everyday Alter Call You want to look up but you can’t because the burden you’re carrying is so heavy and you feel strange because the alter call at church was about going forward to pray for a prodigal child and your kids are all in church wondering, “What’s wrong with mom?” Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Others come forward to pray with those in front but I sat alone. Then suddenly, a woman, who could be described as the exact opposite of me, gentle and quiet, put her arm around me. It was quiet and not a word was said but gradually more tears started rolling down my face and then I started to sob. This woman gave the love and understanding of Jesus, who also wept with loss and felt alone. She put her arms around me and just sat with me because she knew what my heart must be feeling. Jesus waits with us, sees our tears and cries with us. Sometimes He sends just the right person He can work through to meet us in our need…everyday. 7/29/2022 You Are LovedFriday Matters-July 29, 2022
Everyday Popular I don’t get why Jenny is so popular? She’s not that nice but people seem drawn to her. Maybe if I try act more like Jenny and dress and wear my hair the way she does I’d be liked more and more popular? Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. Have you been stuck in the shadows where you don’t realize the beauty of how God created you? He doesn’t want us to compare ourselves to another and be something we’re not because He didn’t make a mistake with you. Life can be hard, and I think we’ve all had those moments thinking the grass is greener on the other side but guess what? That grass has to be mowed too. Read the Bible and find in Ephesians 12 that you’re God’s workmanship and He’s created specific things for each of us to do by the way He created us. Comparison is the thief of joy but finding purpose to serve others by the way God created you brings joy…everyday. 7/22/2022 Relationship ChoicesFriday Matters-July 22, 2022
Everyday Bad Boy I mean you can KNOW logically that dating the bad boy isn’t such a good thing but sometimes your FEELINGS get ya in a place ya never thought you’d be in. Mr. Bad Boy can override all logic. Hey this is Debbie Griffith with Everyday Matters. I have had countless friends who’ve dated the bad boy. Why? I guess because exhilarating feelings seem to make a lot more sense than anything the mind can preach. It’s the rebellious adventure they take you on, their sweet words and the affection they give that fills that empty “love space” that only God Himself can fill. Many date the bad boy thinking they’re finally the one who can tame him. I know, you just wanna shake this person and tell them how much God loves and not to go down this route. Look at how Zephaniah 3:17 tells us God delights in us and in the Hebrew language this verse gives us the image that God literally “spins around” us with joy. Choose to seek that kind of love…everyday. |
Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
