Sharing Life and Christ

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:25 I finished the Gospel of John today and this verse really made me think. I am very thankful that God gave me the opportunity to read this verse in the library on the ship, surrounded by hundreds of books. As I considered how long it might take to read just the books in the small ship library, I was overwhelmed with the idea that Jesus' works can not be counted and contained in even the largest of the world's libraries. Let's use our imaginations for a moment to go a bit further than perhaps John intended. Suppose that there were not roads, but only volume upon volume of recorded works of Jesus Christ. Maybe buildings were constructed from these books as well. You wouldn't be able to walk without tripping over stacks of written accounts of the good works of our Lord and Savior! An...

Effective prayer has been a frequent consideration of mine for the past several months and I have been wanting to write on this passage for quite some time now. I am fascinated by the genuine and pure heart of Paul when he prays for the early churches that he ministers to. I pray that we might all grow in understanding of how to pray, what to pray for, and the expectancy to see God answer our prayers. Ephesians 1:15-19 "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to t...

Proverbs 2:1-5 "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding, yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD an dfind the knowledge of God." I've been pondering this passage for the last hour or so and have been amazed at what God has spoken through these verses to me. The first four verses are what we are called to do and the fifth verse is what will result from our obedience. Let's take a deeper look at the text. Verse 1 says tells us that we need to receive God's Word and treasure His commandments. Receive the free gift of God's Word and treasure His commands above all else. John 1:12-13 states that "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, wh...

I am headed out with the U.S.S. Blueridge tomorrow for some sea time. I am not sure if I will have access to blogspot or not while I'm underway. I just didn't want anyone to think that I dropped off the face of the earth! Please pray that my time underway is fruitful. Pray that I have meaningful conversations with the other sailors onboard and that I represent Christ well amidst the business. Also, please pray that I find time to spend in the Word daily regardless of how I have to make it happen. God bless you! Matt

I was walking to the ship this morning at 0515 or something crazy like that. As I was walking, I saw a trashcan that had overflowed a little bit and I felt the Spirit convict me to stop and pick up the pieces that were on the ground. It happened to be that there was a bus of morning commuters parked right there too. I just wanted to share how amazing God is in allowing me to display the servant attitude of Christ in the cool, dark morning. It made me cry because I was in the midst of prayer and reflecting on God's amazing grace in my life. And He gives me that opportunity as if to say "I am here and I am working through you." I'm so grateful that God fills me with awe for Him. It is an incredible thing to experience God on a daily basis and I am blessed to be who I am, where I am, doing what I am doing. Praise be to God!