Flight 171 from India

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

276 people lost their lives in that plane crash in India on June 12^th    Thanks to smart phones, I saw three haunting images that I can’t get out of my mind.

 

The first was a family video showing a man (who was a doctor) and his wife and their three children on their way to London to start a new life.  Doing what most of us would do, capture the moment on film with a video and sharing it with others.

 

But, this was not the “new life”  they were thinking of. Where are their souls now? Only God knows. Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, and that judgement for each soul is either not guilty or guilty, faith in Christ or no faith. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

 The second video I saw was one of the crew, all in uniforms with smiles on their faces as they prepared for the flight. It was a typical day in the life of flight attendants.

But the Bible tells us that it was also  a typical day in Sodom before judgment struck!

Lu 17:28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

 

All except Lot and his two daughters.

The third clip that I viewed was taken during the aborted take off, with the fatal crash just seconds away.  People were bracing themselves for the inevitable crash, some were praying, but most were just screaming.

And that is what has been haunting me.  

 

A vivid picture of judgement day spelled out for us by Jesus in Mt 13:42 "and will cast them (unbelievers) into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 

What about the only survivor of this tragedy. How did he manage to escape? He was seated by one of the escape doors and when they crashed the escape door opened, he saw daylight and scrambled out.

 

He serves as a reminder to God’s people of the rapture of His church on the Last Day!

1Th 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

 

We have no way of knowing how many believers were on that plane. Only God knows, but Jesus urges us to learn from all tragedies. And He gives us two examples in Lu 13:1-5,  There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?

 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

 

I pray that these 270 some people y will not have died in vain, I pray that souls will heed these warnings of Jesus, that they, maybe you will repent and believe the gospel.

 

Be like this lone survivor and head for the Light, He’s  your only hope to escape

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.

Do I Have To Come Down There?

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

2Ch 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.

 

Why did He do that?

Because, they mocked.

They despised

They scoffed

At the words of God’s prophets.

 

They had reached the point of no return, no other remedy, but the perfect justice in all its finality delivered by God.

 

I remember all too well growing up in a house where the kids bedrooms were upstairs and the parent downstairs,

We would get a little raucous in our behavior, and my dad would come to the bottom of the stairs and with a loud threatening voice, “Do I have to come up there?”

 

If he did come up we paid for it with a little butt warming.

 

Well it’s the same principle in play here, except we are downstairs and God is upstairs and when we get a little too raucous and careless with His Word, He says, “Do I have to come down there?

 

It’s what He did with Sodom and Gomorrah, and more than butts were warmed as He rained down on those cities with fire and brimstone, a picture of what will happen when Jesus returns to the earth on the Last Day.

 

But the Good News is right now we are in a place of grace. God’s remedy was sent to the world through Jesus. He took the wrath that we all deserved and died on the cross to pay for our sins.

 

The remedy is right before our eyes. Grab it!

It is faith in Jesus and His Word, and as many as received to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (Jn 1:12)

 

Time is running out! Stop your mocking, stop your scoffing stop despising God and His Word! All of it!

Repent, believe the gospel and be spared!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.

Fasting

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Another lesson for us from Jehoshaphat!

 

2Ch 20:1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

 2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar" (which is En Gedi). 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

 

Three nations combined their forces and gathered at En Gedi. En Gedi was an oasis located just west of the Dead Sea. It belonged to the tribe of Judah, but right now, it was occupied by enemy forces who were bent on conquering the Southern kingdom of Jehoshaphat.

 

Notice the reaction of Jehoshaphat. He feared. Fear is a powerful emotion that can rule and ruin our lives. How did Jehoshaphat respond?

He set himself to seek the Lord! And he used one of the tools God has given to us when fear and anxiety, and panic start to move in. Fasting.

 

Fear mongering is part of the devil’s calling card, and he uses it every chance he gets in order to try and separate you and I from the love of God.

 

But Jehoshaphat was having no part of it. He set himself, via a time of fasting to seeking God’s help.

 

I find myself wondering, when’s the last time I fasted. Have I ever even thought about it using it when anxiety and panic rise up in my life.

 

Fasting is one of the disciplines that mark the followers of Jesus. In His sermon on the Mount Jesus mentions three of those disciplines.

 

Prefacing them with the word “when.” In other words, it’s not “if” but when. When you pray, when you give, and when you fast.

 

It doesn’t have to involve day upon day, just skipping a meal is enough, or giving up other things that are important to you.

 

In fasting, we declare to God that hearing from Him is more important to us than food or pleasure itself. It is as Jesus said when the devil came to tempt Him.

 

Mt 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

 

If you struggle with fasting, this is a great verse to have on hand.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.

Lessons From Jehoshaphat

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

2Ch 17:3 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,

 4 but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel.

 5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah gave presents to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance.

 6 And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.

 

Jehoshaphat was one of the “good kings” of the southern kingdom. He sought the Lord and his heart took delight in the Lord’s ways.  

 

The timeless message of Jehoshaphat is get rid of the idols in your life. Admit (confess) that there is only one God. And if He is indeed your God, then seek to live your life in accordance with His  Word, the Bible’ Let the word of God shape your life, rather than the ways of the world.

A promise given a long time ago to Solomon is relevant even today.

1Ch 28:9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

 

It’s either/or isn’t it? Life with God forever, or life without (forsaken) by Him forever.

 

I’d say that’s pretty high stakes! We could get caught up with the theology of salvation, embodied in the “who sought who, but I would rather rejoice in my state right now.

 

Because I once was lost, but now I am found. I don’t care about the semantics, I just rejoice in the fact that God has seen to it that I am found! The glory is all His!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.

Bunny Trail

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

In my last blog, I found myself reading  about the reign of King Jehoshaphat, which led me to wonder where the phrase, “Jumpin  Jehoshaphat” came from.

It was another one of my many trips down what I call “Bunny trails.”   Just ask any of the ladies in my Monday morning Bible class. We have been going verse by verse through the Book of Genesis, and in two years of study we still have 19 chapters to go!

 

Given the state of our culture and even in the church, most of these bunny trails (topics) are worth examining,

 

One of the good things about bunny trails is the rabbit usually leads the hunter on a giant circle, and  eventually  back to the topic on hand.

 

We have some good lessons coming our way from the story of Jehoshaphat and we will get to them I promise. But before we move on, I want to spend another day talking about “minced  oaths,” and pseudo swear words.

Our world today is being overwhelmed by a tsunami of profanity and even many professing Christians join in the unholy song. 

 

I want to give a shout out today to Dave who commented on my last post with these words, ““profanity is a device that makes ignorance audible.”

 

Talk about hitting the nail on the head, that’s bumper sticker worthy! But be careful it might also serve as an invitation to get you flipped off or your car may be keyed.

 

Words matter, and we would all do well to heed  Col 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.

Jumpin Jehoshaphat!

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

So this morning as I was preparing my blog, I found myself in 2 Chr 20, and learned about a king of Judah named Jehoshaphat.  Ever hear someone say, “Jumpin Jehoshaphat?”  I am one of those people who cut their teeth on Saturday morning Looney Tunes and we often heard Yosemite Sam exclaim  Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!

 

The expression originated  in the united Sates in the 19^th century as a “minced oath, or pseudo swear words.

In other words a way to replace profanity with inoffensive words.

 

A way to clean up language.

 

Lord knows, these days  we need to clean it up more than ever! F bombs are commonly used by people of all ages,  It seems no one can express themselves with out swearing! Even the name of Jesus Christ escapes from many a pair of angry lips. The name of the One who died for our sins spews out with inflexion that are clearly full of disdain!

 

Christian writer and pastor, Max Lucado tells of the time a revivals happened early in the twentieth century in Wales. One hundred thousand people came to Christ in less than a year. Almost-empty bars were closed for lack of business.

 Magistrates saw their courts emptied of criminals. Miners even had to retrain the mules that worked in the coal mines – many of the animals had been trained to respond to vulgar commands. But when the men got cleaned up, their language did as well, and the mules had to learn a new vocabulary.

Has the Holy Spirit been working on cleaning up your language? Jumpin Jehoshaphat. That’s good news!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.

Stay On Track

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Ps 119: 32 I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.

 

She was just  150 meters away from winning the 2023 Peachtree 10 kilometer road race when Senbere Teferi,  the defending champion followed a motorcycle off course, costing her the win and thousands of dollars in prize money.

The Bible  likens the Christian walk of faith to a race. And there’s a lot more at stake than money.

Our race is not a sprint, it’s a marathon that requires endurance to the finish line.

 

Heb 12:1b “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

 

We enter the race by the grace of God, the hour we first believed, and the course that He sets before us are marked by His  Ten Commandments.

 

If someone were to ask you to name  The Commandments, could you do it? If not,  how then can you expect to stay on course and finish! Believe me, this race has many distractions along the way ,

 

Ga 5:7 You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?  8 This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you!

No, this persuasion comes from the devil, our flesh, and the world.

By now, you and I should recognize that we need the enlarged heart that the Psalmist speaks of in Ps 119:32. An enlarged heart speaks of greater love for God, a love that gives us the desire to serve and obey Him. Obeying the commandments won’t get you to heaven, but they will keep you on track for the race that God has set before you.

 

Review them often, confessing your wrong turns along the way, receiving His promised forgiveness, and then thank Him for getting you back on track again.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Todays Living Word.