Today’s Living Word — 06‑20‑26

Love Lifted Me!

Today’s Living Word comes from Ps 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

 3 He has put a new song in my mouth-Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

 

I don’t know what horrible pit David was in when he wrote this Psalm, but I know the horrible pit I was in when Jesus rescued me!

 

I grew up along the lower Fox River in the southern part of Wisconsin and I experienced mire first hand. Thankfully we had a swimming hole and swam in it, just about every day in the summer. It was the only place that didn’t have shin deep muck. When any of us would go beyond the swimming hole we learned all about mire.

 

It sucks you in, and makes it very difficult to walk. 

 

Muck, or mire, is like sin.  It sucks you in and makes it very difficult to walk (make that live) as the Lord intended.

For years I was mired in the terrible muck of alcohol abuse.  But then, after my second OWI ticket I hit bottom, and Jesus was there to lift me out of the miry clay.  His Word (the Bible) now ordered my steps, He gave me a new song to sing, and I hope that the example of what He did in my life will lead others (who have seen the fore and after version of Duane) to Christ.

 

If He could save me, there is hope for all! Oh, and that new song? How about Kenny Rogers singing” Love Lifted Me? Google it and give it a listen!

 

I'll write myself a simple song
Get the whole world to sing along
I'll call it a love song for you
And who knows
I'm liable to take a song from the Bible
And then when I'm through, I'll just sing

Love lifted me, love lifted me
When nothing else would do
You know, love lifted me

Everybody's looking for a way
To say something nobody said
But that's hard to do
They're searching their mind
Trying to find the one of a kind way
That they could say something new and I just say

Love lifted me, love lifted me
When I was down and out
You know, love lifted me

 

Prayer – Jesus, all I can say is thank You. Thank You for throwing the rope that pulled me out of the mire. And Lord,  continue to “order my steps” through your Word. Amen

 

I’m Duane Matz, and that’s Today’s Living Word.

 

Today’s Living Word — 06‑17‑26

                                            Here’s Lookin’ At You Kid

Today’s Living Word comes from Ge 9:16: "The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

17 And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."

On Tuesday night, while we were watching the Brewer game, our neighbor lady sent us a text telling us to look outside at the rainbow. We headed to the front door went outside and WOW! It was stunning. One word to describe it would be "strong." We could see all seven colors with great clarity, and . I blurted out "Hi God!"

I do that most times I see a rainbow because the Bible tells us that God is looking at it from His side! "I will look" He says in v16,

I dont think the timing and the clarity was a chance happening. June has been declared "Gay Pride" month in our nation but that strong rainbow was like God saying " Let Me be clear on the real reason for My rainbow. It’s not about gay pride. Rather it is an everlasting sign of My covenant. It is meant to be a picture of My Son Jesus.

The Lord says, I will look at every rainbow from My side of heaven and you look from yours. I will see you through Jesus and you will see Me through Jesus.

Every rainbow is a sermon in the sky. Declaring God’s glory, and His plan of salvation. Every rainbow calls out the words from Joh 14:6: Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." You gotta go through the rainbow!

Jesus, thank You for rainbows, lift up our hearts when we see them, joyfully confident of the gospel that they proclaim.

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

 Today’s Living Word #10                                                               06-05-26   

                                                                             

 

Do Not Diminish A Word

Today’s Living Word comes from Jer 26:2 "Thus says the LORD: 'Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word.

 

Jeremiah was given the task to speak to the church. Speak all the Words of God  and he was not to sugar coat them. That is the lot of those who proclaim the Word of God. We are not to skip over any part of it.

 

Why? Next verses, Jer 26:3 'Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.' 4 "And you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD:

Jeremiah told the people what God had told him and the church was furious. They (THE CHURCH!) apprehended him and wanted to put him to death. (v8)  When he was done with his “Thus saith the Lord speech”

 

Remember Stephen in the New Testament?  Ac 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; They ran him out of town and then stoned him to death.

 

God’s Word is diminished when we addto  or subtract  from His words in the Bible.  De 4:2 "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Re 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

God’s Word is also diminished when we skip over tough topics that plague our society. God is not silent on things like Abortion, divorce, fornication, sexual perversions, and the new kid on the block…transgendrism.  

 

God’s word is not silent on these matters and we shouldn’t be either,

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’ Today’s Living Word!

Teen Takeovers

 

Today’s Living Word #8                                                                           06-03-26   

                                                                             

 

Teen Takeovers

 

Today’s Living Word comes from  Mt 24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

 

Right now, in the United States, lawlessness is on display in what has been called Teen Takeovers. According to the words of Jesus , lawlessness is a sign of the last days.

 

But the lawlessness  of youth has shown up in the past as well. The French revolution fueled by the 18-25 year old age bracket. The anti-war demonstrators of the 60’s, likely had believers convinced that the end was near.

And here we are again. And we rightly should make the connection between this sign and the final coming of Jesus. We rightly should heed it as a warning and a time to repent. 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

 

When is the last time you sang or heard someone sing, “America The Beautiful.” For me, it was my quiet time this morning. And it caused me to consider the teen takeovers that are plaguing our cities, our beaches and our shopping centers.

 

These uprisings are captured on video and then sent out over the internet. Fights have broken out, property has been destroyed, it is a dangerous game of anarchy for adolescents.

 

Pity a family spending time downtown, or at the beach or the mall and one of these teen takeover’s breaks out. It could be fatal.

It’s America the Beautiful, not  “America the Fearful.” and we pray with the chorus in that song…..”God shed His grace on thee.” I get the feeling, we are going to need it!

 

Dear Jesus, summer’s coming and we are going to need your grace and mercy and forbearance  all across this sacred land, “from sea to shining sea.”

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’ Today’s Living Word…Jesus loves you, tell your face about that.