Today’s Living Word

Hello dear friends,

Lu 13:1 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 live in Menasha Wisconsin, the place where just days ago was rocked by a terrifying tornado. Miraculously no fatalities and mostly minor injuries reported. But when you see the trees that were uprooted and the houses destroyed and power lines down everywhere you realize what a miracle this was.

 

I think it’s a good time to bring in Jesus and His take on such calamities.

 

Let’s modernize His take on some recent headlines in His day by substituting Menasha in our day. . Lu 13:1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the tornado that hit the citizens of Menasha’

  2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these people from Menasha were worse sinners than all other citizens of the Fox Valley  because they suffered such things?

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

 4 "Or those citizens of Menasha on whom their  houses were destroyed, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in the city?

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

 

It’s not about the degrees of sin, we are all sinners and deserve the wrath of God!. It’s about the necessity of repentance and believing the gospel., and every such catastrophic event serves as a reminder to all of us. Without personal repentance and faith, you and I won’t make the cut and our eternity  will  be worse than any catastrophe faced now on this earth.

I will never forget what I saw today at ground zero. Some of the fallen trees were pushed over and but most were  violently  thrown to the ground.  It was a visual allowed by God to give us just a little idea of what the wrath of God looks like. And why Jesus gave us  the cure  to avoid it.  Repent (Turn from your sins,) and believe the gospel and you will be saved.

 

The fact that there was not a single fatality stands out in this f3 tornado. And it was  a visible illustration of 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.

 

Jesus, thank You for sparing lives in Menasha. , let this tornado be a forever reminder to us to repent and believe the gospel. May  it always remind us of the wrath of God against sin, and at the same time pointing us to Jesus who took the full brunt of God’s wrath in our stead on the cross.

 

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

 

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.

 

Today’s Living Word #5                                                                                         05-29-26  

“I Will Cause.” 

Hello dear friends, 

“I will cause,” is a phrase that shows up often in the Bible. By my count in the NKJV 41 times! (23 in the  Book of Jeremiah alone!)  It’s the equivalent of the placard made famous by President Harry Truman which said “The buck stops here.” 

 

In response to the idol worship and the shedding of innocent blood via child sacrifice that was being practiced by God’s people He warned them that He would cause a siege against the city of Jerusalem that would be so bad, people would resort to eating the flesh of their children and even their friends.

 

Jer 19:9 "And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in the desperation with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall drive them to despair."'

 

The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy was when the Babylonians sieged Jerusalem for two full years. (558 to 556) Imagine a siege that would last that long. No  one comes in to the city and no one goes out. ….eventually the food runs out and mass starvation is next, leading to despair and the desperation of cannibalism!

 

Desperate men do desperate things.

 

God makes it plain that unless they stop worshipping idols and sacrificing their kids the day will come when in desperation, they will be sacrificing their kids to themselves.

 

God doesn’t need me to defend His actions. He is sovereign! He is just and He is merciful. Before you question His actions against these people, read chapter 21 where He warns the inhabitants of what He will “cause.”  And He gives them time to repent, and get out of town.

 

Jer 21:8 "Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

 9 "He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him.

 

God warns His people to leave the city before His coming judgement, but for those who stay, He will cause them to experience a fitting judgement.

 

Jer 21:14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,"

What were their “doings?” Idolatry and the sacrificing of their children! This judgment of God is fittingly gruesome. But an eternity in hell is even more gruesome.

God desires all to come to repentance and live with Him for eternity. Eze 33:11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn (repent, repent, repent) from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

 

Jesus said in Mr 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

 

That’s Todays Living Word – Remember Jesus loves you…tell your face about it.

 

 

 

Today’s Living Word #1 05-26-26

 

This is often the way God rolls

Hello dear friends,

Ps 9:15,16 says, “ The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16 The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah

 

First of all, note the word “Selah” It appears most often in the Psalms.

It’s a musical term and it means to rest, or to pause. And The Holy Spirit uses that word to encourage us to pause and consider what we just read or sang.

 

Pay particular attention to the sixteenth verse, and learn a little bit about one of God’s methods of executing justice.  To put it in today’s terminology, “this is the way God rolls.” He, (the Lord)  is widely known (famous) for His execution of justice which can be summed up with these four words, “God gave them over.”

He is known for backing off and allowing sin to take its course.  It.’s like the old saying goes, “you made your bed, now lie in it!” 

 

Let me give you  a couple  of examples: 

 

Somewhere along the line men have, for the most part,  abdicated their God-given responsibility as the spiritual head of the household.  God gave us ample room to repent, but we didn’t,  so God said let me show you where gender confusion leads,”  He backed off,  and it is playing out in front of our very eyes. Our children being mutilated by procedures designed to change their God-given gender.

Here’s another example.

Remember Margarete Sanger? The founder of Planned Parenthood and a champion of birth control and eugenics.  She viewed it as a method to cull the human race of undesirables.  She opened the nation’s first  birth control clinic in 1915, and 15 years later the Anglican church was the first Protestant denomination to officially approve of it. Most other denominations fell like dominos.

 

Again God gave us time to repent but we didn’t and He said, “let me show you where eugenics leads, He backed off and eugenics played out right before our eyes in the rise of Hitler and Russia ”   Did we learn?

 

Nope! And in 1973 abortion became legal in the U.S. Sin, has taken and continues to take its course with over 65 million children created by God  and made in His image have been eliminated.

 

This is a hard and forgotten truth. 

 

But let me remind you, that  the Word of God says,  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)

AND,

There is no sin that Jesus didn’t pay for on the cross 1Jo 1:9 assures us  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My heart is heavy this morning (5/14/26)  with the news that the Supreme Court has lifted the ban on telehealth access to the abortion pills.

 

The standard two-pill regimen is 93 to 98% effective (read that “deadly) for pregnancies up to about 10 weeks.

 

The first pill turns the uterus into an unholy  slip and slide like event causing the unborn child to lose its necessary grip on the uterus to survive, and the second pill washes out the remains of the unborn child.

 

Please excuse the crass portrayal, but somebody has to say something!  

 

Somebody also has to say that abortion is a sin, it’s that commandment you know, that says “Thou shalt not kill! Always coupled with a reminder from the Gospel, that Jesus paid for every sin on the cross! Yes, even abortion.

 

1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

God is not silent on this matter. Listen to the relevance of God’s Word from Jeremah 9:21 For death has come through our windows, (let’s call them the drive up windows of your favorite corner  drug store)  

 

It has entered our palaces, (our palatial 3 bedroom homes)  To kill off the children-no longer to be outside! And the young men-no longer on the streets! 

 

Where have all the babies gone? Where are the children and the young men? It’s a reminder of the anti-war ballad sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Where have all the flowers gone….gone to graveyards everyone.

 

The united states has lost 1.1 million soldiers to wars but the war against the unborn children since 1973 has resulted in 54.5 million deaths due to legalized abortion. 

 

Population experts tell us that in order for a nation to survive, a birth rate of 2.7 births per 1000, is a bottom line necessity. America’s current  birth rate is at 1.6, not even  enough children to play on a teeter totter.

 

Jeremiah speaks of one of the effects of a lower birth rate and it’s not good news for senior citizens!

 

 Jer 10:20 My tent is plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are no more. There is no one to pitch my tent anymore, Or set up my curtains.

 

Jeremiah puts a large part of the blame on this dilemma on the Shepherds (pastors)  21 For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, (a lack of sensitivity to God’s will for His children) And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.

 

There is an undeniable  shortage of pastor’s in the land and churches are closing their doors (scattering) at an alarming rate.  

 

There are many reasons given for this drop off but maybe the pool of actual church members (sheep) and therefore pastoral candidates is simply shrinking due to “we  control” rather than “God-control” of the size of our families.

 

That’s todays Living Word

 

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

 

There has never been a richer nation in the history of the world than the United States of America! We live in a fertile land, and have never had to be displaced by foreign conquerors. .

We have been strong and prosperous, extremely blessed of God! But it seems that as a nation, we no longer bless God in return. He is far from our thoughts in that we do not keep (treasure) His commandments.

 

As a nation, and even in the church we have gone our own way. We have made a mockery of the institution that God loves (marriage) We give little  thought to keeping the marriage bed undefiled as fornication and adultery have almost become second nature.

We have muddled our God-ordained roles as men and women in leadership, and sexuality.  Resulting in the acceptance of homosexuality and an   outbreak of gender confusion. 

Lives of unborn babies, made in the image of God have been tossed away  through legalized abortion.

Let this sink in! We have turned God’s created order on its ear!

 

Have you ever considered that the latest rounds of deadly tornadoes “bomb cyclones”, flooding, fires, etc may be a judgment from God?

 

Is it possible that God is trying to get our attention regarding our disruption of His created order, by giving us some creation disorder of His own?  Is He trying to draw our nation to repentance for what we have done to His created order? 

 

That GOD USES NATURE TO get our attention is indisputable, speaking to Jerusalem (Ariel) Isaiah says,  Isa 29:6 You will be punished by the LORD of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire.

 

As a nation or the church, we can ignore these occurrences and continue living as we please, or we can use them as a catalyst for personal and national repentance, fasting,  with godly sorrow over the sins of our nation.

 

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

 

 

Exploding Trees Warning

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and here’s today’s living word.

 

I apologize for not keeping my blog/vlog whatever you want to call it updated daily. Actually I’m kind of flattered that you have asked about it. As I was reading the Bible this morning, I came across a passage that, in light of the current weather  pattern,  I  just cannot ignore.

 

The U.S. is experiencing a nasty bit of winter right now with the northern states (where I am )  getting hit with bitter cold and windchills in the -40 range and the southern states facing freezing drizzle and sleet.  

 

But, this blog is not about the weather it’s about God’s relevant Word.

Last week, I received a weather warning on my phone that in my 79 years of living never heard before. It was an exploding trees warning. Whoever heard of such a thing.  Exploding trees??????

 

Well, God did. And the Psalmist made note of it in  Ps 105:33 where we read of  judgments that God had brought against His rebellious people. Among other things, “He  struck their vines also, and their fig trees, And splintered the trees of their territory,” “splintered the trees of their territory?”

 

Don’t tell me that the Bible isn’t relevant to our world today.  God “splintered the trees,”  then  as a judgement, today for us, a warning! It’s getting late my friend, the angels are tuning up their trumpets. Will you heed the warnings or not?  

 

The ultimate anger against trees was the anger against that tree that Jesus died on outside Jerusalem. 2Co 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Where the cross didn’t explode, but it led to an explosion of grace on the third day when Jesus rose from the dead.

So when you hear of a tree exploding or see it in the news, let it remind you of God’s coming judgement, and the only way of escape. Faith in Jesus, trusting His Word (the Bible) as the only source of truth. Isn’t it time for you to believe that the Bible, the word of God is where you will find truth.  

 

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.

 I’m Duane matz and that’s today’s Living Word.

 

Playing the Deadly Game of House

 

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

 

Job 15:12 Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at,

Job’s friend (Eliphaz) asks what I consider to be a couple of challenging questions for professing Christians!

 

We talked about question # 1 last time concerning the matter of letting our emotions pave the way for our actions rather than the Word of God.

Today, let’s look at question # 2.

 

 “What do your eyes wink at? In other words,  what sins do you take lightly?” For that matter, “what sins are winked at by the church?”

 

The sin of fornication is certainly one of them that is near the top. We take fornicationt” to mean moving in and having sex before marriage, we use to call it “living in sin,” another term is cohabitation. Whatever you want to call it, it is sin, and it needs to be dealt with!

 

 Cohabitation is a deadly game of playing house before marriage. And while some will say, that cohabitation is a way to prepare for marriage, the statistics say something else. The divorce rate is actually higher among those who “play at house,” than those who stick to God’s plan  for marriage.

 

Fornication is one of the sins that disqualify one from the kingdom of God! It is a spiritual truth, that cannot be winked away!

 

 

1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

That is nothing to  wink at! God has a three word command for fornicators: 1Co 6:18 “Flee sexual immorality.”

 

Stop playing house with the world’s rules  and start playing it with God’s rules. Never forget that Jesus is not only your Savior, but He is also your Lord,

 

And look at the verse 11 in 1 Corinthians six!

 

 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

 

Such WERE some of you! Past tense! You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified by your new found God-granted faith in Jesus!

 

No longer a slave to these sins, you now have a new identity it is Christian, a follower of King Jesus.

 

Should we just continue playing house because of God’s abundant grace!

 

Ro 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Case closed!

 

To quote an old Christian song, “God will make a way when there seems to be no way.  

 

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

 

 

When Emotions Trump God's Word

 

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

 

Job 15:12 Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at,

Job’s friend (Eliphaz) asks what I consider to be a couple of challenging questions for professing Christians!

 

Question #1: Why does your heart carry you away? In other words, “Why do you let your emotions trump God’s Word.

 

Question # 2: “What do your eyes wink at? In other words,  what sins do you take lightly?” For that matter, “what sins are winked at by the church?”

 

Let’s start with the first question, “why does your heart carry you away? Easy answer Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Don’t trust your heart for anything in life! Always run it through the Word of God!

 

The young business man was on a flight and found himself sitting next to a pretty young woman. They struck up a conversation and both hit it off!  They clicked. And even before the plane landed the young man already knew he would start divorce proceedings and leave his wife and kids behind. He said, “It Feels so right.”

 

Oh that he would understand that the grass that appears to be greener on the other side of the fence is really nothing but the silage of the devil! And it sours everyone and every thing.  God HATES DIVORCE!

 

As I was preparing this message, I went on the internet to find the old Barbara Mandel song, “If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right.” This song (just as the title suggests) served as an invitation to promiscuity.

 

What I found extremely interesting, is that it was written for a group called, (Are you ready for this?)…The Emotions.

 

You just can’t make this stuff up.

 

You can’t make this up either! According to 1 Cor 6:9 adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God!

So is there any hope for this young business man?

 

Of course there is, . Just like there is hope for you and me. Jesus paid for all our sins. He wants us to repent and believe the Gospel.

 

Emotions are a gift from God, express them! Welcome godly sorrow over your sin! It’s a gift that will push you toward saving Faith in Jesus.

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

The Goodness of God

 

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

 

Ps 16: 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

 

I can’t say this enough. The older I get, the more I see it. I have had a blessed life, and I owe it all to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That not just idle talk from the Psalmist, look at verse 2.

Ps 16:2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."

It’s not my goodness, apart from Christ, it is all garbage! But because of Jesus It’s all good! Because It’s all Him!

 

37 of my years I was employed in Christian radio. What a privilege to be able to talk of the goodness of God! Much of the music we’d play has stuck in my heart, and I still shed holy tears when I hear songs like “His Strength is Perfect” by Steven Curtis Chapman, or Steve Green singing” People Need the Lord.”  

 

I may have retired, but the Holy Spirit hasn’t and one of my favorite songs right now is CEE CEE Winans singing  the “Goodness of God.”

The chorus goes like this: All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God

Do yourself a favor, Google “The Goodness of God” and let it speak to you. And turn on Christian radio, and leave it on!  Someday you too may need the right song at the right time!

 

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

 

 

 

I Own You

 

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

 

 

Remember Aaron Rogers when he played for the Packers? It was October 17^th, 2021 when Rogers first made the claim, “ I own you, against the Bears.” His lifetime record against the arch enemy of the Bears is 21-5! Impressive right? But not in the same league as God who owns his arch enemy, the devil and all his henchmen!

 

Job 12:16, “The deceived and the deceiver are His.

 

The fool that says in his heart , “There is no God,” has been deceived and in the end, are God’s to do with them as He pleases!

 

The day is coming when the devil, his demons, and those who have been deceived by him, will be tossed into the lake of fire….hell, for eternity.

 

When your world starts crashing down around you, and your faith starts to waiver, I want you to think of Jesus record against the demons he encountered while He walked on the earth? Did even one demon respond to Jesus’ command to come out of the afflicted one, with “You can’t tell me what to do?” His record against demons is perfect.

 

So beware of deceptive words, Eph 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

 

Because of what things? Eph 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

 

To ignore illicit sexual behavior, (fornication) has become most dominant and evident in our sex-crazed culture today. There is no way to sugar coat this, Unless repented of the fornicators will not have any place in the kingdom of God.

 

Do not be deceived by the standards of the world rather do what the Bible tells you to do: Flee fornication!  

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

 

 

Like Giant Green Pom Poms

 

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

 

Ro 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

 

Can you picture it? Creation, finally set free from the curse of the sin of Adam and praising God!

 

In January of 2001, the Parachute band came out with a song called “All the Earth” Some of the lyrics went like this:

All the earth will declare That Your love is everywhere
The fields will exalt Seas resound,

Hear the trees, joyful cry Praising You and so will I,

 

What a great chorus for those who have been set free from sin!

 

Fast forward to today. This has been an extraordinary summer weather wise. The humidity has been high, with temperatures a little higher than normal, and our foliage has gone bonkers!

 

Today I was sitting on my front porch taking in one of those intense Wisconsin summer storms. I was watching the maple trees across the street from our house swing and sway in the wind  and with all the fullness of foliage they looked like giant cheerleading pom poms, and if I could hear their cheers it might be “Come Jesus Come!

 

The Bible tells us: Ps 96:12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice

 13 before the LORD.  For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

 

God has equipped His trees to make a joyful noise, let us join in and even more as we see the day coming!

Come Jesus Come!

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

 

 

Who will Speak Up

 

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

 

Can an unborn child pray? I’ll leave that one to the theologians, maybe they can’t give voice to their prayers, but we can be a voice for them.

 

I WAS READING Psalm 9 the other day and thought that verses 13-15 would be a fitting prayer for the unborn.

 

Ps 9:13 Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,

 14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.

 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

 

While panicking about over population, nations like China are now scrambling for ways to bring their numbers up to  the sustainable level of 2.1 children per family.

 

What a tangled web we weave. We decry the rise of violence in our streets, but it is inevitable. Violence begets more violence. If it’s legal for me to take you out in the womb, why can’t I take you out later down the line.

 

Phil Keaggy released a song in 1991 called “Little Ones” with a challenging chorus for all!

 

Who will speak up for the little ones?
Helpless and half-abandoned
They've got the right to choose life
They don't want to lose
I've got to speak up, won't you?

 

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

The Parable of the Dental Hygienist

 

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

 

Job 7:19 How long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?

 

Here we have Job speaking to God. He asks Him, “How long?” He has lost his  animals, his servants, his children, all in rapid fire, and now he is battling physical health as well.

I see a dental hygienist twice a year, they have me lying on my back as they go digging around my gum line and my teeth.  Sometimes I need a break from all that digging to swallow my saliva. Remember the days of the sink that she invited you to spit into? The sinks are gone and now she has her miniature hoover that she can use to provide water and at the same time vacuum up all the gunk.

 

Nonetheless, I still need a  break in order to sit up and swallow! My saliva!

 

In essence, that is what Job is asking of God. “God give me a break from this trauma that You keep allowing to come my way!”

Are you in that season now in your life? You keep getting bad news in your life and you need a break! Think of this passage in Job and then do what Job did. He asked the Spiritual Hygienist for a break!

 

God I pray for those who right now are experiencing one bad report after another….please, in Your mercy, give them a break.

 

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

 

 

I Could Use A Lil Church Right Now

 

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

 

So many lessons to learn from this first chapter of Job! For instance, this meeting of God and angels that the devil attended, and God says, “Hey Satan, what you been up to?”

 

And the devil says, “Oh, you know, just going to and fro, walking back and forth on the earth.” (He didn’t say it but he was looking for someone to devour)

 

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 

And you know how the lion gets his prey don’t you?

He  seeks to separate his victim from the herd. When the prey is separated they pounce.

 

The herd is like a congregation there are some people that just hang around the edges, never really plugging in, and there are others who have just stopped attending.

 

You know what those people could be called? How about “sitting ducks?”  When the devil comes against, you, what are you going to do? When you’re feeling overwhelmed, Who ya gonna call?

 

Toby Mac has a great song out now called “a lil Church

The chorus
I could use a lil church right now
Love to have a lil family around
I've been feeling so overwhelmed
I could use a lil church right now”

 

Who do you know that could use a lil church right now?

J

Job 6:14 reminds us "To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

 

Thoughtful kindness means a lot to the afflicted, look for ways to deliver it.

 

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