Heart Matters-- What Matters Most

With excitement and anticipation I jumped on a plane last Thursday evening to Florida to visit my family and fish some with my dad. Six hours after arrival I painfully watched while many types of medical professionals frantically, yet methodically temporarily stop my father's heart in order to prevent it not to matter twenty minutes later.

We watch it in movies, we even practice it in medical school, but when it is a part of your own blood you some how feel like it's your heart to on that table fighting for its own life. My father looked like something out of the Matrix movie with all those wires and electrodes hooked to him. I thought, "If I could only trade places with him and take the pain away." I prayed, "God let me be you just for this moment and make all this go away." I had to wonder though that God could easily come down and heal my dad or he could just take him away from us up to heaven, however, either way I had to trust and obey. I also thought of the timing in which only a few hours after my arrival that all this was taking place. Could there be hidden meaning in all this? Are there positives even in the face of death? Show me God, teach me something Lord I prayed!

My thoughts went back about three months to a conversation I had with a Christian friend of mine. At lunch we talked about current events and how much faith it took in the midst of death and tough relationships. He said to me, "Maybe God is preparing you for things to come." I thought the only thing I could think of worse than a close friend dying would be my parents passing away. The bible says in Matthew 6:21 "For were your treasure is, there will be your heart be also." Now as I watch my father in that hospital room I have realized and am thankful that my treasures are not of what this world has to offer but its, "The Matters of the Heart" that are the most important. It is not my job, my car, my house or even my friends but even as painful as it is the most important thing is my heart reaching out for my dads and Jesus reaching out for ours.

I have to wonder if this is what Jesus feels like every day with us. While we lay on that hospital bed of life, sometimes frustrated, helpless, and scared, what he wants more than anything to relieve the pain away trade places and take it all away. And then I thought, he has done all of that and much more. He died on the cross for us, he has already taken the pain away. And you know, knowing he did that for me allowed all that fear and frustration to disappear.

While my father didn't die this weekend in that hospital and is on the road to recovery, this experience has helped me to realize that it's truly not about the treasures here on earth. What matters most is our trust and obedience in God Almighty. You see it is easy for us to trust and obey in the good times of life, but it's in those hospital rooms and low points when we realize where our hearts really are and that is what matters most to God.

Where is your heart this week? Does it lie with the treasures of this world or is it with the one who died for you on the cross. For it is in our weakness to where we find our biggest strengths.

Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT series. A powerful five step plan to better your life, get healthier, and have more energy! For FREE mini Course click here! http://www.resolutions.bz

disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..
In The News:

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.
Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.
Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.
New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.
A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.
AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.
A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.
New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.
Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.
iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.
Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.
FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.
Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.
Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.
Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.
Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.
Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

I Think Ill Just Go Fishin

I said something last week I haven't said in years.... Read More

I?m Too Busy for Me

Everyone is busy nowadays. It's hard to find time for... Read More

Salvation: The Divine Imperative

Of the many individuals who were touched through the ministry... Read More

The F-Word

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and... Read More

Affirmations for Emotional Hygiene

Last week I talked about the need to practice emotional... Read More

Our Virtual Reality Reality

In earlier articles entitled "We Are Not Our Personalities", "Eliminating... Read More

It Seems We Have All Taken a POW

Just for a moment think of what is stopping you... Read More

Beneficiaries of the Promise

We are the beneficiaries of the promise God made to... Read More

Origin of Certain Thoughts (Part II)

Continued from "Origin of Certain Thoughts, Part I"If you haven't... Read More

The Many Waters, Lauretta Lueck

The Many Waters explores the universe and sifts through the... Read More

Accessing Your Spiritual Guidance

For the last 35 years, I have been working with... Read More

Expect the Best and Get It

The famous prayer of Jabez, where Jabez prayed for prosperity,... Read More

Drifting Like a Summer Breeze

He knew it was going to happen. He wasn't really... Read More

Reasons to Fast and Pray

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the... Read More

Why Good Things Happen to Bad People

One cannot ask why bad things happen to good people... Read More

To Praise Him is to Love Him; to Love Him is to Obey His Commands

Some say praising Jesus is just singing. Others say it... Read More

The Spirituality of Pigeons!

I was walking down the street the other day, walking... Read More

Spirituality: The Bottom Line

Whadda ya know?Seriously. With absolute certainty, what do you know?... Read More

Sing Psalms, Let Joy Resound: A Case For Exclusive Psalmody

Ephesians 4:4-6 indicates that Christians ought to practice one single... Read More

Livin On A Prayer

When I was a child, I thought as a child,... Read More

God Versus the Gods

Aristotle referred to happiness as the most we can achieve.... Read More

An Open Invitation

"All you who are thirsty, come and drink." ISAIAH 55:1,... Read More

Pray Off Your Debts in 10 Days or Less - A Short Case Study

Last Friday night, I met a Christian at a prayer... Read More

A Bellyful of Mindfulness

Taco Bell, the Mexican fast-food franchise, has a new ad... Read More

Stress Strategy: Flex Your Spiritual Muscles

In his book, Stress Without Distress, Dr. Selye suggests that... Read More

last minute cleaning help Highland Park ..