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

best cleaning company Highland Park ..
In The News:

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.
Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.
Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.
Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.
Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.
Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.
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.

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

New Every Morning

I have almost died twice in my life. The first... Read More

The Star of Bethlehem

It was said that Caesar Augustus one night consulted his... Read More

Midnight Songs

In life, sooner or later, we come to the midnight... Read More

Echos Transition

Echo was a flea-bitten gray horse, with brown speckles everywhere,... Read More

What is Prayer?

Prayer from a child's simple bedtime prayer, to the prayers... Read More

Romantic Relationships: A Spiritual Perspective

Meeting someone so attractive, so beautiful. Your heart beats like... Read More

The Hidden Cost of FREE

Are you always looking for bargains, especially something that you... Read More

Out of the Closet?

We may sometimes consider the difficulty that occurs with our... Read More

Who Is He?

"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is... Read More

Pursuing Your Destiny

During my childhood days, I disliked Lenten season because radio... Read More

Selling Spiritual Stuff

Spiritual stuff is a hard sell Roy and one of... Read More

The Great Battleground

Being a Christian does not exempt us from having to... Read More

Praying in Secret

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and... 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

The Spiritually Dead Church

The spiritually dead church. Now, I am not talking about... Read More

Resting in the Son

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my... Read More

Universal Meaning of Celtic Knotwork

In the spring of 2003, I spent three weeks in... Read More

The Two Most Important Commandments - Love

Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible.... Read More

My Name is HAD-- Life Lessons Learned!

My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More

Buddha Never Bowed Before a Statue, and Jesus Never Kneeled Before a Cross, From Divine Source

Far to many people have become "followers" rather than BEING... Read More

A Tale Of Three Essences

Water of Enlightenment, Angel of Peace and Harmony for Nature... Read More

Relationship Advice: What Bewitched Can Teach Us About Successful Relationships

Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell recently starred in the movie... Read More

Enough Warm-ups, Already!

Among those arriving to the stadium early were two old... Read More

Ultimate Truth:The Beginning

You decide! We are often asked to make decisions. Decision... Read More

high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..