Matt S. Law Studios

Tag: writing

  • Compulsory Farm Service

    Compulsory Farm Service

    There are some people that believe that we should require compulsory military service in the U.S. before you can become a citizen. While I admire the men and women of our armed forces past and present, and I would not hesitate to serve myself if it were required of me, I’ve always felt that a good alternative would be to require citizens to work on a farm for two years.

    First, because farmers are some of the hardest working people in the world (read this Letter From A Farm Kid Now in the Army). And second, because it would help to reintroduce some universal laws of nature that many people raised in the Age of the Internet have never learned: The Laws of the Harvest.

    I know the concept of a harvest may need to be explained to the youngsters out there. Here are some general principles behind farming.

    1. When you plant corn in the ground, you receive back corn. In other words, you get back, what you put out. This is known as the Law of Reciprocity.

    This is a practically universal teaching of every world religion. The golden rule, you reap what you sow, what comes around goes around, karma is a mafia princess (paraphrased). From a purely selfish standpoint, it would be a good idea not to be a jerk. People will treat you like a jerk. If you speak in a way that is energetic, empowering, and optimistic you will live a life that is full of energy, power, and optimism. It’s better to speak words of honey not of bile in case you need to eat those words later.

    2. You receive more corn out of the ground, than you plant into the ground. Or, you get back more of what you put in. This is the Law of Increasing Returns.

    How viable would our system of agriculture be if for every ear of corn you planted, you received back exactly one ear of corn. Why bother planting it? Just eat the one you have. Fortunately, the earth was designed to provide abundantly. A single kernel of corn has the potential to yield hundreds of millions of ears of corn.

    And so does a single act of kindness. Or a single harsh statement. Or a single lie. Or a single blessing. Our words and actions when sown out in the world have the power to multiply and increase in power a thousandfold. Being a little bit of a jerk can sometimes result in you being run over by a busload of jerks.

    3. Once you plant the corn, you need to wait for it to grow. You cannot keep digging up your kernels to check on them. You plant seeds, you water them, but you also must wait for nature to allow them to develop a life of its own. This is The Law of Delayed Gratification.

    You can’t expect to reap rewards without putting out seeds of effort first. That would be like expecting your fireplace to provide you heat before you give it wood. It doesn’t work with inanimate objects and it doesn’t work with people either. Try telling your boss that you will work harder after he gives you a raise.

    Also, we need to understand that a harvest completes on its own schedule, not on ours. I may have already spent some time complaining about the microwave mentality that people have these days. But anything worthwhile requires nurturing. Raising children, forming a relationship, developing a talent. Be willing to put forth the effort, even if you don’t see the results immediately. Have faith, that the laws of nature will not make an exception just for you.

    These are basic lessons about life and nature, sorely missing in today’s education standards, all because of our lack of agrarian society. (Full disclosure: I’ve never worked on a farm and probably couldn’t handle the physical labor, but the philosophy of the farm I am totally down with).

  • Attack Satan With Scripture

    Attack Satan With Scripture

    (This is a reprint of an article I wrote almost 10 years ago for a website that no longer exists. I re-posted it back in 2012 to my personal blog which hasn’t been updated in about 5 years so thought I’d dust this off and send it back into cyberspace)

    We as humans get weary. We get tempted. We are thoroughly corruptible. As C.S. Lewis described the world, we as Christians are in “enemy territory.” The world is full of Satan’s influence. The world can often reward people for deception. The world can sometimes glorify drunkenness, infidelity and violence. I am not a pastor, but here are some thoughts on how we as Christians can remain strong in God and defy the influence of the enemy.

    In Ephesians 6, Paul begins his description of the “Armor of God.” Not physical armor, but spiritual armor. Armor that will help us to “…stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but… …against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:11-12, selected, NIV).

    armorPaul itemizes the pieces that make up the full armor of God.

    The belt of truth.
    The breastplate of righteousness.
    The gospel of peace.
    The shield of faith.
    The helmet of salvation.

    This is armor. It protects us from wounds. It is metaphorical armor, as I am reasonably certain that these are not actual physical artifacts that were handed down to the Apostles. But by surrounding ourselves with truth; by being honest in our words and dealings and surrounding ourselves with truth in our lives, we protect ourselves spiritually from corruption. Righteousness, peace, faith are all qualities that bolster us from spiritual attack. Salvation is what identifies us as followers of Christ, those who are in the world but not of the world.

    But each of these articles are only defensive. A Roman legion going into combat with only those implements would lose every time. The final piece of armor is not armor at all, but a weapon. The only offensive tool which we are given to battle against spiritual forces of evil.

    “…the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”

    All words have power. God spoke, “Let there be light,” and He pierced the darkness. We cannot speak with the voice of God, but we can speak the with the Word of God. This is the weapon that we can wield as a sword against the devil’s schemes. Yes our shield, and our breastplate, and our helmet protect against his overt assaults and his covert whispers. But sometimes it makes sense to strike back; to go on offense. Our sword is the word of God. And the word of God is given to us in the form of the Bible.

    When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness by the devil he did not ignore him, he resisted him. He resisted him not by turning the other cheek and being humble. He resisted him with words.

    The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
    “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down (from the highest point of the temple).” Jesus answered him, “…’Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
    Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” (Mat 4:3-10, selected, NIV).

    Jesus teaches us how we can rebuke Satan, not just with words but with the written Word of God. Jesus is using scripture to stab back at Satan. He went Old Testament on him!

    “…to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deut 8:3, NIV)
    “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.” (Deut 6:13)
    “Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.” (Deut 6:16)

    As an author, when I read a book, I highlight passages and write down quotes that I feel are important, or that I could probably use later. I encourage you, as you study and meditate on the Bible, to do the same thing. Take specific notes. Write down passages and scripture that you can use against a particular weakness or temptation. When you feel like you are under attack spiritually, attack Satan back with scripture.

    Do not wallow and say this must be the will of God. God’s will is in his Word.

    When you are tempted to lie for your own benefit, say “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” (Pro 11:3, NIV)

    When you are tempted to cheat in some way, say “Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of his making.” (Pro 16:11, NIV)

    When you are driven to anger, say “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Pro 16:32, NIV)

    When you are afraid, say “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut 31:6, NIV)

    When you are tempted by pornography, say “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mat 5:28 NIV)

    As you do your daily devotionals, you will continue to reinforce your armor. But also, be aware that we are soldiers in enemy territory. So continue to add to your arsenal. Hone the sword of your spirit. When you are under attack, your armor and your shield may extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy, but in God’s name strike back at Satan.

  • The Greatest Nation is Imagination

    The Greatest Nation is Imagination

    Have you ever seen someone fail badly when attempting something new? Whether it’s a skateboard maneuver or public speaking or trying to de-claw a cat? After they fall, stammer, or get sliced, did they say, “I knew that was going to happen…”?

    If you knew it was going to happen, why didn’t you do it a different way?

    They didn’t know they were going to fail. They imagined that they would fail, which increased their chance that they would fail.

    “Creative visualization” is a tool used by professional athletes and many successful leaders and experts. It is essentially imagining yourself succeeding at a task. Golfers paint a vivid picture in their mind of making a successful putt or drive before they step up to the ball. Basketball players imagine the ball swooshing through the hoop before they take the foul shot.

    There has been tons of research and many books on this subject, but suffice it to say, that your autonomic nervous system cannot tell the difference between you physically performing an action and you carefully imagining performing that same action. It’s “virtual practice.”

    So by visualizing yourself succeeding at the task before you attempt it, you increase your chance at succeeding. After all, you’ve already done it once before, right? But by worrying, by holding a failure picture in your mind before you execute, you are practically begging to fail.

    Because he was worried about falling, the skateboarder wiped out. And because she was worried about being embarrassed, the speaker blew her presentation. And let’s face it, your cat can smell your fear.

    Imagination is a powerful tool. But if you are not using it to help you, you are probably using it against you.

    I always talk about spending 15 minutes a day performing some activity that will move you towards your goals in life. Maybe right now, you don’t have a job or business vehicle to take you where you want to go. But you can spend 15 minutes dreaming. Creatively visualize. Paint a crystal clear picture of the life you want to live and the person you want to be. Write it down, imagine it, envision it. It will help prepare your mind for success and enable you to take advantage of the next opportunity that you come across.

    Am I advocating daydreaming as a course of action? Yep. It will help you a whole lot more than worrying about not being able to pay your bills.

    “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw