102 Matthew Thomas on the wasted stuff in life

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Matthew Thomas has traveled the world, taught across cultures, and planted churches in impoverished areas, and yet there’s two incredibly common questions he’s had people ask: Why am I here? and Does my life have any meaning? He chats with Leary and Armin today to sort through those two questions and how they impact our walk as Christians. 

Who is Matthew Thomas? Matthew Thomas is the former president of the eight-million member Global Wesleyan Alliance. He has served for 12 years as lead overseer of the Free Methodist Church USA, and has held past positions as a bishop, college president, conference presenter… he’s really done a bit of everything. After becoming a Christian at 18, he continued to find his purpose in Christ. He and his wife, Marlene, have recently settled in Spokane, WA after traveling and planting churches all over the world. Matthew is also the author of the brand new book, Completing Project Me: How Understanding God’s Perspective Changes Yours.

Matthew’s mission is to help people figure out what God put them on this earth for, regardless of their past experiences of pain or delight. He encourages us all to learn to walk in the light, not to chase it, and that if we are walking with Jesus we will have no regrets. 

Quotes:

“God has a bigger plan, a longer perspective, and a more penetrating ideal of who we are and who we should be than we do.”  — Matthew

“Don’t look at anything as a wasted experience. If it’s been a delightful experience, it will continue to grow in its delight. If it was a painful experience, it may just be the most formative experience you’ll ever have.”  — Matthew

“Obedience is not a means to an end, obedience is an end in and of itself.”  — Matthew

“Walking in light is knowing what you are supposed to do and doing it, rather than thinking something is going to bring your joy and chasing it.”  — Matthew

Action Steps:

• People hold back because they are afraid. They also base their lives off of calculations rather than walking by faith. Is either fear or calculation holding you back from a step you know you should take forward? 
• When we engage with our bold idea, there are going to be times that things don’t work out according to plan, and it can cause us to question whether or not we are “reading” God right. If the outcome is not good, we can consider it wasted, while in reality, God uses all outcomes for His good, even if we can’t see it. 
• Maybe a struggle in our life is one that might not have an identifiable learning outcome; maybe it’s so that other people in our lives can see us walking faithfully in the light. 

Resources mentioned:

• Official website: matthewathomas.net 
• Connect with Matthew on Facebook and Twitter.
• Completing Project Me: How Understanding God’s Perspective Changes Yours by Matthew Thomas 

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