Today's Beginning

1 John 2:2 (NIRV), "He gave his life to pay for our sins. But he not only payed for our sins. He also paid for the sins of the whole world." Tuesday... They didn't really realize what they were celebrating! And we may not either. Babies are very special. We see them but we do not realize their potential. They are babies. And I believe that was true of everyone who was celebrating this birth that we are also celebrating. This was a baby. When my son and then my daughter were born, I had no way of knowing what they were going to become as they grew up. They were babies who were totally dependant on mom and dad. And we now also have four granddaughters that have their lives ahead of them. And God has placed within them great potential just as he has all babies who are born. Now I think all of those at that stable had some idea that this birth that we are celebrating today was someone with great potential. I mean there were all these angels and then there was this star and th...

Psalm 113:6 (NLT), "He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth." Tuesday... He can and he does! There are many out there who look down on people around them because they believe they are better than everyone else. They live, it seems with their nose up in the air. But not God. Now God is better than everyone else and he does look down on us but for a different reason. Yes, Psalm 113:6 says, "He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth." But he stoops to look down because he cares about what is happening in our lives, and he is looking to take care of our needs. The whole fact that he sent his son to earth not as a prince which he was but as a baby says so much about him, it tells so much about God. Now the Psalmist goes on. In verses 6-8 he says, "He stoops to look down on heaven and earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people!" Yes, there is so much that Go...

Psalm 112:4 (MSG), "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people - God's grace and mercy and justice!" Monday... There is so much, so much to celebrate! I found this verse this morning in my reading that is such an encouragement even when there seems to be darkness all around and I read it before the sun had come up. Psalm 112:4 (MSG) says, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people - God's grace and mercy and justice!" Yes, I know that many facing this week need to be encouraged. This time can be very difficult. There is definitely darkness for some but I love how the Psalmist says this word of encouragement. He writes, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people." The NLT says, "Light shines in the darkness for the godly." The AMP says, "Light arises in the darkness for the upright." And the NIRV says, "Even in darkness light shines on honest people." It continues, "It shines on those w...

Proverbs 19:2 (NLT), "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute. This time of the year is so exciting. We get our paycheck from work and then we head to the store or Amazon and buy and buy and buy all those presents and then our check is gone Proverbs 19:2 (NLT) says, "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." But buying gifts can be so much fun and seeing how happy they are when opening those presents makes us feel so good. But then verse 3 says, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then they are angry at the Lord." Now for some that is their life. They get money and they spend it on their wants with no thought of what needs to be paid. An important lesson that we have learned is just because you have money in the bank doesn't mean you must spend it. But our enthusiasm takes over. But the problem is when it is gone and there is no money to pay th...

  2 Peter 1:3a (NLT), "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life."  Thursday... This is truly an excellent gift! Christmas is such a special time. Yes there are a lot of gifts going around. Now we do celebrate God giving his son but his giving doesn't just happen during this month. 2 Peter 1:3a (NLT) says, "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life." Now that is something to celebrate, isn't it? Yes, he gives it but we need to accept it and unwrap it. The rest of verse 3 says, "We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence." Now my wife and I can go out and buy Christmas gifts for our family and wrap them all up and put them under the tree. But they are of no use if our family doesn't come and accept and unwrap them. It doesn't matter all the time and money we have put into getti...

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV), "Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you." Wednesday... We live through moments when we really need to know this is true. Yes, we do. There was a time when I was in college when it seemed my whole world was falling apart and I found 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) and I said it over and over and over when the anxiety hit me. Here is what it says to do, "Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you." Now I didn't say it out loud but I said it over and over and it made such a difference. Yes, I found that it was true. Now the Amplified Bible gives more details. Starting in verse 6 it says, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride] so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in [His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, once and for all] on Him, for he cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very car...