Todays Beginning

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly." Tuesday... So let's get started. This is such an important day. And a great place to start today, election day, is in prayer. Verse 3 says, ""Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly." KIng David here in verses 1-2 says, "O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, My King and my God, for I pray to no one but you." Now there are a whole lot of people here in our nation who are definitely groaning. And there are Christians on both side who are praying for their candidate to win. And that is understandable. So what does God do? Now God sees the whole picture. He sees what our nation really does need and he sees all of the possibilities and the outcomes and he also sees the consequences and the benefits of our choices. Later in verse

Psalm 4:6 (NLT), "Many people will say, 'Who will show us better times?' Let your face smile on us, Lord." Monday... So, who will really do it? Good question, especially before our Presidential election tomorrow here in the United States. But is it really up to them? Will they really be the ones who do it? Well, this thought in my reading in the Psalms this morning gives those of us who are followers of God a different perspective. Yes, God does use people but is it really isn't up to them. Verses 7 & 8 says, "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Yes, "you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Do we really believe that? I mean there will be Christ followers who will be devastated if their candidate loses. They really will.  Oh I know, we have listened to what each candidate has said and we believe them in what th

Psalm 1:3b (AMP), "And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]." Friday... Oh we love this! We love to take portions of scripture and revel in what they say. But many times it is not the whole story. The principle of cause and effect is so important. But many in the day in which we live want the benefit without living out the cause. And that is a real problem Now here is the whole, the cause. Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT) says, "O the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in the mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." In other words, they read and do what the Bible says. Verse 2 in the Amplified Bible says, "And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night." That is what we do and then this is what we get. Verse 3 says, "And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, which yields its fr

Hebrews 5:8 (NIRV), "Jesus was God's Son. But by suffering he learned what it means to obey." Thursday... They did it, they did it. No, I'm not saying that the Dodgers won the pennant last night, though they did. No that's not it. But it is that there are people who are learning from situations in their lives and maturing from them and then choosing what is right instead of wrong. Hebrews 5:8 says, "Jesus was God's Son. But by suffering he learned what it means to obey." He didn't waste his suffering. And then verse 14 (AMP), "But solid food is for the [spiritually] mature whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between what is morally good and what is evil." Their senses were trained. How we respond and learn from difficult situations in our life that are there to teach us goes a long way in our maturing. And maturing is so important in our life. Growing through difficult situations goes a long way in our maturing. Jesus is

Psalm 150:2 (NLT), "Praise him for his mighty works; praise him for his unequaled greatness." Wednesday... But are they really great? We are right now in the midst of two competitions and we are hearing the reasons why they are great. Now one is the election of the President of the United States, They do mention in their advertisement of each ones greatness but more about the other ones weakness or faults. This will be over the first week in November. The other competition is the World Series of baseball. Now the advertisement of the WS has focused on the greatness of two individual players on each team and the truth is neither one of those players have lived up to their ads but the competition between the New Your Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodger has been exciting to watch. Now I am partial to the Dodgers. I have been a fan of them for a long time so I am excited that they are ahead in the Series but they still have to win one more to win the Series. Again the two players,

Hebrews 3:14 (NLT), "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." Tuesday... The beginning is great but there is more to it. Margaret and I are celebrating next week our 50th anniversary. We have had some tough years in the middle but it has been worth all that we have gone through. The key is, we must keep at it. The beginning was great but you must keep at it, there is more to it. Now that is also true in our relationship with Christ. Yes the beginning is great but there is more to it. That's why we spend time in God's Word. That's why we go to church. That's why we continually strive to grow in our relationship with God and follow his guidance through his Holy Spirit. And it is so worth it. The same is true in your relationships with others, especially your family. We each need quality time with those we love.  Now, Margaret is my best friend and that means time together a