Todays Beginning

Proverbs 3:3 (NLT), "Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart." Wednesday... It just jumped out at me. We really do need to spend time in God's Word. It can definitely make a difference in our days. I left my phone back at home and I had to go back and get it so I got out a little later. I usually sit at a certain table at my coffee shop but just as I was walking in someone sat at it. Now I have been at this coffee shop 783 times and I have sat at that table a big portion of those times but not today. So how will that affect me? Well, I got my coffee and sat down at another table and started reading in Proverbs 3 and right before one of my favorite verses in the Bible I read verse 3 and here is what it says, "Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart." Yes loyalty is an important word. As I said I have come to Asp...

Proverbs 2:4 (NLT), "Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasure." Tuesday...  There is so much hidden treasure God wants to give. I live in the state of Nevada and it is called the Silver State. In the 1800's large silver deposits were discovered, especially the Comstock Lode, which played a major role in Nevada's early growth and economy. People came from all over to search for silver and hopefully grow rich. Now Solomon, the wisest man and also one of the richest men who ever lived, wrote a big portion of the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament of the Bible. And in Proverbs 2:4 (NLT) he writes, "Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasure." Now he is not talking about silver but about the desire that those who searched for it had and we need to realize there is so much hidden treasure God wants to give to us. So what is Solomon talking about? In verses 1-4 he says, "My child, listen to what I...

Psalm 91:2-3 (MSG), "Say this, 'God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" That's right  - he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards." Monday... It can be better.  It really can! When we are going through difficulties, through pain, we don't usually see that it can be for our good, there is something better ahead. We can only see what is happening right now.  But we need to believe and do this. Psalm 91 (MSG), "Say this, 'God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!' That's right  - he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards." I had a friend sit down ths morning at my table at my coffee shop and tell me that she found out that her boy friend cheated on her and that it really hurt. She thought he might be the one. Yes, there can be hidden traps in our life. It could be that person who seems like the right one. Or that house you really want or that job that you...

Hebrews 10:39 (MSG), "But we're not quitters, who lose out. Oh, no! We stay with it and survive, trusting all the way." Friday... We're not quitters! We don't know the author of this book of Hebrews but we do know it's nature and purpose. The people who it was written to are Jesus-believing Jews who are in danger of leaving their faith who live in Italy. Rome was a dangerous place for Christ follows. This book is clearly written to encourage them. Let's not quit! Now Hebrews 10:39 (MSG) says, "But we're not quitters, who lose out. Oh, no! We stay with it and survive, trusting all the way." And we need that encouragement today. The New Living Translation says it this way, "But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose soul will be saved." I love that "We are the faithful ones." Verse 34 says, "You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when ...

Psalm 86:3 (NLT), "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly." Wednesday... We can keep at it constantly. Have you ever been around someone who is constantly talking? It seems they never stop. So how do we handle that? Well David says in Psalm 86:3 (NLT), "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly." And mercy is a great thing to have when someone needs to talk. Now from our perspective we do need to have mercy for others who are always talking and because that is true of us then we think that God needs it for us when we never stop calling on him. Yes, God has a different attitude than we do. Over in the New Testament book of 1 Thessalonians in 5:16-18 it says, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." And that is a great thing to realize. You see, praying or calling on God doesn't need to just be asking. There is a part...

Hebrews 7:19 (NLT) "For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God." Tuesday... If we keep at it we'll find what works.  Are you a seeker? Do you look for better ways to do things in your life? I spend time every morning seeking in the Old Testament and the New of the Bible and I do it in at least 5 different translations. I truly am a seeker even at 78 and I found this verse this morning. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote in 7:19 (NLT), "For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God." Again, are you a seeker looking for a better way to living? Now the Old Testament was basically an introduction to a better way to live. Verses 18-19 in The Message says, "The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturi...