Todays Beginning

Psalm 76:10 (NLT), "Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon." Thursday... This too is real! Yes, yes, God is a God of love. And love had a great part in why he created us. But because of that, this too is real! Verse 9 in Psalm 76 (NLT) says, "You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God, and to rescue the oppressed of the earth." Yes, God's love must do something about this. That makes sense, doesn't it? And verse 10 somehow is connected to this fact. It says, "Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon."  Earlier, verses 7-9 says in the NIRV, "People should have respect for you alone. Who can stand in front of you when you are angry? From heaven you handed down your sentence. The land was afraid and became quiet. God that happened when you rose to judge. It happened when you came to save all your suffering people in the land." Now I don't know if what has happened in LA happened...

Psalm 75:3 (AMP), "The earth and all the inhabitants of it melt [in tumultuous times]. It is I who will steady it's pillars."  Wednesday... Just a word that we need to hear today. God knows what we need to hear but we must be open to hear it. There is so much out there that gets out attention but we need to hear this in this time in which we are living. So, how is what we are seeing all around us affecting us? Well, here is a word from God that we need to hear. Psalm 75:3 (AMP) says, "The earth and all the inhabitants of it melt [in tumultuous times]. It is I who will steady it's pillars." The NLT says, "When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps it foundations firm." Over in Zechariah 3:1-2 (NIV) it says, "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him, The Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusa...

Zechariah 2:13 (NLT), "Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling." Tuesday... What are we feeling today?  There are so many emotions that we can feel today as we search for encouragement in this day in which we live.  The writer of Psalm 74 in verse 1 (NLT) has a feeling. He says, "O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your parture." And that is an emotion that we could feel as we see LA burning or whatever we are going through. But I like what Zechariah says in 2:13, "Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling." And that is such an important thing for us to do. Sometimes we just need to be silent. I'm coming down in Genesis to the end of the story of Joseph. It is such a great story. It is a story of how God was at work when it seemed that he didn't care. I find that I need to be reminded i...

Psalm 73:24 (NLT), "You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny." Monday... So, what is going to happen today? I was listening yesterday morning to a pastor that I had when we lived in California. It was his sermon that he gave the first Sunday after New Years. Earlier this week I also was listening to him tell of how they were doing all they could to get as much as they could out of their building because they were afraid of a fire destroying their church. I heard this week that a church where my father was an assistant pastor when I was very young, this week burned down. Earlier in this Psalm the writer honestly says in verses 2-3, "But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don't have troubles like other people; they're not plagued with probl...

Psalm 70:1 (NIRV,) "God, hurry and save me. Lord, come quickly and help me." Friday... Could it be done quickly? I love the book of Psalms. I have read it everyday for over 40 years. I love it's honesty. For the most part it is King David who writes it and here he says what we want to say but many times are afraid to say it. In Psalm 70:1 (NIRV) he writes, "God, hurry and save me. Lord, come quickly and help me." Now I understand this being impatient. Waiting is so hard but in life it seems that God uses it in spite of our impatience to grow us, to mature us, to make us into the person that will make us worthy of heaven.  I have been reading in Genesis the story of Joseph. It is such a great story. But there was a whole lot of waiting going on.  We are told that Joseph as a teenager was sold by his brothers to a group of traders who were going to Egypt where he was sold as a slave. And it is a difficult story that had its great moments.  Now in Genesis 41:46 (NL...

Psalm 69:16-17 (NLT), "Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is plentiful. Don't hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble." Thursday... It's in his hands! Trust is so important, especially when we are in deep trouble. And so is believing that God's unfailing love is real. Yes, we don't have a good perspective when we are in deep trouble. But David writes in Psalm 69:16-17 (NLT), "Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is plentiful. Don't hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble." And all of that is so real and that God can be trusted because it's in his hands. Over in Genesis 40 Joseph was in deep trouble. He was in prison and he was not at fault. Now God had given him the ability to interpret dreams and these two guys came to him to interpret a dream that each one of them h...