Todays Beginning

Luke 18:42a (NLT), "And Jesus said, 'All right." Thursday... All right, ok, let's do it! Have you ever faced a difficult situation and you go to someone close to you and you ask them to do something specific and the relief you feel when they say, "All right, ok, let's do it"?  Now most of the time we don't ask. We don't even give them a chance to answer. We don't want to be disappointed like we have been so many other times. But the key is, you ask. Over in Luke 18 we find Jesus approaching the town of Jericho and there was a blind man sitting there by the side of the road. Now when this blind man heard the noise he asked someone what was going on and they told him that Jesus was going by. Verse 38 (NLT) says, "So he began shouting, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'" And then verse 39 says, "'Be quiet!' the people in the front yelled at him." It is so important for us to humble ourselves and ask. I a...

Psalm 30:1 (NLT), "I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me." Wednesday... Yes, he did and yes I will! There is a part in our lives that God plays and there is a part that we play. We get into trouble. We maybe lose our job and we turn to God out of desperation because he has rescued us before and we believe that he will again. But what have we done? David wrote Psalm 30 for the dedication of the Temple. Verse 1 (NLT) says, "I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me." David starts with his part. He says, "I will exalt you, Lord." And that is so important for us to do. We so many times exalt the trouble we are going through. It are so heavy, it puts us in so much despair and discouragement. Yes, we exalt our problems. But David exalted the Lord.  Too many times our problems get us down when God wants us to look up, to exalt him.  Now why does he exalt the Lord? ...

Proverbs 29:23 (AMP), "A man's pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, but he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor."  Tuesday... It can really bring us down. Solomon writes some practical truth that we need to live by. In Proverbs 29:23 in the Amplified Bible translation he says, "A man's pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down, but he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor."  And that is so true. Oh it may bring us up in our own eyes but in others it definitely will bring us down. I have found this to be so true in my own life.  Now, we do need confidence and lacking self-confidence doesn't mean we are humble. True confidence can come about in us if we are humble, if we have a dependence upon God. Taking the credit is where the problem comes out. Believing that our success comes from us not from God. Proverbs 15:33 in The Message says, "Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living - first you learn humility, then...

Luke 13:8 (NLT), "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he always was disappointed.'" Thursday... Sometimes it seems that we are a disappointment. Do you ever feel that you are a disappointment and you feel so worthless?  Luke 13:8 (NLT) says, "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he always was disappointed.'" Now he doesn't stop there but that is where so many stop. They find that they are a disappointment and they just stop. And that is true of the other side, the one who is disappointed. They too just stop and live with it. Jesus continues his story. In verse 7 he says, "Finally, he said to his gardner, 'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden." And that i...

Psalm 23:4a (MSG), "Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid." Wednesday... Yes, we must be prepared to not be afraid. I live in the middle of a desert and i have found there are benefits to living in a desert but there are also dangers. I live close to a place called Death Valley and that can be very true in a desert. When it is in the 100's + in temperature we must be prepared because there can be death valleys in our lives so it is very important to be prepared. People who don't live in a desert can be afraid. Yes, it needs to be respected.  But fear can rob you of so many adventures in life. Now David writes in Psalm 23:4 (MSG), "Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid." I have driven through Death Valley, California many times. It is a great way to go to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and eventually  to Yosemite which is one of the most beautiful National Parks in the United States. Yes, fear could take you aw...

Psalms 22:26 (NLT), "The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy." Tuesday... They show us how to handle our difficult times. We with our different personalities start our days differently. But the Psalms show us that we don't have to stay where we start our days.  Some have difficulty starting their days with any hope. Despair is the way they start. David in Psalm 22:1-2 starts this Psalm by saying, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief." Maybe that is how you start your day. I love the honesty of the Psalms. Down in verses 16-18 we read, "My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garmen...