Today's Beginning

Acts 8:4 (NLT), "But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went." Wednesday... So how do we handle difficulties? In each of the three chapters I read this morning, the people were scattered but they handled their difficulties in different ways. Now in both Psalm 137 and Isaiah 47, God's people were taken from their homes in Jerusalem to Babylon. In Psalm 137:1-2 it tells of their response. It says, "Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees." Yes, that is a natural response, isn't it? I used to do that response a lot but I now strive to let my woe is me happen just for a moment. Yes, that is one response. But I'm not sure that response is a good way to handle life especially in this day in which we are living. It may not show how God can handle whatever we are going through. Now in Isaiah they bring judgment. Ver...

Psalm 136:23 (NLT), "He remembers us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever." Tuesday... Love is definitely acceptance even weaknesses. Psalm 136 is a unique Psalm. It gives 26 different statements and then says, "His love endures forever." Now verse 23 says, "He remembers us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever." Now usually remembering a weakness doesn't say anything about love. Even when we look at our weakness we don't usually then say anything about love. We usually have a disappointment and a I've got to do better. I just went through a situation. I caused a problem for someone else and then I read this verse. The fact of my weakness stood out to me. And I felt bad. But God has a different view. Maybe you needed to see that today. Maybe your mate or your kids or one of your friends didn't handle a situation the way you wanted. Even maybe it was you. So how did you respond? "He remembers us in our weaknes...

Psalm 135:5-6 (NLT), "I know the greatness of the LORD - that our Lord is greater than any other god. The LORD does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in the depth." Monday... Yes He does.  Psalm 135:5-6 (NLT) says, "I know the greatness of the LORD - that our Lord is greater than any other god. The LORD does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in the depth." He really does and we can possibly have some problem with it. Now hold on to that. I also read this over in Isaiah 45:5 and it says, "I have equipped you for battle, though you don't even know me." Yes, God has equipped people in so many different ways and they don't even know Him. Ok, I know God is greater than any other god and I do see that He does whatever He pleases but we can have problems with the fact that He will equip people and they may not even know him. There are times in our lives when we see him workin...

Acts 5:39 (NLT), "But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourself fighting against God!" Friday... But are we right? It is so easy for us as individuals to believe that we are right and they are wrong, especially in the Christian world. There is so much negativity on the internet even from Christians." The Jewish religious leaders of course were the ones who killed Jesus and they believed they were right and here in the book of Acts they were having problems with Jesus' apostles who had taken up spreading the message of Jesus and his kingdom. They had thrown them in prison and they were talking about killing them and here one of the Jewish leaders gave some good advise. In Acts 5:38-39, Gamaliel said, "So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will be not be able to overthrow them. You may ev...

Acts 4:13b (NLT), "They also recognized them as being with Jesus." Thursday... Yes, it came from the one they had been with. We work so hard at our confidence and our reputation. We so want to be respected, looked up to, and acknowledged. But we don't realize how important it is for us to who we spend our time with. Yes, that is really important. I am now reading in the book of Acts in the New Testament. This book could be called the Acts of the Apostles or the Acts of the Holy Spirit. I have just finished the last of the four gospels which are all about Jesus and his time on earth but he has been crucified, resurrected and has now gone on to heaven to be with his Father so this book is about the ones who had been with him, who had been left behind with a great task. Now Peter and John two of Jesus' Apostles who had spent three years with Him had done what Jesus would have done on the way to the temple. They had healed a lame man and the religious leaders didn't l...

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT), "But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagle. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Wednesday... So, how are you doing today? Now Isaiah gives some real encouragement to me as an old-timer. In Isaiah 40:30 (NLT) he writes, "Even youth will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion." Now I have forgotten what it was like to be a youth. That was a long time ago but Isaiah reminds us that they too have problems with becoming weak and tired. And, yes our LORD cares about each one of us no matter our age. He cares about you and me and he really does understand what we are going through. Verse 28 says, "Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary, no one can measure the depths of his understanding." He really does understand. Now verse 31 is one of my...