Today's Beginning

Ephesians 5:8 (NLT), "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!" Thursday... It is what we are looking for. Every morning at 6:30 am I go out on our back patio and sit in my adirondack chair and look out on the mountains right across the 215 and read that days three chapters from my NIV Bible. Today the Sun wasn't totally shining yet on those mountains but after I had finished my reading I looked up and those mountains were totally lit up by the morning sun and it really emotionally hit me. Margaret and I are going through a time of wonder and we are searching for God's light on what is ahead for us and that light on those mountains hit me. Yes, God in His time will light up what we are to do. I went back and read through my chapters again in the NLT as I do every morning and I came on this verse in Ephesians 5:8 which says, "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So li...

Psalms 90:14 (NLT), "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing joy to the end of our lives." Wednesday... Here is a prayer to pray each morning that is true. Moses wrote this prayer. He said in Psalms 90:14 (NLT), "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives." Now we may think of other things to ask for that we believe will satisfy us but when they happen and they don't satisfy then we are in despair. But this is something that is true, that we can know, that we already have so our prayer is to be satisfied with it. Yes, we do think of a lot of other stuff that we believe will make us happy, that will satisfy us, that will bring us joy but when we get it and we are still not satisfied then there is a problem. We get it but there is no continual joy. Oh there may be for a moment but it doesn't last. So, "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to ...

Ephesians 3:19a (NLT), "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully." Tuesday... Do we really realize where it comes from? There is so much hate in this world and it comes sometimes from people who say they have love. But maybe they just don't understand what it is and where it really comes from. Now some of this hate comes from people who profess to have love inside of them. Yes, there are some families who say they have God's love in them but hate other members of their family. The same is true in some churches. So again, the question is, do we really realize where love comes from? And another good question is, have we really experienced real love? Now Paul in the middle of some battles between religious people says this in Ephesians 3:19a (NLT), "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully." Yes, this world really needs love, it needs to see and experience the love of Christ. Paul...

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT), "For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long go." Monday... So what is our potential? Now there are two different ways for us to go. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long go." Yes, there is unlimited potential in us. Did you know that? Yes, God created us with an assignment and we are God's masterpiece. But verse 2 says, "You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God." Yes, we have that potential, that choice. Verse 3 says, "All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else....

Psalm 85:8 (NLT), "I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." Friday... Yes, we must listen carefully. We really do. Now there is a whole lot of anger going on in our world even in the church. And even in the church we must be really careful. I just finished reading the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. There is a whole lot of anger in that book because of the disobedience of God's chosen people. So it is imperative to read the whole story. Psalm 85:8 (NLT) says, "I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." Now we first of all must know where God's anger came from. But so many who are followers of God pick up on the anger part without listening carefully. Yes, we must listen carefully even when we read Jeremiah. His anger came from their disobedience. So does he speak peace to you? In Paul's letter to the Ephesians in 1:2 he says, "May God o...

Psalm 84:12 (AMP), "O LORD of hosts, how blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation]." Thursday... So where does it come from? Now in this world in which we live it seems we need confidence and hope. So where does it come from? Paul in his letter to the Galatians in chapter 6 and verse 3 (AMP) says something that can take us back. It seems to do away with what we are taught today. It says, "For if anyone thinks he is something [special] when [in fact] he is nothing [special except in his own eyes], he deceives himself." So where does confidence and expectation come from? Paul goes on in verse 4, "But each one must carefully scrutinize his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another." That is very good advice. Now Psalms 84:12...