Today's Beginning

Acts 12:16 (NLT), "Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally saw him, they were amazed." Tuesday... It just needs to be opened. There are so many doors in our life that if we would open them we would be amazed. In Acts 12 there is a door that was shut and then opened in amazement. Yes, it just needed to be opened. Have you ever prayed and prayed and there is a door that has the answer on the other side but we keep praying and not opening it? There is alway a part for us to play in our prayers. Now here King Herod decided it was a good thing for him to kill these followers of Christ. He killed John's brother James and then arrested Peter, put him in prison ready the next day to bring him to trial and then kill him. So, there were many of Christ's followers who gathered to pray for Peter's release and for God to answer their prayers. Yes, prayer is a good thing to do but there must be faith and expectation from us when we pray. Prayer is not just an emo...

Psalm 142:3a (NLT), "When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn." Monday... This is so important for us to know. King David writes in Psalm 142:3a (NLT), "When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn." Now David was a King and I am not a King. I mean, there is no way that I know what a king knows. I'm really surprised that he is overwhelmed but of course he knows the way to turn. He is a King. And that is the way so many people think. Well, David was a different kind of King. He didn't have all the answers but knew who did and we can know who it is, too. In verse 1 he says, "I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD's mercy." In verse 2 he continues, "I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles." Now verse 4 says. "I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me." And that is how w...

Psalm 139:1 (NLT), "O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me." Friday... This can be a good thing for us to know. We always want to be honest with those who are in our life but sometimes honesty can make relationships difficult except with God. Do you remember that phrase in the movie, "You can't handle the truth"? Have you found that to be true with someone close to you? Honesty can cause problems, can't they? Well, King David in Psalm 139:1 (NLT) says, "O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me." And He definitely can handle the truth and He definitely can make a difference in us but that is not always true with others. I've known marriages that never worked because one of the two was honest at the very beginning and there wasn't real but emotional love. And that is so sad, but that is not true with God. Verse 7 says, "I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your pre...

Psalm 138:2b (NLT), "I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name." Thursday... Yes, that's where our trust must go. Now, Isaiah says in 48:1 (NIRV), "People of Jacob, listen to me. You are called by the name of Israel. You come from the family line of Judah. You make promises in the name of the LORD. You pray to Israel's God. But you aren't honest. You don't mean what you say." We have problems with people like that, don't we? And I know that God does too. Now King David gives us another choice. In Psalm 138:2b (NLT) he writes, "I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name." Verse 1 says, "I give thanks, O LORD, with all my heart; I will sing praises before the gods." Verse 6 is important. It says, "Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distanc...

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...