Today's Beginning

Psalms 104:10-11 (NLT), "You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst." Wednesday... Does this fact make any difference to you? There is so much in the Bible that really does make a difference but when we don't read it we lose the potential encouragement. That is what I strive to do each morning. I find a verse and share it as an encouragement to people who need it for that day. Now Psalms 104:10-11 (NLT) says, "You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst." Does this fact make any difference to you? Now my wife and I and our daughter and her family live in the Mojave Desert. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now there are these wild donkeys who live in the desert. We call then burros. They were left here when prospectors quit looking...

Colossians 4:2 (NLT), "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Tuesday... So what prayer is all about? Yes, the Apostle Paul knows what prayer is all about and here in chains he writes in Colossians 4:2 (NLT), "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Yes in prayer we are talking to God so be alert and thankful. Yes, God is who we are talking to when we pray. Now verse 3 is very interesting. He writes, "Pray for us too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ." He starts with, "Pray for us too." So what we would want others to pray for us too? Understand, we are asking them to talk to God. Yes it is important for us to be alert and also to be thankful. We are talking to God. So what did Paul ask them to pray for? Now the whole verse says, "Pray for us too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan...

Psalms 102:2 (NLT), "Don't turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly, when I call to you." Monday... He really wants us to be honest. I really love the honesty of the Psalms. Psalms 102 is a prayer of someone who is overwhelmed with trouble, and they are pouring out their problems before the LORD. Could that be some of us today? Now verse 1 (NLT) starts out by saying. "LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!" And maybe that is where some of us need to start. Just be honest. We need God. We need help. The Psalmist goes on in verse 2, "Don't turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly, when I call to you." We are in distress and we need help right now. Have you ever been in a situation that you can't handle but your pride gets in the way and so many times we turn to other things instead of God. Colossians 3:5 says, "So put to death the sinful, earthly things...

Colossians 2:3 (NLT), "In him lie all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Friday... Yes, we can know him. There is so much for us to know. We have unlimited potential and who we know makes such a difference. The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:3 (NLT), "In him lie all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Yes, that is really a great friend to know. Now Colossians is a letter from Paul to the church in Colosse. They were having some trouble with outsiders coming in and trying to convince them that they needed to change what they believed and Paul is counteracting what these outsiders are saying. In verses 1-2 he says, "I want you to know how much I agonized for you and for your church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself." And ver...

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

Philippians 4:6 (NIRV), "Don't worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him." Wednesday... But there is more to it. Our mind is a tremendous thing. There is so much that it can do but there is more to controlling situations than just using our mind. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6 (NIRV) says, "Don't worry about anything." Now that is where a lot of people stop. "I'm not going to worry. I can handle this." But there is more to it. Paul writes while a prisoner, "Don't worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him." The NLT says, "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Now he does say later in verses 8b-9, "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. T...