Todays Beginning

Saturday... Life can be so tough sometimes. It really can. Maybe you are in a very difficult situation and you need courage to face it. As Joshua in the OT was taking over the leadership of the Children of Israel after the death of Moses I'm sure he was feeling the weight of his new task. Maybe that is true of you? You are facing something bigger than you have ever faced and you really want to run away. And this is understandable. There is so much in our lives today that we would love to run away from and hide. And God knew what Joshua was facing, what his task was because He had given it to Him and that is also true of you. Any task that God gives you will be greater than you. But it is not greater than Him. I know, I know we have heard that before but we need to be reminded that it really is true.  Joshua 1:6 (NLT) says, "Be strong and courageous." then verse 7 says, "Be strong and very courageous." and then in verse 9 it says, "This is my command - be st...

Friday... We are winners! Psalm 149:4 (NLT) says, "For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory."  So if we humble ourselves, if we depend on Him, if we acknowledge that He is God, the only God, if we believe in Him, if we pray to Him, if we worship Him, if we praise Him, if we live for Him, if we follow Him, if we serve Him, if we read His Word, if we trust Him, if we give ourselves to Him, if we are faithful, and if we humble ourselves, then we will be victorious. I can do that, I will do that. And I want to be a delight to Him. And then verse 5 (GNB) says, "Let God's people rejoice in their triumph and sing joyfully all night long."  Even in the midst of a pandemic, we can be victorious. There are so many people in our country who are so discouraged, so depressed, so angry, and they feel like losers because their candidate lost in the election. After the Super Bowl next Sunday many people will feel like losers because their team lost...

Thursday... It is such a productive thing to do. It really is. Our praise can make such a difference in others but it can make such a difference in us. Praising God can make all the difference we need to face the difficulties in this day in which we live. It takes our eyes off of the problem and on the solution. Psalm 148:13-14 (MSG) says, "Let them praise the name of God - it's the only name worth praising. His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky; he's built a monument - his very own people." Praise is a way of showing humility, of building confidence, of acknowledging dependence. Praising someone else can give them confidence and even power but in praising God, He turns it back on us. We reap the reward from Him. Like the scripture says, "he builds a monument - his very own people." It's amazing how that works. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme; His glory a...

Wednesday... He never lies, God never does. He can definitely be trusted, yes He can! Numbers 23:19 (NLT) says, "God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried through?" The answer is no. Read that again, "God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried through?"  Put that into your mind and then ask the Holy Spirit to bring it out when you need it. Maybe you need it today. Maybe you are wavering in your trust of God, that He will take care of you, that He knows what is best for you, that He has a plan for your life and He want to live in and through you. Look at these verse over in Psalm 147. Verse 5 (MSG) says, "Our Lord is great, with limitless strength." Let's stop there a moment. He does not lie, He does not change His mind, He has ...

Tuesday... It makes a difference in whom we put our total confidence, yes it does. Psalm 146:3-4 (NLT), speaks to this. It says, "Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help there. When they breathe their last they return to the earth and their plans die with them."  But that is what we, even as Christians have been doing, isn't it?  We turn first thing to CNN or Fox to hear what they have said. or what they have done. And put our total hope or despair on what they have said or done. But it seems we never open God's Word to see what He says or what He has done or what He will do.  The New International Revised Version says, "Don't put your trust in human leaders. Don't trust in people who can't save you. When thy die, they return to the ground. On that day their plans come to nothing." The Psalmist goes on, verses 5-9 say, "Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help. Blessed are those who put their hope ...

Monday... Now these we need to hold on to. Yes we do. There are foundational truths that we must believe and live by with unwavering faith. Here is one, Psalm 90:2 (NLT) says, "Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God." In truth, He is the only God. He is it! And that brings a loud, YES! YES! YES! Here is another verse that sets Him apart, verse 4 says, "For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours." This past year seems to have been an eternity for us but to Him it was just a moment. He's got it handled. But then verse 12, says, "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." The Amplified Bible says, "So teach us to number our days, that we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom." In others words, let's not waste this new day. There is so much He has for us to learn and do. Let's use what G...

Sunday... We must be worth far more than we think we are.  And yes, we are and they are too! Think of this. David asked the question in Psalm 144:3 (NLT), "O Lord, what are mere human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them?" I mean, He must see something in us far more than we see in us. After our first grumble we would be off and saying that they just aren't worth the effort. And all I can say is, I'm thankful that God is not like us. The Bible is one big story about our worth to God. And of how grateful we should be that He hasn't thrown up His hands and said that we are just not worth the effort. But that is not the way He feels. We are worth the effort. That is what His love for us is all about. Now you may have some in your circle of family or friends that you want to throw up your hands and say that they just aren't worth the effort but God says different. They are worth the effort. That is what love is all abou...

Saturday... Do you feel like you are on trial? That God is looking down on you and that He is testing you? David in the OT must have felt that way. He says in Psalm 143:1 & 2 (NLT), "Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous. Don't put your servant on trial, for no one is innocent before you."  Maybe that is a good prayer for you to pray this morning. Here is another one. Do you feel depressed? Do you? David says in verse 7, "Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don't turn away from me, or I will die." Is that how you are feeling today? He prays on in verse 8, "Let me hear your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." He continues in verses 9, "Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me." That's a great place to go. Then verse 10, "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. M...

Friday... I'm overwhelmed, so what do I do? Good question! David was in a cave with someone outside wanting to kill him and in this cave he wrote Psalm 142 (NLT) and this is what he did, "I cry out to the Lord;" And that is a great place to start. "I plead for the Lord's mercy." I need help. I don't feel I deserve it but I need your mercy. Verse 2, "I pour out my complaints before him"  He allows me to do that. I unload them on Him. "and tell Him all my troubles." And He wants me to do that. He wants to take care of those trouble. So David cried out, he pleaded, he poured out, and He told Him. He just let it all out. What if we did that? Maybe that is what you need to do? Is it? He let David do it so I'm sure He wants you to do it. Now here is reality. Verse 3 says, When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn." Are you overwhelmed? Are you in an emotional cave hiding out? Do you feel all alone?  In verse 4, Da...

Thursday... I wonder what would happen if we took control of our tongues and of what we write? What would happen if we with our words would strive to encourage, to inspire, to invite not to divide, not to get off track of our true message as Christians? David in Psalm 141:3 & 4 (NLT) prays a prayer that we need to pray in the days we are in. He says, "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don't let me drift toward evil or take part in wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong." And we need to start our days in God's Word and in prayer. We really do. He starts this Psalm by saying, verses 1 & 2, "O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help! Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering." What would happen if we started our day in prayer, His Word, in praise? It would help in our attitudes, in our conversations throughout the da...

Wednesday... There are so many fears, there is so much anxiety that can make it difficult to face another day. But God listens, He really does. David, the writer of Psalm 140 had the fear of evil and violent people and He brought that fear to the Lord. In verses 6-8 (NLT) he says, "I said to the Lord, 'You are my God!' Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy! O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle. Lord, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud." And then verse 13, "Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will live in your presence." So what is your anxiety all about? Do you have someone you turn to or do you face it all alone? Let me recommend that you do as David did. Reach out to God. Just talk to Him. He is stronger than any anxiety you are facing and He can protect you. Yes He can. Just tell Him your anxiety. Be specific. Ask Him to n...

Tuesday... He has given you wisdom in such matters. Yes He has. But are we using it? I was reading this morning in Exodus 28 and I came upon this verse, verse 3 (NIV) and it said, "Tell the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration. so he may serve me as priest." We hear a lot about Moses and his brother Aaron and their task to lead God's people from Egypt to the Promised Land. He had prepared them for the task even though Moses had some problems with believing that he had the ability to do the task. We read their story but we each one also have a story to tell. God has given each one of us wisdom to do what He has created us to do. Yes He has. And it's too bad when we have not lived out and developed the skill, the wisdom, the ability that God has placed within each one of us. But it is never too late to start.   Psalm 139 goes into this matter with a little more detail. Verses 13-17 (NL...

Monday... He is great and He cares, He really does. Psalm 138:6 (NLT) says, "Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud."  Even though God is great, those who think so highly of themselves seem to think they don't need help from Him. What they think to them is what is right. Now in some situations that confidence is good but in so many other ones, it is a detriment. We too many times think we are so smart and we may be. But it isn't really smart to think we know more than God and He has given us the privilege to humble ourselves by coming to Him, asking for direction, for wisdom. There is power in humility. He is so very close to those who acknowledge that He is greater than they are. Now the reason for being close to Him is the need to hear Him. His voice is the quiet one. Our voice, other's voices, the this is the way it is done voice, the evil one's voice are all so loud so you have to be close to hear Him. S...

Sunday... But what if we did it... The writer of Psalm 137 (NLT) says starting in verse 1, "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 tress. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: 'Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!' But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land." But what if we did sing those songs, what if we maybe sang them at home instead of crying because we can't go to church because our country isn't the same as it used to be, that we are truly in a different land, a different life? What if we showed that God makes a difference no matter the time or place? What if? We sat and wept because we thought of how it used to be. So we quit singing, but those who didn't believe demanded something different from us. In the good times we sing but in the bad times we cry. God wants to give us a song ev...

Saturday... The writer of Psalm 136 emphasizes something that we need to hear and something we need to do and he does it through repetition. Verses 1-3 (NLT) say, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever." And then verse 26 says, "Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever." Yes, He is good, yes, He is the God of gods, yes, He is the Lord of lords, yes, He is the God of heaven and yes, we need to remember that. There is no other other. He is it, He is the One we serve and He is the One  who faithfully loves us and we need to repeat that in our hearts and minds each and everyday we live.  And we are to thank Him. Over and over we need to show how thankful we are for a God such as this who faithfully loves us, who takes care of us and for what He has done and for Who He is. That is th...

Friday... What do we do when our back is up against a wall? Good question and a pertinent question considering that our back has been up against a wall of pandemic, of political unrest, of economic failure. And we thought that it was over with the start of a new year. But the wall it seems is still there. So what do we do? The Children of Israel in the OT had their backs against a wall. Finally, Pharaoh was letting then leave Egypt to go to their Promised Land but as they got closer to the Red Sea here Pharaoh came with his army. He had changed his mind. He wanted them to come back and be his slaves. Moses their leader had a problem. Exodus 14:10-12 (MSG) says, "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw them-Egyptians! Coming at them! They were totally afraid. They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, 'Weren't the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of E...

  Thursday... We really need them in such a time as this. We really do. Psalm 134:1- 3 (CEB) says, "All you who serve the Lord: bless the Lord right now! All you who minster in the Lord's house at night: bless God! Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord! May the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.." And that is so true, especially today. And we need to pray for our Pastors, our Ministers that they would keep their focus on God, and His message. We really need them to be in tune with God in such a time as this. These are times that they haven't learned about in seminary. These are times that we need men and women who are called of God who will seek God's wisdom and His direction and who are not afraid to share it no matter what the consequences may be. This is such a difficult time. Please God may their praise, their focus be on You. We really do need them to be open to You and Your Spirit. Just as Moses wasn't afraid to go...

Wednesday... So, let's do it, let's do it as Christians and see what happens. Psalm 133:1 (NIV) says, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" The MESSAGE says, "How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along." What could happen if we as God's people were unified during this time we are in? What could happen? What could God do if we lived out His purpose in unity? Read the book of Exodus and see what happens when God's people are not in unity. It took them 40 years to get to see God's Promised Land. They could have had what God wanted for them but they complained even from the beginning. What could have happened? They lived in and many of them died in the wilderness instead of in the Promised Land.   This is such a difficult time for the church. It is so divided. "How wonderful, and how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along." Exodus 6:6-9 (MSG), "'I am God. I will b...

Tuesday... Are we really ready to do something about this? Are we? It is so easy for us to groan and groan and groan but that is all we do. Are we really serious about doing something about this, whatever this is in your life? Exodus 2:23, (NIRV) says, "After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned because they were slaves." Are you a slave to some situation in your life and everyday you wake up and groan? Everybody around you is getting tired, really tired  of your groaning. Is that true in your life? Now groaning actually is a step in the right direction. Some have just accepted their slavery. I can't do any thing about it so I'm just going to accept that I am a slave. And that is one way to deal with it but that is not the way to start the process to solve the issue of being a slave. Yes, "The people of Israel groaned because they were slaves" but they didn't stop there. "They also cried out to God." Now that is a s...

Monday... In spite of my not knowing, I can still do what I do know to do by faith. Job in the OT of the Bible during his difficult times, could not seem to find God. In Job 23:8 & 9 (NLT) he says, "I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed." Maybe that is where you are today. But in spite of that fact he says by faith in verse 10 (NLT), "But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out pure as gold."  Now why can he say that? Because he did do what he did know to do. In verses 11 & 12 he says, "For I have stayed on God's paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside. I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food." And this Job also knows and lives by faith, verses 13 & 14, "But once he has made his decision, who can change his mind? Whatever he wants to ...

Sunday... Back when we could we would go to a restaurant and there was this person who would come to take our order and they were called a waiter. But we were the waiters and that is what we are today. And it is so difficult, isn't it? I was reading Psalm 130 this morning and I found this verse, verse 5 (NIV), "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope" That is all it seems we do. We wait for them to see what we need to do to keep from getting this virus. We wait then for symptoms so we can go get tested to see if we have it. We wait for a vaccine to be created, to be tested and then to be given. We wait for the election, then for the results, then for the changes. we wait for 2020 to be over and then for 2021 to start. Our whole being waits and here is the key, "and in his word I put my hope." Job in the OT had lost everything, his kids, his livestock, his wealth and his health. But he didn't lose these friends who came over t...

Saturday... They have but they have never, has a positive resolve to it. No matter what I will not. Psalm 129:2 (NLT) says, "From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me." The MESSAGE says, "They have kicked me around since I was young , but they never could keep me down." That must be our resolve in what we are going through. No matter what life throws at us we will never be defeated.  The Psalmist continues, verses 3 & 4 (MSG), "Their plowmen plowed long furrows up and down my back; but God wouldn't put up with it, he sticks with us. Then God ripped the harnesses of the evil plowmen to shreds." There will be times of great struggle. There will be and there is. So, is our resolve to only trust God in the good times? Is our resolve to be defeated with life gets tough?  Job 13:15 (NLT) says, "God might kill me, but I have no other hope."  He is our only hope no matter what happens. Yes, yes! #todays...

Friday... Here is a word of encouragement for us today! And we need it! Psalm 128:1&2 (NLT), "How joyful are those who fear the Lord-all who follow his ways! You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!" Here it is in the MESSAGE Paraphrase, "All who fear God, how blessed you are! How happily you walk on his smooth straight road! You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Reveal in the goodness!" And then in the Amplified Bible, "Blessed [happy and sheltered by God's favor] is everyone who fears the Lord [and worships Him with obedience], who walks in His ways and lives according to His commandment. For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands. You will be happy and blessed and it will be well with you." And then the Psalmist finishes this Psalm in verses 5-6 (MSG), "Enjoy the good life in Jerusalem every day of your life. And enjoy your grandchildren. Peace to Israe...

Thursday... No matter what I am going through, I still have this consolation... Job in the OT of the Bible had lost everything. He didn't know what had happened. And he was ready to die. But he said in verse 10 of chapter 6 (NIV), "I would still have this consolation-my joy in unrelenting pain-that I had not denied the words of the Holy One."  No matter what he was going through, no matter what unrelating pain we may be going through, what our nation is going through, there is still a joy in it if we search for it. But we live too much understandingly in the pain. Is that where you are today? Is your pain about to get you down, it seems like your world is falling a part? If that is you then look for that spark of joy that is there. It may be really hard to see, but it is still there. The NIRV puts it this way, "Then I'd still have one thing to comfort me... That would give me joy in spite of my pain that never ends." Even in our darkness God gives us a spark...

Wednesday... Under the circumstances it can be hard to keep quiet, and that can be so true both in a positive situation and a negative one. And this is how a friend of Job in the Old Testament started a conversation with him while he was going through a very difficult situation. Here is what he said in Job 4:2-6 (MSG), "Would you mind if I said something to you? Under the circumstances it's hard to keep quiet. You yourself have done this plenty of times, spoken words that clarify, encouraged those who were about to quit. Your words have put stumbling people on their feet, put fresh hope in people about to collapse. But now you're the one in trouble-you're hurting! You've been hit hard and you're reeling from the blow. But shouldn't your devout life give you confidence now? Shouldn't your exemplary life give hope?" And that many times is so true. When things are going good we are full of encouragement but when things turn bad like in a pandemic we ...

Tuesday... We are surrounded. Yes we are. Everywhere we turn in this New Year there are problems and concerns and difficulties and pandemic and violence and discord. It seems like it would be a good time to surrender, but is it? It is all in what we see. We truly are surrounded here in Las Vegas. This is Sin City but it is also surrounded by mountains. As we open our blinds each morning we see mountains to our west, south, east and north. We are surrounded. And that is the picture that Psalm 125:2 (NLT) paints, "Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem [Las Vegas], so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forever." And that means 2021. Yes it does! This is not the time to surrender. We are surrounded by the Lord no matter when it is and where we are. Verse 1 say, "Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever." Verses 1-5 in the Message Paraphrase says it like this, "Those who trust in God are li...

Monday... He is so shrewd, Satan really is. Look at Genesis 3:1 (NLT). It says, "The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, 'Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?'" Are you sure? Satan is so shrewd. He didn't come right out and say that they shouldn't listen to God, obey God. No, he came at them it seemed with an innocent question. And He does that with us, doesn't he? Are you really sure that you need to read your Bible? Are you sure that you really need to pray? Are you sure that God will really make a difference in your life? Are you sure that His way is best? Are you sure that you need a relationship with God? Are you sure? I know that Satan is giving us a lot of these are you sure questions during this pandemic. Are you sure that God cares for you? Are you sure that He can be trusted? And if we listen and do what Satan suggests then there will be...

Sunday... He did it. This is so important for us to see as we start a new year. Yes, I believe God did it. I have started reading in this New Year the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. It is such an important book. Now the beginning part of the book is very controversial because of what is stated in 1:1. People are constantly striving to prove that this verse is wrong. No way could it happen so they throw it aside and read portions of the Bible and pick up nuggets of truth but it really doesn't mean anything if you don't believe verse 1. Here is what it says (NLT), "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Now the first phrase in Genesis 1:1 is so important in believing the Bible and in starting a new year. It says, "In the beginning God..." If you pass over that and don't acknowledge it as truth then you are all on your own in living this new year. Saying in the beginning me, has so many problems attached to it. So how can, ...

Saturday... He is pleased with you and me. He really is. Revelation 4:11 (NLT) says, "You are worthy, O Lord our God..." Now we know He is worthy. He is God! "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power." Yes, yes yes! The verse continues, "For you created all things..." And that means you and me. He took great care in His creation of us and He doesn't make junk. "For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased." Now step back and think about that. He created you and He did what pleased Him. He didn't have to create you. He wasn't told that He had to create you. No, He did it because it pleased Him to do it. Oh, I know we have messed up His creation but He still would have created you. He also did everything in His power to enhance you, to redeem you, to lead you, to guide you because He created you. Oh, God, may we really know at the beginning of this new year how much we matte...

Friday... We really wonder about this New Year, don't we? So, what will be our response? There are two ways to look at it. One is in fear. I mean, look at what happened. We've been in a pandemic and yes, that is true. But the second is, yes we've been in a pandemic and yes, we have made it through. So, what is there now for us to conquer? I happen to like, through God's help, that response the best. Now the Apostle John in writing the book of Revelation said in Chapter 2 verse 10 (AMP), "Fear nothing that you are about to suffer." Then verse 11b says, "To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant [the privilege] to eat [the fruit] from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." Now this tree was one of two trees in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve had a choice to eat. This one would give then eternal life if they had access to eat from it. That is, if they didn't eat from the other one...