Tuesday... Could this be true of us? Could it?

Psalm 66:9 (NIRV), "He has kept us alive. He has kept our feet from slipping" There were times when we weren't sure if we were going to make it, but here we are.

Verse 10, "God, you have tested us." Now that is true. You have done that. "You have put us through fire to make us like silver." Yes, we are different.

Verse 11, "You put us in prison." It seemed like our homes had become like prisons, didn't they? "You placed heavy loads on our backs." For some wearing masks was a heavy load.

Verse 12 (NIV), "You let people ride over our heads;" Now that has been tough hasn't it? The demands, the requirements, the restrictions have really been difficult. "We went through fire and water." It has been rough. Yes it has.

But this is also true and we need to thank Him and praise Him (NIRV), "But you have brought us to a place where we have everything we need."

Here is how The MESSAGE puts it, verses 10-12, "He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fires, brought us into hardscrabble country, pushed us to our very limit, road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back;" All of that is so true and so is this, "Finally he brought us to this well-watered place." The NLT says, "We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of abundance."

Now this is important to see, verses 16-20 (NIRV), "Come and hear, all you who have respect for God. Let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth. I praised him with my tongue. If I had enjoyed having sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely listened. He has heard my prayer. Give praise to God. He has accepted my prayer. He has not held back his love from me" And that is so true. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is!

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is! Look at this, Proverbs 5:21-23 (CEV) says, "The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely. Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control." That is true of so many. Now look at this, Luke 15:1-7 says, "Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, 'This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this story: If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it, you will put it on your shoulder and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, 'Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.' Jesus said, 'In the same way there is mo...

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...

Todays Beginning

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