Todays Beginning

Monday... Do we too many times settle even though we know what we know? Job said in Job 42:2 (NIRV), "I know that you can do anything. No one can keep you from doing what you plan to do."  Now we who follow God, who live for Him say that we believe that but do we really, really believe it and maybe too many times settle for less than what God plans for us? Look at these verses in Genesis 11:31-32 (NLT), "One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram's wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived  for 205 years and died while still in Harah." Okay, so let's look at this. God had a plan to make a great nation. I wonder if He wanted to do it through Terah. For some reason Terah left where he was living but along the way he settled instead of keeping going to where it seemed God was leadin...

Saturday... Please don't give up on me! Is that your prayer to God today? Is that what you want to say to God? Psalm 119:1-4 (MSG) says, "You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right - you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribe the right way to live; now you expect us to live it."  And that is what we want to do. But then the Psalmist prays what we also want and need to pray. Verses 5-6 says, "Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set. Then I'd never have regrets in comparing my life to your counsel."  We need you God! We see what is available to us, we see you instructions, see the path that is set before us but we need You. We need you God. And then verses 7 & 8 (NLT), "As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living...

Friday... Do you know that God is for you? He is, He really is. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 118:6 (NLT), "The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?" He is for me when I have blown it. He is for me when it seems that no one else cares about me. He is for me in my troubles, even in a pandemic. He is for me when I feel all alone. He is for me when I have been rejected by someone close to me. He is for me in my good times and in my bad. He is for me when others are against me. And that is such good news. Verses 5 - 9 says, "In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." And that is so true, isn't it?  Verse 14 says,...

Thursday... We know so much but do we really? Job 28:1-3 (NLT), "People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold. They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock. They know how to shine light in darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore." We really do know so much. But then Job says in verses 12-13, "But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living." Verse 17 says, "Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold." Verse 19b, "It's worth more than the purest gold." We know so much but do we really? Then verse 20 says, "But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?" Verses 23 & 24 has the answer, "God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be fo...

Wednesday... This is just the beginning. Over in the Old Testament of the Bible there is a book that tells of some major problems, some major trouble that a man by the name of Job was going through. In the middle of this trouble he starts remembering what God had done. He did this to bring hope and encouragement as he faced what he was going through.  In Job 26:7-11 (NLT) he says, "God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don't burst with the weight. He covers the face of the moon, shrouding it with the clouds. He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundary between day and night. The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke."  But Job is not finished. Verse 14 says, "These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?"  Yes, we can look back at all ...

Tuesday... Repetition can help us to remember. There are some phrases that my dad would say over and over that come to my mind over and over when I need them. Like, a short pencil is better that a long memory. Or, cinch by the inch, hard by the yard. Another one is, no paper is so thin that it doesn't have two sides to it. I have used those over and over. The writer of Psalm 136 does the same thing. Verse 1 (NLT) says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." Verse 2, "Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever." Verse 3, "Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever." Verse 4, "Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever." He keep going. Verse 25, "He gives food to every living thing. His faithful love endures forever. And then the last verse of this Psalm, verse 26, "Give thanks to the God of heaven. His fait...

Monday... It is so easy for us to tremble at the creation but we need to remember that the power is in the Creator. What is it that you are facing today. Is it something that is greater than you?   The Children of Israel faced two great rivers. They needed to go across them. They were in situations that were greater than they could handle but the Creator of those rivers was greater than the rivers. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 114:3 & 4, "The Rea Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan turned away. What's wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of the way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?" Those rivers were no match for God. Another time they were in the middle of the desert and there was no water. They were going to die of thirst. Verses 7 & 8 says, "Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the God of Jacob. He turned the rock into a pool of water; yea a spring of water flowed from solid rock....

Saturday... So, how do you handle bad news? Of course we don't like it, but how do you handle it? The writer of Psalm 112 in verses 6 and 7 (NIV) says, "Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast trusting in the Lord." That's what living right will do, that's what trusting in the Lord will do. You won't be shaken by bad news, you won't be afraid of bad news.  So many, even Christians have lived in fear. They have been afraid of what is and will happen each day. Their trust has been shaken by the news, they don't want to hear it. They are afraid. If that is you, this would be a good verse to put up on your refrigerator or on the mirror you look into as you get ready each morning.  "Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast trusting in the Lord." Verse 1 ...

Friday... We will achieve victory through our faith.  Now that isn't just me talking that is what John says in 1 John 5:4 (NLT), "For every child of God" (not just a few but every) "every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through faith." He goes on, verse 5, "And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God." Now to understand this, the Devil and his demons believe in Jesus. But as Rick Warren says, "you won't find them in heaven." He goes on to say, "Why? Because saying you believe in Jesus doesn't mean you have faith in him. It also doesn't mean you trust him to fulfill his promises." Faith is more than intellectual knowledge. Faith is something you do. It's active, not passive. Real faith involves making a commitment to trust in Jesus. Do you trust, really trust Jesus? Are serving Him, living for Him and are you obeying His commandme...

Thursday... Here is a simple test of our faith and we are today really being tested. 1 John 4:20 - 21 (NLT) says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has give us the command: Those who love God must love their fellow believer." And what we have been going through this past year has really been a test of that truth. I mean they were for Trump, they were for Biden, they wore masks, they didn't, they kept us away from meeting together, they wanted to meet together, they are black, they are asian, they are white. So many different things have come up to test us in our love. So how are we doing?  And this is so important for us.  Now we don't need to agree but we do need to love. Verses 16 & 17 says, "We know how much God loves us, and we put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and...

Wednesday... We many times leave the best till last. We emphasize what we really want to say at the last. And I think that is what Peter did at the end of his second letter. In 2 Peter 3:18 (NLT) he says, "Rather, you must grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him both now and forever! Amen." The Amplified Bible gives a little more detail. Starting in verse 17 the translator says, "Therefore [let me warn you] beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men [who distort doctrine] and fall from your own steadfastness [of mind, knowledge, truth, and faith] but grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory (honor, majesty. splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen" Yes, we need to know more and more about who Jesus really is in order to refute the distorted doctrines that are being spewed out all around us. That is ...

Tuesday... But my life is so difficult and maybe that is true. Over in 1 Peter 4:12-13 (MSG), Peter says, "Friends, when life gets difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job." I'm sure that thought has come to our mind, hasn't it?  But that thought it isn't coming from God. Peter goes on, "Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced." We say we are Christ followers but we start griping when we start going through difficult times like He did. If we are following Him then we will have difficulties. Peter then says, "This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner." And that is something we want isn't it? And here is the verse that caught my attention in my reading this morning. Verse 19 (NIV) says, "So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator" and here is the word that hit me, "and c...

Monday... Did you know that we can enjoy our work? We can. Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, in 6:6 (MSG), "Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do." He then says, "And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God.' And this is a good thing to see. And then, "Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are a slave or free." He then says in verse 9, "Masters, it's the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them." Now all of this is so important for us as Christ followers to see. Somehow we get the idea that certain people are called by God so they are the only ones who work for God. But no matter our work, we all work f...

Saturday... Keep your eyes open. Psalm 105:4 (MSG) says, "Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence." It so true that we walk around so many times in life with our spiritual eyes closed. Oh our eyes are open to all the problems and difficulties, oh they are open to all the junk, the evil, the anger, the division, the slights toward us, the things that discourage us, that make us angry. Oh we see all of that, but our eyes are closed to seeing God in our lives. But He is there.  Now if we haven't asked Him into our life He is outside but He is there, waiting to come into your heart, waiting for you and me to see what He is doing, to see that He is close. He wants us to a alert to His presence.  He is working, He is there with His love, with His power, with His strength. Verses 3 - 4 (NIRV) says, "Praise him, because his name is holy. Let the hearts of those who trust in the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and the strength he gives...

Friday... We can take them captive. I mean, we can take thoughts that come into our mind that are there to discourage us, to get us off track, to cause hurt, to cause harm, we can take them captive. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5b (NIV), "And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." You realize, don't you that you don't have to say everything that comes into your mind? You don't have to dwell on every thought that comes into your mind? That is where so much distress comes from. Over in chapter 11 verse 14 Paul says, "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." Just because it comes into your mind, it doesn't mean it is right. And so many times we speak it out like it is right. Again, we must take captive our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. So how do we do it? Well, when we say something without thinking and you then realize that it isn't right, that it was hurtful then we must stop, humble ourselves and admit...

Thursday... He is, He really is and I am so glad He is.  There is a phrase in Psalm 103:8 (NIRV) that caught my attention this morning. It is, "He is slow to get angry." Aren't you so glad that that is true. He has every right to look at us and our immaturity, our selfishness and to really be angry with us. But, "He is slow to get angry." I love being a father and I love being a Papa, a grandfather. I also love being a husband, but I don't always like how I respond in being a dad, a husband and a Papa. Too many times my selfishness, my pride, my hurt feelings comes through instead of my love and I get angry.  Verses 8 - 11, "The Lord is tender and kind. He is gracious. He is slow to get angry. He is full of love. He won't keep bringing charges against us. He won't stay angry with us forever. He won't punish us for our sins as much as we should be punished. He doesn't pay us back in keeping with the evil things we've done. He loves th...

Wednesday... As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Paul was writing a second letter to the church in Corinth and he was telling them of some problems that he had gone through. It would be like us sending a letter out about the pandemic that we have gone through In 2 Corinthians 1:8 - 11 (MSG) he says, "We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us." Now that sounds like our story doesn't it? It has been very rough. But Paul continues, "As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened." Maybe that is true of us too! He goes on, "Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally - not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead!" And that is so true, i...

Tuesday... Nothing we do for the Lord is useless. Do you know that? Did you need to hear that today.? I Corinthians 15:58 says, "So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord," and here it is, "for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." It never is. Oh it may not be up front, oh it may not get all the attention, oh it may not be successful in the eyes of everyone else but "nothing you do for the Lord is useless." Hold you head up high, be strong, be immovable, do it enthusiastically, because nothing you do for the Lord is useless.  The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]....

Monday... Do we really know? Do we? I Corinthians 8:2 (NLT) says, "Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much." Now that has come through in so many ways this past year. There have been a lot of answers given out on all sides. You go to one channel on TV and they have all the answers, then you go to another channel and a whole other set of answers.  In verse 1b (NIV), "We know that 'We all possess knowledge.' But knowledge puffs up." And that is so true, isn't it? I know what is best. I know what is happening. I know, I know. There is a whole lot of I know going around, isn't there? But it continues, "while love builds up." Knowledge is a good thing but so is love. Love doesn't put down, it doesn't look down on people with a different idea about what is happening. Love even when we have a different slant toward a problem doesn't put down even when we may be right, no it builds up. And that is wha...

Sunday... May we keep this in mind. Yes, may we be reminded of this. Psalm 99:7 & 8 (NLT) says, "He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them. O Lord our God, you answered them, but you punished them." The MESSAGE puts it this way, "And they did what he said; they kept the law he gave them. And then God, our God answered them (But you were never soft on their sins). And we need to be reminded of that today. The Corinthian church over in the New Testament was having some trouble in living as God wanted them to live and Paul sent them a letter. In 1 Corinthians 6:9 (NLT) he said, "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God?" That was so important for them to be reminded of as it is to us. But he doesn't stop there. He listed some sins and then said in verse 11 something they also needed to keep in mind. It says (NLT), "Some of you were once like that. But you w...

Saturday... I am a Christian and this is what I think.  It is so important for us to tell everyone what we think, isn't it? I mean, the internet gives us great opportunities to give our opinions about everything. But is that what really matters to God? Is it? He is the one we serve not our own wisdom or thoughts or opinions. Paul in writing to the church in Corinth, a church that had a great opinion of itself but their actions didn't live up to their talk, said this in I Corinthians 4:20 (NLT), "For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power." The Message says, "God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life." And it takes great power to not alway give our opinion about everything. God wants to use us. He has given us as Christians a tremendous opportunity to show His power and His love and His truth and His thoughts and His way. It is called life. And 2020 and 2021 has had some great difficulties in...

Friday... There is help in our darkness and for our sadness. Yes there is! Psalm 97:11 (AMP) says, "Light is sown [like seed] for the righteousness and illuminates their path." That is the darkness part. "And [irrepressible] joy [is spread] for the upright in heart [who delight in His favor and protection]." And that is for the sadness. So how is your day going? Is there a darkness hanging over you? You're not sure where to go.  Your path doesn't seen clear. You need some light. Well, if you live a righteous life then light is sown like seed and illuminates your path. The NIRV translation says, "Good things come to those who do what is right." So if are you doing what is right then look for His light. Then the sadness. Are you walking around with your head down with deep sadness? There is a lot that can bring sadness into our lives. But if you're one of (NLT) "those whose heart is right", if you are (AMP) "upright in heart [who d...

Thursday... Do you recognize Him in your day? As you go through each day do you see God in your day? Do you know Him to the point that you can recognize Him at work in your day? Over in the Acts 17 in the NT of the Bible, the Apostle Paul is in Athens, Greece and he is talking to some of the great thinkers of that day and He says in verses 22 - 23 (NLT), "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: 'To an Unknown God.' This God who you worship without knowing is the one I'm telling you about." I afraid so many serve today an unknown god. But we don't have to. Psalm 96:7 & 8 says. "O nations of the world recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves." This week we celebrated May the Fourth be with you day. It is a play on the phrase from Stars Wars, May the Force b...

Wednesday... It is not a fun thing to be lost. No it isn't. I remember an incident where I got lost as a young boy in a big department store. I know that somehow my parents found me, in a way I was saved from being lost. I know one thing. I didn't like being lost. I wanted to be saved and I was. Over in Acts 16 (NLT) Paul and Silas were thrown into jail. Verse 24 says, "So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks." It sounds a little like our pandemic, doesn't it? Verse 25 says, "Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening." So how have we been handling this that we have been going through? Listen, the other prisoners with us in this pandemic have been listening, watching, looking at how we are handling this. Have we been praying and singing hymns to God? But you might say, I can't do that at home, I have to be in a church. But Paul and Silas were ...

Tuesday... Sometimes in times of struggle it is good to look back. I love what the writer of Psalm 94 in verses 17 - 19 (MSG) says, "If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, 'I'm slipping, I'm falling,' your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up."  It is so good to remember how God has been so faithful to us. It is so good to read and hear others tell how God has been so faithful in their lives. It is an encouragement in times of struggle to be reminded of how God was there in other times of struggle. It strengthens our faith during new struggles.  Verse 19 in the New Living Translation says, "When doubts filled my mind," and they do come "your comfort renewed hope and cheer." And I hope and pray that God through these words will bring comfort to you and will renew your hope and cheer for this new day. Also look at verse 22 (...

Monday... He is mightier, He is more powerful, He is stronger! I remember as a child, my father driving us to the shore of New Jersey to see the after waves of a hurricane that had hit that area. The waves were huge and they were mighty. I've also been through hurricanes in Texas and New York. Those waves wiped out any and everything in their paths.  The Psalmist gives this picture in Psalm 93:3 & 4 (NLT), "The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breaks on the shore - the Lord above is mightier than these."  God is mightier than anything you and I will be facing today. And He is on our side, ready to take on whatever is in our way.  So let's acknowledge that fact, let's praise Him that He is mighty, He is omnipotent, that He is all powerful The NIRV puts it this way, verse 3, "Lord, the seas have lifted up their v...

Sunday... Now this is a great way to start my day. Psalm 92:1 (NIV) says, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning and your faithfulness at night." Now that is really a great way to get started. But you might say, but I don't want to get up. I hate getting up. Starting your day with a time of thanksgiving to God, for His goodness, for the good night's rest, for all the good things that you can remember from yesterday sets you up for a day of gratitude instead of gloom.  Then praising Him; He is so great. He is so mighty. He knows all, He is all loving, He never changes, lifts you up because you see that you aren't facing this new day alone. God is with you/ And then I proclaim His unfailing love for you and your love to Him. He loves you and you love Him and then His faithfulness. I will leave that to when I go to bed. Now that is the way to start your day, isn't it? Yes...

Saturday... There is a difference between I want, and I will. There is some power of direction in I want but there is a determination, there is a great return in I will. Look at Psalm 91:14 - 16 (NIRV). Look at what, "The Lord says, 'I will save the one who loves me. I will keep him safe, because he trusts in me. He will call out to me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in times of trouble. I will save him and honor him. I will give him a long and full life. I will save him.'" Now that is a great Will and Testament isn't it? That is from God. And He will do everything that He says He will do. You can take that to the bank of your life. But there are some wills that we must do in order for His will to be done. We must love Him, we must trust in Him, we must call out to Him. But that is not too much to ask in order to get the great return, is it? So will you say and then do, "I will love Him, I will call on Him, I will trust Him? Our will has a major pa...