Todays Beginning

Wednesday... He stands up for His people. Yes He does! Have you ever had someone stand up for you? Maybe it was an older brother or sister. Maybe it was your mom or dad or maybe a good friend. How did that make you feel? You mattered so much to someone that they stood up for you. Psalm 135:14 (MSG) says, "God stands up for his people, God holds the hands of his people." There is another benefit for having a relationship with God. He stands up for His people and He holds their hands. So how is it going for you today? Do you feel all alone, that everyone is against you, that no one cares, really cares about you? That is what Satan wants you to feel. He knows that he has you when you feel that way. So, ask God to open your eyes to see that He is close and open your eyes to hear His still, small voice of encouragement and to quicken your senses to His presence and to feel His hand holding your hand.  You are not alone. "God stands up for his people, God holds the hands of hi...

Tuesday... We can rejoice if we are full of faith which leads to being faithful. Psalm 149:4 - 5 (NLT) says, "For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds." Too many times we go to bed discouraged about our day. We look back and see where we were not faithful. Maybe we weren't faithful to doing our best at work. We were given the opportunity to do a job that needed to be done but we didn't give our best to doing it. We weren't faithful at work. Maybe we weren't faithful to our spouse, we maybe let our thoughts wander to another person who wasn't our mate, we weren't faithful in our desires.  Maybe we weren't faithful in our health, in what we ate, in our exercise, in being faithful to taking care of this body that God has given to us.  Maybe we weren't faithful in reading the Bible, in spending quality time with God. We weren...

Monday... Each creation gives glory to its creator by doing what they were created to do. And glory means it makes the creator look good. So let's praise Him for the opportunity to do what we were created to do and to do it to the best of our ability. Look at Psalm 148:1 - 4 (NLT), "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!" And then verse 5, "Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being." And He did it with each of His creation having a specific purpose to do and in doing that purpose He, God, receives praise. Let's say you created a car and it performs at a high level. Does the car get the praise? Well to some extent but the creator gets most of the praise. Now what if the ...

Saturday... Are you weighed down today? Do you feel helpless? Do you? Is what you are facing greater than you can handle? Maybe it is a habit that has you bound up with guilt? Maybe it is finances. This has been a very tough year and for you it isn't over. Maybe you lost your job. Maybe you have had your husband or wife walk out on you. The pain is so heavy. Maybe it is your health. You just can't seem to get well. Maybe it is your emotions. You're always deeply troubled. You are in deep despair. You have no hope.  I don't know what it is but it is greater than you can handle and it has you weighed down, you feel helpless.  Psalm 146:8b (NLT) says, "The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down." The NIRV says, "The Lord lifts up those who are helpless." Memorize that. Whenever the weight is too heavy in your heart say, "The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down." Say it over and over until you believe it. "The Lord lifts up those wh...

Friday... This can make such a difference in starting a new day! Yes, it can! What a difference it would make if we did this as we start each new day. David writes in Psalm 145:1 & 2 (NLT), "I will exalt you, my God and King." We, it seem, exalt our problems, our difficulties, our insecurities as we start each new day. But David says, "I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day;" not just when I need you but "I will praise you every day; yes I will praise you forever." And verse 3 says, "Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness." He can handle the mountain that you are facing today. Verse 5 says, "I will meditate on your majesty, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles." We go to bed thinking about all that we are facing, we wake up in great despair not sure we want to get up because of what we will be facing and the more we dwel...

Thursday... Do you feel insignificant? Do you? That really makes a difference in how you face a new day, doesn't it? Psalm 144:3 (NIV) asks this same question but in a different way. "Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?" The MESSAGE paraphrase says it this way, "I wonder why you care, God - why do you bother with us at all." We are prime targets for this way of thinking if we don't spend time with God. But if we spend time in His Word we know that we matter to Him, we are not insignificant, we are not mere human beings. No, we are blessed. We really are. Psalm 144:15b (AMP) says, "How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored] are the people whose God is the Lord!" Dwell on that, focus on that. So if God is your Lord then you are blessed, fortunate, prosperous, and favored. We are not insignificant. We are blessed! Our significance comes from the One we serve. We really matter to Him. Yes, yes!...

Wednesday... Is this your prayer today? Is it? David says in Psalm 143:7 (NLT), "Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don't turn away from me or I will die." Is that what you are feeling today? He goes on, verse 8, "Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning." Now that is a great way to start your day, to start you on your path out of your depression. Again. "Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning." Let me ask you, are you in His Word each morning? That is where you hear of His unfailing love. Our problem is we spend more time watching and listening to the news than we do spending focus time in His Word.  David says, "for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." Verse 9, "Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you and hide." There are so many things that bring us down, that are our enemies that deepen our depression. There really are.  Ask God to show you what and...

Tuesday... Is this the way you feel today? Is it? Is this how you face everyday? Is it? Psalm 142:4, (NLT), "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." That is a horrible way to live, to feel all alone, to think no one cares. But so many people live that way. So what do you do? The Psalmist in verse 5 says, "Then I pray to you O Lord. I say, 'You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life." Verse 6, "Hear my cry, for I am low."   You may feel that you are all alone today. No one cares, no one is interested in you. And those are lies from Satan. There is One who cares, who really cares. He is just a prayer away. He is your source of real life. Proverbs 19:23 (AMP) says, "The fear of the Lord leads to life. So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil." He is your source, He is the One who leads to life. Turn to Him.  We too ma...

Monday... Yes He is, yes, He is. I don't know what you are facing today, what you are going through but God does. Proverbs 15:3 (NLT) says, "The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both evil and good." Maybe on this Monday morning that reality is what you need to bring into your life. He is watching everywhere, He is keeping His eye on you. Yes He is. Now if you are doing wrong in private, you need to realize that. If you are in deep despair you need to realize that. If you are making a difference, you need to realize that. If you are in over your head, you need to realize that. You are not alone. The MESSAGE paraphrase says, "God doesn't miss a thing." He doesn't. He is only a prayer away. You are not alone. He cares and He is bigger than anything you are facing.  And know this, verse 15, (NLT) says, ""For the despondent, every day brings trouble, for the happy heart, life is a continual feast."  He cares about you, He cares a...

Saturday... A reminder of what life is all about. We have had a death in our family. My wife Margaret's sister, Mary died this past week. So we are headed to Louisville, Kentucky to say goodbye to her with family and friends. I will be giving the message at her Goodbye Service and so I have had some focus time thinking about life and death. Psalm 72:17 & 18 (NIV) is a reminder of what life is about. Here's what it says, "Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and grey" and I am "do not forsake me, my God" and He hasn't "till I declare your power to the next generation your mighty acts to all generation" and that is what I am doing and I will keep on doing. God has a purpose for our life to make a difference for and with Him. Life is too short so let's be faithful to do it. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning 

Friday... Here is a word we may need for today. It is the word content. Here is what Psalm 131 (MSG) says to us today, "God, I'm not trying to rule the roost. I don't want to rule the mountain." Now this is what a lot of us need to work on to be content, isn't it? There is so much for us to accomplish but the reason what and why is so important for us to see and reevaluate.  He goes on, "I haven't meddled where I have no business or fantasized grandiose plans. I've kept my feet on the ground. I've cultivated a quiet heart." And here is the picture. "Like a baby content in its mother's arms, my soul is a baby content." The NIRV says, "Deep down inside me, I am as content as a young child." Now that is what we need, isn't it? And then verse 3, " Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore." Now that is the path to being content. It's not all on me, the reason I live each day is based on w...

Thursday... Please, Help Our Response Every day. So where will you turn for your HOPE for today? Is it all on self control, self will, self motivation, self confidence? So how is that going? The writer of Psalm 130 (NIRV) in verse 5 says, "With all my heart I wait for the Lord to help me. I put my hope in his word." Do you turn to God's word for hope? Do you turn to Him to help you in your response to each new day because how you respond to the happenings of each new day go a long way in your enjoyment, in your productivity, and in living out God's purpose for each new day. Verse 6 says, "I wait for the Lord to help me. I want his help more than night watchmen want the morning to come. I'll say it again. I want his help more than the night watchman want the morning to come."  Verse 7 (NLT), "O Israel (O ____, put your name there), hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows." And by the way, verse 8 says...

Wednesday... Oh He wants to cut you free. He really does. Psalm 129:4 (NLT) says, "But the Lord is good; he has cut me free..."  I remember my mom at our church when she was leading a group of us junior boys asked a boy to come up front and she took a spool of thread and while talking to us she started winding it around the boy's arms. After a few turns she asked him to break it and he easily broke it. She then started talking and winding again. She would tell about things that young boys would do that could get them in trouble and she kept talking and kept winding. And then she asked him again to break it and he couldn't. But she then took some scissors and cut the thread. He couldn't break it by himself but he could with help.  And that is the way it is in life. Have you found it true? You maybe started down a path and you knew you shouldn't go there but you say, I can always quit any time. And you do but then you go farther and farther and then you can'...

Tuesday... I really, really do respect Him and it really, really does make a difference. Do you respect someone to the point that you change your behavior when you are around them? Respect seems to affect our behavior. Psalm 128:1 (NIRV) says, "Blessed are those who have respect for the Lord. They live as he wants them to live."  You don't want to displease Him. You want Him to be proud of you. You don't want Him to be disappointed with you. The New Living Translation says, "How joyful are those who fear the Lord - all who follow his ways."  I had the deepest respect for my dad. I remember when I did something wrong he would put his face in his hands and say, "Where did I go wrong?" and that would really get to me. You might say that using guilt is not a good way to correct but it worked on me, I never wanted to disappoint my dad. I respected him so much.  I was afraid I would disappoint him and in no way did I want to do that. My respect, my fear ...

Monday... But what could we really do?   We too many times start our work week without spending time with God and doing it alone. We had a good weekend of leisure and now we are ready to head into a new work week. We are ready. Or maybe we're not.  Psalm 127:1-2 (MSG) says, "If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?"  God has set up life for us to enjoy and make a difference each and every day. But we need Him. We really need Him. When we do life on our own we are always worn out. It seems that what we do is useless. But He wants to work through us and in us and with us. What could we really do if we did what we do with Him involved in our lives? We build shacks  He wants to build so much more. We work worried, He wants us ...

Saturday... It needs to be reinforced in our minds. We need to really understand. Deuteronomy 7:9 (NLT), "Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands." May we please, please understand this. And then Psalm 125:1-2, "Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever." Oh let's strive to really understand. He is indeed God. He is faithful and He lavishies His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey Him. If we trust Him we will be secure, we will not be defeated and we will endure forever. And He surrounds His people, both now and forever. And we can pray, verse 4, "O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you....

Friday... What if? What if? David in Psalm 124:1 (NLT) writes, "What if the Lord has not been on our side?" We need to be reminded of what if the Lord had not been on our side through this past year. What if the Lord had not been on our side when we lost our job? What if the Lord had not been with us when we were facing the unknow of a physical problem? What if the Lord had not been on your side through whatever you have gone through this past week and through whatever you are facing today? David goes on. Verses 2-5 says, "What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in thir burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us; a torrent would have overwhelmed us. Yes the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives." Yes what we went through was awful, but what if the Lord had not been on our side. In no matter what we have or are going through we need to be reminded of what if, what if. But ...

Thursday... I will lift my eyes up. I just came back in from sitting out on our third story deck. I was looking out at the cars going on the road down below and I was watching out for them. I could have really helped them from my perspective but I had no way to communicate with them. One's perspective has a lot to do with their ability to give help and guidence to someone. Psalm 123:1 (NLT) says, "I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven." Now that is a great prespective, isn't it? And we have access to Him through prayer and His Word so it really makes sense for us to be in a moment by moment commuication when Him, doesn't it? But we think too many times that we have a better perspective than He has but we don't, do we?  What are you going through right now? Where do you need quidence? Is your persepctive better to see what is ahead than God's? Then why do you almost totally follow your thoughts, your ideas, your persepctive when you can't ev...

Wednesday... There are so many things that can bring great anxiety into our lives but there is only One who can bring real peace. Only One! Here is a prayer to pray for you who are facing situations that are bringing great anxiety and fear to you today. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 122:8 (NIV), "For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you." God is our source of peace, He is our source of confidence. He is the One we turn to in our time of great need. Is that where you are today? I have no idea what you are facing today. But God does. And He loves you and He cares for you and He wants you to turn to Him. Verse 9 says, "I will seek your prosperity." He is your source. He knows what you need and He knows what is best in the situation you are facing and He is working all things out for good.  But we must turn to Him. We must lay our cares and burdens at His feet. We must trust Him. We must humble ourselves before Him. We must follow Him a...

Tuesday... What are you facing today and what are you facing tomorrow? Are starting today with some anxiety? And what about tomorrow? The unknown of a new day can cause us to want to go back to bed and not face it. Especially if we have gone through the anxieties that we have gone through this past year. Fear and anxiety build upon fear and anxiety but it doesn't have to. The realization that we have gone through our yesterday and have survived can also build upon us to the point that it seems that we can handle anything. But there is more. Look at Psalm 121:5-7 (NLT), "The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life." And then verse 8, "The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now [today] and forever [tomorrow]" Yes He sees what you are facing today and He sees what you are facing tomorrow. He...