Todays Beginning

Thursday... Maybe this could be your prayer today. Praying the Psalms from the Old Testament of the Bible can give us the words we want to pray and that share the desires of our heart that we want to say. And there is power through prayer. There is strength through prayer. There is faith through prayer. And there are answers through prayer. So make it a personal prayer as you are praying it. Maybe this is what you need to pray today. Psalm 90:13-17 (NLT), "O Lord, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!" Is this your desire today? Is that what you want, what you need to say today...

Wednesday... It pleases Him. Yes, it does! I loved it when I did something that pleased my dad. He was my hero, he really was and I loved it when I made him feel good about something I did. Now there were times that I didn't please him. I didn't like those times. Now it is interesting here in Psalm 89 what pleases God. And I think it is relevant to what we are going through right now. It says in verse 17 (NLT), "You are their glorious strength. It pleases you to make us strong." Giving us strength to handle what we are going through pleases Him. He is not annoyed at taking care of us. It pleases Him. I mean, we as human beings please God when we look to Him for strength during our times of trouble and difficulties when we personally don't have the strength to make it through what we are going through. That is great to know. It really is. Starting in verse 13 through 18 it says, "Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glor...

Tuesday... God uses us as individuals. He really does. Think of your family and the individuals in it and the differences, the different ways they handle situations. That is by design. That's how God created us. I finished up the Gospel of John this morning and Jesus' resurrection. Jesus had been crucified and put in a tomb. And look at the different reactions of His close followers.  John 20:1 (MSG), "Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was rolled away." She was an early riser. The Scripture doesn't condemn everyone else for not getting up early and going to the tomb. It doesn't say that she was the only one who cared. That was who she was.  Verse 2, "She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, 'They took the Master from the tomb. We don't know where they've put him." Verses 3-4, "Peter...

Monday... You can count on Him. Yes you can! Is this true of you? Psalm 86:3 (MSG), "I count on you from morning to night." Is that true of you? If it isn't you can, yes you can. You can count on Him. Can you say this? Verse 2 (NLT), "Protect me, for I am devoted to you. You are my God." If that is true you can say as David says, verses 3-7, "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen carefully to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I am in trouble, and you will answer me." I love verse 1, "Bend down, O Lord and hear my prayer; answer me for I need your help." You can count on Him. And then verse 10, "For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God." If you believe that, if you have given your life to Him t...

Saturday... He says what we feel. The Psalmist says what we feel. Psalms 85:4-5, (NIRV), "God our Savior, make us new again. Stop being unhappy with us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you be angry for all time?" Do you want to say that to God? Is that how you feel? He wants us to be honest. Here is what we need to ask. Verses 6-7, "Won't you give us new life again?" The NLT says, "Won't you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation." He listens to that kind of honest prayer. The Psalmist continues, verse 8, "I listen carefully to what the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people, but let them not return to their foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory." And then verse 12, "Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest." Verses...

Friday... Let's impress Him. Proverbs 24:11-14 (MSG) says, "Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, 'Hey, that's none of my business,' will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know - Someone not impressed with weak excuses." So that is not the way to impress Him, is it? But stepping in and helping someone in crisis will impress Him. So how do you rescue people in an epidemic? What weak excuses are we using? Think, really think about that. Look at verses 1-2, "Don't envy bad people; don't even want to be around them. All they think about is disturbance; all they talk about is making trouble." That doesn't impress Him. Verses 5-6 says, "It's better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day. Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win, you need good counsel." Who are we listening to? Verse 10, "If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there was...

Thursday... We have trouble with quitting but... Look at this, Proverbs 23:4 (NLT), "Don't wear yourself out trying to be rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit." Sometimes if we let our wisdom guide us then we will quit. Let wisdom be your guide not pride, not displaced determination. Now in some things we don't quit, we keep at it but let wisdom be your guide. Here's why we quit. Verse 5 says, "In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle." He says in verse 9, "Don't waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice." Verse 12, "Commit yourself to instruction; listen to words of knowledge." This is good, verses 17- 18, "Don't envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord. You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed." This is not where you quite. You keep fearing the Lord and you will be rewarded for this. This is where ...

Wednesday... A change could do us some good. Yes it could. The writer of Proverbs 22 in verse 10 (MSG) says, "Kick out the troublemakers and things will quiet down; you need a break from bickering and griping." So what do you feed your life on? Is it CNN and Fox News or even parts of Social Media? It seem like there is a lot of bickering and griping going on and not too much encouragement and hope on there.  Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction. For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips. I am teaching you today - yes, you - so you will trust in the Lord." He then says in verses 24-25, "Don't befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul." So we have a choice, listen to the words of the wise or befriend angry people. Why not spend some time in God's Word and with wise people and see w...

Tuesday... Three tasks that will bring victory. Here is the first one. Proverbs 21:31 (MSG), "Do your best." Too many time we say that we are going to leave it up to God. He is going to do what needs to be done but He has some expectations for us to do. And this is the first one, "Do your best." Now if your best is getting Cs then work hard and get Cs. If Bs are you best, then get Bs. If As then get As. At work, "do your best." Make that your desire today. "Do your best." And God will bless and honor you. Then, "prepare for the worst." One area for this is in our finances. We each need to have set aside money that will be there when things will break down. Too much of the time we spend every penny we make and never plan for the worst. We each one need an emergency fund. "prepare for the worst". You may say, but I don't make enough to save but you need to sacrifice to be ready for the worst. You say, but I am believing that...

Monday... Could this be something we need to see today?  The writer of Proverbs 20:3 (NLT) says, "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling." Could this be what God thinks of us in the day in which we live? Even followers of Christ seems to be looking for fights. Maybe God see us as fools. The Message paraphrase says, "It is a mark of good character to avert quarrels, but fools love to pick fights." It is a "mark of good character." It is not a good thing to always be trying to pick fights. Verse 6 (NLT) says, "Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?" Oh, God, may we be faithful to you and not fools. Also look at this, verse 22, "Do not say, 'Ill pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you." But you don't know what they did to me? "Wait for the Lord and he will avenge you." I am also reading in John 1 and it says in verse 14, ...

Saturday... Where to go to feel safe. Where do you go to feel safe? We need places of safety, don't we? Proverbs 18:11 (MSG) says, "The rich think their wealth protects them; they imagine themselves safe behind it."  Verse 14 says, "A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?" And that is so true, isn't it? And so many in this time in which we are living are crushed in their spirit. Verse 15 gives some good advice, "Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insight." Verse 19, "Do a favor and win a friend forever; nothing can untie that bond." And verse 22, "Find a good spouse, you find a good life - and even more the favor of God!" And I have for sure found that to be true. And then back to verse 10, "God's name is a place of protection - good people can run there and be safe." And that is so true, so very true, isn't it? Yes, yes! #todaysbeginn...

Friday... You've done it before. Yes, You have! Here is an encouraging word from Psalm 77 that we might need for today. Verses 13-15 (MSG), "O God! Your way is holy! No god is great like God! You're the God who makes things happen; you showed everyone what to do - You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph" May we be reminded of this fact, "You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble." Oh Father, You've done it before, yes You have. The writer of this Psalm in verses 11-12 says, "Once again I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts." So think back, ask His Spirit to remind you of what He has done. Give a long loving look at what He has done. Remind yourself that He still loves you and He still is greater than any other gods and that He makes thing...

Thursday... I love the mountains. I really do. They draw me to God's greatness. The Psalmist writes in Psalms 76:4 (NLT), "You are glorious and more majestic than the everlasting mountains." And that is so true. They are everlasting and so is He. And that makes a difference in what we are facing today. This pandemic seems to be everlasting but it isn't. God is. Verses 5 & 6 says, "Our boldest enemies have been plundered. They lie before us in the sleep of death. No warrior could lift a hand against us. At the blast of your breath, O God of Jacob, their horses and chariots lay still." You realize that this pandemic will never win, it will never beat us as long as we put our trust in God? We may die but that is the ultimate victory. We go to be with God. Again, this pandemic can never win as long as we put our trust in God. And He is everlasting. The pandemic isn't. Proverbs 16:17 says, "The path of the virtuous leads away from evil, whoever follo...

Wednesday... What is within has so much power.  Yes it does. Let's look at Proverbs 15, starting with verse 13 (NLT), "A glad heart makes a happy face, a broken heart crushes its spirit." MSG, "A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day," Verse 15 (NLT), "For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast." MSG, "A miserable heart means a miserable life, a cheerful heart fills the day with song." Verse 28 (NLT), "The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words."  Verse 30 (NIV), "Light in a messenger's eyes bring joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." MSG, "A twinkle in the eyes means joy in the heart, and good news makes you fit as a fiddle." So what are we filling our heart with each day? It  seems that filling our heart with good news,...

Tuesday... But it seems so right. Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) says, "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." Over in Luke 8 Jesus healed a man who was demon possed and verse 35 says, "People rushed out to see what has happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus feet fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were afraid." Verse 37, "And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them." Now I'm sure their fear made sense to them but what could have happened if they would have seen the possibilities and asked Him to stay? There is another story. There was a leader of the synagogue named Jarius who came to Jesus because his daughter was sick. And as Jesus was going with him back to where his daughter was someone came and they said that it didn't make sense t...

Monday... Here is some good and profitable advice. The writer of Proverbs 13:13 (MSG) says, "Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich." I'm also reading in the Gospel of Luke and Jesus gives a short checklist. He says in Luke 6:37-38 (NLT), "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged." Check!  "Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you." Check! "Forgive others, and you will be forgiven." Check! "Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Check! Again, "Ignore the Word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich." Check! His Word makes a such a difference in our lives. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Saturday... I never will, I never will. What do you see as you look back on your life? Are there things that you wish you could do over? I'm sure there are but there are some things that you never regret doing, aren't there? The writer of Psalm 71 (MSG) in verse 1 says, "I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it." Now if you have never had a relationship with God you do not understand what he is saying but if you have had God in your life then you can look back and see the differences He has made in your life. And you also can say, "I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it."  He goes on, verses 2 & 3 (NLT), "Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me and set me free. Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress." Verse 5, "O Lord, you alone are my hope." Verse 7, "My life is an example to many...

Friday... Here are some really, good thoughts for today. We really do need the thoughts of Proverbs everyday. This is the 10th day of the month so here are some thoughts from Proverbs 10. Verse 3 (NLT), "The Lord will not let the godly go hungry, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked."  Here is maybe the reason why, verse 4, "Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich."  One of the things that I learned from my dad was to be a hard worker. And we were rich in so many different ways. He was a great example. Verse 5, "A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace." Here is how the Message Paraphrase says it, "Make hay while the sun shines - that's smart; go fishing during harvest - that's stupid." I love that! Verse 7 (NLT), "A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench." Now that is true. Here is one that really speaks to the day in w...

Thursday... Is this how you are feeling today? David writes in Psalm 69:1-3 (NLT), "Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can't find a foothold. I am in deep water and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me."   Now what if you didn't have a God to wait on? What if you were truly all alone? I can't imagine what that would be like because I am not alone. I do have God to help me. But that is not what so many people believe.. I can't imagine what that is like. David goes on in verses 16-18, "Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don't hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies." Verses 32 & 33, "The humble will see their God at work...

Wednesday... Do we and do we? There is a conversation over in Mark 9:22b & 23 (NLT) that I think is a conversation that we could have with Jesus. At the end of verse 22 a father who had a son who needed Jesus' healing says to Him what I'm sure we could say to Him today, "Have mercy on us and help us, if you can." Now I wonder if we have added that last part too, "if you can." But Jesus comes back instantly with, "What do you mean, 'If I can?' " I wonder if He wants to say that to us so many times. "What do you mean, if I can?" He then says, "Anything is possible if a person believes." Now there is another "if", "if a person believes." There is so much in our lives that He wants to do, "if" "if" "if a person believes." If we believe.  The conversation continues, and it is a very honest one. Verse 24 says, "The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe." N...

Tuesday... We need to pray this prayer every day. The writer of Psalm 67 starts in verse 1 by saying, "May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us." (NLT) I know I need to pray that prayer each morning when I get up and I'm sure you feel the same way. There are three statements over in Mark 8 that Jesus said that show that even His disciples needed mercy.  Maybe you can feel some of Jesus' humanness coming out. In verse 18, He says, "You have eyes - can't you see? You have ears - can't you hear? Don't you remember anything?" Then verse 21, " 'Don't you understand yet?' he asked them." And then in the last part of verse 33 He speaks to our problem when He said, "You are merely seeing things from a human point of view, not from God's" Now there was a reason in each of those statements why Jesus was frustrated. He has a right to be frustrated with us but He also has mercy and He wants to ...

Monday... This is so important for us to understand! Psalm 66:18-20 (NLT) says, "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me." Two key words are right in front of us, "If" and "But". "If I had not confessed." That is so important. We must confess our sins. And then the second word, "But" "But God did listen." The writer of this Psalm had confessed His sins and God did listen to his prayer. It is so important for us to understand that there are "Ifs" in the world. Over in Proverbs 6: 9-11 (NIRV) there is a silent "If". Here is what it says, "You lazy people" In other words if you are lazy. "how long will you lie there? When will you get up from your sleep? You might sleep a little or take a nap. You might even fold your hands and r...

  Saturday... This is such a great privilege, it really is. I love doing what I do every morning.  Proverbs 4: 1 & 2 (MSG) says, "Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; sit up and take notice so you'll know how to live. I'm giving you good counsel; don't let it go in one ear and out the other." That is a wise word from Solomon. He goes on, verses 5 - 6 (NLT), "Get wisdom; develop good judgement. Don't forget my words or turn away from them. Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will guard you." So true, so true. Verses 7 & 8, "Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. If you prize wisdom, she will honor you. She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown." I remember a day that I was in a grocery store in the beginning of the pandemic and I was walking around really afraid. Now I have not been one who lives with fear but I was af...

Friday... Without a doubt, I can say this and so can you! In Psalm 63:1 (NLT), David writes, "O God, you are my God;" Not, I hope you are, not, you maybe are, not, I want, but you are, you are. And that is a great way to start your day. "O God, you are my God." My God, not his or her God , not my parent's God, not my grandparent's, not my wife's, my husband's, but my God. "O God, you are my God." I own that, I believe that, I live by that, I base my life on that. He goes on, "I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water." There is no way I could make it through what I am facing if it wasn't for the fact that, "O God, you are my God." Verses 2 - 5, "I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lif...

Thursday... There is another message that needs to be shared. I love sharing the message of refuge, of success, of wisdom. But there is another message that is important to be shared and to hear and understand and to do. Over in Matthew 24:42 - 44 (NLT) it says, "So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You must also be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."  Jesus said that. And it was a message that He wants us to hear. So are you ready? or are you off fighting battles that don't need to be fought.  Verses 12 - 14 says, "Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold. But the one endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations will hear it; and then the e...

Wednesday... Are you feeling weak? Is all of this getting you down? You can be honest. You can tell Him what you feel. You can call out to Him. David in Psalm 61:2 (NIRV) says, "I call out as my heart gets weaker." It is good to realize what is happening to us. But it is also good to do something about it. Verse 1 says, "Listen to my prayer." Good place to start. "From a place far away I call out to you." Do you think it is because God is far away or could it be because we have let the cares of life lead us away from Him? It is a good thing to realize that we have drifted away and we need to come back and also that He is there with us even if we don't realize it. We may be far away but He is right there and we need to acknowledge that and call out to Him. Again, "I call out as my heart gets weaker." The NLT says, "I cry out to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed." Do you feel weak, do you feel overwhelmed, then cry out to Him ...