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 rest. Then you will be poor, as if someone had robbed you. You would have little, as if someone had stolen from you." The Message Paraphrase says, "You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!"

But there is also a "but". Verses 6-8, "You people who don't want to work, think about the ant! It has no commander. It has no leader or ruler. But it stores up its food at harvest time." The Message Paraphrase says, "at harvest it stockpiles provisions."

This is a pretty good reminder here on labor day that work has an important place in our life. doesn't it? If you are lazy, there will consequences but if you work hard there will be rewards.

There are "ifs" and "buts" that are important for us to understand. 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

Tuesday... Let's be smart.

Tuesday... Let's be smart. Proverbs 12:16a (CEV) says, "Losing your temper is foolish." It really is. And it is so hard to take it back. That is not smart. There are always consequence when we lose our temper and they are usually not good. Think of the last time you lost your temper at home, at your kids, at your spouse, at your pets. at your life, at where you live, at where you work. There are always repercussions and they are not good. The New Living Translation says, "A fool is quick-tempered." The Message says, "Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly." The Amplified Bible says, "The [arrogant] fool's anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense]." It just is not a good thing. is it? But then the rest of this verse, this proverb (CEV) says, "ignoring an insult is smart." It really is. I have striven in dealing with people to give them a benefit of doubt. They didn't mean that, they

Friday... But, can be such a beautiful word.

Friday... But, can be such a beautiful word. It really can be life changing. Look at what Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians. In 2:1-3 (NLT) he says, "Once you were dead because of your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else." There it is, there it is. That is the way we are living or have lived. Dead is a definite word of finality. At least the devil thought so and maybe you do too. And then verses 4-5 starts by saying, "But", that beautiful life changing word of opportunity even though we are dead. Yes, we are subject to God's anger, "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even t

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