Todays Beginning

Tuesday... Let's not get mixed up, this is so important. It really is. Paul in his letter to the Galatians gives these thoughts in chapter 6 (MSG). In verses 1-3 He says, "Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself." No, no, I've got to spread it all over the internet. That's what the internet is for, isn't it? I don't think so. But it is how we use it. He goes on, "You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you are too good for that, you are badly deceived." Some when they heard that Margaret and I tested positive for  Covid could have said, "They must not have taken the vaccine, or they must not wear masks or I told you doing all of that wouldn't work." Too many Christians are condemning instead of reaching out and sharing burden...

Monday... A new day, a new beginning. And it is it seems like a new beginning. I am finally out and about and not afraid to be with people. I am a very positive person. I strive to be positive but when I saw Positive on my wife's test and then a few days later on mine I much preferred seeing Negative after the word Covid but here we are after going through a very difficult two plus weeks. The having to go through it without human contact was very difficult especially when Margaret my wife was in the hospital. Those were some very lonely difficult days for both os us.  Proverbs 29:25 (NLT) says, "Fearing people is a dangerous trap" and that is what we as people have been doing during this time of pandemic. There is a certain amount of fear that we need but it still is trap. It is so easy to close and lock our doors not wanting to get sick. It can be a very healthy thing to be careful but it can also be a dangerous trap. We really do need each other.  But the writer of this...

Thursday... Have you ever been at one of those times? At the beginning of this week we found out that Margaret, my wife tested Positive for Covid. I tested Negative until yesterday and I tested Positive also. Well, Margaret was having a rough day yesterday and she felt that she should go to a local Hospital's Emergency facility close to us so she went and they felt that she needed more than what they could do so they transported her to the hospital for more tests and observation where she spent the night. Well, at 4 this morning I had a real time of anxiety and I prayed, really prayed and then felt led to turn to Psalm 138 and this is what I found. Verse 3 (NLT) says, "As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength." And that is so true! And then down to verses 7 - 8 (MSG) it showed me what to pray, "When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil. With one hand strike my foes, with your other hand save me. Finish w...

Tuesday... He remembers when we were down. He really does. Our daughter Stefanie is amazing. I'm not very good at remembering but Stef is great at it. I was talking to my brother this past weekend and he was asking about something when he was a little boy. I am 13 years older and he was wanting to see my perspective as someone older. It was about a difficult time in our family. I usually don't remember the bad times but I jokingly said I alway ask Stef because she seems to remember things even before she was born. That is probably stretching it a little but that is true with God. Psalm 136:23 (MSG), "God remembered us when we were down." I'm not sure I want to remember those times but God does because "His love never quits." That is the phrase that we need to always remember. It is a phrase that the writer of this Psalm said 26 times. He wanted us to remember that His love never quits. Do you need to remember today that "God remembered us when we we...

Monday... There is so much nonsense out there, there really is. I love reading the Proverbs everyday. Yesterday, I read this in Proverbs 14:15 (MSG), "The gullible believe anything they are told; the prudent sift and weigh every word." Here is another one, verse 16 says, "The wise watch their steps and avoid evil; fools are headstrong and reckless." Verse 9, "The stupid ridicule right and wrong, but a moral life is a favored life." That's what I want, I want a favored life. Verse 8, "The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track; the foolishness of fools lands then in the ditch." Here's a good one, verse 24, "The wise accumulate wisdom; fools get stupider by the day."  And then over in chapter 15 verse 2, "Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets dripping nonsense." Again, there is so much nonsense out there but there is also a lot of wisdom too. So where and with whom are we spending our t...

Saturday... It's the smart thing to do. Psalm 133:1 (MSG) says, "How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along." When we as the B. Ivan Williams family were growing up, we traveled a lot. My father was a traveling evangelist a big portion of the time that I was growing up so we spent a lot of our life in a car and we found that getting along was a necessary part of having an enjoyable trip. Getting along was an smart thing to do.  Proverbs 13:1 (MSG) says, "Intelligent children listen to their parents; foolish children do their own thing." Now doing your own thing in a car with 3 to 4 other people can be a foolish thing to do on a long trip. It does not make the trip enjoyable, does it?  Verse 2 here in Proverbs 13 says, "The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies push and shove their way through life." And then verse 3 says, "Careful words make a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything." Verse 10, ...

Friday... How to survive in a swamp. I found two words that caught my attention as I was reading in Proverbs 12. The first one was in verse 3. It is the word swamp.  I don't like swamps. And that is a good thing. There are a lot of things that can hurt you in a swamp. Verse 3 (MSG) says, "You can't find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm." Such a simple truth. The NLT says it this way, "Wickedness never brings stability, but the goodly have deep roots." There is a swamp down in Louisiana that we have gone through many times. At some point there were some workers who built a long bridge through that swamp. I'm sure that they had to go deep to find something solid to build that bridge on and they did and we flew through that swamp with no trouble. And we can go through life if we have a firm foundation built on God and His Word.  There's another word that I found in verse 26, it is the word survives. The verse (MSG) says, ...

Thursday... Here is a great way to handle life. It really is. Here is how the Psalmist in Psalm 131 (NLT) puts it. He says, "Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty." Now that is good. Proverbs 11:2 says, "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." The MESSAGE says, "The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm." They sure do. Back to Psalm 131 & verse 2 (NLT), "I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead..." This is good. "Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk." The MESSAGE says, "I've kept my feet on the ground, I've cultivated a quiet heart." Now that is a great way to handle life. "I've cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother's arms, my soul is content." Now how do we do that? Verse 3 (NLT), "O Is...

Wednesday... It is His habit. Yes it is. We each one have our habits. And we just can't seem to stop doing them. He also has some habits and there is one that we don't want Him to ever stop doing. The writer of Psalm 130 in verse 3 (MSG) writes,   "If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who could stand a chance. "Now you may have people in your life that is seems have lists of all your wrongdoings and they never let you forget them. Our habits of doing curtain actions are always before us. And they make sure that is the case. I hope you're not one of those kinds of people.  Now the Evil One is that kind of person. He tempts us then constantly reminds us. He loves guilt and what it does to us. Now there are some people that remind you but with good intent. They want you to quit doing what you are doing. Paul over in 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 (NLT) writes, "I am so sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful ...

Tuesday... No matter what, they couldn't keep me down. Can that be said of you? Would you like that to be said of you? Disappointments and discouragements come into our lives, don't they? They are a part of life, they really are. But the writer of Psalm 129 says in verses 1 & 2 (MSG), " 'Tkey've kicked me around ever since I was young' - this is how Israel tells it - 'They've kicked me around ever since I was young, but they never could keep me down.' "  How do you handle disappointments? It is so easy to play the victim, isn't it? It is usually our first response but you don't have to stay there. You can say, "but they never could keep me down."  Here's the key. "But God wouldn't put up with it, he sticks with us." You are not alone. God is always with you but if you don't have a relationship with Him, if you don't believe that He is there, if you give into a victim response then He can't do ...

Monday... And we need to enjoy and revel in them. Yes, we do! The Psalmist writes in Psalm 128:1-2, (MSG), "All you who fear God, how blessed you are! How happily you walk on his smooth straight road! You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!" There is a lot that comes from getting old and working hard. It can affect you physically. We just moved from a three story apartment to a one story house. I'm still feeling some of the residual of being old and carrying all of our stuff down. Of course we had help but I also did my part. But we made it.  God is so good and He has blessed us through our years of working hard and He wants us to enjoy His  blessings and revel in them. He really does. Think all of your experiences and all your wisdom that you have accumulated through walking with Him all these years. Think of all the friends you have had and all the things you have seen. Even in the difficulties God has brought us...

Saturday... Life has its variety, doesn't it?  It has it's good days and it has it's difficult days.  The Psalmist writes in Psalm 126 (NLT) , "When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!" Maybe when we finally get through this time that we have been going through it will feel like a dream.  He goes on, "We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, 'What amazing things the Lord has done for them.' " It is as we have gone through difficult times and come out on the other side that we really do see how good God is to us. Verse 3, "Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!" And He has, He really has. Verse 4, "Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert." That is our prayer, isn't it? And verses 5 & 6 are an encouragement to us, "Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, b...

Friday... You can really depend on them. You really can.  I love mountains. They are so stable and they are so dependable. Every morning when I wake up, I can trust that they will be there. I know they will be.   The writer of Psalm 125 (MSG) says, "Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it, a rock solid mountain you can always depend on. Mountains encircle Jerusalem, and God encircles his people - always has and always will."  You may not have a mountain that you wake up to or mountains that encircle where you live, but no matter where you live God is there. He is, yes He is. Every once in awhile we get winds that blow with all their might, it seems like they are going to blow everything down. Now there are some trees that can't handle it but the mountains are not affected by the wind. They are still there.  Whenever you are going through some very difficult winds in your life and it seems like everything is falling apart just stop and ...

Thursday... It is good to be reminded sometimes. It really is! David begins the 124th Psalm (NLT) by saying, "What if the Lord had not been on our side?"  And then verse 2 he says again, "What if the Lord had not been on our side?" Now the truth He is on our side even if we don't have a relationship with Him but we don't reap all the benefits. I mean, Jesus died for everyone but we don't realize what that means until we turn our life over to Him. Yes He is on everyone's side but we don't realize the benefits but those who have a relationship need to stop and see what a difference He has made in our lives. Verses 2-5 (MSG) says, "If God hadn't been for us when everyone went against us, we would have beed swallowed alive by their violent anger, swept away by the flood of rage, drowned in the torrent; we would have lost our lives in the wild, raging water." Ask yourself, what would all that we have been going through these last two yea...

Wednesday... What would happen if we did this? Too many times we let our desires and emotions control our life, control our decisions. But Proverbs 3:21 (MSG) says, "Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don't for a minute lose sight of them." Now that makes sense, doesn't it? especially when we spend time in God's Word and we stop and think before making a decision. When our emotions take over they take us down paths that we don't really want to go, we shouldn't go. The writer of Proverbs goes on, verses 22-26 says, "They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive." But I really want that donut. "You'll travel safely, you'll never tire nor trip. You'll take afternoon naps without a worry, you'll enjoy a good night's sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner, because God will be right there wit...

Tuesday... They go so well together. Yes, they do! They are the cause and effect words. They are if and then. If I do this then this will happen. Proverbs 2:1-5 (NIV) has three if statements leading up to one then. It says, "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding - indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."  If you accept, store up, turn your ear, apply, call, cry aloud, look for it and search for it, then you will understand and find the Knowledge of God. Somehow we have gotten this idea that if we have a Bible in our house, go to church every once in a while and pray when we are in trouble then we will get what God wants to give...

Monday... They never become obsolete. They never do! Psalm 119:97-104 (MSG) says, "Oh, how I love all you've revealed; I reverently ponder it all the day long. You commands give me an edge on my enemies; they never become obsolete." The never do! And I love the fact that they give me an edge. I like that and I believe that. He goes on, "I've even become smarter than my teachers since I've pondered and absorbed your counsel. I've become wiser than the old sages simply by doing what you tell me. I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and the ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word. I never make detours from the route you laid out; you gave me such good directions. Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best cooking. With your instructions, I understand life; that's why I hate false propaganda." Again, they never become obsolete. They never do! And they give me an edge, they make me smarter and wiser and they help ...