Todays Beginning

Friday... I wonder what would happen if we did this in the New Year. Paul in the NT of the Bible writes in his letter to the young Timothy in chapter 2 verses 1-4 (NLT), "I urge you, first of all. to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." What a major difference in this NewYear if we as Christ followers would do this? What if we prayed for each other not just ourselves and our own needs and our own wants? What if we prayer for our leaders instead of griping at them? We don't need to agree with everything they do but praying for them would make such a difference, wouldn't it? We want to live peaceful and quiet lives in this New Year, don't we? It starts with prayer. It really does

Thursday... Now this is a great way to end the old year and start a new one! Here is what David says in Psalm 30:4 (NIV), "Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name." Just stop and think back on all the good things that God has done for you in this past year. Yes, I know there have been some difficulties but He has brought you through them, so, let's praise Him.  Oh I know we could dwell on the difficulties but that means that as we head into a new year, we head into it discouraged.  That is what the Evil One wants us to do because if we do that then we do it with our head down instead of up. And doing that means we head into the new year without hope, without faith and he knows that he has us. David says and he knows what he is talking about, "Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name." So, let's do it/ Let's do it! Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning 

Thursday... So, do you have all you need and want? Now there is a big difference in the two isn't there? We have a tradition in our family at this time of the year. I ask every member of our family all 8 of them, kids and adults alike to give me their list of what they want for Christmas. It makes it so much easier to buy for them each Christmas. It is a fun thing to do. So what do you want for Christmas? Now there is another list that we each one have and it is the list of what we need. And that is really a more important list. Now David, the writer of Psalm 23 had this list all figured out. It wasn't a what but a WHO. Verse 1 (NLT) says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need." Have you found that to be true? It is.  Proverbs 23:4-5 says, "Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to quit. In the blink of the eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle." That is so true. We unwrap a present and

Wednesday... Keep at it, don't stop. David starts Psalm 22 (NLT) with some discouraging words. He says, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?" He goes on, "Everyday I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice but I find no relief."  Some people live there with that attitude all the time but not David. Yes he had some bad days and he went a little bit overboard in what he said but he didn't stop there.  I love how God knows us and he accepts us but he also knows when we are serious. And allows us to live through our negative feeling but then come back to what is real. But some don't and they live in that world of despair. But David didn't. He didn't stop there. He kept at it and so can you. Here is what he says in the last verses of this Psalm. Verses 30 & 31 (MSG) says, "Our children and their children will get in on this as the world is passed from parent

Tuesday... What if we got everything that we wanted this Christmas? That's a pretty good, what if, isn't it? So let's stop and think. David wrote in Psalm 21:1-8 (MSG), "Your strength, God, is the kings strength. Helped, he's hollering Hosannas. You gave him exactly what he wanted; you didn't hold back. You filled his arms with gifts; you gave him a right royal welcome. He wanted a good life; you gave it to him, and then made it a long life  as a bonus. You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud, then dressed him in rainbow colors. You pile blessings on him; you made him glad when you smile. Is it any wonder the king loves God? that he sticking with the Best?" Now that's a great way to handle all that God has done for us and given to us this past year. He's given us strength. He has helped us over and over. He has given us what we have wanted. We have survived. He has given us so many gifts. Each day He gives to us. He has given us a good l

Monday... I want David to pray for me. Look at Psalm 20. Verse 1 (NIV) says, "May the Lord answer you when you are in distress. May the God of Jacob protect you." Verse 2, "May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion." (MSG), "Send reinforcements from Holy Hill, dispatch from Zion fresh supplies."  Verse 3 (NIV), "May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings." Verse 4, "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." Verse 5 is to us after all of this has happened, "May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God." (MSG), "When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners." And then verse 5 continues (NIV), "May the Lord grant all your requests."  Now he may not be praying for us but he does show us what we can pray.  He then says in verse 6, "Now this I know: T

Saturday... 14 days to go. Can you believe it? A lot will be happening but there are 14 days left in this year before we head into a new year.  David wrote Psalm 18 on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and Saul and he was reflecting. There is a part of that whenever we come to the end of anything, even an old year.  And here is what He said in verse 1 (NLT), "I love you Lord; you are my strength." I can say that too, "I love you Lord; you are my strength." And no matter what refecting I do as I look back on this year of 2021 and even 2020, "I love you Lord; you are my strength." And I do and He is. As he was reflecting on God's working in his life he goes on in verses 2-3, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies."  That says it a

Friday... I love this thought. It caught my attention. Psalm 17:8 (NIV) says, "Keep me as the apple of your eye." I love that. I want to be the apple of His eye. Do you want to be the apple of someone's eye? What if it is God? Now this time of the year shows us that that is true. God came to earth as a child because He loved me and He loves each one of us. He was the greatest gift that has ever been given.  The whole verse says, "Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings." Do you need to pray this morning?, "Keep me as the apple of your eye." Verses 6-8 says, "I call on you, my God, for you will answer me." That's a great place to start. What you are praying is going to get His attention and you know that He will answer you and He will. Verse 7, "Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from your foes." David the writer of this Psalm knows wh

Thursday... He never sleeps and He is always with us. Here is what Psalm 16:7 (NLT) says, "I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me." He is even on the job at night. You go to sleep with a problem and in the morning you have an answer. Or you can't get to sleep and the thought comes to you to pray for someone specifically. They come to your mind and you pray for them. You don't know what is happening but God does and He instructs you to pray. There are so many ways that if you stop and think shows you that God even is at work while you are sleeping. And then verse 8 says, "I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me." That is so important to realize, isn't it? He is right there. He is right beside you. Did you need to be reminded of that today? The MESSAGE says it this way, "The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I'll st

Wednesday... God's Word makes so much sence. It really does. I love reading the Proverbs in the OT. They make so much sense. Let me introduce you to some good reasons to spend time in Proverbs.  Proverbs 15:2, (MSG). "Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense." I don't want to be a leaky faucet dripping nonsense. That's a great reason to start each day in God's Word. Verse 9, "A life frittered away disgusts God; he loves those who run straight for the finish line." We don't want to disgust God, do we? Spending time in God's Word shows us the finish line and how to run straight to it. Verse 13, "A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day." What we feed on makes such a difference. Verse 14, "An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth; fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies." Fast food is easy to feed on bu

Tuesday... There are different ways to use it. I'm talking about the word, when. It can be used as a question. Such as, when are we going to get back to normal? When is someone going to take care of this pandemic, this work situation, this marriage problem? When, when, when? That can be asked with wonder but it can also be asked with anxiety, with despair, with even fear.  But it can also be used as a word of faith. Psalm 14:7 (CEB) "When the Lord changes his people's circumstances." (AMP), "When the Lord restores His captive people." (NLT), "When the Lord restores his people." that brings a total different response. Those are statements of faith. When He does it. The MESSAGE says verse 7 this way and it starts with a question, "Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes, God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter." The NLT says, "When the Lord restored his people, Jacob

Monday... This is what I really appreciate. This is what I really appreciate about the Psalms. This is why I read a Psalm everyday. This is how Psalm 13 starts. It says in verse 1 (NLT) what you may be feeling today. This is how David, the writer of this Psalm starts. He says, "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?" This is David talking to God and I'm sure some of us are feeling this way but afraid to say it. Is this what you are feeling as you start this new day, this new work week? I really do appreciate the honesty of the Psalms. They seem to start where each of us are and they seem to allow us to feel what we feel but they don't stop there. Normal was something that we thought we were going to eventually have. But we're not sure what that means normal now means, do we? "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" But that is not the last verse in this Psalm. That is where we start but we don't nee

Saturday... Do we mean what we say? Good question. The Psalms in the Old Testament are so honest, so true and they gives us so much insight to who we are and what we may do in different situations. Look at Psalm 11:1-3 (MSG), "I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God." And that is a great thing to do, isn't it? But he goes on, "So why would I run away now when you say, 'Run to the mountains; the evil bends the bow, the wicked arrows aimed to shoot under cover of darkness at every heart open to God. The bottom's dropped out of the country; good people don't have a chance'" Sounds like a lot we are hearing today. Have you read Facebook lately? Even some Christians are in the doom and gloom camp. It is so easy to have faith that God is going to take care of us in good times but what if the world turns upside down? What are we going to say then? Good question, isn't it?  Verses 4 - 6 says, "But God hasn't moved the

Friday... This is such a great way to view life. I love Paul's letter to the Philippian church. I really do. In Philippians 3:1 (NLT) he shows the way to face life, to view life that makes such a difference. He says, "Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith." Ok, we need to understand where Paul is when he is writing this. He is a prisoner in Rome. He's not on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea. It's one thing to rejoice when the temperature in just right and your sitting looking at the waves coming in. No he is in prison and he still rejoices.  He says, whatever happens, rejoice. Don't grumble about being in prison, don't grumble at having to wear a mask to help from getting sick or other people sick, don't grumble at not having the freedom of the way it used to be. No, rejoice in the tough times. Look at the good in them and it will strengt

Thursday... This is a season of giving but also of getting. I do love to give but there is a responsibility in getting.  Paul over in Philippians 2, starting in verse 1 (MSG) says, "If you gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made a difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care - then do me a favor." There is a responsibility in getting. Have you ever thought about that? God has given us so much, so very much, hasn't He? I mean, has His love made a difference in your life, if having a relationship with His Spirit has meant anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care, Paul then says, "Then do me a favor." And that is not unreasonable, is it? I mean, after He has given us so much then there is a response that we want to give, isn't there? Paul goes on, "Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the fr

Wednesday... He is more than good. Yes He is. In my prayer time this morning I said that God is good and it hit me that He is more than good. Yes He is  good but He is more than just good. There are people that I know that are good people. I enjoy being with them, around them but God is more than that. He really is. David writes in Psalm 8:1 (NIV), "Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens." Majestic is way, way better that just good and we need to acknowledge that.  The MESSAGE says in verses 3-4, "I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why bother with us? Why take a second look our way?" And those are very good questions. But He does. David goes on in verses 5-8, "Yet we've narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your Genesis-charge,

Tuesday... Another word at Christmas is anxiety. I mean, life on a daily basis is hard to handle and then you add all the stuff at Christmas and anxiety goes to another level, doesn't it? Ephesians 6:15 (NLT) says, "... put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared." Now I love that thought. I want to be fully prepared, don't you? I started my reading this morning in Psalm 7 (NLT) and verse 1 says, "I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors - rescue me!" The MESSAGE says, "God! God! I am running to you for dear life; the chase is wild. If they catch me, I'm finished." Maybe that is what you are feeling this morning. Then at the end of the Psalm in verses 16 & 17 (NLT) he says, "The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads. I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High

Monday... I love the smells of Christmas, don't you? All of the aromas that are floating around are so great. But there are some that aren't so great. Proverbs 6 (NLT) lists seven things that God detests and the last one is found in verse 19b. And it is "a person who sows discord in a family." I'll be honest, I'm getting a little tired of the mask, no mask and the vaccine or no vaccine but there will be someone during this season that must give their opinion. Now how does God views it? Oh, yes it says, He detests it. So here is what we do. Ephesians 5:1&2 (NLT) says, "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us" and I love this phrase, "a pleasing aroma to God." Again, "A pleasing aroma to God." That's what I want to be. I don't want to be a person who sows discord in

Saturday... Here is something else we do a lot. We shop and shop and shop. Searching for more and more. Are you are shopper? Do you love to shop? I love to look but I alway hope there is a Starbucks close so I can rest while everyone else shops. But I do love to give. That gives me joy. Now the writer of Proverbs shows where shopping can be a problem. Proverbs 4:6 (MSG) says, "Why is everyone hungry for more? 'More, more, they say." I've got to find that just right gift or I have to have it. I need it, I want it. It has to be the best gift I have ever given. I want more, more.  He goes on in verse 7, "I have God's more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees" And that is so true. God is so good to us. He wants to give us more joy than we can ever get in all the shopping that we do. And shopping makes me so tired. Searching for more and more is hard work. He says, "At days end I'm ready for sound sleep

Friday... Something to put on that makes such a difference. What do you put on your Christmas tree? Do you find a place in your living room, put your tree on a stand and that is it? No, you put lights on it but that isn't enough. You put ornaments on your tree that make all the difference. They add so much. Over in Proverbs 3:21-22 (NIV) it says, "My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life to you, an ornament to grace your neck." The MESSAGE puts it this way, "Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don't for a minute lose sight of them. They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive." Those ornaments on your tree make such a difference just as clear thinking, common sense, wisdom,  understanding, sound judgement and discretion keep you fit and attractive. You're going to be around people this time of the year. Stop

Thursday... This is such a special time of the year. It really is. Do you love the songs of Christmas? Joy to the world. That's a great song, isn't it?  The Psalmist in 2:12b (NLT) writes, "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" And that is so true! I prayed for five in my family who headed off to school this morning. One who is an Executive Director, one who is a School Counselor and three who are students. And each one of them take refuge in Him because they have a relationship with Him. What joy that is even in the major unrest in our schools.  Do you have that joy today.? And then over in Ephesian 2:8 (NLT), "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this, it is a gift from God." It is a tremendous gift from God.  I love to give gifts. I love to watch people open gifts especially those that I have taken the time and effort and money to buy something that hopefully excites them. And I know that is true of God.

Wednesday... He loves you but He wants to like you. The Bible says over and over that God loves us. That is so important. John 3:16 (NIV) says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son." Because He loves us He does something for everyone. And we are headed into a time when we celebrate that gift of His love. But Psalm 1:1 in the MESSAGE says, "How much God must like you." And that is predicated on what we do. And that is so important. I want God to like me, to bless me so I will do what He wants. Psalm 1:1-3 in the NIV says, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers." Yes He loves each one of us but He blesses, H