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 strengthen your faith. Grumbling robs your faith, it destroys your faith. It really does.

Paul saw the lasting good he was doing sitting there in prison. He was writing a big portion of the New Testament. He says, "I never get tired of telling you these things." I started writing this blog while a prisoner of this virus.

What could you be doing in whatever tough time you might be going through? For one, your faith could be strengthened. Solomon writes in Proverbs 10:25, "When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation." In verse 24 he says, "The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted." Faith and hope and rejoicing make such a difference. So does fear and complaining and griping. I choose faith and hope and rejoicing.

The MESSAGE puts it this way, "And that's about it, friends. Be glad in God!" That is a great way to view life. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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Monday... He did it by Himself

Isaiah 44:24b (AMP), "I am the Lord, Maker of all things. Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself." Monday... He did it by Himself. Many have a tendency to think very highly of themselves and what they can do. Oh we do have great ability but we are not the source. Yes it is important to have self-confidence but we are limited. The prophet Isaiah in 44:9-10 (NLT) says, "How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don't know this, so they are all put to shame. Who but a fool would make his own god - an idol that cannot help him one bit?" Now later in verse 24 (AMP) he writes, "For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says, 'I am the Lord, Maker of all things, Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself.'" I love that. "By Myself." Now we do need confidence but we are foolish to ma...

Friday... We have this hope of expectancy.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Friday... We have this hope of expectancy. Now David found a great way to start his day. He says in Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT), "O LORD, hear me as I pray." And that is a great place to start. It really is. Morning sunrise He goes on, "Listen to my cry for help, my King, my God, for I pray to no one but you." And that is so important. We don't try to pump ourselves up by ourself. No, we pray to no one but you, God, my LORD, my King. Now this relationship with God is so, so very important. And then David says, "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you" And that is so great. And then he says, "and wait expectantly." Yes, we have this hope of expectancy. We are experienced. That is what a relationship with God and a moment by moment connection does. It makes a difference in our daily wa...

Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true.

Psalm 12:6 (NLT), "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true. Maybe this is what you want to say in this day in which we live. Psalm 12:1-2 (MSG) says, "Quick, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, all the friends I depend on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues." Do you ever feel that way?" Have you found that to be true? Well David the writer of this Psalm continues and says in verse 6 something to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us hope. Psalm 12:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Message Paraphrase says verses 6-8 this way, "God's words are pure words, pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, pure on earth as well as in heaven, God, keep ...

Todays Beginning

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