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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Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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