Todays Beginning

Monday... This is important to God. Proverbs 31:8-9 (NLT) says, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." That's found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Then the New Testament, James 2:1 says, "My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?' Good question. He goes on, verses 2-4, "For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, 'You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor' - well, doesn't this discrimination show that your judgements are guided by evil motives?"  And then verses 8 & 9, "Yes, indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law...

Saturday... Is this true of your god? Psalm 59:16 & 17 (NLT) says, "But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love." The last part in The MESSAGE says, "I can always count on you - God, my dependable love."  I love that word, dependable, dependable. Is your god's love dependable? Can you count on him?  Proverbs 29:25 (NIRV) says, "If you are afraid of people, it will trap you. But if you trust in the LORD, he will keep you safe." I can count on that. His love is dependable. Look at this, James 1:5 (NIV), "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be give to you." I can count on that. His love is dependable. Verse 12 (NIVR), "Blessed is ...

Friday... I'm really on edge. There are a lot of reason for being on edge but the writer of Proverbs 28 gives some good thoughts about it. Proverbs 28:1 (MSG) says, "The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one's after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions." It is better to be relaxed and confident, isn't it? Verse 6 (NLT) says, "Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich." If I'm dishonest I'm always looking around trying to see if anyone is looking at me. Being dishonest can put me on edge. Verse 9, "God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law." MSG, "God has no use for the prayers of the people who won't listen to him." Now that will put you on edge. I think it is a good thing to listen to Him, to not ignore His law.  Verse 13 (MSG), "You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them." The N...

Thursday... It's not over till it is over. We need to believe that. David wrote Psalm 57 while he was in a cave with his enemy Saul outside wanting to kill him. David wrote in verse 6 (NLT), "My enemies have set a trap for me. I'm weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it." This that we are going through is not over yet. God is still working. The Evil One thinks he has us trapped but it's not over till God says it is over. David writes in verse 7, "My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!" How are we doing with our praises? Praising Him will show where our confidence is. Yes we may be weary but our praising Him will lift us. "My heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises." Look at verses 1-3 (MSG). This is where his confidence comes from. David says, "Be good to me, God - and now! I've run to you for dear life. I...

Wednesday... There's something better. Have you ever gotten up early and headed out for a run or a workout at the gym because you want to feel better, to look better and maybe to live longer? Or maybe you have set aside buying things that you want because you are saving for something better? Or maybe you are working harder than others because you want that promotion? The writer of Hebrews 11 tells of people who lived lives of sacrifice because they had faith for something better. It is a great chapter isn't it about people of faith? And it is a good chapter for us in living through some very tough times. The first verse (NIV) says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." but the last verse is what caught my attention today. Verse 39 says, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be...

Tuesday... But we're not quitters. No way. I looked this morning at the Stock Market numbers. Not looking too good. This has been a rough month. But I'm not a quitter. I got on the scales this morning. Didn't look good. But I'm not a quitter. This Covid is still around but I got up this morning to start a new day. But I'm not a quitter. The writer of Hebrews 10 in verses 32-36 (MSG) says, "Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse - some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods. you let them go with a smile. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back, So," (This is a great word) "So, don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing!" Let me say that again. "It's still a sure thing! But yo...

Monday... Is this where you are today? I was standing singing in church yesterday with my mask on and feeling frustrated at what we have been going through for the past two years and prayed out to God with some frustration, to somehow put an end to this. Margaret and I were there with some anxiety because of this new Covid but we wanted so much to worship God with others but seeing others with no masks caused us to be concerned. We then in our day found out that one of my cousin's older sons had just died with Covid. It isn't over and I want it so much to be over. David writes with some deep concern in Psalm 54:1-3 (NLT), "Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might.Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea. For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God." And that is a desperate prayer that we too can pray. But He goes on in verse 4, "But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me al...

Saturday... Have you ever laughed in relief? You've maybe faced something really rough, you've taken this test and it was rough but you made it through, or maybe someone you love has been in the hospital with Covid and they made it home and you let all of your emotions out and you laughed in relief. That was a great feeling, wasn't it? I was reading this morning in Psalm 52 and in verse 6 (MSG) David wrote, "Good people will watch and worship. They'll laugh in relief." I love that. David knew about some rough stuff. He really did. The New Living Translation says verses 6 & 7 this way, "The righteous will see it and be amazed. They will laugh and say, 'Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness."  Trusting in God works, it makes a difference. It really does and we can laugh in relief when it does. David goes on in verses 8 & 9, "But I am...

Friday... Three words that will have a significant effect. They are found in the last verse in Proverbs 21. The first word in verse 31 (MSG) is, do, "Do your best." Don't be a slaggard, don't just get by with little effort. Do your best. It doesn't say be the best. There are others around us that are ten talent people and we may be five. God has created you and given you opportunities that He wants you to do your best. You, you, your, your. The comparison here is with yourself and your potential not someone else. "Do your best." Then prepare, "prepare for the worst." Now I know that none of us could see into our future, could see that a pandemic was ahead but we could be prepared no matter what was coming.  A great place to prepare is in our relationship with God. Having that daily time with Him. Cultivating a sensitivity to seeing what is ahead by spending time with God who is out ahead preparing our path. I am a pretty positive person even to...

Thursday... He won't break His word, He can't! There are so many promises that God gives His children and He can't break them. Now that can't be said of anyone else but He can't. Hebrews 6:16-18 (MSG) says, "When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee - God can't break his word, the promise is likewise unchangeable."  Verse 18 (NLT) says, "... it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us."  You can trust God. You can. He cannot lie. He can't. That is one thing that He can not do. He can't lie. His word is a rock-solid guarantee. It is. You can trust what He says. If you have fled to him you can have great confide...

Wednesday... It can be so easy to blame, can't it? The writer of Proverbs 19 verse 3 (MSG) say, "People ruin their lives by their own stupidity, so why does God always get the blame." The NLT says, "People ruin their own lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord." We don't know what to do when bad situations come into our life so we seek someone to blame and God is an easy target. Verse 15, "Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves then hungry." (MSB), "Life collapses on loafers; lazybones go hungry."  Verse 16, "Keep the rules and keep your life; careless living kills." Verse 21, "Take good counsel and accept correction - that's the way to live wisely." Verse 23 (NLT), "Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm." Verse 24, "Lazy people take food in their hand and don't even lift it to their mouth." Verse 27 (MSG), "If you quit ...

Tuesday... It is alive and powerful. It really is! The writer of Hebrews in the New Testament of the Bible says. Hebrews 4:12-13 (MSG), "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it - no matter what." The writer of Proverbs 18:14 & 15 says, "A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed. Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights." And then the writer of Psalms 48 in verse 14 (NLT) says, "For that is what God is like. He is our God forever, and he will guide us until we die." So let's go daily to the source of getting a healthy spirit which can conquer adversity and where we can learn and which gives us fresh insight if we will listen. Let's go to His Wor...

Monday... The little things can make such a difference, both good and bad. Look at these two Proverbs in chapter 17 verses 27 & 28 (MSG), "The one who knows much says little, an understanding person remains calm. Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise, as long as they keep their mouths shut, they're smart."  Oh if we would realize that but we think we are so smart and everyone needs to hear what we have to say. No they don't. Here's another one. Verse 9 says, "Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and - good-bye friend!" The NLT says it this way, "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." Another little thing, not an easy thing, another little thing that can make such a difference. "Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends." And then Proverbs 17:14, "Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop...

Saturday... It is hard to really understand but He understands. I have lived a lot of places. I have experienced a lot of things but that doesn't mean I understand everything that people go through. This year we bought a new house for our home, now that is something that I have never understood but now I do. It is way different than renting. It really is. I now understand more than I did before.  Now there is also a commonality and understanding for all of us who have had Covid. The aloneness you feel when you can't touch the people you love, your deep emotions you feel when you can't be with your wife when she is in the hospital and you fear she won't come home. It makes that mask you wear so much more important and that shot you take more necessary because you don't want to go through that again.  Hebrews 2:18 (NLT) says, "Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested." Jesus understands what it i...

Friday... We earn the right to celebrate. We really do. Proverbs 14:10 (MSG) says, "The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends will be an outsider at their celebrations." So many times we see someone going through tough times and we it seems strive to stay away because of what we are going through. When in reality the difficulty that we are going through prepares us to help those going through tough times. God never wastes our difficulties. He uses them. I understand when you are going through these difficulties you just seem to want to go somewhere and hide.  But that isn't what Jesus did. Do you remember the time that He was in a large crowd and a man came up to Him and told Him of his sick daughter so Jesus was headed to heal her but somehow He felt someone had touched Him and He stopped? He knew that this person needed Him so He stopped. But He was headed somewhere else, the crowd was pushing Him but He felt that someone had touched Him because they needed hel...

Thursday... Maybe you need this fix today. How has your day started? In Psalm 42 and 43 the Psalmist repeats himself. Some even think that these two Psalms were one Psalm at one time. It seems that this Psalmist was going through a down time and needed a fix. Maybe you are too. The Psalmist asks a very good question in Psalm 42:5, 11 and Psalm 43:5 (MSG). He asks a question that many of us could be asking in what we have been and are going though. He asks himself, "Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?" If we were with you today, could we ask you that question and of course you could come back with some great answers. Somehow we thought this would be over by now and we could get back to what our life used to be like.  Now the answer is found in what we are fixing your eyes on. Yes there is a lot around us that is bringing us down, down, down. But the Psalmist writes, "Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile ...

Wednesday... Here is a three letter word that can make such a difference. Over in Paul's letter to Titus he shows two different stories connected by the three letter word, but.  In chapter 3 verse 3 he gives one side of the story and it is the side that so many people are living in. They don't have to but they do. He says (NLT), "Once we too were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other." The MESSAGE says, "It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hater and hating back." Is that where you are, today? You don't have to be. God has a big but for you to see that will make all the difference in your life. Verses 4-7 (NLT) says, "But - When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteou...

Tuesday... This is such a good thing to know. It really is! Knowledge is a such a powerful thing to have. And we never stop needing it even as we get older. Proverbs 11:9 (NLT) says, "With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous." David in Psalm 41:9 says, "Even my best friend, the one I trust completely, the one who shared my food has turned against me."   He continues in verse 10 with a prayer, "Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back." And then in verse 11 David says, "I know that you are pleased with me." Wow, now that is a great thing to know, isn't it?  To know that He is pleased with me can make all the difference, can't it? And you can know it. Verses 10-13 in the MESSAGE Paraphrase says, "God, give grace, get me on my feet. I'll show them a thing or two. Meanwhile, I'm sure you're on my side - no victory shouts yet from the enemy camp! You...

Monday... We can be so down on ourselves, can't we? Especially on a Monday morning, headed into a new week, a new day, we can think we're a mess, can't we? David said in Psalm 40:17 (NLT), "As for me, since I am poor and needy," It is so easy to think that way about yourself. The MESSAGE says, "I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing." Now that may be the truth but that isn't the way God sees us if we're following Him. David continues (NLT) and this is the phrase that stopped me this morning,  "let the Lord keep me in his thoughts." Now that may be very presumptuous for us to pray. The God Who is over all, Who created all keeps me in His thoughts. That can't be true, can it? I'm poor and needy. I'm nothing and have nothing, and I am in His thoughts. But it's true. He is thinking about us. He knows us and He loves us and He cares for us. That makes us very special. So special that He sent His Son to die for us. D...

Saturday... But is that what it means? We view so much from an I standpoint. Look at Proverbs 8:17-21 (NLT), "I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. I have riches and honor, as well as enduring wealth and justice. My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold, my wages better than sterling silver! I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice. Those who love me inherit wealth. I will fill their treasuries." And if that was us speaking then that would be great. But that is not what it means. The I is not me. Then who or what is it? It is so easy to live life from an I point of view, I, I, I. But when you look you see that it is not I but it is wisdom that is speaking. Verse 12 says, "I, Wisdom, live together with good judgement and discernment." That is what we need, wisdom is what we seek. And where do we get wisdom? Solomon the writer of a big portion of the book of Proverbs was given by God three choices and one of them was wisdom and t...

Friday... There's a whole lot of fretting going on. That is true in our day and it must have been true in David's day.  He mentions the word three times in the first 9 verses of Psalm 37. Verse 1 (NIV), "Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die." The NIRV says, "Don't be upset because of sinful people." Don't be upset but pray for them, have a burden for them. "Like grass they will soon dry up. Like green plants, they will soon die." Love doesn't get upset, it prays for them. Verse 7, (NIV), "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes." Patience and waiting before the Lord goes a long way. The NIRV says, "Be still and wait patiently for the Lord to act. Don't be upset with other people succeed. Don't be upset...

Thursday... What we do, does make such a difference. Look at what the Apostle Paul says in his second letter to Timothy. He says in 2 Timothy 2:11&12 (NLT), "This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship with him, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us." But verse 13 says, "If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." Yes we have the power to choose how we respond to God and how we respond makes a big difference in how He responds to us. It really does. There are things He does for us and gives to us in response to what we do and what we give to Him but no matter what we do there is one thing He will not do because of who He is. He will always be faithful in striving to have us do what He wants us to do, to love Him, to live for Him. He really does love us. And there are so many benefits if we love Him and live for Him. Look at Psalm 36:5-6 (NLT), It says, "Y...

Wednesday... He gives us what we need. He really does! Yes, we are facing the unknown of another day and the unknown of another year. And as we look at ourselves, we know we need more than we can internally produce to face this new year. But we need to see that we are not alone and that we have survived these last two years because of what He has given us. He knows what He is doing and what He has for us to do. The Apostle Paul while in prison writes in his second letter to the young Timothy these words of encouragement. Again he is in prison and he knows what he is talking about. Here is what he says in chapter 1 verse 7 (NLT), "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline." Fear doesn't come from God, timidity doesn't come from God. No, He gives us "power, love and self-discipline." He gives us what we need to handle the unknowns of 2022. But this we do know. He then says to Timothy, verses 9-10  (MSG), ...

Tuesday... Do you want to taste something that is really good? Do you? One thing that is said of Covid is that it can affect your taste. Now I don't have a real good taster. I do know what I like and I do know what tastes good to me and I agree with David on this. Now have you looked at something and said I don't really want to try that? And you missed tasting something really good because you were afraid to try or you just didn't want to try. There might have been other things that looked good to you so you didn't try. Well David in Psalm 34:8 (NLT) prods us to "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in him."  Now one good thing about this is that David found something that is good and he wants to share it. When you find something you really like do you want to keep it all for yourself or do you want to share it? Sharing is a good thing and that is what David is doing. He wants to share something with you and me that is real...

Monday... I wonder what this year is going to be like. As we headed into 2020 we had no idea what was ahead. Now as we headed into 2021 we thought it was going to be better but it also was a tough year for some. And now 2022 and we don't know what to expect, do we? There is a thought that I found over in Proverbs 3 that was an encouragement to me. Verses 25 - 26 (NLT) says, "You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap." Here is how the MESSAGE puts it, "No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions just around the corner, because God will be right there with you, he'll keep you safe and sound."  Now here is another encouraging thought. Psalm 33:4 (NLT) says, "For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does, and then verse 11, "But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; his intentions c...

Saturday... I hope to, but just in case. In my reading this morning in 1 Timothy, I came across a phrase that spoke to me about the beginning of a New Year. I Timothy 3:14 (MSG) says, "I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I am delayed, I'm writing this letter so you'll know how things ought to go in God's household, the God-alive church, bastion of truth." Paul was a very driven man but also a very caring man. He planted many churches. He would spend time with them and then move on to a different area to plant a new church but he still had the a burden for the church he left. He couldn't be with them so he sent letters to them. He would say over and over, I hope to visit you soon but just in case. Now in heading into the New Year I'm sure you have some hopes. I know we all hope that this virus is taken care of. There are many other hopes that we each individually want to happen but do you have any just in case they don't? Or is it all or nothing?...