Skip to main content

Friday... There's a whole lot of fretting going on.


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 when they carry out their evil plans." 

And then verses 8 & 9, "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land." 

Verses 8 & 9 in the MESSAGE says what we need to hear today, "Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes - it only makes things worse. Before long the crooks will be bankrupt; God-investors will soon own the store." 

So, let's get with it. Let's get out of the fretting and always being upset and anger business that we seem to be living in even in the church. "It only makes things worse."

Verses 3 - 5 (NLT) says, "Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you."

So let's get out of the fretting business into the waiting patiently, the trusting, the doing good, the hoping and the delighting in the Lord business. Remember, "God-investors will soon own the store."Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call  out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.  It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...