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?

Paul did not put his total hope on one thing, he had a back up plan and it was a very effective back up plan. I hope to come and see you but just in case I can't, I'm writing this letter. I hope this happens but just in case I'm still going to do something.

Now God doesn't always reveal His plan about tomorrow. Yes, you may have a plan and it is important to have one but it still comes down to as Proverbs 1:7 says, "Start with God - the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning."

That is where you put your hope and your just in case. So what if you hope something is going to happen in the New Year and how will you deal with it just in case it doesn't happen? The hope is important but so is the just in case. The key is to start with God! 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. ...

Thursday... Maybe we need this word today.

Psalm 57:1b (NIRV), "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Thursday... Maybe we need this word today. There are words in life that give us confidence no matter what we are facing. Now we have to believe them in order for them to have an impact. David wrote Psalm 57 while he was in a cave hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him and he says in the last part of verse 1, "There I will stay." It was a safe place and Saul didn't know that he was there. But he doesn't stop there. With confidence he said, "There I will stay until." And until is definitely a word of faith and confidence. "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Do we need that today? Let me give you the whole verse. In verse 1 David says, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." And that is a great place to start in times of trouble. Maybe that is what we need to pray today, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." It is so great to have someone...

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 ...

Today's Beginning

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