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 listening, dear child, and strike off on your own, you'll soon be out of your depth."

Verse 29, "The irreverent have to learn reverence the hard way, only a slap in the face brings fools to attention."

And then Hebrews 5:11-14, "I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics - baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways, solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong."

And then back to Proverbs 19. Verse 8 (NLT) says, "To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper." 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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