Monday... It can be so easy to not notice. It really can.

Monday... It can be so easy to not notice. It really can. Because it is all around us.

But the Psalmist writes in 97:10 (MSG), "God loves all who hate evil." He really does.

He goes on, "And those who love him he keeps safe. Snatches them from the grip of the wicked."

It is so easy for us to get so complacent and not see and react to the evil that is around us. I mean, we might be more frustrated about the higher gas prices than the evil that is happening toward the people in the Ukraine or evil toward women, men, children, those different than us, the poor and the addicted. Again, "God loves all you hate evil."

Verse 11 says, "Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people, joy-seeds are planted in good soil." There is something different about those who love God. There really is.

Verses 10-11 in The New Living Translation says, "You who love the Lord hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked. Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right."

Listen, those who love God are different and they make a difference and they see evil in a different way and try to stop it from happening. You see, maybe it is through us that God "protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked." Our church has a ministry that is called Celebrate Recovery that strives to break the evil of additions.

There is freedom to worship God in the Ukraine that isn't in Russia. And evil wants to destroy that freedom. Oh, God may we not be complacent but do all we can to protect the lives of godly people and rescue those from the power of the wicked.

And then verse 12 (Amp) says, "Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones [whose moral and spiritual integrity places them in right standing with God], and praise and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Comments

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...

Todays Beginning

Search This Blog