Wednesday... Have you ever tried praise? It will make a difference!

Now we have tried the opposite, haven't we? We've tried gripping and put downs and belittling. And that too can make a difference but it is a negative difference. But have you tried praise?

Psalm 113:1-3 (MSG) says, "Hallelujah! You who serve God, praise God! Just to speak his name is praise! Just to remember God is a blessing - now and tomorrow and always. From east to west, frown dawn to dusk, keep lifting all your praises to God!"

Focus on this, verses 5 & 6 says, "God is higher than anything and anyone, outshining everything you can see in the skies. Who can compare with God our God, so majestically enthroned, surveying his magnificent heavens and earth?"

So what if in the middle of our work, in the middle of our monotonous, mundane day we would stop for a moment and just think about God. Instead of looking down and all around at our difficulties we would look up at God who is majestically enthroned looking down on all of his magnificent work and a part of this is you and me? Then we could head back into doing what we are doing but with a fresh awareness of God's presence, of God's attention on us. What a difference that could make on our day.

The Psalmist goes on to say in verses 7-9 (NIRV), "He raises poor people up from the trash pile. He lifts needy people out of the ashes. He causes them to sit with princes. He causes them to sit with the princes of his people. He gives children to the woman who doesn't have any children. He makes her a happy mother in her own home. Praise the Lord."

Praising Him can and will make all the difference in our day, it really will. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is!

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is! Look at this, Proverbs 5:21-23 (CEV) says, "The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely. Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control." That is true of so many. Now look at this, Luke 15:1-7 says, "Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, 'This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this story: If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it, you will put it on your shoulder and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, 'Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.' Jesus said, 'In the same way there is mo...

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...

Todays Beginning

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