Todays Beginning

Saturday... Oh to get His approval. Approval. That's a good word isn't it? Moses in Psalm 90 in the last verse, verse 17 (NLT) says like a final thought, "And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful." That is a good desire, isn't it? To have God put His stamp of approval on our lives is a very good desire. At 75 years of ages, I want that.  I've had key people in my life pat me on the back and say good job, Bill. And I remember those times. But to have God's approval is without a doubt way beyond any human's approval. In verse 12 he says, "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." I can't believe where I am in my life and it's not over and I keep at it for Him. Now I do believe that drive for His approval does make our efforts successful. And that is a very good thing. He made each one of us with a purpose in mind and His Spirit is in ou...

Friday... He is a giver to us all. Yes He is. Proverbs 29:13 (MSG), "The poor and their abusers have at least something in common: they can both see - their sight - God's gift!" And we also have this in common, we choose how we use it. A great prayer to pray each morning is that God would open our eyes to see what He wants us to see in His Word. We can choose to read but we also need to ask His Spirit to help us really see. To see the opportunities of a new day and to see the potential and the consequences of our choices. Seeing is a tremendous gift and responsibility. The first verse of this chapter says, "For people who hate discipline and only get more stubborn, there'll come a day when life tumbles in and they break, but by then it will be too late." We need to see the consequences of choosing to hate discipline and getting more stubborn.  Psalm 89:15-18a (NLT) says, "Happy are those who hear the call to worship, for they walk in the light of your p...

Thursday... Confidence keeps on going. It is so important, isn't it? Proverbs 28:1 (MSG) says, "The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one's after them. Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions."  So many live on the edge. They got where they are because of dishonesty and they are always looking over their shoulder. Someone could find out but those who are honest don't have that problem. They aren't  afraid that someone is after them. Being honest makes us confident and even bold.  Over in Acts 21 Paul had been honest but the people didn't like what he had said and they wanted to kill him but that didn't take his confidence away from him. He could have said what they wanted him to say but he was a godly man with a message and he was bold as a lion. Sometimes it takes boldness and confidence when you are honest. In Acts 21:35 & 36 (NIV) it says, "When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so gr...

Wednesday... We live so much in our tomorrows, don't we? Proverbs 27:1 (NLT) says, "Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring." We also don't need to be despondent and anxious about tomorrow. Too many times that is what we do. We spend so much time thinking and worrying about tomorrow. Now we can have plans about tomorrow but they need to be plans with God's will in mind. The MESSAGE Paraphrase says, "Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow." Over in The Acts of the Apostles in the NT, Luke the writer in chapter 21 tells of the Apostle Paul's intent to go to Jerusalem. He felt that was God plan no matter the consequences or how dangerous it was. Verses 12-14 says, ". . . everyone there that day begged Paul not to be stubborn and persist in going to Jerusalem. But Paul would not budge: 'Why all the hysteria? Why do you insist on ma...

Tuesday... We are unique and very useful. Have you noticed how different we each one are? God in His creation made us the way we are and we are not totally like anyone else. And He shared His thoughts and plans and guidelines through different personalities and it called the Bible. Yes God did that. In my reading each morning, I read at least five different translations and paraphrases. It really gives me an understanding as to what God is saying to me personally. God uses so many different ways to show us His way but it all goes through His Spirit and who He created us to be as a unique individual.  Today I read Psalm 86 which is a Psalm of David. Verse 1 in the New International Version says, "Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." The New International Reader's Version says, "Lord, hear me and answer me. I am poor and needy." The New Living Translation says, "Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help." T...

Monday... Do you have what it takes? You can.  Proverbs 24:10 (NLT) says, "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small." The NIV says, "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!" When we are under pressure, and in times of trouble it's then we see if we have what it takes and that is a good thing. We need to know if we have the strength to make it. We really do. So, how do your handle trouble, do you go to pieces when you are under pressure? Is your strength too small?  School is coming soon for a lot of people. Let me ask you, how did you do on your first test? Did you blow it? It is better to know in the beginning what you need to do to get to the end. If you do bad, then you know that you are going to have to work hard to do good. It's better to know that in the beginning than at the end. And that is true with trouble and pressure. They are a part of life and you need to know what you need in order to handle trouble and pr...

Saturday... Silence can get our attention? Asaph, the writer of Psalm 83 (NLT) starts this Psalm by saying, "O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God." The MESSAGE Paraphrase put it this way, "God, don't shut me out, don't give me the silent treatment, O God." God had something that He needed His people to get desperate about. He needed them to come to Him. Getting the silent treatment from someone gets our attention. doesn't it? What is it in your life that you have ignored but you have finally realized that you need to do something about it?   Silence can do that, can't it? We get so complacent until we see there is a problem. Maybe it's in your family? Maybe all you do is work and you've ignored your relationship with your spouse or with your kids but the silent treatment has gotten your attention and you are starting to see there is a problem that you need to deal with. And the problem is you. We do that with God to...

Friday... Those troublemakers can cause problems. I was having problems with a troublemaker program trying to get my attention this morning on my computer but I figured out a way to stop it. And that is the way we have to deal with some people.  Proverbs 22:16 (MSG) says, "Kick out troublemakers and things will quiet down; you need a break from bickering and griping." I have found a device on my computer that takes care of troublemakers. It's called delete. Some people have friended the wrong people on social media and they are always in an uproar. If it is you, you need a break from those who are bickering and griping.  Look at verse 1, "A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich, a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank." Maybe you are a griper and one who bickers. Maybe you need to do everything you can to become a gracious person. And that comes from your relationship with God. and your relationship with people who have a sterling reputa...

Thursday... Maybe there is more to what we are going through? I love rivers. When we lived in Colorado we tried to go up or down every canyon stream on the eastern range of the Rocky Mountains. We even tried to find the beginnings of some of those streams. I love streams. I love rivers. Now Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord, he guides it wherever he pleases." That is a great picture to me. Over in Acts of the Apostles, a book in the New Testament, I read this morning in chapter 16 a statement that set into motion the rest of the Apostle Paul's life. It was not just something that came to his mind but I'm sure it was a part of the stream of water of Paul's life that was being directed by God. Verse 37 (NLT) says, "But Paul replied, 'They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison - and we are Roman citizens." And that statement about his being a Roman citizen set into motion the ...

Wednesday... Encouragement is what we want and need. Now we may be down and we need to be encouraged, we need to be lifted up. We need that during these troubling times but we also need encouragement to get us up and at it, to be encouraged to get up and do what we may not want to do. No matter what, we need to be encouraged. And one is more enjoyable than the other. Look at Proverbs 20:4 (MSG), "A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has noting to harvest in the fall." But I don't like to work and I believe that God will take care of me. And that is true but God takes care of those who get up and at it. Yes we need sleep but we need it to help us with work. And work is God's plan. You can wait on God but there are some things that God is waiting on you. And something need to be done now so what you will need will be there when you need it. "A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall." Verse 14 says, "Don't be too ...

Tuesday... Please open our eyes to see. This is such a good prayer to pray each morning as we head out into a new day. Proverbs 19:3 (NIRV) gives one way to see. And so many see life this way. It says, "A person's own foolish acts destroy their life. But their heart is angry with the Lord." So many don't see with an honest heart. They don't accept the blame so they place it somewhere else and God is a good one for many to blame. That is one way to see hardships and difficulties. Over in Acts 14 is another way. Paul and Barnabas were out traveling and sharing the good news in many different towns and they finally make it back to where they started and this is what happened. Verses 27-28 (MSG) says, "On arrival, they got the church together and reported on their trip, telling in detail how God had used them to throw the door of faith wide open so people of all nations could come streaming in. Then they settled down for a long leisurely visit with the disciples....

Monday... We could be in a but God moment. The writer of Psalm 78 (MSG) says in verses 3 & 4, "I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I'll let you in on the sweet old truths, stories we heard from our fathers." We sometimes need to do that don't we? I think we need to now with all the turmoil that is going on even among Christ followers, we need to do some chewing and remembering. Verse 21b through 22 (NLT) says, "Yes, his anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them." I'm sensing that we are putting our trust in others to care for us. It comes up in our disunity. It is not in God, it is in whatever government our country is under and whatever truth they are propagating.  And then verses 23-25, "But he commanded the skies to open; he opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them bread from heaven. They ate the food of angels! God gave them all they could hold." T...

Saturday... To control or be correct, which will it be? Proverbs 16:1 (NLT) says, "We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answers." It feels so good to make our own decisions but it also is so good to make the right ones." The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament in the Bible is such a good book. All of the tidbits of truth that every verse brings. And this is one of them. I jokingly say to the person behind the counter when the machine says approved after I have put my debit card in, "I love that word. I need affirmation." I know, I know, it's one of those grandpa jokes. but I really do like being approved. And my affirmation doesn't come from making my own plans but having the right answers. Oh, we all have our opinions, don't we but where do they come from? The NIRV says, "People make plans in their hearts. But the Lord puts the correct answer on their tongues." I have been spending some time asking God about a certain...

Friday... But do we know the whole story? It is so easy for us to have an opinion even when we don't know the whole story. That has been happening a lot lately. We criticize people because they wear or don't wear a mask, or they have or haven't taken the shot. But do we know the whole story. Do we stop and ask before criticizing? Psalm 75:4-7 (NLT) says, "I warned the proud, 'Stop your boasting!' I told the wicked, 'Don't raise your fists! Don't raise your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak such arrogance.' For no one on earth - from east or west, or even from the wilderness - should raise a defiant fist. It is God alone who judges: he decides who will rise and who will fall." But we always have an opinion and we want to share it even if we don't know the whole story. Proverbs 15:28 says, "The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words." It is so easy to have a...

Thursday... It's a way to keep safer. Do you remember the day when we had front porches? We now push a button in our car and our garage door opens and we drive in and then closed the door behind us. I was reading this week of a study that showed where there is less crime in neighborhoods where there is interaction and involvement between neighbors. Friendly neighborhoods are safer.  Do you know your neighbors? In one of our neighborhoods our neighbor went through a divorce and she needed her house painted, so I painted it. I said all of that to say this. Proverbs 14:21 (NIRV) says, "It is sin to hate your neighbor. But blessed is the person who is kind to those in need." We live in a brand new neighborhood and we have done all we can to reach out to each other. When Margaret and I had Covid our neighbors brought food and left it at our door. When we were gone one of our neighbors picked up my newspapers and when they were gone we went down and check on their home every ni...

Wednesday... Dreams give us life. Yes they do. What are you living for? What dream has God given to you that gives you life each day when you wake up?  God Himself has a dream. It is a dream to have a people who by choice worship Him and love Him and for Him to show HIs love to. The angels job is to worship Him but He wanted someone who worships Him and loves Him by choice. And He has never been sidetracked at fulfilling that dream. Now He also uses dreams to give us life. Proverbs 13:12 (NLT) says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life."   God has a plan, a purpose, for each one of us and he uses fulfilled dreams to give us the longing to live out that purpose. Let me ask you, what are you living for? Does it give you meaning and purpose?  The MESSAGE says, "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around." We have so many disappointments but God wants to turn our life around. ...

Tuesday... Yes, they are and yes, we are. There are things that we all need to know that will make such a difference in our life and in the lives of others. Psalm 72:12-14 (NLT), says, "He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them. He will redeem them from oppression and violence," and all of that is so important to know. And it does make such a difference to know. But this next phrase is what gripped me this morning in my reading. Verse 14b, says, "for their lives are precious to him." If we are poor, if we are oppressed, if we are weak and needy, then we are precious to him. Yes, we are all precious to Him. Yes you are. We too many times look down on people, we are critical of them, judgmental toward them but they are precious to God. They really do matter to HIm and we do really matter to Him. Yes, we may be going through down times but w...

Monday... Could this be you too or what you want it to be? The writer of Psalm 71:5-6 (MSG) says. "You keep me going when times are tough - my bedrock, God since childhood. I've hung on you from the day of my birth, the day you took me from the cradle; I'll never run out of praise." And that is so true. "I'll never run out of praise." Verses 7 (NLT}, "My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection" and The Message says, "but you take me in stride." Yes You do. Yes, You do. And I praise you for it. He goes on, verses 8 & 9 says, "Just as each day brims with your beauty, my mouth brims with praise. But don't turn me out to pasture when I'm old or put me on the shelf when I can't pull my weight." The New Living Translation says, "And now, in my old age don't set me aside. Don't abandon me when my strength is failing." And You, God haven't. And I praise you f...

Saturday... It is so plentiful, it really is. This thought could be said about this Covid that has been a part of our lives for it seems too long. Margaret and I haven't gotten it again but both of our kids and their mates and their kids have gotten it again and it is frustrating, isn't it?  It is still so plentiful. It keeps coming and coming and of course the negative reactions that we feel keep coming and coming.  David, the writer of Psalm 69 (NLT) has so it seems so much Covid like happenings coming at him but he writes in verse 16, "Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful." And it has to be with the way we react. Yes, God's mercy is so plentiful.   Yes, we need to dwell upon the fact that God's love is plentiful and His mercy is plentiful and everything that is happening to us must go through His love and His mercy. He isn't causing it but He is allowing it and it is all working...

Friday... Our response makes such a difference. Yes it does. The first few verses of Psalm 68 show that to be true. David writes in verses 1 & 2 (NLT) what we need to have reinforced within us. He says, "Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives. Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God." And that is a response by God to those who respond to Him from a hateful way. Now that is a choice. And we see that choice all around us. And we can live that way too. We are free to do that but there are consequences to that choice, to that response. There really are. And then verses 3 & 4 says, "But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence, Let them be filled with joy. Sing praises to God and his name! Sing loud praise to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord - rejoice in his presence." And that is another response, another choice.  David t...

Thursday... What would happen if? What would happen if" The writer of Psalm 67:5 (NLT) says, "May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you." And it starts with those who are Christ followers. First of all, we need to pray that it will happen. And then we must do it as an example. But it is so much easier to gripe and complain and be discouraged and in distress. But look at what would happen if we and all the nations would stop and praise You, O God.  Verses 6 & 7 says. "Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him." Yes, maybe we as Christians should change our actions that divide us to praising God which unites us and He then will richly bless us and the earth will yield its harvest. What would happen if we really praise Him? There is so much involved in praise. First of all it takes our focus off of all the difficulties that are...

Wednesday... But He did listen, He did listen. Have you ever been talking with someone and you realize that they are not listening. Just because I am talking doesn't mean there is a conversation. The other person must be listening. Now if it is really something that is important then it is imperative that they listen.  David over in Psalm 66:16 & 17 (NLT) says, "Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke." When David cried out, God listened. He did and He did something for him.  But then verse 18 reinforces an important Biblical truth. It gives the reason why He listened. It says, "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Sin in our heart that we have not confessed to Him and asked Him to forgive us for severs our potential communication with Him and thus His blessings to us. He doesn't listen if there is sin in our hearts. W...

Tuesday... Here is the solution to an overwhelming problem. David writes in Psalm 65:2-3 (MSG), "We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt." We do, we surely do. "Our sins too much for us" Is that what you are feeling? He goes on with the solution, "but you get rid of them once and for all."   Verse 3 in the NLT says, "Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all." The Amplified Bible says, "You forgive them [removing them from Your sight]." Now that is a great solution for an overwhelming problem, isn't it?  Over in the NT book of Acts, Peter, one of the Apostles of Jesus shared in 2:36-40, (NLT), " 'So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!' Peter's words pierced their hearts and they said to him and to the other apostles, 'Brothers, what should we do?' Peter replied, 'Each of you must...

Monday... Now this is the starting point for real freedom. God has used people in this world to give us freedom but it all comes from and through God. He is the starting point for real freedom and it all starts from within. Psalm 64: 10 (NLT) says, "The godly will rejoice in the Lord and find shelter in him. And those who do what is right will praise him." Verse 1 (MSG) says, "Listen and help, O God. I'm reduced to a whine and a whimper, obsessed with feelings of doomsday." He wants to free us for those deep feeling of hopelessness that so many are feeling today. Proverbs 4:10-13 (NLT) says, "My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won't be held back; when you run, you won't stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don't let them go." And here is the key, "Guard them, for they are the key to life." You are free ...

Saturday... Then is a great word with reward. The word many times is connected with another word. The word is if. If I do this then this will happen. Too many times we want the then without us doing anything. But the reward for the them comes after an if. Proverbs 2 writes with an if implied. It says in verses 2-4 (NLT), "Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures."  And if you do that, verses 5-6, "Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding." He goes on, verses 7 & 8 says, "He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him" Verses 9 -11 brings in another then. "The...