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 rest of Paul's ministry.

Paul was a very effective missionary to the Gentiles. He and different partners went around starting churches and teaching them but his great desire was to go to Rome and hold a major gathering striving to win to the Lord as many in Rome as he could but God had a different plan and this statement set God's plan into motion. Paul didn't go to Rome as a free man but as a prisoner and God used that to change the world.

You see God wanted Paul to write a big portion of the New Testament and God knew he needed to be a prisoner in order to do it.

I wonder how the streams of a Pandemic in our lives is moving us to God's desired destination. Maybe the complacency of our day to day lives needed to be moved out of its rut into a new stream that God wants to use us in. And maybe it would be a good thing for us as Christ followers, His church to stop griping and start letting the stream of water directed by the Lord guide us to wherever He pleases. He wants to make a difference through us as He did with Paul. 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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