Wednesday... They can change.

They really can. Paul in writing a letter to his friend, Philemon tells of a change that happened to Onesimus. Onesimus was Philemon's servant and he had stolen some money from him and ran. And Paul is writing this letter to tell him that Onesimus had changed. In verse 11 (NIV) Paul writes, "Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and me."

Somehow Onesimus had found his way to Rome where Paul was in prison and found Paul and had found a relationship with Christ and it changed him from useless to useful. And that is what a relationship with Christ can do and will do in each one of us.

Paul then in verses 15-16 says, "Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever - no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother in the Lord." Onesimus' relationship with Christ also changed his relationship with Philemon, his owner. He became a dear brother in the Lord.

Now it was not God's will for Onesimus to steal from Philemon but He used it to make changes in their lives. Maybe some of the wrong choices we make God can use to change us. He uses bad choices to bring about great changes if we let Him.

So keep praying for that one who has wandered off to find a Paul that will lead him to Christ. And maybe that one is you. As Paul puts it in verses 10-11 (MSG), "While here in jail, I've fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter - Onesimus! He was useless to you before; now he's useful to both of us."

Maybe that is what God wants to do in your life, to change you from useless to useful. Just reach out to Him and ask Him to come into your life and change you. No matter what you have been or what you have done He wants to change you from useless to useful. And He can! Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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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...

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but...

Tuesday... Each one of us see and describe what we are going through differently but... We each one have our own way of explaining what we are going through, don't we? Some of us are maximisers, other are minimizers and neither one is better. We each one are different and we see what we are facing differently but no matter what it is and how you see it and describe it, God can handle it! Now the writer of Psalm 46 shows the extremes. In verse 1 he states the basic reality and then he moves on into our fears and he maximizes them to make sure we really understand. Here is what Psalm 46:1-3 (NLT) says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" So what do you fear? The Amplified Bible says verse 1 this way, "God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable], a very presen...

Wednesday... It didn't just happen.

Psalm 16;10 (NLT), "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." Wednesday... It didn't just happen. We are headed into a weekend of deep emotion. One that we really really love was killed and it didn't just happen. David in Psalm 16:10 (NLT) writes of this happening. He says about God, "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." We read over in the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament in the Bible of the life of God's Son who came to earth to be our sacrifice so that our soul would not be left among the dead. Jesus came so that we wouldn't have to be buried at death and just left there. But he also shares that Jesus who was going to be killed as a sacrifice for our sins would not have to rot in a grave. David many generations before foretold this and that is what happened. Now that had to be a God thing. We can guess a lot about our future and we d...

Todays Beginning

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