Todays Beginning

Tuesday... Here are two very interesting words.  Matthew 6:31 (MSG) has the first word. It says, "What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving." The first word is preoccupied. It's so easy to get preoccupied with getting, isn't it? Now this is Jesus speaking and He goes on. Verses 32-33 says, "People who don't know God and how he works fuss over these things," They are preoccupied. "but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."  When we are so preoccupied with getting we spend a lot of time worrying, don't we? But here He says that if we steep our life in "God-reality, God-initiative, God- provisions" we don't need to worry and we will find that all of our "everyday human concerns will...

Monday... Is it good or bad to be poor? Good question. The writer of Proverbs 30 in verses 8b & 9 (NLT) says, "give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name."  Now that is a wise thing to ask.  We may when we are rich deny God because we believe we don't need Him and then the same in being poor, we go out and steal. Both of those actions are not wise. Also throughout Proverbs it deals with laziness and poverty. And that also is not a good thing.  But then Jesus over in His first beatitude in Matthew 5:3 says, "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him for the kingdom of heaven in theirs." It all comes down to dependency. God blesses those who are dependent on Him and not on themselves. The Message says, "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. W...

Saturday... But isn't He mean? I was talking to a person this week and they said, they like to read in the Bible about Jesus but they didn't like to read about the mean God. And so many have that opinion of God. Now I love the Old Testament. It is not, I believe, the story of a mean God but the story about a loving God who was doing all He could to bring His creation back to Him and to His plan. He showed what it meant to be obedient and the consequences of being disobedient. I know what it is like as a father and a grandfather when out of love I have to correct my children. Yes correction can hurt them and hurt me but handling disobedience is a loving thing. It will make all the difference. Now Psalm 118:28-29 (AMP) says, "You are my God, and I give thanks to You; [You are] my God and I extol You. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever." Now the book of Leviticus in the OT is a book of a whole lot of laws that God gave to Hi...

Friday... So how long would it be? If you were given the opportunity to write a Psalm, how long would it be? The writer of Psalm 119 had so much to say. He wrote 176 verses. But the writer of Psalm 117 only has two verses. Now is the writer of Psalm 119 greater in God's eyes than the writer of Psalm 117? The amount did not show greatness it just showed that they were faithful in sharing what they felt God had laid on their heart at the time they were writing.  We are each individuals and God uses us, whether it's a 176 verse Psalm or a 2 verse Psalm. Comparing ourselves with others can be a problem.  We will be looking at Psalm 119 in a few days but today is Psalm 117. Here is what the writer says in verses 1-2 (MSG), "Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people. His love has taken over our lives, God's faithful ways are eternal. Hallelujah!" Right to the point but very powerful. "Praise God, everybody!" is right to the point. I don't know how man...

Wednesday... I just know He does and I love it! When you are talking to someone can you tell if they are listening, really listening? You can tell many times if they are listening to you by what they say when you quit talking. I know, I know, we can do many things at the same time but listening is something that takes focus. And we love it when we realize that someone is really listening. It shows that we matter to them, that they care. The writer of Psalm 116:1-2 (MSG) says, "I love God because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid my case before him," Now God is the only one who can have all these people at the same time talking to Him but He can and He does listen so intently. The Amplified Bible puts it this way. "I love the Lord, because He hears [and continues to hear] my voice and my supplications, (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs.) Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I...

Wednesday... There may be a perfectly good explanation. But it is so easy for us to jump to conclusions, isn't it? Proverbs 25:8 (MSG) says, "Don't jump to conclusions - there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw."  I just finished the last book in the Bible and I started today in Matthew, the first book in the New Testament of the Bible and I saw in this chapter where an important character was ready to jump to a conclusion about his wife.  Matthew 1:10-18 (MSG) says, "The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they enjoyed their wedding night, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (it was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.)" So what conclusion would you jump to in a situation like that? What would you be thinking if you were Joseph? We think we are so smart and we see things happening and it is so easy for us to jump to conclusions and spread what we think out to e...

Tuesday... It brings it all together. I just finished reading the last chapter in the Bible, Revelation 22 and there is something in this chapter that brings it all together. I don't know if you have read the story in Genesis, the first book in the Bible of the creation and what happened there between the first man and woman and Satan. Now Satan had been one of the great angels in heaven and he thought he was better than God so God kicked him out of heaven and from then on he has done all he can to get back at God. And Adam and Eve, the first man and woman was where he started this campaign to get back at God. Adam and Eve were God's plan at how life would be on Earth. Now He created them as free moral agents. He created them to worship Him by choice. The angels in heaven worshiped Him but that was why they were created. God created man and woman with the power to choose and so He set up a way to test them. He created two trees. One was the tree of life and the other was the tr...

Monday... We can be one but not the other. We may want to be the other. Psalm 113 shows two aspects of God. It shows Who He is and also what He does. We can never be Who God is but we can be the other. He wants us to be a part of the other, He wants us to be a doer. Verses 5 & 6 (MSG) 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 heaven and earth?" And the answer is no one. So many think they can but the answer still in no one. And the good thing is, we don't have to be. That is not who He created us to be. So set that desire aside. God is God and we aren't. But look at the next verse. Verse 7 says, "He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump." And He can use us to help do that. But the problem is we too many times think we are the other, we are high and mighty and look down on the one, the lift...

Saturday... Some things we can do alone. There are but not all things. There are some things that are good to do with others. Psalm 111:1-2 (AMP) says, "Praise the Lord (Hallelujah!) I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by those who delight in them." We can study alone and it is a very good thing to do. I can listen to sermons, I can read my Bible and other books that can give me understanding and highlight the works of the Lord, alone. We can have our quiet time alone and we can give thanks to God alone but it is also a very good thing to do it "in the company of the upright and in the congregation." There is power in worshiping with others because it strengthens us to see that we are not alone and it strengths others when they realize that they are not alone. I know there have been some who take this too far and have changed churches over this issue. COVID ...

Friday... But tomorrow is tomorrow. King David, the writer of Psalm 110 in the latter part of verse 3 (NLT) writes an encouraging word. He says, "and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew." Too many times we wake up with deep anxiety about tomorrow. I don't think I have what it takes to handle tomorrow. I just can't do it. And that is so true. You cannot do tomorrow today. You can't even go back and change yesterday. And that is where we live too many times.  Now thanking God and learning the lessons from yesterday is a great way to handle yesterday but in no way do you need strength for yesterday. And then tomorrow, we worry and go over whatever we believe is going to happen tomorrow but we don't have the strength to handle tomorrow yet because we don't need it yet. But today, that is a different story.  I may be worn out from yesterday but "your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew." Now that is the way t...

Thursday... How can it be worth it? Maybe you are going through a difficult time and you can't see any good in it. David, the writer of Psalm 109 was going through some very difficult situations and he turned to God with the right attitude. He saw some potential good in it and he prayed this prayer. He saw how it could be worth going through it. In verse 21 (NIRV) he says, "But Lord and King, help me so that you bring honor to yourself. Because your love is so good, save me." And then in verses 26-27 he says, "Lord my God, help me. Save me because of your faithful love. Lord, let my enemies know that your have saved me. You have done it with your own hands." He then prays in verse 28, "They may curse me. But may you bless me. May those who attack me be put to shame. But may I be filled with joy." What a tremendous prayer to pray. What a tremendous perspective to have. We look at our situations for the most part from our own perspective, I, I, I and me,...

Wednesday... Which of these are we or do we want to be? We don't always think we have choices but we do. And Proverbs 18: 1-2 & 4 (NLT) gives us three choices. Now we have the ability to choose but we don't have the ability to choose the consequences of our choice. And that is so important for us to see. Now verse 1 says, "Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense." The Amplified Bible says, "He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom." Now that is our own choice but it is not a good choice.  There are so many negative consequences at being unfriendly. Over in Genesis 2:18 (NLT) it says, "Then the Lord God said, 'It's not good for the man to be alone.'" It is too many times the man who is unfriendly but it is not the way we were created by God. We really do need each other. That's the way we were made. That's one of the ...

Tuesday... Why are you where you are? I have lived a lot of different places in my life and some have asked what was your favorite place to live? And my answer is always, where I am living right now, that is my favorite. Now I learned from my parents that God wants to have His hand in my life, in what I am doing and where I am living. And that has made all the difference in my life. Do you love where you live? Did you choose it on your own or did you ask for God's leading? That is one of the great benefits in having a relationship with God. It really is. Psalm 107:7 (NIRV) says, "He lead them straight to a city where they could make their homes." Now as I look back on my life I can see God's hand in where we have lived and where we are living.  Verses 4-9 reinforces our need to turn to God for guidance. It says, "Some of them wandered in deserts that were dry and empty. They couldn't find a city where they could make their homes. They were hungry and thirsty....

Monday... How is your appetite today? And how does it make a difference in what you will do today? Proverbs (NLT) 16:26 says, "It is good for workers that have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on." And that is so true. If you have everything you want then you can become lazy and that isn't God's plan for us. We need an appetite to get up and get going.  Did you know that work is God's plan? But you might say, no, the sin of Adam and Eve brought work into play. But that is not true. God gave Adam a job before sin entered the world. He was to name every animal that He, God, had created. In my reading yesterday, I came across this verse in Psalm 105:19, "Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph's character." Those were not dreams that Joseph came up with on his own, they were dreams that God gave him and they were very important dreams and he had to be tested to see if he had what it took to live them out.  That is wher...

Saturday... This is how God works. The writer of Psalm 104:10 (NLT), shows the way that God works. He says, "You make springs pour water into ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains." And that is where it starts.  He goes on in verses 11-18, "They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth - wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. The trees of the Lord are well cared for - the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks for a refuge for the hyraxes....

Friday... And it is a good thing to be emotional. There is a word that is used in the Amplified Bible two times at the beginning of Psalm 103. And it is a good and appropriate word even for men. It is the word affectionately.  Psalm 103:1-2 (AMP) says, "Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name. Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits." We have a dog that wants to be involved when Margaret and I are affectionate with each other. As I was getting ready to leave this morning, Margaret was still in bed so I leaned over to give her a kiss and Turner jumped up on the bed and started giving both of us a kiss. Our faces were a mess. He wanted to be involved. It was great. And he wasn't ashamed. He went right at us. We loved it. And I'm pretty sure that God loves it when we are affectionate with Him. He loves us so much. And He has done so much for us. And it is...

Thursday... We really need to know what to do. When we are suffering and weak, we need to know what to do. Well, Psalm 102 gives some thoughts on this situation. Maybe this is what you need today. You too are suffering and you too have grown weak and you need to know what to do. This Psalm is for you. And here is what the writer did. He prayed and he shared his prayer with us. God wants us to pour out our problems to Him. He really does. Verses 1 & 2 (NIRV) says this, "Lord hear my prayer. Listen to my cry for help. Don't turn your face away from me when I'm in trouble. Pay attention to me. When I call out for help, answer me quickly." He then lists his problems, he lays them all out before God. It is a good thing to be honest before God. It really is. And then at the end he reinforces what he knows. Verses 25-27 (AMP) says, "At the beginning you founded the earth; The heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but you will endure; Yes, all of...

Wednesday... Where does it really start? Now the word encouragement has different meanings. Yes, it means to encourage or lift up someone when they are discouraged or when they are down but it also means to encourage people to do what is right, to live the way God wants them to live. I was reading this morning in Psalm 101 a word of encouragement by David, the writer of this Psalm and he said this in verse 1 (NLT), "I will sing of your love and justice, Lord. I will sing praise to you with songs." And that is so important for us to do. But he goes on. Verse 2 says, "I will be careful to live a blameless life - when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home." The Message says, "I'm doing the best I can, and I'm doing it at home, where it counts." And we really do need God's help at home, don't we? We can get up from praising God and start yelling at our kids and picking a fight with our wife or husband. Someone...

Tuesday... Looking back has value.  You can learn so much by looking back. Have you ever looked back on Ancestry.com.? It can be very interesting. You don't know what they went through but you know that they were there and because of that we are here.   Now Psalm 100:5b (NLT) says something that reinforces the fact that we being here isn't just a happenstance. It says, "and his faithfulness continues to each generation." He has always been here even when there was no world and as you read the last book of the Bible, Revelation, you will see that He will be here after this world has ended as we know it.   The whole verse says, "For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."  But it also is important to see that God is faithful to His Word. He has been and will be. So let's look at what His Word says in Proverbs 10.  Just one chapter but let's see what it says about what He is faithful in...

Monday... Some things can easy for us to do but not others. Look at Psalm 99:5 (NLT). It says, "Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!" Exalting can be easier for us to do than the bowing. Yes, we exalt God but just a little bit higher than us. He is God but we are also pretty special. And in a sense that is true but we really need to be careful in it because pride is not a good thing, Not at all so it is important to not just exalt but to bow. Not just with our head but bow before His feet, for He is holy and not us. Now we are striving to be holy but the difficulty is that we can be prideful in our holiness. Humility comes from true holiness. So how do you respond when someone corrects you? In some ways this is a test of our humility. Proverbs 9 deals with this. Verse 7 (AMP) says, "He who corrects and instructs a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not rebuke a scoffer [who foolishly...

Saturday... They will keep you from. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Now Vegas is an honest town. It doesn't hide it's evil. It is right out in front and it has whatever area that you are weak in, it is there to bring you down. Now your town has it too, it just may not be out front. It may be hidden but it is still there. Now Proverbs 7:5 (NIRV) says, "They will keep you from a woman who commits adultery. They will keep you from the smooth talk of a sinful wife." Now that may be the area where you are weak so you need help in that area. But that may not be yours but the Evil One knows what that area is and he keeps using it to take you down.  But God also knows and He wants to protect you from your weakness. And that is what we want, isn't it? Now this chapter starts in verse 1 (MSG) by saying, "Dear friend do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions." But we too many times say, "I can handle this. I am strong, I have self control, I know wha...

Friday... This would be a great day. I read everyday from the Psalms, the Proverbs and right now I am reading Revelation, the last book in the Bible. In Revelation 7:9-10 (NLT) I read today, "After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the Lamb." Now that is going to be an unexplainable experience. It really will be. And I plan on being there.  It goes on, "They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, 'Salvation comes from God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!'"  And then back to Psalm 95:3-7, "For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker for he is our God. We are ...

Thursday... Yesterday is done and a new day has begun. I started my day with thanks to God for yesterday but this is a new day. Yesterday's blog has been written and new one is ready to be written. I have found that it is easier at the beginning to look back and enjoy what has already happened than starting a new blog, a new day. A new day can have some anxiety that comes with it so how the writer of Psalm 96 starts his Psalm is a uplifting way to start a new day. Verse 1a (NLT) says, "Sing to the Lord a new song." Not yesterday's song but today's song because a new day starts better with a new song.  Today is a new day, with new thoughts, with new adventures, with new opportunities, new challenges and a new song that God has for us to sing that will make a difference in how our new day goes.  Now there is thanksgiving in looking back but there is trust and obedience and faith in singing a new song for a new day. We can't go back and really we don't want t...

Wednesday... When will we? Maybe this is the year. The writer of Psalm 94 gets to the point. In verse 8 (NIV) he asks a very good question which is a good question here at the beginning of 2023. He says, "Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise?" The NLT says it this way, "When will you finally catch on?" The Message says, "When will you get smart?" Good, good question for us here at the beginning of this new year. Maybe this is the year. And then he lays it out for us in verse 9. He says, "Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?" We live as if we created ourselves, that it is all on us. But it isn't. Over in Proverbs 4:10-13 the writer writes, "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...

Tuesday... Let's be encouraged together. And a great place to look is God's Word and Proverbs 3 is a great place to start. I love verses 5 & 6 (NLT). They are life verses for me and they are a great place to start in this new year. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." That is a great place to start, isn't it? But I kept going and I found verse 26 (AMP) and it says, "For the Lord will be your confidence, firm and strong. And will keep your foot from being caught [in a trap]." He will show you which path to take and then He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap and He will be my confidence. And then verse 34, "Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorner, yet He gives His grace [His underserved favor] to the humble [those who give up self-importance]." Now we can have all the confidence in the world....

Monday... Here is a great way to start the New Year! Psalm 92:1 (NLT) starts out by saying, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord." It really is. Thanks is always in response to something someone has done for or said to you. Think back on your year and look for the good things that happened to you. And they are there. We so many times can quickly bring up the bad and doing that can weigh us down with discouragement but looking back and bringing up the good by thanking God will give us hope for what is ahead. So take some time to thank Him. And then it continues in verse 2, "to sing praises to the Most High." Praise reminds us of who He is and what He can do. And singing praises to the Most High also brings confidence and hope in you as you face this New Year. You are not alone and He has what it takes to take you through whatever this year will throw at you. He can handle it. Praise Him for who He is. Now verse 2 gives us an example. It says, "It is good to pr...