Friday... What do you love to do? What does it cost?

Pastor Drew, our Pastor, loves to climb mountains. He really does. Now I love to see them. I am sitting right now looking out on some beautiful mountains. And I do love to hike on them.

Now in order to climb and hike some mountains in the Sierra Madre Mountains in California and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado you need a permit. It will cost you something.

Psalm 24:3 (NLT) asks a very good question, "Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?" There are some requirements. Did you know that? Well there are. There are some costs.

It goes on. "Who may stand in his holy place?" Verse 4, "Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies." Wow, you can't tell lies? Yes, you must be honest.

What would happen in this world if everyone told the truth, they never told lies? What would it be like? It really would be a good world to live in, wouldn't it? What about everyone in your family? You could trust what they say.

The purity thing would also be very good too. The Message says it this way, "Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won't cheat, women who won't seduce." You see there is a price to pay to have a right relationship with God.

And then verses 5-6, "God is at their side; with God's help they make it. This Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God questers."

Verses 5-6 in the Amplified Bible says, "He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from God of his salvation. This is the generation (description) of those who diligently seek Him and require Him as their greatest need. Who seek Your face, even [as did] Jacob."

The NLT says, "They will receive the Lord's blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob."

Yes, it has a cost to it but oh the benefit, oh the blessing. 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...

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...

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless. It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...

Todays Beginning

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