Wednesday... Everything is better. It really is.

Proverbs 15:17 (NLT) says, "A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate." Hate in no way makes anything better.

There are three comic strips that I read everyday in my newspaper. Oh, yes, I read two newspapers everyday. I know, I'm old. But I also have a computer and an IPhone and I use both. But back to the comics. The other day in the Family Circus comic strip one of the little boys asked the waitress in a restaurant, "Dose Children's Plate mean no vegetables?" Good question.

I heard Pastor Andy Wood of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, California say that a better translation is "A bowl of vegetables and steak are better with someone you love" and that is true but that is not what this proverb says. "A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate."

Hate spoils everything. It really does. Now there are some things we are to hate. We are to hate the actions of evil people but not the people. Christ died and rose again for everyone. Hating actions and not passing it over to the person takes a life filled with God's love. Remember, Jesus said while hanging on the cross, "Father forgive then, they don't know what they have done." But that takes a love greater than we can produce. It comes from a heart that is filled with God's love.

Now there is a lot of hatred going around even in the church. Hatred can spoil our love, can't it? Now we can disagree with someone. We can hate what they stand for but not hate them. That is where being a Christ follower filled with God's love makes a difference. It really does.

So, what if someone hurt you, even abused you? Now loving them is impossible on your own but you need to see that hatred can make you an angry person. Yes, you may need to go for counseling, a lot of counseling, especially highly trained and qualified counseling from a Christian perspective. Hatred no matter the reason can get in the way of living a happy, fruitful and anger free life. But as you take care of it, you will find that God will use your experience with others who also have deep hatred.

The Message says, "Better a bread crust shared in love than a slab of prime rib served in hate." And that is so true. So let's not let hatred spoil the life that Jesus died for us to have and live. 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...

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Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

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Todays Beginning

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