Todays Beginning

Friday... It is so practical, and it is a trust thing. God's Word can be trusted. The writer of Psalm 119:33-37 (MSG) says, "God, teach me lessons for living so I can do what you tell me - my whole life one long obedient response." He goes on,  "Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom, and not piling up loot." We all need to pray that. And then verse 37 (NLT) says, "Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word." The writer of Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection." He can be trusted. And then his wisdom comes through in verses 7-9. They say, "O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, 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...

Thursday... He really knows us and he won't. I love the Psalms and their honesty. The writer of the longest Psalm, Psalm 119 at the end of the first section says something that I know we all feel at some time in our life. Verse 8 (NLT) says, "I will obey your degrees. Please don't give up on me." At 76 years of age I still need to pray that prayer. "Please don't give up on me." I love the honesty of the Psalms. It is so easy for us to give up on people, isn't it? They maybe don't live up to our standards but God gives us grace and help and so should we. Verses 4-8 says, "You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your degrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your degrees. Please don't give up on me!" That is so good. That shows our desire and our...

Wednesday... Here it is.  We've quoted it so many times. It is a word of encouragement. It really is and here it is.. Psalm 118:24 (NLT) says, "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Now it looks like we are getting closer to a 100 degree day here in the desert. Here it is at the close of June and we still haven't seen 100 degrees. But "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." So how does your day look? Well if we look at it from the perspective that the Lord has made it then maybe that gives us a different view. Verse 1 sets the tone for this Psalm by saying, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." And the creation of this day went through his love. "His faithful love endures forever."  There are so many of these verses that can come to our mind when we need them. If we have read them or heard them, then just at the right time th...

Tuesday... It is so easy to brag about tomorrow. It really is. But there is a problem. We have no control over tomorrow, do we? Now it is important to have plans for tomorrow but we don't have control over the happenings of the plans for tomorrow so we can't really brag about tomorrow. Now a wise thing to do is found in Proverbs 27:1 (NLT) which says, "Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring." We don't know, do we? We know about the present because we are living it but tomorrow is another thing. That is where one of the great benefits of having a relationship with God makes so much of a difference. It is important for us to see in facing tomorrow there are two things that we do know that will make a big difference in how we face tomorrow with confidence. Psalm 117:1 & 2 says, "Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord's faithful...

Monday... We can be enthused but still misdirected. Some have come up with their own ways of salvation and they are so enthused. I love YouTube and there are so many different ways on there and other social media to get to God. But the key is, what does the Bible say? Some get enthused but confused and misdirected. So it is so imperative that we spend time in God's Word and follow those who base their belief on God's Word. Now the Apostle Paul starts in his letter to the Romans in chapter 10 verses 1-3 (NLT) by saying, "Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don't understand God's way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God's way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law." That had been what they had been taught but it had changed with Christ and his death and resurrec...

Saturday... If and when and if and then. If we have a living relationship with God there are times when he has made a difference in the great difficulties that we have faced. The writers of the Psalms over and over look back on the time when God brought their nation out of the evil, the servitude of Egypt. Psalm 114:1a (NLT) says, "When the Israelites escaped from Egypt." If we have a living relationship with God there are times when he has really helped us and we need to hold on to the reality of those times. That can make such a difference in whatever we are facing today.  I love how this writer puts it. He says in verses 3-6, "The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The waters of the Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs! What's wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away? Why mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs?" And t...

Friday... It has so much. Romans 8 is filled with so much. The Apostle Paul was really inspired when he put this chapter down on paper. Here is the way it starts. Verse 1 (AMP) says, "Therefore there is no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]." Now believing is not just a, Oh yes, I believe that Jesus lived and was a great man. No, believing means we have confessed our sins, acknowledged our need for Him, changed the direction of our life, leaving the old way behind and following His way. It is more than just a head believing, it is a change of life, a changed direction believing. But oh the benefits. Verse 28 says, "And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose." Now this change of direction may mean the...

Thursday... This is a great place to start our day. It really is. Here is what Psalm 112:1 (AMP) says, "Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience], who delights greatly in His commandments." It is all in the way we start our day. "Praise the Lord!" Now it is all in our focus. Yes, I could be discouraged about my weight gain but that will be taken care of. That is one annoyance but there are so many other good things that I know come from having a right relationship with God and I praise Him for those. I mean, I am blessed, I am fortunate, I am prosperous and I am favored by God so I start my day praising Him for His goodness. "Hallelujah!" Now if we don't see those to be true then it may be in our focus. Oh I'm not rich financially but I am prosperous in so many different ways and I am so fortunate and I am favored by ...

Wednesday... There is a three letter word that brings about death or possibly life. The writer of Proverbs 21:3 & 4 says, "The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer sacrifices. Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sins." And then over in Paul's letter to the Romans in chapter 6 and verse 23 he says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." The three letter word is sin and it's wages is death. That's what it says. But then it also says that the free gift of God, another three letter word, is eternal life through Jesus Christ. It seems there is a choice. So what is sin? Well it is a willful transgression against a known law of God. It is not doing what God says we are to do. Sin is disobedience.  Verses 12-13 says, "Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires, Do not let any part of your body become an ...

Tuesday... Certain kinds of activity can bring about anxiety or do they? Margaret, and I had an activity this morning that can bring great anxiety. We had to be at the hospital early for Margaret to have a thirty minute procedure. And it was successful and she is fine. Now for many just saying hospital brings great anxiety and as a retired Pastor I understand the whys. There are so many different activities that can bring great anxiety to people. I'm sure you have some of those anxiety activities. And God knows what they are because he knows everyone of you and he knows me. After spending time at the hospital this morning I came across some verses in Romans 5 and they speak to us and our anxieties. Romans 5:1 (NLT) says, "Therefore, since we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us." Now, peace is the opposite of anxiety and a relationship with Christ can give us peace and also an understanding and an appreciation for our anxieties and pro...

Monday... So what do you believe in today? Well, I believe that the Dodgers are going to win the pennant this year in baseball. But, after this week and how badly they have played my faith in them has been weakened. Or maybe you believed in golf that Rickie Fowler was going to win the U.S. Open tournament this past weekend. Well it really looked like it after the first three rounds but he didn't. Have you found that it all depends upon what we put our faith in? It really does? Romans 4:20-22 (NLT) says, "Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous."   Faith is extremely important to God.  Verses 2-3 says, "If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way. For the Scriptures tell us, ...

Saturday... Have you ever been lost and then you were saved? I was lost as a child in a big department store and then my parents found me. As I look back on it as an adult it is no big deal but to me as a child it was. I'm not sure that I cried but I was a sensitive child. I probably did and it seemed to work. My parents found me. The writer of Psalm 107:13 (NIV) says, "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress." Maybe being in trouble or great distress has a way of getting us to the point that that we cry out and in turn we are saved.  Now what if we don't know we are lost. What if I was out playing in the store and liking the fact that my parents weren't around but at some point it would be important for me to see that I was lost. The store was not my home. Home was where my parents were. Being lost was not going to be a good thing.  Now many of us don't realize we are lost. We are having a good time and we don't...

Friday... But what about this other method? Maybe it would work better. There is so much in this world that causes such disagreement. I streamed this week a General Assembly of a worldwide church and there was so much disagreement. It happens at work, in our schools, in our churches, in our homes and it happened back when Paul was writing his letters in the New Testament of the Bible. I mean the Jews were trying to kill him. But he gave some very good advice in his letter to the Romans. It is a method that we even in the church don't use very often. In Romans 2:4 (NLT) he writes, "Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?" Now he is a definitely powerful God. He could use so many methods to turn people from their sins and we see some of those methods in the OT but here he talks about being kind. What if the Christian Democrats, the Chri...

Thursday... There is so much that happens in our life. There really is. What we have gone through these past few years have been unbelievable and for some it is still happening. But look at this verse. Psalm 105:45 (NLT) says, "All this happened so they would follow and obey his instructions." It didn't just happen. What are you going through? Has it brought you closer to God or have you turned your back on him? "All this happened so they would follow and obey his instructions." Now this verse doesn't stop there. It says, "Praise the Lord." I have been watching the streaming of the General Assembly of a denomination that I have been a part of for many years. And I watched as they were electing their General Superintendent. It was a very interesting drawn out process and I woke up this morning seeing that one of our pastors that we set under was elected. And there was such great excitement. But it didn't just happen. It was a very difficult proc...

Wednesday... Having a good plan works. Look at these different verses.  Psalm 104:24 (NLT) says, "O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures." He has a plan. He knows what He is doing and His plan is working. We are a part of His variety. None of us are alike. Each member of your family was created the way they are by Him with a plan for good in mind. "What a variety of things you have made!" Here is another verse. Proverbs 14:22 says, "If you plan to do evil, you will be lost; if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness." Now the type and the intent of our plan makes a difference. An evil plan for awhile it seems works but in the end you will be lost. Evil was not in God's plan. He did not create us to do evil but when we headed out on our own and didn't follow His plan then we got lost. And so many in this world are lost. Know this, place it in...

Tuesday... It is very good that He remembers. Now the writer of Psalm 103 tells us there are some things God doesn't remember. Have you ever put something so far away that you forget it? In verse 12 (NLT) the writer say, "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." Over in 1 John 1:9 (NIRV) the Apostle John writes, "But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure." And that means He will not remember them. I am so glad that He will not remember them and keep bringing them up to me.  But then there is something that He does remember and it is very good that He does. Psalm 103:13-14 (NLT) says, "The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are, he remembers that we are dust." The Amplified Bible says, "He remembers that we are [merely] dust." He remembers where we came from. ...

Monday... Now this can make such a difference. The Apostle Paul over in the Acts of the Apostles in the NT of the Bible was being handed over and over to many different leaders. The Jews were wanting him killed for what he was telling about Jesus and His Resurrection. They hated him and now in chapter 26:1 (NLT) it says, "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You may speak in your defense.'"   We have this happening over and over with our five year old granddaughter. At five it seems that she is always in trouble and she wants to tell her side and it is very important to her to be allowed to do that. And it also is very important for each of the members of each of our families and even ourselves to be able to do that. The Apostle Paul in verse 3 (NLT) says something that we want to say when we are in a difficult situation and telling our side. He says, "Now please listen to me patiently." We so many times want and need to say that and we also need to do that, don'...

Saturday... This is different. Margaret and I have had only one other home that we could call our own, that we owned. But this one really is different. You see, we built it, we created it, we had a hand in what it looks like. Now we had no hand in creating the other place that we owned. Oh we did some painting, some changes but we didn't build it from the ground up. This house we were involved totally from the ground up. We have rented all the rest of our life together but we have found that owning is different. There is a responsibility that goes with owning but there is also a strong tie. We truly have found that owning is different. It really is. Now that gives me an understanding about what God feels about us. Psalm 100:3 (AMP) says, "Know and fully recognize that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." The Message puts it this way, "Know this: God is God. and God, God....

Friday... It will be such a waste of time. It really will. The writer of Proverbs 9:7-8b (NLT) says, "Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Any one who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you." And that is so true isn't it? But we keep at it. Trying, trying to change their minds.  Do you have that person in your life that it seems is your challenge to convince them or correct them? The writer here says, "Don't bother", and that is very good advice. But it seems we love the challenge. But the writer goes on. Verses 8b-9 says, "But correct the wise, and they will love you. Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more." Now that is not a waste of time.  So which one are we? Are we a know-it-all who is always putting others down, rejecting their opinion, laughing or correcting or mocking them? But the wise are quick to li...

Thursday... But He has a plan. I am reading in the New Testament about Paul. Luke is the writer of the Acts of the Apostles and mainly he writes about the Apostle Paul and all of his travels and battles. And in chapter 23:11 (NLT) he writes, "That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, 'Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.'" And that was exciting news to Paul. How would you feel if the Lord woke you up in the middle of the night and told you that He was going to give you your heart's desire? It would be exciting, wouldn't it? But then you probably aren't in prison like Paul was.  Verse 10 says, "As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress." Paul was in a mess because he was preaching everywhere he could about Jesus but the J...

Wednesday... What do you make of this? Psalm 97:11 (AMP) says, "Light is sown [like seed] for the righteous and illuminates their path, And [irrepressible] joy [is spread] for the upright in heart [who delight in His favor and protection]." The Message says it this way, "Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's  people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil." Verse 10 in the New Living Translation says, "You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked." And then verses 11-12, "Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name." And then 11 & 12 in the NIRV says, "Good things come to those who do what is right, Joy comes to those whose hearts are honest. You who are godly, be glad because of what the Lord has done. Praise him, because his name is holy."  What I make...

Tuesday... They keep coming up. There must be a reason why.  In reading the Bible there are truths that keep coming up, especially in the Psalms. I have read a Psalm daily for years and there are truths that keep coming up because we need to live by them because they make such a difference. In reading Psalm 96 this morning a truth came up that if we would live by it our day would be so different. We so many times start our day discouraged. Maybe something happened yesterday and we are worried that it will happen again and that is how we start our day. But verses 2-4 says, "Sing to the Lord, praise his name. Each day proclaim that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does."  It says, "each day", not just Sunday but "each day." "Sing to the Lord, praise his name. Each day proclaim that he saves." Our youngest granddaughter does that. They are staying with us right now and I heard her this...

Monday... We can see His work and it is great. People who don't believe in God have to stretch when they get into nature and know that it didn't just happen.  Margaret and I took a day trip this weekend into Arizona and we saw a great variety of beauty. And it reinforced our belief in God. It didn't in anyway minimize our belief that someone greater than us had a hand in creation. It didn't just happen. The writer of Psalm 95:4 & 5 (NLT) says, "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." We can see His work and it is great. We live in a area where man has created some unbelievable structures. On our trip this weekend we drove over a bridge that connects Nevada and Arizona and looked down on the Hoover Dam. Man can build unbelievable stuff but God created the mountains all around us and even the smallest ones look down on what man builds. And this is ...

Friday... They really can be mighty. Storms in our lives can really be mighty. The Psalms in the OT can be a great place to go when we are facing mighty storms. Have you found that so or do you face them all on your own? When I face them on my own it seems that the storms have more power especially in me and my emotions. Psalm 93:3 (NLT) says, "The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder, the floods have lifted their pounding waves." Now that may speak to where you are today. When I face them on my own I seem to go to a dark spot where my emotions take over and I become very difficult to live with. That is not a fun place to be. But the Psalmist doesn't stop there. Verse 4 says, "But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore - the Lord above is mightier than these." I have an adirondack chair out in my backyard which is a great place to go during those dark times and where I can pour it all ou...

Thursday... Moving has some good attached to it. I was born 76 years ago today in Huntington, West Virginia but we were there only for a couple of months then we were on the move. And it seems that we haven't stopped. Well, maybe we have. We bought a house in Las Vegas, Nevada. But moving has some good attached to it. Psalm 92:12-14 (NLT) says, "But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green." There is a point that in each of our lives we need to be transplanted to the Lord's own house. We need to move from an old way of living to a new way that will last even to old age so we can produce fruit, that will remain vital and green. Do you need to be transplanted? I mean, are you stuck in a rut and you need to be transplanted out of it? What is it in your life...