Todays Beginning

Thursday... I can't really get ahold of that. There are so many different beliefs within the Christian faith that some are striving to change. It seems that we don't want to be made fun of or look like we don't care or that we're going against the world view that is out there. But there is one of them that I can't really get ahold of. And it is that there is no afterlife, that when we die that is it. So many say that the Bible is so out of date.  Now the Apostle Paul was always dealing with these false teachers who were trying to bring down and shoot holes in this new faith that was called The Way. They wanted to make it more acceptable to those around them but Paul in his prison cell in Rome was doing all he could to show what Christ's coming to this earth meant and what it meant for us to be a part of Christ's way of living. And we need to spend time with Paul as he refutes some of the changes that some were and are still trying to make. In Colossians 3:1-...

Wednesday... We think we have it all together. We do. We have accepted Christ into our life and we think we have it all together. We're ready to handle it all. But the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2 starts verse 6 (NLT) by saying, "And now." There is something more. We have just started. We get married, we have a baby, we have started that great job or whatever it is and we think we have arrived. But Paul says, "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him." We planted some new flowers over the weekend and we could have stood back and admired them and thought that we were done but not in the desert. I go out every night and ever morning and water them. The planting is just the beginning. He goes on in verse 7, "Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him, Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." Yes, we may have asked Chri...

Tuesday... Yes, we need it. There is a lot that I love to give to my kids and their mates and their kids. That is what parents and grandparents do, isn't it? But I feel one of the greatest things that I can give them is not advice and even money but it is the gift of prayer. Everyday and many nights I mention each of them by name in prayer to God. I don't alway know what they specifically need but Colossians 1:11-14 (NLT) is a great place to start. In verse 11, Paul writes, "We also pray that you will be strengthened with all the glorious power so you will have the endurance and patience you need." We need that each and everyday, don't we? Oh, God, oh God, oh God. That is what they need and it is what we need so that is what we pray for today, "May we be strengthened with all the glorious power so that we will have the endurance and patience we need." Now that is for sure a need we can pray out to God.  Do you need to pray that prayer today for yourself ...

Monday... Yes we can! It is really amazing what we can do through Christ. Paul says in Philippians 4:13 (NLT), "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." That is such an amazing fact but look at what he says right before this. He shares something that is almost impossible for us to do in the world in which we live today. It really is. Now in the last chapter of Paul's letter to the people in Philippi who really cared about him, who wanted to take care of his needs while he was in prison, he said to them in verse 10, "How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn't have a chance to help me."  He then says something that is way beyond what we in the day in which we live could say about ourselves. In verse 11 he says, "Not that I was ever in need."  Now he goes on to say, "for I have learned to be content with everything that I have." And therein ...

Saturday... It is a safeguard. It really is. Philippians 3:1 (NLT) says, "Whatever happens." Now, there are so many things that come into our life to bring us down, to discourage us or to lift us up and strengthen us.  They come into our lives with many things in mind. It all depends where they are coming from. Has something happened in your day today that is bringing you down and everybody around you? You are so ready to climb back into bed and never get up? What is it that has headed you in the wrong direction? Now the evil one knows your buttons. Your family also knows. My dad used to say, "I'm tired of walking on eggs with you." He had so many good phrases. Now Paul doesn't stop here. He has a solution. He says, "Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord." Not just the good stuff but whatever happens. Remember Paul is writing this while he is in chains. That whatever did not bring him down.  He goes on, "I never g...

Friday... We need this reinforced. Psalm 25:3 (AMP) says, "Indeed, none of those who [expectantly] wait for You will be ashamed; Those who turn away from what is right and deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed (humiliated, embarrassed)."  The writer goes on in verses 4 & 5. He says, "Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; For you [and only You] I wait [expectantly] all the day long." And then verses 20-21, "Guard my soul and rescue me; For I have taken refuge in You. Let integrity and uprightness protect me, for I wait [expectantly] for You." So what are you expecting today? For some it is shame. They've messed up, they've blown it and they wake up with shame. But verse 3 says, "Indeed, none of those who [expectantly] wait for You will be ashamed." Now this is reinforced in verse 7 (NLT). It says, "Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfai...

Thursday... It is way over their heads. Proverbs 24:22 (MSG) says, "Wise conversation is way over the head of fools; in a serious discussion they haven't a clue." And that is so true.  Look at verse 24. It says, "If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place." Now I don't want that said of me. I love the book of Philippians in the New Testament of the Bible. It is written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison and he is constantly talking about the good that has come out of his being in chains. He did not fall to pieces in a crisis. He shows us how to handle a crisis. In chapter 1 verses 12-14 (NLT) he says, "And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confi...

Wednesday... So, what more do we want? Psalm 23:1 (AMP) says, "The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want." What more do we want? Here is the problem. Paul while in prison wrote this letter to the Ephesians and in chapter 6 verses 10-12 (NLT) he says, "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." His strategies are based upon our wants. We don't have a chance on our own. That's why we need the Lord to be our shepherd who we know will feed us, guide us and shield us. And when we have that we can say, "I shall not want."  In verse 20 Paul says, "I am in chains now, still preaching...

Tuesday... Oh, that we would be this. Proverbs 22:3 (NIRV) says, "Wise people see danger and go to a safe place. But childish people keep going and suffer for it." Oh that we would be wise. Oh that we would be this. Verses 17-19 says, "Pay attention and listen to the sayings of wise people. Apply your heart to the sayings I teach. It is pleasing when you keep them in your heart. Have all of them ready on your lips. You are the one I am teaching today. That's because I want you to trust in the Lord." Oh, that we would do this. Oh that our children would do this. Oh that we would seek wisdom and that we would trust in the Lord. Oh that we would do this. And then Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT) also give us some great advice. It says, "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loves us and offered a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." And for sure, that ...

Monday... Do we really realize that? This Proverb caught my attention in my morning reading today and I underlined it. My first reading of the day is always in the New International Version of the Bible and Proverbs 21:30 says, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord." Do we really realize that? Yes, God has created an unbelievable creation when he created the brain. We don't even come close to using all of it but even if we did, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord." Now that is not a put down, it is just a reality. It just shows what could happen if we started each day searching for God's wisdom, his insight and his plan. The New Living Translation says, "No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord."  Now there is a part, of course, that we play. Verse 5 (NLT) says, "Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity but hasty shortcuts lead to pover...

Saturday... Maybe we just need to look around. It is so easy to be so busy that you don't see and experience God. You maybe even doubt that he is real. David the writer of Psalm 19 may have been so busy but he needed to reinforce in his life that God was alive. So what did he do? He just stopped and looked around and wrote Psalm 19.  Here is what he saw. Verses 1-3 (NLT) says, "The heaven declare the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night the make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard." Maybe that is what we need to do. Maybe we just need to look around. Yes, yes! #todaysbeinning

Friday... But, can be such a beautiful word. It really can be life changing. Look at what Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians. In 2:1-3 (NLT) he says, "Once you were dead because of your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else." There it is, there it is. That is the way we are living or have lived. Dead is a definite word of finality. At least the devil thought so and maybe you do too. And then verses 4-5 starts by saying, "But", that beautiful life changing word of opportunity even though we are dead. Yes, we are subject to God's anger, "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even t...

Thursday... Two tremendous gifts that shows he understands. If we could have walked beside someone who is successful we would see that their path to success was not a straight one. Have you noticed that when we are driving a car that we are constantly moving the steering wheel back and forth? We don't just set it and never move it. And this is where these two gifts of God come in. Paul at the beginning of his letter to the churches around the town of Ephesus while he was in prison says in Ephesians 1:2 (NLT), "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace." And we all need them because we will constantly need some course correction in our life. We definitely need grace and peace, don't we? Think of Paul who was writing this letter in prison. He was in prison. He could have thought that he had blown it but he hadn't. He needed grace and peace to not feel like a failure and to be confident in God using him when it seemed he had blown it. He w...

Wednesday... It does make sense. Life can be so complicated. So many times things that happens don't make sense, for sure if we don't have God in our life. The Psalmist in Psalm 16:1-2 (MSG) says, "Keep me safe, O God. I've run for dear life to you. I say to God, 'Be my Lord!' Without you, nothing makes sense." And that is such a good statement. "Without you, nothing makes sense." Now if you don't have a relationship with God, that doesn't make sense to you. Proverbs 16:3 (AMP) says, "Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], and your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]." Sometimes we go through stuff and it is not like what we would do and we get frustrated. Now, it's important that we commit, we submit, we trust and we respond. We need to respond in the right way even if what is happening doesn't make sense in order for his plans to succeed. Verse 4 (NLT) says, "The Lor...

Tuesday... Being invited can make all the difference. The writer of Psalm 15 asks a great question. In verse 1 (MSG) he asks, "God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list?" And the answer heads us in the right direction. The NIV gives another perspective. It says, "Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?" David, the writer of this Psalm puts the answer in a very interesting list. In verse 2 (MSG) he says, "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth." Right to the point. He goes on in verse 3, "Don't hurt your friend." Now that would make a big difference if we would strive to do that, wouldn't it? Loyalty in our world has gone by the wayside. He then says, "don't blame your neighbor." There's a whole lot of blaming going on. And then verse 4 (NLT) says, "Those who despise flagrant sinners," there's a whole lot of flagrant sinning going o...

Monday... Ignoring can bring chaos. Let's say that our alarm goes off and we ignore it. That is not a great way to start our day. It is not a good thing to ignore your alarm especially if you are an adult. Now kids have parents that help to get them up and off to school but what about the adults? Ignoring can bring chaos, can't it? Psalm 14:1 (AMP) says, "The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her house thrives], but the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles]." I had a mother who built her house on a secure foundation and it has made all the difference in my life. She not only taught us but lived it. Thank you so much God for my mom and also my dad who didn't ignore godly principles but lived and taught them to us. Here is another important proverb. Verse 9 (NLT) says, "Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation." Ignorin...

Saturday... This is what so many think. They really do think they are in control. David writes in Psalm 12:4 (NLT) what so many think, "They say, 'We will lie to our hearts content. Our lips are our own - who can stop us?'" Proverbs 12:1 says, (NIRV), "Anyone who loves correction loves knowledge, anyone who hates to be corrected is stupid." I know that is not a word that we should use but it really does speak to someone who believes that "Our lips are our own, - who can stop us?" David goes on in verse 5 of Psalm 12 (NLT), "The Lord replies, "I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.'" There is one who is really in control and it really is stupid for us to think it is us and to not be corrected.  Verses 2 & 3 of Proverbs 12 (NIRV) says, "The Lord blesses anyone who does good. But he judges anyone who plans to do...

Friday... Who do we listen to? There are so many voices out there trying to get our attention, aren't there? David in Psalm 11:1-2b (MSG) says, "I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God. So why would I run away now when you say, 'Run to the mountains?'" He then says in verse 4, "But God hasn't moved to the mountains; his holy address hasn't changed. He's in charge, as always." Do you get confused with what people say on social media? It really can get confusing, can't it? Now this is important to see. Verse 7 says, "God's business is putting things right; he loves getting the lines straight, setting us straight. Once we're standing tall, we can look him straight in the eyes." Paul over in his letter to the Galatian church was having some trouble with what he called, (2:4) "spies pretending to be Christians," and they were saying that we needed to live by the Jewish law but Paul didn't ...

Thursday... Yes, he does. Yes, yes, yes! Life can have times of desperation and lost hopes and we feel helpless and terrified. But the Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 10:17 (NLT), "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless." Yes, we may feel so helpless and hopeless but "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless." Yes he does. Yes, yes, yes! Now the ones who don't know the Lord, who don't have a relationship with him, do have a problem. They really are helpless and they don't even know it. Earlier in verses 4-6 the Psalmist writes, "The wicked are too proud to seek God. They seem to think that God is dead. Yet they succeed in everything they do. They do not see your punishment awaiting them. They sneer at all their enemies. They think, 'Nothing bad will ever happen to us! We will be free of trouble.'" They think they know but they don't. They are really helpless and hopeless and they don't know it. But they can and do bring trouble o...

Wednesday... It doesn't need to be the end of the story. Being weak comes through in the story of our life but it doesn't need to be the end of the story. There can be more to the story. Paul in writing his secord letter to the Corinthian church in chapter 13 verse 4a (MSG) says, "He [Jesus] was sheer weakness and humiliation when he was killed on the cross, but oh, he's alive now - in the mighty power of God!" You see in the time when he was hanging on the cross Jesus had taken all of our sins onto himself so he could be the sacrifice for those sins. And because of that God turned away from him. He was sheer weakness and was humiliated but that wasn't the end of the story. On Sunday he was resurrected and that was a different story. The whole verse says in the Amplified Bible, "For even though he was crucified in weakness [yielding Himself], yet He lives [resurrected] by the power of God [His Father]. For we too are weak in Him [as He was humanly weak] y...

Tuesday... We really do, we really do. Life and people and situations seem to have a way of bringing us to a place of feeling we are not important, we are not significant. We are just mere mortals. So why does God bother with us? But he does! We really do matter to him. David in Psalm 8:3 & 4 (NLT) says, "When I look at the night sky and see the works 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?" God is not like us. He sees us in a totally different way and he wants to open our eyes to see what he sees. The Message says, "Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?" But he does! David goes on. Verse 5 (NLT) says, "Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor."   Life with sin in it pulls us down but life with God in it lifts us up. The Apostle Paul in the 11th chapter of his second let...

Monday... It can just bring us to tears. There is so much that can happen that can bring us to tears. We spent time celebrating this weekend the life of a good friend. It was a special time but there is a reality time of they're being gone that can and will brings us to tears.  The loss of a dream can bring us to tears, also deep anxiety. Two of our granddaughters are headed to school today and there can be anxiety there and maybe some tears. Tears can come from many sources. Jesus also wept.   And that was also true of King David. He writes in Psalm 6:6 (NLT), "I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flooded my bed with weeping, drenched with my tears." In verse 7 he shares the reason for his tears. He says, "My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies." There is no condemnation here for his tears, there is just reality and honesty. Maybe that is where you are or where someone close to you is today. But David doesn't stop t...

Friday... There are things to be enjoyed but we don't experience them. My wife and I lived in Los Angeles for five years. One thing about living there is you work where you have to but live where you want to and that probably means some freeway driving. And that can be tough. Well, in one of the places we lived we got up and left before the sun came up but the good thing about it was, we experienced the beauty of the sunrise five days a week. And we really enjoyed it.  Also when we would visit our kids who lived in Las Vegas we would get up early on Sunday morning to get ahead of the traffic. And we would have the sunrise at our backs. The sunrise is an enjoyable time of the day that most of us don't experience. We love our sleep or the dark more than experiencing the beauty of the sunrise. Proverbs 4:18 (NIRV) says, "The path of those who do right is like the sun in the morning. It shines brighter and brighter until the full light of day." And then verse 19, "Bu...

Thursday... Ok, it can be a trap. Yes, there is a part in whatever we do that comes through us. But there is a danger in taking it too far. Proverbs 3:7 (NLT) says, "Don't be impressed with your own wisdom, instead fear the Lord and turn away from evil." It seems there is danger in being impressed with yourself and with taking it too far.  Satan knows all about this thinking too highly of yourself. It got him into trouble as an angel and he was kicked out of heaven. And he still hasn't gotten this taken care of. He still thinks he is better than God and he always is trying to get us to think the same way, to follow his example. And our going too far in being impressed with our own wisdom is dangerous, it is a trap. Right before this in verses 5 & 6 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." Verses 19-20 shows us something really impressiv...

Wednesday... Here is a needed reinforced thought for today. We had a pretty noisy and wet desert storm last night and I came across this great thought that will reinforce our confidence in our storms. Psalm 2:12b (NLT) says, "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" Now it seems that joy and storms don't go together. "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" Again that thought jumped out at me in my reading this morning. "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" We do not need to go through our storms alone. We don't. But so many people do. Maybe you do. Well here is a reinforced thought for you today, "But what joy for all who take refuge in him!" And then over in Proverbs 2:10 it says, "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy." That also needs to be reinforced into our heart today. Starting in verse 7 and ending in verse 11 it says, "He grants a treasure of common sense to the...

Tuesday... Here it is. Such a good friend.. Every 5th month I start the book of Psalms over again. And it's back to a very good friend, Psalm 1. I believe I memorized it in third grade. Such a special friend. Now I first memorized it in the King James Version of the Bible. It says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."  Yes, there is some comfort in that version but the Amplified Bible puts it this way. It says, "Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example], nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers)."  A little more detailed. I mean blessed is a tremendous word but fortunate, prosperous and favored by God adds so much meaning. I like how The Message Paraphrase puts it. It says, "How well God must lik...