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 get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith." And do we ever need safeguards because we really do need faith. How we handle whatever happens can either destroy our faith or strengthen it.

And here is why it is so important to safeguard your faith. In 9b he says, "I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." Faith is so very important.

In verses 13-14 (NIV) Paul says, "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do. Forgetting what is behind" The whatevers that have happened. "and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." We need to rejoice in whatever happens in order to protect our faith to become what God wants us to to be in order for us to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus."

So, remember, rejoicing in our whatever happens is a safeguard for our faith. And we really do need faith. 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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