Saturday... But it always works.

There was a book that was written a long time ago that had a great impact on the world. It had an impact on me. It was written by Norman Vincent Peale and called The Power of Positive Thinking. There is power in positive thinking but it doesn't always work the way we want it to.

Look at this verse written by Paul who was in prison to his friend Philemon. In 1:22 (NLT) he writes, "One more thing - please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon." Now the positive thinker or the prayer warrior would say it is done but Paul never made it out of prison. What happened?

We seem to be looking even in our Christian experience to find a way to get what we want, what we hope for. We say it, we claim it and it happens. We want that power, don't we? But the key is to not get what we want but to live out what God wants, what he is planning and to trust him. It's all in living out God's purpose and plan for our life. God knows what he is doing and we just need to trust him. It is not in our power but in his plan. Again, God knows best.

Verse 22 in The Message says, "And by the way, get a room ready for me. Because of your prayers, I fully expect to be your guest again."

Yes, Paul was hoping and expecting but he was also trusting. He was living not for himself and his own wants. He was living for God and his plan and his wants. Remember, trust always works. So let's pray and let's believe and let's trust God.

By the way, we can claim this, Psalm 60:12 (NIV) says, "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our foes." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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