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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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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