Saturday... We think we've got it all figured out.

We really do. But Solomon in his book of Proverbs in the Old Testament of the Bible has a different perspective.

Look at what Proverbs 16:1 (MSG) says, "Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word." We make all these plans. We have it all figured out. But it is so important to have God in our life. It really is.

Verse 2, "Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God provides for what is good."

Now this is important. Verse 3 says, "Put God in charge of your work, then what you've planned will take place." The Amplified Bible 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]." We think we have it all figured out but do we really?

This is a good one. Verse 7 (MSG) says, "When God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand." Now we need to understand that all of this is from the perspective that there is more to life than just the here and now. When your enemies get to the judgment they will see that you were right. We need to live with the fact that there is more to life as a Christ follower than the here and now. There is more to come.

Look at this in verse 9, "We plan the way we want to live but only God makes us able to live it." We need to see that we need God in our life. Yes we do.

And then the last two verses of this chapter say something that will help us now. We are in the middle of an election year. And we seem to be all upset. But verses 32 & 33 in The Message say, "Moderation is better than muscle, self-control better than political power. Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say."

We think we have it all figured out and we do if we have God at the center of our life. Yes, yes! #newbeginnings

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Thursday... Maybe we need this word today.

Psalm 57:1b (NIRV), "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Thursday... Maybe we need this word today. There are words in life that give us confidence no matter what we are facing. Now we have to believe them in order for them to have an impact. David wrote Psalm 57 while he was in a cave hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him and he says in the last part of verse 1, "There I will stay." It was a safe place and Saul didn't know that he was there. But he doesn't stop there. With confidence he said, "There I will stay until." And until is definitely a word of faith and confidence. "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Do we need that today? Let me give you the whole verse. In verse 1 David says, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." And that is a great place to start in times of trouble. Maybe that is what we need to pray today, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." It is so great to have someone...

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 ...

Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute.

Proverbs 19:2 (NLT), "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute. This time of the year is so exciting. We get our paycheck from work and then we head to the store or Amazon and buy and buy and buy all those presents and then our check is gone Proverbs 19:2 (NLT) says, "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." But buying gifts can be so much fun and seeing how happy they are when opening those presents makes us feel so good. But then verse 3 says, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then they are angry at the Lord." Now for some that is their life. They get money and they spend it on their wants with no thought of what needs to be paid. An important lesson that we have learned is just because you have money in the bank doesn't mean you must spend it. But our enthusiasm takes over. But the problem is when it is gone and there is no money to pay th...

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