Friday... We can choose our response.

We can be a defeatist, always discouraged, ready to throw in the towel or we can be confident.

King David writes in Psalm 26:1 (AMP), "Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity; I have [relied on and] trusted [confidently] in the Lord without wavering and I shall not slip." Now he did slip in a weaker moment but he confessed and came back. There were consequences but he came back. Yes, we may be determined to not slip in a time when our humane takes over but if we do we then have a choice.

Judas when he betrayed Jesus saw that he had fallen, he had really slipped but he didn't repent, he killed himself. In Matthew 27:5, "He went away and hanged himself." Now Peter when he denied Jesus it says in Matthew 26:75, "He went outside and wept bitterly [in repentance]." Now the rest of Jesus' disciples ran away when Jesus was arrested but they also came back and God used them in an unbelievable way to spread the Good News of what Jesus death and resurrection really meant.

Now we as individuals at times need to stop and repent and confess that we have slipped. Yes, we have confidently determined to not slip but if we do we just need to stop and confess it,

And even if we haven't slipped we need to do what David did in verse 2 (MSG) and ask, "Examine me, God, from head to foot, order your battery of tests, Make sure I'm fit inside and out." We need to do that on a regular basis. And here is the reason why. Verse 3 says, "So I never lose sight of your love, but keep in step with you, never missing a beat."

Yes we can determine to never slip but we also need times of honesty before God before we might and after we do.

So, we need to start our day with praise and thanksgiving and also with honesty and confession of where we have and could slip. As verse 1 in the NLT says, "Declare me innocent, O Lord for I have acted with integrity." In other words I have been honest with you and confessed where I've slipped. Maybe our attitude and response with our spouse or our kids or those at work hasn't been right or whatever area we could be slipping in. I confess that to you God. We need to be honest in our daily walk with God and others and then see what happens.

Yes, we can choose our response before and after. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Comments

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is!

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is! Look at this, Proverbs 5:21-23 (CEV) says, "The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely. Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control." That is true of so many. Now look at this, Luke 15:1-7 says, "Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, 'This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this story: If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it, you will put it on your shoulder and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, 'Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.' Jesus said, 'In the same way there is mo...

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...

Todays Beginning

Search This Blog