Todays Beginning

Thursday... So what do we really need? That is a good and important question. Do we usually worry about our needs or our wants?  Now Jesus said in Luke 12:25-26 (NLT), "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things." If we would take time and make a list of our wants and needs we probably would see that our wants are where our worrying comes in. Now what do we need? We need a place to live. We need utilities paid. We need food and we need transportation. Now we also need a relationship with God who will help take care of these needs.  Now verses 25-28 (MSG) says, "Has anyone by fussing ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can't even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don't fuss with their appearance - but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and w...

Wednesday... Do we need to pray this today? Over in Luke 11 (NLT), Jesus was praying in a certain place and after he had finished one of his disciple said (v.1b), "Lord, teach us to pray." And then Jesus shared with them what we call The Lord's Prayer. Now each line in this prayer has deep meaning and the last line in verse 4b says, "And don't let us yield to temptation." In this world in which we live we really do need to pray this everyday, don't we? "And don't let us yield to temptation." Now over in Proverbs 28:14 (AMP) it says, "Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequences] at all times. but he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster." The NLT says, "Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble."  This is such an evil world that we live in, isn't it? There is so much out there to tempt us which will lead us t...

Tuesday... He was in a cave. David the writer of this Psalm was in a cave hiding from King Saul who was wanting to kill him. Now I'm not sure that is what you are going through but you too during your problem could pray this. Verse 1 (NLT) says, "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by." So no matter what is happening to you just pray this prayer to God. I love the honesty of the Psalms. They give us what we need to say no matter what we are going through. David goes on. Verses 2 & 3 say, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me." And then he stops for a moment. He then says, "My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness." That fact reinforces his faith that God is listening and is going to do something because of his unfailing love ...

Monday... He knows what we can do. Have you ever thought that God knows what we can do because he's given us power but he knows that we don't really believe what we can do so he gives us some difficult even impossible situations to let us see the possibilities we can do but with him? Now Luke 9 in verses 1-2 (NLT) says, "One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick." And then verse 10a says, "When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done." And I sure they were really excited. And he could have stopped there but he didn't. He knew he had given them power to do more. Jesus tried to get away by himself but a large crowd found him and verse 12 says, "Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, 'Send the crowd away to the nearby village...

Saturday... We are so smart, aren't we? Well, we think we are and we are in so many different ways. But the truth is our pride gets in the way so much. I know it does, me. Over in Luke 8 in the NT of the Bible in verse 53 (NIV) it says, "They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead." Here is the story. In verse 41 it says, "Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve was dying." Here was a very smart man who had a problem that his smarts couldn't handle so he came to Jesus and that definitely was smart. What problem are you facing today and your smarts really are having a problem handle it? This man did the right and the really smart thing and came to Jesus. So they, Jesus and Jairus set out to his house to take care of the problem.  Now along the way some of his friends came and told him that his daughter had died and that he didn't n...

Friday... I keep coming back to these two verses. I don't know how many verses I read in a month but there are some that always grab my attention each time I read them. I read Proverbs 23 on the 23rd day of each month so I read verses 17 & 18 each month and they are a great reminder to me each time I read them. Here is what they say in the Amplified Bible and notice that verse 17 starts with a "do not", "Do not let your heart envy sinners [who live godless lives and have no hope of salvation], but [continue to] live in the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord day by day." Ok that is verse 17. It starts with "Do not" and has a "continue to" in the middle.  Now verse 18 starts with the word "Surely, Surely". The NLT says, "You will be." The Message says, "Then", Again the Amplified says, "Surely". I love that word, "Surely" I can count on this being the truth. If I "do not" ...

Thursday... We have so much trouble with the do nots and the must dos. We really do. We do to the point that we say that we do not want to be told that we can't do stuff or told that we must do stuff so we just aren't going to really look at them and see the benefits of the do nots and the must dos. We say, I don't want to be told what I can't do and must do. I want to be free to do what I want to do. I know best for me. Look at these verses in Luke 6:37-38 (NLT). Here is what they say, "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full - pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." Now here is the problem. People quit listening after the first part. Don't tell me what to do. I have th...

Wednesday... But if you say so. Are there people that you really believe in to when they say something you believe it? There are certain people that I have read their books for years and have had opportunity to sit under their ministry. I really believe in them. My dad was one of them. Now he didn't write but he was a tremendous preacher and for sure I believed in him because I lived with him. Over in the book of Luke in the New Testament of the Bible there is phrase, but if you say so, that came up. One day Jesus was out preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and the people kept coming. This story is in Luke 5 and in verse 2 (NLT) it says, "He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fisherman had left them and were washing their nets." Now the word noticed is a very good word. He noticed that it was empty and he noticed that the fisherman were done fishing and he may have noticed that they didn't have any fish.  I am so glad that we have a God ...

Tuesday... This is imperative for us to understand. It really is. We each one were created as free-moral-agents. In other words we are free to choose what we want to do. But this is imperative for us to understand. We are not free from the consequences of our choices. Proverbs 20:17 (AMP) says this, "Food gained by deceit is sweet to man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel [just as sin may be sweet at first, but later its consequences bring despair]." I also read this morning in Luke 4 of Jesus' time with the devil. Verses 1-2 says, "Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River, He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became hungry." And that is where the devil started.  Verse 3 says, "Then the devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.'" Yes, Jesus was the Son of God and...

Monday... It is just so practical and honest. God's Word tells it like it really is. Look at these verses in Proverbs 19. Verse 1 (MSG) says, "Better to be poor and honest than a rich man no one can trust." Let's be honest. We think being rich will make us happy. It can if we get it the way God wants us to get it and then to use it the way God wants us to use it.  Here is another practical thought. Verse 2 (NLT) says, "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." Now we all make mistake and we many times suffer the consequences of those mistakes. We come up with an idea and we set out to do it without stopping and praying about it and seeking God's guidance or wise advice. The Message says, "Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste." And then verse 3 and this is the verse that caught my attention in my first read through this morning. The New Living Translation says, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness...

Saturday... When was the last one? When was your last quarrel? Did you win the argument? Was it worth it?  Proverbs 17:1 (MSG) says, "A meal of bread and water in contented peace is better that a banquet spiced with quarrels." There is definite residual after having a fight no matter who wins especially if it is with someone you love. There is definite pain after Margaret, my wife and I have had a quarrel and we do all we can to not have them. We are both very strong people with our own individual ways of looking at situations but we strive to do anything we can to keep from having a quarrel. We just don't like having them with each other.  We have been with couples who it seems are always putting down the other one. Especially if you are newly married stay away from couples like that. It is not healthy for you and your spouse. "A meal of bread and water in contented peace is better that a banquet spiced with quarrels." Now they come from many different areas. I...

Friday... Now this is the way to start a new day. Psalm 46:1 (NLT) says, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." Did you catch that? He is "our" refuge? The "our" makes it personable. Now we have to reach out and rely in order to realize it that he is always ready. But it is the truth. Again, he is always ready in times of our being in trouble. The writer goes on. Verse 2 says, "So we will not fear." So many times we go to bed afraid and then we wake up in fear. Again, "We will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea." Verse 3, "Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!"  I live 4 hours away from the ocean but I do live in a valley that is surrounded by mountains. But maybe it isn't mountains or the ocean that makes us afraid. But no matter what it is, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of t...

Thursday... This can make such a difference. Proverbs 15:13 (MSG) says, "A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day." So true. Verse 15 says, "A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song." The Amplified Bible puts them this way. Verse 13, "A heart full of joy and goodness makes a cheerful face, but when a heart is full of sadness the spirit is crushed." And then verse 15, "All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of the circumstances]." Again, so true. Then look at verse 14, "The mind of the intelligent and discerning seeks knowledge and eagerly inquires after it." And then verse 16, "Better is a little with the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it." And these two verses in The Message. Verse 14, "An intelligent person is always eager to take...

Wednesday... We either love it or hate it. Today is February 14th. Today is Valentine's Day and we either love it or hate it. It all depends upon what is happening or has happened in our lives. I read Mark 15 this morning and this is what the last verse of this chapter, verse 42 (NLT) says, "Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid." They had just gone through the worst day of their life. All their hopes and dreams had been killed and they were watching Jesus being buried. This was not a good day. And then I also read Psalm 44 and this was also a bad day for the writer but he ended it by saying in verse 36, "Rise up! Help us! Ransom us because of your unfailing love." Of course, all we know today is what we have gone through. We can't see tomorrow. So today is either a good day or a day with pain attached to it but the truth is if we have a relationship with God it is a day with hope attached to it because of God's ...

Tuesday... Now that is another way to look at it. Proverbs 13:8 (MSG) says, "The rich can be sued for everything they have, but the poor are free of such threats." Now that is another way to look at it. Some people have that kind of a personality, or attitude. For some it is the way they were born but for others they have worked at it. They can see another side and accept it and think about it. Look at this one, verse 9 says, "The lives of good people are brightly lit streets; the lives of wicked are dark alleys." And they are bright. The NLT says, "The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out." And that is important to see.  Now verse 10 (NIV) is the one that caught my attention in my first read through this morning. "Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Pride has a way of messing up so much in our lives. Think back at your last fight you had and ...

Monday... Why? Why? Here it is, another Monday, another new week. So, how is it starting, how is your week going? Some would say, Psalm 42:4a (NLT), "My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be." And then we ask, verse 5a, "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?" Maybe that is where you are. Verse 7 says, "I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and your surging tides sweep over me." And verses 9-10 says, "'O God my rock.' I cry, 'why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppresses by my enemies? Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, '"Where is this God of yours?"'" Maybe that is where we are. Then, then 5b-6a says, "I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God!" The Message says, "Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God. When I'm in the dumps, I rehearse everythi...

Saturday... Two very interesting words put together. Now one of them makes the other one difficult to do. Here is how David starts Psalm 40. The opening line of verse 1 (AMP) says, "I waited patiently and expectantly." Now there really are three words that don't seem to go together but really are successful words together. The first one is "waited." Waiting can be so difficult.  It really can. We took two of our granddaughters out last night to eat and we waited it seemed a long time for our food. We were under a time frame so the longer we waited the more anxious we got.  So I didn't really do the second word. I didn't wait "patiently". Yes, to wait successfully we need to be patient, don't we? But then David says, "patiently and expectantly." Have you found that the trip going someplace take longer than going home. It is all in our expectation. We are so looking forward to getting there. But that is not the end of the statement ...

Friday... I am expecting them to be there. We have had an abnormal week this week here in the desert. I know we have mountains surrounding our valley but I can't see them because of the clouds. But I am expecting them to be there, hopefully tomorrow. David in Psalm 39:7 (AMP) says, "And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You." Maybe you have had some cloudy days in your life and you may be wondering what is ahead. Now I know there are mountains out there. I think they are covered with snow but they are there. I may not be able to see them but I am expecting to see them maybe tomorrow. So what am I building my hope on? Well, I have sat in this coffee shop that I am in right now, nearly 500 times and I have written this blog and looked out and have been inspired as I looked out on those mountains. Usually we have beautiful views of those mountains. I have seen them and I have experienced their beauty. I know they are there an...

Thursday... What would be your answer? As Jesus and his disciples were headed to Jerusalem there was this loud guy on the side of the road. This guy was blind and he heard that Jesus was nearby so he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Mark 10:47 (NLT). What would you shout if you heard that Jesus was nearby? Well, I am here to tell you that he is. Yes, he is. So what would you say to get his attention? And of course many of the people yelled at this guy, "Be quiet!" Now there are some times that we need to be loud for our own sake. We need to see ourselves that we are really serious. So what would you yell to Jesus? Verse 48 says, "'Be quiet!' many of the people yelled at him. But he shouted louder, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'" Could it be that in situations that are way beyond our control we are too quiet? Could it be that God wants to know that we are really serious? Could it be that we listen to those around u...

Wednesday... Yes, it is available to us, if! There was a man over in Mark 9 who brought his mute son who had a demon in him to Jesus' disciples but they couldn't do anything. And then Jesus walked up and the father said to him in verse 22 (MSG), "If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!" Verse 23,  "Jesus said, 'If? There are no "'ifs'" among believers. Anything can happen.'" And Jesus healed him.  And then verses 28-29 says, "After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, 'Why couldn't we throw the demon out?' He answered, 'There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except through prayer.'" We have so much ability but up to a point. We wake up some mornings and wonder why we can't handle what we are facing. And we turn to Jesus and say v. 22 (NLT) "Have mercy on us, if you can," And that is where we start. And then he says, "What do you mean, ...

Tuesday... It seems that we would remember. But it also seems that it is so easy for us to forget. Over in the Gospel of Mark there was so much that was happening to these 12 common men who were Jesus disciples. I mean, they had seen Jesus feed over 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes. Now that seems to be something that we would remember if it happened to us.  But Mark 8:1 (NLT) says, "About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again." And Jesus said that they needed to do something about feeding them.  There were 4,000 this time and verse 4 says, "His disciples replied, 'How are we suppose to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?'" Verse 5 says, "Jesus asked, 'How much bread do you have?' 'Seven loaves,' they replied." Verse 8 says, "They ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food." Verse 9...

Monday... Our language can be so confusing. Look at Psalm 34 and what King David says. In verse 4 he says, "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, He freed me from my fears." Now we need to know that. Many wake up each morning and go to bed each night with great fears. Those fears can even keep us awake. There are so many fears so we need to know that we can pray to God and tell him what fears we have and know that he will answer us and free us from the bondage of our fears. And yes he will. Verse 6 says, "In desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles." That is so awesome. It really is. But then verse 7 says, "For the angel of the Lord defends all who fear him." Wait a minute, I am suppose to fear God? That is so confusing.  But those are two different kinds of fears. Now the first one is a fear that we really do need to deal with. Yes, we need to pray, we need to reach out to God but then we also may need to reach out...

Saturday... Sometime our mind gets ahead of the truth. For the most part we think we are smart. We see a situation and believe in our ability to come up with the answer. But Proverbs 3:5 & 6 (NLT) gives us a great platform to live on. They say, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Now we have been taught by our world to believe in ourselves, in our abilities, our view of life and our smarts. Yes, we have unbelievable abilities and understanding and that is important but it needs to be taken a major step further. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Even in our great abilities we can not see all that God can see, know all that God knows and do what he can do. There was a time in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus went home. In Mark 6:2-3 it s...

Friday... We do not really realize that it is true until it happens. Psalm 32:1 (AMP) says, "Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, favored by God] is he whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered." I love how the Amplified Bible uses descriptive adjectives to describe what it is saying. The NLT says, "O what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!" We do not really realize that it is true until it happens. Verse 2 goes on, "Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt." And then the writer of this Psalm, David describes the other side. Verses 3 & 4 says, "When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heart." And that may be you. And then the story continues. Verse 5 says, "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to...

Thursday... I had a choice. I am starting a new month and I have a choice of what books in the Bible to read. For sure I will read in the Psalms. I am on the second cycle so I read Psalm 31. I also read in the NT and I am in the Gospel of Mark. And then I came to whether I would read this month the book of Proverbs or another book. I started in chapter 1 and thought about maybe another book but as I read the first few verses in Proverbs 1, I knew I needed to reinforce my seeking wisdom. Here is the way chapter 1 starts. Verses 1 (NLT) says, "These are the proverbs of  Solomon, David's son, king of Israel." That is the intro. Then verses 2-4 says, "Their purpose is to teach wisdom and discipline, to help then understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help then do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young."  I love th...