Wednesday... He is so good but.

Wednesday... He is so good but he is not easy.

He is definitely a good God. Just the opportunity to have someone in our life who will always love us is so good but love doesn't mean easy.

Let's say I'm in school and I have a test tomorrow and I don't study but when I get up I pray that God will help me with my test. Or let's say, that I need a job but I don't put in the effort to find one, but I do pray or I do have a job but I just don't want to get up and do it so I pray that God will supply my needs.

Proverbs 20:4 (NLT) says, "Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest." God honors our diligence, our effort and he gives us opportunities if and when we pray. He also will give us strength but he does not honor laziness.

Verse 12 says, "Ears to hear and eyes to see - both are gifts from the Lord."

Every morning when I start my daily systematic reading in Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament, I start my time by praying, "Lord, open my eyes to see, my ears to hear, my mind to comprehend, my heart to comply and my hands to communicate so that someone will be encouraged, enlighted, inspired, invited to a deeper relationship with you or invited to a new relationship with you and then I start reading. Now it may mean that I read these three chapters in five different translations before that word comes to me and I start writing. And yes, God always answers my prayer but I must also do my part and many times it is not easy but it always is a privilege and an opportunity.

Verse 13 says, "If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat." The Amplified Bible says, "Do not love [excessive] sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes [so that you can do your work] and you will be satisfied with bread."

It called work. And it isn't always easy. Now work started in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. God gave Adam a job. He was to name all of the animals. Work is a part of God's plan.

Now it is true that if something is too difficult, if troubles come, God is only a prayer away.

Over in John 2, Jesus was at a wedding and the wine ran out, there was no more, and Mary, Jesus mother came to Jesus and told him, "They have no more wine." Now Jesus took care of the problem but there were things that the servants had to do. Yes, this was Jesus first miracle, he turned water into wind but the servants had a hand in it. They had something to do and they did it. And it wasn't easy for them but they weren't lazy, they did what he said and there was a miracle.

Psalm 80:3 (CEV) says, "Our God, make us strong again and save us." We don't need to be strong if we are in bed but if we are up and doing our part then we need to be strong and God will answer that prayer and he will save us. Now there are situations where we need to be in bed and God will give us the strength to handle those times. He really will.

Yes we must pray and yes we must do. This is just a reminder, God is so good but he is not easy. Life can be hard, but he will be with us and leading us and strengthening us. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Monday... He did it by Himself

Isaiah 44:24b (AMP), "I am the Lord, Maker of all things. Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself." Monday... He did it by Himself. Many have a tendency to think very highly of themselves and what they can do. Oh we do have great ability but we are not the source. Yes it is important to have self-confidence but we are limited. The prophet Isaiah in 44:9-10 (NLT) says, "How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don't know this, so they are all put to shame. Who but a fool would make his own god - an idol that cannot help him one bit?" Now later in verse 24 (AMP) he writes, "For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says, 'I am the Lord, Maker of all things, Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself.'" I love that. "By Myself." Now we do need confidence but we are foolish to ma...

Friday... We have this hope of expectancy.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Friday... We have this hope of expectancy. Now David found a great way to start his day. He says in Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT), "O LORD, hear me as I pray." And that is a great place to start. It really is. Morning sunrise He goes on, "Listen to my cry for help, my King, my God, for I pray to no one but you." And that is so important. We don't try to pump ourselves up by ourself. No, we pray to no one but you, God, my LORD, my King. Now this relationship with God is so, so very important. And then David says, "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you" And that is so great. And then he says, "and wait expectantly." Yes, we have this hope of expectancy. We are experienced. That is what a relationship with God and a moment by moment connection does. It makes a difference in our daily wa...

Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true.

Psalm 12:6 (NLT), "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true. Maybe this is what you want to say in this day in which we live. Psalm 12:1-2 (MSG) says, "Quick, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, all the friends I depend on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues." Do you ever feel that way?" Have you found that to be true? Well David the writer of this Psalm continues and says in verse 6 something to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us hope. Psalm 12:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Message Paraphrase says verses 6-8 this way, "God's words are pure words, pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, pure on earth as well as in heaven, God, keep ...

Todays Beginning

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