Monday... They are so honest. They really understand.

I have been reading a Psalm everyday for over fifty years and I love the fact that they are honest and understanding.

Look at Psalm 10:1 (NLT). It says, "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble?" Have you ever felt that way? I mean, trouble is all around you and you feel all alone. Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you feel that way today.

Well that is the way this Psalm like many other Psalms start. Yes we are allowed to say what we feel. It seems to get it out in the open.

I'm not sure what David the writer of this Psalm was going through but he starts out being honest about what he felt. But that is not where he stops but too many times that is where we stop.

He continues. In verse 13 he says, "Why do the wicked get away with despising God? They think, 'God will never call us to account.'" And then verse 14 starts with a very important word. It is a word that gets him back on track. It says, "But." In all of this honesty we need to finally get to the but. That is what the Psalms helps us do. Verse 14 says, "But you see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans."

Yes, David goes on and in verses 17-18 he says, "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them."

Verse 17 in the NIRV says, "Lord, you hear the desires of those who are hurting. You cheer them up and give them hope. You listen to their cries."

The Amplified Bible says, "O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble and oppressed; You will incline Your ear to hear." We cannot stop at verse 1, "Why do You stand so far away, O Lord? Why do You hide [Yourself, veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble." We must keep going. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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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...

Today's Beginning

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