Thursday... He has the ability, but.

And the but is very important to understand and to follow through faith.

David writes in Psalm 20:1 (NLT), "In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm."

And then verse 4, "May he grant your heart's desire and make all your plans succeed." Yes, God has the ability and he will answer our cry and he has what it takes to grant our desires and for all our plans to succeed. But it all must go through his love and his wisdom and his plan for us. And then the last part of verse 5 says, "May the Lord answer all your prayers." He can but he also knows what is best.

Look at Proverbs 20:4. It says, "Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest." But why didn't he answer my prayer? I'm in trouble. Yes, you are because you didn't do your part. He gives us opportunities and tasks to do. Now if we are physically unable, then that is different.

Look at verses 12-13, "Ears to hear and eyes to see - both are gifts from the Lord. If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!"

Verse 24, "The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way." And then back to verse 18, "Plans succeed through good counsel; don't go to war without wise advice." The Message says, "Form your purpose by asking counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get."

And then over to Romans 5:2-5 (NLT). It says, "Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he had given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

Yes, God loves us and has the ability but he also has a plan and a purpose and he can be trusted when we follow him. So stay in God's Word and follow his Spirit's leading and let him develop and strengthen you. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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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

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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

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