Wednesday... He wasn't perfect, but.

I have spent a lot of time with King David, the writer of many of the Psalms and he wasn't perfect. I have been reading a Psalm a day for almost 50 years and David has shown his feelings, his failures and his areas that he had problems but I love how he starts Psalm 26.

In verses 1-3 (NLT), he writes, "Declare me innocent, O Lord for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth."

Again, "For I am always aware of your unfailing love." He was not perfect but he knew that God's love was unfailing. Now that is what we each one need, isn't it? But that kind of love only comes from a relationship with God. But how each one of us need that and each one of us needs to live with that. Yes, I am not perfect and I need that kind of love.

Now he had some qualities that made a difference. He had integrity, he trusted in the Lord, he lived with the right motives, his heart was right, he lived according to God's truth and he was aware of God's unfailing love. And that is so important for each one of us.

Verse 3 in the Amplified Bible says, "For your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked [faithfully] in Your truth."

Oh, how we need to see that and live with that. We really do in this world, in our families, need to show kindness and love. We too need lovingkindness.

Now in verse 4 he says something important. He says, "I do not sit with deceitful or unethical or worthless men, nor seek companionship with pretenders (self-righteous hypocrite)." We need to watch out who we spend time with. We really do.

Back in our beginning days of marriage, when Margaret and I were in the learning how to do it stage we tried to not spend a lot of time with couples who were having trouble in their marriage, who were striving to find out what love meant in a marriage. We tried to spend time with mature couples who really loved each other and who had a mature relationship with God. We had a time that we spent a lot of time, too much time with a couple who were having trouble in their marriage and it was not a good time for us in our marriage.

Verses 4-5 (NLT) says, "I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked." We may spend too much time watching TV and gossiping on the internet. There is a whole lot of anger on TV and the internet especially right now.

And then verses 6-7, "I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders." Now that is a great way to spend our time.

I have found that spending some time in the Psalms, in Proverbs and in the New Testament is a great way to start my day. We need to reinforce what God's unfailing love for us and through us means in how we live and how we respond to ourself and our imperfections and others. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

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 ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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