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 if 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 Amplified Bible says, "Then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] and discovering the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives [skillful and godly wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

And verse 7, "He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him] He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage."

And verse 8 (NLT), "He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him."

Just read through the ifs again and see the reality of the thens.There are such great benefits if we do the ifs! Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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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...

Wednesday... It didn't just happen.

Psalm 16;10 (NLT), "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." Wednesday... It didn't just happen. We are headed into a weekend of deep emotion. One that we really really love was killed and it didn't just happen. David in Psalm 16:10 (NLT) writes of this happening. He says about God, "For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave." We read over in the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament in the Bible of the life of God's Son who came to earth to be our sacrifice so that our soul would not be left among the dead. Jesus came so that we wouldn't have to be buried at death and just left there. But he also shares that Jesus who was going to be killed as a sacrifice for our sins would not have to rot in a grave. David many generations before foretold this and that is what happened. Now that had to be a God thing. We can guess a lot about our future and we d...

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Todays Beginning

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