Todays Beginning

Hebrews 5:8 (NIRV), "Jesus was God's Son. But by suffering he learned what it means to obey." Thursday... They did it, they did it. No, I'm not saying that the Dodgers won the pennant last night, though they did. No that's not it. But it is that there are people who are learning from situations in their lives and maturing from them and then choosing what is right instead of wrong. Hebrews 5:8 says, "Jesus was God's Son. But by suffering he learned what it means to obey." He didn't waste his suffering. And then verse 14 (AMP), "But solid food is for the [spiritually] mature whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between what is morally good and what is evil." Their senses were trained. How we respond and learn from difficult situations in our life that are there to teach us goes a long way in our maturing. And maturing is so important in our life. Growing through difficult situations goes a long way in our maturing. Jesus is...

Psalm 150:2 (NLT), "Praise him for his mighty works; praise him for his unequaled greatness." Wednesday... But are they really great? We are right now in the midst of two competitions and we are hearing the reasons why they are great. Now one is the election of the President of the United States, They do mention in their advertisement of each ones greatness but more about the other ones weakness or faults. This will be over the first week in November. The other competition is the World Series of baseball. Now the advertisement of the WS has focused on the greatness of two individual players on each team and the truth is neither one of those players have lived up to their ads but the competition between the New Your Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodger has been exciting to watch. Now I am partial to the Dodgers. I have been a fan of them for a long time so I am excited that they are ahead in the Series but they still have to win one more to win the Series. Again the two players,...

Hebrews 3:14 (NLT), "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." Tuesday... The beginning is great but there is more to it. Margaret and I are celebrating next week our 50th anniversary. We have had some tough years in the middle but it has been worth all that we have gone through. The key is, we must keep at it. The beginning was great but you must keep at it, there is more to it. Now that is also true in our relationship with Christ. Yes the beginning is great but there is more to it. That's why we spend time in God's Word. That's why we go to church. That's why we continually strive to grow in our relationship with God and follow his guidance through his Holy Spirit. And it is so worth it. The same is true in your relationships with others, especially your family. We each need quality time with those we love.  Now, Margaret is my best friend and that means time together a...

Proverbs 28:1 (NLT), "The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions." Monday... It really can be tiring. Life can be tiring especially when we are running away from stuff. Now running on purpose looking ahead can be very healthy but this running away can be draining. This verse in The Message Paraphrase says, "The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one's after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions." It is so hard to go anywhere when we are always looking over our shoulder. Over in the book of Leviticus in 26:13 (NLT) it says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high." We don't always need to be looking back. Now God through his Son took it a step further. And over in the book of Hebrews it says in 2:14-15, "Becaus...

Proverbs 25:15 (MSG),  "Patient, persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses." Friday... So, maybe that is the way to handle it. The problem in so many situations is that we want it done now. But patient, persentence pierces through so much.  We are in the midst of striving to put a three bedroom house into a two bedroom townhouse and our garage is full of stuff. But slowly we are getting it done. Patient persentence pierces through so much.  For some they are in need of a job and they need it now but patient, persistence, pierces through so much. For others they need a house sold but this Presidential election seems to be holding up the process. But patient, persistence pierces through it all. What is it that you want and you think needs to be done right now? I was thinking today about how patient and persistence God is. Have you read the Old Testament in the Bible and then the New Testament? Hebrews 1:1-3a says, "Going through a l...

Proverbs 24:13 (NLT), "My child, eat honey, for it is so good., and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste." Thursday... Oh, it is so very good for us. Now honey is a natural sweetness. And it says here that it is good for us. But our problem is that we like to eat substitutes that aren't good for us and we eat them to extreme.  Now the writer here goes on. In verse 14 he writes, "In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short."   The Amplified Bible says this verse this way, "Know that  [skillful and godly] wisdom is [so very good] for your life and soul; If you find wisdom, then there will be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation will not be cut off." Now this is important to know. James 1:5 (NIRV) says, "If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone and doesn't find fault."  Now th...

Titus 3:4-5a (NLT), "But -  When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us."  Wednesday... There is so, so much. Yes, there is so much in the Bible. Psalm 123:1-2a says, "I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy." And we need that so much in this day in which we live, don't we? Verse 3 says, "Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt." There is so much that is available to us. There really is. Proverbs 23:13 (NIRV) says, "Apply your heart to what you are taught. Listen carefully to words of knowledge." The NLT says, "Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge." There is so much to learn in the Bible. There is so much! And then in Paul's letter to Titus it says this. Titus 3:3 says, "Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our...

Psalm 142:5 (NLT) says, "Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, 'You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.'" Tuesday... So, where can we live today? King David, the writer of this Psalm was living in a cave at this point in his life. He was hiding from King Saul who was wanting to kill him. Now I'm not sure if that is where you are are living and what is happening to you but many do live in a cave of aloneness. Verse 4 says, "I look for someone to come and help me but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me." And that is an emotional cave where so many are living today and it is so real. Now the problem is that a cave is dark and it usually only has one way out. The path through a cave is not heavily traveled. And too many times people who care about the cave dweller believe that they don't want to be bothered. But it is a very very lonely place to live. And verse 5 tells what Dav...

Proverbs 21:1 (NLT), "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases." Monday... But some streams do have rocks in them. I love streams. When we lived in Colorado, Margaret and I would find a flow of water on the flats of the plains and follow it up through the mountains and see where it started. I love the rushing water coming down through the canyons that over time thy had created.  Here in our mountains around Las Vegas our streams are not above ground but underground so we cannot enjoy their beauty. But in some ways they are a picture of this verse.  Now there is beauty in the streams but there are also rocks. I have tubed down some of those streams in Colorado and they were not peaceful. I was constantly striving to miss the rocks but the rocks are there and they help to channel the stream to where it is to go. And that is a great picture of this Proverb. King Solomon the writer of many of the Proverbs had some very ...

  Psalm 138:8 (NIRV), "Lord, you will show that I was right to trust you. Lord, your faithful love continues forever. You have done so much for us, so don't stop now." Friday... Oh to be shown that we were right. Yes, we want to show others that we are right but the truth is, we sometimes need to show ourselves that what we believe is right. The Apostle Paul over in 2 Timothy 4:7 was in prison and maybe from a human point was doing some evaluation and here is what he said, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." And in the situation he was in he could do some wondering just like some of us in our situations. But he didn't stop there. And this is so very important for us to see. In verse 8 Paul continues, "Now there is a crown waiting for me. It is given to those who are right with God. The Lord, who judges fairly, will give it to me on the day he returns. He will not give it only to me. He will also give it to al...

Proverbs 17:17 (NLT) says, "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." Thursday... Can this be said about us and someone close to us? As a staff person, a pastor that I was working for said that the quality that he appreciated the most in me was that I was loyal. And I counted that as a tremendous compliment. We were in a very difficult situation in that church and he really did need someone beside him who was loyal. And we each one need someone like that in our lives. How about you? Again this Proverb says, "A friend is always loyal." The Amplified Bible says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." The Message says, "Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble." You might say that you don't have anyone like that and the question would be, "Are you like that to anyone?" Have you found that we have to plant seeds in order to...

Psalm 136:1 (AMP), "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) endures forever." Wednesday... So, what is the first thing to do? We have been moving. We have moved from one community into another one here in Las Vegas. I have jokingly said, "We are moving to be with our people. Old people." We have moved into Sun City Summerlin which is a 55 and older community.  But we have also downsized and that is real work. So I have been posting scriptures each morning but have not been posting TODAYS BEGINNING until today. God's Word is always an encouragement, isn't it? Now the first verse I read today is this verse which is a great way to start a new day, a new endeavor and a new location. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." And that is so true.  We are so excited about our new location, our new home. It definitely has God's hand all over it. Now the full garage tells us the job isn't ov...

Psalm 119:140 (NLT), "Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much." Thursday... Life has its distractions, doesn't it? I was sitting here at my computer and I did what I was suppose to do to connect with where I write and it wasn't connecting but then a choice popped up on my screen and one of the choices was wait so I pushed that option and here we are. Yes life has its distractions. In Psalm 119 the writer says in verse 148, "I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promises" and that is definitely a distraction but as it says we can use it to wait and dwell on God's promises. And verse 140 says, "Your promises have been thoroughly tested; that is why I love them so much." Yes, we can use those distractions. Proverbs 3:24-26 says, "You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, both the ...

Psalm 119:105 (New Living Translation), "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." Wednesday... Such a tremendous blessing and it needs to be shared. Both of my parents were Christians. They are both now in heaven and both of those facts have and are a tremendous blessing to me, especially their sharing with me the Bible.   Today's highlighted verse was one of many verses in the Bible that my mom had me memorized as a child. That was a definite blessing for me and my life. Now I memorized it in the King James Version of the Bible and it says it this way, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  I have been introduced to many different versions of the Bible which helps me in my understanding and one of the modern versions of the Bible, The Message Paraphrase says it this way, "By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path." And we definitely have so many dark paths in our...

Psalm 119:73 (NLT), "You made me, you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands." Tuesday... There are so many things that I want, and this is for sure one of them. It really is. Here, the one who made us, created us wants to give us the sense to follow his commands.  We are in the midst of moving from one neighborhood to another. We're moving into Sun City, a 55 and older community. And I jokingly say that I want to be with my people, old people.  The truth is there are other reasons why. Well, I had to go over to the new house to unlock the door for the cleaners but I got in there and I couldn't get the Air Conditioner on and I knew the cleaners would need it on because we are still in the 100's but I couldn't figure it out until I realized that a worker yesterday had unplugged it. If I would have called him I would have known what to do. And that would have made sense but I kept at it trying to figure out what to do. And so many live life th...