Todays Beginning

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT), "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." Friday... Life just seems to go so fast but also, it can seem so slow. I don't know what you are going through right now and what you want from God right now but sometimes he just seems to be so slow. But Peter in his 2nd letter says that we need to not forget one thing. 2 Peter 3:8 (NLT) says, "But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day." We may think that we need this to happen, whatever this is, right now. "But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends:"  Impatience is a part of most of our natures. It is so hard for us to wait. But verse 9 says, "The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise." But he promised, he promised. Why ha...

Psalm 28:7 (NLT), "The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Thursday... He deserves it. Yes he does! God really does deserve our thanks. He really does. I mean, he is my strength. When I am getting discouraged and weak he strengthens me. He really does.  Psalm 28:7 (NLT), "The Lord is my strength." Now I'm not talking about physical strength but he does give me that. Here I am 77 years of age and it is really amazing to me what I can do. Yes, he does give me physical strength. I mean, we have just in the last month moved from one house to another and I have done my part in carrying boxes and helping with furniture. Of course we hired movers but there was still stuff for me to carry and he gave me strength. For sure, he gave me and Margaret the strength to do a major move. We didn't shy away, we did it. What about you? Has he given you strength? You m...

2 Peter 1:2 (NLT), "May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord." Wednesday... It is coming. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving but it also is the first day of our Celebration of Giving and this is such an exciting time of the year. Many have the lights and decorations and their Christmas Tree already up and the Carols are playing throughout the house and their cars.  Have you noticed that it all starts with giving thanks? Now Thanksgiving is looking back and seeing all the goodness that has happened to us and giving thanks but it is also a time when too many people can remember the elections and their feelings of winning or losing. So 2 Peter 1:2 may be a great prayer to pray and two gifts we need to ask God for before they come over. It says, "May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord." And we will need grace and peace when we gather around the table.  Aga...

Psalm 25:3 (AMP), "Indeed, none of those who [expectantly] wait for You will be ashamed, those who turn away from what is right and deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed (humiliated, embassasswd)." Monday... So, how was your weekend? I live in Las Vegas, the fun capital of the world. We even had the world here this weekend. We had a  Formula 1 race and the world was here. But I usually ask my brarista friends in my coffee shop each Monday morning, "How was your weekend?" and then ask, "Was there any jail time?" I know, I know, that is a grandpa joke but for many in this town, it isn't a joke. They party too much and may end up in jail. So, how was your weekend? Now, I just had two of my barista friends say they saw me in church Saturday night and that was a good thing. Yes, weekends are usually in our hands. We get to choose what we do more than the work week and some could feel ashamed when I ask that question. It wasn't a good weekend....

1 Peter 3:17 (NLT), "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" Friday... It is so difficult to deal with. Suffering is really, really difficult to deal with but God can use it for good. 1 Peter 3:17 (NLT) says, "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" And Jesus in his humanness had to deal with this. King David in Psalm 22:1 says, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?" And later in verse 18 he says, "They divided my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing." David is talking here about Jesus and what he was going to go through. Yes the humanness of Jesus also suffered and David in looking forward saw Jesus suffering from the human side so he could say to us that he understands. And for sure Jesus does know what suffering is all about and even th...

Psalm 21:11 (NLT), "Although they plot against you their evil schemes will never succeed." Thursday... They don't need to succeed. We are not in this world alone and there is a lot of plotting going on. Now we have our strengths but we also have our weak spots, don't we? And they are constantly being used against us, aren't they? But this verse here in Psalm 21:11 (NLT) is so encouraging. It says "Although they plot against you their evil schemes never succeed." King David knows what he is talking about. And he had a lot of weak spots that were used against him over and over and he has written this verse from experience and he writes it to encourage us. Notice that he starts this Psalm in verse 1 by saying, "How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts for joy because you give him victory."  And verse 6 in the Amplified Bible says, "For You make him more blessed [and a blessing] forever; You make Him joyful with the joy of You...

Wednesday... What do we need to hear and say today? Psalm 20:5 (MSG), "When we win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners. May all your wishes come true." Wednesday... What do we need to hear and say today? So, how do we start the sentence that sets our focus for today? Well, King David says in Psalm 20:5a (MSG), "When we win." So many also start with when but they say, "When we lose." How we finish the when sentence goes a long way in whether we will celebrate or not. Now the next verse says, "That clinhes it - help's coming and answer's on the way, everything is going to work out." And the key is verse 1 (NIV), "May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you." The Apostle Peter in the New Testament of the Bible wrote a letter to a group of people who were being persecuted and they didn't feel like winners and in 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT) he writes, "Al...

Psalm 19:3-4 (NLT), "They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone through out the earth, and their words to all the world." Tuesday... Yes they do, they speak without a sound. God knows what we need to see and hear. I love the Bible. It is such a great place to spend some time but God words come through in other ways. Every morning after I have gotten ready for the day I open all the shades in our living and dining room and kitchen. The light needs to be let in after the dark of another night. I had awakened this morning with some despair and after opening the shades and letting the sun come in I turned to Psalm 19 and started reading. And here is what it says in verses 1-4 (NLT), "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone thro...

Psalm 18:33 (NLT), "He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights." And that is a good place to not be wobbly. And I have times when I am wobbly. But as Psalm 18:33 (NLT) says, "He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights." And that is a good place to not be wobbly, isn't it? The Amplified Bible says this verse this way. It says, "He makes my feet like hinds' feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble]; He sets me [securely] upon my high places." But it is so easy to just be looking all around and not notice that rock or that step that is right ahead of us and if we are not looking and being wobbly it can mean that we fall flat on our faces. I know that from experience. And in times of testing and trouble we need to be sure footed, we need to be standing firmly. And it can be a good thing to be hand in hand with someone who is sure footed. Now times o...

Proverbs 15:1 (NLT), "A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare." Friday... It really can make a difference. It really can. Our tongue has so much potential. It really does. Proverbs 15:1 (NLT) says, "A gentle answer deflects anger but harsh words make tempers flare." It can really make a difference, both good and bad. It really can.  Verse 2 says, "The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness." Psalm 15:1-2 says, "Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts." And verse 3 continues, "Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of the friends." What comes out of our mouths matters to God. James 3:10 says, "And so blessing and cursing comes pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters,...

Proverbs 14:2 (NLT), "Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him." Thursday... Where would we be if we followed these paths? I know, I know, we wander through life wondering where to go. When I was young my father was a traveling evangelist and it was my job on our trips to look at the maps and tell him where to go. I'm now older and things have changed and I have Waze. But if I am headed to a particular place it is important to be on the right road, the right path. I always hate getting off track, especially in life. Proverbs 14:2 (NLT) says, "Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him." Verse 8 says, "The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves." The Amplified Bible says, "The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, but the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit." If I want to go to LA from Las Vegas I do...

Psalm 13:5-6 9 (NLT), "But I will trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me." Wednesday... Maybe you are in this same spot. I love the honesty of David the writer of Psalm 13 and he starts by saying what we may want to say because we are in the same spot. He starts in verses 1-2 (NLT) by saying "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?" Maybe you woke up this morning with those same feelings of despair but you were afraid to say it, to feel it. Yes, life can be so tough and we feel that no one cares and maybe we feel that God doesn't even seem to care.  But this isn't where David stops. Yes, this is where he starts but he doesn't stop here but it is so easy to stop here, isn't it?  In verses 3-4 he goe...

Hebrews 13:1-2 (NLT), "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" Tuesday... How would we treat each other if we thought this was true? That's a good question, isn't it? Now we do treat others different if we think they are important. Yes, we do but in God's eyes everyone is important. How would we treat our family if they were angels? Oh, I know they aren't but what if we thought they were? Somehow we need to stop and realize how important each one of us is to God. His angels were created to worship him and he wanted a being that worshiped him out of choice, out of love. So he created us but we blew it and he later sent his Son, Jesus to die for us, to win us back. We really are important to him. There was a time right after Jesus was crucified that these two guys were out walking and this guy came up and they started talking t...

Proverbs 12:25 (AMP), "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good (encouraging) word makes it glad." Monday... Yes, yes, we may really need it. It is so true that anxiety in a person's heart really does weigh it down. So many around us have such heavy hearts. Proverbs 12:25 (AMP), says, "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down," The Message says, "Worry weighs us down." Now a lot of times that comes from the kind of people we are around. It even can be from the type of TV that we watch. CNN and Fox News can really get us down.  But that is not the whole Proverb. There is more. The Amplified Bible says, "But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad." And the Message says, "a cheerful word picks us up." That may be what so many of us need, really need on this Monday morning. So let's see what the Bible says. Psalm 12:6-8 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified ...

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...

Psalm 7:1 (NLT), "I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors - rescue me!" Thursday... There is a whole lot of excitement and a bunch of despair. I know, I know that we get all caught up in all of what is being said and we take sides and taking sides can be both good and bad. It seems that all that matters is who wins. I am a Los Angeles Dodgers fan and they beat the Padres, the Mets and then the New York Yankees and they became the World Champions of baseball and we had a great parade. Winners seem to do that. But what if I was a loser then no parade and that has also been true for me many times. Now the same is true in an election. Being a winner is great but a loser stinks. And in our country there are deep feelings on both sides. Some have great excitement and others deep despair. And I understand that too. I have been a winner and a loser but the truth is, I have found that the problem is who you stand behind, who you totally believe in and...

Psalm 6:9 (NLT), "The Lord heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer." Wednesday... Today is a great day. Oh yes, we have a winner in the Presidential election but that is not what I was thinking about. This is one of the great weeks in my life. Today is my wife, Margaret's birthday and on Saturday, 50 years ago we were married. Now that makes today and Saturday two of the greatest days for sure in my life. Yes, "The Lord heard my plea." and I'm sure if you have a relationship with God you too have had times when you know that God has heard your pleas. And Margaret, definitely was an answer to my plea, my prayer. Now there are two situations in this verse. One is that the Lord heard our plea and that builds confidence. Can you look back and remember when the Lord heard a plea from you? Oh, I'm sure there are so many of them and the looking back and remembering and thanking God builds confidence so you can know that  the Lord will, will, will answer y...

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly." Tuesday... So let's get started. This is such an important day. And a great place to start today, election day, is in prayer. Verse 3 says, ""Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly." KIng David here in verses 1-2 says, "O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, My King and my God, for I pray to no one but you." Now there are a whole lot of people here in our nation who are definitely groaning. And there are Christians on both side who are praying for their candidate to win. And that is understandable. So what does God do? Now God sees the whole picture. He sees what our nation really does need and he sees all of the possibilities and the outcomes and he also sees the consequences and the benefits of our choices. Later in verse...

Psalm 4:6 (NLT), "Many people will say, 'Who will show us better times?' Let your face smile on us, Lord." Monday... So, who will really do it? Good question, especially before our Presidential election tomorrow here in the United States. But is it really up to them? Will they really be the ones who do it? Well, this thought in my reading in the Psalms this morning gives those of us who are followers of God a different perspective. Yes, God does use people but is it really isn't up to them. Verses 7 & 8 says, "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Yes, "you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Do we really believe that? I mean there will be Christ followers who will be devastated if their candidate loses. They really will.  Oh I know, we have listened to what each candidate has said and we believe them in what th...

Psalm 1:3b (AMP), "And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity]." Friday... Oh we love this! We love to take portions of scripture and revel in what they say. But many times it is not the whole story. The principle of cause and effect is so important. But many in the day in which we live want the benefit without living out the cause. And that is a real problem Now here is the whole, the cause. Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT) says, "O the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in the mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." In other words, they read and do what the Bible says. Verse 2 in the Amplified Bible says, "And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night." That is what we do and then this is what we get. Verse 3 says, "And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water, which yields its fr...