Todays Beginning

  Psalm 61:5 (NLT), "For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me am inheritance reserved for those who fear your name." Tuesday... Why do we do what we do? This really is a good question as we face a New Year. Why do we do what we do? Jacob over in Genesis 31:41 says to Laban his mother's brother, "Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more for your flock. And you changed your wages ten times!" We work so hard, don't we?  And then verse 42 says, "In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side - the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac - you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you." There is such a difference in our life if we do what we do when God is on our side.  Psalm 61:5 (NLT) shows why we do what we do and where our reward comes from. It sa...

Psalm 60:12 (NLT), "With God's help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes." Monday... He knows what we have gone through and what we can do!  He really does. He not only can see our past, our present and our future but he also knows what mighty things we will do with his help. David writes in Psalm 60:12 (NLT), "With God's help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes." But he also knows what we have just gone through. Now David starts this Psalm in verses 1-2a by saying, "You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; Now restore us to your favor. You have shaken our land and split it open." And we could say the same thing today, couldn't we? And that is how it seems we're starting this new year of 2025. And we need to pray the last part of verse 2, "Seal the cracks, for the land trembles." Yes, we need to turn to God even in our families and pray that p...

Psalm 57:7 (NLT), "My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing praises." Friday... Yes we can be. Yes, there is injustice all around us. But we still can be confident. Psalm 57 was written by David while he was a hiding in a cave from King Saul who was wanting to kill him. But he still said in verse 7, "My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing praises." Now this confidence came because of his experience with God in other times. Yes, this was the David who as a very young man killed a lion and a bear trying to kill his sheep and also the giant, Goliath. He has seen God at work in times past and he can now also be confident.  Earlier he said in verses 2 & 3, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me." Yes, we too can be confident as we head into this new year. We too may be b...

Psalm 56:3 (NLT), "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you." Thursday... It is coming so what are we going to do? Now, we do have a day or two to look back. It has been an interesting year. A lot has happened in our life and it can be easy for us to look forward to 2025 with some fear. As I faced this last year, 2024, there is no way that I would have seen what was going to happen and I'm sure that is true this next year. So what emotions do you have? In there I'm sure there can be some fear. The unknown does that.  In my daily reading I came upon this verse that King David wrote. Psalm 56:3 (NLT) says, "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you." I'm sure we all may need that verse as we face the unknown of 2025. Now when we look back and see the difficult things that happened we also as a Christ follower must look at how God has made such a difference in those fearful times that came upon us. Not sure that I want to go through them agai...

Psalm 54:1-2 (NLT), "Come with great power, O God and rescue me! Defend me with your might. Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea!" Tuesday... He knows what he is doing. Yes, God knows what he is doing! Now King David wrote over in Psalm 54:1-2 (NLT) this prayer. He was having a tough time so he prayed, "Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might. Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea!" Now if we would be in trouble and we prayed this prayer then we have a picture in our mind of how God would solve our problem. We probably would be looking for a warrior or an older person with experience or someone like a mother who really cares and knows how to solve our needs. For sure it wouldn't be a baby. Our expectations of how God will solve our plea for help doesn't always go the way that God handles it but he knows what he is doing. Yes we need to trust him. Now think back. Here the Old Testament had been wri...

Psalm 53:6 (NLT), "Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice." Monday... It finally happened. Margaret, my wife and I have moved into a different house but we still don't have the money out of our other house that we sold. It is supposed to come today or tomorrow. This matter of waiting can be so tough, it really can be. But it will finally happen. Well, the children of Israel had been told over 400 years before that a Savior was coming. He had been promised by God but then God was silent. The Old Testament ended with a book written by the minor prophet, Malachi who was inspired by God but then nothing until the Gospel of Matthew. There was about 400 years between these two inspired books. So they waited. Now King David wrote Psalm 53:6. way over 400 years. In it he said, "Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and I...

Psalm 50:23 (NLT), "But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me, if you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God." Friday... Yes, it gives us a positive spin. But in reality, it is more than that. In two places in Psalm 50 it says giving thanks to God is a sacrifice.  If you go back in the Old Testament to Leviticus 7 you will read of many different sacrifices that people were to bring to God. Now you realize that all of these sacrifices are leading up to what we will be celebrating in a few day, the birth of Jesus who was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. But in verse 12a it says, "If you present your peace offering as an expression of thanksgiving, the usual animal sacrifice must be accompanied by various kinds of bread made without yeast." For those in the Old Testament thanksgiving was more than just some words that we say. And maybe that shows that to God it is more than just a positive spin on what he has done and does and will d...

Revelations 7:27b (NLT), "He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes." Thursday... We think that we have it figured out. The writer of Psalm 49:7-9 (MSG) says, "Really, there's no such thing as self-rescue, pulling yourselves up by your bootstraps. The cost of rescue is beyond our means, and even then it doesn't guarantee life forever, or insurance against the Black Hole." Verses 16-17 (NIV) says, "Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them." But that is what we have given our life to do and to get. We think we have it made when we get rich and we buy that house. Yes, that does help in our life here but do we really have it figured out?  Look at Revelation 7:16 (NLT), it says, "They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the ...

Genesis 18:14a (AMP), "Is anything too difficult or wonderful for the Lord?" Wednesday... They knew it to be true. Now Moses was the writer of the first 5 books of the Bible and he wrote something in Genesis 18:14a (AMP), something that he knew to be true. It is so amazing what Moses knew to be true. He wrote here in the first part of verse 14, "Is anything too difficult or wonderful for the Lord?" Now another writer, the writer of the last book in the Bible also knew it to be true. He was with Jesus while he was on earth and he was there when he was crucified and he was one of the first to be at the tomb to see that he was resurrected and he also saw Jesus as he went up to heaven to be with his Father. And here in Revelation 5:6 he writes, "And there between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eye...

Genesis 17:17 (MSG), "Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, 'Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?'" Tuesday... All things are possible. We are living through a season of the impossible. Yes, the birth of God's Son to a virgin is impossible. But we celebrate here at Christmas the fact that it happened.  And here is another impossible happening. In Genesis 17:17 (MSG) we see where, "Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, 'Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?'" But they did and out of that son, Isaac, came a great nation.  What in your life needs an impossible to happen? Listen, all things are possible with God. The Bible is full of times when God did the impossible. And that is a great reason why we must keep in God's Word.  Verses 15-16 (NLT) says, "Then God said to Abraham, 'Regarding Sarai,...

Revelation 3:3a (AMP), "So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard." Monday... We have heard, and it is so important. We are headed into a new week. Now, many have over the weekend gone to church and they worshiped in song, heard some scripture and then a message, a sermon was given.  All of that can be just a part of our routine as Christians. We have done what we are suppose to do, now it is off to live another work week. But John, the writer of the book of Revelation gives this thought from God to the churches in Sardis and Laodicea and it is also to us. In Revelation 3:3a (AMP) John writes what God has told him to write, "So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard." Now so many of us don't spend too much time during our work week reading and meditating on our Bible so what we hear when we go to church on the weekend, it is so imperative that we, "Remember and take to heart the lessons you have receiv...

Psalm 43:3a (NLT), "Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me." Friday... What an amazing difference God can and will make in our lives. It is so true. What are you facing today? What questions are going through your mind today? And where do you turn for answers? Psalm 43:3a shows us an amazing difference that having God in our life can make. It says, "Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me." We can be so confused when we strive to live all on our own. In this day and age with so much out there striving to get our attention life can be so confusing. Have you watched YouTube? There is so much on there. So which one is the truth? What an amazing difference God can and will make in our lives but we must turn to him on a daily and even a moment to moment basis. But it is so awesome to have a relationship with God, the one who created us, the one who is omnipotent, all powerful, who is omniscient, all knowing, who is omnipresent, he is everywhe...

Psalm 42:11 (NLT), "Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God!" Thursday... But I really want to know what is happening . There are many reasons why we wake up discouraged and why we are so sad. Many times it is because our life is not living up to our expectations. We aren't getting what we want.  The writer of Psalm 42  asked the why questions. In verse 5a and again in 11a he asks, "Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?" Now if this is true of you as you wake up this morning these too might be good questions to ask?  Why am I discouraged? Why am I so sad? Well the writer didn't answer his questions but he did say what he was going to do. The rest of this verse says, "I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God!" So he must have been putting his hope in the wrong thing. And maybe that is true of us too in our discouragement and...

Psalm 41:1 (AMP), "Blessed [by God's grace and compassion] is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will save him in days of trouble." Wednesday... Yes, our actions will be rewarded! David in Psalm 41 starting with verse 1 (AMP) says, "Blessed [by God's grace and compassion] is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will save him in days of trouble." That is so true. It really is. David goes on. In verse 2 he writes, "The Lord will protect him and keep him alive; And he will be called blessed in the land; You do not hand him over to the desire of his enemies." And King David found this true over and over. The Message Paraphrase says verses 1-3 this way, "Dignify those who are down on their luck; you'll feel good - that's what God does. God looks after us all, makes us robust in life - Lucky to be in the land, we're free from enemy worries. Whenever we're sick and in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health."...

Psalm 40:1 (AMP), "I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and he inclined to me and heard my cry." Tuesday... It is needed when we travel. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada and over the weekend we drove to Long Beach and Riverside in California and  again found that when we travel no matter how, we need patience.  If we fly we need to wait in the airport for the plane to arrive and if we drive then it is just a continuing endeavor of patience in a car.  Yes, there is a need for patience no matter how we travel. And of course there is also a need for expectancy. And we need patience and expectancy in life. But it can be so difficult.  Now life is a journey and there is so much impatience in it. Waiting in so many different ways is a part of life. And there is some impatience even when we are waiting on God, but there is also reward. David writes here in Psalm 40:1 (AMP), "I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and he inclined to me and heard my cry." Y...

Genesis 6:8 (NLT), "But Noah found favor with the Lord." Friday... He knows, he really does know. And that is so important for us to know and understand. Yes, God knows, he really knows. It seems here in the beginning days of Genesis that God became sorry that he had ever made humans. Genesis 6:5 (AMP) says, "The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually" So God decided to start over and he found this one guy. Verse 8 (NLT) says, "But Noah found favor with the Lord." The Amplified Bible says, "But Noah found favor and grace in the eyes of the Lord." And verse 22 (NLT) says, "So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him."  And God did start over through this man, Noah and his family. He did it with a flood and an Ark that God had commanded him to build. And he built it exactly as God told him.  Now God als...

  Psalm 35:1 (NIV), "Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.." Thursday... So many do it alone. I have started this month reading Genesis, the first book in the Bible and reading of the consequences of not doing what God has told our representatives, Adam and Eve to do. It was awesome how it all started. They were able to walk through the Garden of Eden and walk with God, have fellowship with God, talk personally with God, but they blew it for them and for us. Now Genesis 5:1b-2 (AMP) says, "When God created man, He made Him in the likeness of God [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]. He created them male and female, and blessed them and named them Mankind at the time they were created." And then it says in verse 5," So Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years in all, and he died." Now that was a whole lot of years to live but it wasn't what God had planned. There was a tree in ...

Psalm 34:3 (NLT), "Come let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt his name together." Wednesday... It is such a tremendous, life giving book. It really is. The Bible is such a tremendous book. It is a life giving book! I have for years read three chapters each day and I am reading right now in the books of Genesis, Psalms & 1 John and it is amazing how they connect.  Some pick up the Bible and think that it is a history book. It does tell a lot of history but basically it is a book of His story. It tells about the story of Jesus from the beginning to His coming and dieing and how he has and can made such a difference in our lives if we ask him into our heart and into our lives. It then ends with telling about his second coming. Yes the Bible is His story and how his coming and dieing gives us life at its abundant best. Now let me show you something. In 1 John which is one of the last five books in the Bible in chapter 3 verses 11-13 (NLT) it says, "This i...

Psalm 33:6a (NLT), "The Lord merely spoke." Tuesday... He merely spoke and look what happened! I am sitting here in my daily coffee shop called Aspire and looking out the window on a portion of mountains on the West side of our valley and there are other mountains that surround us. Now our new house is situated so that we can see a big portion of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada in the front which man built and some mountains are out the back which God created. Man can do unbelievable things but it doesn't come up to what God can do. But looking out on those mountains that tower over what man has built and then reading Psalm 33:6a which says, "The Lord merely spoke" is a great encouragement. Verses 6-9 says, "The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. F...

Genesis 2:15 (AMP), "So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden] to cultivate and keep it." Monday... We were created with a purpose in mind. And that is so important for us to realize. Yes, a relationship with God has so many benefits but one of them is not to sit back and let God do it all for us.  Genesis 2:4b-5 (NLT) says, "When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil." Verse 7 says, "Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person." But then here comes verse 15 (AMP), "So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it." Now understand that this was all before sin came into the...