Thursday... So many do it alone.

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 the middle of the garden and they could eat from it and if they did they would have lived forever. Death was not God's plan. But because they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which God commanded them not eat, they then were driven from the Garden and an angle stood at the gate so they couldn't go and eat from the other tree, the tree of life and live forever. Death was not God's initial plan and having an uninterrupted relationship and fellowship with God was his plan.

But as soon as it all happened God started a new plan through Jesus, God's Son.

Now through it all God gave humans free choice. That's why he gave them the freedom to choose if they would eat from the the other tree. And in his new plan now we have the choice to have a relationship with God or not and there are great benefits if we do. Such as if we follow and do what God says then after death we will have the privilege again of eating from the tree of life and live forever.

Now King David had a relationship with God and he writes here in Psalm 35 of one of the benefits of having a relationship with God. And so many people do not have this privilege because they are living their life alone but we don't have to go through life alone.

Verses 1-3 (NIV) says, "Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, 'I am your salvation.'"

In Genesis 3:24 (NLT) it says, "After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." Yes, the living forever was not possible for them but it is for those of us who turn to God for our salvation.

Psalm 35:9-10 (NIV) says, "Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, 'Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.'"

God's new plan still has him taking care of us but we must choose to follow him, to have a relationship with him, to be saved by him.

The Message Paraphrase says verses 1-3 this way, "Harass those hecklers, God, punch these bullies in the nose. Grab a weapon, anything at hand; stand up for me! Get ready to throw the spear, aim the javelin at the people who are out to get me." And this is so good, "Reassure me; let me hear you say, 'I'll save you.'"

And that is what he will do if we have a relationship with him. We don't do life alone. We do life with him.. 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. ...

Thursday... Maybe we need this word today.

Psalm 57:1b (NIRV), "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Thursday... Maybe we need this word today. There are words in life that give us confidence no matter what we are facing. Now we have to believe them in order for them to have an impact. David wrote Psalm 57 while he was in a cave hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him and he says in the last part of verse 1, "There I will stay." It was a safe place and Saul didn't know that he was there. But he doesn't stop there. With confidence he said, "There I will stay until." And until is definitely a word of faith and confidence. "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Do we need that today? Let me give you the whole verse. In verse 1 David says, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." And that is a great place to start in times of trouble. Maybe that is what we need to pray today, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." It is so great to have someone...

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 ...

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