Todays Beginning

Psalm 91:14 (NLT), "The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name." Friday... There really is a difference. Look at Psalm 91:14 (NLT), "The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name." Yes loving God really does make a difference in our lives, now and forever. Look at verses 14-16, "The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation." Yes, God rewards those who love him. Verse 15 in the Amplified Bible says, "He will call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him." Yes loving God really does make a difference here on earth. It really does. And loving Him also makes a difference throughout our whol...

Psalms 90:17 (NLT), "And may our Lord God show us approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful." Thursday... We each one need and want approval, don't we? It feels so good to do something and have someone whose acceptance is important to us say, "Good job." Does that matter to you? Of course it does. There are so many kids who just want their dad or mom say that they are proud of them. It really does matter. And it really matters for us to have God's approval, doesn't it? Moses, the writer of Psalms 90 ends this Psalm in verse 17 (NLT) by saying, "And may our Lord show us approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!"  God out in a desolate place through a burning bush which got Moses attention gave him a major task to do. Now the reality was that Moses didn't believe he had the ability to do it and tried to talk God out of the task. And we do that so many times. We don't reall...

Psalm 89:1 (NLT), "I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness." Wednesday... Yes, our view can change but does it need to? Now we can start our day with a encouraging view of God's unfailing love and his faithfulness. We can start the day with a view that is built on the fact that God loves me with an unfailing love and that lifts my confidence to how this day is going to turn out. The Psalmist here in 89:1 (NLT) says, "I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness." And that is a great way to start the day. It really is but then something happens that changes our view. It could be just an annoyance but it still can mean that our view for the day changes. In verse 38 the writer of this Psalms view changes. It says (AMP), "But [in apparent contradiction of all this] You [the faithful Lord] have cast off and rejected; You have been full of wrath agains...

Psalm 88:2 (AMP), "Let my prayer come before you and enter into your presence; Incline your ear to my cry!" Tuesday... Where do we turn when we are in trouble? That is an important question when we are in trouble. Maybe there is relative, a friend, a neighbor who is close by whom you can turn to but can they really make a difference? My dad was always someone I could turn to but he is in heaven now. And the same with my in-laws, they always would help when we asked. My kids are now adults and without a doubt they would be there if I needed help. And of course the one closest to me, my wife Margaret would help. It is so good to have someone that we can turn to when we are in trouble. Well, the Psalmist here had someone and so do we. The writer of Psalm 88:2 (AMP) says, "Let my prayer come before you and enter into your presence; Incline your ear to my cry!" Yes, that really makes a difference to know that God cares and that he will incline his ear to us.  The NLT say...

Exodus 8:32 (AMP), "But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also and he did not let the people go." Monday... We can be so confused, but he knows what he is doing. Now we believe that God has the power to do whatever he wants. That is why we come to him when we are having great trouble but we of course don't see our life from his perspective. I am reading through the book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible. I am right now in the middle of all the plagues that God through Moses and Aaron sent to convince Pharaoh the leader of Egypt to let God's people who had become slaves to leave Egypt. But for Pharoah it meant that a great group of his slaves would leave and that was not a good thing for Egypt's economy. Now maybe you have heard this story or seen the movie or even read the Bible so you know what happens at the Red Sea but here in the middle of the plagues we can be so confused. God brings a plague on Egypt and Pharaoh says that they can go and then wh...

  Psalm 94:19 (AMP), "When my thoughts multiply within me, Your comforts delight me." Friday... We have such an advantage now. I am reading daily in different books in the Old Testament of the Bible. Now we today have such an advantage over the people in the book of Exodus the second book in the Bible.  Over in Exodus, God had sent Moses the writer of this book to Egypt to go before Pharaoh the leader of Egypt and to do all he could to convince him to release the children of Israel who had become slaves to go out for some focus time in their worship of God. It would be a step in there leaving Egypt and eventually setting up their own country. Now we have the whole Bible and we can read the whole story but they didn't. They had Moses who had a connection with God. Now Moses said in Exodus 4:23 (AMP), "Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed and oppressed this people, and You have done nothing at all to rescue Your people." That sounds a ...

Exodus 4:2 (NLT), "Then the Lord asked him, 'What is that in your hand?' ' A shepherd's staff,' Moses replied." Thursday... What is it that keeps us from doing? Fear is an interesting thing but it is something that keeps us so many times from doing. But it is different for each one of us. Here in the desert, Moses was given an opportunity to do an amazing task for God and for his people. But here is what Moses said in verse 4:1, "But Moses protested again, 'What if they won't believe me or listen to me? What if they say, '"The Lord never appeared to you?"'"  What ifs can be a big thing but they are also just excuses we use. But look at what Moses was facing. For one he was talking to a burning bush that wasn't burning up. And then in verse 2 it says, "Then the Lord asked him, 'What is that in your hand?' 'A shepherd's staff,' Moses replied." But that wasn't the big deal. God didn...

Zechariah 8:6 (NLT), "This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God's people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven's Armies." Wednesday... But is it really impossible? Life has its moments of great difficulties, doesn't it? There is no way that we humanly can handle them. Now looking back helps and seeing what we have gone through can be an encouragement but every new impossibility has its own challenges. And each one of them feels impossible. Especially what we are now going through.  Now Zechariah gives some uplifting truth. In 8:6 (NLT) he writes, "This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God's people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven's Armies." So does whatever you are facing right now seem impossible to you? And it probably is, especially if you don't have God in yo...

Exodus 2:25 (NLT), "He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act." Tuesday... We each one view this differently. Now in my maturity of old aged, I have found that we each one view this matter of time differently and I don't really know where it comes from. But I do know this, time is one of the best places for us to show grace. I am one of those who believes that being on time is late and that being early is on time. And now you see where I need to be a grace giver because not everyone has that same slant toward time. But at my age, time is very important and valuable. Again I say that time is a great place for us to show grace with other people. Exodus 2:25 (NLT) says, ""He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act." Now we each one can have problems with time in our relationship with God and trust goes a long way in this area. Are you in a situation where you are waiting on God?  The writer of Psalm 82:1-2 said,...

Zechariah 6:15b (NIV), "This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God." Monday... So let's keep at it. We have been following all that has happened in the past few weeks in Los Angeles and the fires that have destroyed whole towns. It has been such a difficult thing to watch. I have lived close to where the fires have destroyed whole towns, Now it is getting close to being taken care of us. But it has been a major diligent effort by firefighters. It has taken real diligence. And it is going to take diligence in building back these cities, these homes, these businesses. It isn't going to just happen. Now over in the book of Zechariah in the OT of the Bible Zechariah sees a task that needs to be done. Zechariah 6:15b (NIV) says, "This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God." The task was the building of the Temple of God. It had been destroyed and the people had agonized over this and they had fasted at certain times of the year. Yes ...

Psalm 77:11 (NLT), "But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago." Friday... "But then" can make such a difference. So how is your friday going? Did you wake up in a mess and it just doesn't seem to be getting better? For those living in LA this is one of those times. I have lived there two different times and I have gone through some fires but nothing like what is happening right now. We turned the TV on last night and saw a house burning in Studio City just off of Coldwater Canyon. We live closed to where that fire was burning. Now when I lived there there were many fires "but then" they alway finally stopped.  Now the words, "but then" are such a tremendous set of words. There are some people who never get to the "but thens" of life. They live in the deep troubles and that is where this Psalmist starts in Psalm 77:1-3 (NLT) by saying, "I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God w...

Psalm 76:10 (NLT), "Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon." Thursday... This too is real! Yes, yes, God is a God of love. And love had a great part in why he created us. But because of that, this too is real! Verse 9 in Psalm 76 (NLT) says, "You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God, and to rescue the oppressed of the earth." Yes, God's love must do something about this. That makes sense, doesn't it? And verse 10 somehow is connected to this fact. It says, "Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon."  Earlier, verses 7-9 says in the NIRV, "People should have respect for you alone. Who can stand in front of you when you are angry? From heaven you handed down your sentence. The land was afraid and became quiet. God that happened when you rose to judge. It happened when you came to save all your suffering people in the land." Now I don't know if what has happened in LA happened...

Psalm 75:3 (AMP), "The earth and all the inhabitants of it melt [in tumultuous times]. It is I who will steady it's pillars."  Wednesday... Just a word that we need to hear today. God knows what we need to hear but we must be open to hear it. There is so much out there that gets out attention but we need to hear this in this time in which we are living. So, how is what we are seeing all around us affecting us? Well, here is a word from God that we need to hear. Psalm 75:3 (AMP) says, "The earth and all the inhabitants of it melt [in tumultuous times]. It is I who will steady it's pillars." The NLT says, "When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps it foundations firm." Over in Zechariah 3:1-2 (NIV) it says, "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him, The Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusa...

Zechariah 2:13 (NLT), "Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling." Tuesday... What are we feeling today?  There are so many emotions that we can feel today as we search for encouragement in this day in which we live.  The writer of Psalm 74 in verse 1 (NLT) has a feeling. He says, "O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your parture." And that is an emotion that we could feel as we see LA burning or whatever we are going through. But I like what Zechariah says in 2:13, "Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling." And that is such an important thing for us to do. Sometimes we just need to be silent. I'm coming down in Genesis to the end of the story of Joseph. It is such a great story. It is a story of how God was at work when it seemed that he didn't care. I find that I need to be reminded i...

Psalm 73:24 (NLT), "You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny." Monday... So, what is going to happen today? I was listening yesterday morning to a pastor that I had when we lived in California. It was his sermon that he gave the first Sunday after New Years. Earlier this week I also was listening to him tell of how they were doing all they could to get as much as they could out of their building because they were afraid of a fire destroying their church. I heard this week that a church where my father was an assistant pastor when I was very young, this week burned down. Earlier in this Psalm the writer honestly says in verses 2-3, "But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don't have troubles like other people; they're not plagued with probl...

Psalm 70:1 (NIRV,) "God, hurry and save me. Lord, come quickly and help me." Friday... Could it be done quickly? I love the book of Psalms. I have read it everyday for over 40 years. I love it's honesty. For the most part it is King David who writes it and here he says what we want to say but many times are afraid to say it. In Psalm 70:1 (NIRV) he writes, "God, hurry and save me. Lord, come quickly and help me." Now I understand this being impatient. Waiting is so hard but in life it seems that God uses it in spite of our impatience to grow us, to mature us, to make us into the person that will make us worthy of heaven.  I have been reading in Genesis the story of Joseph. It is such a great story. But there was a whole lot of waiting going on.  We are told that Joseph as a teenager was sold by his brothers to a group of traders who were going to Egypt where he was sold as a slave. And it is a difficult story that had its great moments.  Now in Genesis 41:46 (NL...

Psalm 69:16-17 (NLT), "Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is plentiful. Don't hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble." Thursday... It's in his hands! Trust is so important, especially when we are in deep trouble. And so is believing that God's unfailing love is real. Yes, we don't have a good perspective when we are in deep trouble. But David writes in Psalm 69:16-17 (NLT), "Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is plentiful. Don't hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble." And all of that is so real and that God can be trusted because it's in his hands. Over in Genesis 40 Joseph was in deep trouble. He was in prison and he was not at fault. Now God had given him the ability to interpret dreams and these two guys came to him to interpret a dream that each one of them h...

Psalm 68:3 (NLT), "But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy." Wednesday... What a difference a month makes but some things are the same. David writes in Psalm 68:3 (NLT), "But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy." Yes life can be so different but we still can rejoice because of God's presence in our lives. Over in Genesis 39:2 it says, "The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyption master." But then he was thrown in prison because his master's wife didn't get what she wanted. Yes life can be so unjust and life can change. And then in verse 21 it says, "But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden." And then verse 23, "The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of...

Psalm 67:1-2 (NLT), "May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. May your ways be knows throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere." Tuesday... There are so many ways that God shows he is God. Now we have a hand in this. How we respond, how we share, how we act is one of the many ways that God shows he is God. But so many times we don't make God look good. But we can. Yes, we pray for his mercy, but do we give it? We want his blessing but do we bless those in our family, in our friends, with those we have coffee with each morning? And how about our smiling? We are Christ's example. Verse 1 in The Message Paraphrase says, "God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile!" That is so good. "Mark us with grace." Now we are good at judging but we need to work on grace, especially at home. I know I do. I am very good at the thus saith the Lord but grace is another thing. Oh God our families need grace. And the...

Genesis 37:6 (NLT), "'Listen to this dream.' he said." Monday... The wonders that happen! Now the Bible is amazing. It really is. I am now on a daily basis reading the first book in the Bible, Genesis, the middle book, Psalms and the last book, Revelation. It really is amazing. Today in Genesis 37:6 (NLT), I read, "'Listen to this dream.' he said." The he was Joseph and he had 11 brothers who hated him. He was his dad's favorite and his dream was that someday they would worship him. And of course that would make us angry but as you read on we see how the dream is fulfilled. And that is what the Bible does. Now the last book, Revelation shows how God will fulfill his plan, his dream. Now a lot happens between these two books. In Revelation 18:10b it says, "How terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God's judgment came on you." Babylon represents the evil in the world. Such as what Joseph's b...

Psalm 63:4-5 (NLT), "I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy." Friday, "Oh the goodness of God. David writes in Psalm 63:4-5 (NLT), "I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy." Yes, it is very important for us to stop and lift up our hands to God in prayer as we face 2025. It is an unknown and we definitely need to be connected to God in prayer. That is such a privilege and opportunity, isn't it? And if we stop and look back on 2024 then we can see the answers to our prayers and we can praise him. It is amazing what has happened in our life this past year. It really is. As I was coming down the hill to my coffee shop to write and looking out at the sunrise I got emotional. In no way did I realize what this year would bring because of...

Psalm 62:8 (AMP), "Trust [confidently] in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us." Thursday... So how do we handle the unknown? So here it is a new year. We never have faced 2025 before. And looking at individuals, even Christ followers, each ones handles the unknown differently.  Now over in Genesis 32-33 we find a story about two brothers, Jacob and Esau. It seems that 20 years before, Jacob the younger brother had stolen the older brother Esau's birthright and Esau said he was going to kill him so Jacob ran but God seemed to tell him that it was time to come home and meet up with his brother. And in Genesis 33:1 (NLT) it says, "Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with 400 men." Now each one of us are unique individuals and we each one face difficult situations differently. Even Christ followers face what is ahead differently. One will face it positively, thinking that this new year is going to be great and othe...

Psalm 62:5 (NLT), "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him." Wednesday... So what are we hoping for in 2025? That's a very good question, What do we want in this new year? There was this brother in the Old Testament who stole his brother's birthright. Jacob was his name and his brother was Esau and their mother heard Esau say to their dad that he was going to kill his brother. And their mom sent Jacob to go and live with her brother. Now after 20 years Jacob decided he wanted to go home and because he always seemed to come out as a winner he started his trip even though he was a little afraid. Maybe you have some fears as you face what you are hoping for in 2025. So Jacob sent these messengers ahead to tell his brother Esau that he was coming. He thought he needed to prepare the way for him to see his brother and to see how he might respond to him. So he told them, in Genesis 32:4-6 (NLT), "Give this message to my master Esau: 'Until ...