Thursday... It is amazing what a difference His love makes.

Psalm 117:1-2 (NLT), "Praise the Lord, all you nations. Praise him all you people of the earth. For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever."

Thursday... It is amazing what a difference His love makes.

This is the shortest chapter in the Bible but it gets right to the point. Psalm 117:2a (NLT) says, "For his unfailing love for us is powerful." Yes, love is powerful.

I was driving out of our neighborhood coming to my morning time at this coffee shop and I saw a coyote wandering through the neighborhood, looking for food and I called my wife and told her to not let our dog, Turner out by himself. Now I love that dog and no way did I want anything to happen to him. My love for him does all it can to keep him safe. Yes, love is powerful. They told us while we were checking in to Sun City to when we walk our dog to have them on a leash to protect them from coyotes.

Now that was just me striving to protect my our dog. Yes, even my love has some power attached to it.

Over in Matthew 17 there is an incident where Jesus shared how powerful was his love and that the same could be true of us. This man had brought his son to the disciples to be healed but they couldn't do it and Jesus was frustrated with them and he said in verse 17 (AMP), "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with your? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." And then 18 said, "Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed at once," Yes, his unfailing love is powerful."

But the disciples (vss 19-20), "came to Jesus privately and asked, 'Why could we not drive it out?' He answered, 'Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and more solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "'Move from here to there,'" and [if it is God's will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Back to this statement that we really need to have reinforced within us, "Because your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God." What could happen through us if we really believed Psalm 117:2a (NLT) says, "For his unfailing love for us is powerful." Have we really realized what a difference His unfailing love makes in our lives and how powerful it really is? Yes, it is amazing what a difference His love makes.

Verse 2a in the Amplified Bible says, "For His lovingkindness prevails over us [and we triumph and overcome through Him]." The Good News Translation says, "His love for us is strong." The Message, "His love has taken over our lives." Yes it is amazing what a difference His love makes in our lives.

Back to Matthew 17 and maybe we too could ask the question in verse 19 (NLT), "Why couldn't we?" and we too would get the answer from Jesus, verse 20a (AMP), "Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]." Yes, we too have the potential if we really do believe that "his unfailing love for us is powerful" and if we have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, we too can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and "[if it is God's will] it will move" and nothing, nothing will be impossible for us.

Yes, "For his unfailing love for us is powerful." 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. ...

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 ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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