Tuesday... So whose fault is it, really?

Psalm 115:16 (NLT), "The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity."

Tuesday... So whose fault is it, really?

Yes, we love to play the blame game. When something happens in our world so many want to blame God. It's his fault. But is it really?

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 115:16 (NLT), "The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity." If I am given something then how I use it or abuse it is my fault.

Let's say that our children blame us as parents. Well, we did have a hand in bringing them into the world. They didn't choose to be born but they do have a responsibility as they grow older. We each one are free to make our own choices and we are responsible for those choices. But it is so fun to play the blame game.

Yes, we as parents must take some responsibility because we are not perfect but that is not true of God. He had this world all laid out for us but our representatives made a self-centered choice so God gave the earth to all humanity. It's kind of like, you think you know what is best so here I am giving it to you.

Now he did give us a life manual that we could follow and he gave himself for us to obey his way of living and he also gave his Son to die for us but we still have the ability to choose.

The Psalmist starts this Psalm in verse 1 by saying, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness." And that is a great place to start.

He goes on in verse 2, "Why let the nations say, 'Where is their God?'" I mean, if he is a loving and faithful God then why is all of this bad happening? Where is he? And verse 3 says, "Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes" And the same could be true here on earth if Adam and Eve would have put their total trust in God and if each one of us would put our trust on him now here on earth. We still have a choice.

He goes on in verses 4-8, "Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols just like them, as are all who trust in them." And there is where the fault lies. It lies in those idols that we have made and that we worship.

Matthew 15:8-9 says, "These people honor me with their lips, but there hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as command from God."

Psalm 115:11 says, "All who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield." Verse 13, "He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and lowly."

Yes there is trouble all around us because he gave us the earth. It wasn't his plan. But know this. Verses 14-15 (AMP) says, "May the Lord give you [great] increase, You and your children. May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth." We do have a choice.

Verse 17 says, "The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down in silence." That is one choice. The other is, verse 18, "But as for us, we will bless and affectionately and gratefully praise the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Let's put our trust in the living God! Now that is a living forever choice. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

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...

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless. It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...

Todays Beginning

Search This Blog