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

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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