Todays Beginning

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT), "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you." Monday... There is so much ahead for us. So much! Look at these words. Moses at 120 years of age wrote them. The children of Israel were just about to go over the Jordan River into their Promised Land so in Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT) Moses writes, "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you."  Yes, Moses knew what he was talking about. He had brought them out of Egypt and through the desert for 40 years. Now if they would have lived by God's commands it would have been shorter but they didn't so their fathers and mothers were not allowed to continue and even Moses wasn't going to go. He had some wavering in there and he suffered the consequences.   Now Solomon over in Proverbs 1 gives some very good advice. Verse 7 (AMP) says, "The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly aweso...

Mark 10:27 (NLT), "Jesus looked at them intently and said, 'Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.'" Friday... There is a great difference between love and fear. It is true that the Old Testament of the Bible is different from the New Testament. Because of Jesus coming into the world, things are different but it still is important for us to see that in our relationship with God through Jesus we still need to love and also to fear God.  Now Deuteronomy 28 is a difficult chapter to read but it is necessary for us to see that God is a God of love but also a God we need to fear. Verses 1-2 (AMP) says, "Now it shall be, if you diligently listen and obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all of His commandments which I will command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you pay attention to the voice of...

Psalm 147:18 (MSG), "Then he gives the command and it all melts; he breathes on winter - suddenly it's spring!" Thursday... This is another of his wonders. I am sitting here in my morning coffee shop and looking out the window at one of the wonders of God, the trees have leaves all over them. It seems that the last time I had really looked, there were no leaves. The leaves knew when to come out. It was great to see and then I read Psalm 147:18 (MSG), and it said, "Then he gives the command and it all melts; he breathes on winter - suddenly it's spring!" Oh what a God we serve. He really does know what he is doing. Verse 15 in the Amplified Bible says, "He sends His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly." Verses 3-5 (NLT) says, "He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!" And he cove...

Psalm 146:5b (MSG), "Put your hope in God and know real blessing." Wednesday... So, let's get it and do it! Here is what we need to and can do. Psalm 146:5b (MSG), says, "Put your hope in God and know real blessing." Over in Mark 8 Jesus 'disciples were having an argument. Verses 16-19 (MSG) says, "Meanwhile the disciples were finding fault with each other because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus overheard them."  I wonder what God thinks over the things we argue about. He has to have a lot of patience, doesn't he? "Jesus overheard and said. 'Why are you fussing because you forgot bread? Don't you see the point of all of this? Don't you get it at all?'" He must get frustrated. He goes on. "'Remember the five loaves I broke for the five thousand? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up?' They said, 'Twelve.' 'And the seven loaves for the four thousand - how many bags full of leftov...

Psalm 145:14 (MSG), "God gives a hand to those down on their luck, give a fresh start to those ready to quit." Tuesday... Quitting is an option but so is a fresh start. Are you really down on your luck and you're ready to quit? Well David writes in Psalm 145:14 (MSG), "God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit." I hope you believe in God. David did and he had been in so many situations where he could have quit. So he wrote this from experience. The Amplified Bible says verse 14 this way. It says, "The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who fall and raises up all those who are bowed down." Did you notice that it says "of His own"? There is something different even in us if those going through bad times are a part of our family. They really matter to us, at least they should. Now God's plan was that all of us would be a family together but he set up some guidelines in order for us to get the b...

Psalm 144:3 (MSG), "I wonder why you care, God - why do you bother with us at all?" Monday... Have you ever had this thought? Now if you have never had a relationship or even had a passing thought about God, then you probably haven't had this thought, But King David here in Psalm 144:3-4 (MSG) says, "I wonder why you care, God - why do you bother with us at all? All we are is a puff of air; we're like shadows in a campfire." I mean, it seems that we have been a problem from the beginning of time. So, why in the world do you care God? And why do you bother with us at all? And those are very good questions even here on a Monday morning in March.  We are in the middle of March Madness. That is what an end of the season national college basketball tournament is called.  Last week at this time there were over 60 teams playing but after this past weekend there are 16 left. There are 16 winners and we don't even bother our thoughts to the ones who lost. Just th...

Mark 5:19 (NLT), "But Jesus said, 'Now go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been." Friday... We each see things from different perspectives. Have you found that true, even in your friends and you own family? Now there was this guy who had so many evil spirits in him that his name was Legion and he came to Jesus and in Mark 5:8 (NLT) Jesus said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit." and they begged to be sent into some pigs nearby. Verse 13 says, "So Jesus gave them permission. Those evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged into the lake and drowned in the water." It is important to see that two things happened here. One, there was this man who had been possessed by a legion of spirits and two, there were 2,000 pigs that had plunged into a lake and they were killed.  Now a crowd from town came out and verse 17 says,...

Mark 4:20 (NLT), "And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as has been planted." Thursday... Let's keep on track! Over in Deuteronomy 20:3b-4 (NLT) Moses writes, "Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!" If we want to win, we must keep on track! But there is so much that is out there to distract us Over in Mark 4:18-19 Jesus says to his disciples, "The seed that fell among thorns represents others who hear God's word but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced." There is so much out there that is striving to distract us. There really is. I go...

Psalm 139:1 (NLT), "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me." Wednesday... You know, you really do. David wrote this. Psalm 139:1 (NLT) says, "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me." He really does. It doesn't matter what we strive to be or what we act out, God knows all about us. He really does. Over in Mark 3 there were these guys who were the religious leaders of their day but Jesus knew all about them, he knew their hearts. Verses 1 & 2 says, "Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath." These guys were the religious leaders.  Now they knew what had been written about a Messiah coming to his people but their hearts were very self-centered. They should have been open to Jesus but they hated him. And Jesus knew their hea...

Psalm 138;3 (AMP), "On the day I called, You answered me; And you made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life." Tuesday... This is such an encouragement for today and it's the truth. And the fact that it is the truth is so important to us, isn't it? Over in Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NIV) it says, "You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?' If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed." Now over in Psalm 138 King David says something that we can believe is from the Lord. He says in verse 2 (NLT), "I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by the honor of your name." There, that is so important to know. And then the word of encouragement. Verse 3 (AMP) says, ...

Mark 1:1-2 say, "This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written: 'Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you and he will prepare the way.'" Monday... So how do we handle the bad times? Now the Psalms are honest and here at a bad time in the life of God's children they handled it the way we handle bad times, bad situations. Psalm 137:1-2 (NLT) says, "Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees." So what are you going through? Is it a bad time? So how are you handling it? Yes it is so easy for us to sit and weep and quit singing those songs of encouragement. Life can be really rough.  Now Psalm 137 is the Psalm that I read today but I then went over to Mark 1 in the New Testament and here is how it starts. Mark 1:1-2 say, "This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It be...

Matthew 28:20b (NLT), "And be sure of this: I am with you always." Friday... You can be sure of this. It can be so hard sometimes to say, "Goodbye." Especially if you are not sure if you are ever going to see them again.  Now Jesus was saying goodbye to his disciples. He had been with them for three years but he was about to leave them. They had just been through a very difficult time. They had seen him killed on a cross and then after three days he had appeared to them and that was unbelievable. And now here he was about to leave them.   And here is what Matthew, who was one of them, writes in 28:20b (NLT). Just as Jesus was about to leave he says to them, and it was something that was to stay with them. They weren't sure how they were going to make it without Jesus. This was a tough time for them and this is what he said to them and he says to us, "And be sure of this: I am with you always." But you are leaving us. "And be sure of this: I am wit...

Psalm 133:1 (MSG), "How wonderful and beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along." Thursday... It is both wonderful and beautiful. Here is what King David says in Psalm 133:1 (MSG), "How wonderful and beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along." And he knows what this is all about. He even at one time had one of his sons trying to kill him. Absalom wanted to be king and he set out to kill his dad. Yes in places where we need to live together we have so many problems. The NIV says, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together." And in these days in which we are living and will live we really do need each other. Now I am also reading in the book of Deuteronomy and in 13:3b-4 (NLT) Moses writes, "The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul." The Message says, "God, your God, is testing you to find out if you totally love him with everything you have in you. You are to fo...

Psalm 132:11a (NLT), "The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back." Wednesday... Doing the if can make all the difference. There are so many promises that God has made to us. But there is more to it than just the promise. In Psalm 132:11a David writes, "The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back." Now there is more to it and this is so important. The rest of the verse says the promise, "I will place one of your descendants on your throne." Now that was a great promise. One that a father would really appreciate. But verse 12 continues, "If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever." Doing the if can and will make all the difference. Now earlier David says what he wanted to do. Verses 3-5 says, "I will not go home; I will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber...

Psalm 131:1-2a (MSG), "God, I'm not trying to rule the roost, I don't want to be king of the mountain. I haven't meddled where I had no business of fantasized grandiose plans. I've kept my feet on the ground, I've cultivated a quiet heart." Tuesday... Now this is a very interesting thought. King David wrote this Psalm. Now it was said of David that he was a man after God's own heart and there are some clues here to what that meant. Psalm 131:1-2a (MSG) says, "God, I'm not trying to rule the roost, I don't want to be king of the mountain. I haven't meddled where I had no business or fantasized grandiose plans. I've kept my feet on the ground, I've cultivated a quiet heart." Now back when David was a shepherd of his father's sheep he did what needed to be done to protect the flock. He killed some wild animals that were out to kill and eat the sheep. This was also preparing him for another day.  His father sent him with s...

Psalm 130:5 (NLT), "I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word." Monday... We can count on this fact today. Do you have someone in your life who you can count on?  Well if you don't this is such an important fact for you to know. Mondays are unique days, especially after a time change. It was still dark for me getting up this morning and for some they always wake up in the dark emotionally. And they just have to fight to get up. Yes, I have gone through those kind of days. They are no fun.  Well let's begin this Monday with this fact. Psalm 130:5 (NLT) says, "I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word." The Amplified Bible says, "I wait [patiently] for the Lord, my soul [expectantly] waits, and in His word do I hope." This is such a great way to start a new day. I love the Psalms and this one is such a good one. Now there are three words that can uplift us if we do ...

Psalm 127:1 (NLT), "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good." Friday... So who gets the credit? We do so much and we need the credit. It seems that our worth is attached to what we do. But Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived says in Psalm 127:1, "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good." Yes, he understood this. Now we give him credit for building the first Temple of God. It took seven year for it to be built and it happened during his reign over Israel. Now his father, King David wanted to be the one to build the first Temple but because he was a man of war God didn't allow him to build it and he was a man after God's own heart. He was a great King, the second King of Israel and it seems that he should have been the one to build it, but he didn't. Now it is so important in our li...

Matthew 22:37 (NLT), "Jesus replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.'" Thursday... Now we all have questions. And Jesus was asked questions all the time while he was here on earth. Some of the questions came from searching hearts but others came from people trying to trap Jesus.  Now one question in Matthew 27 was a question by an expert in religious law and he was trying to trap Jesus but Jesus knew what he was doing and he used it. It did not throw him off track he used it. He didn't let the expert catch him off guard.  It would be so good if we didn't let people get to us.  Verse 36 (NLT) is the question and it is, "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Now this guy knew the answer because he was an expert. He knew what Deuteronomy 6:5 said. Yes, we can be so prideful about what we know and we want to show off and also put down. And that is in no way a good th...

Psalm 125:1 (AMP), "Those who trust and rely on the Lord [with confident expectation] are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever." Wednesday... They have been a constant. I have lived in Las Vegas, Nevada two different times for a total of 19 years. Now when we first moved here there were mountains all around this city. And they still are there. I'm sure that these same mountains were here when the first explorers had a drink in the Meadows. And I'm sure they were here way before anyone ever saw them. These mountains have been a constant. When we first came here in the nineties, there were many people. But we now have houses where there were no houses back then. This town has grown but something could happen and all humans could leave but the mountains will be a constant, they will still be here. Now it is important for us to see that God has been a constant even before the mountains and before people. He has for sure been a constant. Now I remembe...

Matthew 20:31 (AMP), "The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried all the more, 'Lord, Son of David (Messiah) have mercy on us!'" Tuesday... He rewards persistence. Over in Matthew 20 there is a great story in verses 29-34. It seems there were these two blind guys who were sitting beside the road and a large crowd was following Jesus and when they heard that Jesus was passing by they wanted his attention. We have this dog whose name is Turner and he can cause problems when he wants something. Now we can take the fact that it is in the middle of a TV show when he starts barking as an annoyance. And we can look at him and say that he is just doing that to get attention and correct him. Maybe even put him in time out. But if we go through all his needs we can usually come to what he is asking for and one of us gets up and takes care of the problem. Of course we can be so self-focused that we just correct him and not strive to find the problem. But many times ...

Deuteronomy 3:24 (NLT), "O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you?" Monday... We haven't see anything yet! I am in my seventies and I have seen God work in so many ways. I really have. I love looking back and remembering and Moses seems to be doing the same thing here in Deuteronomy 3:24 (NLT). He writes in his old age, "O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you?" And of course the answer is no. Yes he had gone through so much but there was more to come. Now he had seen the burning bush, he had seen all of the plagues in Egypt and then the crossing of the Red Sea on dry ground. But he also saw the 40 years of disobedience by the Children of Israel...