Wednesday... They didn't miss him at first.

Luke 2:43 (NLT), "After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first."

Wednesday... They didn't miss him at first.

Now at the age of twelve, Jesus and his family went from their home in Nazareth to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. They all went on a trip. It wasn't the norm, it was a celebration. Luke 2:43 (NLT) says, "After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first."

It seems that they assumed that he was among the other travelers but when he didn't show up they started looking for him among their relatives and their friends.

We can have so many distractions in our lives and we can assume that Jesus is with us but somehow we have left him behind until. And an until can be so important in our lives because it causes us to stop and look for where Jesus is.

I don't know what you are going through but I do know that Jesus is where he is suppose to be but it is us that can get off track.

Now we have had some news come our way this week that was a great surprise. We were coming back from a special time in California but we then got a call that reminded us that we needed God. Our life was changing and we needed to find where God was and what he was doing.

The last part of verse 43 says, "they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first." And that can be so true of us and our lives.

We can take charge of our life without any regard for where Jesus is until something happens to show us that Jesus has other plans and we need to stop and find out where he is and what his priority is. Now spending time in his Word is a great way to find what is important to him. But a call, a letter, a surprise can get our attention that God is moving our life in a different direction and we need to search for him and what his priority is for our life. We need to get where he is and what his plans are in focus.

Verses 45-47 says, "When they couldn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers."

Verses 49-50 (MSG) says. "He said, 'Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be here, dealinging with the things of my Father?' But they had no idea what he was talking about."

We really do think we know but an until can happen that gets our focus back upon what God's purpose is in our lives. We too can be amazed at his understanding and his answers. We just need to stop and get focused again.

Yes, we are in the process of making changes in our life. God is definitely taking us in a different direction and it is amazing. Thanks Jesus for the human example for dealing with the things of our Father, and thanks God for getting our attention. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Friday... We have this hope of expectancy.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Friday... We have this hope of expectancy. Now David found a great way to start his day. He says in Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT), "O LORD, hear me as I pray." And that is a great place to start. It really is. Morning sunrise He goes on, "Listen to my cry for help, my King, my God, for I pray to no one but you." And that is so important. We don't try to pump ourselves up by ourself. No, we pray to no one but you, God, my LORD, my King. Now this relationship with God is so, so very important. And then David says, "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you" And that is so great. And then he says, "and wait expectantly." Yes, we have this hope of expectancy. We are experienced. That is what a relationship with God and a moment by moment connection does. It makes a difference in our daily wa...

Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true.

Psalm 12:6 (NLT), "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true. Maybe this is what you want to say in this day in which we live. Psalm 12:1-2 (MSG) says, "Quick, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, all the friends I depend on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues." Do you ever feel that way?" Have you found that to be true? Well David the writer of this Psalm continues and says in verse 6 something to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us hope. Psalm 12:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Message Paraphrase says verses 6-8 this way, "God's words are pure words, pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, pure on earth as well as in heaven, God, keep ...

Wednesday... It is amazing what we can see.

Psalm 3:3a (NLT), "But you, O LORD, are a shield around me." Wednesday... It is amazing what we can see. And what we see does make such a difference in our day. Now David, he writer of Psalm 3 starts this Psalm this way. He says in verse 1 (NLT), "O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me." Yes, he is saying this to the LORD, the one he serves. Verse 2 says, "So many are saying, 'God will never rescue him!'" And that is so true with that outlook. So many of us get out of bed with that outlook every morning. It is amazing what we can see. Now I woke up this morning and eventually found myself outside on my couch with my Bible and I read this outlook in verses 1-2 from David. But I didn't stop there and neither did David. But that is an easy place to stop, isn't it? And it is true. Yes, David didn't stop there. Verses 3-4 says, "But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I...

Today's Beginning

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