Todays Beginning

Hebrews 10:39 (MSG), "But we're not quitters, who lose out. Oh, no! We stay with it and survive, trusting all the way." Friday... We're not quitters! We don't know the author of this book of Hebrews but we do know it's nature and purpose. The people who it was written to are Jesus-believing Jews who are in danger of leaving their faith who live in Italy. Rome was a dangerous place for Christ follows. This book is clearly written to encourage them. Let's not quit! Now Hebrews 10:39 (MSG) says, "But we're not quitters, who lose out. Oh, no! We stay with it and survive, trusting all the way." And we need that encouragement today. The New Living Translation says it this way, "But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose soul will be saved." I love that "We are the faithful ones." Verse 34 says, "You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when ...

Psalm 86:3 (NLT), "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly." Wednesday... We can keep at it constantly. Have you ever been around someone who is constantly talking? It seems they never stop. So how do we handle that? Well David says in Psalm 86:3 (NLT), "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly." And mercy is a great thing to have when someone needs to talk. Now from our perspective we do need to have mercy for others who are always talking and because that is true of us then we think that God needs it for us when we never stop calling on him. Yes, God has a different attitude than we do. Over in the New Testament book of 1 Thessalonians in 5:16-18 it says, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." And that is a great thing to realize. You see, praying or calling on God doesn't need to just be asking. There is a part...

Hebrews 7:19 (NLT) "For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God." Tuesday... If we keep at it we'll find what works.  Are you a seeker? Do you look for better ways to do things in your life? I spend time every morning seeking in the Old Testament and the New of the Bible and I do it in at least 5 different translations. I truly am a seeker even at 78 and I found this verse this morning. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote in 7:19 (NLT), "For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God." Again, are you a seeker looking for a better way to living? Now the Old Testament was basically an introduction to a better way to live. Verses 18-19 in The Message says, "The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturi...

Psalm 84:11 (NIRV), "The LORD God is like the sun that give us light. He is like a shield that keeps us safe. The Lord blesses us with favor and honor. He doesn't hold back anything good from those whose lives are without blame." Monday... Yes, it can be normal and great. We live in the Mojave Desert. This past week we have had clouds and rain coming off the coast of the Pacific Ocean in California. Our normal though is sun and we have it today. It is great. There are no clouds in the sky. Now Psalm 84:11 (NIRV) says, "The LORD God is like the sun that give us light. He is like a shield that keeps us safe. The Lord blesses us with favor and honor, He doesn't hold back anything good from those whose lives are without blame." Yes it says, "The LORD God is like the sun that give us light." But there is more. "He is like a shield that keeps us safe. The Lord blesses us with favor and honor. He doesn't hold back anything good from those whose l...

Hebrews 5:8 (NLT), "Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered." Friday... Let's be inclined to listen and see what happens. I came across this verse this morning. It is Hebrews 5:8 (NLT) and it says, "Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered." Now for us who are called Christians, Jesus is our example and so whatever is said about him is very important for us. You see Jesus at the end of his ministry here on earth came to the point of doing what he had come to do and he seemed to have some trouble doing it. Yes, he was part human and if we knew what was going to happen the next day and there was great suffering involved we would have a major problem, wouldn't we?  They argued in a garden Yes, Jesus had some time of arguing with his Father about this matter of suffering but he ended up accepting what his Father wanted and he suffered and died on a Cross and was then resur...

Zechariah 7:6 (MSG), "You're interested in religion, I'm interested in people." Thursday... So what are we really interested in? I am sitting at my table at Aspire, the coffee shop that I go to 5 days a week to write this blog. Now this morning it is cold for the desert and people just happened to be bringing their dogs inside and they are noisy. Now I was getting a little frustrated until I read this sentence in Zechariah 7:6 in The Message and it says, "You're interested in religion, I'm interested in people." And that got me back on track. So what are we really interested in? Now the book of Zechariah in the first part after a general call to repentance is about encouraging the people of Judah returning from exile to rebuild the Temple. It had been destroyed and the people had fasted about the destruction. Now a group of people sent a couple of guys to ask a question. Verse 3 (MSG) says, "They posed this question: 'Should we plan for a da...

Hebrews 3:13a (NIRV). "But build one another up every day." Wednesday... Let's keep at it. Hebrews 3:13a, (NIRV) says, "But build one another up every day." We really do need each other, don't we? There are a lot of reasons why God created families and building up each one in our family is so important. That is also why we have churches. But we seem to be trying all the time to tear each other up and bring us down. Now verse 12 in The Message says, "So watch your steps, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God." Yes, we are imperfect and the Evil One is doing all he can to trip us up. And it is so much easier for us to point our fingers than to build each other up. Verse 12 in the Amplified Bible says, "Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a hear...

Hebrews 2:15 (NIRV), "Jesus set people free who were afraid of death. All their lives they were held slaves by that fear." Tuesday... We must face our fears to deal with them. I have found in life that in dealing with something I fear I must come up with a solution for the worst part of what I fear. And in doing that I will deal with a lot of fears along the way. I am 78 and death is an unknown to me personally. I've never experienced it except with others. It will be definitely a new experience. But there can be a fear about an unknown. Now it is very important for us to realize that death was not God's plan.  He gets a lot of blame for it but it wasn't his plan. Yes it was a consequence if people didn't follow him but it wasn't his idea so when Adam and Eve were disobedient then death come into the world. Now it is important to know that God started the solution the moment that death come into existence. And it had to do with God's Son. Hebrews 2:14 ...

Psalm 77:11-12 (NLT), "But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts; I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works." Monday... Yes, there is so much more. We can be going through situations and in the early morning be awakened with our problems and we just can't go back to sleep. The writer of Psalm 77:2 (NLT) says, "When I am in deep trouble, I search for the Lord. All night long I prayed with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted." Have you ever had that happen to you. It has a lot to do with our focus. Up early Now life does have great troubles in it but it also has a mighty God who has a plan, who has a way that is holy. Back when Jesus, God's Son was on the earth people found out that He could heal so they came to him to take care of their temporary situations. Yes, Jesus took care of those situations but He came to do more. He had a message to share, a ...

Philemon 1:3 (AMP), "Grace to you and peace [innercalm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Friday... He answered these requests. There are some requests, some prayers that God answers and we must accept the answers. Paul over in the NT of the Bible wrote this short, to the point letter to Philemon who was a beloved friend and fellow worker. Paul knew that he was going to need what he said in Philemon 1:3 (AMP) where he requested this of God. He requested, "Grace to you and peace [innercalm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." You see, Paul knew Philemon was going to need this and it was something that Paul also was going to need and for sure in the day in which we live, we too need grace and peace, don't we? Running away Now there was this servant of Philemon whose name was Onesimus and he had run away and probably robbed Philemon in the process. It seemed that somehow this slave had ende...

Titus 3:4 (NIRV), "But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared." Thursday... It's because of what he did.  Now Paul says to Titus in 3:3 (AMP), "For we too once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various sinful desires and pleasures, spending and wasting our life in malice and envy, hating one another." We were definitely blowing it. And in the midst of all of that, verse 4 (NIRV) says, "But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared." It isn't our self control that makes the difference. But we love to take credit. Verses 5-6 says, "He saved us. It wasn't because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life. God poured out the Spirit on us freely. That's because of what Jesus Christ our Savior has done." Verse 7 says, "His grace made us right with God. So now we have received the hope of eter...

Titus 2:11 (NLT), "For the grace of God has been revealed, binging salvation to all people." Wednesday... Yes, it has been revealed! In the coffee shop, Aspire, where I usually go to write, it has changed. Last week it was celebrating Halloween now it has changed to Christmas. And that is a big change. Now Paul in his letter to Titus tells him and us, he reveals another change. And it is a great reveal. And we too need to catch the reveal. In so many ways we haven't yet found this to be true, even in the church, in our families and in our lives but it is true. Here is what Paul said to Titus and to us and for him and us to tell those around him and us. Titus 2:11 (NLT) says, "For the grace of God has been revealed, binging salvation to all people." The Amplified Bible says, "For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." The NIRV, "God's grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all...

Psalm 71:5 (AMP) says, "For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth." Tuesday... Yes you are, yes you have been and yes you will not! P salm 71:5 (AMP) says, "For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth." And that is so true. Now this is definitely a different period of my life and verse 9 says something that is so very important to me. It says, "Do not cast me off nor send me away in the time of old age. Do not abandon me when my strength fails and I am weak." This is definitely a time to remember and reinforce verse 5, "For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my trust and the source of my confidence from my youth." Of course I am not done yet. David says in verses 17-18 (NLT), "O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon ...

Psalm 70:1 (AMP), "O God, come quickly to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me!" Monday... We think we know, really know. Don't we? I mean, this situation that we are facing today needs attention right now. Not next week but right now. So we go to God. Yes that's a great place to go. Now the Bible is so honest. Here in Psalm 70:1 (AMP) David writes, "O God, come quickly to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me!" We think we know, don't we? So we come to God in desperation, "O God, come quickly to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me!" Yes, God understands us. He knows what situation we are in and he knows that we probably are the cause for it but he also sees it from a different perspective. It may be a tool to cause us to turn to God. It can be a way to get our attention. It is true that God does have the ability to take care of any situation that we are facing right now but he also knows how it can be used to get us on track. Now t...

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT), "Even though... yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my strength." Friday... Even though, yet I will. There is so much that comes our way. This morning I needed to get my car charged and I do it close to a Starbucks. So I set my car all up to the charger, went in, got a tall coffee, by the way they were slow and started reading my three chapters for today in the Bible in the NIV version. At one point, I looked at my phone and realized that my car wasn't getting charged so I picked up my stuff, headed to my car and I found that the charger wasn't working and that was frustrating, so I moved to another charger. Yes, that was annoying but I then started reading my three chapters from a different version and I came upon these words in the NLT. In Habakkuk 3:17-18 in the New Living Translation it says, "Even though... yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my strength." and God got me right...

  Psalm 66:16 (NLT), "Come and listen. all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me." Thursday... This is such a good thing to do. I really do appreciate each one who stops and reads, Todays Beginning. Stopping and telling is such a good thing for those of us who are followers of God. If you have noticed, that is what the Bible is. It is people who have stopped to tell something of meaning about and from God and waht he has donee for them. Now this Psalm is a song. It tells what it is but itdoesn't tell who wrote it. But in verse 16 the writer says, or maybe sings, "Come and listen. all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me." They go on to share about what God did for them personally. They says in verses 17-20, "For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke". Now that is a very good thing to do. Praise is an acknowledgement of who the one I'm crying to is like and that gives us confidence. "Praise ...

2 Timothy 1:12b (NLT), "For I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return." Wednesday... Yes, I can know. Now Paul wrote two letters to this young man, Timothy who Paul called his true son in the faith. In the first letter, Paul had been released from prison in Rome and he had sent Timothy to Ephesus to handle a problem so he wrote to him to encourage and to train him as a leader. That letter started with Paul being release from prison. Now that was a great situation for Paul.  But the second letter he wrote to Timothy was from a different situation. Paul had once again been arrested, imprisoned and then taken back to Rome where he expected to be tried and executed. These were two different situations. Yes, life can change Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:11-12 (NIV), "And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause...

1 Timothy 6:6 (AMP), "But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]." Tuesday... It really is a source of great gain. Now Paul is writing this letter to a young man who is going into the ministry. How would you like the Apostle Paul to be your instructor? In reality he is. These letter were not just to Timothy but also to us and in a section of this 6th chapter of 1 Timothy Paul deals with the subject of money. In verses 9-10 (NLT) he writes, "But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." Be sure and notice it is not money that is the problem, it is the love of money. Now money is a tool...

Psalm 63:1 (NLT), "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you: my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water." Monday... They just don't know what they are missing. I live in a desert. It can be a very dangerous place to live, it really can be. It is so important to have water in the trunk of your car because if something happens to your car out in the desert you will need water to drink. It is so very important. Now David writes in Psalm 63:1 (NLT), "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you: my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water." Now let's say you are driving out in the desert and something happens to your car. It stops and you can't start it and you are getting thirsty, really thirsty and you look around and there isn't any water so you open your trunk and search but there is no water there. Now that c...