Monday... There is so much, so much to celebrate!

Psalm 112:4 (MSG), "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people - God's grace and mercy and justice!"

Monday... There is so much, so much to celebrate!

I found this verse this morning in my reading that is such an encouragement even when there seems to be darkness all around and I read it before the sun had come up. Psalm 112:4 (MSG) says, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people - God's grace and mercy and justice!"

Yes, I know that many facing this week need to be encouraged. This time can be very difficult. There is definitely darkness for some but I love how the Psalmist says this word of encouragement. He writes, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people." The NLT says, "Light shines in the darkness for the godly." The AMP says, "Light arises in the darkness for the upright." And the NIRV says, "Even in darkness light shines on honest people."

It continues, "It shines on those who are kind and tender and godly." The NLT, "They are generous, compassionate, and righteous." It doesn't shine on everyone. This can be such a difficult time for so many but there is a choice here.

I love the sunrise. I love getting up in the morning and going out on my front patio and seeing the sun rising. Yes there was darkness. We need the night, we need to sleep, we need to regenerate our body for a new day. Darkness has it's benefit but we also need the light.

Now the emotional darkness that some carry is so difficult. But it is important to see that for those who are good people, who are generous, compassionate, and righteous, those who accept and share "God's grace and mercy and justice!" the sunrise can break through their darkness. There is so much, so much to celebrate.

Now there were these shepherds out in the darkness watching over somebody's sheep and it was so dark. But for some reason, God sent thousands of angels out into the darkness to invite these shepherds to the sunrise that was breaking through the darkness. This was such great news to these shepherds. The angels were announcing to these common people that something great was happening in the town of Bethlehem and they were inviting them to come and see. They had a choice and they went and found the light of a new birth in their darkness. What if they would have said, "I don't want to go."? I'm going to stay here in my darkness. And that was definitely and is a choice.

Yes, we can stay in our darkness of discouragement, disappointment, dishonesty, and despair or live and enjoy the sunrise breaking through that darkness.

Yes, we can celebrate the gifts of this season, especially the gift of Jesus. There are so many choices during this season. Listen God wants to also give us grace and mercy and justice so we can give them to others.

Yes there is so much, so much to celebrate. Remember, "Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people - God's grace and mercy and justice!" Let's accept the sunrise of Jesus and see the difference he makes in our darkness. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Monday... He did it by Himself

Isaiah 44:24b (AMP), "I am the Lord, Maker of all things. Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself." Monday... He did it by Himself. Many have a tendency to think very highly of themselves and what they can do. Oh we do have great ability but we are not the source. Yes it is important to have self-confidence but we are limited. The prophet Isaiah in 44:9-10 (NLT) says, "How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don't know this, so they are all put to shame. Who but a fool would make his own god - an idol that cannot help him one bit?" Now later in verse 24 (AMP) he writes, "For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says, 'I am the Lord, Maker of all things, Who alone stretches out the heavens, Who spreads out the earth by Myself.'" I love that. "By Myself." Now we do need confidence but we are foolish to ma...

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 ...

Todays Beginning

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