Wednesday... Yes, we can be connected with someone who knows.

Revelation 2:3 (NIRV), "You have been faithful and have put up with a lot because of me. You have not given up"

Wednesday... Yes, we can be connected with someone who knows.

And that can be good and that can be bad especially if it is someone who really matters to us.

My wife and I know each other. We have been married for 51 years. We have been through a lot but I have also been connected with someone a lot longer who really does knows it all.

I am reading now the book of Revelation. It is the last book in the Bible and it was written by John while he was a prisoner on the island of Patmos. While he was on this island he received a vision from Jesus and he was told to write what he saw and experienced in that vision. Now it was sent to the seven cities in the Roman province of Asia Minor. And it begins with words of warning and encouragement for each of those seven churches.

Chapter 2:1b starts by saying, "Here are the words of Jesus." Yes, he was the one who knows and we can also connect with him.

One of the cities was Ephesus and in verse 2 (NIRV) John writes to the church there, "I know what you are doing." And that could be said about us if Jesus was talking to us personally. Now he goes on and says, "You work long and hard." And then in verse 3 he says, "You have been faithful and have put up with a lot of trouble because of me. You have not given up." And that is great to know that that matters to Jesus. And that could be said of a lot of us. No matter what we have gone through or are going through the fact that we haven't given up matters to God, to Jesus. So let's keep at it.

But he then says something that tells us that we may need to work on this and that is such a good thing because we still can make such a difference. It tells us that this really, really, really matters to him.

In verse 4 John writes, "But here is something I hold against you. You have turned away from the love you had at first." Verse 5, "Think about how far you have fallen." Yes, we may do what is right but we have lost our love and love is what it is all about.

Verses 4-5 in The Amplified Bible says it this way, "But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me. So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent [change your inner self - your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior - seek God's will] and do the works you did at first [when you first knew Me]; otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place - unless you repent."

We may have lost our love in our relationships, in our marriage, in our family, in our church and in our relationship with God. Again, we may do what is right but if we have lost our love that is a problem, because love is what it is all about.

The Bible is so great because it is God's way of letting us know what is important to him. Love is why he created this world and you and me. And we need to be reminded how important love is to God, to Jesus! 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 ...

Today's Beginning

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