Monday... There can be those times.

Psalm 81:13-14 (MSG), "If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways, how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes."

There can be those times.

So many times we have those times of desperation when if we would turn to God then something could happen. But in those times when we do come to God we must also really listen to Him.

Psalm 81:13 (MSG) says, "If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways, how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes." Yes, the listen part is very important when in those times of desperation we do come to God.

Verse 7 says, "You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from a cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah." Now there is a story here.

In Numbers 20:2-3a it says, "Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. The people quarrelled with Moses." They were out in a wilderness headed from Egypt to God's Promise Land but at Meribah they were tested by God. They were thirsty.

We must stop in our times of desperation and turn to God and realize that it could be a time of testing. Yes, here in this time at the waters of Meribah it was not only a time of testing of the people but also of Moses and Aaron the leaders.

Now Moses and Aaron did what they needed to do in times of desperation, they went to a quiet place and fell facedown and God came to them. Verse 7 says, "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.'"

Back to Psalm 81:13 which says, "If only My people would listen to Me." Yes, calling out to God in our distress is so important but so is listening. And also remember that "at Meribah they were tested by God." And that was also true of Moses and Aaron.

In verses 10-11a it says, "Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them , 'Listen now, you rebels, must we bring the water out of the rock?' Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink."

Fantastic, but wait a minute, verse 12 says, "But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.'"

God said, "speak to the rock" but "Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff,"

Yes, we want God in those times to listen to us but He also wants us to listen to Him. He may have something to say to us in those times of desperation. When we know in reading in our Bible or through His Spirit what God is telling us to do then we must listen and do it.

Yes, "If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways, how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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