Today's Beginning

Psalms 92:4 (AMP), "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the works of your hands I joyfully sing." Friday... He really does do great works. Have we ever stopped and thought about how hard a job it is to be GOD? It should really make us glad at all He has done and is doing in our lives. How horrible would it be to have a job with taking care of people who constantly blow it. Who never really do their work as we need them to do it? hard work Psalms 92:4 (AMP) says "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the works of your hands I joyfully sing." Yes, we really do need to appreciate and be glad at all the works that God personally does for us. Verse 5 says, "How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep [beyond man's understanding]" It is so easy at our work to constantly complain about all that happens around us. What if God did that with us? Paul over in Ephesians 6:7-8 (NLT) says, "Work with enthusiasm,...

Ephesians 5:8 (NLT), "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!" Thursday... It is what we are looking for. Every morning at 6:30 am I go out on our back patio and sit in my adirondack chair and look out on the mountains right across the 215 and read that days three chapters from my NIV Bible. Today the Sun wasn't totally shining yet on those mountains but after I had finished my reading I looked up and those mountains were totally lit up by the morning sun and it really emotionally hit me. Margaret and I are going through a time of wonder and we are searching for God's light on what is ahead for us and that light on those mountains hit me. Yes, God in His time will light up what we are to do. I went back and read through my chapters again in the NLT as I do every morning and I came on this verse in Ephesians 5:8 which says, "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So li...

Psalms 90:14 (NLT), "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing joy to the end of our lives." Wednesday... Here is a prayer to pray each morning that is true. Moses wrote this prayer. He said in Psalms 90:14 (NLT), "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives." Now we may think of other things to ask for that we believe will satisfy us but when they happen and they don't satisfy then we are in despair. But this is something that is true, that we can know, that we already have so our prayer is to be satisfied with it. Yes, we do think of a lot of other stuff that we believe will make us happy, that will satisfy us, that will bring us joy but when we get it and we are still not satisfied then there is a problem. We get it but there is no continual joy. Oh there may be for a moment but it doesn't last. So, "Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to ...

Ephesians 3:19a (NLT), "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully." Tuesday... Do we really realize where it comes from? There is so much hate in this world and it comes sometimes from people who say they have love. But maybe they just don't understand what it is and where it really comes from. Now some of this hate comes from people who profess to have love inside of them. Yes, there are some families who say they have God's love in them but hate other members of their family. The same is true in some churches. So again, the question is, do we really realize where love comes from? And another good question is, have we really experienced real love? Now Paul in the middle of some battles between religious people says this in Ephesians 3:19a (NLT), "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully." Yes, this world really needs love, it needs to see and experience the love of Christ. Paul...

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT), "For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long go." Monday... So what is our potential? Now there are two different ways for us to go. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long go." Yes, there is unlimited potential in us. Did you know that? Yes, God created us with an assignment and we are God's masterpiece. But verse 2 says, "You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God." Yes, we have that potential, that choice. Verse 3 says, "All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else....

Psalm 85:8 (NLT), "I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." Friday... Yes, we must listen carefully. We really do. Now there is a whole lot of anger going on in our world even in the church. And even in the church we must be really careful. I just finished reading the book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. There is a whole lot of anger in that book because of the disobedience of God's chosen people. So it is imperative to read the whole story. Psalm 85:8 (NLT) says, "I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." Now we first of all must know where God's anger came from. But so many who are followers of God pick up on the anger part without listening carefully. Yes, we must listen carefully even when we read Jeremiah. His anger came from their disobedience. So does he speak peace to you? In Paul's letter to the Ephesians in 1:2 he says, "May God o...

Psalm 84:12 (AMP), "O LORD of hosts, how blessed and greatly favored is the man who trusts in You [believing in You, relying on You, and committing himself to You with confident hope and expectation]." Thursday... So where does it come from? Now in this world in which we live it seems we need confidence and hope. So where does it come from? Paul in his letter to the Galatians in chapter 6 and verse 3 (AMP) says something that can take us back. It seems to do away with what we are taught today. It says, "For if anyone thinks he is something [special] when [in fact] he is nothing [special except in his own eyes], he deceives himself." So where does confidence and expectation come from? Paul goes on in verse 4, "But each one must carefully scrutinize his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another." That is very good advice. Now Psalms 84:12...

Galatians 5:16a (AMP), "But I say, 'walk habitually in the {Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance].'" Wednesday... Now, let's do it! There is something that we no longer can do. We cannot do as the Apostles did and walk with and hear what Jesus said out loud. Yes, we have the four Gospels and we can read what He said but we cannot walk with Him in human form but we still have the opportunity to seek Him and be responsive to His guidance. And this is so important for us to do. In Galatians 4:4 (NLT), Paul writes, "But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law." Jesus came both as a human and God. Verse 5 says, "God sent his Son to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children." He came as the sacrifice for our sins. Yes, Jesus came to die but also to be resurrected and to head back to heaven to be with God. Now this is very important. Ve...

Galatians 4:7 (NLT), "Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." Tuesday... It can now be so different. Now we who are reading this are probably not children even though life seems to treat us that way. It seems that we are slaves to life. Galatians 4:1 (NLT) says, "Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had." Paul the writer goes on. Verse 2 says, "They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set." And so many feel like they are still being treated as slaves no matter their age but in reality it can now be so different. Verse 3 says, "And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children, we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world....

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....

Galatians 2:21 (NLT), "I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." Friday... There is definitely a difference in the two. But we needed both. When in Genesis our two representatives headed in a different direction than God's plan so he then set out to get us back on his plan. In the Old Testament there was no Jesus on earth as a human but it all was laid out to bring God's Son into the world to get us back on track. But a lot had to happen before he came. It is said that the Old Testament is His story so we do need it but it has a different purpose than the New Testament. It was built upon laws and obeying them and their were major consequences in disobeying those laws. I read today Psalm 78 and Jeremiah 48 in the OT. Yes there were consequences. But I read also Galatians 2 in the NT and Paul showed the difference that Christ's death and Resurrection made. The Jews ...

Psalms 77:19 (NLT), "Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters - a pathway no one knew was there!" Thursday... We just don't always know. We think we do but we really don't but we can stop and remember by looking back. Psalms 77:19 (NLT) says, "Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters - a pathway no one knew was there!'" We just don't know it all. So what is it you are facing and you have no idea what to do? The writer of Psalms 77 in verses 1-3 said, "I cry out to God; yes I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God and moan." Verses 9 says, "Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion." It can be so easy to blame God. Verse 10, "And I said, 'This is my fate; the Most High has turn...

2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT), "I close this letter with these words: Be joyful, Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." Wednesday... Let's encourage each other. Paul had some problems with one of the churches he had planted so he sent them two letters to deal with the problem. It is so difficult to correct someone you love but you know you have to and Paul was having a problem doing it. Now Jeremiah, a prophet in the Old Testament wrote down what God told him to say to His people who were totally disobedient to God. It was very tough stuff. God eventually had a nation attack them and destroy their city and then take those who had not been killed but left a few and they too did not follow God's commands. They left were God told them to stay. Now this shows what kind of God we serve. In Jeremiah 46:28 it says, "'Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, for I am with you,' says the LORD. ...

Psalm 75:1 (NLT), "We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds." Tuesday... We each seem to need to do it. Yes, we seem to want or need to boast but God has some problems with it. In Psalm 75:4 (MSG) God says here, "I said to the arrogant, 'Do not boast.'" So what do we do? Verse 1 says (NLT), "We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds." But I did it. But are you sure? Paul over in his second letter to the Corinthians in chapters 11 & 12 tells of all the different things that he went through and did. In 12:1 he says, "This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord" and especially one unbelievable one but in verse 5 he says, "That experience is worth boasting about, but I'm not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses....

Psalm 74:12 (NLT), "You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth." Monday... So, who is it we really are reminding? Now Asaph in writing Psalm 74 seems to be reminding God. But is that really the one he needs to be reminding? In our situations in our lives where things are not going the way we want we use whatever methods we can to have hope. Maybe that is where a lot of us are today and we need some reminders and that is why I spend time in the Bible every morning. I need to be reminded and reinforced in my faith. Now Asaph starts this Psalm out by saying in verse 1a (NLT), "O God, why have you rejected us so long?" Could that be a question that a lot of us have at the beginning of this day? I love the honesty of the Bible. Maybe some of you are saying that and this is a great place to come. Here is a reminder. Verse 12 says, "You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth." Verses 16-17 says, "Both...

Psalm 71:5-6a, (MSG), "For you are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You since birth." Friday... A day of remembering. Yes, this is a day of remembering. I remember where I was 25 years ago when I heard the news. On September 11, 2001 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes to carry out coordinated suicide attacks in the United States. I was living in Las Vegas at the time but we later moved to Long Island in New York where we knew people who were affected by the attack on the World Trade Center. Yes I remember where I was when I heard about it. That was definitely a difficult day. But at my age there are so many memories. Now David writes in Psalm 71:5-6a (MSG), "For you are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You since birth." Even in days like 9/11 that is true. And in so many times I have leaned on God. "Yes, I have leaned on You since birth." And that is such a privilege...

Psalm 70:1 (NIRV), "God, hurry and save me. LORD, come quickly and help me." Thursday... Two words that say a lot about us. David writes in Psalm 70 verse 1 two words that we say a lot. In verse 1 (NIRV) he says, "God, hurry and save me. LORD, come quickly and help me." He says these two words that tell a lot about us. The words are "hurry" and "quickly". Now I am a person who really does not like to stand in line. I have these apps on my phone and I can go to the front of the line to get my coffee. But that is not a good thing when we reach out to God. His clocks keep perfect time. He knows what is ahead. And He knows what is best for us. We have a situation in our life that we are having to wait and it is not easy. Yes even in old age we can be impatient. Even though we have experience with God we still can be impatient when we have to wait. Well God knows us and He loves us and He still knows what is best. But we still think we know best and m...

Psalm 69:32 (NLT), "The humble will see their God at work and be glad, Let all who seek God's help be encouraged." Wednesday... So this is how we turn it around. Life has its negatives and some of us don't know how to turn them around. We are controlled by our negatives. Now I read a Psalm in the Old Testament of the Bible every day. King David wrote a big portion of these Psalms and his personality comes through. Here is what he says in the first verses of Psalm 69. In 69:1-3 he says, "Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can't find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me." It is so good to read his honesty. Yes as we read David's story we do see that he really had it rough and this was his response but he doesn't stay there. He turns his view a...

Psalm 68:3 (AMP), "So let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits before God, yes, let them rejoice with delight." Tuesday... There is so much more. Some would say that they will not read the Old Testament of the Bible because all it tells us is that God is angry. Ok, ok, I can understand that attitude but if you have read the whole OT you will see there is more to it than that. Look at Psalm 68:3. Here is what the Amplified Bible says, "So let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits before God, yes, let them rejoice with delight." Now if you just read verses 1-2 this is what they say, "Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered; Let those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked and guilty perish before [the presence of] God." But if we stopped there then we would miss verse 3 which says, "So let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits ...

Psalm 67:6-7 (NLT), "Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God bless us, and people all over the world will fear him." Monday... Do we really know what to do? We think we do, but do we really? I love how the Psalmist puts it in Psalm 67:6-7 (NLT). It says, "Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God bless us, and people all over the world will fear him." We think we do, we really do think we know what to do. We think we have the answers and that all our blessings come because of us. We think we know what to do. Over in the book of Jeremiah the kings of Judah and Israel would bring Jeremiah a prophet of God to them to tell them what God said to him about their situation. I think they wanted affirmation that they knew what to do but they never listened to what Jeremiah said. Jeremiah 37:2 says, "But neither King Zedekiah nor his attendants nor the people who were left in th...