Today's Beginning

Saturday... He will let me gloat. Have you ever done something that was better than someone else and you want to gloat but you have been told that it is not good to gloat? But you really want to. I love reading the Bible in a systematic way, and you see something new everyday. Look at this in Psalm 59. David wrote this Psalm when King Saul had sent men to watch over David in order to kill him. That is the setting and this is what he wrote in verses 9 & 10 (NIV), "You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me." I love that. "God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me." If you have an up-to-date relationship with him, he will let you gloat over those who slander you. I love that. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Friday... So, how does today look to you?  Good question. From what perspective do you see today? John 9 starts by giving us two perspectives to the same situation. Verses 1 - 3 (NLT) says, "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 'Rabbi,' his disciples asked him, 'why was this man born blind? Was it because of his sins or his parent's sins?' 'It was not because of his sins or his parent's sins,' Jesus answered. 'This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.'" The disciples saw through the eyes of condemnation and excuse, Jesus saw an opportunity. Now the disciples had probably been trained that way as so many of us are. You can't do anything because you're not smart enough, you're too short, you're the wrong sex or you're the wrong color or whatever you have been told. But that is not the way Jesus wants us to see. Yes, he sees that you are blind but he came so you can reall...

Thursday... When the trouble is over, then what? Trouble it seems is a time that we turn to God, isn't it? David says in Psalm 57:1 (NIV), "Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster is over." Then in verse 7 (NLT) he says, "My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises." When we don't have what it takes to handle a situation, we have found that we can turn to God. That is so great to know. And it gives us confidence that we can handle a new day. But then Proverbs 27:1 says, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." And then verse 12 says, "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty." But look at what Jesus did. Over in John 7 we read of the battles that Jesus faced and then in the last verse, verse 53 (NIV), it says, "Then they...

Tuesday... It can be so unreasonable. It really can. What makes you angry? Not the righteous anger but the self-centered anger. John over in chapter 7 of his book tells of these religious leaders who were angry with Jesus. Jesus said in verse 23 (NLT), "So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath?" They were so angry at him that they wanted to kill him. They were very, very unreasonable. We have a lot of anger in our world today and much of it is so unreasonable. Even in the church there is such anger. Yes there is righteous anger but most of it is self-seeking, self-righteous anger. In verse 24 Jesus said, "Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly." And that is what we need to do. Where is the anger coming from? Over in Psalm 55:1-3 (NLT) David writes, "Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not ignore my cry for help! Please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles. My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked thr...

Monday... Give us eyes to see even if it is little. John tells this occurrence over in chapter 6 of his gospel. There was this huge crowd that was coming out to where Jesus was. It was not close to a town so that was a problem. Verse 5 (NLT) says, "Jesus soon saw a huge crowd coming to look for him. Turning to Philip he asked, 'Where can we buy bread to feed all these people.'" That was a big problem and verse 6 says, "He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do." What problem are we facing today? Is it way bigger than we can handle? Maybe He is testing us and he already knows what he is going to do. But he is letting it happen because he wants to see what we see no matter how small it is  Verse 7, "Philip replied, 'Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!'" And that was true, very true if you are looking at the problem from your ability to handle it. Remember, he was testing Phili...

Saturday... We each one have a need. We really do. Everyone of us have a need. Over in John 5:2-4 (NLT), it says, "Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people - blind, lame, or paralyzed - lay on the porches." And that is where Jesus went.  John continues in verse 5. It says, "One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years." Thirty-eight years he had been sick. What about our need? How long have we had it? Have we gotten to the place that we have gotten used to it? Oh, we act like we want to do something about it but we have just gotten used to it and that can be one way of handling it. Verse 6, "When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, 'Would you like to get well?'" And He still is asking that same question today. He is asking you through me today? And your answer may be the same as this man who had been sick for thirty-eight yea...

Friday... Life is not easy, but it can be simple. We are the ones who complicate it. Yes, we do. Look at this, Proverbs 21:21 (NLT) says, "Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness and honor." The Message says, "Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind finds life itself - glorious life." But we complicate it by pursuing so many other things that don't really show us a real life worth living. Proverbs 21:13 says, "Your addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied." But that is what so many live for. Verse 7 says, "The wicked get buried alive by their loot because they refuse to use it to help others." My wife and I found this week how giving what God has given us can bring about life changing direction in another person's life. It is awesome. And verse 8 (NLT) says, "The quilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road." How is that ...