the company we keep

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter & John,

     for they could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training.

They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.  Acts 4:13


I wonder if people say that about you & me?

I wonder if it shows how much time we spend with Jesus?

I wonder if people see that in truth we are ordinary, & that anything extraordinary comes from being around Him & His influence?

turn

Acts 3:19 Now turn from your sins  turn to God,

     so you can be cleansed of your sins.

20 Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.

who's in charge

Psalms 75

7 It is God alone who judges;

     He decides who will rise & who will fall.


10 For God says, "I will cut off the strength of the wicked,

     but I will increase the power of the godly.

obey

Jeremiah 7:23 Obey me, & I will be your God, & you will be my people. Only do as I say, & all will be well.

guidance / strength

Psalm 73

24 You will keep on guiding me with Your counsel,

     leading me to a glorious destiny.

25 Whom have I in heaven but You?

I desire You more than anything on earth.

26 My health may fail,

     & my spirit may grow weak,

but God remains the strength of my heart

He is mine forever.

new grip

take a new grip with you tired hands

     & stand firm on your shaky legs.

Mark out a straight path for your feet.

     Then those who follow you,

          though they are weak & lame,

     will not stumble  fall

          but will become strong.

Hebrews 12:12-13

no matter what

This is one of the verses of promise God gave me at the beginning of 2010.

It's interesting how relevant it is today, still.

Does it speak to your spirit today too?

Hebrews 10
35 Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord,

         no matter what happens.

Remember the great reward it brings you.

36 Patient endurance is what you need now,

        so you will continue to do God's will.

Then you will receive all that He has promised.

favor

Psalm 69:13 I keep right on praying to You, Lord, hoping this is the time You show me favor.

The longer I live, the more I believe that most of what we accomplish, most of what we have, & most of wht we do isn't because of our own cleverness, wisdom, intelligence, or hard work.

I believe it's God favoring us.

who He is

Psalm 68

5 Father to the fatherless,

     defender of widow -

this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

6 God places the lonely in families;

     He sets the prisoners free & gives them joy.



19 Praise the Lord, praise God our savior!

     For each day He carries us in His arms.



20 Our God is the God who saves!

     The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.

look ahead

Matthew 6 (The Message)


33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

     Don't worry about missing out.

          You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.


34 Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,

          and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

hold on

Hebrews 6


10 For God is not unfair.

     He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him

     & how you have shown your love to Him

     by caring for other Christians, as you still do.


11 Our great desire is that you keep right on loving others as long as life lasts,

     in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.


12 Then you will not become spiritually dull

     & indifferent.

Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises

       because of their faith & patience.



Sometimes God knows just what to say to me at the right time.

This speak to anybody else's situation besides me? If so, tell me about it.

messed w/

I tell people all the time that we all MUST read the Bible EVERY DAY.

At the same time, I wanna warn every - if you do, GOD WILL MESS WITH YOU.

And He will mess with you in the very areas of your life that you don't want Him to mess with.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful.

     It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,

        cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.

It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.


13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.

        Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes,

             and he is the one to whom we are accountable.


14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven,

        Jesus the Son of God,

   let us hold firmly to what we believe.

15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses,

        for he faced all of the same testings we do,

            yet he did not sin.

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.

     There we will receive his mercy,

          and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

faithful

Hebrews 3
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.

           Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.

13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

15 Remember what it says:

"Today when you hear his voice,
  don't harden your hearts
  as Israel did when they rebelled."

clinging

O God, You are my God;

    I earnestly search for You.

My soul thirsts for You;

  my whole body longs for You

        in this parched and weary land

                where there is no water.


I have seen You in Your sanctuary

  and gazed upon Your power and glory.


Your unfailing love is better than life itself;

                   how I praise You!


I will praise You as long as I live,

    lifting up my hands to You in prayer.


You satisfy me more than the richest feast.

     I will praise you with songs of joy.


I lie awake thinking of You,

  meditating on You through the night.

Because You are my helper,

  I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.


8 I cling to You;

  Your strong right hand holds me securely.

(Psalm 63:1-8)

trust

Psalm 62:5 I wait quietly before the Lord

     for my hope is in Him.

He alone is my rock

       my salvation,

   my fortress where I will not be shaken.

Someone asked me recently how I keep walking in faith.

It's all about trust.

I either trust Him, or I don't.


And I go with what I know,

     not what I feel.

word

Steep your life in God-reality,

     God-initiative,

         God-provisions.

Don't worry about missing out.

You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.


Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,

     and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:33-34 (one of the verses God gave me for this year)

word

With God's help we will do mighty things, for He will trample down our foes.

********

The reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it.

And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong - you want only what will give you pleasure.

********

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, & he will flee from you.

Draw close to God, & God will draw close to you.

********

When you bow down before the Lord & admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up & give you honor.

********

(Just some verses that came up off the page this morning from Psalm 60:12a; James 4:2c, 3, 7, 8, 10)

a word from Isaiah

So, if Isaiah speaks truth here, how then should we live?

Isaiah 58
6 Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
  lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
  and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
  and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
  and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 "Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
  and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
  and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the LORD will answer.
  'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply.

"Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
  Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
  and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
  and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
  giving you water when you are dry
  and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
  like an ever-flowing spring.
12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
  Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
  and a restorer of homes.

13 "Keep the Sabbath day holy.
  Don't pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
  and speak of it with delight as the LORD's holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
  and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.
14 Then the LORD will be your delight.
  I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
  I, the LORD, have spoken!"

2nd guessing

Isaiah 46:11 This is what the Lord says,

                              the Holy One of Israel & your Creator,

           "Do you question what I do for my children?"


Well... do we?

what to do

These are some verses that came up off the page today for me.I don't know if they are specifically just for me, or if there is someone, or more than 1 person, who needs to hear this word besides me.

Let me know if these were helpful to you, or spoke to something going on with you right now.


Isaiah 56:1 Be just & fair to all, says the Lord. Do what is right & good, for I am coming soon to rescue you.


Psalm 57:2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose in me.

3a He will send help from Heaven to save me.



James 1:5 If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask Him,& He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.

6a But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer.

boy, howdy

Isaiah 55

8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD.

  "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

(dan note: boy, howdy!)

9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

  so my ways are higher than your ways

  and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.


Sometimes, when I feel the most clueless (& I feel clueless all the time now), I try to remember who I am & Who it is I'm hooked up with in the journey of life.

I see things only from a VERY limited prospective. God sees the BIG picture, all the time.

And He lets me see parts of that BIG picture on a "need to know" basis.

Evidently, I haven't needed to know much lately.

Or maybe it would scare me too much & I mess it up.

Or I'd try to make it happen.

I don't know - we'll see, eventually

who He was

2 My servant grew up in the LORD's presence like a tender green shoot,

  like a root in dry ground.

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,

  nothing to attract us to him.

3 He was despised and rejected—

  a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.

  He was despised, and we did not care.


4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;

  it was our sorrows* that weighed him down.

And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,

  a punishment for his own sins!

5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,

  crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

  He was whipped so we could be healed.

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.

  We have left God's paths to follow our own.

Yet the LORD laid on him

  the sins of us all.


7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,

  yet he never said a word.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.

  And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,

  he did not open his mouth.

8 Unjustly condemned,

  he was led away.

No one cared that he died without descendants,

  that his life was cut short in midstream.

But he was struck down

  for the rebellion of my people.

9 He had done no wrong

  and had never deceived anyone.

But he was buried like a criminal;

  he was put in a rich man's grave.


Prophesied Isaiah 53:2-9 by the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before Jesus lived on earth.

a word

Isaiah 46:3b I created you & have cared for you since before you were born.

vs 4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age.

           I made you & I will care for you.

           I will carry you along & save you.


2 Corinthians 4:1 Since God in His mercy has given up this wonderful ministry, we never give up.

vs 2 We reject all shameful & underhanded methods.

          We do not try to trick anyone,

          & we do not distort the word of God.

          We tell the truth before God, & all who are honest know that.

vs 7 This precious treasure - this light & power that now shine in us - is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies.

          So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God & is not our own.

vs 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed & broken.

          We are perplexed, but we don't give up & quit.

vs 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us.

           We get knocked down, but we get up again & keep going.

vs 10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

vs 16 That is why we never give up.

            Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

            17 For our present troubles are quite small & won't last very long.

            Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!

vs 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now;

            rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen.

          For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

planting

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop.

But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.


I had a friend just yesterday say he had so many hurting people around him & that all he wanted to do was share Jesus with them.

So I told him to quit waiting & do it.

The interesting thing I've observed in the past 12 yrs is that people are really just waiting for someone to REALLY listen to them. Most people don't have ANYONE in their lives who ever asks them how they're doing, & then actually listens to the answer.

I have a friend who is amazing with people. He can talk to anyone. And get them to talk back! He is able to lead & influence some of the most unlikely persons.
I asked him one day how he does it. He said, "I just assume that any conversation is going to be good, until proven otherwise."
I thought that it can't be that simple. But I started doing just that - instead of worrying about what I would say or do, or if people would like me,I just assumed that the conversation would be pleasant.
Ya know... it works.
That simple shift changed the way I relate to people forever.

Sow the seeds Jesus' love & provision for us. Sure, some people won't respond to it. But then, some will.

encouragement, & rebuke

Isaiah 50

7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,

  I will not be disgraced.

Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,

  determined to do his will.

  And I know that I will not be put to shame.

8a He who gives me justice is near.


10 Who among you fears the LORD

  and obeys his servant?

If you are walking in darkness,

  without a ray of light,

trust in the LORD

  and rely on your God.


11 But watch out, you who live in your own light

  and warm yourselves by your own fires.

This is the reward you will receive from me:

  You will soon fall down in great torment.

morning readings

It's interesting to me how the Lord sometimes strings together stuff from each of the places I read in the Bible.

 Isaiah 49:4 My work all seems so useless!

     I have spent my strength for nothing & to no purpose at all.

          Yet I leave it all in the Lord's hand;

             I will trust God for my reward.

(dan note: anybody ever feel like that?)


vs 8 This is what the Lord says:

     "At just the right time, I will respond to you..."


Psalm 50:15 Trust Me in your times of trouble,

     & I will rescue you,

        & you will give me glory.


vs 23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors Me.

     If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.


2 Corinthians 7:1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body & spirit.

a Father

For all of you with "daddy issues", steep, soak, linger, ponder,& think what it means if you & I REALLY believe this promise...

2 Corinthians 6:18 And I will be your Father,
  and you will be my sons and daughters,
  says the LORD Almighty.

Btw, I went through all the translations on Biblegateway.com - they all say the same thing, almost word for word.

And trust me on this... this promise is true. It happens. He was. And He is.

Trust Him as a Father. You can trust Him on this one.

This isn't something I've read about it a book. I've been living in that promise for 44 years. It's true.

what this means

2 Corinthians 5
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

     The old life is gone;

            a new life has begun!


  18 And all of this is a gift from God,

                 who brought us back to himself through Christ.

And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

19 For God was in Christ,

        reconciling the world to himself,

        no longer counting people's sins against them.

And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.