THIS IS THE DAY

This is the day which the Lord hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

This verse is one of the verses in Scripture, I think we, at times, almost make light of. I've heard some of he best of Christians say something like: “Remember, this is the day the Lord has made....” when another person comments about the weather, their health or the flat tire they had on the way to work. It's a verse, to me, of great assurance and even security.

Someone shared on Facebook one day, a saying she had come across that was a very convicting one for me. The statement was a simple one...LIVE EACH DAY AS IF IT IS THE ONLY ONE. I wonder how many days of the many in my life have I viewed any day as if it is the only one. This isn't indicating it could be our last day, but it could be that as well. The truth is, we should live each day as if it is our last, our only one.

I'm not suggesting in this quest for fruitful spiritual living that our days should be filled to the full with lots of activity. There are Christians who believe such is required to measure up....to what, I don't know. It blessed me to read in the Gospels the times Jesus went aside to be alone, no activity to speak of except for rest, food and perhaps times of prayer.

I've had women in my life I have loved and appreciated, but many of them VERY structured in every day living. Some have strongly suggested so much time given to Bible reading and prayer, often in the wee hours of the morning. I always got the feeling in those days of spiritual immaturity that God only listened to His people from 3:00 to 6:00 AM. Others prescribed a rigid schedule of housekeeping that included ways to cook and feed a family. If I did everything these well-meaning ladies suggested, I would probably be able to fit in about 5 hours of sleep at night if fortunate.

We are all so different and that means our days. I can be so scattered in thinking and activity, that rejoicing could hardly be considered. Depending on where we ladies are right now in stages of life, no two of us will be alike in our approach to anything, let alone how we plan and live our days.

I'm quick to admit there are days when I waste time that shouldn't be wasted. When my head hits my pillow at night, I would pray I had so lived my day that God would be honored in the way I lived out my day.

There have been special days in my life when someone said to me, “Well, this is THE big day.” I heard that the day I graduated from high school and college. Someone said it to me on my wedding day. The day we received our baby girl, a friend came into my office and said that same phrase. In every instance, those big days were life changing more than most of the rest. I can honestly say that I was glad and rejoiced in those days, but most of my days have been fairly uneventful. Each day God provides me whether filled with big evens or hours of boredom are His.

My life can bring glory to God no matter what my day calls for if my moments (busy or relaxing) are given over to Him. Folks who stack their days with unnecessary activities to the point of exhaustion don't bring glory to the Lord. It's hard being thankful for the days God has given if we've done everything to mess them up.

On the worst days of our lives, we can rejoice and be glad, not for the negative circumstances but because we have a Father who loves us and is involved in our spiritual health and well-being. I don't understand the things this earth chooses to put us through because of it's lingering sin, but on any given day, no matter the circumstances, we can rejoice and be glad in it because we are blessed in the privilege of walking through “whatever” hand in hand with our God who is all sufficient. There is nothing negative about our opening verse and in the sufficiency of God, we can be rejoicing no matter what comes our way. The things of this earth that mess up our days are all fleeting. We have a Hope in Christ that will sustain us in the meantime. God wants to use our days in beneficial ways. Let's do all we can to walk in cooperation with His plan.

Dear Father, I thank you for this day. Outside it's rainy and on the dull side, but it's the day You've made and I will rejoice. Thank You for Your goodness in my every day, and that Your grace is always sufficient in my life. In Jesus' precious name....Amen