“This Day”

It is the beginning of a brand new day; a crisp, sunny morning and I have no idea what this day will hold, but I do know the one who holds ME.  My Life Verse is Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  The Message Bible says it this way: “This is the very day God acted–let’s celebrate and be festive.”  I know some people do their devotions in the morning, some like to pray and read the word at night; everyone is different, but my best time has always been as soon as I wake up and I always finish my prayers claiming that verse.  It is a reminder to me of the choices I need to make each day. 

When Joshua was getting ready to lead the children of Israel into the promised land he made a very important statement; “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)  Each person had to decide for themselves whether they were going to follow Almighty God or the false god’s of the nations they were going in to conquer. Joshua didn’t want there to be any question who he was serving, so he made his decision clear to all the people.  Do those around you know what your decision is?

In order to be saved you must make the choice to receive Jesus as your Savior; a one time, life altering decision; but each and every day you are faced with choices in your relationship with Him.  When I am closing my prayer time I say it this way, “This is the day that the Lord has made for me, and I CHOOSE to rejoice and be glad in it.” By making that statement, I am setting the tone for my entire day.  I can begin the day with worry or by remembering that God is in control of whatever comes into my life, and everything that happens has been filtered through his love.  Yesterday is past, I can’t do anything about it; tomorrow is not even promised, so why spend time worrying.  God has created THIS DAY, so it is my decision to make the most of it.

Each and everyday you can make a choice to…

• LOVE–He loved you and gave Jesus to die in your place, so love Him and others.
• TRUST–Jesus promised never to leave you or forsake you.
• OBEY–His will is to give you hope and a future.
• FOLLOW–He will lead you every step of the way.
• REJOICE–God chose you!
• GIVE THANKS–For all the wonderful blessings you have received.

Our lives are made up of CHOICES: life or death; worry or trust; love or hate; joy or sorrow; forgiveness or bitterness. Each day we are given a chance to start over, we receive a fresh start. THIS IS A BRAND NEW DAY, will you rejoice and be glad in it? The CHOICE is yours.

~written by Beth