April 08th, 2017

           Rejoicing in the Lord (Psalm 118:24)
 
Psalm 118:24, reminds us that every day is a cause for rejoicing. Today is a non-renewable resource, once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Our responsibility as believers is to use this day in stewardship to the Lord will and in the service of His people. When we do this, we enrich our lives and the lives of those we love.  The Lord has richly blessed us and He wants you to rejoice in His gifts. That’s why as believers, we have a duty, this day and each day that follows, we are to rejoice in the LORD.
 
The psalmist cried out, This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. The songs and shouts had gone up from outside the city. So this is a special day, the day the Lord has made, a day for rejoicing in him. This was the attitude of King David. He said today was “the day that the Lord hath made,” therefore we should “rejoice in it”. Similarly, the Apostle Paul commanded Christians to rejoice—and he was writing from a Roman prison. In each day there are 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, & 86,000 seconds-& every one of them is a precious gift from God. Time is something we feel we never have enough of, yet we give it away so easily. Someone once said, "Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back."
 
God is the Creator, the possessor of time. We are the stewards of the time that God has given us.  One day, we will answer to God for what we did with the time He gave us.  This can be a sobering thought because we easily waste the precious time God has given.  But it can also be a motivating thought.  We can have joy in knowing that God has given us today, right now, to serve Him. Each morning is cause for rejoicing, especially when we pause to reflect upon Him who made it. The glories of the day surely reflect Him who created the day. But there very well may be greater truth here. The immediate preceding context speaks of the church of Jesus Christ of which He is the cornerstone. As Christians, we have every reason to embrace each new day as a fresh opportunity to serve and live for God. There are people to be encouraged, souls to be won for the Lord, and our LORD to be praised.
 
All of us have regrets concerning wasted time of the past. But let's determine to give today to the Lord-to use it for His purposes and for His glory. When I stand before the Lord, I want to have wisely stewarded the time He has so graciously given me. None of us know if we will have another year, another day, another hour to serve God; so use today for the Lord.
 

• What is your perspective on life?
• Ask yourself, what am I doing for God right now?
• Before you go to work or school, spend time alone with God and ask Him to show you how to use your time for Him.
• When you use your time to accomplish the priorities God has given you, you invest your time into eternity.
• What do you expect from today?
• Are you expecting God to do wonderful things?
  
  

Prayer: Father in Heaven, I’m truly thankful and blessed that every day is a cause for rejoicing and reflections on all that You have done. Today I’m given the fresh opportunity to serve You.  This day I’m expecting You to do wonderful things in and through me. In Jesus name, Amen.