Jump Start # 1731

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

  We are looking this week at the theme of Thanksgiving. The opening verse of Psalms 118 states, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” What follows are multiple reasons to be thankful. We find:

• God’s lovingkindness is everlasting (1)
• God answered in our distress (5)
• God is for me (6)
• God helped me (13)
• God is my salvation (14)
• God has made this day (24)

The chapter ends with, “You are my God, and I give thanks to You…Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”

Our verse reminds us, “This is the day which the Lord has made.” This day. Today. Every day is a gift from Heaven. This day, as busy as it may be, and as crazy as it may turn out, is what God has given us. Each of us have just this day. We plan for the next day. We plan for weeks ahead. We plan for next year. Vacations are being thought about. Churches are forming themes and filling dates with guest speakers. We think about anniversaries, graduations, weddings and birthdays coming next year. Some will have big events next year. Some will plan to retire next year. Some may be thinking about moving next year. But all we really have is “this day.” We can be so forward thinking that we forget about this day. This day can be just another plain ole’ day. We may think, ’lets fast forward to Thursday—a holiday.’ No school. No work. Turkey. Family. Football. Fun. But today is not Thursday. This is the day which the Lord has made. Could it be that we live for the special days and just coast through the other days? Could it be that we see little to be thankful for on a Tuesday before a big holiday? Could it be that we do not see any reason to rejoice and be glad in this day, other than wanting this day to be over?

Rejoice that you are alive today. This is a blessing. This is a gift. You have been given a day. Find ways to be thankful, even on a Tuesday. Find ways to use this day to your benefit and God’s glory. Thank the Lord for today. Read something worthwhile. Engage in a meaningful conversation. Do something for someone. This is the day which the Lord has made. Don’t waste it. Don’t just assume that you will have another one.

Rejoice that you have mind and heart to remember the Lord. Many will fly through this day without a single thought about God. Some will use this day to discredit God. Some will disappoint and even shame God this day. Some will live as if God wasn’t even alive. They will ignore Him completely. But you are different. You know God and love God. Be thankful for that. Be thankful that you have been taught about God. Be thankful that you can acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways. Be thankful that you are walking with God today. Be thankful that God is near to you today.

Rejoice that God has given you the eyes to see what really matters today. Beyond the glitter of shopping, and stuff, lies what really matters. Faith. Family. Friends. Fellowship. Freedom. Character. Hope. Joy. Smiles and hugs. You may have a long list of things that must be done today, mine is that way. That long list can feel like a burden that stresses you. However, in all of that look for the things that truly matter. As you talk to people, share the name of the Lord. As you eat, be thankful. As you travel, pray for safety. As you gain insights, become better. We sing, “Open our eyes, Lord…” The rich man in Luke 16, never really saw Lazarus laid at his gates. I’m certain he saw him, and probably complained about him being there, but he never really saw him with love and compassion. The bent over woman in the synagogue on a Saturday was seen by all who were there. However, Jesus really saw her. He called her to come to Him and He healed her.  Open eyes to help others. Open our eyes to make a difference. Rejoice that God opens your eyes today.

Rejoice that God has given you yet another day to make corrections in your life. One of these days will be the last day. Some day, God will have had enough and He will send the Lord. On that day, everything changes. The world will end. The dead will be raised. Judgment will take place. Everyone will be cast into eternity. On that day, there won’t be time for sermons. On that day, it will be too late to make apologies and do what is right. That day, everything will change. But God has given you today. God is patient with you today. Maybe, today is the day that you pick up the phone and call someone and apologize. Maybe today is the day that you decide to leave toxic friends who are taking you away from Jesus. Maybe today is the day that you decide that you will jump in with both feet and truly get committed to the Lord. Maybe today is the day that you decide I will serve the Lord in whatever way that I can. Maybe today is the day that you finally flee from Satan. Maybe today is the day that you draw near to the Lord. God has given you another day.

I tend to think that the Psalmist didn’t know how his day was going to end, yet he tells us to rejoice and be glad. That’s a choice. I can walk around today with a sour look on my face or I can be glad. I can spread gladness by being cheerful, thankful and kind.

Who knows how this day will end, but if it begins with the Lord and we stay with the Lord, it doesn’t really matter.

Rejoice and be glad—this is the day which the Lord has made.

Roger

Jump Start # 1572

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

  This is the day which the Lord has made. This day is a gift. Not everyone has this day. For some, they ran out of days yesterday. Their divine appointment with the Lord was called and yesterday was their last day. On this day, with tears in their eyes, their families gather to make plans for a funeral.

For those whose eyes opened today, we have been blessed by the Lord. He has given us a new day. This is more than just Friday. It’s more than the start of a weekend. It’s more than another day at work. It’s more than another school day. It is a gift of the Lord.

Our verse tells us two responses to this day.

First, “let us rejoice.” This is more than just be happy. It carries a connection to God. We rejoice because of the blessing of the Lord. We are thankful. We want to use the day wisely. We want to be productive and beneficial to others.

Second, “Be glad in it.” That’s hard for some. As I type this, I have a post-it note on my desk with all the things I need to get done. It’s full. It will be a busy day. There’s much to get done. Many of us have a day like that today. Busy. With all the things to be done, it’s easy to forget the gladness of the day. We can complain. We can fall into the trap of hating our jobs, our houses, our paychecks and even our lives. Misery mounts. The weather stinks. Prices stink. And before long, we start singing, “Doom, despair and agony on me. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”

So here is my list on how to make today a great day. My first thought would be to throw away post-it notes, check out of the office, hop in the car and drive until I run out of gas. We’d love to do that. Skip work and take in a movie. Hit the golf course. Go shopping. But the demands of keeping a job, a family and responsibility doesn’t allow us to do those things. Even if we did, the next day would be a disaster. Nope, still have to go to work. Still have to go to school. Still got things that must be done today.

So, how do we find joy and gladness today?

• Start by doing a quick 10 point “Thank-you.” Look around the room you are in and name 10 things you are thankful for. It may be having a job. It may be having a house. Look. Think. Thank.
• Put on some music that makes you feel good.
• Stare out the window and notice things.
• Think of one person that you need to pray for and then pray for him.
• Get a hymn in your mind and hum it to yourself as you drive today.
• Read something from the Gospels. Jesus and the lepers. Jesus and the bent over woman. Jesus walking on water. Read slowly. Look at the words. Put yourself there.  Find the layers in the story and start peeling them back one by one.
• Call someone today to have a nice chit-chat with.
• Notice colors today. Norma Bowman told me that green must be God’s favorite color because He uses it so much and there are so many different shades of green. I like that.
• It’s Friday, eat some chocolate.
• Watch a funny show with your family.
• Try to get through the entire day without complaining—that includes complaining about work, the weather and the kids.
• Think of your favorite person. Why do you like that person?

Are you noticing something with these simple exercises? Gladness and rejoicing are choices. It doesn’t come for someone who gets to go to the beach every day. The Psalmist had to work. He had family. He had deadlines. He had trials and struggles. Misery is as much a choice as is rejoicing. To have that glad spirit one must control their thoughts. If we allow our thoughts to control us, then traffic, people, problems fill our thoughts and we soon become miserable. We can be rejoicing in the waiting room at the hospital. It’s a choice. You can look around and see trash on the floor, dust on the shelves, or you can look around and see things to make you rejoice. While you are doing that, pick up the trash.

Rejoicing and gladness are not by products of a carefree simple life. They are choices made no matter what the day brings. We are just days away from Sunday. That’s enough to make us rejoice. The best day of the week is almost here!

Some will ruin this day that God has given them because they will waste it being bitter, mean and sour. That’s a choice. They don’t realize it. They make themselves that way. This day can help you with the Lord and others or it can be lost because of the shallow things we think about.

Lower your nets today. Think big thoughts. Pray big prayers. Plan big plans. Rejoice big. Thank big. Don’t follow the masses. We are swimming upstream in a downstream world.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Amen!

Roger

Jump Start # 1508

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

  The new year has begun. Holidays are over and we are back to work and back to school again. Back to our routines. Back to normal. And that’s just the problem. We tend to settle back into the norm and what happens is that we change calendars, we become a year older and not much else changes. Everything pretty much stays the same. There is a comfort to that but it’s good to be challenged and moved to a better us. This is why folks make resolutions. They don’t want the same as before. They are looking for something better, something different. Most of us know that resolutions are generally scrapped by February.

Our verse today reminds us that each day is a blessing from the Lord. The Lord’s patience allows us yet one more day. Some day we won’t have any more. As this new year begins, fresh and bright, we know that there will be babies born. Some will be getting married this year. Some will graduate. One of my kids is becoming a home owner for the first time. Some will be off to college for the first time. Some will be finishing school. We also know that this new year will bring some tears. There will be some funerals. There always are. There will be some heartache. That happens each year. The calendars change, but do we?

This year, I would like to encourage our readers to push themselves to be a better you this year. Here are just a few suggestions and a few ways that this can be done. Once you’ve read my list, you can think of more to add and make the list work for you.

1. Worship better. For some, it may be simply getting to the church house on a regular basis. That’s a habit you can get into. Some of us have that down, but we still may not be worshipping God with excellence. Better singing. Better application. Better connecting. Better fellowship. Move from just going to church services to actually worshipping God. That’s a great start. That’s one that will affect you weekly.

2. Try to memorize one verse of the Bible each week. Write out the verse you want to know on a 3 x 5 card and carry it with you everywhere. Put that verse on your phone. Read it. Repeat it. Over and over and over. One verse—each week. By the end of the year, you will know 52 verses by heart. That’s amazing! That will help you. Try it.

3. Have one family in your home each month. Don’t pick the same people. Don’t pick just your friends. The new people at church. The widow. Maybe your neighbor. Maybe a co-worker. Clean the house. Cook up some food. Share lives. Laugh. Connect. Build relationships. One family—each month. That’s 12 families by the end of the year. That’s not hard thing to do. You’ll be so glad that you did this by the end of the year.

4. Read some quality books. Of course, the Bible is on the top of the list. But make a list. I have. I know what I’m going to read in January and February. Stick to it and finish those books. Books that will help you. Books that will build faith. Books that are encouraging. Some of us aren’t much into reading. There are two things to say about that. First, there are audio books that you can download. Second, turn the TV off, and read one chapter a day. You’ll finish that book off in no time.

5. Pray more and pray deeper. Think about how the Lord has blessed you. Look at what you have. Not your stuff, but your family, your friends, your church. Thank the Lord more. Pray about other people more. More prayer is good for us. It reminds us that we need Him. It reminds us that we can’t do it on our own. It reminds us that He cares for us.

That’s my list. It’s not huge. It’s not very deep. Simple things. Good things. Things that will develop spiritual habits. Things that can lead us to be a better us. Give it a try. Don’t quit after just a week. Stay with it. Put some effort into it. A better you takes time.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice.

Roger

Jump Start # 1147

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Our verse today reflects two thoughts that the Psalmist had. First, he recognized that the day was a gift from the Lord. The Lord, he said, has made this day. Today is a gift. We might be busy with work or a full schedule of things we must do, but without this day, none of that would matter. We often take each day for granted. We just assume that there will be a tomorrow. Someday there won’t be. The gifts will stop, and this world as we know it will end. The Lord has made today. We need to be thankful .

Secondly, he recognized that the value of rejoicing and being glad. Those are choices. Those are attitudes. It’s ok to smile. It’s ok to be happy. It’s ok to enjoy the day. So often we deal with the other side of our emotions. We talk about being discouraged, depressed, down. We see wars starting up, gas prices are high, this is wrong and that is not right and life becomes a drudgery that we tread through. If we can only make it to the end we think, then it will be alright. Misery, pain and unhappiness seem to be constant companions. They make us complain about everything from the weather, the room temperature, the traffic and length of church services. Woe is me becomes our motto and theme of life.

The Psalmist didn’t agree with that. Rejoice. Be glad. Smile. Enjoy the day. Be happy. It’s ok. God’s not going to be upset with you if you enjoy the day He has made. Happy Christians are contagious. You walk into a church building and are greeted by smiles, hugs and joyful conservations, it makes you want to stick around. The opposite is just as true. You walk in to some places, it’s like walking into a funeral home. Frowns, whispers, and stern looks greet you at the door. The first thing that crosses your mind is that they don’t want me here. I’m not welcome. It doesn’t take much of that for me to decide very quickly, I’ll be somewhere else next time.

Let us rejoice and be glad. What a delightful command. Rejoice is deeper than happiness. Being happy is based upon who you are with and what is going on. It is determined by what is “happening.” Happiness is set by what happens. Joy or rejoicing, is based upon deep relationships with the Lord. This is why Paul in a Roman prison could rejoice. His “happenings” were not the best, but his relationship, love and faith in the Lord was supreme. He could rejoice in the Lord.

This is why a person could be sitting in the dentist’s chair, and be rejoicing. This is why a person can be up to his eyeballs in work, very busy, yet rejoicing in the Lord. Tired and rejoicing—not opposites. Busy and rejoicing—yes. You don’t have to be on a vacation to rejoice. You don’t have to have a day off to rejoice. It’s an inside kind of thing. It’s who you are, it’s what God has done, it’s not based upon the weather or traffic patterns.

Smiling Christians—those are my favorites. They just warm the insides and make you feel good.

Rejoice today. This is the day God has made. It’s ok to do that. It’s ok to feel good on the inside about life. God is good. That’s what matters the most.

Enjoy the day!

Roger