“This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24 NLT)

A fresh start every morning!

 When you get up to face the day each morning, it’s brand new and full of possibilities! What you do there is up to you and your attitude. You can say, “Good lord, it’s morning!” which is totally negative! Or you can turn it around and say the same words correctly and enthusiastically: “Good morning, Lord!” What a difference! But it’s the right thing to do and will determine how your day will go. The passage at top is a command stating a fact and what you should do: “This is the day the LORD has made.” That is a fact; God did make this day, as He did all the other days. You have a brand new twenty-four-hour period, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds, to fill up with whatever you want. After that, it’s gone forever, and you can never get it back. So, it’s very important to start it out right from the get-go. And the good news is, God tells you exactly how to do it: “Rejoice and be glad in it!”

Do not be anxious about tomorrow

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34 ESV)

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 ESV)

Remember

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11 ESV)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb.13:8 ESV)

Therefore

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 143:8 ESV)

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13 ESV)

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” (Psalm 68:19 KJV)

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:42 ESV)

It gave us a lot to think about

Susan and I recently went to see the third movie in the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, with actor Kevin Sorbo in the main role. It was well written and well acted, and we enjoyed it. As was the case with all the others, the story was about what happens to those who are left behind after the rapture. Of course, the movie had a story line based on a lot of speculation concerning how people will act when left behind. It gave us a lot to think about. We do not want to see our loved ones miss out on God’s promise of eternal life that He paid for (John 3:16). The movie did remind us that the times we live in were clearly predicted; we don’t know when the exact moment will happen, and we must be ready.

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32 ESV)

 How it will happen

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-17 ESV)

 Be alert!

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” (1 Pet. 4.7 NIV)

Therefore

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Phil. 3:29-21 ESV)

“Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13 ESV)

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 ESV)

Do you believe in the devil?

I heard a story about two children playing together. One of them said, “Do you believe in the devil?” And the other one said, “Nah, it’s just like Santa Claus, it’s your dad.” Even though this is meant to be funny, really, it’s not. One of the tricks of the devil is to hide in plain sight. According to a survey, many people in the US don’t believe the devil exists. Therefore, he can work in and all around them without detection.

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14 ESV)

 Who is the devil

 “So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” (2 Cor. 2:11 ESV)

The Bible says he’s a liar and a thief who comes to destroy and to steal.

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19 ESV)

“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8 ESV)

 What to do

I have heard a lot of Christian’s say to resist the devil. But that’s only half true. If you read the verse at top, it tells you to begin differently, with “Submit yourself therefore to God.” Because when you do this step, you are putting yourself into God’s presence and protection. This then puts you into the place of being empowered to do the next step “Resist the devil.” Because you will have God’s authority and power behind you, which is more than the devil can handle. Which then brings results “and he will flee from you.”

Therefore

“And give no opportunity to the devil.” (Eph. 4.27 ESV)

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:11-12 ESV)

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Rom. 16:20 ESV)

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:29 ESV)

I read recently that many pastors give up and quit because they have made mistakes, failed somehow in their ministries, gotten discouraged by a lack of success, given into some sin, and/or simply felt that God had removed His gifting and calling from them. But, I heard someone correctly say recently, “If God can’t use imperfect people, He’d have nobody to work with!” And that’s certainly true. But it’s also important to understand the passage at the top that promises that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Therefore, if you failed somehow, repent (turn around) and get back to work! Just like a GPS device, when you make a wrong turn, God recalculates for you to get you back onto the right course.

No one does good, not a single one

“As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them.They don’t know where to find peace.” “They have no fear of God at all.” (Rom. 3:10-18 NLT)

God can use anyone 

The Bible is filled with examples of people who were imperfect, made mistakes, yet God used them.

·      Noah was a drunk.

·      Cyrus didn’t know who God was.

·      Sarah was too old.

·      Abraham told people he was of that his wife was his sister.

·      Isaac was a daydreamer.

·      Jacob was a liar.

·      Leah was ugly.

·      Joseph was abused.

·      Moses had a stuttering problem.

·      Gideon was afraid.

·      Samson had long hair and was a womanizer.

·      Rahab was a prostitute.

·      Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.

·      David was an adulterer and a murderer.

·      Elijah was suicidal.

·      Isaiah preached naked.

·      Jonah ran from God.

·      Naomi was a widow.

·      Job went bankrupt.

·      John the Baptist dressed weird and ate bugs.

·      Peter denied Christ.

·      The disciples fell asleep while praying.

·      Martha worried about everything.

·      The Samaritan woman was divorced (more than once).  Zacchaeus was too small.

·      Paul was too religious.

·      Timothy had an ulcer.

·      Lazarus was dead!

 Therefore

 “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9 NLT)

 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet. 4:10 NIV)

God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called

It’s not about our ability, It’s about our availability!

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 NKJV) 

“In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets – some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.” (2 Tim. 2:20-21 MSG)

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 KJV)

Yes, God can use YOU!

If you make a mistake, do what you can to fix it. If you’ve sinned, repent quickly. But don’t quit! God can use all things for good, you just need to be available.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20 ESV)

This verse has at top has two parts

·      The first part of the passage at top  proclaims that we “are ambassadors for Christ.”

·      The second part of the verse tells us what our message is to those we come in contact with, which is “to implore them to be reconciled to God.”

What is an ambassador?

According to Webster’s dictionary, the meaning of AMBASSADOR is an official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.  

As Christ’s ambassador in this world you are His…

Envoy, representative, delegate, minister, diplomat, agent, consul, emissary, legate, deputy, attaché, spokesperson, missionary, proxy, foreign minister, messenger, procurator, evangelist, chargé d'affaires, deputation, mouthpiece, courier, detachment.

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6 ESV)

 Your ambassadorial assignment

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:17-21 ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV))

Therefore

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” (Col. 3:12 ESV

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Tim. 4.2 ESV)

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV)

 Don’t forget

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Phil. 3:20 ESV)

“He is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words.” (1 Tim. 6:4 CSB)

The unhealthy arguments over words

When I was a kid, a popular saying was, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me!” Children were taught to say this if anyone called them something. It was to show that the words being thrown at them are harmless and should simply be ignored. Not any more! Today, words are very powerful, and you must watch how you use them carefully to keep from being accused of hate speech. And you never can be sure what that is. If you refer to someone with a pronoun they don’t like, such as he or she, rather than they or them (now one of hundreds of possibilities), they can accuse you of hate speech. Teachers have been fired and entire restaurant chains have been blacklisted over this stuff. Comedians, and their tv shows, have been “cancelled,” as in “erased” (as in “cancel culture”), and/or they can no longer tell jokes in their standup routines for fear of using words now regarded as hate speech. Old movies and TV shows with wrong words in them are now removed. You must scrub any conversation you use on a YouTube video or on social media platforms because search engines will spot them and your programs will be banned. The list of examples is endless, and free speech is gone!

Why is this happening?

The answer is that ungodliness is becoming more prominent in the land as we continue along the path of removing God from everywhere in our lives. From our schools, from our government agencies and courts, from our homes, and even from churches (most progressive churches have become “woke”). The verse at the top says that anyone who doesn’t agree with the sound teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ “understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words.”

Read it in its entirety

“If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth,” (1 Tim. 6:3-5 CSB)

What to do

“Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim. 4:16 ESV)

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Tim. 4:2-4 ESV)

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9 ESV)

“And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere” …. “for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it,” (1 Thess. 1:8 NLT)

What Jesus did for me

Over fifty years ago, I found a gospel tract in a friend’s glove box while out drinking with some friends, and I quickly thumbed through it and was presented with the story of what Christ did on the cross to bring redemption to those who would respond through repentance and personal acceptance. The next day, while driving along a busy road, I remembered the booklet’s message and prayed, asking Jesus to save me. And He did! My life was instantly and dramatically transformed.  

I told my story to everyone I met!

I knew nothing about the Bible, about church, or about theology. All I knew was my story of finding new life by turning from sin and receiving Jesus, and how He changed my life. And yes, I had a lot to learn about what I didn’t know yet. And as I shared what had happened to me to others, many of them believed, and trusted Christ to save them, too.

It’s hard for someone to argue about what God has done in your life

You just tell what happened to you. An example of this is found in the Bible in John 9:25, where Jesus heals a blind man and the religious leaders are unhappy about it. They asked him many questions, even if he knew that Jesus was a sinner (in their opinion). He said, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner.” The man replied: “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” This was his powerful testimony of what Jesus had done personally for him and was impossible to refute.

What God has done in your life is uniquely yours to share

No one else has your unique story of what God has done in your life. It’s yours to freely share, and you must! It’s been more than 50 years since I first shared my story, and I still share it today. And it works just the same.

Be willing and ready to share

It isn’t complicated. Each time you say, “Here’s how Jesus changed my life,” you are giving your personal salvation testimony. Whenever you say, “This is what God is doing in my life,” you are communicating from your life what God is doing now. Every time you say, “I was praying about this, and here’s what happened,” you’re sending a message that will impact people’s lives. Every time you say, “I’ve got this problem I’m struggling with, but God is helping me,” you are voicing your life message. Basically, you’re continually telling how God is alive and is presently working in your life. You will find that others will want this, too, and your can help them.

Therefore

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Pet. 3:15 NIV)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Eph. 1:3 ESV)

I have a friend that, whenever I ask her how she is, she replies, “I am blessed!” And she always says it with a smile on her face. And she is right! The verse above proclaims that we are “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” That is amazing to think about!

God is able to bless you abundantly

The following verse says God’s blessing is so abundant that you will abound in every good work!

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)

All God’s blessings shall come upon you and overtake you

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.” (Deut. 28:1-6 ESV)

God says to test him on this promise

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” (Mal. 3:10 ESV)

Therefore

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Num. 6:24-26 ESV)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13 ESV)

Plotting courses

Susan and I love to travel in our RV, and we especially love exploring the back roads of the USA. In the old days, we depended on road maps to plot our courses. Sometimes we would get totally lost and have to pull over to the side of the road and pour over our maps to get our bearings. Not any more! Now we depend on technology to constantly keep us informed as to where we are. And if we ever miss a turn, our GPS quickly recalculates and instructs us how to get back on the correct course.

The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our teacher, and our guide

Similar to how our GPS system keeps us on track as we drive across unknown roads in our vehicle, as Christians the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14 ESV)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8 ESV) 

The Holy Spirit helps us understand the things freely given to us by God

“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” (1 Cor. 2:10-13 ESV)

The Holy Spirit helps us as we pray

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26 ESV)

Therefore

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)

“Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thess. 5:19)