This Is The Day That The Lord Has Made!

TODAY is THE amazing DAY that the LORD has Made! And we have a choice to view each DAY as God’s gift.

Psalm 118:1-24 says, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever…Let those who fear the LORD now say, His mercy endures forever….I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me…All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD, I will destroy them. They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the LORD, I will destroy them….The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation…I will praise You, For You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

We can choose to start each day with an attitude of joy and expectation, knowing that God has made this new day for us to enjoy, or we can choose to start each day with a poor attitude.

“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 (AB)

We may feel like life is out of control, not going our way. BUT even when it seems like everything is going wrong, we might not realize it, but this may be a learning moment for us. I have learned that God can use even the bad days to teach us about Himself IF we are “willing to learn and see it.”

Even in the bad days, and in the hard times, God is with us, helping us, because the Lord directs our steps: Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way…” and Psalm 40:2-3, “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth.”

The truth is that God knows what is ahead of us, and He knows what experiences we will need to prepare for those times.

What might need to change in our attitude about the day that the Lord has made?

Ecclesiastes 8:15 says, “So I recommend having fun because there is nothing better for people to do in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them.”

So, I recommend having fun. Solomon, who was the Temple builder in Jerusalem, the author of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes, one of the wisest men ever to live in all of human history, recommends having fun in the day that the Lord has made.

What he is recommending in Ecclesiastes 8:15 is that we enjoy life. He is saying that this joy would brighten up the hard days and our hard work. In other words, our labor might be more tolerable if we can find fun moments. We cannot control or predict a bad day or good day; BUT each day can have “joy” if we see it and view it as a gift from God (3:13; 5:19). Let’s learn to enjoy what God has given to refresh us and strengthen us so we may continue to do His work with joy and passion!

This is the Day the LORD has made; (and I have decided to) rejoice and be glad in it!

Pastor Steve