“Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again-rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” Philippians 4:4-5
Your alarm goes off you hit snooze in hopes of getting just a couple more minutes of some shut eye, and it never fails the minute you finally doze off your alarm goes off again. You finally get out of bed and begin your morning routine. For you it is just another day of the same thing, work! You finally get in your car and head to work, and the next thing you know or don’t know is your life has just ended.
Some of you might be thinking how horrible and crazy that I would even be saying any of this, but my friends this is reality for a lot of people. This is something that happens daily, whether it is instant or gradual, death is inevitable. Death comes in many different ways, cancer, a blood clot, heart attack, car wreck, etc. And one day we will all get our turn.
Do you realize that every day for the last however many years you have been alive is because the Lord has allowed your heart to keep beating? It is one more day He is giving you to make right what you did wrong yesterday. He is giving you one more day to come to know Him as your personal Lord and Savior. It is one more day to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of His word.
So as you get up every morning before you even begin your routine what if you hit the floor face first and praised your Heavenly Father for giving you the start of a day. And whether or not you make it through that day, you will have went to the Lord and praised Him for each minute you have to get right in His sight!
I have always been one to think about death and I always wonder if each day will be my day. Not in a morbid, or sick way but in a way that keeps me dependant on the Lord, in a way that makes me want to spend each second thanking God for the opportunity to spend with my three boys and family. It keeps me aware that life is too short to live it any other way than the Lord’s way. It also fills me with peace in knowing that when my day does come I know without a doubt that I will be standing face to face with the one I love and long to be with, Jesus.
Too many times we just go through the motions of everyday life, when we should be enjoying everyday life. We should be joyful, prayerful, thankful, hopeful, and value each breath we take. Goodness I have wasted so many days either being grumpy, in-patient, frustrated, stressed out, worried about everything under the sun, feeling sorry for myself and even wishing that the day I had been given would end and I could go to bed and sleep it off. And the sad thing is I cannot get any of those days back. But I can start living the days I do have with joy, love, adventure, forgiveness, and value.
How can I do that? By living by what I know and I know I am full of Jesus Christ who has made His home within me. I can live in peace because I live by the promises of God. I can live in love and love others because I am loved by the Father and His love lives within me. I can forgive because I am forgiven. I can be joyful because I know that nothing can separate me from the Lord, and I can embrace death because I know it means the beginning of a new life in Christ that will never end!
How do you live your days?
Jesus today is all we have yesterday is gone and tomorrow might not come, so help us and show us how to live today to the fullest, pleasing You from start to finish. Amen
