Tomorrow
morning at 8:31 AM--if my parents have been telling me the truth--I
will, as the world counts life, be 67 years old. If I get my three
score and ten, I will have three left. Of course, God is in control of
that. When by His grace and enabled by His power I have accomplished
the ministry He has for me, He will take me Home to be with Him--which
as Paul says is "far better." When it happens
His timing will be, as always, perfect--an act of lovingkindness toward
me and toward those I will leave behind for the briefest of moments in
the scope of eternity past and future. Yet, while I am still here, I
would be unfaithful if I did not continue to strive agonizingly each day
to touch at least one life for Him. That's why He placed me here, in
Ohio, in 2013. My life is not a product of time and chance, but an
appointment made for me by the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God
of eternal love. And none of those traits is a threat but a great
comfort.
Our God, of course, does not count our life in years but in days. Each day is His gift to me. "So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom." Unless I thankfully embrace that each day is His precious gift to me--and the number of them here on earth is finite--wisdom will be far from me. I will have instead a heart in love with foolishness.
Listen to the importance He gives to each day:
"Today is the day of salvation"--of deliverance. First from sin's penalty, then from sin's power, and finally from sin's very presence. "What a day that will be, when His glory I shall see; when I look upon His face, He who saved me by His grace. When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the Promised Land, what a day, glorious day, that will be."
"Give us this day our daily bread." He is the God of provision. He is our Father, committed to meeting our need from the riches of glory--one day at a time. I must daily rest in the love of Him who knows my need even before I ask.
"Choose you this day whom you will serve."
"Take up your cross daily and follow me."
Each day I must choose to use this gift of another day in service to Him. Each day I must as His disciple take up my cross--I cannot follow in His footsteps if I draw back from carrying my cross as He bore His for me. And yet my confidence is in Him who helps me to carry it: "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me. For I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest unto your soul." "I can do all things through Christ who is my strength." "Never a trial that He is not there, never a burden that He doth not bear, never a sorrow that He doth not share, moment by moment, I'm under His care."
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"--today.
"Each day has enough trouble of its own."
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
He has designed that the troubles and sorrows of my life are golden opportunities for me to be rescued by His love and enabled in unfathomable ways to have my life honor--glorify--Him. Amazing love! He daily empowers me in the worst of times to make--to all around me--the invisible God visible as my loving Lord. He enables me to reveal Him on a daily basis. He lets Himself be seen in me. How can it be?
And so each morning and each night--if I will wisely "number" my days, if I will rest in His daily promise of deliverance and provision, if I will commit myself through His Spirit to choose and to take up the cross daily, if I will see my day of trouble as a day of victory and witness--my prayer can be: "This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." Yes, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." One day at a time.
"Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what He deems best, lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest.
"Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour; all my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Power. The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid; 'as thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,'--this the pledge to me He made.
"Help me then in every tribulation, so to trust Thy promises, O Lord, that I lose not faith's sweet consolation, offered me within Thy holy word. Help me Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, e'er to take, as from a father's hand, one by one, the days, the moments fleeting, till I reach the promised land."
Each day is a gift of His love and His presence. Each day counts. "So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom."
Our God, of course, does not count our life in years but in days. Each day is His gift to me. "So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom." Unless I thankfully embrace that each day is His precious gift to me--and the number of them here on earth is finite--wisdom will be far from me. I will have instead a heart in love with foolishness.
Listen to the importance He gives to each day:
"Today is the day of salvation"--of deliverance. First from sin's penalty, then from sin's power, and finally from sin's very presence. "What a day that will be, when His glory I shall see; when I look upon His face, He who saved me by His grace. When He takes me by the hand and leads me to the Promised Land, what a day, glorious day, that will be."
"Give us this day our daily bread." He is the God of provision. He is our Father, committed to meeting our need from the riches of glory--one day at a time. I must daily rest in the love of Him who knows my need even before I ask.
"Choose you this day whom you will serve."
"Take up your cross daily and follow me."
Each day I must choose to use this gift of another day in service to Him. Each day I must as His disciple take up my cross--I cannot follow in His footsteps if I draw back from carrying my cross as He bore His for me. And yet my confidence is in Him who helps me to carry it: "Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me. For I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest unto your soul." "I can do all things through Christ who is my strength." "Never a trial that He is not there, never a burden that He doth not bear, never a sorrow that He doth not share, moment by moment, I'm under His care."
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"--today.
"Each day has enough trouble of its own."
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
He has designed that the troubles and sorrows of my life are golden opportunities for me to be rescued by His love and enabled in unfathomable ways to have my life honor--glorify--Him. Amazing love! He daily empowers me in the worst of times to make--to all around me--the invisible God visible as my loving Lord. He enables me to reveal Him on a daily basis. He lets Himself be seen in me. How can it be?
And so each morning and each night--if I will wisely "number" my days, if I will rest in His daily promise of deliverance and provision, if I will commit myself through His Spirit to choose and to take up the cross daily, if I will see my day of trouble as a day of victory and witness--my prayer can be: "This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." Yes, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." One day at a time.
"Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure, gives unto each day what He deems best, lovingly its part of pain and pleasure, mingling toil with peace and rest.
"Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour; all my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counsellor and Power. The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid; 'as thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,'--this the pledge to me He made.
"Help me then in every tribulation, so to trust Thy promises, O Lord, that I lose not faith's sweet consolation, offered me within Thy holy word. Help me Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, e'er to take, as from a father's hand, one by one, the days, the moments fleeting, till I reach the promised land."
Each day is a gift of His love and His presence. Each day counts. "So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom."
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