EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE...

…makes a man (or woman?) healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Except for me.

In my case, this little adage might read more like this:

"Late to bed, early to rise
Makes one cranky, grumpy, with puffy eyes."

I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON.

Never have been – probably never will be.

So, it's no surprise that most mornings, the first thing that pops into my head is this sentiment:

"I do not wish to face this day."

Most days, there's no real reason to feel this way.

Most days, the calendar is free.  There's no impending root canal, no looming tax appointment – most days I am relatively healthy, most days are sunny.

However, if you are a person beleaguered by anxiety, most days arrive with an aura of doom about them.

I hate my anxiety.

You see, anxiety does not require a REASON for the feelings it generates.

It doesn't need to make sense, it just needs to make fear.

Sure, there have been a few mornings when I received a phone call with unsettling or scary news.  There have been days where something scheduled has brought legitimate anxiety.

I have been sick.  There has been cloudy or rainy or snowy weather.

But, most days there is NO. GOOD. REASON.

Just a free-floating sense of dread – like I'm waking up just to wait for the phone call or the piece of mail or the "event" that I'm so afraid will happen – to happen.

Hence, most days I just want to roll over and go back to sleep.  To escape reality.

Does this sound like a victorious Christian?

It doesn't to me.

But, unfortunately…it DOES sound like me.


When I think of the way that we believers are supposed to face the day, I think of this verse:

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

A great verse, yes.  But a verse that usually makes me feel guilty – because I am not rejoicing.

So, in an effort to assuage my sense of guilt, and in an effort to find out how I just might actually rejoice – I have decided to study this verse more closely.


First of all, who wrote this verse?

Interestingly enough, the writer of this psalm is anonymous.

I kinda like that idea.

It isn't David, or Solomon, or Moses, or Asaph – or one of the other named psalm writers.

It's just an unnamed person – a person just like you or me.


Second, that means that we don't know exactly when this psalm was written.

However, my research indicates that is was most likely written after the return from the Babylonian exile.

I find that interesting.

This was a psalm written after a terrible time in the history of the nation of Israel.

This was written by someone who had endured the pain of being forced from their homeland, taken against their will to a foreign and pagan nation, subjugated to harsh and difficult circumstances.

This was a person, in my opinion, who had experienced anxiety.

And now, this person had experienced a miraculous homecoming.  An unexpected and exciting return to Israel.  (Maybe the feeling could be compared to a POW being freed, and brought home to America after a war).

Joy, yes – unmitigated joy at newfound – RE-found – freedom.


So, finally this brings me to the issue of context.

What was the context of this verse?

Well, much of my research pointed out that this verse is often taken out of context.  It is usually understood just like I have always understood it – referring to the new day.  In other words, TODAY – the day that God has given us.  And so, we should rejoice in it.

Yes, that's true, but Psalm 118 is actually talking about the work of God in Christ, and the future day when God will lay His foundation stone – the Lord Jesus – the Stone that will bring salvation.

So, let's read the two verses that precede Psalm 118:24:

"The stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.  This is the LORD's doing, and it is wonderful to see."

NOW…we read Psalm 118:24:

"THIS is the day the LORD has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Indeed.

The day of the coming Messiah was a day that the nation of Israel had looked toward for centuries.  And this psalmist, after recently returning from exile, perhaps had this future day of salvation on his mind like never before.

He had just experienced a foretaste of that future day of rescue.

Freed from an evil and powerful nation, returned to where he belonged, he looked deeper into his feelings of exultation.

He looked forward to the day of the Lord's ultimate salvation.


So, I'm looking at this verse in a whole new way.

"THIS is the day the LORD has made…"

Well, my friends, that day is  Resurrection Day!

And that is truly a day to rejoice and be glad.

And also, because of that day, every other day you or I will ever face is forever changed.

There are no "bad" days – in the sense that nothing that ever happens now can affect us eternally.  

Every day is clothed in the protection and the promise of salvation.


We were saved on THAT DAY from a world ruled by the evil one.

We were saved on THAT DAY from slavery to sin.

We were saved on THAT DAY from the fear and the power of death.

We were saved on THAT DAY to ensure a future homecoming to where we belong.

We were saved on THAT DAY to live forever in the Presence of God.


Ahhh, I'm smiling.  Are you?

Sure, there are going to be days when the last thing I want to do is rejoice. I'm going to wake up in a bad mood, or life is going to be out of hand, or I might be plagued with sorrow or guilt or overwhelming anxiety.

But…

(And this is the crucial crux of everything…)

…because of THAT day, each new day is a day to love and serve God.

Because of THAT day, each new day is a day to remember that I no longer belong to this world, I am no longer controlled by sin, I am no longer a prisoner of death.

So.

This perspective radically changes my thinking.

Yes, I probably will wake up many mornings with this sentiment:

"I do not wish to face this day."

But, because of THAT day, I can now add this:

"But Lord, because of Your gift of salvation, I need not fear today or tomorrow.  For I am securely wrapped in Your love, and I face nothing alone.  Whom then, what then, shall I fear?"

And because of THAT day, every day that I wake up on this earth is just another day closer to the day when I wake up and see Him face-to-face.

Ahhh, I'm smiling.

Are you?!

God himself will be with them.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.
All these things are gone forever.

"And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!... It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.'" (Revelation 21:5-6)



How does THAT DAY, the day of salvation, change your perspective on today?


(SIDENOTE:  Today I am honored to be a guest on ENCOURAGE 24/7, a wonderful website hosted by Tracy.  Please feel free to visit and read my post about "EN-couragement."


Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Pamela at A SHELTERING TREE
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

"FAN THE FLAME" FRIDAY - Promise

Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.

This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)

Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!


Today's word: promise

What is a promise?

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you?  How did you feel?

How can we know that a promise made by God will come true?

What is the one promise of God's that means the most to you?  Why?


Let me know what you think!!


"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."  (2 Peter 1:3-4, ESV)


"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

I TOLD YOU SO...

I've been a believer for a long, long time – practically all of my life – (over 50 years for those of you who are counting…and stop counting!)

And sometimes, a *seasoned* believer can think that there's nothing new under the sun. The Bible stories are very familiar, the characters are like old friends, doctrine is solid – and though we might not think we know it all, we may think we've heard it all.

But – and I just love this – God still has a way of surprising us.

You see, I truly believe that the Word of God is the WORD of God.  It is a living thing, full of God's inspired words.  And there is always something new to hear…

So, a few weeks ago, it was Easter Sunday.

A blessed day, a day of celebration indeed.

And I was expecting to hear the familiar story about the resurrection.  Notice I said *familiar* – as in, I love the story but I've heard it so often that I could probably recite it myself.

Except for this Resurrection Sunday.

For one thing, our pastor gave a message that was innovative, refreshing, inspiring.  Instead of telling us about the empty tomb, he told us what God had said to him from the empty tomb.

It was powerful.

But, the thing that really, really hit me – and the thing that I am still pondering – is something I heard in Scripture.  Something leaped off the page, and spoke…

Let me quote it here, with the part that spoke to me underlined:

"He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen." (Matthew 28:6, NLT)


What struck me is this – Jesus did what He said He would do.

He fulfilled His own prophecy.

You see, for centuries, the prophets had made many predictions about the coming Messiah.  And, when Jesus arrived, He fulfilled every single one of them.

That is nothing short of amazing.

But, Jesus also made a prediction.  He predicted His own death – and He foretold His Resurrection.

And that prophecy came true, too.

That is nothing short of a miracle.

But it was the phrase – "just as he said he would" – that reverberated in my soul.

If Jesus said He would rise from the dead – if He promised it would happen, AND IT DID – then we can believe EVERY SINGLE PROMISE He ever made!

For some reason, this is what hit me like a lightning bolt.

Jesus said it – it happened.

Jesus rose from the dead – JUST. AS. HE. SAID. HE. WOULD.

This excites me as I think about it.

If the craziest, most improbable, most extraordinarily supernatural thing actually happened – then Jesus will do everything else He predicted and promised for us!


So, what else did He promise?

What else will surely happen?


Nothing will ever separate us from the love of God!

He will never leave us or forsake us!

We will never die – we will conquer death through His LIFE!

He is preparing a place for us!

We will inherit the Kingdom of God as His children!

One day, we will see Him again face to face!

We will live in His Presence forever!


Think of it!

Think of everything that Jesus said about us, everything He said to us.  Every prediction, every promise.

It is ALL. GOING. TO. COME. TRUE!

Yes, of course, I have always believed these promises.  But, for some reason, this Resurrection Sunday they all sounded fresh and new to me.  It was as if I heard Jesus say them *personally* to me.

They came alive – as I experienced the weight and glory of His resurrection more powerfully than ever before.


I felt like one of the two on the road to Emmaus, seeing Him for the first time after the resurrection.

Sometimes we have to read between the lines of Scripture, and feel the excitement, the amazement of the moment.

And I wonder if it was all as hushed and somber as it sometimes feels to me.  I wonder if our Lord might have said, with a twinkle in His eye:

"I told you we would meet again!"

And maybe, just possibly, He grinned from ear-to-ear for a moment before He disappeared.


"Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:31-32)


I'll tell you what – MY heart is burning within me!

And one day, when all the predictions and promises have come true, and I see the Lord Jesus, my precious Savior, face-to-face…

He might just say to me, with a twinkle in His eye…

"I told you so!!"


Praise the Risen Lord!

HE SAID IT.

I BELIEVE IT.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

They will see his face... 

What is one promise that comes alive for you today?


Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Pamela at A SHELTERING TREE
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

"FAN THE FLAME" FRIDAY - Honor

Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.

This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)

Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!


Today's word: honor

What does it mean to honor someone?

If your parents are alive, in what ways can you honor them?  (If not, how would you honor the elderly you know in your life?)

What else does Scripture say about whom we should honor?

What does it mean - in practical, action-oriented ways - to honor God?


Let me know what you think!!


"...I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me." (1 Samuel 2:30, NLT)


"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"