This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Recently, a pastor wrote me about a man in his congregation who was celebrating his one-hundredth birthday.

During the party, a friend came up to the centenarian and said, "Fred, I congratulate you on this wonderful milestone. The only thing I regret is that you won't be around to celebrate your second hundredth."

The birthday boy looked shocked. If he was, his surprise lasted for only a second.

The pastor shared the old man's reply. With a chuckle, he said, "I wouldn't be so sure I won't be around for that two-hundredth birthday party. The truth is, I'm feeling much stronger beginning my second century than I did when I began the first."

Bravo!

The truth is, nobody knows what his or her future will hold. Most certainly there will be joys and sorrows, sad days and glad days. The only thing of which we can be absolutely certain is that the Lord is in control and the Savior, who has won the last and final victory for us, has promised to be by our side.

Those are truths each of us should believe in.

After all, we can't change the past; we don't know what tomorrow will bring, or even if tomorrow will come at all. All we can do is say, "The Lord has given me this day; He has given me the strength to enjoy it or to survive it -- or to come home to be with Him in paradise forever."

Whichever way things turn out, I will put this day into the hands of the Savior who gave His life so I might be blessed with an abundant life now and a perfect life in the everlasting hereafter.

It seems to me if more people adopted that viewpoint, most of our worries about the future could be put to rest, and the regrets of the past would be forgotten. We would be able to live our lives saying, "This is the day that the Lord has made."


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, each day that we wake up and live in Your love is a gift. Help me appreciate Your presence, Your grace, and Your Son. In Jesus' precious Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 7-8    Acts 20:17-38

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