Saturday, October 19, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

One Day at a Time

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

How many times have you been so consumed with the worries of tomorrow that you totally missed out on what God had planned for your today? I would love to say that I have never succumbed to worry, but, unfortunately, as humans we ALL find ourselves susceptible to that life-stealing emotion.

Today's verse encourages us to NOT worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will have enough trouble of its own. Instead, God wants us to focus on the present day - the glorious day that has been created for us. From past experiences, many of the things that I allowed myself to worry about never even occurred! By worrying, I missed out on focusing on the many positives that we all have available to us each and every day.

God assures us in Lamentations 3:22-23 that He WILL always be there for us - "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness." God realizes that we will face situations in our lives that do threaten to CONSUME us...situations that are undoubtedly subject to worry. However, He is offering His compassion, His love, and His faithfulness to help us deal with all we encounter in each 24 hour period of time.

One of my friends ends every email with the saying - "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain." We have a choice - to incessantly worry about how our present situation will conclude OR to handle what we encounter each day in the best way possible. I am definitely not proclaiming that this is easy to do BECAUSE we are often faced with incomprehensible hurdles. What I am saying is that as God provided manna for the daily nourishment of the Israelites...He will do the same for us. He will provide what we need to get through and thrive each of our days.

Psalm 145:18 assures us that "The Lord is near to all who call on Him......" My challenge to you today is to trust Him to get you through today's trials and to allow Him to shoulder anything that may come about tomorrow! By learning to "dance in our rain," we will be able to appreciate all of the goodness of life that is still available to us.    

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your promise to always be near to me when I call on You. Please help me to enjoy each day that You give me to the fullest and to know that my tomorrows are in Your capable hands.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.