We've Got Today!

“This is the day that the Lord has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”  Psalm 118:24

As I look at the Body of Christ, I see a people who are often just as worried and harried as the non-Christian world around them.  In the words of an old-timer, “too many Christians look like they’ve been suckin’ on sour persimmons!”  The Psalmist implies that joy is a choice.  I can choose to rejoice in this day, or not.  He goes on to give us several clues to living joy:

Live in the present.  “This is the day…”, and truly, this is the only day we have.  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come.  But I have today, this moment.  Right now I can choose to find something to rejoice about.  If you are reading this I can only assume that you are breathing.  This alone seems cause for joy.

Keep focused on the Lord.  “This is the day that the Lord has made…”  God made this day.  To what end?  What does He intend for this day?  As Jesus talked to His disciples in John 15 about abiding in Him, He says that “these things I have spoken unto you that My joy might be in you, and that your joy may be made full…” Living in Jesus, dwelling in His presence, is a key to joy.

Remember to be grateful.  “Let us rejoice and be glad…”  Perhaps finding things to be grateful for, to be glad about, is hard for you.  Maybe you are alone, or facing financial hardship, or perhaps you struggle with depression or poor health.  Still, God tells us to rejoice, if for no other reason than that He died to save us.  Having an attitude of gratefulness to the Lord is a choice we make.  We choose to focus on His blessings and remember consciously to thank Him for them.  This may require a shift in our mindset, but such a shift results in our strength and in our becoming a people marked by joy.  As others around us see joy that surpasses human understanding, they can’t help but wonder at it’s source.