The “ride” of life
This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24
For the next five days, I am going to take a detour from going through some of the new testament books. I will continue with 1 John next week. However, I want to spend the next 5 doses on a message I am preparing for next gen students and young adults. It has 5 points, so I will talk about one point each day.
Point #1 Enjoy today
With all the pressure and fast pace of life, it can be so easy for people to get caught up in activities and responsibilities. Never even considering that enjoying the “ride” of life may need to be part of a daily plan. It can be so easy to be swept away in the pressures of becoming successful, that taking time to enjoy life can be of low priority. I’m not talking about taking vacations and getting away from the hubbub of daily living. I’m talking about enjoying live right in the middle of it. What would it look like if you enjoyed your life when you went to work each day. What would if be like if you enjoyed coming home to your family each evening. I’m sure you don’t have the perfect job or family, nobody does because there is no such thing as the perfect job or family. The point is, you can still enjoy the life God has given you even without the most expensive things, most current technology or perfect friends and family. Life is most often enjoyed in the simple things. Today verse says that we can enjoy today simply because God made it! How wonderful that is, yet how often do we actually consider that “today I can enjoy my life”. You have heard the old saying to take time to smell the roses and how true it is. It seems that we have entered an age where we have to purposefully stop and set time aside to enjoy life before it slips away right through our fingertips.
The Psalmist goes on to say in verse 29 of this chapter to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. A thankful heart is also not only good, but a requirement for enjoying life. To look around and recognize the hand of God not only in the world, but in your life personally will produce joy and thankfulness. On days when it seems like there is no time to enjoy it, spend a minute being thankful.
Today’s scripture reading is in Philippians 4. It encourages us to rejoice all the time. It means to be thankful, kind and gentle. Not anxious or worried about where life is going, but committing all to the LORD and trusting Him to handle it all. Then the peace of God comes and will guard against anything trying to steal your joy from you.
The bottom line is that when you trust the LORD, you will find it easier to enjoy your days. This life flies by so fast. In fact James 4:14 says our life is as a vapor that is here for a little while then vanishes away. It’s like steam or smoke. Now you see it, now you don’t. Even if you haven’t discovered the brevity of life yet, make the decision to enjoy your days now. If you do, when you get to the end of your time here in this world, you will look back and say . . . Wow! I really enjoyed living this life!!
Today I want to encourage you to make a plan now to remind yourself each day to enjoy it. We make plans our whole life of what we will do each day. Whether its work, play or make more plans, make sure to begin each day with the plan to be glad in it, be thankful in it and rejoice in it. Even when you are in the middle of storms and troubles remember, your plan is to enjoy life. Not by accumulating things and experiences, although they can be part of it. The main thing is that your heart is trusting in the LORD and rejoice because you know He is helping you to enjoy each day that you are on this planet.
Today’s scripture reading: Philippians 4:4-9
The Daily Dose 