THANK GOD, THIS IS THE DAY

A note was found on the back row of a church auditorium which said, “Now I lay me down to
sleep, the service is dry and the sermon deep. If he should quit before I wake, please wake me up for
heaven’s sake.” Needless to say, he was not a happy worshipper. Life is a gift and we each are one
heartbeat from death. We cannot relive yesterday, nor pre-live tomorrow. But we can be robbed of
today. Gratitude needs to be in the forefront of all of our lives. A noted preacher of yesteryear, John
Henry Jowett, put it this way, “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” Another said it
well, “He who thanks but with the lips, thanks but in part; the full, true thanksgiving comes from the
heart.”

Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” It was
sung antiphonally in the temple. The leader would sing the first part and the refrain was sung by
worshippers. The idea was that this was the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous to behold.

In our history, 1621 A. D., we read about the weather-beaten group of pilgrims of about 100
who went through a tough winter. 51 died and at one time there were only a half dozen well enough to
bury those who had died. Yet, Miles Standish and others gathered to give thanks for the Lord’s
provision. We live in tough economic times and great uncertainty about the future. The pandemic,
COVID-19, leads to many questions as well as the election of government leaders.

Still, we need to pause and look in, look out, and to look up. Today and the tomorrows to come
all belong to our Creator.

LOOK IN

Our attitude is of utmost importance! The story is told that the devil was asked what type of
human is the hardest to tempt. His response was, “I never have much luck with a grateful person.” Truly,
it is not our position in life but our disposition. A couple was blessed with two boys – twins. One was
always happy and joyful. The other was just the opposite. He was moody and nothing seemed to be
right with him. They did an experiment on a birthday. Expensive toys were purchased for the negative
son and they could not wait to see the glee in his face and voice as he opened the gifts. He ended up
crying and angry because he did not get the toy he wanted.

Then, they turned to the son who was always joyful. They had wrapped a great big box of
manure and put a big bow on top. Joyfully, he untied the ribbon and opened the box. Excitedly, he dug
through the manure and exclaimed, “With all this manure, there has to be a horse down there.”
Definitely, we have a choice in regard to our temperament and attitude toward life. There is a Chinese
saying, which observes, “A rich man living like a beggar.”

Our self-esteem is so very important. We need to remember that God never has made or will
make any junk. Each of us is important because we were made in the image of God. Millions of dollars
are spent on antidepressants each year. It is important to recall who we are living for. Paul put it clearly,
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21) Each of us is worth kingdom value! Perhaps, only
you can be the person to reach a friend or neighbor for Christ. God, our Creator, gives us true worth.
Let’s live for Him!

Question: Why is our attitude about life so important? How do we make changes in our self-
perception?

LOOK OUT

Many live in the past and consider the ‘olden days’ to be the best. Some pursue happiness as
though it is always out front – like a dog chasing a car. I’ve wondered what the dog would do with the
car if he ever caught it!!! Happiness and contentment are gifts which are rewards from labor. Alexander
Pope once said, “He who has no gratitude for the past is blind indeed.” Multitudes spend most of their
time at the complaint counter. The past was never intended to be lived in but as a stepping stone for the
present.

Look out to recognize that we are blessed people. Many have strong relationships with
neighbors, friends and family. The church has drawn ‘saved people’ together weekly to encourage
faithfulness and obedience to the Lord. Gratefulness needs to be expressed to parents, siblings, children
and grandchildren. The list could include teachers, classmates, teammates, health providers, and the list
could be endless. One day, the author was traveling on a road where the speed limit was changed to 45
miles per hour, I saw the police too late and he pulled me over and gave me a warning. As he was
leaving, I said, “Thanks for what you do in protecting us.” He did not know how to respond to that and
merely shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.

Did you know that of the 7.8 billion people in the world that our country makes up only 7% of
the population? Yet, we have 51% of the world’s wealth and 30% of the world’s preachers. We are a
blessed people! As we look out to the future, the strength of our nation is not in our military stockpile. It
is in the moral fiber of our people. When our land is filled with God-fearing, Christ-honoring, and Bible-
cherishing people, we recognize we are fulfilling God’s will for our lives. When we love God with all of
our hearts and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, harmony and good will prevail. That is our
strength! Let us look out and rejoice in the goodness of God and determine to reach our potential in
serving and loving God.

Question: As you look out, what strengths and blessings do you see? Name a few.

LOOK UP

With humbleness, let us look up to the One Who is the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills. It
is He Who pushed the mountains up and hallowed the valleys out. We look at the vastness of our
universe and exclaim, “How Great Thou Art!” He named the planets and the stars and they obey His
voice. We cry out ‘Eureka’, which is a Greek word meaning, ‘I have found it’, when we consider His
creation and all things He has so wondrously made.

Then we pause to look up to that Man on the cross many years ago and ponder how great the
love of the Father really is. Just as the centurion exclaimed as he saw Jesus, “Truly, this is the Son of
God.” He desires to have a personal relationship with us just like He did with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
When Christ comes into our heart, we look at life differently because we look up and ponder all the
good things He has in store for us. It causes us to pray as George Herbert prayed, “O Thou Who hast
given us so much, mercifully grant us one more – a grateful heart. Not thankful when it pleaseth me, as
if thy blessings had spare days; but such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.” Again, he wrote, “We
live in an age that hath more need of good examples than with precepts.” That was written in the 1600s!

We are admonished from Scripture, “. . . give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for
you in Christ Jesus.” (I Th. 5:18) May our gratitude be crowned with thanks-living! Truly, this is the day
the Lord has made and we are awe-struck at His greatness and love. We look in and see our worth. We
look out and praise Him for the depth of His love. We look up and lift our voices in praise and adoration!

David Livingstone spent many years as a missionary in Africa. It is said that he walked over
29,000 miles loving, preaching, teaching and caring for the people in what is known as the Dark
Continent. He died kneeling at his bed in prayer which was his practice every night. The natives cut his
heart out before his body was shipped to Westminster Abbey where he was buried in England. One
thousand mourners carried his body to the ship. But his heart was buried in Africa. His heart was there
serving the Lord. May each of us have a heart of praise like the Psalmist had!

Question: In what ways can we show and express our love and appreciation for God?