ODJ: we have this day

odj_170210

February 17, 2010

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in  it (v.24).

READ: Psalm 118:19-29

Debbie Middlemann was telling me about her   mother, Edith, the 94-year-old widow of Francis  Schaeffer. Francis wrote powerfully and often about the dangers of euthanasia and the gift of life, and now his wife and daughter were putting his beliefs into practice. 

Debbie said that hospices in her country slowly euthanize their patients, giving them ever-increasing amounts of morphine as they prepare them for heaven. But Debbie would have none of it. She brought her mother home and insisted that she savor the life that was left—listening to her favorite albums and books and eating home-cooked meals. 

When Edith noted that she was old and might not live much longer, Debbie reminded her that she had what any young person had—this day. None of us know if we will be alive tomorrow, but we do know that God has given us this day. What are we doing with it? 

Life goes by fast, and its pace quickens as we age. An entire week now feels like a long afternoon did when I was a kid. Are we almost a decade removed from 9/11? Is my child already starting school? I graduated how long ago? “Your life is like the morning fog,” James says, “it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (4:14). 

Solomon responds to the brevity of life with sound advice: “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore’ ” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). 

Now is our time. Don’t worry about tomorrow, for you might not be here anyway. Don’t put off until later what you can do now. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know that God has given us this day. How will you spend yours? —Mike Wittmer

NEXT
What friend, task, or duty have you been putting off? Procrastination is a form of disobedience.  Do the right thing, and do it now.

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Filed under Devotional, Our Daily Journey.