This is the Day.

Psalms 118:24 -This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

       Many times we have seen this verse and thought of how awesome God is in guiding and designing every day of our lives. This is a truth we see supported in the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:9) but is not the main thought of psalms 118:24. We see that this verse is probably speaking of Christ's rejection and Crucifixion.  Verse 22, speaks of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone (Paul referred to Jesus as the cornerstone of the church) Verse 27, speaks of a sacrifice being made on the alter. How could God have designed such a dark and depressing day and desire for us to rejoice in it? We know that from the sorrow and death of the Crucifixion day the whole world has access to eternal life!

     One of the big thoughts I had when reading this verse is all the days we celebrate as special or as holidays. Romans 14:5-6, speaks of some people observing many holidays and some none. Some use this passage to say we should not observe holidays with pagan origins, but the verse tells us not to judge those who observe holidays differently then us, The main thought I want to bring forward is that for most Christians the day is not what is important, but the memory behind it. We don't celebrate Christmas because there is something special about December the 25th, but because it reminds us of God's love and Jesus' birth. I challenge us to think of some Holidays and to be thankful for there memories every day. Whether you thank a serviceman or servicewoman for their sacrifices or you do something special for your mom or dad, try to act on the memories honored in our holidays. You never know what day will be your last and you may not make it to the nest Father's day or Veterans days.  
 

Faith versus Fear

      Decisions that we make are the one of the most powerful directors of the destiny of our life. Every decision directs us down a path of consequences - either good or bad. There are two main forces that affect how we make our decisions - faith and fear. Whether faith or fear is more present in our life will determine many of the decisions we make. When there is great fear, greater faith is required to take the right action. Great men will always be great, but they shine when faced with great opposition. Men like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln would have been successful no matter what, but of not for the opposition they faced probably few would know their names. In the Bible, we see Moses as one of the greatest leaders of Israel. At the time of Israel's deliverance by God through Moses they where enslaved by the strongest nation in the World - Egypt. In Hebrews 11:27 the Bible say about Moses - "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." Moses acted on faith rather then fear, even though the potential for fear was great. He was defying the strongest nation on the earth, all while personally meeting with their leader. He commanded Pharaoh ,who many treated as a god, to release the Israelites. If he had any doubt in God's power it would be easy to by paralyzed by Pharaoh's armies, priest or anger. He had faith in God's power and proclaimed to Pharaoh that God was declaring war on him and his false deities. He accomplished God's mission for his life and was a great leader.

      In Mark 4:40 Jesus asked his disciples " Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" They had been in the middle of a powerful storm and had waken Jesus from his slumber. Fearful for their lives they cried to him and he calmed the storm. Jesus rebuked them for there fear.  However almost all of the men in that boat went on to become great men of faith. How did this change come to pass?

      Where dose faith come from? Faith comes from past experiences of success. When we go to start our cars we have faith they will start because of previous experience them starting.  2 Timothy 1:7 gives us three experiences that add to our faith - Power, Love and a sound mind.

Power - Moses had faith in Christ's power because of miracles he was shown in the desert. The disciples saw the power of Christ every step of their 3 year journey with him. When Jesus left the disciples to ascend in to heaven, he commanded them to act on faith and spread the message of his salvation throughout the world. He also promised his power would go with them. The experience of power is a big reason why God will work miracles for even the lost at times, so when they receive the gospel they have the faith to believe. The more we as believers face struggles and see God's power our faith has reason to grow.

Love -  Even when God's power is evident, we often need to experience his love to believe he will use his power to benefit us not to harm or forsake us. Romans 5:8 give us one of the greatest examples of God's love . While we where sinners ,unprofitable for  God, he sent Christ to save us. As we experience God's love, even in the trials we can have faith to know God is working for our best.

Sound Mind - The experience of a sound mind is the ability to decide when out of the trails and difficulties how you will act in the hard times. To determine whether to act in fear or in faith when on the mountain top, so that you do not quit in the valley. When you know that God is good decide to trust him when all seems wrong. When you get back to the mountain top you will rejoice that you acted on your faith of the good times and not your fear of the valley.