TODAY IS…

a good day to learn from past mistakes.

“The Israelites had not celebrated like this since the days of Joshua, son of Nun.”  Nehemiah 8:17b NLT

When we make God an important part of our day, we demonstrate a desire to learn from the mistakes of those who came before us.

The Old Testament shows us repeatedly how the Israelites would drift away from the way God instructed them to live until their behavior was so far removed from what God wanted that He would become angry and punish them. As humans are apt to do, they would then ask for another chance and God, being the pillar of love, compassion and forgiveness that He is, would always provide the opportunity they sought to correct their behavior.

Things would go along well for a while, but eventually the pattern would repeat itself. People would cut corners in their lives and devote less time to prayer, meditation and worship and inevitably behavior that was not of the Lord’s liking would slowly return.

How much simpler their lives would have been if expressing their love of God was the last corner they cut in their lives instead of the first.

And so it is today with many of us. Our lives become too focused on what we need in this life that we forget that the purpose of this life is to ready us for an eternal life with God.

Prayer, meditation and worship should be as automatic to us each day as breathing. The Word of God is as important to our spiritual health as the food we eat is to our physical health. When we have properly learned from the mistakes of those who have gone before us, we are as hungry for the Word of God as we are for any food we can think of.

Of all the things that can be adjusted in our schedules; of all of the things we do that consume the minutes that make up the hours of our days, asking for His guidance, His wisdom and His strength should be the most important to us.

Learn from the lessons taught in the Holy Bible.

Make God an unchangeable, unshakeable and non-negotiable part of each day of your life.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson