Today is…

a superb day to live.

“Lord remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is.”  Psalm 39:4 NLT

Paul cautioned the Romans that, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation soon will be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” (Romans 13:12 NLT).

For any Christian, “right living” is the only way to live. Granted, when immorality, indecency, and sexual promiscuity are found on almost every television program we see, and in every newspaper and magazine we open up, it is sometimes hard to convince ourselves that what we see is not the way we are all supposed to live our lives.

Paul was very clear when he went on to say, “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (Romans 13:13-14 NLT).

Unfortunately, there will be those who find it very difficult to “live” without indulging themselves in some, or all, of these activities. Some of us have wandered so far off the path of “right living” that all we know is the wrong way. If this is the case with any one of us, it is alright, as long as we can admit it and say, “That is me!”

If we can identify ourselves as needing to discard some “dirty clothes,” then we can begin to focus on living in a manner that is pleasing to God and provides service to those around us.

Just as David asked God to remind him in Psalm 35, we all need to be reminded of the briefness of our time on earth. Life is short. In fact, many of us use that fact as an excuse to “Live it up!” not realizing how much our behavior angers God.

When we are truly living our life as God intends, we will spend our days reaching out to those around us. We will use our time to help those in need and to comfort those in pain. We will encourage laughter where there are tears and we will promote joy where there is sadness. We will help to clothe those who are naked and provide a place to live for those who are homeless.

When we clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord, we can expect to live busy, happy lives that will fulfill us in ways we never thought possible. We will set wonderful examples for our children, and we will make the One who watches everything smile with the satisfaction of a loving father.

Each and every day that God gives to us is a beautiful gift that can be lived to its fullest by living for Christ.

*******

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