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

Sometimes, this is how I feel about this verse:
(apologies to Prince William and Lady Kate!)

This is the Day(at the Royal Wedding)

I feel like I sing it slow, without meaning, without passion.
Why?
Because sometimes I wake up in pain.
Sometimes, I wake up to issues.
Sometimes, I don’t want to wake up! I want to roll over and go back to sleep.

What does it mean “This is the Day the Lord has made?”

I believe that it goes back to:

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

AND:

Genesis 1:5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Do I believe this?

Yes I do.
Does it make my heart jump up and down with joy for the new day?
Honestly, not always.
Why not?
Honestly, I don’t always think about it – I take it for granted!
Why do I take it for granted:
It is part of my faith being, part of who I am as a Christian, it is a core belief that cannot be shaken.
If I believe it, why don’t I choose it? And, why does it matter?
What do I say I believe?

This is what I believe – what I confess – in a nutshell.

The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

As I said – this is woven into the fiber of my faith – without it, my faith foundation falls!

1 Corinthans 3:11
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Why does it matter?
Because Jesus said it does – believing is crucial!

John 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Faith is crucial:

Heb 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Why does it matter?

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But – Why does this matter?
Because it is WHO I AM!
I am a Christian.
I am a “little Christ”
I am Christ with a little i!

When everything is stripped away from me – what is left?
I belong to Jesus.
I have been delivered from darkness into light.
I have been chosen.
I have been adopted into the Family of God.
My desire is:
In Him I live, and move and have my being!(Acts 17:28)

In one of the most honored sermons of Jesus, he says this:

Matt 5:11-12
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

James says it this way:

James 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

And I wrote about the James 1:2-4 experience!

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because I have a destiny:

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because I belong to God, bought with a price:

1 Cor 6:19-20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Why does it matter?
Because there is a reason I was created:

Eph 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Why does this matter?
Because I am all I have to give to God.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Why does it matter?
Because I’ve been given gifts, and I should be a good steward!

Romans 11:29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance

1Peter 4:10
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
(1 Cor 12:4, Romans 12:6, Eph 4:7

Why does it matter?
Because I am not to hide my light!

Matt 5:15-16
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because My God says He has a plan for me.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And why does it matter?
Because I believe!

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whofn have been called according to his purpose.

The point is, no matter what is going on – the One I believe in – the One I believe created the world – for that matter – the one that created me says to rejoice!

And when I really, truly meditate on what that means – this is the song that I sing!

The Answer to my question – yes, really.
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!
I must CHOOSE to rejoice!

Why is it a choice? Why is it a command to REJOICE or COUNT IT ALL JOY?
Because Faith is not stagnant – we have to choose.

I choose joy!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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