July 2, 2007

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning..." Lamentations 3:22-23

My mother is an avid daylily gardener. Her favorite verse is Luke 12:27 "Consider the lilies, they toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these." She shares Christ in her garden as she quotes this verse to those who come to walk among the beauty God has created in her yard. She tells them that her greatest joy is go get up each morning and to see just what He has created THAT day. You see, daylilies are just what the name implies----a DAY lily. Their blooms only last for ONE day, then they are spent. But she delights in the new ones He provides each day, not missing a single detail of each beautiful bloom, from its rich color to the delicate ruffles and beautiful edgings. They are a fresh blessing to her eachmorning.

That is how God wishes us to view each new day....a new beginning with Him. Just as He gave the Israelites fresh manna each day in the desert, He provides us with just what we need for each day. We get so bogged down with the regrets of yesterday....what didn't get done, the mistakes we made, the wrong decisions we made..and with the worries of tomorrow...Yet God says "THIS is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in IT." (Psalm 118:24) He wants us to enjoy THIS day, to focus on TODAY....not tomorrow or yesterday. He will provide everything we need for TODAY. He will be with us TODAY. DAILY, He loads us with benefits and every morning His mercies are new and fresh for the taking. We cannot use them up. The supply is endless. He has everything we need for TODAY.

Today, let go of the past, realize tomorrow is yet to be born, but TODAY is yours and God has everything you need for TODAY if you will just keep your eyes on Him. Helen Steiner Rice put it beautifully:

It's only the memory
Of things that have been
And expecting tomorrow
To bring trouble again
That fills my today
Which God wants to bless
With uncertain fears
And borrowed distress
For all I need live for
Is this one little minute
For life's here and now
And eternity's in it.