The GIFT of the DAY is...

Hebrews 3:12-14

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

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Acts 17:24-28 [Paul speaking]

24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.' [emphasis added]

As I awoke this morning the LORD spoke these words to me, "Get up, this is the most important day of your life." I jumped out of bed thinking that something great was going to happen and that God would reveal it very soon! I went about my day and its normal routines. About mid-day I had cut out a tiny blue gift box 'symbol' from an envelope that came in the mail – much like the large blue gift box in this photo... one that means lot to me. As I went throughout my day I realized, in time, that what the LORD wanted to show me and teach me in that statement He made was that...

TODAY
was the GIFT in the box!

Today - each day – is always a gift from the LORD. So often we look for great things to happen – and sometimes we ponder the awful things that "might happen"... dangerous "what ifs" ... ideas that creep into our minds and seek to paralyze us for the day.

But to live and breathe and have our being is a true gift from the Lord that we must not take for granted on any given day! So in good times - and difficult times let us learn to be thankful for the gift of TODAY - no matter what it brings! May we search to know what He desires to teach us throughout that day.

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Over my mantel is a large sign that reads:

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass

- it's about learning to find joy in the rain!

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As my "journal title" says: STANDING on the THRESHOLD = Dancing in the Rain [God chose it earlier this month]... He continues to teach me about all that it means! TODAY was just another gift!

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Choosing JOY, Stephanie