LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23 –The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
THEME OF THE DAY. DID YOU RECOGNIZE THEM? How did you start your day? Did you roll out of bed, maybe bump the snooze button a few times before, then hit the day running with all its routines and demands? If this describes you, did you pause, take time to remember the truth of today’s scriptures – His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning? Or did you spiritually prepare for the day before you? Remember, you are entering a world that knows no mercy and is under the temporary rule of the god of this world who gives no mercy. And for the Christian, how we start our morning goes a very long way in determining how we live our day.
First, if we simply rush into a day without spiritual preparation, we are setting the stage for spiritual defeat – soon, very soon into the day. It was a habit of our Lord Jesus to start His day with His Father in fellowship – And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he (Jesus) departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35). Let’s not think this was an isolated occasion with our Lord. He longed for, pursued and enjoyed uninterrupted time of fellowship with His Father in prayer. He started His day in heaven before He entered the world. His example must be followed. To start our day in the world, not the Word and prayer, gives our spiritual foes an immediate upper hand in the spiritual battles we will face. Now before we make any defensive statements like, “Jim, I am just not a morning person. I don’t do well in the mornings”, we need to dismiss this rationalization. All of us are morning people because all of us get up in the morning. Should we struggle with getting up a little earlier to spend time with the Lord to rightly prepare spiritually for the day, start praying for Him to help you. Ask Him to do three things. First, show us the necessity of spiritual preparation each morning. Then, develop within us a desire for spiritual preparation each morning, and finally, ask Him to empower us to overcome our lazy flesh so we may spiritually prepare each morning. I cannot stress the importance of this and I am not talking about getting up at 4:00 a.m. for three hours in prayer and the Word. If we struggle with morning spiritual discipline, start small, say fifteen minutes. I guarantee if this becomes a habit and the Lord reveals Himself to us in those “sacred fifteen minutes”, we will increase the time. We will want more time with Him.
Another thing to remember about morning spiritual preparation is the need to be intentional. We must direct our thinking toward His Word, and in today’s example, we must purposefully remember His new day mercies. Here are some examples. Before we even get out of bed, make it a practice to thank the Lord for His mercies of a new day to live, the care He has given us through the night, the blessings of a place to sleep, a breakfast to eat, and the ability to live for Him in this new day. Learning to talk to the Lord in the spirit of thanksgiving long before we talk to another human being will help us immensely to start our day spiritually prepared. But we have to be intentional. This is something we must think about. Just getting up and going through a mindless morning routine must be conquered. Discipline ourselves to think on the Lord before we think on anyone or anything else. It will be a blessing if we do.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases and His mercies are new every day. Take time to recognize them. It will start the day right – with Him, in eternity, and enabling us to live more focused on His glory throughout the day.
PRAYER: “Father, forgive for the times I rush into my day and don’t start it with You in prayer, Word, and fellowship.”
QUOTE: “God’s mercies are new every morning. Take time to recognize them before you enter a world of no mercy.”