This is the Day

Happy Sunday, and happy New Year! How are you today? I, I know it's a little silly to ask you that; I can't hear your responses, but I can imagine some of them. Most of you would say, "I'm just fine." That's likely the most common answer.

I knew a man in Indiana years ago that had the strangest response to "How are you today?" or "How are you doing?" He would reply, "I'm going to die someday." That was a hard one to figure out. I have stolen my response to that question from Dave Ramsey. I most always respond "better than I deserve" when someone ask, "How you doing?" Better than I deserve.

My father-in-law Earl would always answer the question "How you doing?" with these words: "Super good, but I'm getting better." It didn't matter what was going on in his life. He may be in the hospital, his team may have just lost, and no matter what was going on: "Super good, but I'm getting better."

Earl was the disciple of Zigg Ziggler, and most, many of you remember Zig Ziggler. He was a motivational speaker and writer and a big proponent of positivity. If you can read anything by Zig Ziggler, I would highly recommend it. Earl was also mainly a disciple of Jesus Christ. Zig Ziggler was also a follower of Christ too, by the way.

Earl often quoted this verse to support his position of "super good, but I'm getting better." The verse that he would quote, and I guess I heard him quote this one more than any other verse, was Psalm 118:24: "This is a day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it," or "I will rejoice and be glad in it."

For a second, let me put this verse in context. What day is "this is the day" referring to? The answer is likely all about the prophecy in verses 21, 22, and 23. The day spoken of there is a day of salvation. Verse 22 talks about the Chief Cornerstone, and we know that to be Jesus.

Psalm 118 was likely written a thousand years or so before the birth of Christ. This is more amazing prophecy. "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" is a verse for believers, for us to concentrate and focus on our salvation and on our relationship with Christ every day. The unsaved do not make this a life verse.

"This is the day," then, is all about your day of salvation, and that day impacts every other day. So therefore "this is the day" can indeed be quoted each and every day of your life. As we begin 2025, this verse would be perfect for quoting every day, often every day. This verse will help define how you live. It will change your mindset and equip you for a more joyful life, if you let it.

Over 350 years ago, James Guthrie taught philosophy at the University of St Andrews. He also preached in the Scottish town of Sterling. There were political problems in those days. Guthrie believed that Christ, not the Scottish King, should rule the church.

Because of his outspoken and biblical position, he was eventually arrested on charges of treason for that belief. It's hard to believe in our history things like this happened. At his trial, Guth assured the crown and the King while he respected its civil authority, he didn't believe the king should control church affairs. Because of that, he was sentenced to die.

On the day of his execution, June the 1st, 1661, we're told that he got up about 4: in the morning for worship. Psalm 118 was on his mind, and when someone asked him how he felt, just hours before he would be killed, he replied with verse 24. He said, "Very well. This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." I'm impressed with James Guthrie and people like James Guthrie.

Warren Weby said, "When you are having one of those difficult days, a day when the storm is blowing and the battle is raging, when the burdens are heavy, when your heart is broken and your tears are flowing, when it feels like everybody is turned against you, including your heavenly father, that's the time to heed this verse by faith. The psalmist was going through battles and difficulties, yet he was able to say, 'If God put this day together, I'm going to rejoice and be glad in it.'" I like that. If God put this day together, and he did, I'm going to rejoice and be glad in it.

Happy New Year! I pray it's super good and it gets better. It will be if you're focus on the day of salvation. If you focus on the day of salvation, it'll be a great year, and you always need to realize "this is a day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Pray with me. God, thank you for this day. Help our mindset when difficulties come, when trials come, when troubles come. Help us realize this day again is a gift from you, and we should rejoice because you've given it to us, and we should be glad because you are always with us. Thank you for this day, this year, this moment. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

God bless. Thanks for joining me today. Happy New Year!