"The Day Approaching" 6-5-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I watch for Your face and listen for Your voice in the silence of surrender before You. ... "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Sometimes I hear someone of the generations before me say, "I remember back in the day ...." And then they tell of something that was a lot better than how it is today -- like gas being fifty cents instead of four dollars a gallon or children respecting their elders or most people going to church on Sunday mornings. It's good to look back and remember the stories of our lives, especially to look back and see Your hand weaving together the threads of relationships and events that have made us who we are (Exodus 13:3; John 12:16). "I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember Your deeds of old" (Psalm 77:11). And it's good to meet together to share our war stories and Your glory stories, as we honor You in our journeys. But as we remember the days that have passed, let us also remember the Day approaching. On that Day, we "will have to give an account for every careless word" (Matthew 12:36). We will "give an accounting to Him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead" (1 Peter 4:5). As we look forward to that Day, let us encourage and inspire one another to live each day for You, "so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God" (1 Peter 4:2). We thank You for Your grace that covers our sin of wasted time, and we thank You for Your grace to redeem our time to come. Let us choose now to entrust our time to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org