Scripture: Hebrews 3:13 – “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (NRSVue)
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Not today, Satan!” It is a shout of defiance that says even if the devil is always trying to bring you down and trick you into doing mean and selfish things, you can boldly say, “Not this time!”
Now, I am not as big on the whole personal devil/spiritual warfare side of Christianity as others are, but there is one part of this phrase reminds anyone of what it takes to make faithful, ethical, and healthy decisions. And that is the word, “Today.”
Every morning, we make a choice as to how we are going to approach the day. This is true even if you get off to a rough start. If you didn’t get enough sleep the night before or if you slept through your alarm or if you have a headache or body pains or if you are feeling rushed, you still can choose how you are going to think about the day ahead of you.
Because the day is going to get away from you. You will have too much stress and fall into bad habits, or you will not have enough stress and make poor choices. Something unexpected will happen that will make you forget all your plans and resolve. And when this happens, knowing that you started out the day with a positive attitude really can make all the difference.
Faith brings us to prayer, and prayer brings us to start the day the right way. But faith is hard, and sometimes it is hard to be positive. And this is why I love what the Letter to the Hebrews has to say about this. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” First, claiming the day for God is not something we are expected to do alone. We have our family, our friends, and our church to encourage us on those days when we just want to go back to bed or growl at the world. Doesn’t that make a huge difference? Second, this is something we can on any day which is called “today.” You know, every day. Even if you did make bad decisions or had a bad attitude the day before, today is today and it is the day to choose to love God and to make the best of all your opportunities.
So, get up and say, “Yes today, God,” and think of all the good things you want to accomplish, whether they are professional, personal, health related, or any thing else. Claim the “today” that God as given you, and I bet you are going to have another beautiful “today” tomorrow.
Prayer: As I wake up today, I say “Yes Today, God!” Walking with you, I know I can handle whatever comes my way. Amen.
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