Dave’s Monday Blast – April 9, 2018
I guess you have noticed that at the close of each Monday Blast I make this simple comment: “Make it a good one…you cannot get a moment of today back!” That general idea comes from Psalms 30. Let me share three simple principals that teach us to maximize each moment:
1. Live in the present for the eternal: David testifies in (v. 5) that “God’s anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning”. Today is the time before time shall be no more. I read once about a Youth Group that very INTENTIONALLY chose as its moniker “The Dash,” pointing to the hyphen on a gravestone between your birth and your death. The point was that we need to live every day in light of eternity. When you are in heaven, how will you wish you had lived this day on earth?
2. Know that your prosperity depends on God’s provision: Prosperity can be deceptive. David boasted, “As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved'” (v.6). But then adversity taught him better: “By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed” (vv. 6 – 7).
Pastor Jim Denison of the Denison forum comments, “When God “hid” His face through suffering, David realized that his “mountain” was made strong only by the Lord’s providence and provision. Challenges expose the fallacy of our self-sufficiency don’t they! Pain is “God’s megaphone,” as C.S. Lewis noted, reminding us that we are creatures and not the Creator.
Similarly, prosperity promotes self-reliance. It is human nature to credit ourselves for the good in our lives and blame others (or God) for the bad. In such times, God deals with us as gently as He can or as harshly as He must.” That is sobering isn’t it!
3. Use every moment for God’s glory: David testifies, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness” (v. 11). For what purpose? “That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (v. 12).
Carry this approach to life through your day: “Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking” (Oswald Chambers). Use every moment as an invitation to do or say something that will honor your Father.
If we live for the eternal, depend on God’s provision, and use every moment for His glory, our faith and witness will offer true lasting hope to a broken world. If we seek the power of God’s Spirit, we can claim His promise: “You will do it…because you can.” That’s good isn’t it!
