Daily Devotional for Saturday April 27, 2013

Today is My 20,156 Day on this Journey through this Brief Life

(1 Chronicles 29:15; Job 9:25; James 4:14; John 10:10)

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, what are your thoughts on karma? People tend to throw that word around alot! I thought that I was setting 'healthy' boundaries, I have never intentionally hurt anyone...though I know I have...but not intended. Now I've come to discover I have upset my 'karma cart.'

ANSWER: First, there is NO SUCH THING as "karma." Having said that, here is a link to a Devotional on that very issue that explains it in great detail. http://www.liveprayer.com/ddarchive3.cfm?id=5092

Today is my 20,156 day on this journey through this brief life. When we talk about being good stewards of what God gives us, we immediately think of money. While much of the focus of our stewardship is on money, I want to remind you today that we are also called to be good and faithful stewards of our time. The Bible clearly teaches that tomorrow is promised to none of us, that each day is a gift from God. As I reflect back on my 20,156 days of life on this earth, I can honestly say that I have NOT always been a good steward of my time.

The biggest trap we all fall into is taking a day in our life for granted. We get so used to waking up in the morning, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, that we simply take today for granted expecting that there will be a tomorrow. The reality is tomorrow is NOT a guarantee. In the midst of over 40,000 prayer requests that we receive each day here at Liveprayer, at least 100 of them deal with the death of a family member or friend. They range in age from the loss of a baby still in the womb all the way to those who had a full life into their 90's. It is God who will determine when each of us has completed our journey here, and there will be no more tomorrows.

A few months ago I preached the funeral for a man in his 30s. This was a man full of life, athletic, in great shape, had a wonderful family, an executive in a successful business. His secretary came into his office to bring him some papers and found him slumped over in his chair, dead from a massive heart attack. The other day, I was involved in helping a family deal with the loss of their 17-year-old son. The young man was involved in a 6-car wreck and died in the hospital from his injuries after several days. Just last night on my TV program, I dealt with a man whose wife had been having headaches. A perfectly healthy young woman in her late 20s, went to see the doctor, 3 days later they were operating to remove a tumor on her brain, and 5 days after the surgery she was dead.

I share these real life incidents with you to help drive home the point that tomorrow is not promised to us, even though we often assume it will come. Today, right now, is the only thing we can be assured of. That is why I want to encourage you to make the most of today. Don't treat it as simply "another day." The fact is each day is unique unto itself. This day can be as special as you want to make it. I know that many of you are going through some difficult times in your life, have many pressing issues that you are dealing with, fighting tremendous battles. DON'T LET THE DAY-TO-DAY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF LIFE KEEP YOU FROM MAKING TODAY SPECIAL!

How do you make today special? First, you start it in prayer and the Word. Nobody should even get out of bed without talking to the Lord. Talking with Jesus should be the very first thing you do when you wake up. Personally, I don't get out of bed until I have spent time in prayer, conversing with the Lord, and then spending time in the Word. Before my feet even hit the ground, I have had a good talk with Jesus and spent some time in His Word. You can never imagine the strength, the encouragement, the peace and joy you have when you start your day with Christ and His Word. It helps you focus on the fact that no matter what may be going on in your life, no matter what the day may bring, you are not alone.

A big part of making each day special is the balance between all of the various activities and people that make up your life. Most people either work or go to school. I realize that dominates a big part of most days. However you still need to make the time for family, for friends, taking care of yourself physically through exercise and what you eat, serving the Lord, in addition to having some time for yourself. Our lives can be as full and as rich as we want to make them. Each day is special as we go through the day to day activities we have scheduled, and interacting with all of the different people that we do during the course of the day.

I love you and care about you so much. I pray that you will never take even one day of your life for granted again. EACH DAY IS SPECIAL! When it is over, it is never coming back, so make the most of it. Just as God will hold us accountable for how we use the money that He entrusts to us throughout our life, He is also going to hold us accountable for how we use the time that He has graciously given to us. Never forget, our purpose in this life is to serve and glorify God with our lives. We can never get so busy with our lives, so focused on what we want to do, that we forget to fulfill our purpose by serving the Lord and bringing glory to His name through our lives each day.

I will be praying for you today. Praying that you will make today special. Make it special by starting the day with the Lord in prayer and in His Word. Make it special by being the very best you can be on your job or at school. Make it special through all of the other activities you may engage in during the course of the day. Make it special by spending time with family and friends and interacting with all of the various people you will encounter during the day. Today is a day like none other, it is special and unique. Don't treat it as just another day, but as the gift from God that it is!!!

*If you have never made a decision for Jesus, please go to the following link since it is the most critical decision you will make in life because it is an eternal decision! http://www.liveprayer.com/plan.cfm

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller