Today...

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts....  I know that I had a post on this verse just a few days ago.  But Today is another day, a new day, a day that the Lord has made.  Are you rejoicing?  Are you giving Him all the glory?  Have you spoken with Him this morning?  Every day is another day that you can give over to the Lord of the Universe or a day that you can be in charge of yourself.  Which will it be?

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24 (ESV) This morning and every morning, commit your day to Him.  Allow Him to direct your minutes and your hours.  Let Him decide what is important, what should be done, who should be ministered to, who needs your help today.

"Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you."  Proverbs 22:17-19 (NIV)

"The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time. It's the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you've been hungry for more. It's as vigorous in you now as when you learned it from our friend and close associate Epaphras. He is one reliable worker for Christ! I could always depend on him. He's the one who told us how thoroughly love had been worked into your lives by the Spirit."  Colossians 1:5 (The Message)

"You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we've thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We're banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers."  1 Timothy 4:6 (The Message)

"Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we're the house! That's why the Holy Spirit says, Today, please listen; don't turn a deaf ear as in 'the bitter uprising,' that time of wilderness testing! Even though they watched me at work for forty years, your ancestors refused to let me do it my way; over and over they tried my patience. And I was provoked, oh, so provoked! I said, 'They'll never keep their minds on God; they refuse to walk down my road.'  Exasperated, I vowed, 'They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest.'"  Hebrews 3:6 (The Message)

"So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul. These words keep ringing in our ears: 'Today, please listen; don't turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.'"   Hebrews 3:12 (The Message)

"For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said, Exasperated, I vowed, 'They'll never get where they're going, never be able to sit down and rest.'  God made that vow, even though he'd finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it's written, 'God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,' but in this other text he says, 'They'll never be able to sit down and rest.' So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David's psalm, centuries later than the original invitation: 'Today, please listen, don't turn a deaf ear...'"  Hebrews 4:1-7 (The Message)

"And so this is still a live promise. It wasn't canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn't keep renewing the appointment for "today." The promise of "arrival" and "rest" is still there for God's people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we'll surely rest with God. So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience."  Hebrews 4:8 (The Message)

"Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness."  2 Peter 3:11 (The Message)

"For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you,and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."  2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  Hebrews 13:8 (NASB)

Dear Lord,  Thank you that You keep renewing the promise and setting the date as TODAY!  Let us listen to You today; let us ask You what You would have us do today.  Thank you that You are the same yesterday and today and forever.

Have a wonderful weekend!