Okay, it happened
to me again. I overslept. Now, I'm mad because I overslept
and didn't get to do all the things I wanted to do
before the kids got up--like read my Bible, exercise,
etc. Then, I became even more irritated because I
received an unexpected phone call about something
I needed to deal with; but now I really don't have
time to deal with that because I have two deadlines
that must be met today and I am already behind schedule
because I overslept. Oh, did I mention that I didn't
even have time to pray yet? Man, this is really turning
out to be a lousy, unproductive day! How could a beautiful
day like today, go so wrong?
I know the culprit
here. Unfortunately, it's me. I heard the alarm go
off and I knew it was time to get up; but, I decided
that a few more z-z-z's wouldn't hurt. Yet, the extra
time spent snoozing caused major disruptions and had
horrible ripple effects throughout the day.
What would have happened
if I had disciplined my flesh by starting the day the right
way? M-m-m-m-h, I guess I'll never know until I try approaching
the next day, a different way.
Did you know that
how we approach each day determines what will happen that
day? Take my word on this; I have learned this lesson
the hard way. If we let the day lead the way, by procrastinating
at daybreak, we will be at the mercy of the circumstances
of the day because we did not take time to prepare. You might
think, "Now, how on earth can we prepare for the day
when we don't know what's going to happen? We can't predict
the future, right?" Well, maybe we can't predict the
future, but we all know someone who can--God.
God wants us to dedicate
the first part of our day to Him. Not because He is some
kind of tyrant and wants to control our precious schedule
and us. No! Instead, God wants to talk with us before our
day begins to equip us and give us instructions on how to
handle everything life will throw our way. He wants us to
speak His word over our lives and pray that His will be done
in every situation. God doesn't want us to wait until everything
that can go wrong, goes wrong, and then start praying. We
will never experience victory operating that way.
Jesus experienced
peace on a continuing basis because He prepared Himself daily
by spending time with God, FIRST! On one occasion Jesus
had just healed many people the previous evening (See Mark
1:32-34). But, He still rose early the next morning to spend
time with God...
"The
next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out
alone into the wilderness to pray." (Mark 1:35, The
New Living Translation)
Why was it so important
to Jesus to pray before dawn? Well, if we look at the next
passage we find the answer. Before Jesus could even return
from praying, His disciples came looking for Him because more
sick and hurting people were looking for Him. They wanted
to be healed too!
They
said, "Everyone is asking for you." But he replied,
"We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach
to them, too, because that is why I came." So he traveled
throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues
and expelling demons from many people. (Mark 1: 37-39, The
New Living Translation)
Jesus knew He had to
get the strength and guidance He needed from God in order
to complete His work for that day. So do we. Seeking God early
allows us to start our day with confidence, power and a plan
for success.
Today's
Life Key: Approach each day with power by approaching
God first.
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