Count Your TodaysSýnishorn

DESERVING MORE TODAYS

One possible reason why we don’t value today as much as we should is that we feel that we deserve to live another day. From our limited perspective, there is no reason why our lives should be cut short before we are old and ready to die.

King Hezekiah reacted in the same way when he heard the terrible news from Isaiah. “When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.’ Then he broke down and wept bitterly” (2 Kings 20:2-3, NLT).

There was no reason why Hezekiah should have been the one who received a death sentence. He didn’t do anything wrong. Or at least not more than anybody else. But still, like Hezekiah, we live from the mindset that “it won’t happen to me”. Whether it’s from a place of unconscious superiority or just plain ignorance, it’s simply not true. Nobody deserves to live a single day longer than anybody else. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT).

When we realize that each new day is a gift that we are not entitled to receive again tomorrow, we can start to appreciate the value of today. God’s grace to wake us up once again is a one-day-only offer. There is no guarantee or insurance available for tomorrow. “My grace is all you need.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT). Today’s gift of grace is renewed again each morning according to the Lord’s sovereign will. “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lamentations 3:23: NLT).

Do you believe that you don’t deserve to die? Do you believe that each new day is a renewed expression of God’s grace? How does it change the way you think about today?

Let us consider God’s grace towards us when we make our plans for today. And let us remain aware that the gift of today is not guaranteed for tomorrow. “For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45, NLT).