June 17, 2018
Doing the Dailies-
FIRST CHOICE…
“…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” Joshua 24:15
This summer, as you Come to the Table of your Heavenly Father and Do the Dailies with Him, as you offer Praise and Thank You’s from your heart, there, in His presence, at His table, you are making your first decision, your FIRST CHOICE of the day! Your FIRST CHOICE of the day is the most important one. It determines your purpose, your perspective, and the source your power…
Morning Mess-ups
I will never forget one of my most infamous morning mess-ups. It is not a dark cloud hanging over my heart, but it is a reminder of what occurs when my first choice of my day is not what I know it should be…or what it could be!
One morning during our home-school years, I chose not to keep my regular routine of waking before my family, grabbing a cup of coffee, my Bible, and heading out to our porch and settling into my creaky rocking chair…I still love the sounds and the breeze of a new morning…and I can still hear the creaking of the chair even though we moved from our ranch a number of years ago. It was there at that Table that I would Do the Dailies…it was there I would say my “Praise and Thank You’s” to my Heavenly Father…it was there I would make my…First Choice.
You see, on this particular morning, I chose to not get up early…I chose to get in a “bust loose kind of tizzy” and I chose to impose all of my frustrations on the classroom and our two cute students, our son Adam and daughter, Christie. They came racing into our school-room, Christie sneaking in her rescued kitten she was feeding with a bottle and Adam was already counting how much time until recess. And when they could not settle down for our first morning activity, Bible time…when they were acting like the wonderful children they were…excited for the day…I literally took the book of devotions I was holding and hurled it across the room, aiming at the floor between their two desks. Wow! Where did that come from? Yes, I definitely captured their attention!
The moment the book pounded the floor, their chatter and wiggles ceased and a strange silence fell over the room. Not the normal sounds of a school day morning. No one dared to move…I even scared myself! Our son spoke up with a very penetrating question…”Mommy, did you have your quiet time today?” And, that is how our school day began…after my First Choice!
We Are Allowed to Choose…
We can choose to serve ourselves, our interests, and our own purposes through our own perspective- depending on our very limited strength and power, and that is precisely how I chose to begin my day. Or, we can make our First Choice while our minds are not distracted, and while our hearts are not divided. On that day I will always remember, (so will my children) I was dealing with my divided heart. I knew what was required for me to be patient, kind, self-controlled, mature, firm and loving, but, instead I made my First Choice to serve my own interest and purpose through my perspective, instead of God’s. And, I can tell you it was ugly and embarrassing.
One of things I absolutely adore about our Heavenly Father is that He does not give up on us. He knew what was going to transpire that morning, but He did not leave me or forsake me in my failing moments. Instead, in His faithfulness, He used these miserable moments to help me and my children to learn from my mistakes, and He allowed me a re-do, to leave the room, to spend some time, and to correct my Choice…my First Choice and make the best choice, the choice which would set our day in motion to Serve the Lord.
FIRST CHOICE-
I believe with all of my heart, our First Choice each day-every day is the most important question of our day…because it answers the question…Today, who will I serve? Who will my family serve?
Choose This Day…
On that very memorable morning when I threw the book, I gave our children some free-time in the classroom, as I gathered my things and went outside to my porch, and settled into my creaky rocking chair. I first cried tears of humiliation…and then came clean with my Father who already knew every detail. He surrounded me with His Grace, and I made a New Choice…yes, that day was the perfect day to choose to serve the LORD!
As I walked back into our school room, without any hesitation both of my children spoke up with giggles…”Mommy, we forgive you!” You see, God’s Grace far surpassed my Morning Mess-up! On that day, I was reminded of the importance of my first decision, the FIRST CHOICE of my day.
When we choose, when we make a decision, we must draw a line in the sand, emphatically and definitively…with conviction and confidence that nothing can shake. Every day as we determine and proclaim who we will serve, our job description becomes perfectly clear. Each day, we are called to metabolize God’s Word, then, to walk in His Ways. And like Joshua, who challenged the Israelites to…
“…Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve”…
We can answer…
“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” Joshua 24:15
My friends, on this Summer Sunday, I pray that we begin our week and remember… Our FIRST CHOICE of the day is the most important one. Our Heavenly Father will reveal His purpose, change our perspective, and He is and will be the source of our power. When we have a Morning Mess-up, His heart is filled with Grace as we make our way back-back to the beginning, to redo…to make our FIRST CHOICE to serve Him with the gladness and gratitude that fills and overflows from our hearts.
“Serve the LORD with gladness…” Psalm 100:2
Love you in Jesus,
