My "To Do List"

So, what’s on your agenda for today?  Do you have a ton of meetings at work?  Do you have to shuttle the kids to all their before and after school activities?  Does your “To Do List” look too long to accomplish in one day? As I have mentioned before, when our kids we’re growing up I normally worked as many as three jobs at once.  At times it seemed like my list of activities that needed to be accomplished was longer at the end of the day than at the beginning!  And even though we home schooled our kids, I think that my wife spent as much time in the Suburban escorting the kids to band, ballet, sporting events and field trips as she did teaching them at home!

Sometimes the activities of our lives can become overwhelming and as much as we may enjoy the things that we do, there are times when it is just hard to face another day!  Have you ever felt that way, or am I just an unusual case?

This morning my Bible Study Program automatically opened up to where I had left off yesterday at Psalm 118:24.  Once again this verse says that “This is the day that the LORD has made.  Let’s be glad and rejoice today!”  (God’s Word ©)  As I stared at the words of this verse my interest was peaked and I began to look up some of the words for their original intent and meaning.  In Hebrew the term to “rejoice” as stated in this verse means “to spin around, under the influence of any violent emotion – usually rejoicing.” That reminded me of Sunday morning service that we attended during our first few months in Oklahoma.  Right in the middle of one of the praise songs, the pastor’s wife came up to the pulpit, motioned for the music to stop and then went on to give the same definition as I quoted above.

At this time I do not remember the song that we were singing, but there was a phrase in the lyrics that lended itself to the spinning around of the congregation.  After some brief instruction the worship team started up the music and at the notated time all 2000 plus of us in the congregation followed the pastor’s wife’s example and spun around while raising our hands and singing.  After awhile the whole atmosphere in the service changed from embarrassment, to amusement and then to profound worship.  It was an awe inspiring time in the presence of God!

According to our verse in Psalm 118:24, this is an experience that we can participate in everyday - right in the privacy of our own homes!  It’s up to us!  When’s the last time that you threw up your arms in worship and began to fervently (or as the Hebrew definition says: with “violent emotion?”) spin around as you rejoiced in His presence?  Takes guts doesn’t it?

Last Friday I talked about how our heritage can affect the way we do things (See: “It’s A Part Of Your Heritage” 4/13/12).  Well, as a born again Christians this type of excited, free  wheeling worship is a part of our heritage.  Remember Jesus’ earthly parents came from the same tribe as David, and he didn’t care what people said about the way he worshipped the Lord! (Check out 2 Samuel 6)  David’s heritage of praise and worship is just a part of who we are!

I once read of a well known evangelist who at eighty years of age would still dance around his bedroom in worship to God for ten minutes the first thing every morning!  That kind of joyful yielding to our heavenly Father would definitely cause one to have a totally new attitude about the day that they were about to face!

So put aside the anxiety or dread of the day before you and let the rejoicing begin.  Then allow that peace and joy to carry you through each item that you check off on your “To Do List!”  Have a great day!  Stay in tune to His word and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”