Day 3: Psalm 118:14-24
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:
20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
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I normally would not go to the King James Version of the Bible for wording that is easily understood. However, this portion of scripture holds one of my very favorite verses that I memorized and even sang as a child, and I learned it from the King James Version. That verse is Psalm 118:24:
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
I remember hearing a speaker at church when I was a teenager, and he said that he required his teenage son to recite this verse every morning. At the time, as a teenager myself, I thought, “Oh brother. I’m so glad my parents don’t require that.” As I have gotten older, though, I find myself reciting this verse to my own teenagers – reminding them that God has blessed us with a brand new day, and we need to rejoice and enter into His new day with a positive attitude. At times I even sing it to them while they give me that look of, “Oh brother – here she goes again.”
As verse 14 says, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation.” We have so much to praise Him for in each new day. It is so easy to focus on the disappointments of yesterday or the uncertainties of tomorrow and miss God’s gift of today that He has given us. Let’s celebrate today and make the most of every opportunity to serve Him.
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Pam Little | Director of Children's Ministry, Lima Community Church