Our conversation with Jesus in the morning is to seek his pleasure for the day. We then hope for a bright or blissful day. We do not control the day so it is reasonable to rededicate our lives to the owner of the day who is God. In doing so, we invoke God’s grace and direction through Christ Jesus upon our lives to begin and throughout the day.
No one can be absolutely sure of the day because each day has its own set of rules. It is prudent that we start the day with the most important thing which is dear to us and is within our reach. Christ Jesus must be the most important to every believer and is always within reach wherever we are if we seek him. He said in Matthew 28: 20, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Daniel 4: 35 said, all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he (God) does what he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?”
According to what Daniel said only God controls the day and does not need anybody’s consent. His decision is final and cannot be reversed by anyone. It is therefore prudent that we must defer to God’s pleasure with seriousness every morning, if possible before we start the day.
What extent is our authority?
It is written in James 4: 13-17, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes…As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.
We can learn so much from the above quotation. James says our breath is not in our hands. What we say or plan has no certainty whatsoever and cannot change God’s plan. James says we must rather invoke God’s wishes for the day upon our lives because that is the right thing to do. He implies that if we fail to comply, it will amount to boasting or challenging God’s authority and that is sin.
When must we appreciate God?
We must appreciate God in the morning if it is possible. We must show appreciation to God for our lives and everything about us including the new day. Jesus asked in Luke 17: 17, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? The time to show appreciation is quite important as delays may diminish its relevance. Ecclesiastes 3: 1 says, For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Therefore time must not always be subject to our convenience but God’s.
If what must be done is done out of time or if it is misdirected, it sometimes ceases to be meaningful, relevant or achieve the desired effect. It is written in Revelation 5: 12, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!” Therefore Christ Jesus is worthy to be consulted and to receive our appreciation for God’s goodness.
We live under the grace of God through Christ Jesus all our lives and in all circumstances. It is spiritually courteous to start the day with God although the bible does not expressly say so. However, there are countless biblical examples when stalwarts of the faith devoted their mornings as first appointments to God. God sometimes speaks to us through the examples of others. Speaking about good examples, Jesus said in Luke 3: 11; 10: 37 “Go and do likewise.”
Learning from the examples of Jesus
It is recorded in Mark 1: 35 says in the morning, while it was still very dark, he (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Jesus always started his day with a session with God in prayer even when others were comfortably sleeping. Jesus’ priority was not his comfort but the will of the Father, hence he commune with the Father to know his will every morning.
The night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus spent the night with his disciples at the garden of Gethsemane in prayer and in the early watch he said in Matthew 26: 36; Mark 14: 32, “Sit here while I pray.” No circumstances should change our appointment times with God through Jesus Christ. God has a reason for every situation for our favour. Christ Jesus, the Morning Star will then make our day bright.
In Luke 21: 38; John 8: 2 it is written that and all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him (Jesus) in the temple. Those who desire to know God must spend time listening to Christ Jesus early in the morning. Jesus said in John 6: 63, the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Only God through Christ Jesus will make our day spirit filled with life because he is the giver of life.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, by your examples we take a cue that it is pleasant to start our day with you. Please inject life into our situation and circumstances as you walk with us daily. As you walk with us, show us the way in the world of darkness. Give us strength and courage to stand for you in righteousness even in the face of challenges blessed by Jesus. Let us hear your voice when you speak so we may keep your words in our hearts always remembering that the day belongs to you. We pray in your holy name, Amen!!
