new every day

Today is a new day.

Yesterday is not worth sulking over, regretting, or mourning, when today is so beautiful.

God's mercy, His forgiveness, His grace - all new today.

I'll never have enough room to receive it if my hands are full of yesterday. But, oh, do I try sometimes. I take all of my failures and clench them tightly, hoping that in so doing, I'll squeeze my own reasoning into the juice of different results. Only, it never really works that way. To be honest, the only change I've ever experienced in life came when I opened my hands to God's stripping, crucifying truth. The kind that surrenders and the kind that repents to turn, not to regret. And all of that involves open hands.

Hands open to whatever God gives - today.

Unfortunately, we resist this open-handed living too many days.

"This is the way of religion today. People do not know where they are, they do not know where they have been, they do not know why they are here, they do not know where they are going; and they do the whole thing on borrowed time, borrowed money, borrowed thinking, and then die." - A.W. Tozer.

So sad. Too sad. And TODAY, I say - not me!

I know where I am, I know who I am, I know who Jesus is, and I will live this day to serve Him. I may not have tomorrow. I do not care. I definitely don't have yesterday. I will not dwell there.

And when I live with open hands, they become full, and being filled continuously.

I need never think they will be empty or stay empty as long as I serve the God I do.

"Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace." - 2 Corinthians 4:16 (Msg).

His grace that unfolds into my hands, open.

And though He might ask me to give the grace to others, I will never be emptied of it completely if my hands stay lifted to Him - in worship, in surrender, in receiving.

He gives more every day. And yes, it is always new.