Everyone desires to have a great day. We make phone calls, send text messages, emails, or use social media to send great day wishes to family and friends. Over the past years, I have found out that people including Christians start their day well but end in bad mood. Such people end up making confessions like; “The day was terrible”, “it was stressful”, “my boss was very annoying”, “I was pissed off”, “the day was bad”, “it is the worst day in my life”, etc.
I thank God for granting me this opportunity to share with you 7 habits that, when you develop, will make you have the best of your day.
The Psalmist said in Psalm 118:24 (NLT) that “this is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it”
God wants you to have the best of each day as you enjoy his riches in Christ Jesus. I believe that when you do these things daily, you will realise that truly God wants you to enjoy everyday life.
- Commit the day’s activities to the Lord
Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)
The first thing you should every morning is to commit your day and everything you have planned to do to the Lord. Spend some quality with God before thinking about your cup of tea or coffee, or turning on your TV or radio to listen to the news. In Psalm 5:3 (AMP), David said “In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].
The reason why you should keep this first on the list every morning is that God knows best and He sees the end from the beginning. He already knows what will happen in each day of your life. So when you commit the day to the Lord, it means you are giving him absolute control over every activity you have set your mind to do.
Friend if you want to have a successful day, commit your day to the God and He will direct your path.
- Be a God Pleaser
Work willingly at whatever you do as though you are working for the Lord rather than for people. (Colossians 3:23, NLT)
Often we want to please people so we get disappointed when they don’t appreciate we do, especially after we have given out our best. You can go an extra mile to do their bids yet they won’t show any sign of gratitude. This can make you bitter throughout the day. However, when you do your work as though you are working for the Lord rather than for people, you wouldn’t be resentful when people complain, criticise, or don’t appreciate what you do. The truth is when you work with this attitude, you work hard because you know that God will reward you for your efforts.
Begin your day with this mind-set that you are a God pleaser and you are not going to be moved by what people say or do.
- Meditate on the Word of God throughout the day
This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. (Joshua 1:8, AMP)
The solutions you need for each days problems or challenges are in the Word of God. If you are going to overcome temptations, you need the Word. Sometimes we fall into temptation because we neglect the Sword of Truth, which is the Word of God. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ defeated Satan with The Word signifying that you cannot win your daily battles without the Word. Secondly, The Word guides your thoughts and steps and keeps you from stumbling. David said that “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling.” (Psalm 119:105 TLB).
You need The Word to live victorious in the World
- Be Thankful
In every thing give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV)
Throughout the day develop the attitude of giving thanks to God for all you do, and for every thing that happens. Thank Him when you get to the office or your destination because He saved you from accident you didn’t see. Thank Him when you take in food or water because He protected you from some chemicals that could have killed or hurt you. Thank Him for the air you breathe. Thank Him for the sunshine. Thank him for His guidance and protection. Thank Him for actions like standing, walking, laughing, talking, hearing, seeing, jumping, running, etc. These things might look insignificant but wait till you see a person who can’t talk, see, walk, laugh, breath, see, jump, etc.
Give thanks to God when things go your way. Even when things don’t happen the way you intended them to be, give thanks because God knows best
When you appreciate the little things God does for you, it gives him the joy to do greater things in your life.
- Be selfless
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t look out for your own interest, but take an interest in others, too.
(Philippians 2:3-4, NLT)
We are each other’s keeper. In other words, I should seek you interest while you seek mine. You don’t have to be selfish by thinking about how the day’s transaction or relationship is going to benefit you. Instead, think about how it is going to benefit the other person and yourself. Secondly, you have to humble yourself because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less. – Ken Blanchard
If you want to be on top of your day, humility is a key.
- Live in the Present
This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, NLT)
This, I believe, has to be the daily theme for every believer. Today is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Therefore don’t start your day worrying about or brooding over mistake(s) you made the previous day. Start your day right by acknowledging that although things might have gone wrong yesterday, you can make what went wrong right today.
Worrying about yesterday’s issues drains you emotionally and can affect your relationship with others. If someone did you wrong yesterday, today is a new day so let it go and live at peace with that fellow.
You can’t do anything about the past. However, you can make plans today to have a better tomorrow
- Help Others
Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith. (Galatians 6:10, NIV)
Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582) once said that “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.”
You are the vessel through which God can reach out to the needy. As a result, look out for ways you can use to put a smile on someone’s face. It could be a cup of coffee, lunch, new cloth, passage from the scripture, or kind words. The scripture says that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. As you reach out to help others, you will find happiness because those people will have reason to give thanks to God.
The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25, NLT)
Conclusion:
These Seven steps have helped me to enjoy my everyday life over the years. They are easy steps to follow but require discipline. Make it a daily habit to commit your day to the Lord, work to please Him, meditate on His Word throughout the day, be thankful and selfless, don’t dwell on the past life, and reach out to help those in need. I believe these things will help you to make the best of your everyday life as you wait for the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Uplifting Christ 