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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Don’t you turn in your Bible to the book of Psalms, a book of Psalms? Try the 118th Psalm. Let me see how well y’all can follow the leader. This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day that the Lord had made. We’re going to talk about this is the day that the Lord had made.

You know that’s a verse in the Bible. You know it talks about this is the day that the Lord had made and he says when he was referring to the Son and the resurrection of Christ from the dead. And it says, this is the day that God hath begotten His Son from the dead. And that was a special day when Jesus Christ came into the world for this particular time, this day. And He came and He died on the cross, was buried rose again from the dead.

And we are to pose a preach about that day when all these happen. Such a great thing, great story. But I want you to look there in 118th Psalm and you’ll notice there in verse 20, the gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee, For thou hath heard me and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is a reference to Jesus Christ.

This is a reference to the nation of Israel rejecting the Messiah. And Christ becoming the head of the church. So what he was rejected by one was accepted by the other and so you and I are part of the church. Even though this is recorded in the Old Testament, it’s a reference to that and mentioned in the book of Peter in chapter 2.

This is the day that the Lord hath made. Look what he says in verse 23, this is the Lord’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. When you stop and think about the plan of salvation, that you and I were not called into the secret chambers of the Lord and and he asked us our counseling. What do y’all think about this? This is something that the God had did. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all met together came out with this super plan and each one had a role.

Each one had something to do. I think it’s the great plan. I kind of like it myself. The plan of salvation. Now if you and I were going to design this plan of salvation, well we would have had it to where the good people go to heaven and the bad people don’t. We would have decided that there’s got to be certain rules and regulations and those who met the qualifications, well they get to go and the other ones don’t.

I mean that’s the way man that when man makes up a religion, that’s what he did. Think about it. All the man-made religions adds works to the gospel. There’s only one true gospel and there’s no works required. Because see, this is marvelous in the sight of God. God’s the one that designed this and He said that going to heaven would be a free gift that nobody could earn it. No one could work for it. This is the day that the Lord hath made.

This is a plan that the Lord hath planned. And as he says here in verse 24, This is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Every day is important. You and I know that. The Bible says that our time on Earth is but a vapor, a puric for a little while, and then vanishes away. We don’t have much control over this little period of time that we have. None of us know exactly how long this period of time is that we’re going to have.

But it is a gift from God every day. It’s got 1,440 minutes in a day. 86,000 seconds. You know how many seconds are in a year? I asked a guy that one time. He says 12. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd. Well, I guess it’s all perspective. Ah, you look at some things. Now, remember when you dedicate your life to the Lord, You expect God to interrupt your schedule. So I want to bring your attention to this fact that this day is a provided day.

Let’s don’t talk about yesterday and let’s don’t talk about tomorrow. Just this day, this day, this day is a provided day. It was especially prepared just for us. You see, the sun came up and lo and behold, we’re alive. And God has already planned a lot of things that’s going to happen on this day, Baba will of God, that you and I have absolutely no control over, but God does. So God has prepared a day for us. So it is a provided day that God provided for each and every one of us.

But this day comes with trials and tribulations, troubles. But it’s okay because God knew this day in advance. So there’s nothing that’s going to happen on this day that takes God by surprise. is not going to be shocked by anything that anybody can say or do on this day. Because this is the day that the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and be glad in it, right? Regardless. So it is a provided day. And I want you to take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Lamitation.

The book of Lamitation. It’s a little bitty book. It kind of hides itself in there between Jeremiah and Ezekiel. But just look at this book, Lamentation in chapter 3. If you feel like it had a bad day, read the book of Lamentation. It’ll pick you up a little bit. Or read the story of Job. That’ll really exalt you a little bit. Because nothing that you face today will probably as bad as what they had to go through. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, and he’s still lamenting all the things that have happened.

So it’s a very sad story. But in the midst of all of this sadness, there is these words of encouragement. So he says here in the book of Lamentation, chapter 3, look here in verse 21, This I recall to my mind. Therefore I have hope. Now let me tell you, some of the things that you perhaps will learn today, you may not need it today, but tomorrow or the next day, you will recall some of those things that you have heard.

And they’ll give you hope. Or maybe you are going through something now and it might give you just a little bit of hope, a little bit of confidence in the Lord to help you to be bold in the Lord. Sometimes it’s hard to wear that smiley face when everything seems like it’s falling apart. But now I want you to get this in verse 22. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed. Now, this day has a lot of things coming in this day.

And in spite of all the things that will go wrong in our viewpoint, or have gone wrong, would consume us if it wasn’t for the mercies of the Lord. So in God, given us this provided day, provided this day for us, it comes with a lot of things that you and I didn’t plan on. But along with this day comes the mercies of God. I was talking to someone just recently and they told me how close they came to maybe being killed.

And this was just somebody who was happened to walk in the fellowship hall. And there was some water on the floor and he hit that thing and he went down and he says in his face, stop that close to the concrete to that floor and he says it just scared him to death. Tell us how close he came. One day at a church up there in Georgia, God bless my deacons. They were supposed to get the tub ready for a baptismal service.

So that morning on Saturday morning I wanted to check and make sure that the water was nice and warm. You know I hate cold water when I’m gonna baptize. I did that one time and the water was down almost zero. Well it would have been ice but it was cold it was cold and I remember when I walked and into the water. I didn’t even think about it being cold. I just thought it was gonna be nice and warm.

And when I walked into the water I got down to about my knees and realized this is ice cold water. And I was, it kind of takes your breath. But I could see the people out there and I didn’t want them to see me losing it. So I walked on into the water like nothing was wrong. And that first person I had the girls on one side and the guys on the other side, I made a mistake and took the girl first.

The girl came down and she had on her little robe and her foot touched that cold icy water and she went, and everybody was watching but they couldn’t see her yet. She hadn’t got down into the tank. It’s okay, it’s okay. And it’s so cold. Well anyway, I had about 15 to baptize that day. I was numb. I thought I was gonna die. I was ready to kill every deacon. They forgot to turn the heat on. And so I didn’t want this to happen again.

So, Saturday, I’m going to check and I went to check the water and the water was cold. So I wanted to see if it was on, maybe something’s wrong. So I stuck my hand underneath some of the pipes and some of the wires and stuff. I had my hand all under there. And nothing. I couldn’t feel it. Nothing was warm and nothing. So I called up one of the deacons and he says, Pastor, he says, there’s a switch on the wall.

Just flip that switch. He says, I don’t know who turned it off. That switch is always on. So I flipped the thing on and it got the water warm. And then I realized, if that switch had been up, I would have been dead. They told me later, says, pastor, whatever you do, don’t ever put your hand underneath there. I says, why? He says, that’s where all the wires are. It goes to that heating element. He said, it electrocutes you just like that.

Boom. This is the day that the Lord hath made. Every day there’s something that could take you out of this day if it wasn’t for the mercies of God. And you and I are supposed to believe that God has provided for us this day. Only what he says, and his compassion, get to your underlying these two words, fail not his compassion fails not. He says in verse 23, they are new, win. Every morning, every morning God’s going to have enough mercy, enough compassion to get you through this day.

Now it doesn’t matter what comes this day. God has already provided this day with all kinds of things and there’s nothing’s going to happen to you that God didn’t know about and God’s already given you all the strength and the grace you need. All you have to do is accept it. Appropriate to believe it. You You just don’t know what I’m going to. I don’t have to know what you’re going through. God does. I just can’t take no more.

Yes, you can. Yes, you can. God’s grace is, it says, is sufficient. Not might be sufficient, it is sufficient. You don’t have to fall apart. You don’t have to have a nervous breakdown. All you have to do is learn how to trust the Lord. Believe it and walk with him and trust him. and God will take care of you. I also want you to know this. This is a present day. Now it’s good to talk about the past. Sometimes it’s good to have views for the future, but realize on this day, this is a present day.

You have it now. You see, some people, they always living in the past or they’re trying to live in the future and never enjoy the present. The moment that you have. Be happy for this day. Don’t worry about, happen is coming down tomorrow or the next day. Be happy today. Happen is not a destination. It’s a way of travel. It’s learning how to enjoy what you go through. Realizing that I’m God’s child. God has provided for me a day.

And this is a present day I’m alive today. I may not be alive tomorrow. tomorrow and all this that I have, I have it now. So therefore I will rejoice and be glad in it in this day that the Lord hath provided for me, that the Lord has given me this present moment. It’s not was or shall be, it’s is right now. Two things that destroys this day is living yesterday that is past. And living tomorrow that may never come.

You can live in the past guilt, and you can live in the past glory. You see, there’s always things that we have done, and they may be glorious things, you know, in the days of our youth, or we could do this, and this, and this, and this. But there are also things that we’ve done that we don’t want to remember. And there’s guilt. And those things can destroy this day because you’re living in the past. And if you live in the glory of the past, you can ruin this day.

And if you’re living in the guilt of the past, you can ruin this day. And many people are living miserable lives because they have not learned. This is a new day, a new morning. And what happened yesterday was yesterday. And I don’t know about tomorrow, but I have this moment. I have this day, this time. This is the day that the Lord hath made. I will rejoice. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Philippians in chapter three, the book of Philippians chapter three.

Like this woman, she’s bragging on her husband. My husband’s been a deacon, choir member. My husband has been a preacher. My husband’s been a banker. He’s been a lawyer. My husband is the greatest has been that there ever has been. But you know, it doesn’t matter what you have been. It’s what are you now? What are you doing now? And so you need to have confidence in your own mind that you’re doing with this provided day what God wants you to do with it and many people never seem to wake up and realize it in time you are always going to have grief in life but see it’s something that you need to know that God knows all in advance about the grief that you’re going to have.

You can have a loved one pass away and it produces some grief. But am I supposed to still rejoice in that day about this thing? You see, it doesn’t matter how sorrowful the events may be. There is still to be a certain amount of joy between you and the Lord that you know everything’s all right. Everything’s fine. God is still on the throne. He didn’t quit. He didn’t resign. He’s not sick. I talked to him this morning. He’s well.

and you and I don’t have to worry. Can you take everything in your life and put it into God’s hands? If you do, it won’t be long before you’ll see God’s hand in everything that you do. Some people can’t see the Lord working in their life, but I believe He’s working in my life, and I can see the hand of God moving and working in my life, and that’s been going on for about 50 years now. God is good to us.

Here in the book of Philippians in chapter 3, I want you to look there in verse 13. He says, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus every day to be pressing toward that which God has for you. You see, I don’t have to worry about tomorrow.

God will give me the strength and grace that I need to bear the burdens of today. When tomorrow comes, God will give me the strength and grace that I need for that day. Now, can I believe that or not? If I can believe that, then I don’t need to worry about it. I don’t need to worry about it. You see, you don’t have to have all these, you know, uppers and downers, all kind of medicine to pick you up, put you down.

You got the word of God. You’ve got the greatest counselor in all the world. He is the great physician. He knows what you’re going through. He knows how you think. He knows how you feel. You see, this is a special day. It’s a provided day that he provided for you and I. It’s a present day. We have it right now. And this day, one day we’ll pass. But right now we have this day in this moment. I wrote something down that I’d like to share with you a long time ago.

Worry does not take the sorrow out of tomorrow. It just takes the strength out of today. Worry doesn’t take the sorrow out of tomorrow. It just takes the strength out of today. But people need to think about that. There was the story about this one man. He worried all the time. Always stooped over sad countenance for years. And then one day somebody saw him on the street and he was singing and smiling, standing up straight, cheerful, excited. And they said, what happened to you?

He says, I found a worrying company. He says, this worrying company does all my worrying for me. So now I don’t have to worry about anything. He said, what does that cost you? He says $1,000 a month. He says, where are you going to get $1,000 a month? He says, that’s their first worry. You’ve got one day, and you and I ought to try to squeeze everything out of it that we can. There was this strong man one time built like James Hayslip.

And he was up there on the stage and he had a lemon in his hand and he would squeeze that lemon. He says, I’m going to squeeze all the juice out of this lemon. He said, now I’ll give a hundred dollars to any person that can come up here and squeeze one more drop out of this lemon. So he squeezed it and it says, any takers. And there were some big guys around there, you know, some of those red necks and muscle and tattoos and all that kind of bit like myself, you know.

They’re all over there. And nobody would step forward, finally this one little old scrawny woman, she came up there and he laughed. Thought this was so funny. So he gave her that old lemon and she took that lemon and she held it up and she started squeezing. One drop. Two drops, three drops, five drops. He says, ma’am, what do you do for a living? She says, I’m the secretary of the treasure to first Baptist Church. Now you and I need to squeeze all the life out of every day, every day.

And you say, well, I just can’t get any more. Have you ever heard people say that my plate is full? I heard that one time and I thought, I’m gonna start using that. That’s the best way to tell somebody no. I’m sorry, it was my place for. I had something I wanted some people to do in the church and it’s a preach I’d love to but my plate is full. I said, you got a bunch of scraps on your plates what you got.

Cause I knew they had time, it’s just, you know if you wanna get something done, find a busy person. A busy person always has time to get something done. lazy person just doesn’t have the time. Because he just can’t find the time. But a busy person can always find time to get a little bit more, just a little bit more. There’s some people looking for opportunities because they want to get something done. And then there’s other people that run from everything.

But you should want to try to see just how much can I get out of this life. God gave me this day. And it’s a precious day. And I want to live it to the fullest and get everything I can out of every moment of my life. I believe God will bless you for doing so. I want to give you number three. This day is a precious day. What makes it so precious is that God made it. Think about it.

God made this day. You and I didn’t have anything to do with it. God made this day. And if He made this day, then we should rejoice and be glad in it. The art of being successful is learning how to spend time wisely. Killing time is a slow form of suicide. If I was asked most people, do you believe in suicide? Most people said, no, I don’t believe it’s right. I think it’s wrong. I think it’s a sin. Isn’t it a sin to slowly kill yourself?

To slowly kill it all that time that God gave to you? And you waste it and waste it and you don’t get any more of it. You don’t get any more of it. You see, yesterday is a cash check. You can’t use that. Yesterday, well, tomorrow that’s a promissory note. All you have is the cash right now. You got this moment that you got to spend. And some people, they’re trying to draw from the past or, you know, there’s a danger of trying to borrow into the future.

We got people in Washington who haven’t figured that out yet. And you know why we’re in such a mess right now? Because they put off and keep pushing it off into the future. And then when we’re dead, our kids will have to pay all that off. So you’ve got to cure for all the eyeshooter, too. But you don’t want to hear it, because it would make somebody mad. And you know how I hate that. I’m not one of those kind of guys that makes people upset.

Spend each day with the Lord. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part 2 of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach by the line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free, 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771.

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Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.