Daily

"But exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13

Good morning, ladies!

Many times as missionaries we are "out of the loop" of what's popular in the U.S.  The onset of the Internet, Facebook, Pinterest, and Amazon have changed a lot of that for our family.  My husband grew up as an MK in France, and remembers the painful awkwardness of returning to a foreign country (the U.S.)  and being clueless about the latest trends.  Many times he has marvelled over how much our children are aware of the happenings in the U.S.

Other times we rejoice that we are not as "up to date" as our American friends.

Two words:  "Awesome sauce." Really???

Many times we miss out on the spiritual trends as well.  We don't always know the newest programs, the trending authors, the latest ladies' retreat speaker, the fashion trends, the new Christianese.

(Sometimes, that's not a bad thing.)

A question that has been raised on Facebook since the beginning of the New Year by several of my American friends, however, has really intrigued me, and has allowed me a lot of prayer and Bible reflection for this month:

What word do I want to characterize my spiritual walk for 2015?

(Perhaps by reading my first blog posts, you might have an idea.)  

My answer?  Daily.

I am amazed at the number of times God mentions the word "day" in the Bible (1759) and the word "daily" (62.)  (No, I did not count them personally).  A word that is so ordinary, and yet used in such a specific way in the Bible merits further attention on my part.  

Here are some references that jump out at me:

Jesus taught daily in the Temple. (Mark 14:49).

I must deny myself daily to serve the Lord. (Luke 9:23)

The Lord adds to the church daily. (Acts 2:47)

The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily. (Acts 17:11)

Paul had the labour and care of the church fall upon him daily. (2 Corinthians 11:28)

And, who can forget:  our daily bread?  (Luke 11:3)

I should not be surprised at the emphasis the Lord puts on the word "daily," or "to day" or "this day," because as Christians, aren't we encouraged to live this life day by day?

Should I not seek to please the Lord daily?  Should I not read His Word, and pray daily?

Should I not forgive daily? (or many times a day, as the case warrants.)

Should I not encourage daily?  Serve daily?  Love daily?

Write a blog post daily?  Who knows?  Maybe...

So, what will I do today?  Time to find out!

Maybe it will be the beginning of a new "daily"...