Commit To Loving Life And Seeing Good Days! Series

Sermon: Commit to Loving Life and Seeing Good Days!

Psalm 34:11-15, “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;”

1 Peter 3:8-12, “Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

Introduction: “Have a good day'' “Have a great week” Happy new year are all practical mantras in our society. But no one reminds us of what it takes to love the life you live and see good days. What would change if we took as our motto the scriptural phrase from 1 Peter 3:10, and said this year, I will love life, and see good days? ''I believe it would be life changing. ''I believe it would lead to more happiness. But how is it done?''

The new year might be an illusion. While the beginning of a new year sounds like the ideal time to set about creating transformation, cleaning out your closets, or losing three inches of belly fat, the idea that New Year's Day is special is simply an illusion. There's nothing special about January the 1st or the 15th. Or any Monday of any week of the year. And believing otherwise is actually a great set-up for a fall. Because when we don't get started on this or that day, we give ourselves permission to procrastinate until the next "perfect" date rolls around. A revolution can start any time you decide. We are the ones who give meaning to our days, just as we do to our circumstances. We get to decide if today, tomorrow, the next day, or Groundhog Day is the perfect day for whatever we desire. So if New Year's Day is significant to you and you want to make it into a fresh start, you can do it. Any day, as it turns out, is the perfect day to start living the life you say you want.

These verses offer each of us directions and suggest a path for a Happy New Year, a happy life. Loving life and seeing good days, means shifting our perspective a bit, letting go of a few things, rising above some of our old frustrations, or reaching deep inside for enough faith to trust in God's promises to us. Sometimes it feels as if the whole world has crashed down around us. At other times, we may be doing all right but just feel the desire for something more. That’s completely normal, that’s the way God made us. Whatever our situation, these reflections will help each of us discover how to love life more fully and see more good days.

David writes this Psalm as he remembered being on the run, even pretending to be a mad man in the presence of Abimelech. David changed his behavior before Abimelech, then Abimelech released him, drove him away, and David’s life was spared and he said, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise always shall be in my mouth.” Apostle Peter writes this exhortation to a remnant of Jews, scattered from Jerusalem, receiving heavy persecution from all sides, yet he like David provides direction towards loving life and seeing good days. This message may not lead to a prosperous new year but it may lead to a more successful life.

Psalm 34:11-15, “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;”

First, loving life and seeing good days begins with living in the fear of the Lord. Our creator God made us and all things pertaining to life and Godliness. We should fear and reverence God because of who He is, what He can do, what He has done and what He promises in the future. Not only has He created all things, He has given all things purpose and directions.