"One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you...."

Today. Thursday, June 18, 2020. That's what I will be dealing with at this time. You too! As Dr. Seuss put it, "Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" It is a good reminder. In fact, the popular 1974 song, "One Day at a Time" has a similar theme. It was written by Maryjohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson. That song became a worldwide hit as it has been recorded by over 200 different artists. Here are the lyrics as recorded by the late-great Merle Haggard:

One Day at a Time

I'm only human I'm just a man

Help me to believe in what I could be and all that I am

Show me the stairway that I have to climb

Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you

Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

Do you remember when you walked among men

Well Jesus you know if you're looking below it's worse now than then

Pushing and shoving crowding my mind

So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you

Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

Yes just for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

An interesting side note. Though Kris Kristofferson is credited as a co-writer, he claims he didn't write the gospel-influenced song. Kristoffersen admitted in the book '1000 UK #1 Hits': "I never sing the song because I didn't write it. Marijohn Wilkin was the first publisher I worked for and she published 'For The Good Times' and 'Darby's Castle.' She was a good songwriter herself and I was in the room when she was writing 'One Day At A Time' and I might have given her a line or two. If I studied the lyrics, I might find a phrase of mine but I think she wrote the whole song and I remember her singing it to me. Marijohn was paying me back for some of the songs I had written for her - it was her way of saying 'Thank you.' I've done it myself. I've given a lot of people who've never written a word a piece of one of my songs." My thought: I would imagine he did keep his share of the royalties.

My point? Our Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. An interesting passage from the letter of James points out this truth, from Chapter 4: "13 Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." God knows it all. We don't. Therefore, we live with His provision, one day at a time. This doesn't mean we shouldn't plan or work for our future, but, it does mean we live out our plan under His direction, one day at a time. Hebrews 3:13 shows us where our focus should be: "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called 'Today',...." There is a sense in which we are faced with knowing if we are to accomplish anything we need to get on with it, one day at a time, today!

Today's message was targeted towards the well-known trio, Me, Myself, and I. If any of it helps you as well, I say Amen for that. I'm not sure this has anything to do with today's sermonette but I did have this dream the other night. I dreamed I was called on, without notice, to speak to a large gathering of believers. I had a few minutes to prepare. Maybe the stuff I shared today would have been my texts. The wife and I went for a walk to pray and regroup. As we walked she kept stopping to buy things. I told her we had to get back or we would be late. The rest of the dream was about all the obstacles we had to overcome in trying to get back to the service. That's it. I do add this disclaimer. No counselor including Dr. Phil was injured in any way in the writing of today's edition. I mention that as a joke but also to head off any unsolicited interpretations of my dream. Still kidding. Okay. That's all I have for today. I'll close now and go and do me some talking to that trio I mentioned. May God bless each one. Amen. ......More later.