February 27, 2007

[Rev. Doc]

How You Start The New Day

"They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening"
I Chronicles 23:30

A few years ago, a radio station ran a contest. Disc jockeys invited their listeners to tune in their clock radios. "Just for fun," they said, "when you wake up to the sound of FM-106, call and tell us the first words you spoke when you rolled out of bed. If you're the third caller, you'll win $106."

It didn't take long for the contest to grow in enthusiasm. The first morning, a buoyant disc jockey said, "Caller number three, what did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?" A groggy voice said, "Do I smell coffee burning?" Another day, a sleepy clerical worker said, "Oh no, I'm late for work." Somebody else said her first words were, "Honey, did I put out the dog last night?" A muffled curse was immediately heard in the background, and then a man was heard to say, "No, you didn't." It was a funny contest and drew a considerable audience.

One morning, however, the third caller said something unusual. The station phone rang. "Good morning, this is FM-106. You're on the air. What did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?"

A voice with a Bronx accent replied, "You want to know my first words in the morning?"

The bubbly DJ said, "Yes, sir! Tell us what you said."

The Bronx voice responded, "Shema, Israel ... Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." There was a moment of embarrassed silence. Then the radio announcer said, "Sorry, wrong number," and cut to a commercial.

It is a sad commentary on our society that people find more joy in hearing people curse in the morning than from God's name being glorified. One of the jobs given to the Levites in the Old Testament was "to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening."

Prayer: Ask God to fill your heart with praise at the start of each day.

"There ought to be a better way of starting the day than having to get up."
~Earl Wilson

[rocklobster]

That was very funny and very sad at the same time. FTR, I'm very quiet in the morning. But then, the people I live with are not morning people.