Matthew West - Today Is Day One: A Devotional

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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Published in association with the literary agency of The FEDD Agency, Inc., PO Box 341973, Austin, TX 78734.

TODAY IS DAY ONE

Copyright 2015 Matthew West

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-4444-1 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4445-8 (eBook)

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This book is dedicated to all the people who have shared their stories with me over the past several years.

I have been inspired by witnessing how God is at work in the lives of so many, and I hope this book will be a daily reminder that His redeeming work in our lives is far from over.

I want to thank my wife, Emily, and my two daughters, Luella and Delaney. Thank you for putting up with all the times youve asked me questions and I didnt answer because I was writing this book. Now, what was it you needed me to do? Im all yours!

I also want to thank Nick Harrison and the team at Harvest House Publishers for your contribution to this book and your belief in me.

The steadfast love of the L ORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

L AMENTATIONS 3:22-23

Contents

T he phone rang in the back room of a tiny pizza restaurant in the tiny town of Worthington, Minnesota.

Thank you for calling Pizza Ranch, the young man answered. How can I help you?

May I please speak to the manager? I asked.

Sure, hold on just a minute. The employee turned from the receiver and shouted, Josh, its for you!

At first, I pretended I was calling to complain about my pizza, but then I told him the real reason for my call. Josh, this is Matthew West. A while back you wrote your testimony and sent it to my website. Do you remember that?

I could tell Josh was a little stunned when he answered, Are you punking me?

I laughed and told him that this was not a prank and that I was calling to tell him I had read his story.

He responded, Oh, man, this is unbelievable! I think I need to sit down so I dont faint.

The story Josh sent me told of his difficult childhood. He grew up in the roughest area of a small town. The son of a single parent, he never met his mother. In his early teen years he got heavily involved in drugs, which soon turned to drug dealing and trouble. At age 16, Joshs story took a drastic and devastating turn when he was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. From juvenile incarceration all the way to maximum-security prison, the next decade of his life had been laid out for him with the judges verdict. In his letter to me, he wrote that he initially engaged in the typical prison lifestyle and did what he needed to do to survive. But then he began to feel that there was something more that his life could be, somebody new that he could become.

Behind bars, Josh began a personal relationship with Jesus, and his faith grew with every passing day. When someone gets saved in prison, other inmates often refer to that as jailhouse religiona term intended to mean that a rock-bottom conversion wouldnt last once someone like Josh was released from prison and reintroduced to the free world. But after serving his ten years, Josh walked out of that prison determined to prove to himself and everyone else that he was indeed a changed man. He began applying for jobs and thats when discouragement set in. No one was willing to take a chance on an ex-convict with tattoos on his knuckles and a troubled past.

Still, Josh kept the faith and got involved in a local church that continued to encourage him. A married couple from the church heard that Josh was in need of a helping hand and a new start. They operated a pizza restaurant and decided to take a chance on Josh, giving him a part-time job working in the back. What Josh wrote to me next was a beautiful illustration of how a second chance and the determination to change can turn a life around: Matthew, I took that part-time job and ran with it. I worked my way up, and now Im the manager of the Pizza Ranch in my hometown. If God can turn my life around, he can turn anyones life around.

Joshs story is a powerful reminder that its never too late to change your life. Of course, there are some things we cant change. No one can erase the past. As much as we wish there was a do-over, we all know there isnt. But we do have a daily chance to start over.

We read in Lamentations 3:23, The steadfast love of the L ORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. That verse gives me fresh hope every morning. And I find myself in need of a daily reminder that God isnt done with methat theres hope for this fresh, new day. I have a feeling Im not the only one who feels that way. I bet you do too. In fact, I wrote this book in the hope that it might help to provide just thata daily reminder that Gods mercies are new every morning.

The best way to combat our tendencies to beat ourselves up for being less than perfect is to daily fill our hearts and minds with the truth and the hope of Gods Word, which reminds us how deeply and endlessly we are loved by our Creator regardless of where weve been, what weve done, or how many times weve fallen short of perfection.

Meanwhile, back at the Pizza Ranch, my conversation with Josh continued. Josh, have you by chance heard my new song Day One on the radio lately?