“TGIF” or “Thank God It’s Friday” generally brings a sigh of relief, doesn’t it? Those letters remind us that the work week is over, and that the fun can begin. If you think about it, though, that’s not a very exciting way to live. At best, we are dreading five out of the seven days in every week. That would mean we are unhappy 71% of the time.
Research seems to back up the sadness of this way of thinking. More men die suddenly of heart disease on Monday than on any other day of the week, according to a group of University of Manitoba researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Psychological stress has been related to sudden cardiac death, and it may be that return to work serves as a stressor,” says Dr. Simon W. Rabkin, one of the researchers. But being at home on Monday didn’t help much either, since 46.7 % of the fatal heart attacks occurring in the home also happened on Monday.
Wouldn’t it be helpful if we could look forward to every day of our lives? Think about how much less stressed out we would be. In a moment, I’ll share a new meaning for the initials “TGIF” that will give us the key to make that happen. Before I share that new meaning for those letters, though, let’s look at why life in this world is so empty in the first place.
The human race started out in a perfect place (the Garden of Eden) where God freely provided every good thing that Adam and Eve needed. God also gave them a daily, joyful relationship with Him. Every day was peaceful, and yet exciting, until Adam and Eve decided to disobey a simple command from God. They believed that they would be even happier if they could just be in charge. They disobeyed, thinking that they knew better than God what would be best. The Tempter had told them that “…God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” (Genesis 3:5).
Their act of disobedience set a tragic pattern that we have all followed. The ancient Jews are an example of people who did just that. God pointed out that they forfeited God’s blessing because they, “committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, [water reservoirs so vital in the desert] broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). In other words, instead of drinking in the constant refreshment of God’s presence, they decided to “drink” from activities that wound up being as frustrating as having no water to drink on a hot day. That would be like playing with mud pies in their backyard instead of going on a trip to Disney World.
The Jews aren’t the only ones who have made these kinds of bad choices. The Bible explains that all of us have done similar things. The results of our choices include greed, envy, murder, discord, spitefulness, arrogance, boastfulness, and cold-heartedness (see Romans 1:29-31). All these things exist because we have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (Romans 1:25). Rev. John Piper. put it this way, “Sin considers God and his glory, and instead of loving God’s glory and treasuring God’s glory, sin exchanges God’s glory for something else.”
For many people, that “something else” is focusing completely on themselves and finding their own pleasure every weekend. That’s why “TGIF” has become such a popular saying. The sad fact is, though, that those weekends usually don’t turn out to be as exciting as expected. Often they are filled with unexpected problems, frustrating relationships, and even painful, lingering regrets.
Here is a new meaning for “TGIF” that will point us in a much better direction. Every day make sure that Today God Is First. If you “delight yourself in the Lord; He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). We need to treasure Christ and His forgiveness more than anything else in this world. When we understand how we have sinned by ignoring His goodness, and when we appreciate that Jesus has “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26), we can be genuinely happy every day. When we put God first, we can obey His command to, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth, serve the Lord with gladness; [and] come before Him with joyful singing” (Psalm 100:1-2).
Are you willing to make “TGIF” (Today God Is First) your motto? Have you found joy in Christ? Feel free to come to “The Pastor’s Corner” at www.BethelChapelChurch.com. In the “Comments” section at the end of this article, share what Christ has done to free you from your old “TGIF” attitude.
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