Ghost of Christmas Present: Learning to Live in the Now

Are you stuck looking in the rear view mirror (stuck in your past)?  Are you always looking ahead to the future hoping that tomorrow is better than today?  What about the present?

"There's always an option to maximize the moment...."-  Mark Beeson  

It may sound cliche', but I have a hard time living in the present.  With raising a family, working, trying to pay bills, worrying about things on my to-do list, or frustated about some past mistakes.... engaging in the here and now is harder than it seems.

How do we live in the present?

Hope and Vision for the Future:

• If we believe life leads to nothing, our days can become meaningless with no hope for tomorrow....  Do you really believe life is short, you die, and that's it?
• God has us hard-wired for eternity.  We can have joy in our todays because of our future destiny.... eternity in heaven... (2 Corinthians 5: 6-11)
• We were created for a purpose to be the hands and feet of God... We are made to bring Hope to the world, to tackle the giants of Poverty and Hunger, and everyday we can take steps in this purpose.
• First we must believe who we are in Christ and to shift our focus to living one day at a time knowing we have a role to play in God's story.

Stuck in the Past?

• Every minute or every day we live in regret of the past, we miss out on what could happen today.
• If you haven't noticed, time flies.  You'll be done with school sooner than you think, your kids will grow up before you know it, and soon it will be the next generations turn to take the ball and move it forward.  Can you really afford to lose today?  What opportunity might you miss?
• Nothing you have done in your past can't be forgiven.  Our God is a God of second chances.  Hand over your past to Jesus so you can be free to live today.

Stuck in the Future?

• I can be guilty of working on plans for the future and completely miss the life that is happening right in front of my eyes today.  Being stuck in the future is not always about fear, sometimes it's simply not being content in the present.
• The Bible says not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough worries of its own.  Are you full or worry about tomorrow?
• We don't live in the past and tomorrow is not here yet.... The "now" is all we have...

What might it look like?

• Putting your work away to spend that extra 30 minutes with your kids...
• Going the extra step in whatever you're doing right now...  What is the next right thing to do?  Do that.
• Think of one way you can serve someone today to take the focus off yourself.

Other great quotes from Mark Beeson this week:

"Following Jesus is simple, it's just not easy."  ("If you've been hurt, how easy is it to love mercy?  I love mercy when you give me mercy.")

"If you're trying to live the Christian life without giving your life to Christ, you've bitten off more than you can chew."