Living in the Present

I seem to find it easy to get stuck in the past or fearful about the future but all of this robs the joy of the present. Paul says, "...for me to live is Christ..." This is written in the present tense, we are to experience an awareness of Christ in this very moment. It seems silly to some to need to be aware of Christ in every moment, for others this seems like a Law but still for others He is a necessity. In Christ's first major sermon, He begins with saying "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." To be poor is not desired in our society but the poor do understand something, what it is to be thirsty and hungry. It is out of desperation that I believe the poor in spirit discover the kingdom of heaven, because they are willing to do anything for life. I could definitely lament about the past and there are enough uncertainties in the future to get me anxious, yet this moment is the one where there is life and Him. I can't say that I am very schooled in how to live in the moment because my gaze has been one way or the other. We have been forgiven of all our sins past, present, and future; we have been brought out of death into life and finally we have been embraced by God through the Holy Spirit. I find that His grace is so huge and yet I find that I need His grace for every day's challenges and hurdles. Being a tenderheart and sensitive my heart can be affected by the weight of sin's consequences on hurting people. To enter into human suffering and not be consumed, I must keep my eyes on my Jesus. He alone brings life and hope in the darkest situations. Jesus is the light, if we take our eyes off Him we are left with the world in the darkness and without hope. I heard one author and counselor talk about allowing the client to only go on so long about their pain and hardships, then turn all eyes to Jesus. Since the Word of God defines Christ as life (1 John 5:11), all other ways of defining life are ultimately deceptions. Sometimes in our religious world we can get close to Jesus but be far away at the same time: WWJD (What would Jesus Do?) - leaves me to figure out what Jesus would do and try to do it (in my own strength), statement of faith/doctrine (good to have truth but the person of Christ brings life), study the Word (great but do you encounter the Word became flesh), and so many other word oriented sermons where we don't encounter Him. I am not being critical, simply saying that my heart cry is to know the living and resurrected Christ daily. Can you feel and experience that His blood (the Lamb's) is flowing through you at this very moment, He is alive and living His life in you. Will we yield to His love, His power, and His life in us? It is so easy to get distracted in life with the kids, budgets, people's issues, my own issues, disappointments, worries, and all the concerns of modern life but do you see Him today? Listen for His voice, His voice is often still and small but full of love and life.

In His Grace,
Bret