Living In The Moment...

This past Sunday at church our pastor started a new series entitled "30 Days to Live" and it was all about living in the moment and "what if you only had 30 days left on this earth?" It was a very moving and inspiring sermon. The scripture for this series is Psalm 39:4-5 which says "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath." (NLT). Normally the thought of how short our time on earth is brings about the "oh that's so morbid" comments. But seriously? We should be thinking about how short our time is. I think about all the days that I waste doing things that aren't pleasing to God or even things that I don't enjoy doing.

James 4:13-17 says: Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins.

Wow. I have never before thought of planning for the future like that. I mean, granted we do have to plan ahead for many things in life since we can't do everything spur of the moment, but there is something to be said for living in the moment, you know? Our pastor said, so many times we miss life in the moment. We don't spend good quality time with family, friends and loved ones because we're too busy thinking about all the work we have to do later or how you need to be doing laundry or cleaning the house or 8 million other things that are running through your mind at that minute. We're not ALL there with our loved ones. Psalm 118:24 says THIS is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. THIS is the day. Not tomorrow or 2 weeks from now. We need to live in this moment here and now and enjoy it and thank God for blessing us with the day that we have!

So all of this time that I have kept putting off my quiet times with God saying that I'd start tomorrow or this weekend. That's no more. The time that I've put off reading more because I'm just too busy - forget it, I'm starting more now. I'm going to stop overloading myself with work and busy-ness and start enjoying myself more and spending more time with my loved ones - especially God. So I pray, Lord... please remind me how brief my time on earth will be. I want to make it count for something!