The favorite American pastime at the end of the year is to make resolutions we intend to follow in the coming year. We make a list of our shortcomings that embarrass us, goals or dreams that inspire us, or to rectify intentions that restrict us, and we dig deep to find the courage and desire to change or accomplish each one of them.
We often focus on discrepancies, limitations, heartaches, and excessive stress in our life that irritate us or hold us back from realizing success in some area. We determine to resolve these issues in the coming year. We have good intentions, and we truly desire to achieve some of them and to overcome others and put them behind us.
However, we do not need to procrastinate until the new year to start making these changes in our habits, personality, vocation, spiritual or mental or emotional health, living arrangements, hobbies, etc. Too often we live for the future, yearning for the next paycheck, weekend, promotion, pay raise, new home, car, mate, or a child of our own.
This causes us to miss the blessings of today. Each moment of every day has an inherent value that we overlook when we focus on the past or the future. What we learn from the past and do with each moment in the present influences what happens tomorrow. So, paying attention to each minute of time in our day, allows God to live His life through us.
One lost minute breaks a link in the chain that connects us to a positive future. A split-second decision may take away everything we worked so far to gain in our life. If the Spirit of God sends us in one direction, and we insist on going in another, that one moment of time may negatively change our whole life.
As we turn away from our sinful lifestyle and totally surrender to the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, He keeps us in His sheltering arms, and He uses even the unnerving events in our life to bear good fruit for us and His Kingdom. As our daily portion forever, Jesus is all we really need (Psalm 16:5).
Prayer:
Father God, our eternal habitation with You already began the day we repented of our sins and surrendered our life to You (2 Corinthians 6:2). As we occupy our place on the Vine, we bear much fruit for the cause of Christ. We may not always feel Your presence, but we know without a doubt that You are always abiding within us. We know Your Spirit’s divine direction leads us in Your will for each moment of our day.
We reap the blessings of success and fulfillment by completely abiding in Christ (Colossians 3:3-4). Each successive day melds into a lifetime of living in Christ, and You generously give us our daily portion (Ezra 3:4). As we faithfully learn to execute Your will in a few areas, we enter Your rest and joy, which prompts You to give us more responsibility in other areas (Matthew 25:23). Through prayer, we daily exchange our humanistic goals for Your thoughts and ideals.
Thoughts for the Day:
When we live in the present and become attentive to everyday life as we live it, we find joy in the gifts God provides for us, and we begin erupting in thankful praise throughout the day. We develop an attitude of acceptance about every issue that we cannot change, we praise God for them and in them and through them. In doing this we walk in His peace and joy as we notice all the blessings God provides for us throughout the day.
