This will only take a moment
Posted by Bryan
Yesterday in my quiet time, I read convicting words that basically said...
Why fear the perfect will of God? He has ordained my life so that I am equipped and prepared to glorify Him at this exact time, in this exact circumstance.
This statement is perpetually, continually, eternally true. Every moment, every trial, every challenge, every failure, every success, every temptation, every prayer, every breath I've ever taken, was ordained and given so that I may glorify God.....right now. And right now. And right now. Forever. For eternity.
Rick Warren said that God created an ant to be an ant and me to be me. The ant never seems to suffer the stress and anxiety of what it means to live in the fullness of its ant-ity (as compared to humanity). But it seems like the human existence is one of turmoil and travail in living in the fullness of humanity. We -- Christians -- long delight in theological platitudes that we are fully accepted in Chrsit, fully able to do all things through Him who gives us strength. Yet, it is we -- Christians! -- who match or outpace the world in divorce, infidelity, addiction, and/or social dysfunction. It is not because our God has ill-equipped us for the challenges of this world. It is because we have not embraced the faith to overcome the challenges of this world with the devices given to us freely and abundantly by God to do so. And when we recognize our failure, rather than embracing the grace of God to repent and be restored, we enter into that spiraling self-flaggelation known as guilt and shame.
So -- to come full circle -- how do I live for the moment, with an eye on eternity (because really, that's the only way to TRULY live for the moment -- if you terminally live for the moment [without an eye on eternity, that is] you'll be given to carnal passions and delusions)? My mind has to be renewed. Your thinking must be re-wired, so to speak. Every thought. Every motive. Every goal. Every dream. Every desire. Has to be re-organized to believer that THIS MOMENT has been ordained to glorify Jesus, the Christ. For some of you, it'll mean closing that *window* that has the p0r N on it, and never going back. Moment by moment by moment. For some of you, it'll mean cease going through the motions on Sundays and truly start worshipping. Sunday by Sunday by Sunday. Moment by moment by moment. For some of you, it'll mean talking more openly about your faith -- come out of the proverbial closet, for goodness sake. Moment by moment by moment.
The other day, I caught
What about Bob on TV. One of the greatest quotes is said on there by Bob, Bill Murray. He said:
I'm not going to lie to you, I got problems.
I can identify with that. Can't you? If you can't, you're lying. To me, or your computer screen, or to whomever you think you're communing right now. But you're -- most importantly -- lying to God. He knows you better than you know yourself. If you think you are without problems, that's your first problem. But the only way you can live for the moment is to confess your need to rely on God moment by moment by moment.
Newsflash: God didn't say, "
God helps those who help themselves". Benjamin Franklin did. He's not God. So quit buying that lie.
If you want to live for the moment, the only way to do it is to live in Christ. Moment by moment by moment.
Paul (the apostle, not the Beatle) had it right when he said, "
For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He couldn't even separate moment-by moment living apart from living by faith in Jesus. The only thing living each moment of his life by his faith in Jesus was to be dead, where he'd no longer have a need for faith, and eternally live in the full presence of the Christ.
Dr. Leo -- back to
What about Bob -- had the answer. He prescribed his book
Baby Steps to Bob. Bob had a breakthrough when he realized life was a series of "baby steps." He didn't have to agonize walking across town when he determined that he just needed to take baby steps to the door. Baby steps to the stairs. Baby steps to the curb. And so on. Really, God does the same thing with us. Except His book is "The Word," and it was written in blood and its Truths are eternal. Only God knows the end from the beginning. Only God knows every potential of every potential. Only God knows. You're not God. You don't know. Even if you're *really* smart. So quit trying to be God. He'll show you what you need to know to succeed at this moment. He'll reveal everything necessary so you will glorify Him with this moment. And He'll do it in such a way that all your life's moments will be strung
together to make a beautiful adornment glorifying the God who created you.
So start living for the moment.
May 21, 2003 5:51 PM