Today IS the future
The only preparation for the morrow is the right use of today. The stone
in the hands of the builder must be put in its place and fitted to receive
another. The morrow comes for naught, if today is not heeded. Neglect not the
call that comes to thee this day, for such neglect is nothing else than
boasting thyself of tomorrow. — G. Bowen.
I am not ashamed to admit that I have a LOT of hobbies and
interests. Only this morning, I was talking to my husband about all the things
I wanted to do, and bemoaning the fact that I couldn’t fit it all in.
I can’t remember the last time I was actually bored. Quite
possibly, it was 40 years ago! I know, this is showing my age, but it really is
true. A person with numerous hobbies will almost NEVER be bored!
That’s a plus. But it does have its downside. The downside
is that there are so many things to choose from and only so many hours in a day
and only so many days in a week. Weeks turn into months and months into years,
and we are left scratching our heads as to where the time went and what we have
to show for it.
Priorities become of paramount importance.
Do you realise that every day is a gift from God?
Do you realise that with each breath you breathe, with every inhale and
exhale, you are reflecting the goodness of God? Every morning that we open our
eyes and see the sun peek over the horizon is a gift from God. It is a new day
full of opportunities for joy, for growth, for gratitude and the chance to show
God’s love and reflect his heart to those around us.
Every single heartbeat is a gift from God. Don’t take it for
granted.
If this is true, and it is, then how do we use, accept, and cherish the
gift we’ve been given?
We make good use of it!
Read over the quote at the top of the page again.
“The only preparation for the morrow is the right use of today”
What are you doing with your day? Are you stopping to acknowledge the
gift that it is?
Every day, as we rise out of bed and prepare for the day, we
make a choice as to how we will use our day. What will I prioritize? What will
I fill my day with? How will I spend my God-given 24 hours?
If we want to prepare for tomorrow, we have to make good use of today.
Today IS the future. What you do with your today greatly impacts what
your tomorrows look like.
Did you just casually step over your day while chasing a career? Did it
pass you by while you were wishing yourself into a new season? Did you get so
busy with family life, appointments, bills and your to-do list that before you
knew it, the day was gone, and a new one had begun?
James 4:14 - Whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little
time, and then vanisheth away.
Time is short. Life is a passing shadow. And today is
important. What you choose to fill your day with today impacts what happens the
next day, and the next and the next.
We are reminded in scripture that our days are numbered, and
our life is like a vapour. What we do with our time is so important.
On my free days, when my outside-the-home work is done, I often
face quite the conundrum. With endless possibilities to fill my day with, I
have to make a choice as to what is important, what is urgent, what I want to
do, what I need to do, what I have time to do etc etc.
I often feel like the apostle Paul in Romans when he says, “For
the good that I would I do not….” etc. (Romans 7) I know this is not
totally in context, but I think you get what I mean.
The only way we can prepare for the future and the days ahead, is by
using today wisely. Which is why I say, what you choose to do or not to do
today, will have a direct impact on what lies ahead.
Priorities. Priorities. Priorities. Why does it
always come down to priorities? It really does matter how we fill our days. It
really does matter that we ask for God’s wisdom in organizing our days, letting
Him arrange our days and prioritize our never-ending to-do lists.
Sometimes we just need to set aside our hobbies for the day and spend
time in God’s Word. Reading, studying, meditating and learning from him. I’m glad
that that IS one of my favourite hobbies and interests. But sometimes, I’ll
admit, it’s a toss-up between that and so many other things.
Sometimes it’s people we need to make time for. That friend that needs
encouragement. That new convert that needs discipling. That frazzled mum that
needs a hand in her home or an hour to herself to run errands without the
children in tow.
No matter what role or what season we find ourselves in, we always have people
counting on us, relying on us, and possibly looking up to us. We are setting an
example by how we choose to spend our days.
When we fill our precious days with things of eternal value, it's
like a bank up in Heaven receiving a deposit. Gaining interest. Laying up
treasures in Heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21) Every day we take for granted and
every day we don’t offer up to God, asking him to order it, is a day wasted. An
opportunity wasted.
Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t take a ‘chill’ day now and
then. Even Christ himself rested and emphasized its importance. (Mark 6:31)
There are times when we need to take a day to slow down the pace a
little, take some time off, catch up with friends, do some shopping or whatever
it is that you do to relax. We just need
to be mindful of the time we are spending on different activities and take care
that we don’t prioritize the comfortable over the important.
We need God’s wisdom each and every day. We need his wisdom to know how
he would have us use our time. We are reminded in Ephesians to redeem the time.
Ephesians 5:15-16 - See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as
fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
One of the definitions for the Greek word used for redeeming is
to “rescue it from loss”. I think that is a very apt definition. We
have to rescue our days from loss. Rescue them from being wasted.
We need to consistently ask for God to order our days. Although we
may have our day all planned out, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, God
often has a different plan altogether. And we have to be okay with that.
He sees the bigger picture. His eyesight is a lot better than
ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
It’s not an easy thing to hold our day out to God with an open
hand, letting him pour into it or take out of it what he wills.
Just remember, if you keep your fist tightly closed over your
nicely laid plans, it hurts a lot more when God has to pry your fingers open.
I must
confess that I don’t like having my little 'day plan' rearranged. I like
to plan ahead. I like to know what I am going to do before I get out of bed, but
I've found that time after time, when I let God order my day, he blesses it,
and he brings to it a freshness that wouldn’t have been there if I had
stubbornly resisted his changes.
Give your
todays and tomorrows to God. Keep your hands open and your heart receptive.
If today is
a gift from God, shouldn't we let Him choose how He wraps it?
C.T.Studd
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