Living in the moment (2/9/04)

We had a visiting pastor at church this past week. In his sermon, he was referring to Luke 7:11-17 where Jesus heals the widow's son.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Some key things the pastor pointed out about this passage involved how observant and compassionate Jesus was. It was a great message and if you missed it, you should get a copy of the sermon.

But this week, we are talking about living in the moment. The pastor didn't talk specifically about this but it struck me as I was listening. In this story and many others in the bible, it's clear that Jesus lives in the moment. We as Christians are called to do the same. But not in a selfish way like many modern people. We are called to live in the moment the selfless way that Jesus did - "the first shall be last". When we accept Christ as our savior, God forgives our sins. We are washed clean so there is no need to lament and mourn our past sins and mistakes. If God forgave us, shouldn't we forgive ourselves? The past is past - so to speak. Likewise, our future is in God's hands - where it should be. When we worry about the future, we are saying "God, I'm not sure You're going to make this all come out the way it should". In reality, it will turn out exactly the way it should but we might be asked to grow along the way.

So this week, let's pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters - that we stay focused on the here and now. That we don't lament the past or dread the future. That we continue to learn how to live in the moment for Him.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob