I would encourage you to read Matt. 6:25-34. Verse 34 says this: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (badness, malice, trouble) thereof.” Jesus told us several times in this section of Scripture to “take no thought” about natural things: clothes, food, shelter, etc. Take no thought means to not be anxious, worried, or troubled. We are not to be worried, concerned, anxious, or troubled about tomorrow. After all, our Father knows what we need. We are not to be like unbelievers, people without a covenant with God. They (in general) worry about these things. We are to live today. Why? Because tomorrow may never come.
Live today. Live in the now. In our thoughts, we are often somewhere else. We rarely are fully focused on the moment at hand. We are thinking about the past, or thinking about the future, or thinking about nonsense. Rarely are we fully focused on this moment right now. Stop letting your runaway thoughts cause you to actually miss your own life. Realize that today is a great gift. Like the old saying goes, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift - that’s why it is called the present.” Live in the present, by practicing God’s presence every moment of every day. God is the great “I AM” (present tense).
If you were asked, “If you knew today was your last day, would you live it differently?,” what would you say? I believe most people would say yes. But may I say that it is possible to say no - and mean it. It is possible to live in such a way, that if you knew today was your last day, you wouldn’t live it differently. That is the abundant life in Christ Jesus. That is living today. Paul said to forget about yesterday (Philp 3:13). Jesus said don’t worry about tomorrow (Mt 6:34). Today - in this moment - we should live, in the presence of Christ.
Today is the day of salvation (2Cor 6:2); Today if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts (Heb 4:7); Exhort one another daily, while it is called today (Heb 3:13); this is the day which the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24). Give us this day, our daily bread. Take up your cross daily. Live in the present by practicing God’s presence.
How would you live your last day? Would you savor the sunrise? The smell of morning dew on fresh cut grass? Would you take a moment and give God thanks for every wonderful gift in your life? How would you treat your spouse that day? Your children? Would you love them, hug them, kiss them, tell them how much they mean to you, how thankful you are for them? How would you eat? Wouldn’t you savor every bite in appreciation? Would you fuss about meaningless things? Would you hold a grudge? Would you want to make things right with people? Would you - with purpose - really enjoy your family, friends, sights, sounds, smells, etc.? If the answer is yes, the question is: Why don’t you live that way today?
Why should you live every day like it’s your last? 1. Because it might be. You may not wake up tomorrow. It’s not guaranteed, you know. 2. Because, even if it’s not your last day, you will never get this day back. It is gone forever. This is why we need to live with purpose; to live now; to live in the present, this gift from God. Don’t waste this day, thinking about one that is gone; or about one that may never come.
We must meditate on who we are in Christ. The Kingdom of God is within the true born-again believer (Lk 17:21). How? Because the King, Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, dwells within the believer. Where there is a king, there is a kingdom, a rule, a dominion. The kingdom is within you, because the King is within you. Paul said that the Kingdom of God - what it is, what it produces or manifests - is righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). When we seek first the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom within us, and His righteousness, then we receive righteousness, and peace, and joy. What so many pursue in self-effort and struggle, we receive freely, as a gift, as a by-product, of seeking God’s Kingdom - the Kingdom within us - above all else. Live in the present, in God’s presence, focusing on the Kingdom of God within you, and what it produces. If you do, you won’t - you can’t - live the same way. It will change you. This is life abundant in Christ our Lord. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!
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