Here and Now

 

 Here & Now

Are you really here?  The present can seem a bit elusive sometimes, as many of us spend a lot of our mental energy either reliving the past, or anticipating the future.  We all know the challenge of being fully present with people, or ourselves, or even God, right now, where and when we are.  Not being present carries more consequences than you think.  There are more auto accidents due to not being fully present when driving than drunk driving.  The road is not the only place that the consequences of not being fully present are felt.

How present are you right now?  With the people around you?  With yourself?  With Jesus?  Something worth reflecting upon.

Using the passages at the right, Pastor Jon reminds us of what it means to live in the present, to stay focused on what God is up to right now, in this moment, and what invites us to do - and perhaps more importantly - who He is inviting us to be.  Seeking first His Kingdom and what matters to Him, right now, in this moment, with these people.  That is what we are invited to consider this morning - to learn what Jesus sought to share with Mary and Martha during his time at their home - that not even our serving should be allowed to distract us from being fully present in the moment with each other and with God.  The truth is, the only day we have to do anything with, is the day we have - this is the day the Lord gives us - we can't redo yesterday and we don't know what will be available to us tomorrow.  Being present today is where our impact matters the most.  Relationships matter more than productivity.  Relationships are the "end" not the means to an "end."  Without the ability to be present, relationships struggle, and we miss much of what God has to share.

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Psalm 118:24

ESV

This is the day that the Lord has made;

    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Isaiah 43:18-21

                                                           ESV

 

“Remember not the former things,

    nor consider the things of old.

 

Behold, I am doing a new thing;

    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

    and rivers in the desert.

 

The wild beasts will honor me,

    the jackals and the ostriches,

for I give water in the wilderness,

    rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,

 

    the people whom I formed for myself

that they might declare my praise.

Matthew 6:26-34

ESV

 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.