Living in the Present

Let’s look at some more guidelines to help us have the right outlook for living in the present.

Never postpone what must be done

The future holds another danger: it can tempt us to postpone doing what we have to do. For example, we can fool ourselves into dreaming how, one day, we will get things right in our life and then walk properly with God. In the meantime, we will do nothing. It is on this basis that many people delay committing themselves to Christ or postpone doing what they know God wants them to do.

Work at walking with God

Walking through life with God is a little like walking up a down escalator. Pause, however briefly, and you will soon find yourself falling behind. We need to keep up with God – to read the Bible regularly, pray, have fellowship with other followers of Jesus and keep worshipping him. The Christian life is like riding a bicycle: the one guaranteed way of falling off is to stop.

Don’t expect the way to get easier

You might expect that, with time, walking with God would get easier. It seems only fair that after all our efforts we must finally make it to some smooth, flat stretch where we can take our ease. The reality is otherwise. While there are downhill moments on the way of life, they are generally only long enough for us to get our breath back. Like the good parent that he is, God delights in stretching his children to their limits. There are always new challenges, new things to learn and new issues to face. And when you hit a slow patch, remember that God guides our stops as well as our steps.

Seek companions on the way

There is wisdom in having close friends with whom you can share your problems and challenges.

Watch your step

There is no state of human existence that doesn’t have its own temptations. Prosperity can breed complacency, joy can produce carelessness, and trouble can generate despair. What is the answer? We need to stay honest with ourselves and to watch our lives carefully, anxious lest we slip away from walking closely with God. Trying times are not the times to stop trying.

A final thought on having the right attitude to today: yesterday is a memory; tomorrow is a mystery; today is a gift from God and that is why we call it the present.