The present moment is a very special thing.
That’s a thought that has truly fuelled my energy for this blog.... Out of the Overflow. Because this space is designed to celebrate the beautiful things in life. Not the big, grand things, not the trendy, flashy things....
but the beautiful things
the simple things
the lovely things.
Celebrating the opportunity we have to cultivate our heart's landscape into one of thanksgiving and praise is a lovely thing! Because that is really why we are all here today...
To give glory to God.
To steward the commands of joy and peace, love and faithfulness. To walk in righteousness and show kindness. To be merciful. To show forgivness.
Philippians 4vs4~9
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."Right now, today is a chance to let the burdens go, to let the fear go, to let the worries go and to live in the very moment right before you. To have dreams but not receive your identity from them. To set goals but not be defined by them. To have an agenda but not be bound by it.
Have a think about this, the present moment was Pre-Sent by God. Meaning that before the beginning of your life, God saw this moment.
God recognised your circumstances in this moment.
And put the perfect things in place to give you all you need to get through this moment.
Psalm 139vs16 NIV
"All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be."You are already made in the image of God and already have His thumbprint of destiny over your life. Being a child of the Kingdom disqualifies every strand of striving and stress from claiming territory on your life... if you allow the Spirit of God to show you how to co-labour with Christ. But maybe it's time we remember that sometimes being co-labourers with Christ looks, from the outside, like doing absolutely nothing.
Because He is the gardener.
John 15vs1 NIV
"“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener"Think about it, we weren’t put here to earn or produce, to accumulate or prove anything.
We were put here to be loved and to love.
Throughout our lifetime, in the extreme highs and the dreadful lows.... Love is the epitomy of our story.
So how do we let love override our learned instinct of fear?
We allow the Spirit to lead us through praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for the present moment.
Psalm 100vs4 NIV
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name."As we praise His name and give thanks despite what we face, the Spirit labours in our hearts, leads us to him and helps us grow love
and joy
and peace
and patience
and kindness
and goodness
and faithfulness
and gentleness
and self-control
until it is our instinct to respond with our fruit instead of our fear!
Don't forget to be fruitful!
Galatians 5vs22 NIV
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."Maybe you have it dreams for 2023, I know I do! But far more than achieving my dreams, I’d rather learn to walk through this year brimming with colourful fruit than checking off my own black and white list.
Let the present moment inspire you. Let it remind you that you have the gift of today pre-sent by the Lord as the perfect next step on your journey.
There are a million little miracles every single day. Take a moment to remind yourself that breathing fresh air is a gift, watching the sun in the sky is a gift, nourishing your body with food is a gift, hugging a loved on is a gift, smelling a fresh flower is a gift, the grass under your feet is a gift.
Don't let the present distract you from these heavenly presents.
~ X ~
Comments