Living in the Moment
Posted on September 25, 2015 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters
Living in the Moment
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15,16
Have you ever taught a child to walk? If so you know there are beginning stages and then comes the fine tuning. First it’s just a matter of gaining balance and not falling, then comes the teaching of watching where you’re going and then of course comes running.
I think the Christian walk can be compared to teaching a child to walk. In the beginning of their journey new believers sometimes will begin to look for a balance between how they lived and the new life in Christ. It can be a bit confusing to someone who is new to the faith to understand that it’s really nothing they are doing but just seeing that God has given us everything we need. Like a child who already has legs and feet, they just have to begin the experience.
Then we have this idea of “living in the moment”, not looking back or getting ahead of ourselves but “redeeming the time” by moving forward and taking what God has for us right now.
After teaching my kids to walk they would often have their head turned behind them as they walked forward, not good, the chances of running off course and hitting something are greatly increased. Then there’s not looking down at your path but worrying about what lies ahead and tripping over the unseen. All these examples are characterized in our walk with the Lord.
The idea of redeeming the times is one of making the best use of time, no longer wasting it with things that are in the past or what may happen in the future that you have no control over. Redeem the time, stop wasting it, and live in the moment. That’s why it’s called “the present”, it’s a gift, and like an unopened present it will never be useful.
Not that we aren’t supposed to plan or try to make the mistakes of our past right but when we are focused on the things that are out of our control it is a thief of the time that God has given us and we allow worry and anxiety to handcuff us. Paul tells us in Philippians 4,
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
So, no longer are we to be tossed around like a wave of the sea, watch where you’re going. The book of Colossians says in the first chapter,
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Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 14-15; John 11:1-29
Think About This: Unbelief seizes truth, grasps it roughly, silences its voice and twists it away from God’s intended purpose. —Os Guinness