Focusing on the Present to Avoid a Negative Future

I want to talk to you today about living in the present. Focusing on the present. Yes, the future matters, and planning and setting goals is something we should do, but it’s not something we do at the expense of the present. And yes, we need to acknowledge and learn from the mistakes and successes of our past. But once again, we shouldn’t dwell on the past to the extent that it takes us away from the present.
Matthew 6:31-34 tells us: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
If we seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, if we pursue a relationship with our Heavenly father, He will provide us with what we need.
If we become so focused on our future needs or our past failures and stop living in the present moment, we rob ourselves of a momentous opportunity. The opportunity to encounter the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our daily walk. We lose the opportunity to minister to our loved ones and allow His love to flow through us.
Our everyday, ordinary moments are when God reaches out to us. He is calling us to join Him in the work of growing His Kingdom. We are called to save as many souls as we can so they don’t spend an eternity separated from God. Ask yourself these questions today:
>             How many opportunities have I overlooked because I wasn’t living in the present moment?
>             How many lives could I have touched if I wasn’t focused on the past?
>             How many others might have fed into my life if I hadn’t been so focused on the future that I pushed them away?
Think about this. Jesus lived in the moment. He didn’t dwell on His previous Divinity. He didn’t focus on the day of His death and His return to Heaven. Instead, He went out into the world, a world that often shunned him, and spent His moments meeting people in their daily lives. He met the greatest needs of the people He met, and He showed them compassion, mercy, and love.
If we choose to live our lives like Jesus, and “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” we will begin to experience living in the present. We become better equipped to serve others because we become intimately aware of what God has done for us.
Living in the present isn’t easy. The world will try to pull us this way and that. But we must live each moment seeking God and His Kingdom if we want the positive future of spending eternity with Him. I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t want the alternative.