From a worldly point of view those who live in the present deny themselves nothing. They play today and pay tomorrow. Immediate gratification is what they seek.
However, from a spiritual perspective we live in the present by being open to God’s presence in our lives on a daily basis. We seek a closer relationship with Him every day. We do not let the past drag us down or the worries of the future hinder our daily walk with God.
This daily walk with God is vital, but how we walk with Him may even be more important.
Let’s use the analogy of taking a nature walk. Some wander aimlessly down a trail unaware of surroundings. If they were asked what they saw they might not even remember. Others notice the chirping bluebird, the laughing child, the leaves changing color, a fish jumping in a pond, or a vibrant sunset and realize it all has something to do with God. That’s living in the present! It’s being aware and alert to God’s presence all around us.
When we pray we don’t just say give me what I want or heal my pain. We ask for God’s will to be revealed to us. We ask Him to make us attuned to his heart so His desires are our desires. We pray many times during the day. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) We pray big prayers and lots of little prayers – little prayers of praise, thanks, and requests for immediate help to bring a thought or action back to where God would want it to be.
When we study we don’t just read a few scriptures. (Acts 17:11) We think about how those scriptures can be applied in our lives. The Bible is a living book. We may have read the same passage a hundred times and never fully understood it, but as we read we can ask God to help us understand it more fully. We can ask Him to write a scripture on our hearts so it can come to mind when we most need it throughout a day.
We meditate all day long about God’s Word, biblical principles, and how Christ would handle situations. (Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8) We guard our thoughts so we are thinking the best of others. We think about how we can serve others. We think about what God wants us to do more than what we want God to do. We dwell on God’s goodness, mercy, love and grace.
And we do this every day, as much as we can, all day long. When we wake up tomorrow we do it again because God’s mercies and love for us are brand new every day. (Lamentations 3:22-23) There is something new to be learned about God each and every day.
Let’s face it, the past is gone and God holds our future. However, building a relationship with the one who holds our future depends on us living – not just going through the motions – but consciously living for Him in the present.
