Live In The Moment

8-16-2010

Live In The Moment by Boyd Bailey


“For the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.” Luke 1:49

Master living in the moment. By God’s grace, it can be done. Mary did it. She could have missed the Mighty One working in her presence in the present, but she didn’t. She took the time to trust God with an impossible outcome. Birthing a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit challenged her categories. It forced her to ponder in the present. She chose to be with her heavenly Father in the here and now. Nothing would keep her from living with the Lord and for the Lord in this defining moment.

She could have lived in the past, worried over the rampant rumors of her perceived unfaithfulness. She was pregnant out of wedlock. People did not understand a pregnancy created by God, without a man. She could have lived in the future, paralyzed by fear over what the human father of her child might do. He might have deserted her.

He might have divorced her. He might have denied her. But when all was said and done, she refrained from living in the past or the present. She chose to live in the moment. Mary lived in the moment because she trusted her Lord with issues out of her control. She could not control what other people thought or what other people might do.

Therefore, she drank in the present like a tall glass of homemade lemonade on a hot summer day. Living in the moment fed her faith and satisfied her soul. Her son, Jesus, would save the people from their sins, and He would also save her. She captured His significance, and Christ captured her. He is with you in the moment too, so you can live in the moment.

Living in the moment is what the Lord longs for you to do. It’s where He does His best work. He knows that living in the moment engages you with His will, as it is lived out in the present. So if you are with your children, be with them. Laugh with them, cry with them, listen to them, play with them, and pray with them. Lock eyes with your little ones and be with them.

Turn off your mind and heart and keep them from running ahead to other issues, problems, and people. These distractions will still be standing in line for your attention when you get back to work. Value living in the moment, and you will live in the moment; for you do what you think is important.

Technology was made for man, not man for technology. So turn off your phone, shut down the computer, and most importantly, discipline your mind to be present. Bend your mind to listen well and honor others with your purposeful presence. Your undivided attention in the moment says you love and care.

Trust God with all the impossible outcomes that await you. You have this one moment and then it is gone forever. So be engaged today, and be with the ones you love. Live in the moment, and other things will take care of themselves. Do this one thing, and you will live the life God intended for you. Master living in the moment with the discipline and love of your Master. Seize the moment for your Savior, for other people, and for yourself.

Taken from the June 29th reading in Boyd Bailey’s Seeking Daily the Heart of God. This 365 day devotional book is a compilation of the reader’s favorites from Wisdom Hunters daily devotional. Andy Stanley says, “I have walked with Boyd for over 20 years and I am definitely wiser for it. You are going to love this book!”