As I age (2015 will bring me to mile marker 60!) I find that
I am more inclined to spend time with my memories. Some are treasures and
a few are nightmares. The start of this New Year grabs me and demands
that I face the future. People who spend too much time in “yesterday”
miss the opportunities created around them right now. Living in the
past is a little like driving while staring in the rearview mirror. A
crash is inevitable! Today is God's gift to you. Make it count.
Moses prayed, "... teach us to number our days, that
we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12, NKJV)
"Number?" Moses recognized two important things:
that he needed the wisdom of the eternal God and that time will pass but to be
effective he needed to assign each day a task and/or mission. Ever notice
how quickly things go to ruin, how messes develop with no effort? In just a few
days my office collects clutter, the back seat of my car fills up with 'stuff.'
I’m forever picking up the stuff that accumulates in the hallways of the
church! Where does that stuff come from?
Some people live in a mess – not because they lack
skills or intelligence, or because some disaster or illness has overtaken
them. The mess is of their own making, one little bit of neglect at a
time. Scattered around them lies the debris of unresolved conflict, of
appetites out of control, of poor financial stewardship. Their home is in
disarray, things broken. As more clutter accumulates so does the
desperation of feeling overwhelmed by life. Eventually they may become
paralyzed by the chaos.
So, how can that change? “Number our days,” Moses
says. We must impose order, by just doing something today. I can hear
some of you commenting: "Jerry, you don't understand. I'm just not an
organized person. I hate planning, prioritizing, and order."
Personality is not the problem. Making priorities and persevering to the
finish are the answer. If we will not discipline ourselves to finish today’s
work, then we must accept the chaos tomorrow that will certainly come!
Sure, we can look at others and assign the quality of their life to
‘luck.’ Or we can even lock our focus on a singular moment of success,
albeit 40 years ago, and fail to see what God would do today.
The Spirit reminds us to ‘make the most of every
opportunity.’ Will we? Great work start with today's
work!
Peter points out the blessings of God's gift of grace and
reminds us that God has provided ALL we need to live productive lives today.
Then, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he tells us that we have to make
a decision NOW, to do something NOW, to work at ordering our lives NOW.
Here is the word from the Word - “So don't lose a minute
in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good
character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience,
reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting
into and developing the others.
With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no
grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you
mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.
Without these qualities you can't see what's right before
you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice
of you. Don't put it off; do it now.
Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing.” (2 Peter 1:5-10, The Message)
Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing.” (2 Peter 1:5-10, The Message)
___________________________
"He has achieved
success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth`s beauty or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction."
by Betty Anderson Stanley
laughed often and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation of Earth`s beauty or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction."
by Betty Anderson Stanley
One sunny afternoon in 1972, while I was a student pilot, I set off on a solo flight to an airport 140 miles away. About a half hour into my flight, a visual check of details on the ground compared to my maps showed that I was off course. I was flying over an urban area that was not supposed to be on the flight path. Why, I wondered, since I had been flying with my little Cessna on the right compass heading?