TODAY

I am sure that you are highly impressed with the title of today's blog. I am convinced that today is important to us as well as important to God! What will I do with today? Will I take some time to spend with God in a moment of reflection and prayer? Will I sense the need to read the Word of God before TODAY ends? I would like to share the letter that I wrote to the New River church family this week. I pray that your heart and life would be challenged and stirred as mine was as I was typing the words! 

Good morning! It is a wonderful blessing to be able to get up this morning and begin a new day in a new year. Do you realize that we are over ½ of the way through the first month of 2020? Have you ever asked yourself this question; “Where does my time go?” Do we realize that the Bible answers that question for us?

James 4:14, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” (NLT)

We often hear these words from people, “Time flys when you are having fun.” We all know that this is a statement that was created to explain how quickly time goes by. But we need to remember that the Apostle James had already felt the inspiration from God to share the truth about life. It is a lesson that each of us needs to learn. Our lives on earth disappear quickly. It is compared to a fog that is present for a period of time and then it is gone. No one of us knows the length of our lives but we do know that our lives vanish or disappear very quickly no matter our age.

We cannot control the length of our lives but we can control what we do with our lives!! We must remember that we CAN NOT MAKE TIME TO SERVE GOD but we CAN TAKE TIME TO SERVE GOD!! Is it possible that we overlook one of the wonderful blessings from God? It is the blessing of time!!

Many human beings have the tendency to become procrastinators. We find ourselves putting off certain things because of time restraints and various other reasons. The devil will encourage us to “put off serving God” (and I am talking about more than just salvation) until it is more convenient for us. Would you take a moment and read a brief statement from a man that had that plan for his life. “Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” (Acts 24:25) FYI: We have no Biblical record that this man ever found a “convenient” time to include God in His life.

I believe that we all have good intentions when it comes to following God. But I also believe that satan has many ways of getting us to put off what needs to be done in the present moment when it comes to responding to God. I have heard many reasons for not taking time for God in my life as a Pastor. I also understand that many people can find good reasons to delay their personal response to God. I also understand that many people including me have been guilty of putting off until tomorrow what I needed to do at that very moment concerning my relationship with God. But the convenient time on TOMORROW never came.

I do not want my life to become a list of consistent excuses or legitimate reasons that hinders my journey with Christ. My life and your life is like the morning fog; it is here for a while and then it is gone. These thoughts are not meant to be a cloud of doom or gloom. BUT they are meant to be words that AWAKEN OUR HEART to the desires of our Heavenly Father. How often have I “put off God” until tomorrow so that I can could “take care of my needs” today? I was reminded during prayer that God would help me with my needs if I would only take time for Him TODAY!!!

The New Year is still a fresh year. The New Year is a time of new and fresh beginnings. I encourage you to join with your church family and seek the “freshness and newness of God in 2020!! I encourage you take some personal time to seek the freshness and newness of God TODAY!! I also encourage you to join your church family on SUNDAY as we seek the freshness and newness of God through prayer, praise and worship!!

Blessings on your journey with Christ TODAY!!!