The Now Moment

Okay, imagine sitting across the table from me having a conversation. Now what if the whole time you were talking, I was thinking about something else. And because of my training in social niceties, I'm even maintaining eye contact, nodding my head and smiling. Yet the whole time I'm thinking about going home and having a sandwich, or maybe I'm not thinking about what I'm about to do but rather what I've just done, like thinking, "I can't believe I just said that, now everyone is going to hate me." You get the point, the end result would be that you never had a conversation with me at all but instead spoke with a vapor of my true self, while the real me was off gallivanting through time :).

It's sad that we are all too familiar with this practice of living in the near future or in the near past, and rarely being available to the present moment. It's sad because it affects our relationships with others and with the Holy Spirit.

God Loves Us In The Now

God loves you. Not some scenario of your near future self, what could or could not happen. He loves you and want's to pour out His affection on you NOW! Not in the regrets of the rear view mirror.

The Saints of old who "practiced the presence of God" referred to prayer as a time of "Recollection". They would pause and draw all their reaching thoughts inward collecting them to the place where Christ dwells within. They would let His light consume their troubles and He would give them Peace like a river and joy for their mourning there.

If we can learn to live this way we will be more in-tune to the Holy Spirit's guiding and timing in our lives.

Mary Of Bethany Lives in the Now

While Jesus walked the earth He told His disciples that He was going to be put to death... but only Mary of Bethany, the one who lived her life at Jesus' feet (stopping everything) fully available to His words, only Mary, the one who gave up her life's inheritance in one 'moment' of extravagant worship, understood what He was saying. AND she got the timing right; Jesus said, "she has anointed Me for my burial". That blow's me away!

Challenge:

Get before Jesus who is near to you right now. Collect your thoughts and set your mind on Him. You can give Him your WHOLE heart right now, regardless of your near future! Go ahead, THIS MOMENT be it five seconds or five minutes, give Him your whole entire heart!