DECEMBER 7, 2023

 “The Future is, of all things, the thing least like eternity. It is the most temporal part of time--for the Past is frozen and no longer flows, and the Present is all lit up with eternal rays.” 

― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

DANIEL 9-10

12Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”(10:12-14) 

2 JOHN 

4It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

JOURNAL 

How often do I really just focus on the present? While driving yesterday I realized multiple thoughts were processing in my head. From the trivial to the serious, from the funny to the sad, from the complex to simple. None of which were about the moment I was in. This is how I live my life and I daresay most of humanity does the same. Remembering back to Jesus' words he knew this to be a problem. He addressed it many times. Even his model prayer was about the moment..."give us this day our daily bread".  Not a weeks worth, nor a month or a year...just today. 

I wonder how much I really miss of God around me because of all the competing thoughts. How often do I miss clues to his desire for me, opportunities to love to participate in building his kingdom. If I am to walk in obedience to God then I must meet him where he commands me to show up. Right here, right now. 

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,^a

but deliver us from the evil one.^b ’

MATTHEW 6:9-13