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the gift of now
Spiritual Growth

The Gift of Now

April 7, 2022

If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time thinking.

Maybe when you have something heavy on your heart and mind at night, your first thought in the morning is to try to remember what was worrying you before sleep finally claimed you.

Before the day has even started, you’re working hard to drag the concerns of yesterday into today. As the day goes on, you focus too much on tomorrow, effectively robbing yourself of the complete joy you were meant to experience today.

Matthew 6:34 tells us “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I wonder how we would react if we could have a personal consultation with Jesus every day, a chance to ask for His opinion about how to live our life.

Obviously, this is available to us in the form of prayer and Bible reading, but what if our hearts are so heavy and our minds so full that we can’t find our way out of our pit of worry during the times we aren’t specifically devoting to Him?

An easy solution is to praise – literally lift our voice in song, singing of the goodness of the Lord. We’re told in Isaiah 61:3 that the garment of praise can actually be put on, that it will take away the spirit of heaviness. Getting out from under the heavy cloak of worry can open our eyes to the blessings we have right in front of us.

If we have spent time with Jesus in the past, we can rest assured that Psalm 119:11 is true. We’re told that hiding God’s Word in our hearts will help us to not sin against Him.

the gift of now

You see, God has given us this very moment. If we do anything less than appreciate it, I wonder how that makes Him feel? He tells us that “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) That verse doesn’t specify what kind of day we might be having. No, it literally is talking about every day.

If we think about it, now is all we have. Even though we spend time rehashing the events of yesterday, worrying about the what-ifs of tomorrow, today is truly all we have. How can we rejoice in today if we aren’t truly present? The truth is that we cannot.

God has not promised us a perfect life, so why do we set ourselves up by worrying about the past or the future?

A quick look through the Bible is enough to share in the pain of so many others whose now didn’t look like what they thought it would.

Paul, whose life is an incredible example for any Christian to follow, stated in Philippians 4:11 that he had learned to be content in all circumstances. Contentment equals peace and peace means you are free from worry.

Paul certainly had plenty of regrets from his past, probably more than most. And his present circumstances at the time of his writings were definitely enough to give him a good reason to worry. Again, probably more than most. Yet he was content. Why? His mind clearly focused on the goodness of God, the race for Jesus that had been set before him, the gift of now.

Perhaps if we stop, if we take the time to look around and notice the goodness of God in our life, maybe then we will feel that unmistakable joy we feel when we open a gift.

At first, we’re humbled that someone cared enough to get us a gift. Then we feel the warmth of acceptance that comes from knowing we’ve been noticed. Finally comes the elation of the enjoyment the actual gift itself represents.

Unlike gifts that lose their ability to surprise us once the wrapping paper has been torn away, God has given each of us the gift of now. In fact, He gives us a new gift every single day. All we have to do is enjoy it. 

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases: his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”

Lamentations 3:22-23a
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Sandy Brannan

Sandy Brannan, author of Becoming Invisible, So Much Stays Hidden, Masquerade, and Frozen in Time, teaches middle and high school English. She is a regular contributing writer for Calla Press. She also is a contributing writer for The Real Deal of Parenting and Her View From Home. Sandy’s idea of a perfect day is one spent creating memories with her grandchildren. This usually includes coloring and reading a lot of books.

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The Comments

  • Helen Brannan
    April 10, 2022

    Great reminders! As Christians we have to remember God is in control and each day we need to see what He has for us! We need to always remind ourselves to “Let go and let God “ He is the only way!

    Reply
  • Adonai Shalom blog
    April 11, 2022

    You’re right- this is the day the LORD has made doesn’t specify what kind of day we are having! It was a good reminder to appreciate each and every day!!

    Reply
  • Ginger Harrington
    April 11, 2022

    Thank you for an encouraging word to let go of worry and just enjoy the gift of now. Simple but oh so needed.

    Reply
  • Lisa Stasik
    April 11, 2022

    “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 – I love how you point out that this verse is not dependent on what kind of day you’re having. This day. Today. We have a choice to rejoice and be glad in this very day the Lord has given us. Great reminder! Thank you! 💙

    Reply

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It’s a challenging time to be a Christian. But the good news is God created us for such a time as this. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 NIV

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It’s a challenging time to be a Christian. But the good news is God created us for such a time as this. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 NIV #Christianity #Jesus #God #Christian #Bible #faith #JesusChrist #Love #church #prayer #Bibleverse #christianlife #godsword #jesussaves #jesuslovesyou #wordofgod #christianwoman #dailybibleverse #verseoftheday #bible-quotes #godislove #jesusislord #dailydevotional #biblejournaling #christianliving #scripture #biblequote #christianlifestyle #christianmom #faith
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"You see, we weren’t meant to stay young parents of young children. It was always part of the plan for our babies to grow up and, to some extent, to go away."

@sandybrannanauthor 💛
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"You see, we weren’t meant to stay young parents of young children. It was always part of the plan for our babies to grow up and, to some extent, to go away." @sandybrannanauthor 💛
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You better believe Jesus would welcome every single person at His table. But they’d walk away a changed person. They wouldn’t continue their life of sin.

There’s a difference between passing judgement that’s not ours to pass and knowing the difference between right and wrong- recognizing sin. I can recognize sin and still invite you to my table. But you better believe the topic of conversation is going to be about how God forgives. How He loves. How He offers salvation. 

Because leading you to Jesus is the biggest act of love I can show you.
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You better believe Jesus would welcome every single person at His table. But they’d walk away a changed person. They wouldn’t continue their life of sin. There’s a difference between passing judgement that’s not ours to pass and knowing the difference between right and wrong- recognizing sin. I can recognize sin and still invite you to my table. But you better believe the topic of conversation is going to be about how God forgives. How He loves. How He offers salvation. Because leading you to Jesus is the biggest act of love I can show you.
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Keep this somewhere you can see it. 💛
@realbrittanydawn
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Keep this somewhere you can see it. 💛 @realbrittanydawn
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It’s a challenging time to be a Christian. But the good news is God created us for such a time as this. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 NIV

#Christianity #Jesus #God #Christian #Bible #faith #JesusChrist #Love #church 
#prayer #Bibleverse #christianlife #godsword #jesussaves #jesuslovesyou #wordofgod #christianwoman #dailybibleverse #verseoftheday #bible-quotes #godislove #jesusislord #dailydevotional #biblejournaling #christianliving #scripture #biblequote #christianlifestyle #christianmom #faith
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It’s a challenging time to be a Christian. But the good news is God created us for such a time as this. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33 NIV #Christianity #Jesus #God #Christian #Bible #faith #JesusChrist #Love #church #prayer #Bibleverse #christianlife #godsword #jesussaves #jesuslovesyou #wordofgod #christianwoman #dailybibleverse #verseoftheday #bible-quotes #godislove #jesusislord #dailydevotional #biblejournaling #christianliving #scripture #biblequote #christianlifestyle #christianmom #faith
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
1/4
"You see, we weren’t meant to stay young parents of young children. It was always part of the plan for our babies to grow up and, to some extent, to go away."

@sandybrannanauthor 💛
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"You see, we weren’t meant to stay young parents of young children. It was always part of the plan for our babies to grow up and, to some extent, to go away." @sandybrannanauthor 💛
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
2/4
You better believe Jesus would welcome every single person at His table. But they’d walk away a changed person. They wouldn’t continue their life of sin.

There’s a difference between passing judgement that’s not ours to pass and knowing the difference between right and wrong- recognizing sin. I can recognize sin and still invite you to my table. But you better believe the topic of conversation is going to be about how God forgives. How He loves. How He offers salvation. 

Because leading you to Jesus is the biggest act of love I can show you.
saltnsparrow
saltnsparrow
•
Follow
You better believe Jesus would welcome every single person at His table. But they’d walk away a changed person. They wouldn’t continue their life of sin. There’s a difference between passing judgement that’s not ours to pass and knowing the difference between right and wrong- recognizing sin. I can recognize sin and still invite you to my table. But you better believe the topic of conversation is going to be about how God forgives. How He loves. How He offers salvation. Because leading you to Jesus is the biggest act of love I can show you.
5 months ago
View on Instagram |
3/4
Keep this somewhere you can see it. 💛
@realbrittanydawn
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Keep this somewhere you can see it. 💛 @realbrittanydawn
5 months ago
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