Thrive by Living in the Moments of Today

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Proverbs 27:1

I am beginning a new series of study. My goal is to discover what it means to “thrive.” I’ll be looking at each verse from the 27th and 28th chapters of Proverbs, which ends by saying “the righteous thrive.”

All of Proverbs is a set of wise and foolish choices, giving the true consequences of whichever way a person chooses. In order to thrive, we can add to our wisdom by heeding the beneficial ideas set forth by King Solomon and stay away from the harmful ones.

As I read Proverbs 27:1, right off the bat, I was perplexed at the application this verse had for me. It seemed simple enough. Yet, it took all week with much prayer and thought to truly unravel the treasures gained by following its wisdom.

I learned that each new day is a favor bountifully bestowed for the thriving of my soul that I might live my all for the Lord. The world doesn’t dramatically revolve around me or my entitlement of tomorrow. Tomorrow cannot be earned or bought. Tomorrow isn’t owed to me. There is no one who must pay it back to me as a debt. I cannot borrow it and put a piece of it into today. As tomorrow approaches, I have no power to make it go away.

What a blessing to be in the present and not always staying fixed in the past or future. Each morning only comes one day at a time. I am provided with this marvelous breath of life only moment by moment.

As I get older, I realize how ridiculously short is my earthly pilgrimage. Gratefulness for each day I’m given reminds me of the preciousness of today. This very moment could be my last. Tomorrow is hidden and concealed. Until the morning comes, I am living for today.

Certainly, I make detailed plans for the days ahead and set great goals for the next month or two. Looking forward to my future is something I do with hope and anticipation. But I must never presume upon or boast that I have tomorrow, nor should I become complacent (casual) about it.

If tomorrow’s plans fall apart or become altered, it doesn’t have to disturb my peace of mind. I absolutely plan, but I don’t assume by staking my life upon those plans. Flexibility is an attractive trait I pursue with great fervor to help me thrive in God’s kingdom instead of demanding that my plans be fulfilled.

Certainly, it is wise to aim at a strategy for tomorrow and remove the mistake of being without an agenda, but not at the expense of today. Today matters. How much of ME am I investing in the hours I have left, knowing that tomorrow will be affected by today’s obedience.

What habits can I develop to make today count? How might I truly give my moments the reverence they deserve?

First of all, I don’t put off until another day what is required of me now, thinking that I still have plenty of time. That is boasting about tomorrow. The next morning may never come.

God knows everything. So if I am persistently prompted by Him to follow a course of action today, I must trust that He has knowledge I don’t. That’s why I partner with my Father. There is no doubt that tomorrow will be taken care of if it does come. There’s nothing I can do to change, shift or control it (by worrying about it today). But I can decide to be peaceful, and I can live today with joy. Making such a choice is the best possible preparation I can have for tomorrow’s agenda.

Second, in the midst of a terrible virus and a troubled, hurting nation where anger abounds, how might I choose to be fearless about my tomorrows and not worry? What can I do today, in my small corner of the world, to make it a better place?

In Leviticus 5, the Israelites were told by God (through Moses) that some must go outside the camp and be isolated, humiliated, away from their friends and families for a week, for years, or forever; some for sins they had committed, some for illnesses they had contracted, some for being in the presence of a dead person (family member who died), some for nothing they did wrong and nothing they could control. Yet, they were people just like you and me who could not be around the others in the presence of the Almighty God (and they wanted to be near His people).

These loved ones must have come to some sort of acceptance about their lives. What could they do in their small corner of the world to make it a better place?

They were outsiders. But they were still human beings who were thirsty, hungry and tired. They longed for touch and companionship.

There are times when I feel “outside the camp” for various reasons (especially in these days of isolation). Sometimes, perhaps it is because of sin and other times there is no particular explanation. But it doesn’t give me an excuse to give up, to forget about my fellowman or to stop worshiping my Father.

In fact, more so in today’s circumstances than at any other, I fall to my knees before Him. It is in such precious, dire moments I find that my hunger for Him is my greatest longing and not my desire to be inside the camp (where all problems are supposedly solved). He leads me in compassion to serve His people who are in need of my love and touch.

Jesus made me clean by His blood from His death on a cross. Yet, in my feelings of ‘uncleanness’ or wayward thoughts, angry words, lack of action or simply isolation, I turn to Him in my outside-the-camp status. I realize that, in truth, my very Christianity defines my position as an insider. Yet, I am human. Sometimes, I feel like an outsider. I’m sure I’m not the only one who experiences this. What do we do with these feelings in the precious moments of our todays?

We trust our Father. We acknowledge that today is all we have. We are not promised tomorrow. Therefore, whether we are oppressed and isolated by the threats of a spreading illness, the voices of angry citizens all around us or by human neglect, we still choose to shine bright in these moments and be followers of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We choose to rise, get our minds off ourselves and seek other outsiders who feel forgotten, lost and angry. We show them God’s love through phone calls, cards. Once, recently, I invited a stranger over and we sat far apart outside on my front porch and talked for hours. What a blessing this was for both of us!

Father, today is the day we choose to serve you, no matter what you have chosen for our lives. Send us your wounded and sad. Help us to be a light that guides others back to you. Help us to use this most holy day for your purposes and for your glory. Give us eyes to see and understand how important today is and how tomorrow will wait. Show us the way to your presence. Show us the way to be a healing force in our land, even in the last hours of today. In Jesus name, Amen.

God in My Gut

…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another…Forgive as the Lord forgave you…put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV).

Breakthroughs, when they happen, usually come unexpectedly. They cannot be summoned, pursued, or forced. They happen when a direct ray of light infiltrates a dark, hidden space inside a soft heart; and all at once fresh God-discoveries pierce through the darkness and become easier to comprehend. Eyes are abruptly opened and lives transform in greater spiritual perception than before.

The ‘space,’ now aware of its life-long struggle to remain independent of earthly competitors, actively makes room for the One who is LOVE himself; the brilliant, shimmering light who takes up his rightful residence as Lord of all.

As time goes by, however, the ‘honeymoon’ seems so quickly to be over. The fresh start transforms into the ‘mundane.’ The breakthrough becomes unexciting and outdated. In fact, the work begins now to feel impossible, wearying and dull.

Yet, the Bible says to put on inner clothing that is profoundly attractive. Such a task requires faith and trust in someone bigger than my weakness! When God (and nothing else) perfectly dwells in my gut, the inner attire naturally takes on beauty, and the result is compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

Since I don’t ever perfectly keep God in my center, my flesh tends to discourage compassion and love. My flesh prompts me to judge other people and see things in them unworthy of my love. Yet, if one was to define each quality, one would discover that the receiver doesn’t always earn compassion, kindness, or humility and rarely deserves gentleness, patience, or forgiveness.

Certainly, love isn’t always easy to give. Yet, learning this unconditional-type-love helps me to give God back His place in my center. And having God in my center, in turn, helps me to love His people more dearly.

The phrase unconditional or agape love means to look after the best interest of others. It is an act of the will, a commitment. There is no condition that would take the love away. [Please note: abusive situations must have professional help and aren’t included in this blog.] Unconditional love means loving when one doesn’t feel like loving or when the moment to love is inconvenient.

Sometimes the feelings line up with the actions of a heart at ease and ‘in love.’ Yet, unconditional love, many times, calls us within circumstances of weariness, bad days, or simply unlovable people. This love goes forth with deeper motivations than feelings. Love is work. We make the choice to love.

This love doesn’t mean that we don’t ask for what we want. It doesn’t ignore the other’s faults or turn a blind eye to their sins. It is in the best interest of others for us to set healthy boundaries with reasonable expectations and to correct and voice opinions when needed. Love is showing those closest to us how to love us better and not allow poor behaviors to continue.

However, the commitment to love remains the same, through the good and bad. When one person isn’t complying, unconditional love whispers in gentle tones, “The world hasn’t come to an end like you thought it would, and God has equipped you to return good even when you don’t get your way.”

Through the long years of a relationship, each person reveals his or her love-needs, but the awareness of being whole and intact as a child of God keeps both parties from demanding perfect satisfaction, which neither can provide.

We can graciously learn to come to a place of acceptance for the noncomplying decisions, unchanging traits, and choices of others. We can find fullness in God and choose to love despite what we think we lack.

Yet, love refuses to abandon hope that God can yet do wonderful things. And, love turns to God to bring complete healing to our wounds when other people’s apologies and right behaviors don’t quite mend our hearts.

Most times, God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want, but we still love and serve Him. When His people don’t respond the way we want, we can love and serve them, too.

God shows unconditional love by not giving up on me and by pursuing and loving ME even when I am undeserving.

Unconditional love is illustrated all over the Bible. Not every situation calls for these specific actions. Yet, the following verses (and 1000 more) help us to think through our choices when we find ourselves tempted to withhold love.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).
“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV).
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs” (Proverbs 10:12 NIV).
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles” (Matthew 5:41 NIV).
“…do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:39 NIV).
“… in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but…to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV).
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought…” (Romans 12:3 NIV).
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16 NIV).

Now, let the thoughts from an old commentary further explain a few of these inner clothing qualities:

The Biblical Illustrator
“…a man’s disposition is the dress of his soul. You know the tone of spirit which distinguishes him from another…there is yet a certain tone and temper of mind which should belong to every child of God.”
“Forbearing and forgiving are meekness and long-suffering in exercise. A man may forbear and bite his lips till the blood comes rather than speak unkindly, but forgiveness is an entire wiping of enmity and irritation out of the heart.
Is this a type of character that the world admires? Is it not uncommonly like what most people call ‘a poor spiritless creature’? It was a new man emphatically, for the world had never seen anything like it; and it is a new man still. Christianity…has altered the perspective of the whole, and created a type of excellence in which the gentler virtues predominate, and the novelty of which is proved by the reluctance of men to recognize it….’Better is he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.'”
“’Over all these put on charity[love].’ This is like a…cloak, which is at once…useful. It completes our spiritual dress, and adds a general grace to the entire outfit. Further, all this is not to be merely ‘put on.’ There is a radical cause which should produce it all. This lies deep in the heart; and without it, the rest would be a cloak of hypocrisy.”
(end of quotes)

The ‘radical cause’ in the last paragraph comes from allowing God into the deepest places of our hearts so He can rule over our minds and actions!

Now, listen to a sweet story from the Bible; “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy” (Matt 8:1-3)

People with leprosy were considered unclean. No one would go near them, much less touch them. The disease of leprosy didn’t kill a person, but it gave them years of slow, lingering anguish. Back then, people thought that simply touching a leper was a risk to one’s own physical and emotional health. It would have felt like a huge sacrifice to do so.

Imagine the leprous man as he knelt before Jesus. Look into his eyes, not his misshapen face, hands, and feet. See past his ugliness. A real person was in there, somewhere. He was unfit, loathsome, and unclean;…probably grumpy, sick, and suffering much of the time; needy of touch, love, and kindness. The leper had been shunned for so long. He saw Jesus reach out his hand. Feel the emotional effects of being touched.

Touch has such power to bring comfort and healing, but Jesus went further. He healed the needy leper.

Who among us are the “lepers?” I’m not speaking of disease of body, but disease of soul: People who aren’t kind, who have little patience, and whose pride disfigures their faces. Look into their eyes, not their misshapen attitudes and character qualities. See past the ugliness. There is a real person in there, somewhere. They’ve been hurt or wounded for so long. Might the hand of Jesus reach out to these lepers through YOUR hand of compassion, humility, gentleness, and love? Everyone else responds to their deformities of disposition with loathing, frustration, or walking away for good.

The leper in our lives could be our mates. My husband and I, long ago, learned to love the leper in each other. For we all have him in us, at times.

Intentionally, come to notice the disdain and contempt we are capable of having toward our lepers. Notice how many years and decades can go by without recognizing what impact our own soul sickness has on our relationships.

The ‘leper’ may be a neighbor, a family member, someone who constantly frustrates us or a person who doesn’t ‘get’ us and our precious needs (I say ‘precious’ in a respectful tone).
Was Jesus ever so paralyzingly needy of being loved that he could no longer focus on his Father’s great work ahead? Do we agonize over our need to feel loved, more than over our sacrifice to spend our love on others?

Sometimes, the focus I give MY NEEDS are a huge distraction from God’s kingdom.

My gut, the inmost core of me, is a place of passionate hunger. The sign on the entryway, reads, “Reserved Only for the God of the Universe.” Yet, I convince myself to trample down the door with various other hungers: “I HAVE to be perfect,” “I HAVE to be approved by others,” “I HAVE to figure IT all out on my own,” “I HAVE to be loved in return in order to give love.”

These hungers grow in significance like a spreading infection. They contaminate the hallowed God-place of my spirit and in so doing, I become spiritually deformed and sick like the diseased leper.

If this is you, feel the touch, the kiss of the Lord, and His healing hand of love upon the hideous, inward spiritual lesions. Once touched, one is forever changed. Once touched, one can go out and touch others in Jesus’ name and forgive as Jesus forgives. One can love without loathing and without expecting much in return.

Wonderfully, within, now the gut has potential to be stirred in profound compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience for the lepers that kneel down and ask for healing. They may not ask in words or kneel in body, but their offensive actions are begging and pleading for the Lord’s touch, through you. Never forget the sickness you survived by His hand and how you were once in the leper’s place.

Not one of us is created with capabilities to come to the aid of EVERY leper that shows up at our doorsteps, but we know when God is prompting us to let Him in (our center) that we may clothe ourselves with whatever is needed for the person in front of us. The wearing of this attire is a labor of sorts that produces more children of God; it produces fruit.

In closing, I want to turn to another passage. The Bible says, “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance….‘ (Matthew 3:4-8 NIV).

Truly, snakes don’t care about what devastation they leave in their wake. However, if I was one of the ‘vipers’ in this audience, and if I was convicted by John’s words, desiring Jesus to become Lord of my life, I would repent of my ‘viper’ sins. Yet, my repenting (my plan to change) wouldn’t really be repenting if I didn’t have a goal of producing fruit.
Fruit comes from being clothed in Christ-like garments. Fruit is produced when I care less about what “I” get in return and more about WHO dwells in my gut and what is He being asked of me now.

I am full of His bounteous blessings. I am overflowing with energy and time to give others who need His touch.

Matthew 10:8 says, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

Father, give me a spirit-filled, uncluttered, and undivided heart of love for those you give me. Help me to pass onto them the sweetness of body and soul you breathe into me when I obey you. Sometimes, you will move me to express my own needs openly and clearly. Other times, you will focus me more on other’s needs. Either way, help me to wear the holy attire that is compassionate, kind, and humble. Clothe me in the noble, inward raiment fit for a daughter of The King. In Jesus name, Amen.