Now is the time... To Live Life

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. John 10:10

I have decided to continue the theme of “Now is the time….” into this new year because this moment, now, is all we can ever be assured of having. We have ‘now’ to live; to praise God, to love others, to extend forgiveness, to be kind and thoughtful, to persevere when we feel like quitting, to stir up our gifts, to change direction, to do today what we have been putting off….. the list is endless. We have this moment to live life to the full.

Perhaps you are feeling that you have failed to accomplish anything, or made little progress in your life this past year; I have good news for you, God is the God of new beginnings. Every day we can have a fresh start. Lamentations 3:23 says “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day: (NLT). If he is merciful towards you each day then surely you can be merciful to yourself. What do I mean? I mean that often the thing that prevents us from making a new start is our unwillingness to forgive ourselves, learn from our mistakes and believe that with God’s help, we can go on.

Nothing, I repeat, nothing, not one thing is beyond God’s mercy if your heart is set on following and trusting him. No situation you face is beyond his ability to help and change it – unless you refuse to believe and trust in him. He is the God of the impossible. Impossible is only relative to our humanity, it is not beyond God’s realm of possibility. I sometimes think that we only think things are impossible because we don’t really want to change them or see them change. We get comfortable in our ‘mess’. To step out and step up is uncomfortable so we avoid making the decision to change and make anyone or anything but ourselves the excuse for not living life to its fullest.

As we face this year let us count each moment as a precious gift and live it with a thankful and believing heart. If we can do that I believe we will accomplish much. NOW is the time to start whatever we have been putting off, avoiding or just plain refusing to do. Believe in God, believe in yourself. Believe that you can do whatever he asks you to do. Believe that God’s word is your authority and standard for life and live according to its truth. “My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you a long and satisfying life.” Proverbs 3:1-2.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this moment in time that you have given me. Thank you for the love you shower upon me right now. Thank you for the gifts you have given me to bless others with and accomplish your purposes for me on this earth. Show me whatever I need to do to make the most of my “nows” this year. Amen