| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew” Our Bible verse for today: “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What we will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Live more in the moment” “Living in the moment” means paying attention to what’s going on around you. In the military we called it “situational awareness.” Many of us don’t live in the moment. We’re too distracted. Our minds are filled with thoughts of the problems we believe we have, the things we need to do, and even fantasies of how we wish things were. There’s a lot of noise inside those heads of ours. I know this to be true because it’s true of me, and since I spend so much time counseling people, I know it’s true of other people too. We spend way too much time brooding about the past and being anxious about the future; thinking about “what was” and “what could be” rather than about “what is.” True Sabbath rest helps to quiet the voices in our heads so we can refocus on the present. I’m talking about mindfulness. It’s the ability to simply “be” and to see what “is”. It’s a time to savor and reflect and appreciate. It’s only then that we become truly alive. This is when we hear the birds sing; we pause to appreciate the beauty of a flower; and we finally notice – really notice – how spectacular the scenery all around us is. This is also when we begin to hear that “still small voice of God.” Seldom does God shout to us. Almost always He uses His inside voice – the voice we hear inside our heads and our hearts. It’s soft and quiet and in order to hear it we need to be quiet too – and undistracted. True rest can help us to live more fully in the moment. Then, hopefully, some of that will carry over to the rest of life. Perhaps then we will begin to live more in the moment as a normal way of life. In Psalm 46:10 the Lord said, “Be still and know that I am God.” That’s another way of saying “Learn to live in the moment.” God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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