Live in the moment. Celebrate now.

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “A season of celebration”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” Proverbs 27:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Live in the moment. Celebrate now.”

When Aimee and I realized the Lord had brought us together to spend the rest of our lives together, we also realized that we needed to decide how we were going to deal with the memories of our deceased spouses, Tim and Linda, who are both now in heaven. Sometimes, for some couples, the subject of former spouses is a sensitive subject that is avoided.

We decided that would not be the case for us. Tim was a great guy and together he and Aimee built a good life. Linda was my life partner for forty-seven years. We had a great life together too. So, Aimee and I decided we would fully embrace the memories and celebrate the lives we had with Tim and Linda. Tim and Linda are part of our family. We have family pictures of them on the walls in our home. We have memorabilia from their lives displayed in various locations too. We talk about them, we tell their stories, and we celebrate their lives.

That mindset led us to develop an overall philosophy for our life together which is, “We will cherish the memories of the past; fully embrace the present; and move forward into the future.”

Fully embracing the present means living in the moment. That’s a concept I have long strived to practice in my life, and it is an important element of celebration. Living in the moment is a life principle that helps us stay focused on and appreciate what’s before us right now, rather than lamenting a past that is gone or worrying about the unknowns of an uncertain future. Instead, we focus on what is here now. Once you look for it you will see that there is a lot to celebrate and to be thankful for in the present.

This is the truth Solomon was teaching in Proverbs 27:1. Live in the moment. More than 1000 years later, the New Testament writer James expanded on that thought when he wrote: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring – what your life will be! For you are like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.” James 4:13-14

There’s plenty to celebrate right now – and we should. Cherish the past and have hope for the future, but live in the moment. I encourage you to celebrate now, while you can.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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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