The Importance Of Now
Now – this very moment – is the time to be all you always wanted to be. Now is the time to make your dream come true. Think about it: whatever your desires are, however much you want a change in your circumstance, there is no other time to make your life better than now. How many people worry over what they ought not, because they lose the significance of the moment? Look at yourself right now. Yes, what are you doing now to take you to where you wish to be?
Consider this profound statement: “We have to live but one day at a time, but we are living for eternity in that one day.” Even the seemingly insignificant moments of the day matter at the end. Those moments eventually define our lives. If you understand this, you will not bother yourself over the mistakes of the past or the aspirations of the future, as this only indicates worry. And as Hyde puts it: “To worry about tomorrow is to fail of devotion to the tasks of today, and so to spoil both days.”
That you are still alive at this moment should mean a lot to you. It should convince you about what you can still achieve while you are here. We have seen countless numbers of people who experienced a turnaround just when they had been written off. Who would have imagined that the same Peter who betrayed Christ earlier would become the champion of the fearless church in the first century? The story of the prodigal son is very instructive in many ways. In Luke 15:19, we read “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” The moment came in his life when he realised he had the opportunity to change his story, however bad it had been. And he did. Don’t allow anything to hinder you from God’s blessing today. Make the most of this moment.
While teaching His disciples how to pray, the Lord Jesus Christ bids them to ask for their bread, not for future years, but for “this day.” “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), he says. This is helpful because our natural being is necessary to our spiritual well-being in this world. Therefore, after the things of God's glory, kingdom, and will, we pray for the necessary support and comfort of this present life. Understand that everyday comes with its peculiar challenges. There is bread for you on a daily basis, but are you willing to eat it? Many people often reject this ‘bread’ because it is usually wrapped in unattractive packs. But, you can be like Caleb and Joshua who referred to the same challenges that terrified others as “bread for us” (Numbers 14:9). You know how those men enjoyed their delicacies for a long time afterwards.
It is time you realised the significance of the moment you are reading this book now. It is both solemn and important. You are deciding to improve the quality of your life. Like former U.S. boxing great, Muhammad Ali, said: “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” You know that the number of your years is not as important as to the quality of life in those years. You don’t want to get old without making the desired impact you are destined to make. Surely, you don’t want to look back at your life with regret. What, then, should be your preoccupation at this time? What must you do at this moment to improve the quality of your life? We have found the answer in the perfect Book.
The Bible says, in Ecclesiastes chapter nine verse ten; “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” This is quite encompassing, and, should be the summary of this chapter. Understand that there is not only something to be had, but something to be done in this life. Our priority is to seek after the good we should do. This is the world of service; that to come is the world of recompense. This is the world of probation and preparation for eternity. We are here for business, and expected to demonstrate good behaviour. There is now opportunity for you to direct and taken action. We must do whatever our hands find to do, whatever occasion calls for. An active hand will always find something to do that will turn to a good account.
Whatever must be done, it is of necessity that we pay the price to do it here and now. Whatever good we have an opportunity of doing we must do while we have the opportunity. We must do it with our might, with care, vigour, and resolution, whatever difficulties and discouragements we may meet with in it. Harvest days are busy days; and we must make hay while the sun shines. Serving God and working out our salvation must be done with all that is within us, however little they seem. There is good reason why we should devote ourselves to our work now. Jesus talks of the time of night, “wherein no man can work” (John 9:4). We have to be up and doing now with all possible diligence, because our doing-time will be done shortly and we don’t know how soon that will be. We are all going towards the grave, as everyday brings us a step nearer to it. When we are in the grave it will be too late to mend the errors of life; too late to repent and make our peace with God; too late to lay up anything in store for eternal life. It must be done now or never.
An Irish Proverb puts it succinctly: “Time is so precious that it is dealt out to us only in the smallest possible fractions – a tiny moment at a time.” What do you do with yours? Do you waste your time on unnecessary things? Do you procrastinate over important things in your life? You must overcome the thief of time that manifests through worldly entanglements, family cares, unbelief, or search for personal convenience. In the words of Halle: “To snatch the passing moment and examine it for a sign of eternity is the noblest of occupations.”
- Taken from the book, “Adding Life To Years” first published in 2009