Day 16

Take Your Time (Luke 11:3)

There’s a T-shirt that became really popular several years ago that read, “Everything I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.” This makes sense does it not? We learned to share back in those days. We learned to color between the lines. We learned to follow the leader. The list goes on. But I imagine for many of us those years are the first time we heard our parents, or someone loving and kind, say to us, “One day at a time.”

If you’re not careful you can get locked out of today’s treasures by reliving the wins and losses of your past. And to boot the same happens when we expend too much energy today thinking about what needs to happen tomorrow.

This is the classic conundrum. Because we really do have to remember what happened yesterday. We really do have to think about tomorrow. But the secret is this—don’t live there either. TODAY is where we live. This is why when the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray the Lord modeled those famous lines, “Give us THIS day our daily bread.”

Fasting and Prayer helps us seize the day! When your life is tethered to God in prayer and fasting you begin to learn how to ‘simmer’ in what he is doing in you today. What he’s saying to you today. What joy lies ahead in the conversation of today. In the opportunities of today. In the lessons of today.

But here’s the challenge. Let’s not just do this when we’re fasting. Let’s do this because this is how the gospel life is lived—one day at a time.

Let’s finish well this week!

Ricky