It is absolutely God’s will that we experience and enjoy the more abundant life. One way to live this abundant life is to take full advantage of each day. We do this by focusing our efforts on our daily commitments with joy and gladness and by living one day at a time. Rather than dwelling on thoughts or situations in life that distract us from being “present” today, we can enjoy the more abundant life by focusing our efforts in the now of today.
A few years ago, I made the decision to be trained as a Way Corps minister in the United States of America. When I first began living in this country far from home, I was quite often tempted to think about home. It’s not that I was thinking about my past, but I was constantly having thoughts about my future. One of the things I kept thinking about was if I would be able to find a job that would meet my needs when I returned home. Being in that mental state did not help me to take full advantage of the training that I had come very far to receive. Therefore I was frustrated, and that certainly did not bring me joy and gladness. So I decided to change my mind and focus on the “now” of what God had made available to me. Once I did that, I had a successful and joyful two years of training. Upon returning home, God blessed me with a job that not only met my needs but met them above my expectation.
As children of God, it is important for us to realize that we are not to be dwelling on or consumed by thoughts about our past or about things of the future that are out of our control, but we are to be focused on what God has made available for us today. Focusing our efforts on our daily commitments with joy and gladness helps us to live in the now of today. As born-again believers, we want to put all of our energy, strength, thoughts, passion, knowledge, and abilities into our daily commitments with joy and gladness.
Our first daily commitment is to put God first. It is essential that we seek God first in all that we do, as is conveyed in Matthew 6:33. Then, as we put God first, we can put our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength into our daily responsibilities. We can approach our responsibilities with strength and vigor. Why? Because God is our boss. He is the One Who rewards us.
Colossians 3:23,24:
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
There are great blessings and benefits when we decide to focus our efforts on our daily responsibilities with joy and gladness. We do have rewards from God because He is our boss. We can make the most of each day in joyful service with a view toward the long-term benefits. Psalms 118:24 states, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Serving heartily with gladness each day can have a significant effect on our communities, culture, and countries. Staying focused on our daily commitments is an action we can take to live in the now of today.
Psalms 61:8:
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.
Living one day at a time also helps us to focus on the now of today. In all practicality, the individual walk of the believer is one day at a time. God wants us to understand the importance of living life today, not regretting the past or worrying over the future.
Matthew 6:34:
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
One way to understand Matthew 6:34 is “let the present day’s trouble suffice for a man, and let him not rashly increase it by anticipating the cares of days to come.” We aren’t to become anxious about the future. The worthwhile things we can do about the future are to pray and to make positive plans. We want the majority of our energy and actions to go into living this day according to God’s Word, walking in fellowship with God, and carrying out our daily commitments with joy and gladness.
The more abundant life is available as we live in the now of today. A truth we want to keep in our minds as we live one day at a time is that we don’t hold on to regrets of the past or try to live the future in the present. Instead we joyfully focus our efforts on the commitments of today. We can produce good works in the present and rewards forevermore because God is our boss and our rewarder.
Let’s live and experience the more abundant life, focusing our efforts in the now of today, carrying out our commitments with joy and gladness.