Every Moment Is Important
Psalms 31:15: My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
That word times means now, it means short times, it means long times and it means eternity. It also means specific times of varying duration such as noon, evening and seasons.
Today may be your last day on earth. This may be your last hour on earth. These may be your last few moments on earth. Will you waste them or will you obey the Lord in them. Have you noticed that the best moments in your life have been only moments? Have you noticed that they were the best moments only because you were in harmony with the Lord and His will? Have you noticed that the quality of those moments is more relevant than the length of them? All we truly have to give Him right now is just this moment. It is harder to give Him an hour than a moment. How hard is it to give a moment? Just do the easy thing. Give Him one moment at a time. If He is not in charge of your moments, how can He be in charge of your days?
Psalms 37:23: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
How much time and obedience does one step take?
Following is Evangelist Wil Rice*s devotional on Daniel 1:8 entitled Who Will Write Your Story? But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king*s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Winston Churchill once proclaimed, History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it. While Churchill had no control over the events that came his way, he did have a choice about how responded to them. He had a choice about what story he would live and what script he would accept. What about your life? Who will write your story?
There is a major difference between genuine faith and helpless fatalism. Genuine faith acts on the script that God provides and trusts Him for the power to do it. In the story of Daniel, he was given two competing scripts: the world*s (Babylon*s) script and God*s script. Babylon wanted to teach Daniel their pagan ways, feed Daniel their pagan food, and give Daniel one of their pagan names. In contrast, God gave Daniel favor with others, supernatural knowledge, success, and longevity. Which was the better script?
Every day, you are handed two competing scripts. You will either be pressed into the mold the world demands, or you will live the life that God made you to live. Daniel*s choice was purposeful. But Daniel purposed in his heart. . . . Daniel*s mission statement was clear. . . . that he would not defile himself . . . . Daniel*s purpose was tested. Prove thy servants. . . .
Like Daniel, you have a choice as to which script you will accept. Is your choice purposeful? Is your purpose clear? You can be sure that your choice to live for God will be tested by the world, but don*t let that stop you from obeying what God has given you to do!
The difference between a victim and a victor is merely accepting the world*s script rather than acting on God*s. When it comes to your storyline, what script will you follow? Who will write your story?
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