When asked, as to how he would spend the time, if he had only forty-eight hours to live, actor Will Rogers promptly replied “One day at a time.” Chief Justice Oliver W. Holmes had the same response, “One day at a time” when asked at age ninety he was asked as to how he would spend his life, should he have to relive it all over again. Dr. Spencer Johnson in his acclaimed book, entitled the “The Present” ends his book by stating that the main character of the book gives herself in the end “The PRESENT” but captures that living in The Present, learning from The Past, and planning for The Future is not all there is. It is only when you live with PURPOSE and respond to what’s important about the Present, Past and Future, that it all has meaning. Living with purpose means not just knowing what to do, but why.
Our Christian walk with God must be a life of purpose. It should be a purpose driven life. We must not only know what we ought to do, but we must also know why. The Bible teaches us what we ought to do. It tells us that the whole duty of man(kind) is to fear (revere) God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13), loving God and in total surrender and loving man as they would themselves. But why must we do this? We must totally surrender to God revering Him and following His commandments, because He [Jesus] totally surrendered everything He had, making Himself of no reputation to be the sacrifice for our sins and to save us from eternal death and separation from God (Philippians 2:7). We must love Him, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19) and we must do so until our time on earth is done or his return, whichever is earlier. This may seem like a daunting task, but when we seek God’s guidance, asking Him to teach us to make each day count, “One day at a time”, our life’s journey that may seem long, in reality would not be.
An inscription on an ancient sun-dial impressed the following:
“Time WAS is past — thou canst it not recall.
Time IS thou hast — employ thy portion small.
Time FUTURE is not, and may never be.
Time PRESENT is the only time for thee!”
Let us give ourselves the present of the Present, and pray that God teaches us to number our days and make them count.
Psalm 90:12 (KJV)
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV)
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
