Jesus Christ was the greatest gift the world has ever been given. The next greatest gift is now. Today. We are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised another month. But you do have the incredible gift of right now. If you remember, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. I like to think one of them represented “yesterday” and the other “someday.” Both want to steal your joy. If you’re not careful in how you live and what you think, you will crucify “today” between those two thieves.
Yesterday is over, my friend. The past is past. It’s done. You will never get it back. But if you allow it, that thief will steal the joy of today by getting you to live in the shame, the pain, or even the success of yesterday. You will get stuck living back there instead of living right here, right now. Quit talking about one day or someday. You are right now living in acres of diamonds.
If the thief of yesterday fails in stealing your joy, the thief of someday will try and take it. And if you fixate on the future, what might happen or what might not happen, you are failing to realize the power of now.
“As your days, so shall your strength be.” In other words, God gives us enough grace to handle whatever day we are in. If you let your mind wander over into someday, worrying about the fear of the unknown, God doesn’t have grace for you in that space. If you let your mind wander over into yesterday and allow yourself to get stuck because of what happened to you or what did not happen to you, God doesn’t have grace for you there, either. God isn’t there, He’s here. Now. And He is not going anywhere. If you want to live in peace, if you want to stay out of depression, if you want to keep away from worry, anxiety, and high blood pressure, then starting living today.
I love what the psalmist wrote: “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). I am not going to let the thief of yesterday or the thief of tomorrow steal my joy today. I am going to enjoy this day.
Your treasure is today. Yesterday is a cashed check, tomorrow a promissory note. Today is cash in the hand. Your miracle, your healing, your peace, your opportunity, your joy—all are one word away: now.
Learn to enjoy now. Learn to live in now. Learn to be obedient now. Learn to say yes to what God is calling you to do now. Focus on the now—that is where your influence is greatest.
Jentezen Franklin appears this Tuesday and Thursday on LIFE TODAY. This is an excerpt from Acres Of Diamonds: Discovering God’s Best Right Where You Are by Jentezen Franklin. Copyright ©2020 by Jentezen Franklin. Published by Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Used by permission.
