Readings: Psalm 84, Genesis 12:19-22, Romans 1:16-28, Matthew 6:24-24
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church , August 25, 2024
TEXT: "Be not anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow can be anxious for itself. Let the days own trouble be sufficient for the day” (Matthew 6:34)
It has been said that one of the greatest phrases for self-motivation are the three little words “Do It Now.” Never mind what lies ahead, there is enough to do today. Never mind ‘ What could be!” just get on with the task in hand. As Christian people we need to pay attention to the way we use our time. Time is a gift of God, to be used in God’s service.
We do well to recognize how precious time is. We cannot kill time without injuring eternity. The way we use our time impacts the time we have tomorrow and for the rest of our lives. We should snatch it, seize it, use it, and enjoy every minute we can.
Time is short, Every moment we waste, the shorter time becomes. We don’t know how long we’ve got. We don’t know what tomorrow brings. All of our prayers, once time has passed, cannot make a single second return.
One Christian commentator has described the disciples view of time in this way. “Time is that for which we must give an account to our Savior.” When faced with the words of Jesus, that we should indeed live our lives “One day at a time”, there should be with us a realization of just how precious time is.
Life functions within time, it is governed by the boundaries of time. What you make of your life, in this life, is all that it will ever be. God is concerned about us. Not so much with what we have done. We can’t change that … though God can forgive us and renew us if it has not been worthy of God’s call.
God’s concern, at the present moment, is not with what we will do or could do. I believe God has a plan for each of us. But for that plan to be realized, we must do the next thing. God’s concern for us is supremely in the present. God wants us to know God’s love , in Jesus, in the power of God’s Spirit, here and now, today.
The multi-millionaire, Aristotle Onasis once said, “Don’t sleep to much or you will wake up a failure. If you sleep three hours less a night for a year, you will have an extra month and a half to succeed in.”
If people are willing to deprive themselves of sleep, in order to get on in this world, how much more should those who claim to be ‘children of God’ be concerned to make the most of their time? We are responsible for the way we make use of the gift of time given to us. I’d like to offer a few suggestions as to how to make the most of it!
1. Begin the Day in an attitude of Thanksgiving
Psalm 118:24 tells us “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Try and make it so that he first thing you do in your day is a prayer that says “Thank You Lord for this new day!” If you wake up as badly as I do , that is quire an assignment! I do not wake up cheerfully. Of all the things humankind has invented, I think one of the objects I would least like to be is alarm clock. Think about it.
You sit there all day and night going “Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock,”. 24 hours “Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.” It is getting to morning, and you think, “Oh great, now is my moment, now I can ring my little bell.” Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, I’m going to ring, I’m going to ring.’ The hands of the clock slip around, and “DRING-DRING” away you go with a smile on your face. Next moment… ‘Boomp’ on your head. ‘Shut up!’ says your master’ Leave me alone, let me get back to sleep.’ What a life it would be to be an alarm clock!
But I discovered when a young parent (and rediscovered as a grandparent) that there’s was a better system for waking up. It was called children. It’s difficult to stay asleep when a happy little bundle of pure energy enters your space. My wife recalls a morning when one of our offspring, in order to wake her, decided that opening her eyelid by hand would do it. It certainly did! It is hard to stay rested if a young one decides to use your head as a trampoline. I guess that’s how the alarm clock feels.
It is interesting to see how children often wake up, smiling. Relishing the fact that it is a new day. Filled with a joy of simply being alive. Did not Jesus say something about faith being discovered when we embrace the attitude of a child?
To begin the day with an attitude of gratitude can set the tone for the whole day. Get up in a foul mood and it may end up a very bad day. Start off with the realization that “This is the day that the Lord has made” and it can make all the difference. A second observation…
2. Accept every day as an opportunity to help others
After preaching on this text many years ago in my home church of Moreton Presbyterian, a gracious lady, Mrs Bradley, directed me to this poem she had published in their monthly newsletter. It is called ‘Do it Now.”
“If with pleasure you are viewing, any work a man is doing,
If you like him or you love him, tell him now;
Don’t withhold you appellation, till the parson makes oration,
And he lies with lilies on his brow.
No matter then how you shout it, he really won’t care about it!
He won’t know how many teardrops you have shed!
If you think some praise is due him, now is the time to slip it to him,
For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead.”
St Paul wrote in his New Testament letters that as Christians, we should encourage one another. That is a great way to help each other through the day, which will, as Jesus reminds us, have enough troubles of its own. We can be cheerful in our conversations, complimentary of those who are doing a good job, and encourage those who are struggling. We can say a whole lot simply with a smile,
Of course, we can only help others to the degree that we help ourselves into a harmonious relationship with God. That’s the next item on my list.
3. Take time for contemplation
Strengthening our relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, and with the resources of God’s Holy Spirit is vital. Prayer and reading scripture are important disciplines for every Christian believer. Some people find it helpful to spend time alone with God at a particular point in the day. It’s all about time management. If we believe something is important, we’ll find that time and that place.
Make time for meeting with others for worship and fellowship. Attending a weekly worship service is for our benefit! When God commanded “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy” God was offering that as a tool to stay spiritually alive, not trying to burden us. As Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath!” We need to make time for ourselves and for each other!
If we are a list person, then draw up the list. Number things in order of importance, then get to them one at a time. We can be amazed at what we have accomplished, with God’s help, by the end of the day!
“Be not anxious about tomorrow” invites Jesus, "For tomorrow can be anxious for itself. Let the days own trouble be sufficient for the day” Time is that for which we will one day give an account unto Jesus.
I found the following words, of an anonymous poem, in a book of sermons on Matthew chapter 6, added the bible text and a tune, and they eventually appeared on my only ever vinyl recording back in 1984. Seemed like a convenient moment to revisit them!
If you would rather watch and listen, follow the link below.
https://youtu.be/kPJVAo7lKDk?si=tD6yCS9JpccIC4nb
“NOW" (Anon/Pratt)
If you have something to do, do it now, Today the skies are clear and blue,
Tomorrow clouds may come into view, And yesterday is not for you, do it now.
If you have a song to sing, sing it now. Let the notes of gladness ring,
Clear as the song of a bird in spring, Let every day some music bring, sing it now.
Be not anxious about tomorrow, Tomorrow can be anxious for itself,
Let the days own trouble, Be sufficient for the day,
Just live one day at a time, Just live one day at a time
If you have kind words to say, say them now, Tomorrow may not come your way
So give kindness while you may, And loved ones will not always stay,
Tell them of your love now…
Be not anxious about tomorrow, Tomorrow can be anxious for itself,
Let the days own trouble, Be sufficient for the day,
Just live one day at a time, Just live one day at a time
This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad today.
And if you have a smile to show, smile it now, Make hearts happy, let love grow
Let the friends around you know, The love you have before you go, smile it now
Be not anxious about tomorrow, Tomorrow can be anxious for itself,
Let the days own trouble, Be sufficient for the day,
Just live one day at a time, Just live one day at a time.”
That is the life Jesus calls us to embrace. Live one day at a time. That’s not to say we are being called to out everything off until tomorrow! No! Do it now! Jesus is Lord of now! God is God of the present. God desires that we open our lives to God’s love, today. God wants to take away our anxiety of the future, to blot out the memories of our sin and wants to do it now.
That’s the simple message we need to hear, today. That God’s love is a present reality which calls us to give our lives into God’s hands. If we have a decision to make about allowing Jesus to be our Lord and savior, now is the time to settle that matter. If we feel spiritually washed out, now is the time to set things right. Now is the hour of salvation. Tomorrow never comes, Today is here. We can allow God’s love to flood our lives today.
"Be not anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow can be anxious for itself. Let the days own trouble be sufficient for the day” (Matthew 6:34)
Prayer: “Lord, help us to live one day at a time. Help us to learn the secret of making the most of the present and open our lives to Your light. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
No comments:
Post a Comment