DIRECTIONS FOR A NEW DAY

Every day is a new opportunity! Yesterday has gone forever, tomorrow is not yet here. How can I live today that will add meaning to my life and the lives of others?

Jesus gave us a lifegoal which should apply to us every day. He said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV). So, what should be our focus in our everyday lives, taking into consideration that we are not alike?

In a nutshell, God is more interested in our character than in our circumstances. Jesus said that we behave like pagans when we run after ‘things’ instead of seeking His kingdom. When we give our attention to taking care of our needs, and those of our families, we miss what God wants, our trust in Him as our Father, and the freedom to learn about the things that really matter.

Life is not about surviving in a tough world. That is God’s responsibility because we are His sons and daughters. Life is about learning to be His mature children so that we can be part of His ‘business’ on earth – His kingdom. It’s not only about this life – it’s also about preparing to play our part in the life to come.

This life is short. God has built into us huge potential; both the possibility and the opportunity to become like His Son, Jesus, in the same sort of world that shaped Him into who He was. This may not seem important to us in an environment where God is ignored, despised, or forgotten but, to us who believe in His Son and have been rescued from hell, it ought to be big.

It was big for Jesus. He always viewed situations from the perspective of God’s rule and He always took the long look – seeing this life as a very short preparation for the life to come. He saw worry as a foolish response to our needs because worry exposes our actual attitude to our heavenly Father. Worry cancels out faith and puts fear in the driving seat.

So, what should our response be to the pressing needs we face every day? Jesus said, ‘Set your sights on looking for every opportunity to do the right thing.’ That means imitating the way Jesus loved and served people, trusted, and obeyed the Father and always put the needs of others before His own. When we do that, we show our absolute confidence in God’s promise to take care of us and, best of all, we get to know Jesus and become like Him.

In this way, we will be well on the way to fulfilling God’s dream for us, a family of responsible sons and daughters who are just like His Son, Jesus, and whom He can trust to run His world under His authority in the life to come.