Choose this day.  This moment. God or gods. Creator or creation. Bread or crumbs. Jesus or boredom. Worship or die. – Look and Live, p. 220

I am just finishing a book written by Matt Papa, Look and Live, which delves into the interesting doctrine of the glory of God, in a profound way, but with a conclusion that is so very practical.  And the practical conclusion is what I want to leave with you, for our thought to chew on this week.

This moment contains all moments.  Theology is practical: especially now.  – C.S. Lewis The Problem of Pain pp. 24, 94-5

I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.  The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord,…For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit.  – George Müller Autobiography of George Müller: The Life of Trust p. 207

In a funny twist of irony, as I write this I just finished praying and received in one hour 13 messages that started the minute I began to pray…had to turn my phone off to stop the pinging of my iPhone…you remember each message that you ignore dings twice…26 dings.  The irony is that my desire to pray, then to write a blog about the need to disconnect was literally bombarded by distractions.  I did get up to check the phone…and promptly turned it off.

Matt Papa’s point with this book, really contemplating the depth of God’s glory is captured in the title Look and Live.  Only as we intentionally gaze, stare, contemplate, admire, adore…use any, and all superfluous terms that you can conjure up…and use these to stare longingly at Jesus…and you will live.

The C.S. Lewis quote explains that the entirety of our life, our productivity, our faith, our influence, all depend on now.  How do you start your day, how do you end it.  Life is lived in only one day…TODAY!  And what you invest in your walk with the Lord, and what you receive from Him is only realized in one moment NOW!

George Müller, one of my spiritual mentors (yes, you can be mentored by someone who never lived in the same time period) did an amazing work of feeding thousands of orphans, pastoring one single church over decades, and was known as an “apostle of faith,” realized that this all stemmed from his incredible devotion to prayer and to the study of the Bible.  What we do for God is shaped by the closeness of our relationship to God and with Him.

This week, composed of 7 days, remember that your growth in relationship with the Lord is the most important thing and that tomorrow is not the day to be concerned with it.  Your fruitfulness in life, the health of your family and relationships, everything revolves around this one significant thing, and that one thing, depends entirely upon today.