The Way - Fully Present - wk 3

FULLY PRESENT

I hope everyone took the time to walk a little slower last week. We are in the middle of a series where we are looking at our lives and the way we do things and comparing it to the way Jesus lived. So far we have been primarily focused on how busy our lives are. Those moments where we are rushing from one thing to another, trying to be successful and at the same time doing our best to live honorable, moral, sacrificial lives as Christ followers.

It’s in those moments that life tends to really beat us up, especially when nothing goes right and we try and try but nothing changes, those moments where we throw our hands in the air ready to give up and say, “This isn’t working. There has to be a better way!”

Last week we talked about slowing down. Part of the problem, for me at least, is that I feel like I have so much to do that many times I don’t allow myself to slow down for the important things in life. I find myself looking behind at Amy to ask, “Why are you walking so slow?”

Last week we paid a little more attention to THE WAY Jesus walked. He was always going somewhere, always had something to do, but He ALWAYS walked. Not for the sake of going slow, but for the sake of the people He loved. He took time for the people who approached Him and needed Him. The “next thing on His list” was never more important than the person standing right in front of Him.

Last week’s study is a perfect lead in to today. Let me start by asking you to do me a favor. Raise your hand if you are here. How many of you remember being in grade school and having to say “Here!” when the teacher called your name during roll call? We are going to do something a little like that. Here is the difference, I already know that you are here. I can see that. I don’t know if you are HERE. In other words, I know you are physically in this building. What I don’t know is if you are mentally present in this moment.

So, if you are HERE, raise your hand and say “I’m here.”

Welcome! I am so glad you are here! This is your moment. You have decided to use your freedom to gather with us in this place today to worship our Heavenly Father. To take this moment as a disciple of Jesus to feed on the Bread of Life. To experience the Living Word of God. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is with you in this moment drawing you closer to God. This is a Holy Moment.

Welcome. I am excited you are here. This isn’t a Holy moment because I, or any other specific person is here. It’s not even a Holy moment because I am talking to you about God. It is a Holy moment because God is here with you and you are reaching out to connect with Him.

The unfortunate thing is that many of us won’t be HERE for long. You’ll be here physically, but your mind will drift. Something will catch your attention. You’ll begin thinking about and focusing on something else.

I’m HERE now, but then my phone vibrates. I know it’s a text. I’ve been waiting on a text. That’s probably the text. I can’t stand it, so I pull out my phone… It’s a facebook notification. I’ll click it anyway. “Ohhh, look at that cat!”

Maybe something reminds you of something you have to do later, or something reminded you of lunch. Without realizing it you are trying to decide what to eat for lunch. Something has been worrying you for a few weeks and you can’t ignore if for long before it takes your every thought. Maybe something or someone distracts you. You were SO FOCUSED! And that ruined it. Now you can’t stop thinking about that distraction!

Jesus was no stranger to distractions. Let’s go back to the scripture we looked at last week. Jesus’ first miracle. You can find this story in John Chapter 2. Jesus, His disciples, and His mother were at a wedding celebration. In the middle of the party the wine ran out and Mary wanted Jesus to help. His response was, “that’s not our problem.” So they were out of wine, big deal! Jesus wasn’t sent to make sure the parties were fun to the fullest, He was sent to fulfill God’s promises! This wasn’t His problem.

That didn’t stop Him from helping. Nearby there were six huge stone jars that were used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Here is what they probably looked like. He had the servants fill them with water. They could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. Then He told them to dip some out and take it to the master of the banquet. So they did. The master didn’t know where it came from but this is what he said…

John 2:10 NLT

10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

Not only did Jesus help them out when it wasn’t even His problem, but He gave His best. Jesus has a better way. His way is to give the best NOW. How many cheap wine moments pass by us and cause us to miss out on the best moments? How many of those moments COULD HAVE BEEN our best moments? Jesus lived a better way. How can we live the way Jesus lived?

I think that if I ran into Jesus on the street today, one of the most meaningful things about Him would be the way He engaged with people. I can’t really back that up beyond it being my opinion, but when you read about some of His encounters you can see that reaction in people. Like He didn’t just know them, but He really knew them. As if when He looked at them, He wasn’t looking past them or locked in His own thought process, but as if He peered into their soul and connected with them. Like when He was with them, He wasn’t just here, but He was HERE.

In every moment, Jesus was fully present. Living with an undivided attention. In the gospel of Luke we can see a great example of Jesus’ way. Jesus was sent with a mission and He was making His way to Jerusalem. He has an important task, prophesies to fulfill, people to save, miracles to perform, and so on. He is far too important, and His mission is far too important to be interrupted.

As Jesus was getting close to Jericho a blind beggar began shouting, “Have mercy on me!” People were trying to shush him, but he only yelled louder, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” What was the first thing Jesus did when He heard the man shouting? When Jesus heard him, He stopped, then He asked the man that no one else had time for, “What do you want me to do for you?” He wanted to see, so Jesus healed him.

After that, they continued on into Jericho. As they are walking through, Jesus looks up and sees someone sitting in a tree. I wonder what the crowd were thinking when Jesus stopped and looked up at the man? For sure, in today’s world, people would be thinking something like, “Jesus has somewhere to be! There are people counting on Him. A lot of people are already following Him around! Not only that, but they’re trip has already been interrupted. Just a few minutes ago they were stopped by a poor blind beggar!”

Especially when Jesus called out his name. Zacchaeus? Zacchaeus! Why of all the lousy, no good, good for nothing sinners out there, Zacchaeus?!? He works for the IRS! AND he’s skimming off the top! Jesus knows him by name? WHAT?! Now Jesus wants to eat lunch with him. AT HIS HOUSE! What is going on?

Again, Jesus is spending time with someone everybody else hated. The person nobody else had time for. Jesus was fully present, undivided attention. Zacchaeus probably just stood in his living room staring at Jesus in shock. I know I would have been. Then he just blurts out a commitment of repentance…

Luke 19:8–9 NLT

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.

These two verses give us a great comparison of our way and Jesus’ way. Zacchaeus makes a commitment. “I will!” How many times have you said that to Jesus, “I will!” What’s Jesus’ way… “Today, salvation has come.” Right now! This moment! Today!

Jesus was always present in the moment! How great! I want to be like that. If you want to be like that, say, “I’m here!”

Not just living for the happy moments, but fully present in ALL the moments. Even the annoying ones. There will always be annoying moments. You may even be in the middle of one right now! When Amy and I got married Macayla was just a kid. Because of that, there were a lot of “Amy and me” time that we missed out on. As much as I love Macayla, I remember thinking, “One of these days, Macayla will be grown up and Amy and I will get to go on date nights and not have to smell Ramen noodles every night.”

Now, we finally get to do that. We try to go eat or something every week. Half the time I think to myself, “I sure do miss Macayla.” Of course, then Macayla comes home to visit and I’m like, “Oh yeah…I remember now.”

How much time do we spend complaining today about moments we will miss tomorrow?

Maybe you aren’t complaining, but you just can’t stop thinking about tomorrow. Or next month. Or next year. Your brain has the “When-then disease.”

When I get out of school, then I can start a real job.

When I get a better paying job, then I can pay off these loans.

When I get these loans paid off, then I can think about retirement.

When I get married, then I can settle down.

When I settle down, then I can find a better house.

When I have the better house, then I can go on a better vacation.

When I’m not so busy running all these kids around…

Often times we just end up going through life wishing away the current moment! If you are taking notes, write this down…

Don’t miss what you have now pursuing what you want later.

Maybe you aren’t distracted looking forward to the future, but instead you are dreading it. Instead of saying “When-Then” you find yourself asking, “What if?”

What if I don’t succeed?

What if I don’t do a good job?

What if I end up with a bad career?

What if the economy crashes?

What if I get sick?

What if I miss a few payments?

What if my marriage fails?

Jesus says, “Hey, hey, hey… What are you doing? You shouldn’t be worried about the future…”

Matthew 6:34 NLT

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

You are here today. You are in THIS moment. This moment is enough.

Why do we worry about the future? Why are we stuck thinking about the past? Why is it so difficult to live in the moment? Fully present. There are probably many reasons, but I think most probably revolve around some form of a lack of faith. I believe that in my life because sometimes it seems impossible to let go of the past. Sometimes it eats at me and nags me. At the same time, the future is unknown. Sometimes the “what-if’s” seem huge. I think about it and conclude, “How am I gonna deal with that?”

Jesus talks a lot about “Today.” There are 2 things we MUST do to be present today. To be HERE in this moment. If you are taking notes, the only way you can be present in the moment is to…

Surrender the past you can’t change.

Trust God with a future you can’t control.

For a long time, the hourglass was used to keep time. And really, they are a great representation of moments in your life. As a side note, the hourglass even looks like the infinity symbol. Think about all of the sand in an hourglass as individual moments in your life. You have no idea how many moments are waiting at the top of the hourglass. Once those moments pass through the neck and end up below, you have no way of getting them back.

You can’t hit pause on the hourglass, freeze a moment, and enjoy it forever. All you can do is experience the moment as it comes to you. If you always think about the moments above, you will miss the ones that you will never be able to get back.

James 4:13–14 NLT

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

It’s passing through, moment by moment. We have no idea what the next one will be, and we will never get to experience the last one again. It’s here a little while, then it’s gone. Just like an hourglass.

Psalm 118:24 NLT

24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the moment. Right HERE is the moment that God has made for you. It is very easy to think about other moments. Super easy to look forward to moments that are on their way, getting closer and closer. It is easy to remember moments you have already experienced. Look back in regret or longing to have them again. Let me tell you something that will never happen with those moments…

You will never be happy where you are not. You can’t be happy HERE if you’re not present because you are actually over there. You will never be happy in this current moment if you are looking for it in a different one. You will never be able to serve Jesus where you are not. You can’t love people where you are not. If you are waiting for a moment in the future, you will never be fully present in this current moment.

Don’t miss what you HAVE NOW pursuing what you WANT LATER.

It is so easy to get distracted. We live in a world that craves your attention. People spend lots and lots of money developing commercials that will grab your attention and replay itself in your mind. They develop apps that nag at you on your cell phone. They design fun and interesting noises so that when you hear them you will look at your phone and be distracted by another nonsense notification that you just HAVE to click on!

It’s so easy to get distracted. So easy to be preoccupied with self. Absorbed in your own thoughts and desires. Jesus was always thinking of others. Always present with them. Even when He was hanging naked on a cross after being beaten senseless to the point of being hardly recognizable. If there were ever a time to think about yourself, that would probably be the one.

Next to Jesus was another dying man. Jesus is so good, that even in that moment when He could have thought about himself, worried about His own future, or wondered if He did it right in the past, He gave the other man his undivided attention. In true Jesus fashion, they had a conversation. The man proclaimed that they deserved to die for their crimes, but Jesus didn’t. Then he asked Jesus to remember him.

Luke 23:43 NLT

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Today. This moment. Not “Someday.” Today. Jesus Fully Present. You can’t serve Jesus where you are not. You can’t love people where you are not. You can’t be happy where you are not. That all happens TODAY. In this moment. HERE. Not here in this building. HERE. In every moment God gives you.

You have to be fully present in the moment. You can’t be a great friend if you are not there. You can’t be a great spouse if you are not there. You can’t be a great influence if you are not there. Don’t miss what you have now pursuing what you want later. Today is the day. God saved the best for now!

NOW is the moment God has made for you. God has saved His best for now! This moment in your life! In this moment, God is with you, giving you His best. Giving you His grace. Giving you His mercy. Giving you His forgiveness. Giving you His freedom. Giving you His power. Giving you His purpose. Today.

According to a Harvard study, 47% of the time your mind isn’t where your feet are. Your mind trails off to other things. If I have learned anything from the WAY Jesus lived, it’s that I don’t want to miss half of my life by simply not being present. Wishing moments away by thinking about the past or the future. Missing a moment God has given me in pursuit of a moment I want later.

“Today is the day the Lord has made!” This is the moment God has made! “I will rejoice and be glad in it!”