As Americans, our culture tells us to live in the moment. Although it’s difficult to tell amongst the incoherent ramblings of spokesperson Matthew McConaughay as he drives, this has become Lincoln’s motto.
Typically, our Hollywood-laden ideals and work ethic combine to form the cliché “work hard, play hard.” To live in the moment continually, every day has to be special. For every day to be special, every today has to be special. These ideals are unattainable. No matter how inspired we are, the relentless grind at work grates against these ideals, causing a lot of frustration.
Check out these two pop culture examples (from the 90’s, of course) of people who are grappling with Today.
A great band of yesterday, Limp Bizkit was briefly the mouthpiece for every guy living in his parents’ basement. In the song “Break Stuff”
they noted a feeling I had every day I went to work. “It’s just one of those days you don’t want to wake up. Everything is messed up, everybody sucks… give me something to break.” Who hasn’t had one of these days, weeks, months, or even a year?—but
I’ll be there for you.
If you aren’t living in your parents basement and don’t identify with Limp Bizkit, what about the best work-based movie of all time, “Office Space?” The working sap Peter asks a hypnotist to give him something to knock him out, so he doesn’t have to deal with his day.
“Everyday is the worst day of my life.”
”What about today, was today the worst day of your life?”
”Yeah.”
“Wow, that’s messed up.”
Yes, that is messed up, according to Scripture. But this is an extreme, Hollywood example– most of us aren’t in hypnotherapy (or dating Jennifer Aniston). Most of us can identify better with this example from A Purpose Driven Life capturing the feelings of a young man in his twenties who felt lost. “I feel like a failure because I’m struggling to become something, and I don’t even know what it is. All I know how to do is to get by. Someday, if I discover my purpose, I’ll feel I’m beginning to live.”
If we wake up every day without our focus on God, we can begin to say “it sucks.” But a Christian participating in the will of God will not wake up day after day and feel this way. A child of God is not lost and without direction. There’s too much in God’s Word explaining his meaningful purposes for today. God has a ton planned out for today to participate in.
God’s universal plans are spelled out in Scripture, and we find our specific purpose as we act out the instructions in the Word of God. We find that God has a plan for each day, for today. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). All the days. God has them all planned out. Even Limp Bizkit’s day that made him want to break stuff. Even Peter’s day that made him go the hypnotherapist. Even your day at work that made you want to cry.
The Apostle Paul gives Today quite the pep talk. “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:1-2). It’s not “just one of those days.”
Now we have run full circle. We’ve identified our American/Hollywood mantra of living in the moment as empty. We only have to look at pop culture– or better, sit at our desks and feel our souls be crushed by stress and boredom– to know the mantra is shallow. Now, we open up Scripture, and it looks like Paul is preaching to live in the moment. What gives?
The key, of course, is Christ. His work to reconcile us to the Father changes everything. We become new creations– we become more than survivalists, we become conquerors. In Christ, today becomes a new day.
The writer of Hebrews flat out tells us that the Christian life is always living in the moment. “God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today'” (Hebrews 4:7). When is that certain Today? Today. Every day. Every day is Today, the certain day God set.
Hebrews says that every day is an opportunity to find God (Hebrews 4:6) and enter his peace. Most Christians today have good intentions. We intend to do great things for the Lord. But these intentions are put off until tomorrow. Tomorrow never seems to get here. If we are not careful, we will run out of tomorrows.
So “as long as it is called ‘Today,’” be encouraged (Hebrews 3:13). Today is:
- A day of grace before the Day of the Lord. “Now is the time of God’s favor.” Corinthians 6:2
- A day of opportunity. “God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today.'” Hebrews 4:7
- A day of choice. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15
- A day of provision, a day God proves to be the Jehovah Jireh- “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matt 6:11
- A day for evangelism- “Today is the day of salvation.” II Cor 6:2
- A day to be excited about- “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24-25.
- A day of righteousness- “Today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts.” Heb 3:7
- A day to be seized- “As long as it is called Today…” Heb 3:13b, Hebrews 4:6-7
- A day of encouragement— “But encourage one another daily.” Heb 3:13
- A day to see God’s faithfulness. “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Heb 13:8.
- A day of renewal- “renewed day by day…” II Cor 4:16-18
- A day of rest—“To enter that rest… God again set a certain day, calling it Today…” Heb 4:7
Today is a period of divine grace, an opportunity to trust God and find his peace. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. It is influenced by yesterday and sets up what happens tomorrow. God is faithful through it all.
Today is always. Every day is a day to press on and enter further in his promised land of his rest. Today is a day of resting in his peace. Today is an opportunity, “as long as it is called Today.”
Compare how Limp Bizkit approaches this day to how another 90’s band does, Audio Adrenaline. “I want to say a prayer before my feet can hit the ground. Lord, I give this day to you. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, and watch the day begin”
Have a good day.