top of page

Take Hold of Today

July 4, 2024

Hey Clawson Family!


 Song:





Scripture


James 4:13-15 New Living Translation


Warning about Self-Confidence


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. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”


Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT


A Time for Everything


1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.

3 A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.

4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

6 A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.

7 A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.


Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation


5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.


Devotional:


Have you ever stood on the beach and watched waves crash on the shore? When the waves are big enough, a little mist appears right as the wave crashes into the sand. It's there for a moment, and then it's gone until the next wave is ready to enter. 


There's something meditative about that exercise; I could watch it happen for hours. It reminds me that even the most beautiful moments are temporary. If you try too hard to freeze them in time, you’ll miss them. 


When I read James 4:14, that image always pops into my mind. James tells us our lives are like mist; we appear for a moment and then are gone. At first glance, that verse can feel sad or intimidating, but if you meditate on it, you begin to realize how freeing it is. 

Especially for single people. 


Have you ever wondered why we, as single people, get so caught up in the regrets from yesterday or our fears about tomorrow? Part of the problem is that we take our lives too seriously. We put so much emphasis on all the things we’ve done in the past or want to do in the future and forget that we are really just a mist. 


Just a wave. 


We appear for a moment, and then we crash into the shore. 


And that’s it. 


Typically, the fears and insecurities surrounding singleness relate to yesterday and tomorrow. But when you embrace today and practice being present where you are, many of those struggles lose their power over you. 


See if you can double down on today. When you feel yourself starting to get dragged back down by the past or pulled forward into the future, stop and remember, “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). 


Journal: 


Is there something you are trying to avoid today? A situation? A decision? Write it down in your journal. How are you using yesterday or tomorrow to avoid being present today?



Training: 


Accountability is a huge part of living a Christian life. Who is one person in your life who would be up for being a part of this with you? Reach out and ask them if they would be willing to text you James 4:14 once a day for a week. Every time they text you, stop what you are doing and meditate on it for two minutes.


bottom of page