Margin in Life: The Precious Present

This life is like a game of musical chairs—each year that passes is a chair that we cannot get back. And one day, there will be no chairs left.

Reflecting on death can teach us to live fully in the precious present. Instead of blindly blundering through our lives, we need to notice the ways in which the world seeks to change us. In doing so, we will not succumb to the gradual downward pull of the world but will renew our minds in Christ.

World Versus the Word

As we go throughout our lives, we need to watch our world-to-Word ratio. The things to which you expose yourself affect you. Over time, they will mold you into their image. As a result, if you are constantly exposing yourself to people, to the media, and to society without dwelling in the Word, you will look less and less like Christ. There is something fundamentally wrong if you are not cautious to follow the words of Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Following this verse requires dwelling on the opposite of what the media seeks to inundate us with. Our environment is not neutral; if we are not careful, it will lead us away from Christ. But the Word brings us to Christ, transforming our minds and renewing our hearts (Romans 12:1–2).

The Precious Present

All you have is this moment. You are not guaranteed tomorrow, so you need to make today count. Invite Christ into the precious present and treasure Him. Take time to be still, listening to His voice and dwelling with Him.

All too often, we rush through our lives, stressed out by all we need to do. We react to what comes our way, but we are not energized by the Spirit of God. In order to counteract this, we need to recognize that what God gives us each day is preparation for that final Day. We are stewards of our time; we cannot control one single moment. However, what God requires of us is that we be faithful.

Part of being faithful is making sure Christ is at the center of our lives. If we rush through everything, doing everything, we lose sight of simply being. But our inner life energizes our outer activity.

Longing for Home

Why is it that people long to live forever, retiring young and having time to waste by doing nothing? Living forever on earth is not a good thing. This is the land of the dying. Instead, we need to cultivate a longing for our eternal home. The more we live in the presence of Christ, the more homesick we will become.

One day, there will be no more death or sorrow or tears or pain or sickness. Moreover, we will have a resurrected body that will reflect the glory of Christ. As we reflect on these things now, it should draw our attention to God. As pilgrims and sojourners in this land of the dying, we must surrender every moment to Him and make each one count.

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