I’m well into my summer reading list.  Vacation time is such a great opportunity to catch up on all the books I’ve been wanting to read.

My current read is “Forgotten God – Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit” by Francis Chan (David C. Cook Publishers,  2009).

The title of Chapter 6 caught me by surprise:  “Forget About His Will For Your Life”.  Huh?

 But here is what Chan is getting at:

I think a lot of us need to forget about God’s will for my life. God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than what we intend to do next year.  In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions.

It is easy to use the phrase, “God’s will for my life” as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience.  It’s much less demanding to think about God’s will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes.  It’s safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day.

That’s something to really think about.  Am I more concerned with tomorrow than I am with today?  Do I fret too much about the future while this day is quickly passing by with hardly a thought of what God wants me to do with it?

Today needs to be my priority when it comes to God’s will for my life.  While planning for and seeking God about the future is a good idea, what Chan said is so true.

The decisions I’ll make next year or even next week will be profoundly affected by the decisions I am making right now.

I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments…  Dueteronomy 30:16

But exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” … Hebrews 3:13

Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.  Isaiah 55:6

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  James 4:14