Now Is the Time to Live
This moment is not a delay—it's an invitation. The time to abide is now.
Devotional Source: His Victorious Indwelling: Daily Devotions for a Deeper Christian Life
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s devotional compiled by Nick Harrison centers on James 4:13–14 and calls the reader to live in the present moment with awareness of our mortality and eternal identity in Christ. It reminds us that life is fragile—like a vapor that appears and then vanishes. To live presumptuously, assuming we’ll have tomorrow, is to miss the invitation to live meaningfully now. The Christian is urged to live each day with readiness, not out of fear of death, but out of reverence for the One who holds our days.
The devotional gathers wisdom from Thomas à Kempis and Martin Luther, both emphasizing the brevity of life and the opportunity that each moment presents to abide in Christ. Death is not something to dread, but a transition—a sleep from which we rise in the presence of God, renewed and whole. For the believer, the moment of death becomes a moment of fulfillment, not fear.
It’s a sobering, yet freeing truth: the time to surrender is not later, but now. The time to love, to yield, to abide—is today. There is no need to delay repentance or the full enjoyment of union with Christ. Waiting to "get around to it" is the very mindset that robs the present of its joy and purpose. Life in Christ isn’t about cramming eternity into our future—it’s about drawing it into our now.
This message doesn’t drive us into anxious urgency but invites us to rest in readiness. We are free to live this moment with a heart anchored in eternity, with our affections set above and our gaze fixed on the One who is Life. That is what makes us wise—not the number of our days, but how we abide in the One who is eternal.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Beloved, your life is not a shadow—I have filled it with My substance. You are not waiting to live eternally one day in the future; you are already hidden with Christ in Me. I have not promised you tomorrow, but I have filled today with My presence.
Do not say, “I’ll follow You more fully later,” or “I’ll yield more deeply when I’m ready.” Now is the time. Now is the day of salvation. Not because you are on the edge of judgment, but because you are on the edge of joy. Every moment you abide in Me, you touch eternity.
Live this day in readiness—not through anxious striving, but through quiet trust. Yield to Me now, and My peace will rule your heart. Set your mind on things above, where you are already seated with Me. Let the noise of the world grow dim, and listen to the stillness where I speak.
You are not your past. You are not your uncertainty. You are Mine. Let the day’s brevity remind you that My love is endless and already yours. Death will not interrupt your life—it will reveal it more clearly. So live now, knowing you’ve already begun.
Scripture References: James 4:13–14, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Colossians 3:1–4, Ephesians 2:6, John 5:24, John 11:25–26, Romans 13:11–12, 1 Thessalonians 5:10, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 9:27–28, Psalm 90:12, 2 Corinthians 4:16–18
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a parking meter that’s already ticking down before you even leave the car. Whether you acknowledge it or not, time is moving. If you spend your energy planning to refill the meter later, you might return to find the moment has passed.
In the same way, today is not for speculation about tomorrow. It’s for yielding, for resting, for loving now. You don't need to rush. You need to remain. Let today be the space where you say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment.” Let Christ in you respond gently to the interruptions, generously to the needs, and joyfully to the mundane. This is your day—already infused with eternal purpose.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You for the gift of this moment—fully Yours, fully mine to live in union with Christ. I do not presume upon tomorrow, nor fear what lies ahead, because You are present now.
I rest in the finished work of Jesus and trust Your Spirit to express His life through me today. Whether my life continues for years or concludes tonight, I rejoice that I am already alive in You. Thank You for anchoring me in eternity and freeing me to live this moment with joyful surrender.