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“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ ~Jeremiah 29:10-14 

My head knows it but it takes a while for my heart to catch up. I think it’s a part of the process of letting Him purify my motives and teach me how to seek Him with all of my heart. 

Where I am is where I should be. He has big plans for me. I just need to be a faithful steward of what I’m given right now. 

It’s coming before Him each day with open hands and radical trust. It’s trading my dreams, desires, and plans for something much bigger. It’s accepting grace and living in that freedom from one moment to the next. 

 

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here.

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ ~Jeremiah 29:7

Sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) I forget that we have a direct line to the Creator of the universe. In my self-absorption and personal agenda, I forget that every moment I’m given is a divine appointment. And the Author of the moment wants me to talk to Him. He wants to hear about the situation, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the hard, the hurt, the easy, the infuriating, the exhilarating, the monotone, and the colorful. 

But He doesn’t just want a play by play.

More specifically, He wants us to use our leverage for the good of those around us–even those who are holding us captive or put us in exile. Pray for the good of the “city” you’re placed in even if you don’t feel like it. As we live in the moment, looking for opportunities to serve those around us may we be conscious of the spiritual impact we have as well. And may we be present enough in the moment to know how to pray appropriately.

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here.

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ ~Jeremiah 29:7

I think this verse speaks for itself. We need to get outside of ourselves and look for opportunities to serve those around us. We were placed in each particular moment for a reason–to bring Him glory. May we never become so self-absorbed that we miss an opportunity to share His love; may we seek those opportunities out. I pray this week that we are aware of the moments we are given to serve in love.  

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others ~Philipians 2:3-4

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce…~Jeremiah 29:4-5

Ever had one of those days where you forgot to eat? Or you all you ate was a bagel and the rest of the can of almonds you left in the car yesterday? When we’re in a hurry moving from one thing to the next, sometimes sustenance can take a back seat. We think there’s no time to pack a lunch or sometimes even stop to sit down and eat a meal that requires utensils. So instead we stash our purse with protein bars and fill up on Starbucks. And though these will fill our calorie count for the day, they won’t satisfy our stomachs. We forget that the only reason we’re able to keep going is because of the time we take to refuel.

The same is true of our soul. We need to nourish it just as much (if not more) as we need to nourish our bodies. Carve out moments to be still, to really listen. I think we’ll find ourselves refreshed and more conscious of the moments we’re in. 

O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! ~Ps. 34:8

 

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here. 

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens…~Jeremiah 29:4-5

In order for something to grow it has to be 1) planted and 2) tended over time. As we live in each moment as it comes, we should be aware of the seeds we are planting. Every decision we make is a seed in that it leads to another decision. Eventually, decisions become habits and habits become lifestyle choices. When we are in the habit of being consciously aware of the opportunities in front of us, we start to realize the weight of our choices. We begin to see down the road a little more clearly. 

Not only should we be aware of the seeds we are planting, we should also pay attention to what is growing inside of us. Are we allowing allowing that incident from the other day to turn into bitterness? Are the lies from last week replaying in our heads? Are we fostering an atmosphere of love? Do our lives paint a picture of peace, patience, and joy? 

Planting a garden is not something done haphazardly on the spur of the moment. Yes, we need to be present within the moment but we also need to realize how this moment will affect the next. Slow down. Think about the seeds you are sowing for yourself and planting in others.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ~Galatians 5:22

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here. 

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them…" ~Jeremiah 29:4

Set routines, make friends, settle down, allow yourself to relax. Begin to establish rhythms of familiarity. When we’re settled to a healthy degree of comfortable, we can begin to really see what’s going on around us. Instead of being consumed with the next thing, we can focus on where we are at the moment. We begin to build deeper relationships, invest in what matters to us, and fully live the life we were meant to. When we don’t appreciate the season (or even moment) we’re in, we end up living only a surface-deep life. We become shallow because we’re never fully engaged in the activity at hand. Being present allows us to soak up every lesson and opportunity that comes our way so that we can live the life we were meant to live. 

Live–fully, freely, deeply, moment by moment.  

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses…" ~Jeremiah 29:4

You’re going to be here a while. Take the clothes out of the suitcase and hang them in the closet. 

A sense of permanency comes with building a house. Getting our minds in a permanent mindset (even if the situation really is temporary) helps us to focus on what’s in front of us. It may not be a house we’re called to build at this moment; it could be community, it could be a business, it could be a family. In order to make progress and move forward, we need to get out of the temporary mindset. Temporary feeds off of a tyranny of the urgent attitude; permanent focuses on building something that will last. When we’re  present within the situation as if it were long term, we advance the task at hand rather than letting it stagnate. What could you accomplish if you were present with a long term attitude?

Look around. Be present. You’ll be here a while. Build something. 

 

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here. 

This summer during our family “rest in Destin”, Daddy gave us each a scripture to meditate on. My particular verse was from Jeremiah 29. As I was revisting the chapter today the words echoed in my head again, BE PRESENT. God was telling the Israelites to be present in their captivity! And He gave specific instructions on how to do it! 

Now, the Israelites had just been taken into captivity. Their world had been turned upside down. They had been uprooted from their homeland and forced to live with foreigners. Their hearts ached for a home. And they had no idea what was to come in the days ahead. 

Imagine the questions: Should we keep our bags packed or move into the chest of drawers? Should we buy some groceries or keep continue to figure it out meal to meal? What about that family we just met, they seemed nice, will we be here long enough to establish community? 

Sound familiar? Though we may not physically be in exile, sometimes our situations feel similar. It’s hard to be present in what may seem like a temporary situation. May these verses (particularly their verbs) over the next few days bring clarity and encouragement.

 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ ~Jeremiah 29:4-7

 

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here. 

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here. 

Joshua’s car got stolen today.

We’re a little miffed. 

This loss is an opportunity.

Daddy circled us up to pray for whoever did it.

We call him or her “X”

Yesterday, we had no idea this person existed.

Today, there are more than 6 people entering the throne room for “X”.

Eternity is at stake. 

Your present moment is an opportunity to be leveraged. 

How will you use it?

This is part of 31 days (of being present). Join the other 31 day-ers here.