11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
It is important to know your time. My father was offered the original stock for what would become the Polaroid film process. A thousand dollars would have made him millions. He didn’t spend the thousand dollars. Right now I am earning another Master’s degree. I know that this is necessary for the future ministry we will undertake, but we don’t know the shape of that future ministry. Missions, teaching at a college or university, pastoring, orphan work in Romania or India, on staff at a large church? The possibilities are almost endless. But in order to be prepared for that future, we must be aware of our present. I can’t waste the present waiting for the future. I must use the present, for truly that is all I have. How are you using your present? Wasting it in self-pity and hurt? Focused inward instead of upward, outward and forward? Pull the plug on the hurt, let it die. Give the pain over to the One who took your pain in order to turn you pain into triumph. As long as you grip the pain, you can’t let go and grasp the healing and future Jesus has for you. You have to understand the present, that it is transitory, that it will be over all too soon. In fact, you have given up some of it while you have been reading this! Was it worth it? Did you recognize the tradeoff? Make wise choices about your present. Use it wisely to prepare for your eternity.
The Arnold Journey 