When
I first wrote this post, My mind is thinking about a very important Rugby Match
for the 6 Nations Championship.
The
match between Wales and France was the decider to see if Wales would win, the
Grand Slam which goes to the Rugby Team who have won all their matches. This would have been the 3rd Grand Slam
Trophy Wales would have won in the last 7 years, Wales having won in 2005 and
in 2008. There was a great deal of
pressure on the Welsh Rugby Team to repeat their previous successes and win the
Grand Slam. Having already beaten Ireland, Scotland.& England away, and
beaten Italy at home. they faced the challenge of beating France at home in
Cardiff. I watched the Game on TV, and I could feel the electricity of the
Welsh Supporters in the Stadium, and I knew in my heart of hearts, that Wales
could and would win the Game. Just a few
days before the game, the tragic news of the death of Mervyn “Merv the Swerve
“Davies who had Captained the Welsh Rugby Team in the Glory Days of the 1970’s,
was announced. Not only did the current Welsh Rugby Team have to face the
pressure to repeat the success of 2005 and 2008, but to win for the memory of
Merv the Swerve.
There
was great deal of hype, for Wales to win
the Grand Slam again, and to go on to bigger and better success in the future
by playing and hopefully beating teams like Australia and New Zealand in the coming months. I noticed that both the coaching staff lead
by Warren Gatland and the players lead by Sam Warburton focused on the present
and not on the past, (the wonderful Welsh Team of the 1970’s or the previous
Grand Slam wins of 2005 and 2008), nor did they focus on the future by thinking
ahead to playing and hopefully beating Australia and New Zealand, they focused
on the present and committed themselves to win both the Triple Crown and the
Grand Slam.
This
lead me to think, that sometimes we focus our minds and past
success and sometimes failure, disappointment, hurt etc, and try to live our
lives in the past, Maybe it’s sense of regret, a sense of safety, and sense
that our best days are behind us, so we set our minds (because we think things
can’t, wouldn’t or shouldn’t get better today) on yesterday, then again,
because of the disappointments etc of today, we day dream or dream about tomorrow, hoping and praying that
our tomorrow will be better than today, isn’t it better to live in the present
, than to live in the past or the future
?, because God is in control of our lives,
and despite the pain and heart ache of today, God is blessing and will
bless more as we live for Him today.
In
1904, God moved in Wales and tens of thousands were born again, for years since
them Welsh Christians including myself have prayed that God would move in Wales
like he did in 1904, we make monuments of past success and make our current
models of mission copies of the past, But God has a new and better thing and we
miss out what God wants to do today because we’re focused on what God did in
the past!
I
love reading, and for many years I read and re-read books of what God has done
so wonderfully in the past, and would dream or day dream that I was in those
times and in those places, but I’m not, I’m reading a book at the moment on the
great Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth, who died in 1947, it’s great and challenging
read but this is 2015 and not 1947. I’m
not knocking what God has done in the past, but we’re called to live in today’s
world not yesterday’s world. When I was
in my mid to late teens, we sang a song, (don’t worry, I’m not going to sing it
out aloud!)I want to serve the purpose of God in my generation, See here for
the full words.
I
want to serve the purpose of God
In
my generation
I
want to serve the purpose of God
While
I am alive
I
want to give my life
For
something that will last forever
Oh,
l delight, I delight to do Your will
I
want to build with silver and gold
In
my generation
I
want to build with silver and gold
While
I am alive
I
want to give my life
For
something that will last forever
Oh,
l delight, I delight to do Your will
What
is on Your heart?
Tell
me what to do
Let
me know Your will
And
I will follow You
I
want to see the kingdom of God
In
my generation
I
want to see the kingdom of God
While
I am alive
I
want to live my life
For
something that will last forever
Oh,
I delight, I delight to do Your will
I
want to see the Lord come again
In
my generation
I
want to see the Lord come again
While
I am alive
I
want to give my life
For
something that will last forever
Oh
l delight, I delight to do Your will
©
1982 People of Destiny International/Word Music
The
Apostle Paul said in Acts 13:36 ESV, “David, after he had served the purpose of
God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw
corruption”
God
has called us to love, serve, obey and follow Him by living in the Present, we
can praise God for what He has done in the Past, and we can Pray for what God
will do in the Future, but we can Praise Him for what He has done in our lives
so far, and Pray that He is doing a better work in our lives today than
yesterday.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:
20-21, ESV,” 20 Now to him who is able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within
us, 21 to him be glory in the church and
in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
Let
us then, stop trying to serve God’s Purpose’s for past generations, or try to
imagine what are God’s Purpose’s for future generations, or try to serve God’s
purposes for other places or people, Let us instead serve with whole hearted
commitment God’s Purpose’s for our lives, the places He has planted us
alongside the people He has called us to walk alongside and share live and
faith with. Let us therefore, “Live in the Present”
“I
want to serve the purpose of God, in my generation
I
want to serve the purpose of God, while I am alive
I
want to give my life, for something that will last forever
Oh,
l delight, I delight to do your will.”
Yours
in His Grace
Blair
Humphreys
Southport,
Merseyside, England
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