“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.”
Jeremiah 29:5 NLT
Skeptics sometimes accuse Christians of being so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. Today few of us would sell all our earthly possessions and camp out on a hilltop, waiting for the Lord’s return. However, we still often live in “Tomorrowland.”
Tomorrow, we think, we will serve God more fully, after our children are grown and we have more time. We will give more, after we have paid off the car and saved enough for a down payment on a house. We will study the Bible more, after we no longer work full-time.
Jeremiah’s audience, Jews deported from their homeland to Babylon, knew all about Tomorrowland. They said, “Soon God will return us to our homes. As soon as that happens, we will serve God.” So they lived with their suitcases packed, ready to return.
But God had other plans and He sent a stern message through His prophet Jeremiah. “You’re going to be there a long time. Put down roots where I have sent you.”
God sends the same message to us. He wants us to live for today. We can’t allow dreams for tomorrow to paralyze our lives today.
God’s presence enables us to live in the present.
Dear heavenly Father, You have given us the gift of today. You want us to plant gardens and make homes. Show us joy and fulfillment in the present. Amen.
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Today’s reading was adapted from Daily Wisdom for Women: 2013 Devotional Collection with permission from Barbour Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reading was written by Tina Elacqua.