THIS MOMENT MATTERS! It really does! Every single solitary moment offers ramifications for eternity. BIG things, things that move heaven and earth, can happen in a moment! (Just do a quick–no pun intended–read through the gospel of Mark, noting references to time passing –like “as soon as” or “after a little while” and so on–to see what I mean!)

When we minimize the value of our choice in a moment, we are buying a lie straight out of the pit. What you think, do, say, feel in this moment…well, IT MATTERS! How often have you said or heard someone says, “Just this once won’t matter…” …but, the reality is, it DOES!

What good is it to be free from sin through Jesus Christ and have every opportunity and every possibility of walking in holiness and righteousness (with a sense of self-worth, security, and assurance that you are loved by God and valuable to Him) if at the moment of choice you ignore these things and choose to go right on as though you’re a slave to sin! Ray Stedman, “From Guilt to Glory,” as quote in GTST, p. 171

In the heat and emotions of the moment, a decision is made…each moment (I am being redundant for emphasis)…for the flesh or for the Spirit. The choice I make in this moment is like a seed. What kind of seed will it be? Will it be sown for the Spirit to reap spiritual, life-giving fruit? Or will it be a seed sown to the flesh, reaping death? The choice I make in the moment matters in the changing and forming of my character–in becoming more Christ-like.

And yet, I minimize the value of the moment so frequently.

Consider, in one moment, Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours, Father, be done.” In one moment, he breathed his last on the cross and said, “It is finished.” In one moment, Judas chose betrayal. In one moment, Judas chose to allow the rope to have it’s way with his neck. (Sorry to be graphic…) In one moment Pilate said “Crucify Him, then!”

Choices in the moment are IMPORTANT.

In one moment, I can harden my heart to the sweet voice of the Spirit. I can put on blinders that say “No. MY way, Lord.” Or I can welcome his presence into the emptiness that lures me to food. In this moment, I can say, “Yes, Lord. I wait on YOU to feed my soul…”

To deny myself what my flesh wants in this moment isn’t just about “losing weight.” It is about sowing for the Spirit in my life…this lasts for eternity! There are eternal ramifications!

The moment of choice involves the willingness to surrender our old nature to the Spirit of God. Choice engages our will governed by the Spirit. Choice involves examining our old unworkable beliefs and habitual responses and replacing them with truthful beliefs followed by choices that yield action in accordance with the Spirit. GTST, page 171.

It is amazing what can happen in a single moment. I choose in a moment to surrender or not. To surrender to God in the moment is followed by many moments of relief and joy that I have done so! To give in to my flesh in the moment is followed by regret and self-condemnation for many moments, too. The moment of decision matters so much. It also leads to other moments that will be influenced by the decision. When I condemn myself, I am more likely to make additional choices that will continue the spiral down. So why not capture the moment for joy? For delight? For “success” and “victory?”

So, in the blink of an eye, I choose to REJECT old unworkable beliefs in favor of God’s way or I can dig deeper the rut of sameness…the sameness that doesn’t serve me or the goals God has given me…

NO WAY.

Buck this with me today. Ok? Let’s throw off the momentary decisions that keep us locked in to things that have derailed all our godly goals! Let’s grab THIS moment for the Lord…and now THIS moment…ok…now THIS one! See how that works? Before you know it, we have a whole series of moments that have been grabbed for the Lord..maybe even an hour’s worth of moments! And the cool thing is, even if we have a moment of indiscretion, it doesn’t negate all the many moments we have given to the Lord. In God’s great economy, all those moments that we choose to die to self and say yes to the Spirit somehow are like some wondrously amazing investment reaping fruit 100 times! Trust Him that he will take your momentary decisions and use them for great things! I will too!