Do you like to receive presents? It seems most people do. They usually surround some celebration or memorable event. Some are shared by a community, like Christmas; however, most are focused upon more personal things. Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and graduations come to mind. On a spiritual level we may be grateful for the gift of life through Messiah Jesus or the gift of an answered prayer. Presents are things that come undeserved. They are not earned or are some kind of reward. God's presents are given just because He gives. It is who He is.
Special days and memorials highlight the presents the Lord has bestowed upon us. Good Friday followed by Resurrection Sunday remind us of His gifts to us as well as Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. God's Word is replete with festivals and feasts that serve to remind us of the many things God has done for us and given to us.
2 Corinthians 6:2 reminds us, “In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Salvation or deliverance is a great gift from God. In the context of the passage Paul is admonishing the believers in Corinth to not assimilate into the degraded culture that surrounds them. The present given by God is deliverance from such things. The world engages in a never ending assault upon our lives and our spirits. At times it can feel overwhelming. In the remainder of chapter 6 Paul documents the variety of attacks that plague those who desire to walk in the truth of the Gospel and with the Messiah. It reminds us that our Lord warned that the enemy of our soul has come to "steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10). It can be an imposing thought as we enter each day.
However, we need not be dismayed, for 2 Corinthians 6:2 reminds us of the gift God has given us through Yeshua our Messiah. Actually it is the present. Every day is the acceptable time for our deliverance. Every day is the day of salvation. It is not tomorrow, for we cannot know that tomorrow will be ours. Yes, we plan and anticipate but there are no guarantees. Likewise, we can do nothing to change the past. We can change course or seek forgiveness for wrongs done, but the events of the past are unchangeable. We may live with the consequences but we do not live in the past. At least we should not. I do know people who try to live in the past or let the events of the past rob them of the present. The present is very much that. A present, a gift, from God. Each day is a new opportunity. Each day brings salvation or deliverance from the very hand of God.
Perhaps this comes with the passing of years, the appreciation for each day as a present for God. Every day has new mercies (see Lamentations 3:22-23) and new deliverance. Presents are given to celebrate some joyful event. I guess that makes each day given an event worth celebrating. I do not make light of those times of pain and sorrow, however, they should be events that pass and heal with the present of each new mercy filled day. We train our children to be grateful for presents they have received. How much more appropriate is it for the children of God to enjoy and express appreciation for each present He graciously bestows upon us.
We should learn from the past and hope for the future, but oh how we should enjoy the present from the Lord God with each morning sunrise (or evening sunset if we follow a Hebraic day). Life is to be celebrated. We must not let the past rob us of the present God has given or allow anxiety of the future to steal the joy of the gift of the moment. I used to have a little card sitting on my desk that simply said, "life is not lost in days but moment by moment". How easy it is to take the Lord's present gift for granted and lose life moment by moment. The other half of John 10:10 tells us, that He came that we may have life, and have it in abundance.
What are you doing with God's present? It wasn't meant to be opened tomorrow. Now is the accepted time, the present is the time of deliverance. So, celebrate the present God gave you. It is a gift from Him to be enjoyed today.
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